Uppu Cheedai

Once again after a long break...This time with a interesting recipe of non bursting cheedai... Generally many are quite afraid to make cheedai as it might burst... I will share my secret recipe which doesn't burst... I make this every year for Gokulashtami/Janmashtami... 

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 cups
Urad Dhal Flour (Roasted and ground) - 1 tbsp
Salt -1/2 tsp
Asafoetida -1/4 tsp
Till - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tbsp
Coconut water -1/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Oil - to fry

How to make:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients and keep in microwave for a minute. In case microwave is not there, roast in sim flame for 2 mins. 

(Pls note: the colour should not change)

2. Add butter and mix gently. Sprinkle coconut water little by little and mix. Make into dough (just enough to roll into balls).

(You can add 1-2 tbsp water if required)

3. Roll into small roundels. Don't try to make perfect roundels. 

4. Heat oil in a kadai, drop the balls gently in the oil and fry in sim flame. Remove it, while the colour is changing from golden brown. Normally takes 6-8 mins. 

Thengapal Murukku

This is one more post which was pending on my list for a long time. I had made this for last Diwali, clicked this pic while i was making one side. Since then somehow this recipe got skipped. The coconut milk in this thengapal murukku gives a unique mild subtle taste to it. 

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 Cups

Urad Flour - 1/4 Cup

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Butter/Ghee - 1 tbsp

Coconut milk - 1 Cup

Oil - for frying

How to make:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and, the butter to it  and mix well.

2. Add coconut milk little by little make a soft dough. Stuff the dough in the murukku kuzhal and in a plastic sheet grease it with oil, and squeeze out the dough to make small small murukku.

3. Once the oil is hot, drop each murukku into the oil slowly. Fry in medium heat for 8-10 mins. Keep turning side every 2-3 mins, so that both sides are well cooked. 

P.S: If the oil is very hot, it will turn brown.... So make sure you cook in medium low heat so that the colour is retained.....

Masala Vada

One of the most popular item which is made during every occasion in Tamil nadu. BE it festival or marriage or just a get together gathering lunch, this will be definitely be part of the menu... Relishing snack too. 

Ingredients:

Channa Dhal - 1 Cup
Toor Dhal - 1 tbsp
Onion (Finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Red Chilli - 3-4 nos.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Corriander leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Asafoedita - 1/4 tsp
Oil - To fry

How to make:

1. Soak the channa dhal, toor dhal and red chili for minimum 3 hrs.

2. Grind it coarsely without any water.  Add salt, asafoedita, curry leaves, onion and corriander leaves  to this mixture and blend well.

3. In a kadai heat oil, fry the vada's in medium flame. Fry till it turns golden brown.

Kothambari Vadi

When I first heard the name of this snack, I was asking my friend Priti to repeat 2-3 times to get it right... Its a Maharashtrian snack. The aroma of so much of coriander leaves is the key behind this snack. Quite simple to make... You can just drop in oil like pakodas or set it and cut it into shape and fry it. I have shown both in the pic below....

Ingredients:

Besan Flour -  1 Cup

Water - 1/2 Cup 

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves (chopped) - 3/4 cup

Oil - for frying

Hot to make:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and keep it aside for 5 mins.

2. If you  want set and give any shape, keep the mixture in microwave for 2 mins and it will set. Revert it and cut into desired shape.

3. Heat oil in kadai and fry the pakoda's until its well cooked and turns golden brown.

4. Serve it hot with mint chutney or tomato ketchup.....

Stuffed Chili Bajji

I saw some fresh bajji chili which tempted me to buy and make some... I wanted to have chili bajji (without any stuffing)... But when I made the first set and tasted it, realized that the chili is very spicy.... I had bought quite a lot of chili... So immediately made some stuffing and  removed the inside seeds so that it won't be that spicy. And it worked out.... Came out very tasty too.....

Ingredients:

Bajji Chili - 8-10 nos.
Besan flour - 1 Cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Cooking soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoedita - 1/4 tsp
Water - 3/4 cup
Oil - For frying

For Stuffing:

Potato (boiled and mashed) - 1 cup
Onion (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chili powder - 1/2 tsp (you can adjust according to your taste)

Chat masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Corriander leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp

How to make:

1. First lets make the batter. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Now add water little by little to make to a smooth batter. Keep aside

2. In another bowl, mix all the stuffing ingredients. sprinkle little water so that all blends well.

3. Slit the chili and deseed it. Now stuff the filling inside all the chilies.

4. Heat oil in kadai and dip the chili in the batter and deep fry until the bajji is cooked well. Keep in mind to not over fry it... Serve it hot hot......

Cashew Cookies

Cookies are great accompaniment snack for evening tea/coffee... Home made cookies are especially too good. Now here is one more version of cookies with cashew nut. You can substitute with almonds or walnuts as well.  These cookies were just melting in mouth and everyone loved it. By the way I had made this quite long back, but some how it got missed. So here it is...

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 1/4 Cup

Sugar - 1/2 Cup

Salt - 1 Pinch

Butter/Ghee - 3/4 Cup

Chopped Nuts - 1/2 Cup

How to make:

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar well. Melt the butter/ghee and add to the flour. 

2. Using cookie cutter make different shapes. If you don't have cookies cutter, make small balls of the dough and flatten with center of your palm.

3. Place in greased baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 mins.

Mixture

Diwali is coming up....   Here is one snack to make for Diwali... Making mixture is little tedious/long process, since we have to make quite a few items separately and  mix everything... And that's why its called mixture... Don't get afraid with the process, because its easy though.....

For making mixture we need, oma podi, bhoondi also...  You can refer to Boondi recipe in blog.

For making Oma Podi...

Ingredients:

Besan flour - 1 Cup
Rice Flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Omam / Ajwain - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - for frying

How to make:

1. Sieve the gram flour, rice flour, salt and chilli powder for even mixing.

2. Dry roast the omam in a pan and soak this for 15 minutes in 1/4 cup of water. Grind this in a mixer using the soaked water. Even if it is slight coarse also ok. Using the remaining soaked water extract the omam water by mashing the ground omam with your hands, filter it using a tea strainer.

3.Use this water to mix the flour. Make a sticky dough by adding 2 tblsp of soft butter or hot oil .

4. Use the small dotted hole kuzhal, for making omapodi and keep a portion of dough inside the kuzhal/presser and start pressing it into the hot oil by making circles.  Keep the oil in medium heat otherwise it will get burnt.

5. Fry both the sides for 2-3 mins and take out in a tissue so that excess oil is absorbed in tissue.


For making Mixture...

Ingredients:

Boondi - 2  Cups
Oma podi - 2 Cups
Pressed Rice (Aval) - 1 Cup
Peanut - 1/2 Cup
Fried Bengal gram (Pottu Kadalai) - 1/2 Cup
Almonds - 1/2 Cup
Cashewnut - 1/2 Cup
Curry leaves  - 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp (Optional)
Oil - 2 tbsp

How to make:

1. Dry roast the pressed rice(aval) in simmer for 5 mins and take in a big bowl. Add the boondi and oma podi to it.

2. In a kadai, add oil, add peanut, cashewnut, almonds, fried bengal gram curry leaves and roast in simmer for 4-5 mins. Now add the turmeric powder, salt, chili powder. Roast for another min and switch off. Add sugar and mix well.

3. Mix all these together and the mixture is ready...!!

Boondi

Boondi is one tasty snack which very tasty to smack on and on... Diwali is round the corner and I'm planning to make mixture. But to make mixture we need Boondi and oma podi also... Here is the recipe for boondi.. whether you make mixture or not, you can just make boondi and have it for all... 

Ingredients:

Besan flour - 1 Cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1/4 cup

Oil - for frying

How to make:

1. While adding water to the besan , first add a small amount of water and make it into a thick paste. The amount of water depends upon the texture of besan.

2. Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying. when the oil becomes hot, just pour 2 tbsp of hot oil to the batter and mix well.

3. To check whether the  consistency is right for the batter, take a spoon and with the back of the spoon mix the batter well and just hold it on the top of the hot oil.  If this forms a nice round ball then the consistency if perfect, else it gives a tail you need to add little extra water. Add 1 tblsp and check again.

4.You need 2 perforated ladle for making this. The ladle with small holes to make boondi and another one to take out the boondis from oil. Pour a ladle of batter to the perforated ladle ,keeping the ladle on the top of the oil and  let the boondis falls into the oil.

5. Fry till the oil sound subsides. Then only we can get crispy boondis. Take out from oil and drain it in a kitchen towel. 

P.S. You can add some more chili powder and fried peanuts & curry leaves to the boondi. It adds to the taste... I have not done it bcos my son can't eat spicy snacks..... 

Raspberry Cupcake (Eggless & Microwaved)

 Now its time for baking some fresh cup  cakes... Tried egg less raspberry cake... Believe me it came out so soft and fluffy.... I used silicon moulds which is so easy to use and clean.  In case you didn't get raspberry, replace it with strawberry . The seeds of raspberry gave nice crunchy taste to the cup cake.

 

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 Cup

Sugar - 1 Cup

Milk - 1/2 Cup

Melted butter - 3/4 Cup

Raspberry(crushed & pulped) - 3/4 Cup

Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Almond / Cashew flakes - 1/2 Cup (Optional)

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix the melted butter and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Now mix all other ingredients 1 by 1.

 

2. Pour the mixture in the mould to half of it, so that there is enough space to raise. In case you don't have silicon moulds, you can any ceramic or microwaveable bowls also...

 

3. Microwave it for 2 mins. Generally it will be done in 2 mins. But each microwave is different. So check if it is cooked. If not microwave it for another 30 seconds. Allow it to cool for 5-10 mins and demould it....

Breadfruit Fry

 Breadfruit looks similar to smaller jack fruit, but has different and unique taste. I have heard people making kootu and poriyal with that.. But my Mother in law always makes this fried crispy breadfruit which is very tasty to smack as a snack... This is how breadfruit looks like.

Ingredients:



 

Breadfruit Slices  - 15-20 nos.

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chili powder - 3/4 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Oil - For frying

 

How to make:

 

1. Cut the breadfruit into half and peel the skin. Make thin slices.

 

2. marinate the breadfruit slices with turmeric, salt and chili powder for 15-20 mins.

 

3. In a kadai heat oil and fry these slices until they are crisp and golden brown.

 

Bread Balls

A very quick snack to make with bread... Nice crispy and tasty snacks....

Ingredients:

Bread slices - 6-8 slices
Rava / Sooji - 1 tbsp
Maida - 1 tbsp
Onion (finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Green chilies (finely chopped) - 1 tsp
Curry leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Corriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - For frying

How to make:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl by sprinkling little water.

2. Heat oil in a kadai and make small balls and fry until golden brown in medium heat.

3. Serve it hot with tomato ketchup or mint chutney...

P.S. If you want you can add other vegetables finely chopped.

Orange Cake (Microwave)

Wanted to try some different cake other than vanila or chocolate and ended up with orange cake. It was different and tasty.... Came out so soft and nice... Tea time cake is ready in few mins......

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 1/2 Cup
Orange juice(fresh juice) - 1/2 Cup
Orange rind / zest - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 pinch
Sugar - 1 Cup
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp
Egg - 1 no. (optional)

Milk - 1/4 cup

Butter / Ghee - 1/2 Cup

 

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and orange zest, egg and milk.

 

2. Mix well and add the melted butter/ghee. Mix faster with spatula for 2-3 mins.

 

3. Greese the microwavable bowl and pour the cake batter in the bowl and microwave it at high for 3 mins.

 

4. Cool it and turn it over, cut into slices and serve.....

 

P.S. If you don't want to use egg, add 1/4 tsp of baking powder and soda more and 20 ml of milk more. And if you wannt you can add some orange colour too.......

 

Ribbon Pakoda

This is another snack item which is usually made during festival days... But you can make it just like to have it as tea time snack.... its quite easy to make....

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 Cups

Urad Flour - 1 tbsp
Besan Flour - 2 tbsp

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder- 1 tsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Water - 1 Cup

Oil - for frying

How to make:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and, the butter to it and mix well.

2. Add water little by little make a soft dough. Stuff the dough in the murukku kuzhal with Ribbon (straight line) nob and press it over hot oil to make ribbon like pattern.

3. Fry in medium heat for 8-10 mins.Cook until both sides are well cooked. If the oil is very hot, it will turn brown faster.... So be cautious.

Thenkozhal Murukku

These days many don't make these types of snacks at home because you get everything in shop.... But its always better when it is made at home because we know what ingredients we use,  and of course when it is made in fresh oil, its hygienic too..

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Rice Flour - 2 Cups

Urad Flour - 1/2 Cup

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Sesame (Till seeds) - 2 tsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Water - 1 Cup

Oil - for frying

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and, the butter to it  and mix well.

 

2. Add water little by little make a soft dough. Stuff the dough in the murukku kuzhal and press it over hot oil to make small murukku.

 

3. Fry in medium heat for 8-10 mins. Keep turning side every 2-3 mins, so that both sides are well cooked. If the oil is very hot, it will turn brown.... So make sure you cook in medium low heat so that the colour is retained.....

 

Palak Pakoda

Palak Pakoda is a great snack for evening time... Palak is good for health as well. Simple to make too...

Ingredients:

Palak (Cleaned and chopped) - 2 Cups
Besan Flour  - 1 Cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust according to your preference)
Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/2 Cup
Oil - for frying

How to make:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl by sprinkling water little by little.

2. Heat oil in a pan, drop the pakoda's in oil and fry in medium flame. Remove once its fully cooked and turns golden brown.


P.S. You can add some sliced onion also along with palak.

Tomato Masala Mini Uthappam

Bored with the regular dosa... Then this a must try variation.... you can make it like regular dosa or uthappam.. I made it small ones because we had it for evening snacks along with coffee/tea.  Since this uthappam has a different taste, you don't even need an accompaniment with this.. You can just eat it plain as it is...

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter - 2 Cup
Grated carrot - 1/2 cup
Corriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup

For Masala:

Tomato (Chopped) - 1 Cup
Corriander seeds (Dhaniya) - 2 tbsp
Pepper corn - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red chili - 3-4 nos.
Oil - 1 tbsp

How to Make:

1. Roast all the masala ingredients for 4-5 mins and grind it to paste by adding required salt for the masala.

2. Add this paste to the dosa batter and mix well.

3. Make small uthappam with the batter and top it with some carrot and corriander leaves. Cook well both the sides and serve it hot...

Parangika Aval Pakoda

Very little pumpkin was left in my fridge which won't e enough for kootu... So I was wondering how to use it.. I could have used it for sambhar. But then I wanted to do something different. So came up with this. My husband doesn't like pumpkin. But when I gave this, he ate and didn't even know that there was pumpkin in this.. Since the pumpkin was little only, I also added aval(rice flakes) to give a different twist. The taste was just awesome. I gave it to my neighbours also and asked them to guess the ingredient. None of them were able to guess the pumpkin or aval.

Ingredients:

 

Pumpkin (grated) - 1/2 Cup

Aval (Rice flakes) - 1/2 cup

Besan flour - 2 tbsp

Maida - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp

Sesame seeds (Till seeds) - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Oil - for frying

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl without adding water, since pumpkin has little moisture. Just sprinkle little water and mix well. Leave it aside for 5 mins. The rice flakes will become soft.

 

2. Heat oil in a kadai, and drop small small pakoda inside the hot oil. Fry and take it out once it turns golden brown.

Pizza Cutlet

While I was making this I didn't know what to name it. But then since it tasted more like a pizza, my hubby named it pizza cutlets. So i kept the same. A very different snack which kids will love it....

Ingredients:

Bread crumbs - 1 Cup
Onion (Finely chopped) - 1/4 Cup
Capsicum(Finely Chopped) - 1/4 Cup
Mozeralla Cheese - 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Chilli flakes - 1 tbsp
Oil - for frying

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl by sprinkling little water. Leave it for 5 mins aside.

 

2. Make your desired shape and fry in medium heat oil till it turns golen brown.

 

3. Serve it hot, so that you can feel the melting mozeralla inside...

Ranch Salad

We has been to Lulu last Friday to get our provisions. There was promotion going on for Delicio products. They gave me a salad for tasting. I just loved it.... Very simple salad to make at home. All we needed is buy that dressing sauce. I bought a set of three (Italian, French and Ranch) from there. I'm not a salad lover, but this sauce made it happen in me... Try this and check out. You can buy and brand ranch sauce for this.

Ingredients:

Cucumber (Finely chopped)- 1/2 Cup
Carrot (Finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Capsicum((Finely chopped) - 1/4 Cup
Sweet Corn - 1/2 Cup
Ranch dressing (Sauce) - 2 tbsp

How to make:


1. Mix all the vegs and ranch dressing sauce together, keep it refrigerated for 10 mins and serve it.

Vazhapoo Vada

I had made this almost 2 months back. But some how I was not able to update the recipe as I was more busy with other latest ones... Hmmmmm... Now the time has come to post the recipe. As I had mentioned earlier, Banana flower is very good for health, just that you will have to spend a little more time to clean it. Ofcourse one of the tastiest vada, thats needless to mention.

Ingredients:

Channa Dhal - 1 Cup
Banana flower (stock removed & finely chopped) - 1 Cup
Onion (Finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Red Chilli - 4-5 nos.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Asafoedita - 1/4 tsp
Oil - To fry

How to make:

1. Soak the channa dhal and red chilli for minimum 3 hrs.

2. Grind it coarsely without any water.  Add salt, asafoedita, curry leaves, onion and banana flower to this mixture and blend well.

3. In a kadai heat oil, fry the vada's in medium flame. Fry till it turns golden brown.