Bottle gourd patties சுரைக்காய் வடை

Bottle gourd patties 
சுரைக்காய் வடை 

Ingredients:
Bottle gourd ( சுரைக்காய்)- 1/2
Besan/ chickpea flour ( கடலை மாவு)- 2 tsp
Bread crumbs ( ரொட்டித் தூள்) - 1/2 cup
Small onions ( சின்ன வெங்காயம்) - 8 to 10
Green chili ( பச்சை மிளகாய்) - 1
Ginger ( இஞ்சி) - 1 inch
Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை) - 1 twig
Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு)
Oil for deep frying ( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய்)

Peel the bottle gourd, shred in a vegetable grater. Squeeze out the water from the vegetable.

Peel and finely chop the onions and the ginger.
Also, chop the green chili and curry leaves into small pieces.

Mix all the ingredients and form a uniform batter.

Add the besan flour

Roll into balls of the desired size.

Press the ball slightly to form the patty, coat with the bread crumbs and deep fry. 

Serve hot. A great snack in the evening to go with coffee/tea. 

My Notes:

Bottle guard is a vegetable not liked by all. 

It is a healthy vegetable that can be made yummy with our creations. Its bland taste is very handy for a spicy or a sweet dish. 

I have incorporated mainly in the main course menu- adai ( the lentils dosai). Sometimes as koottu, the side dish for rice.   

Halwa, the Indian sweet or a creamy pudding can also be prepared from this vegetable.

        

In this recipe, after adding the onions you may notice water coming out of the batter. Onion has high water content. So if you feel, squeeze out the water first and then add the flour. This will make the batter firm. And while frying, the patties will not absorb more oil.

I drank the fresh juice squeezed out from the grated vegetable, should admit it is a bit odd taste but very cooling. Did not have the mind to throw away with all the nutrient in it. 😊

ragi string hopper - sweet ( ராகி இனிப்பு இடியாப்பம் )

Ragi String Hopper - Sweet
ராகி இனிப்பு இடியாப்பம் 

Ingredients:
Ragi flour ( ராகி மாவு) - 1 cup
Salt ( ஒரு சிட்டிகை உப்பு) - a pinch
Shredded coconut ( துருவிய தேங்காய்) - 2 tablespoon
Powdered Jaggery ( நாட்டு சக்கரை (அ) பொடித்த வெல்லம்) - 2 tablespoon

Add a pinch of salt to the ragi flour. Add hot water while stirring continuously. 

Make a smooth dough, knead well and let it cool. 

In a steamer plate, spread a clean cotton cloth. Form the hopper using the string hopper press. Steam for 4 to 6 minutes.

Grease your fingertips with butter/ ghee and loosen the string hoppers and let it cool a bit. Add powdered jaggery and shredded coconut. Toss well and serve.
 Do not mix or stir with a ladle. If done, it will form clumps. 

My Notes:
Ready to eat string hopper is the trend today. Most of the time I also buy the fresh ready to eat idiyappam, the name for string hopper in Tamil, from the Indian grocery shops. But once in a while have tried this. The flavour of ragi is definitely different when made with fresh flour. Still, the best is to grind your own ragi flour from the grain, which was a regular practice with the previous generation. The methods are cut short for the convenience of a busy life.
This food is an ideal breakfast for the young and old. Do incorporate this healthy dish into your meal planning to show varieties.
If you are not of a sweet tooth person, a savoury version can also be prepared using the plain steamed string hopper.

White Chickpeas Masala / Kabuli Channa Masala / கொண்டக்கடலை மசாலா

White Chickpeas Masala / Kabuli Channa Masala

கொண்டக்கடலை மசாலா

Ingredients:

Chickpeas ( கொண்டக்கடலை ) - 200 g or a cup.

Onion ( வெங்காயம்) - 2

Tomato ( தக்காளி) - 2 

Ginger ( இஞ்சி) - 1 inch

Garlic ( பூண்டு) - 6 cloves

Turmeric powder (மஞ்சள்தூள்) - 1/6tsp

Chili powder ( மிளகாய் தூள்)  - 1 tsp

Masala Powder ( மசாலா தூள்) - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு)

Oil for sauteeing. ( தாளிக்க எண்ணெய்)

For seasoning ( தாளிப்பு பொருட்கள்)

Bay leaves - 2 ( பிரிஞ்சி இலை)

Cinnamon sticks - 2 ( பட்டை துண்டு)

Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp ( பெருஞ்சீரகம் / சோம்பு)

Clove - 2 ( கிராம்பு)

Garnishing ( அலங்கரிக்க)

Fresh coriander leaves ( கொத்தம்ல்லி தளை) - 1 or 2 twigs. 

Steps:

Soak the white chickpeas for a minimum of 3 hours. Add salt and pressure cook the soaked chickpeas. Drain the water and mash it here and there and keep aside. The drained water can be used in the later part of cooking. 

Fine chop one onion for sauteeing. Coarse chop the other onion and tomatoes to grind together with ginger and garlic into a fine paste. 

To a hot, heavy bottom pan add oil. Add the seasoning ingredients until flavorful. 

Throw in the finely chopped onions. Saute well.

Once the onion is transparent, pour the ground masala followed by turmeric and chili powder. Add little water, if required.

Add in the cooked chickpeas, mash well. Let it cook well in the masala. Finally, add the garam masala stir and let it boil for 2 minutes. 

Switch off the stove. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve.

My Notes:
For people with a lower level of taste bud for spiciness, can omit the whole spices used as seasoning. The masala powder will suffice.
Generally, a boiled and mashed potato is added to give a wholesome smooth finish.
Green chili is also optional.

Serve with Ragi Puttu for breakfast

OR

Serve with Chapathi for dinner.

Sweet corn pineapple capsicum salad ( சோளம் குடமிளகாய் அன்னாசி சாலட்.)

Sweet corn pineapple capsicum salad 

சோளம் குடமிளகாய் அன்னாசி சாலட். 

(காய்கறி பழக் கலவை)

Ingredients:

Boiled Sweet corn ( வேக வைத்த சோளம்) - 1 cup 

Red capsicum ( சிகப்பு குடமிளகாய்) - 1/2

Green or Orange Capsicum ( பச்சை அல்லது ஆரஞ்சு குடமிளகாய்) - 1/2 

Cabbage ( முட்டைகோஸ்)  -  1/4 cup

Fresh Snowpeas ( பச்சை பட்டாணி)  - 6  

Pineapple pieces ( அன்னாசி பழத்துண்டுகள்)  - a few

Apple ( ஆப்பிள்) - 1/2 

Roasted Nuts ( வறுத்த கடலை) - 1 tbsp

Salad dressing ( சாலட் சாறு ) - 1 tsp 

Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு)

Crushed black pepper ( பொடித்த மிளகு) - 1/2 tsp

Steps:

In a wide bowl place the thin sliced red capsicum on a bed of corns

Add the rest of the capsicums 
( I did not have  green capsicum and had to settle with red and orange on that day )

Slice the snow peas lengthwise and add on to the vegetables.

Throw in the pineapple chunks. Toss

Add the apple pieces and thinly sliced cabbage pieces

Finally, add a crunchy roasted nut of your choice.
Dribble salad dressing, toss well and enjoy the fresh salad. 

My Notes:

The right combination of ingredients makes a salad more interesting. 

Sweet crunchy tangy all tossed in a bowl in this recipe. Sprinkle the crushed black pepper for that sharp taste otherwise, the salad may be too sweet for some. 

Remove the tough strings at the seams of the pod of snow peas before slitting it into two. 

A splash of lemon juice always highlights the flavour. 

Salad dressing of individual choice can be added for that complete taste.

Enjoy this salad on a hot day. 

Paal paniyaram / பால் பணியாரம்

Paal Paniyaram

பால் பணியாரம்

Ingredients:
Urad Dhal (உளுந்தம் பருப்பு )  - 1 cup
Raw Rice ( பச்சரிசி) - 1/3 cup
Coconut ( தேங்காய்) - 1 whole
Cardamom Powder ( ஏலக்காய் பொடி) - 1/2 tsp
Fresh MIlk (optional) ( தேவையானால் பால் ) - 1/ 2 cup
சக்கரை

Soak the rice and dhal for a minimum of one hour.

Grind the soaked dhal in a wet grinder using less water. The batter has to be fluffy and not watery.

Grind until you get a smooth fine and fluffy batter.

Shred the coconut and grind in a mixie to extract coconut milk.

Use warm water to extract the milk. Repeat the second time.
Add sugar to the coconut milk and let it dissolve. Leave aside. 

In a thick plastic bag, snip out a corner to form a small hole. Fill the bag with the batter and form a cone.
Through the hole drop small sized balls onto medium hot oil and fry on low flame. 

While frying, turn the balls frequently. Remove when it is a mild golden colour. Do not crisp fry the balls.

I had tried using the traditional method of making a hole at the eye on the coconut shell to make the small balls. But one has to be very efficient with quick action. The balls formed were of different sizes and shape and so I switch over to the plastic cone. 

When the balls are warm drop into the coconut milk. Add the cardamom powder.
Let it soak for a minimum of 30 minutes. Serve in individual cups.

My Notes:
A very authentic dessert of Chettinad.Time consuming but worth the effort. A favourite of all.
Some families do this elaborate dish on Deepavali day. The coconut milk has to be thick. If the second milk is watery, do not mix the whole portion with the first milk. Hold a portion and use if for some other purpose. Coconut milk from fresh coconut is the best. Cannot do the short cut of using tetrapack coconut milk.
Powder the sugar for quick dissolve in coconut milk. For the health conscious people, substitute half of the coconut milk with fresh milk. It has to be boiled, cooled to lukewarm.