Pavakkai (Bitter Gourd) Stuffed Fry

Ingredients

• Pavakkai (Bitter Gourd / Karela) - 3 medium sized
• Salt to Taste
• Oil- 7 tsp

For Stuffing

• Fried Gram Flour Powder (pottu kadalai/ tala hua besan) - 3 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1.5 tsp
• Corainder Powder - 1.5 tsp
• Fried Cumin (jeera) Powder - 1.5 tsp
• Parappu Podi - 1.5 tsp
• Tamarind Juice - 1.5 tsp
• Shallots - 3 tbsp finely chopped
• Fennel Seeds Powder (optional)- 1 tsp

Procedure

Cut the pavakkai (bitter gourd) into 1/2 inch slices and de-seed the slices. Cook with salt. The pavakkai should be half cooked.

• 3 pavakkai (bitter gourd) medium sized
• salt as per taste

Mix the ingredients listed under stuffing. Fill each of the pavakkai slices with stuffing as shown.

• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 3 tsp fried gram flour powder (pottu kadalai/ tala hua besan)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp red chilli powder
• 1.5 tsp coriander powder
• 1.5 tsp fried cumin (jeera) powder
• 1 tsp fennel seeds powder
• 1.5 tsp parappu podi
• 1.5 tsp tamarind juice
• 3 tbsp shallots finely chopped
• half cooked pavakkai from previous step

Heat a kadhai with 5 tsp of oil. Arrange the stuffed pavakkai as shown. Let it cook on simmer for 10 min until the contents get roasted. Now turn the pavakkai over. Add another 2 tsp of oil and let the ingredients get roasted on the other side for 10 minutes. Note: The pavakkai can also be arrange on a tava(instead of a kadhai) and kept on the stove to reduce the amount of oil used.

• 7 tsp oil
• stuffed pavakkai from previous step

The stuffed pavakkai fry is ready to be served hot with sambhar rice or curd rice or lemon/tamarind/tomato rice! This side dish is versatile in its ability to go with many foods :)

Kalakai (Cranberry) Thokku

Ingredients

• Kalakai (Cranberry) - 30
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to Taste
• Oil- 5 tsp

For Seasoning

• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Hing - 1/2 tsp

Procedure

Heat oil in a kadhai and add the mustard and hing. When the mustard starts crackling put in the kalakai with salt. Saute for 5 minutes.

• 5 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp hing
• 30 kalakai (cranberry)
• salt as per taste

Add the turmeric and red chilli powder. Stir continuously and mash the kalakai. Keep doing this until the oil seeps out as can be seen below.

• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder

The kalakai thokku is ready to be served! Delicious with curd rice :)

Adai Thosai

Ingredients

• Boiled Idli Rice - 1/2 cup
• Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
• Bengal Gram (Besan) - 1/2 cup
• Whole Green Moong - 1/2 cup
• Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
• Toovar Dal - 1/2 cup
• Horse Gram (Kulthi/Kollu) - 1/4 cup
• Red Chillies- 20
• Curry Leaves - 30
• Hing - 1 tsp
• Salt to Taste
• Oil- 1 tsp for each Thosai

For Seasoning

• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
• Urad Dal (Split) - 1 tsp
• Hing - 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Oil- 2 tsp

Procedure

Soak the boiled rice, raw rice and the different dals for at least 1.5 hrs. Grind these with salt, curry leaves, hing and red chillies.

• 1/2 cup boiled idli rice
• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1/2 cup whole green moong
• 1/4 cup urad dal
• 1/2 cup toovar dal
• 1/4 cup horse gram (kollu/kulthi)
• 20 red chillies
• 30 curry leaves cup raw rice
• 1 tsp hing
• salt as per taste

Now season the batter with made in the previous step with the ingredients listed under seasoning. Heat the oil and add the ingredients one by one until they crackle. Now put these into the batter. Stir well.

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1/4 tsp hing
• 10 curry leaves

Heat a pan on slow flame and spread 1 tsp of oil on it. Now spread one laddle of the batter on the pan and leave to cook for about 5 minutes. Repeat for each thosai.

• 1 tsp oil per thosai

The adai thosai is ready to be served! Eat hot with idli podi/jaggery/avial or coconut chutney :)

Valaipoo Vadai (no onion no garlic)

Ingredients

• Channa Dal (Or Pattani Dal) - 1 cup
• Green Chillies - 3
• Red Chillies- 2
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Valai Poo (Banana Flower) - 1 cup chopped
• Coriander Leaves + Mint Leaves - 4 tsp finely chopped
• Buttermilk - 1 tbsp
• Salt to Taste
• Oil for Deep Frying

Preparation

*Soaked channa dal- Soak the channa dal for 1 hour. After this drain the water. Keep 1 tsp of channa dal separately.

• 1 cup channa dal (or pattani dal)

*Valaipoo - Remove the individual flowers from the valaipoo. Rub the top gently and remove the stamen. Now finely chop the leftover flower and soak in buttermilk water to keep the flowers from going black.

• valaipoo (banana flower)- 6-8
• 1 tsp buttermilk

Procedure

Dry grind the ginger, red chillies, green chillis and fennel seeds. Grind these coarsely. Now add the *soaked channa dal and grind once more. Note: The reason I grind twice is because if everything is ground together, the ginger, fennel seeds and chillies will remain as chunks and might fall out of the vadai when put into oil.

• 1 inch ginger
• 3 green chillies
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 red chillies
• *soaked channa dal

Mix the chopped valaipoo, the paste made in the earlier step, the separately kept soaked channa dal, chopped coriander & mint leaves and salt. Note: Here you can add garlic and finely chopped shallots if you would like.

• *chopped valaipoo (banana flower)- 1 cup
• *1 tsp soaked channa dal that was kept aside
• ground paste from previous step
• 4 tsp coriander and mint leaves finely chopped
• salt as per taste

Heat oil in a kadhai for deep frying. Make sure the heat is on medium. To check if the oil is hot enough put a pinch of the batter in the oil and it should rise instantly. To make the vadai make small round balls with the batter using wet hands. Now flatten the ball gently with your palms. Reduce the flame and drop the uncooked vadai into the oil. Slowly increase the flame to medium and cook until the vadai is golden brown. Note: Each time you drop the uncooked vadai into the oil reduce the flame so that it doesn't get burnt on the outside and remain uncooked on the inside. Slowly bring the flame back to medium each time and wait until the vadai is cooked.

• oil for deep frying

The valaipoo vadai is ready to be served! These can be a side dish to add crunchiness to a meal or can be devoured just as is :)

Bell Pepper Sambhar

Ingredients

• Bell Pepper - 1 large sized
• Tomato - 2 large sized
• Sambhar powder - 1.5 tsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cooked toor dal- 3 tsp
• Salt to Taste

For Seasoning

• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Asafoetida (Hing) - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp

Procedure

Heat oil in a wide thick bottomed kadhai and add the ingredients under seasoning. When the ingredients crackle, add the bell pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes.

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 large sized bell pepper

Add the tomato and continue sauteing until the tomatoes become mushy.

• 2 large sized tomatoes

Add sambhar powder, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Once they are mixed in, add 1 glass of water. Let it boil until the raw smell evaporates.

• 1.5 tsp sambhar powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• salt as per taste

Stir in the toor dal. Leave to boil another 5 minutes.

• 3 tsp cooked toor dal

The bell pepper sambhar is ready to be served hot with rice!

Bell Pepper Masala (No Onion & No Garlic)

Ingredients

• Bell Pepper - 2 medium sized
• Tomato - 3 large sized
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Sambhar Powder - 2 tsp
• Gram Flour (besan) - 2 tsp
• Salt to Taste

For Seasoning

• Bay Leaves - 2
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp

Procedure

Heat oil in a wide thick bottomed kadhai and add the ingredients under seasoning. When the cumin seeds crackle, proceed to the next step.

• 2 tsp oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

Add the bell pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Now add the tomato and continue sauteing until the tomatoes become mushy.

• 2 medium sized bell pepper
• 3 large sized tomatoes

Add the red chilli powder, sambhar powder and salt. Once they are mixed in, add 1 glass of water. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.

• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• salt as per taste

Mix the gram flour (besan) with a little water to make a paste and stir it into the cooking vegetable. This is done to thicken the vegetable curry. Cook until the raw smell of the gram flour disappears. Take the kadhai off the stove. The curry is ready.

• 2 tsp gram flour (besan)

The bell pepper masala is ready to be served! Eat this delicious side dish with hot rotis, parathas or dosas :)

Bajji

Ingredients

• Carrots - 2
• Milagai (mirchi)(ooty bhajji chilly) - 4
• Assorted Vegetables- Potato (peeled and and thinly sliced), Onion (sliced)- 1 cup
• Bread Pieces - 2 cut into halves
• Gram Flour (Besan) - 1 cup
• Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
• Corn Flour - 1 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1.5 tsp
• Ajwain (omam) - 1/2 tsp
• Hing - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to Taste
• Oil for Deep Frying

For Masala Paste

• Toor Dal - 2 tsp
• Green Chilli - 2
• Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
• Hing (asofoetida) - 1/4 tsp
• Garlic - 2 cloves (optional)

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Preparation

To make the *Masala Paste- Soak the ingredients for 15 min and grind to a paste.

• 2 tsp toor dal
• 2 green chillis
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 1/4 tsp hing
• 2 garlic cloves (optional)

Procedure

In a wide mouthed bowl mix together the gram flour (besan), rice flour, corn flour, ajwain, chilli powder, hing, salt and the *masala paste along with water. Try and make the batter to dosa batter consistency just thick enough to coat the vegetables. Note: This prepared batter should be of the consistency shown. If its too thin, the vegetables will not get coated and too much oil will be absorbed. If the batter is too thick, the ingredients will not be cooked properly.

• 1 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 1/2 tsp ajwain (omam)
• 1/2 tsp hing
• *masala paste
• water as required
• salt as per taste

Heat oil in a kadhai for deep frying. Make sure the heat is on medium. Dip the milagai, carrots and assorted vegetables one by one in the batter and put it into the oil. Note 1: The flame should be kept on medium. If it is high, the bajji will become black and if it is low, the bajji will absorb more oil. Note 2: To make the bajji crisp and less oily, add 1 spoon of hot oil into the batter before dipping the veggies.

• 2 carrots
• 4 milagai (ooty bhajji chilis)
• 1 cup assorted vegetables (potatos (peeled and and thinly sliced), onions (sliced))
• batter from previous step
• oil for deep frying

Fry the bajjis until they turn golden brown.

The bajji is ready to be served! Eat these with tomato ketchup or coconut chutney. Perfect for a rainy day with hot tea :)