Rava semiya kichadi recipe

                    I love kichadi which is served in south indian restaurants. Kichadi with coconut chutney is yummy combination. It is very filling breakfast dish. In south india, for home function,they prefer to prepare or buy rava kitchadi as one of the dish. There are two version of kitchadi,one is just rava kitchadi and other is rava semiya kitchadi. I love the second one the most. Some used to prepare kitchadi very soft and slightly liquid consistency , but i like my kitchadi to be coarse ( Uthiri uthiri a). It took many attempts for me to get that consistency which i like.

Ingredients:

Rava (Sooji )  - 1/2 cup
Semiya  -  1/2 cup
Oil - 7 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Broken urad dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp
Hing - a pinch
Onion - 1 big
Green chilli - 4
Ginger - 1 1/2 " piece.
Tomato - 1 big
Vegetables - 1 cup (Carrot,Beans,Green peas)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Water - 3 cup
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Recipe:

* Chop all vegetables into small pieces.
* Chop onion lengthwise.
* Chop tomato into small pieces.
* Chop ginger lengthwise into thin pieces.

1. Take thick wide pan and add 1/2 tbsp oil. Fry rava till it slightly turn brown. Transfer it to a bowl.In same pan,add 1/2 tbsp oil and fry semiya for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. In a thick bottom pan, add 5 tbsp oil. Once it is hot,add mustard and wait till it splutter. Now add    urad dhal and fry till it turn slightly brown in color.
3. Now add curry leaves,green chilli and hing. Fry till curry leaves turn crunchy and green chilli         slightly  turns its color.Add chopped ginger to the oil and fry till the ginger is fried well .The taste of green chilli and ginger should mix with oil, which will give the taste to whole kichadi.
4. Add onion and fry till it turn translucent. Now add chopped tomato and add turmeric powder and    salt. Cook till the tomato is mushy and raw smell of all ingredient is fades away.
5. Add chopped vegetable and give a quick stir. Now add water and cover the pan with a lid.Cook till it boil. Once it starts to boil, using one hand stir the water in the pan and in other hand, add one scoop of rava and semiya mixture one at a time.Stir without taking hand.After adding all rava and semiya,the texture should be semi liquid.Cover and cook it in very slow flame.Add chopped coriander leaves.
(Check the taste and adjust salt according to it)
6.Cook for 5 minutes. once you see the liquid is absorbed, remove the lid and stir it. Add the remaining oil and stir slowly .Cook for 2 more minute in slow flame and switch off .Cover the lid and leave it.(The moisture in the pan,will cook the kichadi for some more minutes even after switching off the flame)

Hot yummy rava semiya kichadi is ready. Serve it with coconut chutney.

Note:

* Adding enormous amount of oil will make the kichadi pluffy and gets its coarse texture. At last stage ,we can also add ghee instead of oil.
* Boil water seperetely in another coil in the stove and add it if we feel water which is added for kichadi is not enough.

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Adai

                                       My mom used to prepare this adai when i was in hometown,but she used to prepare it as dosai instead of adai. Recently my mind was thinking to prepare some different variety of dosa. I have tried pesarattu, tomato dosa,mysore masala dosa,utthapam, but i havent tried an adai. So finally i decided a date and prepared this adai for dinner. I prepared three variations of adai in this adai batter, each has its own taste. I prepared kara chutney and coconut chutney for this adai. The small piece of adai dipped in kara chutney and then coconut chutney,taste yummier than other combination. Initially, I hestitate to prepare this because adai will be too thick and along with dhal,it will be so heavy and family members may get angry on me( Because my husband and my son don't like idli,uttapam varieties) But after preparing this adai with slight variation ,they love this adai.


Ingredients:

Idli rice - 1 cup
Raw rice - 1 cup
Toor dhal - 1 tbsp
Urad dhal -  1 tbsp
Moong dhal - 1 tbsp
Channa dhal - 2 tbsp
Red chilli -  5
Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - 3 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Small onion - 5
Drum stick leaves - 1/4 cup(optional)

Recipe:

* Soak rice,dhal,curry leaves and red chilli for 4 hrs.
* Chop small onion into small pieces.

1.Grind all the ingredients along with jeera ,hing,salt and very little water. Grind it into coarse paste. Add onion, 2 minutes before stopping the mixie/grinder.The onion should not be smashed completely and also should not be in thick pieces.The adai batter should be little bit thick . Add drumstick leaves and mix well.
2.Take a thick wide tava,heat it in slow flame and  sprinkle some oil on top. Take a big scoop full of adai batter , pour it in center of the tava and slowly spread out . Spread out for 1/2 inch thickness.
3.Make 3 or 4 holes on adai and sprinkle some oil on holes and around adai. Cook in slow flame for 3 minutes.
4.Once the adai turn brown downside,turn it to other side. Once again sprinkle some oil on holes and around adai.Cook till the adai is crispy and slightly brown in color.

         Serve hot with coconut or kara chutney.

Note:

* While serving kids, u can pour little water to the batter and make it thin and prepare dosa instead of thick adai.( i love that taste too). For spicy lovers, we can sprinkle some idli milagai podi on top and sprinkle some chopped onion and cilantro and serve.
* To make adai more crispier and brown, add butter finally, to toast both side.

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Minestrone soup

                               Me and my husband are great fan of soups. Where ever we go, we used to order soup along with an appetizer. I have tasted soups in indian and chinese restaurants but first time in my life i tasted a different soup in an Italian restaurant ,Olive garden. The soup is bit thick and has lots of ingredients in it. Taste it different . I love the salad and soup they serve in Olive garden.  Single bowl along with toasted bread ,fills the stomach. So far, i love the soup,breadstick, bruschetta and salad,they serve in Olive garden. On my next visit, i will taste this soup without fail.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 small

Garlic - 2 cloves

Carrot - 1

Beans - 7 nos

Cauliflower - 1/2 cup

Cabbage - 1/2 cup

Kidney bean - 1/4 cup

Channa - 1/4 cup

Spinach - 1 cup

Diced tomato - 1/2 cup

Tomato puree - 1 cup

Vegetable stock - 1 cup

Macaroni pasta - 1/2 cup

Crushed pepper - 4 tbsp

Oregano - 2 tbsp

Cheese - 5 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

* I don't have macaroni pasta in stock,so i added normal egg pasta while preparing this dish.

Recipe:

* Chop onion and garlic into very fine pieces.

* Chop all the vegetables into medium size pieces.

* Soak kidney bean and channa for 7 hours.

* Chop spinach in strips.

1.Cook  kidney bean and channa in a cooker for 3 whistle.

2. Take water in a pan and bring to boil.Add all the vegetables and half cook it.Keep the water and use it as vegetable stock.

3.Cook pasta and strain water and transfer to a bowl.

4. In a large pan, heat up olive oil in medium heat. Once it hot,add onion and finely chopped garlic. Fry till they are translucent. Add half cooked vegetables and stir. Now add tomato puree,dices tomato,vegetable stock and add crushed pepper,oregano and salt. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Once it starts to boil,add cooked kidney bean,channa,spinach. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Check the consistency, add water according to it.Cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the flame.

5. While serving, take a soup bowl. Add cooked pasta first and pour soup on top. Finally garnish with shredded cheese or crumbled cheese.

                      Serve with toasted french loaf bread.

Note :

* Add any type of vegetables like zuccini, broccoli, celery .

* While serving for my kid,i just added a small spoon of tomato sauce to make sweeter.

* My son love garlic bread,so i made garlic bread using french loaf and had it with soup. It gave a different taste than normal bread.

* This soup along with toasted bread will fill the stomach. 

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Vendakkai poriyal / Lady's finger curry

                        This is one of my favorite poriyal which my mom prepares in home. I think ,it is my mom's unique recipe because i haven't tasted this anywhere else except my mom's kitchen. Whenever she prepare it,she will prepare more specially for me.I like to have it mixing with hot rice and also with variety rice. It goes well with chapathi too. After marriage i used to prepare this dish only rarely because my son and my husband like fry one. Recently i prepared this  and enjoyed having it with rice and rasam rice. Heaven..... Those who like tangy food,this is right dish for them.

Ingredients:

Vendakkai / lady's finger - 10 no.
Onion - 1 medium size.
Tomato - 1 big.
Tamarind - small gooseberry size.
Shredded coconut - 3 tbsp
Homemade chilli powder - 2 tbsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt - as per taste.

Recipe:
* Chop onion and tomato into very fine pieces.
* Chop vendakkai into thin circular slices.
* Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup water.

                           In a thick bottom pan,add 3 tbsp oil. Once it is warm,add chopped vendakkai. Fry it in slow flame,till it turns crispy. Once it is crispy,add chopped onion. Fry for about 2 minutes. Now add chopped tomato,homemade chilli powder,tumeric powder and salt.Fry till tomato is mushy and cooked. Now add tamarind water and cook for about 5 more minutes. Once the  tamarind water is absorbed,add shredded coconut and fry for 3 more minutes.Once everything is mixed up ,switched off the flame.Serve with hot rice topped with ghee or coconut oil ,or we can serve it as a side dish for variety rice or chapathi. The taste will be tangy spicy one.

Note:
* We can avoid adding coconut,if someone prefer not too.
* Adding chopped small onion gives a extra taste to this dish.

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Poosanikai halwa / Kasi halwa

                                    Next to thirunelveli halwa,i like this poosanikai halwa. I have tasted this halwa only in marriage feast.They will serve only small scoop of this halwa,so i didnt get impressed with this halwa. But when i was pregnant ,my MIL neighbour came to my house to give  sweets for me. She prepared this halwa in big sambadam( big steel container) . I am not a big fan of sweets.But when i tasted this halwa,i have become big fan of it.Me and my FIL loved it and finished it within three days. Yummy halwa. After delivery, i lost sweet carving but in my mind i was thinking to prepare it one day.Finally that day came and planned to prepare for this year diwali. Initially i thought it is very easy process.just shred poosanikai,cook it,add sugar ,mix it .Thats it. Process is simple but it is time consuming process. Shredding takes more time .It take atleast 40 minutes for overall preparation.Finally i can able to prepare this halwa and get the texture and taste. It need experience to make a perfect halwa but i am happy atleast i could prepare an halwa little bit similar to halwa prepared by perfectionist .

Ingredients:

Poosanikai - 4 cup
Sugar - 1 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Color - a pinch
Cashew - 10 pieces.
Ghee - 4 tbsp

Recipe:
1.Shred the poosanikai into fine shreds leaving the green part.After shredding squeeze the water and keep remaining poosanikai in a bowl.
2.Take a thick bottom pan and add 2 tbsp ghee.Fry cashew nut pieces  and keep it in separate bowl.
3.In same pan ,add shredded poosanikai .Cover and cook it for 10 minutes in slim-medium flame.
4.Once poosanikai is cooked well and raw smell fades ,now add sugar and color.Mix well and cook in slim flame.
5.Stir it continuously.Stir till the poosanika turn translucent and become shiny.
6.Once the halwa comes together without sticking to the pan,add remaining ghee,cardamom powder and stir.
7.Finally add fried cashew nut and mix well.
  Either serve hot or cold as it is or transfer it to a plate and cut it into cubes.

Note:
*Adjust sugar according to the taste.
* We can add any food color or can add saffron soaked milk to get yellow color halwa.
* Take time to cook shredded poosanikai before adding sugar.After adding sugar, poosanikai won't  cook.
*Cook till all the moisture in poosanikai is reduced before adding sugar.

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Chiroti

                           When i was very small kid,  my father used to buy  "ineese" from bakeries( i don't know right spelling). Though it is dry,i like the little crispy texture and sweet taste one.During ramalan time, my neighbor grandma used to send me panniyaram,coconut chutney,semiya sweet and this "ineese" like sweet. It will crispy and brittle.I like this ,than "ineese".Only recently i came to know the name of this sweet as "chiroti". I have tried it many times. Each time i try to make it in home,it came out in different texture,sometimes soft and sometimes crunchy. After many experiment,finally i got the crunchy chiroti. It is different from normal sweet which used to soft and juicy.

Ingredients:
Maida - 2 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Oil- for frying

Recipe:
* Powder the sugar into very fine powder.
1.In a bowl, add maida,salt and ghee . Knead a stiff dough like puri dough and rest it for 1 hour.
2.In a small bowl,mix rice flour and ghee. Mix it into a smooth lump free paste.
3.After one hour, take dough and divide it into equal pieces.Make it into ball and roll like chappathi. Roll as thin as possible.Roll all the dough balls and place it separately in a plate.
4.Take a plate and place one chappathi on it. Now apply rice flour paste on top of it as thin layer.Also spread  1 tbsp rice flour on top.
5.Now place one more chappathi on top of previous rice flavor spread-ed chappathi. Same way ,place all the chappathi one above other.
6.Once all done,using hand roll the chappathi from one side towards other.Once rolled in cylindrical shape,seal the edges using fingers.
7.Take a knife and cut the rolled chappathi into 1/2 inch pieces and keep it in a plate.
8.Heat the oil in a wide pan. Heat it in a low-medium flame.
9.Roll the pieces into desire shapes( Circle or rectangle like ineese).
10.Slowly drop one or two rolled chiroti into oil.
11.Deep fry the chiroti in low-medium flame. When one side turn color slightly,turn to other side.Fry till the chiroti is crispy and crunchy.Transfer it to a plate lined with a paper towel.
12.When it is hot,sprinkle fine sugar and powdered cardamom on top.Sprinkle on both sides.

Notes:
* If we use less ghee while preparing paste,we won't get layers in chiroti.
* We can also dip this fried chiroti in sugar syrup.
* Also we can serve fried chiroti with almond flavor milk.Place chiroti in a plate and pour almond milk on top.
* While rolling the rolled chapathi ,don't roll so hard. We won't get layer if we press hard.
* The rice flour mix will help to get space in between each layer in chiroti.

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Macarons / meringue cookies

                        Macaron is a sweet meringue based cookie made of egg white,sugar and any flavor. When i was studying in collage ,one of my relative brought me a pack of white cookie like one. When i tasted first, it just melts in my mouth. I like the taste and texture. Recently my neighbor friend karthiga remind me back this cookie.When i searched online,i came to know it has only few ingredients. But i found difficult to get the texture and color after trying few times.Finally i got the texture and taste.It take times to bake but after tasting it, we feel all is worth.Today is halloween,kids likes to get a treat from everyone. I prepared this cookie as a treat for my son.

Taste: I can get the flavor of vanilla essence and cashew taste in it.It melts in our mouth.
Texture: It has brittle texture.It is not as hard like normal cookie.

Ingredients:
Egg - 2
Sugar - 1/4 cup(Fine powdered)
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice or cream of tartar - 1/2 tsp
Broken cashew nut - 5 tbsp

Recipe:
*Chop cashew into very fine pieces.
* Extract egg white separately  from yoke and transfer it to a small bowl.

1. Pre-heat conventional oven to 200 degree F.
2. Take a baking plate and line it with parchment paper or aluminium foil and keep it in oven while pre-heating.
3..In  a big bowl,add the egg whites.Using hand mixer or electric mixer,mix the egg white in low-medium speed.Mix till the egg white turns foamy. Now add lemon juice or cream of tartar into it and mix again ,till small spike appears.Now slowly add sugar one spoon at a time,mix till stable spikes appears.(When you take mixer from egg white, spikes should appear ).Finally add vanilla extract and finely chopped cashew nuts and mix for 1 more minute.Finally check the texture using hand. The mix should be like a cream without solid sugar bit in it. (Cashew nut pieces can be there)
4.Transfer the mix into pastry bag (with 1/2 inch tip) and seal it .
5.Remove the baking tray from oven and slowly make desired shape using the mix on the tray.Once done,keep the tray in oven.
6.Bake for 1 1/2 hours in 200 degree F.
7.After 1 1/2 hr,slightly open the oven door and leave it like that for 3 to 4 hrs to dry the cookie.
8.After 4 hrs , slowly remove the cookie and transfer it to a plate to serve.

Note:
* We can use any artificial flavor while making this cookie.
* We can also add finely chopped almond too.
* We can add some food coloring to make it more attractive.
* Take time while preparing this cookie, don't hurry while mixing.It took 20 minutes for mixing.
* Keep the egg in room temperature ( out from fridge alteast 30 minutes before)
* If we don't get fine sugar,we can grind it in mixie to very fine powder.
* Use pure vanilla extract than imitation one.

Problem we face while preparing this cookie:
* If we add yellow yoke even mall bit, the taste will differ and texture differ.
* If the sugar is not fine, the cookie wont be smooth textured one.
* Take time to mix the egg white. It should get the spikes when finish mixing.
* Keep the cookie in pre-heat oven,else the cookie will loose its shape.
* Don't increase the temperature in between while baking , it will make the cookie to bake fast and it turn brown color fast.
* By leaving the cookie in switched off oven,makes the cookie to be crispy for long.

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Raw onion chutney

            Raw onion chutney is my appa's favorite one. whenever i am in my hometown, i used to prepare this chutney using ammikal. Raw onion chutney and dosai is my favorite. After marriage, i like variation of this chutney prepared by my MIL. I just love the taste of that chutney. I used to ask her to prepare this chutney for next day breakfast before coming to hometown. ( You know ,i used to have extra dosa and idli when i have it with this chutney). Since some don't like to eat raw onion because it gives bad smell. when you think about yummy food ,you shouldn't think about this. I just get some mouth freshener and will swallow idli's,paniyaram,some dosa's (he he he) with yummy tasty chutney.

Ingredients:
Big red onion - 1
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Tamarind - 1/2 gooseberry size
Sugar - a pinch
Salt - as per taste
Garlic - very small piece

Recipe:
* Soak tamarind in little water.
* Chop onion in big chunks.

                      In a food processor,add chopped onion,garlic,red chilli powder and salt. Grind  it in pulse mode.Once the onion is slightly crushed,now add soaked tamarind pulp,curry leaves ,coriander leaves and sugar.Grind till the onion is grind-ed coarsely .( I like coarse texture for this chutney,if not can add little water and grind to smooth paste).That's it. Serve along with dosa or paniyaram.

Note:
* My Mil used to add little warm oil on top of this chutney to give a different taste( pref coconut oil).
* Small onion give very good taste than big onion.(In US, small onions are bit costly so i used to prepare using big red onion)
* White and yellow onion don't give exact taste like this.
* Instead of red chilli powder, we can also use dry red chilli.

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Panna cotta

                  Panna cotta is one of the famous italian dessert which mean cooked cream . It is usually prepared with cream,milk and gelatin and served with toppings like fruits,chocolate,caramel and berries. It is like jello type but cream and milk are added to it to enrich the flavor. I haven't tasted this recipe in any restaurant but i have seen this dish prepared by Gordon ramsay in a cookery show. Being an indian, i just to try a dessert out of box from indian sweets. I like to try pudding,souffle,pie. My first step was to try panna cotta. It is simple recipe  and need very few ingredients.

Ingredients:

Heavy cream - 1/2cup
Half and half - 1 cup or milk - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tbsp
Gelatin powder - 1 packet(Unflavored)
Cold water - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp

Topping :
Mango juice - 1/2 cup(any juice)
Corn starch - 1 tbsp
Strawberry - 2

Recipe:
1.Take cold water in a small bowl and mix gelatin .Set aside for 5 minutes.
2.Take a thick bottom pan. Add half and half ,heavy cream and sugar. Switch on the flame and cook it ,in slow-medium flame. Cook the cream till you can see small bubbles around the corner.(Don't boil it). Remove it from flame and add gelatin and vanilla extract.Mix well till the gelatin dissolves and  mix well with cream.
3.Now pour the cream mix in a glass bowl or in any ramekin. Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours .
4.Meanwhile, take mango juice in a pan and cook it in slow flame. Mix corn starch and water together and pour it to mango juice.Stir it well till the juice thickens up.Switch off the flame and cool it down.
5.After 4 hours, take the ramekins and place on warm water( so that the panna cotta will slide to a plate easily). Take out from warm water and slowly slide a knife around the inner edges of  ramekin . Now slowly place a plate on it and turn it upside down,so that the panna cotta from ramekins will slide to the plate.
6.Now slice  strawberry or any fruit of your preference and place it on top of panna cotta and drizzle the mango juice on top. Serve it as a chill.

Note:
* We can use of any fruit as topping.
* We can also prepare any fruit juice jello and pour it as one layer for panna cotta.
* We can also add any juice to cream mix for added flavor and color instead of vanilla extract.
*  Heavy cream and half and half will be available in any store and it will be placed near to milk and dairy product section.
* The texture will be like soft halwa like texture and taste like creamy vanilla flavored jello.
*  We can have panna cotta and fruit alone but my husband said the mango puree gives rich taste to panna cotta.
* Kids who like jello ,will definitely like it.

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Spicy potato fry

                      This is my china mamiyar recipe. My husband and his brother’s favorite recipe. Whenever they go to her house, they will pre request her to prepare tomato rice and this potato fry. After marriage ,she also prepared this for me too. It’s so yummy. I can say ,this is my family favorite recipe.  It goes well with tomato rice, curd rice and any variety rice.

Ingredients:
Potato – 3 big
Garlic – 5 cloves
Coriander seed – 2 tbsp
Jeera – 1 tbsp
Chili powder – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Red color – a pinch
Salt – as per taste
Oil – 4 tbsp

Recipe:
* Boil potato ,peel it and chop it into small pieces.
* Peel the garlic and Smash it.
* Grind coriander seed and jeera into coarse pieces.
1. Take potato into a bowl and add chili powder,turmeric powder,red color and salt.Mix well and cover the bowl and keep it in fridge.
2.Take a thick bottom pan, add oil. Once it is hot,add smashed garlic. Fry till it is crispy(Don’t burnt it). Now slow down the flame and add grinded powder. Fry for awhile and then add marinated potato.Stir it and spread the potato and reduce the flame to slim. Cook till the potato is crispy and the powder is coated well with potato.
Serve with any variety rice.

Note :
*  If needed, can add some garam masala powder.
*  To get a tangy taste,we can add lemon juice finally.
* Cook potato is slow flame ,so that the potato will be crispy for long time.

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Masala vadai

                          Masala vadai is very popular hot snack in south india.. I remember, when i was working in bangalore once i had masala vadai near Jaya nagar .It is very small road side shop ,but most of the vadai and bonda used to get sold very soon. The prize of masala vadai is just 1 rp( 2007) but the size also be  one circle bigger than one rupee coin,but  it will be tasty. Using the masala vadai dough we can prepare many recipe. We can make masala vadai, paruppu urundai kulambu, vada curry , rasa vadai. I just love to have masala vadai with pasiparuppu payasam. My mom generally add vada paruppu, red chilli ,onion,coriander leaves and curry leaves. But after tasting masala vadai by addding some masala items, i like to follow the same recipe.

Ingredients:

Vada paruppu / kadala paruppu - 1 cup
Salt - as per taste
Onion - 1 / small onion - 10 no
Curry leaves - 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp
Mint leaves - 2 tbsp
Oil - for frying

Grind:
Red chilli - 3
Garlic - 3 cloves
Sombu - 1 tbsp
Pattai/ cinnamon stick - very small piece
Ginger - 1/2 inch

Recipe:
* Soak paruppu for 3 hours.
* Chop onion into small pieces.
* Chop coriander ,curry and mint leaves into fine pieces.

1.In a small mixie jar, grind the items which are given under "To grind" section without adding water.
2.Take 1 tbsp soaked dhal separately and grind remaining into very coarse paste without adding water.(If needed ,can add 1 or 2 tbsp water)Don't run the mixie continuously. Run in pulse mode or run the mixie switch on/off every 30 seconds.Transfer it to a bowl.
3.Now add the grinded  garlic mixture to the dhal mixture.
4.Add salt,coriander leaves,curry leaves,mint leaves and onion.Also add dhal (which are not grinded )to the mixer. Mix well.
5.Take small size portion and make balls out of it.Keep it ready by placing it on a plate.
6. Take oil in a wide kadai and bring to slow/medium heat. Once it is hot,take one vadai ball in palm and press with other palm . Flat it little bit. ( My son loves crunchy vadai, so i make the vadai balls very flat only for him). Slowly drop the vadai's into oil. Cook the vadai both side in slow-medium heat. Else outside will soon get cooked and change color but inside it will be uncooked. Once both side turn brown in color,remove from oil and place it in a plate layered with tissue.Serve hot with hot tea or with payasam .

Note:
* Those who don't like cinnamon flavor can avoid it.
* No need to add anything to get extra crunchiness.
* In india, we use to get vada paruppu separately.But in US, we don't get it,so we can use kadala paruppu.
* While grinding, drain the dhal using strainer and transfer it to mixie.If needed, we can add 1 or 2 tbsp water. If there is excess water, the vadai batter will be like a paste and the vadai won't get the coarse texture inside.
* We can prepare vada curry using left over vadai .

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Onion rings

                                Onion ring is one of the famous fast food in US . I have heard about this snack through internet,but recently when i was in family trip,we stopped for a break near the shop name " Ar by's ". Being a vegetarian, i don't had much option to choose.I was bored of having french fries and hash brown,So i ordered onion rings seeing the menu. When i tasted it first time, it taste like Indian onion bhaji but with crispy outer layer.The outer layer is crunchy and inner onions are hot and soft.My husband suggest me to try this dish . My 3 1/2 year old son,initially hesitate to taste it but once he tasted it,he like the crunchy texture.I was so satisfied in preparing a snack which my son like it.

Ingredients:

Yellow onion - 1
All purpose flour(Maida) - 1 cup
Corn starch - 3 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Smashed potato - 1 tbsp(optional)
Baking soda - a pinch
Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Onion powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Recipe:
* Cut the onion 1/2 inch thick cross-sectional wise,separate into rings.

1.Take a bowl,add all-purpose flour,cornstarch,chili powder,salt ,smashed potato,baking soda,1/4 cup bread crumbs and onion powder.Mix well. Add enough water and mix well. The consistency should be semi liquid.
2.Take bread crumbs in a bowl.
3. Take onion rings in a plate.
4. Take one onion ring,dip it in all-purpose flour mix . Tap once in corner of the bowl ,to remove excess liquid. Now slowly place the onion rings in bread crumbs bowl. Take the bowl in hand and move it right and left,front and back ,so that the bread coats well on onion ring.Prepare all onion rings like this and place it in a plate.
5. Heat a pan with enough oil and once it is medium heat,slowly drop the onion rings using fork into the oil. Fry 2 or 3 onion rings at a time.When one side is cooked,turn to other side and cook. Cook till the onion ring turns yellowish color.
Serve with any sauce of your preference.

Note:
* Instead of adding baking soda,we can add drinking soda to prepare the batter.
* Uisng the same batter we can prepare mozzarella sticks and cheese balls.
* Those who don't have bread crumbs in home, can powder plain corn flakes and use as a coating.

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Stir fried egg noodles with vegetables and sesame seed

                                         I have been to few Chinese restaurants. I am big fan of brown rice fried rice and chow mien noodles.The blanched vegetables combined with sauces gives a different taste to normal fried rice and noodles. Crunchy vegetables and perfect cooked rice and noodles is awesome. We always used to order spicy for any type of  Chinese dish.(Even after that ,we used to mix chili sauce to make it extra spicy) I haven't tried or thought of trying it in home.But finally,i decided to give a try but prepare it in my own way. I prepare this dish using egg noodles,blanched vegetables and sauces.

Ingredients:
Egg noodles -  1 packet
Onion - 1 big
Garlic - 5 cloves
Ginger - 1 " piece
Vegetables - 2 cup( Brocoli,carrot,beans,green pepper)
Spring onion - 3 tbsp
Sesame seed - 2 tbsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Chilli sauce - 2 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 1/2 tbsp
Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

Recipe:
* Chop carrot,beans and green pepper lengthwise.
* Chop onion legthwise.
* Chop garlic and ginger into very fine pieces.
* Dry roast sesame seed and keep it in a bowl.

1.Take a big vessel and pour water(enough water to cook noodles) in it. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp olive oil and bring it to boil.Once it is boiled, add egg noodles. Cover and cook for 10 minutes(Cook as  per instruction given in packet).Once it is cooked ,drain the water and wash it with cold water and drain again. Transfer it to a bowl.
2.Take a big vessel,again pour water in it and add salt. Bring it to boil. Once it is boiled,add chopped vegetables and cook uncover. Just cook for 3 minutes and drain water and keep it in a plate.
3.Take a wok,add olive or sesame oil. Once it is hot,add chopped garlic and ginger. Fry it and add onion.Fry till the onion is cooked and still crunchy. Now add all vegetables and sauces. Mix well and add enough salt. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Now add cooked egg noodles. Stir and mix well. Finally add chopped green onion and roasted sesame seed. Give a toss and serve it in a plate along with ketchup and chili sauce.

Note:
* We can also add zucchini,,mushroom and cauliflower.
* We can also use normal noodles to prepare this dish.
* Don't over cook the vegetables, crunchy vegetables give good taste to this dish.
* Those who don't like sesame seed,can avoid it.
* Don't add more soy sauce. It will give bitter taste to the dish.

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Bruschetta

                                   Recently i have been to Olive garden to try italian dishes. we tried many dishes like bruschetta, bread stick, soup, ravioli, crispy risotto bites,eggplant parmigiana. Me and my husband like bruschetta a lot. I searched for the recipe on net and thought of trying it in home. The ingredients are very simple and easy to prepare.The crunchy bread and juicy tomato topping is awesome.

Ingredients:

French baguette - 1
Roma tomatoes - 4
Garlic - 1 cloves
Basil - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Red onion(big)- 2 tbsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Dry Oregano - 1 tsp
Dry thyme - 1 tsp

Recipe:

* Chop tomato into medium size pieces.

* Chop onion and garlic into very fine pieces.

* Chop basil into fine pieces.

1. Cut the french loaf into 1" or 2 inch slices.

2. Pre heat conventional oven to 350 degree .Place the sliced bread on the baking tray and spray oil on both side . Bake it for 5 minutes on both side. After baking, the bread should be crispy and crunchy in texture.Cool it and transfer it to a plate.

3.In a bowl,add chopped tomato chunks ,onion,garlic,basil,pepper,salt,oregano and thyme.Mix well and rest it for 5 minutes.

4. Serve baked bread in a plate and tomato mix in a bowl or serve the bread with tomato topping on it.

Note:

* We can use any french loaf.Plain or flavored one.

* We can also sprinkle some cheese on top.

* To make the tomato mix more tastier,we can add canned tomato and sun dried tomatoes to the mix.

* We can also use fresh oregano and thyme.

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Kothamalli thokku

                                       Generally in my home ,we prepare chutney a lot than thokku or thogayal. When i was in bangalore ,in andra restaurants they used to serve gongura thokku which goes well with rice. I like the taste of thokku and rice combination. Some used to have it as a side dish like curry but i love to mix it with rice. My friends used to enjoy it more, by adding enormous amount of ghee along with this rice mix. These thokku once prepared in large quantity ,can kept it for long time if we preserve correctly.When there is kothamalli (cilantro) season,we can buy  bunches of it and prepare this thokku( this thokku requires many bunches of kothamalli leaves). Preparation is very simple.

Ingredients:

Kothamalli/coriander/cilantro leaves - 4 bunch
Red chilli - 9 no
Tamarind - very small size( 2 tbsp paste)
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Fenugreek seed - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 6 tbsp

Recipe:

* Wash kothamalli in running water,pat dry and chop into pieces.Can use the stem if needed.

1. In kadai,add 1 tsp oil and roast red chilli and fenugreek seed.(Don't burn the fenugreek seed).Just remove the red chilli and fenugreek seed,powder them without adding any water.
2.Take a big kadai and add 1 tbsp oil.Once it is warm,add chopped coriander leaves.Fry till the leaves is cooked .Now add tamarind at this stage and cover the lid and cook for 2 more minutes. Cook till the tamarind is soft.Switch off the stove.
3.Now grind the coriander leaves mix,ginger along with salt and hing. Use pulse setting to grind.The thokku should be thick and coarse in texture.( Don't grind it like paste).
4.Take a wide thick botom pan and add 5 tbsp of gingerly oil.Once it is hot,add mustard seed .Once it splatters,add grinded thokku and red chilli fenugreek mix. Mix well and cook in low flame till the thokku is cooked and oil oozes out. While stirring the thokku ,it should stir without sticking to the pan(Like halwa).Once it is done, switch off the stove and cool down .Once it is cool down,transfer to a air tight container and refrigerate .

Serving:
* Cook the rice like we used to prepare for preparing variety rice.(Non sticky/Uthiri uthiriya).
* While serving, sprinkle some gingerly oil or ghee on top of hot rice and mix well.
* Now add enough thokku and mix well.
* Have this kothamalli rice with appalam or papadam or vadagam.

Note:

* Don't add too much of fenugreek seed,it will give bitter taste to the dish.
* This thokku can also be served as side dish for dosa or as a spread for bread.

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Vegetable puffs ( without using puff pastry)

                                In US, though in some shops ,our hometown famous puffs are available. They are bit costlier and taste is not up to the mark.So i thought of preparing it in home. I heard making pastry sheet in home is not an easy one.The alternative way,buying pastry sheets and preparing it in home just the filling. I don't know when ever i buy pastry sheet,either i won't use till expire date and only remind it when it got expired,else when i remember it and try to make it ,the sheet would be jammed well and fellt difficult to roll it.So most of my sheet will be wasted.I found an alternative way in net to prepare puffs. In my home freezer,we always have frozen parota. I heard we can make puff using frozen parota sheet. Sounds intresting,right. So whenever we feel to have puffs,we use the parota sheet and preparing filling for it or use leftover curries.


Ingredients:

Frozen parota - 2
Egg - 1
Water - 2 tbsp

Filling :
Potato - 1 big
Chopped vegetable - 1 cup(Carrot,peas,beans,cauliflower)
Onion - 1 medium size
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp (chopped)
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp(Finely chopped)

For baking:
Baking tray - 1
Aluminium foil - to cover baking tray
Oil spray

Recipe:

* Chop all the vegetables and onion into fine pieces.
* Thaw the parota sheet alteast for 20 minutes.
* Pre-heat conventional to 325 degree.

1.In a kadai,add oil .Once it is warm,add onion,curry leaves and all vegetables. Cover and cook for 6     minutes.Once the vegetables are cooked ,now add potato and all dry  ingredients . Mix well and cook for 3 more minutes. Finally add coriander leaves and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and cool it.
2. Take the parota sheet which is in room tempertaure. Cut it in the center into half.Cut the circle into two semi circles.Apply little oil on top of the sheet and keep the filling in one corner of semi circle sheet and fold it with other corner.Apply water on corners to seal the edges.(If needed,we can cut the pointed edge ,so that we can get exact square shape of the puffs).
3.Beat the egg in a bowl and apply as a coat on top of the puffs.Place all the prepared puffs on oil coated aluminium foil.
4.Place the baking tray in conventional oven and bake for 10 minutes on each side.

Serve it hot alone or with tomato ketcup.

Note:

* We can add any vegetables to the filling.
* To get more puff thickness,instead of cutting the sheet,just fold the sheet and use it.
* Vegetarians can avoid coating egg,instead can use oil as coating.
* While baking,keep the tray in middle rack.

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Vegetable gothumai adai

                           My mom used to prepare gothumai rotti ,which is my favorite one. She used to prepare it with wheat flour,chilli powder,salt and water. It will be thick like adai. Since my husband don't like i,t as it is thick and don't have any special taste. So i added chopped vegetables and some powder to make it make tastier. I just love the crunchiness of vegetables and nice aroma of spices which i have added.Two gothumai adai is more than enough for a normal person. It goes well with coconut chutney and sambar.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 2 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Onion - 1 big
Finely chopped vegetables - 1 cup(Carrot,beans,cauliflower,cabbage)
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Jeera - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 5 tbsp
Water - as per consistency.

Recipe:

* Chop onion and vegetables into very fine pieces.
* Mix all the ingredients together,by adding enough water. The dough should be little thick(not like chappathi dough)
            Heat thick bottom dosha tava, sprinkle some oil on top and when it is slightly warm,take a handful of wheat adai dough and place it in center of the tava and dip your hand in a bowl filled with water and slowly spread the adai using wet hand. From center spread the dough towards out. Spread the dough as thin as you can. After spreading sprinkle some oil around adai.Leave for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, turn the adai to other side and make very small 3 or 5 holes on adai and sprinkle in holes and around the adai. Cook for 5 more minutes in medium flame. Now again turn the adai and cook for 2 more minutes(To make adai crispier).Once done,serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

Note:

* Add any type of vegetables,it is purely optional.
* Instead of adai,we can also dilute it to dosa consistency and prepare dosa.
* Usually normal wheat rotti will be very thick and hard to chew,but this adai will be crispy and easy to chew when we have hot hot.
* If you are preparing this dosa for adults alone, can also add finely chopped green chilli.

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Fried modak / fried kollukattai

                                   In my life i have tasted four types of kolukattai. kara kolukattai,sweet kolukattai,paal kolukattai and pidi kolukattai. As vinayagar chadurthi is few days away,I searched net for dishes which are prepared on this festival. There were different type of kolukkatai's ,one thing which sounds different and  intresting is fried kolukattai. In south india, we used to prepare kolukatti/modak using rice flour,but this dish is prepared using wheat flour. When i tried to make sweet version, i feel difficult to get the correct modak shape. But making and getting shape of fried kolukattai is easy.

Ingredients:

Outer cover:
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Salt - as per taste
oil - 1 tbsp
Warm water - 3/4 cup
Rava - 1 tbsp

Inner filling:
Grated Jaggery / urunda vellam - 3/4 cup
Shredded coconut - 1 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Recipe:

1.In a thick pan,add grated jaggery . Cover it and cook it by adding very little water. When jaggery thickens up,cool it down and strain it using strainer(To remove impurities and stone in it).Once again keep it in stove and add grated coconut,cardamom powder and a pinch of salt( To enhance sweetness).Cook for 10 minutes,till the coconut and jaggery mixed well and thickens up.Transfer to a bowl and cool it.
2.Take a bowl and add wheat flour,salt,oil,rava(to get crispy modak) and warm water.Mix and make a dough like chappathi.Rest it for 30 minutes.
3.After 30 minutes,make small balls and roll it like chappathi . Take a small portion of sweet filling,make a ball and keep it in center of the chappathi.Close the corners of the chappathi and form a modak shape.
4.Prepare all the modak and deep fry it in oil.
5.Transfer to a plate with paper towel. Serve to god and have it.

Note:
* Prepare the chappathi either by rolling or using hand, but the thickness should be thin else the outer cover will be hard after frying.
* After frying all the kolukattai once, once again fry it to get crispy kolukattai.
* You can also add soaked dhal while preparing sweet filling.

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Chatshop kaalan

                             This is one of the famous chat item specially prepared in and around coimbatore area,India. The main ingredient in this dish is mushroom. My husband and my brother who are staying out of coimbatore city, likes to have it whenever they come to hometown.From my childhood i don't eat mushroom,So i am not fond of this dish but the craziness about this dish by youngsters made me to prepare it at home. After coming to US, my husband missed it so much. Through net, i learned this recipe and tried it. I didn't taste this dish but the aroma indirectly tells me ,it is perfect.Without tasting , i can't give a good feedback, so i prepared this dish using cauliflower too . Finally tasted it, i can feel the taste of the aroma which i felt in kaalan in this dish too.Happy that i could recreate the famous chat food in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

For mushroom bhajji:
Mushroom - 1 pack( I used button mushroom)
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Maida - 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
Food color - a pinch( Use orange color, i don't have so mixed red and yellow color)
Egg - 1 (Veg can use baking soda)
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp( for mixing)
Oil - For frying

For powder:
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1
Cardamon - 1
Cloves - 2
Anise - 1/2
Saunf - 1 tsp
Coriander seed - 1 tbsp
Black peppercorn - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - a pinch
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Other:
Onion - 1 big
Oil - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Spice powder - 2 tbsp( Garam masala or chicken masala )
Salt - as per taste
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp

Recipe:
* Chop onion into fine pieces.

For powder:
1.Grind all the ingredients into fine powder.

For kaalan liquid:
1.In kadai,add oil and fry 1/4 th of chopped oinion and fry till they are soft. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell fades away.
2.Now add 4 cups of water , 2 tsp of prepared powder and salt.Bring to boil. Once it boiled for 10 mintues,switch off the stove and Cover the kadai and keep aside.

For kaalan bhajji:
1.Chop kaalan lengthwise into thin slices.
2.In a bowl, mix all purpose flour,corn flour,ginger garlic paste,food color,salt and egg.If needed add little water and mix.The batter should be thin so that the bhajji coating should't be too thick.
3.Fry all the bhajji and keep aside.

Final preparation:
(* Heat the liquid which was prepared using powder, before starting this process)
1.In big wok or kadai, add oil . Once it is hot ,add kaalan bhajji .Fry for 3 minutes.
2.Add 1 1/2 cup of liquid (Prepared earlier) and cover the wok and cook for 10 minutes in slow flame.
3.After 10 minutes, add chilli powder,chicken masala powder or garam masala,salt.Smash the bhajji along with added powder and bring to gravy consistency. Now add 1 more cup and cover the lid and cook for 5 more minutes.
4.After 5 mintutes,check the consistency.Add more liquid according to the consistency needed. The final consistency should be little bit thick and mushy.
5.Finally add chopped onion and coriander leaves and mix well.

While serving,serve it in a small wide plate topped with onion and crushed poori's.

Note:

* I have used salt in different levels,so be cautious while adding.
* Same way we can prepare using cauliflower,
     Boil the cauliflower in salt water ,drain and keep it in a plate. Marinate using same mixer and fry it in oil. Follow same procedure.But before tasting it ,i just poured some pani poori water on top and little bit of lemon juice . It gives a awesome taste. You can prepare gobi 65 and prepare this dish. (who don't like the raw smell of cauliflower in the dish).
* You can prepare the powder and store it in refrigerator for long time.
* Prepare this dish in a thick pan,else the kaalan will stick to it's bottom.
* This dish is prepared in four steps.Powder preparation,Liquid preparation,kaalan bhajji preparation and final mixing.It sounds difficult, if we prepare this powder and store it in fridge. We can prepare liquid and bhajji simultaneously.Just half and hour before serving, we can finally mix it.
* We can add any masala powder at last. Garam masala or chicken masala or muttun masala.

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Kadappa recipe

                                      This is a speciality dish around kumbakonam/tanjore  areas. It goes very well with idli,dosa and idiyappam. I came to know about this dish through my friend. When i heard the name, i thought it is andra dish and it will be spicy, but it is totally oppposite. It is mild spicy.When i tasted it,the taste is like the potato masala we used to prepare for poori/chappathi. This is just a combination of dhal,coconut paste and some spices.

Ingredients :

Moong dhal/ pasiparuppu - 1/2 cup
Potato  - 2 medium size
Tomato - 1 big
Onion - 1
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves -  2
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch

To grind :

Coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 4 small
Fennel seed - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 pods
Poppy seed - 1/2 tsp

Recipe:

* Chop onion into small pieces.
* Soak poppy seed for 10 minutes and grind it along with other ingredients which are given under "To grind".
* Pressure cook moong dhal and potato for 3 to 4 whistle.
                                 
                                   In a kadai, add oil and once it is warm,add jeera,cinnamon and cloves. Fry for a minute and add onion,curry leaves.Once the onion turn translucent ,add tomato,salt and turmeric powder.Once the tomato is mussy and oil starts to ooze out,add grinded paste.Cook till the raw smell fades away. Now add pressure cooked dhal and potato mixture.(Cook dhal according to the need, slightly mushy or fully mushy). Cook for some more minutes.Add water according to the consistency needed.Finally add coriander leaves and mix well. Serve it with dosa or idli.

Note:

* If you are preparing this dish as a side dish for chappathi, don't cook moong dhal till it is mushy.
* Generally kadappa will colourless or creamy color, to make it attractive i have added turmeric powder.It is purely optional.
* The moong dhal will become thick so soon,so add enough water while cooking ,so that it will be remain semi liquid even after keeping it for long time.
* Smash few pieces of potato in the gravy to give a different taste.
* Since the dhal has a bland taste, adjust green chilli and other spices according to the need.

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Thayir semiya

                                  Kids love this dish,as it is not spicy and also it has creamy texture. Kids loves noodles, but feeding same noodles again and again,make them feel bored. So i used to prepare atta noodles, spaghetti,veg noodles,egg noodles. Recently i added new dish to it, that is thayir semiya. First my son hesitate to have (Thinking it as normal curd rice)but after 2 or 3 feed,he loves the taste. Even me and my husband love it. Generous amount of curd have to be added to make more tastier.


Ingredients:

Vermicelli/semiya - 1 cup
Curd - 1 1/2 cup
Green chilli - 3 no
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Broken urad dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Cashew - 7 no
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp

Recipe:
* Boil 3 cups of water and add little salt to it and boil it. Once it boils, add vermicelli and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
* Chop green chilli lengthwise.
* Broke cashew into half and fry it in ghee and keep aside.
                 
                                In a kadai,add oil. When it is warm, add mustard seed and broken urad dhal.Once mustard splatter, add green chilli and curry leaves. Fry for a while. Add cooked vermicelli , thick curd,salt and coriander leaves.If needed add little milk and mix well. Finally add fried cashew and serve it hot or cold.

Note:
* I cooked vermicelli separately because it gives a different taste.
* Also add fried raisin to thayir semiya,if needed.

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Poori recipe

                             When we travel in early morning through south indian highway roads, you can see a person in each hotel,preparing hot hot poori's,these poori 's attract the customer a lot. When i was a kid,when i go to village, i used to see poori's are stacked up in a glass shelf in hotels,it tempts me.Those days, poori's are prepared only during festival occasions.But nowadays ,we used to prepare it whenever we like to have. When i tried poori first time, it came out as crispy roti. Slowly only now, i can able to make puffy poori and also the puffiness longs for some more minutes( Earlier,the poori get flatten up after some times).

Ingredients :

Wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup
Fine rava - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup.

Recipe:

      Take all the dry ingredients and mix with warm water. Knead a little hard dough than chappathi. After kneading ,coat the dough with oil and cover with damp cloth and rest for 15 minutes.
      Take the dough and knead for some more minutes and make small small balls . Take oil in wide deep kadai and heat oil in medium heat.Roll the dough with even thickness.Roll four or five poori and slowly drop one in oil, using spatula slowly press center of the poori,so that the poori puffs up. Once the bottom side is cooked and slightly changed color, turn upside down and cook till other side too cooked well.Remove the poori's from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Serve poori with traditional potato masala or with channa masala.

Note :

* Sugar is added to poori mix because it gives slight brown color to the poori.
* Rava  is added to make the poori to stay puffy longer.
* Little bit of maida can also be added while mixing dough.

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Potato basket pizza

                                   This is my own innovation snack. Basically i like pizza and my son love's hashbrown. I came up with an idea of this snack,thinking hashbrown and pizza in mind.I tried it for first time and it came out well. I like the taste of having snack ,which had crispy ,crunchy outer layer and chewy cheesy inner layer. Kids will love it.

Ingredients:

Potato basket:
Potato - 1 big
Corn startch - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Pizza sauce:
Tomato - 3
Garlic -  4
Onion - 1/4 piece
Sugar - a pinch
Salt - as per taste
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp(optional)
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp
Olive oil - 1/2 tbsp

Filling:
Onion - 1/4 piece
Capsicum/bell pepper/green pepper - 1/4 piece
Tomato - 1/2 piece
Mozzarella cheese - 1/4 cup

Recipe:

Potato basket :
1.Boil the potato in a cooker or in microwave . It should not cooked fully.It should be little harder.
2.Shred the potatoes and  spread it in a plate.
3.Once potatoes cools down, sprinkle some corn starch,pepper powder and salt.Milk well. If needed,can sprinkle some water and try to incorporate it.

Pizza sauce:
* Chop tomato,onion and garlic into very fine pieces.
*In a kadai,add olive oil and add onion,tomato and garlic. Fry for awhile.If needed can add little water based on the consistency needed. Once the tomato is cooked,add chilli powder,chilli flakes,oregano ,sugar and salt. Cook for 2 minutes. Once it is done, cool down and blend it with hand blender or mixie.

Final stage :
* Preheat the conventional oven to 400 degree.
* In a bowl, mix all vegetables,pizza sauce and half the quantity of cheese.
1.Take a cupcake baking pan and grease it with any spray or olive oil. Now slowly place the shredded potato in cupcake mould and press firmly to make a cup like shape. Finally using a bowl or tumbler,press the potatoes,so that the potatoes stick to the pan and correct shape will be attained.Spray some oil on top.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes,till the basket is slightly brown.
2.Once the basket is cooked, check whether the potatoes are crispy. Fill the filling in each potato basket and on top sprinkle some more cheese and few chilli flakes.
3.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes,till the cheese is melted.

Serve it as snack along with ketchup.

Note:

* Try to make the potato basket little medium thin,so that it won't be too hard to bite and not too soft.
*Those who don't have conventional oven, take a medium size metal strainer,spread it like a shape of a basket or bird nest and place a small metal strainer on top of it(one above other) and place it in medium hot oil and cook till it is crispy.once done,trasnfer to plate. Fill the filling and cheese. Keep this in microwave, till cheese melts.
* We can add any toppings needed.
* Instead of basket,we can make like pizza base using shredded potatoes and top it with pizza sauce,veggies and cheese.

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Akki roti

                              This akki roti is a rice(akki) based breakfast which is prpared in karnataka. My mom and Mil prepare different vareities of roti's like kothuma roti,ragi roti and akki roti. My favorite is akki roti. Other roti's will be little hard than this one. By adding onion,green chilli,ginger,carrot and jeera , gives a different flavor to roti. I used to have roti alone but coconut chutney and kara chutney combined with akki roti will be more tastier.When you make this roti thinner,it will be more crispier.

Ingredients:

Rice flour -  1 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Green chilli - 2 big
Jeera - 1/2 tbsp
Ginger - 1 " piece
Carrot - 1 medium size
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - as per taste
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Hing - a pinch

Recipe:

* Chop onion,green chilli,curry leaves,coriander leaves into very fine pieces.
* Shred carrot and ginger.

1.Take a big wide bowl ,add all the ingredients and mix well with water.The consistency is too be, not too thick and not too thin.(Nor like chappathi dough and not like dosa batter)

2.Take a thick wide pan and sprinkle some oil on top. (Take some water in a small bowl).Dip your hand in water and when it is wet,take a big lump of roti dough and place it in center of the tava. Again dip your four fingers in water and slowly slide the dough outwards .Make a round roti,keep the roti as thin as you can.Sprinkle some oil on top and cover the tava.Cook till down part is slightly brown. Now turn the roti upside down and cook for 4 more minutes in slim flame ,Make a small 2 or holes in roti and sprinkle some oil on corners of the roti and try to press the roti on top,so that the roti will become thinner. Cook till the roti is cooked and slightly brown in color. Once again flip the roti and cook for 2 more minutes(This will make roti crispier in both side).Once cooked, serve with coconut or kara chutney.

Note:

* We can also add any type of vegetables in it. Chop the vegetables very fine pieces,steam it       and add to roti     mix.
* Since we are adding vegetables and other ingredients, this roti will be heavier if we have           more than teo.
* Have this roti hot hot, once it is cold it will be become more harder.

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