Hot Peppers Pickle / Bajji Milagai Urgai

One of our good neighbours have given us lots of fresh, home grown, organic hot peppers. First time, I tried making Milagai Bajji and we all enjoyed the bajjis at home. But with the current load, I really wanted to consume the hot peppers in a different way, which can be preserved and be used for a longer period. Pickle would be the best option in this case. So, I made the Hot Peppers pickle which would be a delicious side pickle for rotis or rice. 

Ingredients

Hot Peppers - 6 or 7

Lime Juice - Juice of 1 lemon.

Gingelly oil or Olive oil - 3 tbsp

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Fenugreek Seeds / Vendhayam - 1/2 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 2 tbsp

Salt - To Taste

Method

1. Wash the Hot Peppers, wipe them with a tissue and cut into small pieces and keep them ready.
2. Roast the fenugreek seeds for a minute and grind them along with Mustard Seeds and transfer the powder into a bowl.
3. Heat the Gingelly oil and when its heated, switch off the flame. Add Hing/asafoetida to the oil. Pour the oil on top of the grounded powder in the bowl.
4. Add the Hot Pepper pieces also into the bowl along with some salt and lemon juice.
5. Mix them well and store it in an airtight container. This pickle would be ready to eat after 24 hours.
6. This tangy and spicy pickle would be a good side kick for rotis and especially for curd rice.

Tips /Variations

Don't make this pickle with old, dried hot peppers.

You can add dry red chilli powder if you want the pickle more spicy.

Madras Mixture with less oil

Mixture is one of the most common snacks made in different regions of India in their own traditional way.  Few varieties are slightly sweeter and most of the varieties are spicy only. Though I love all kinds of mixture I have tasted so far, I often prepare the Madras Mixture which is a common variety made in South India. It might look more complicated and bit oily, but its very easier to make with less oil. Also, it yields more quantity too....And I am happy to share with you all the madras mixture recipe...There's no diwali at home without the mixture. Enjoy making lots of Diwali Sweets and Snacks...and share your experience.

Method of preparation

Groundnuts   -    1 Cup

In a big kadai or big round pan, roast the groundnuts / peanuts patiently on medium heat till they get crispy and fried well. Add very little oil , may be 2 tsp of oil to the groundnuts while frying... Transfer them to a big basin / vessel where you could mix all the contents upside down well.

Cashew Nuts  -   1 Cup

On the same frying pan / kadai, add the Cashew Nuts and roast them in the same manner till they get golden brown and crunchy. Transfer them to the big basin where you transferred the groundnuts before.

Pottukadalai / Dalia - 1 Cup

Roast the Pottukadalai also in the same manner with little bit of oil. After sometime, they get roasted with a nice aroma and get more crispy. Transfer them to the big vessel on top of the Cashew nuts.

Aval / Poha / Avalakki - 1 Cup

Roast the thin Poha variety with little bit of oil on medium heat. While roasting the Aval, add some turmeric powder to them and roast it. After sometime, the aval get fried nicely and if required, add little bit of oil in the middle and fry them. After its done, transfer them to the big vessel on top of the Pottukadalai.

Curry Leaves / Karuvepillai - 1/2 Cup

Roast them in the same heated kadai with a tsp of oil and keep them separately. This needs to be added to the mixture at the end.

Boondhi  -    4 Cups

In a small frying pan / vessel keep oil for making Boondhi and Sev for the mixture and heat it. For preparing Boondhi, first make the Boondhi Maavu / batter with 2 cups of kadalai Maavu / Besan Flour, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, required salt, 1 tsp of red chilli powder, required amount of water. The consistency of the Boondhi batter should be like Dosa Batter. Take a Boondhi making spoon or a regular big karandi  ( spotted big spoon )  with holes in it. Wipe it with a tissue and keep it ready. Put some Boondhi Batter onto the karandi and gently shake the karandi on top of the heated oil. You could see rounds of Boondhi batter falling into the heated oil. Gently shake the Boondi karandi so that you get nice round Boondhis. Likewise, make boondhis with the rest of the Boondhi Batter too. Drain all the Boondhis separately and let them get dried for sometime. After its completely drained and cooled, transfer them to the big vessel on top of the nuts.

Thick Sev - 3 Cups

Make the Sev dough first by mixing 2 cups of Kadalai Maavu / Besan Flour, 1 tbsp of rice flour, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, required salt, 1/2 tsp of omam powder / ajwain powder, 1 tsp of dry red chilli powder and little water. The consistency of the Sev dough should not be very loose , should be thick like a Murukku dough. Then using the Murukku / Sevai maker, make some big thenguzhal in the heated oil. Fry the thenguzhal till they are golden brown. Complete the same procedure and finish the process. Drain all the Thenguzhals separately and break them into Sev. After its cooled and dried, transfer all the Sevs on top of the Boondhis in the big vessel.

Mixing Process

Add little salt , 2 tsp of dry red chilli powder, 1 dash of Hing / Asafoetida to the mixture.  Using a clean dry flat karandi / spoon , mix everything upside down till all of them get mixed uniformly. Finally add the fried curry leaves and mix them one more time carefully. Now the Mixture is ready for Diwali.!!!

Variations

You can increase the spice level by adding more red chilli powder to the mixture.

You can add sweet diamond shaped biscuits made with Maida to the mixture if you like some sweetness in your mixture.

You can add small sweet rice mittais into the mixture if you like.

You can add fried green peas to the mixture if you like.

Also, you can modify the dough / batter while making the Sev / Boondi according to your taste and spice level.

You can add plain Corn flakes instead of Aval.

Note

As we don't fry the Nuts in this version, its somehow made with very less oil. Only the Boondis and Sev are fried in oil. The taste of this mixture with roasted nuts is amazing.

Healthy Multigrain Bread Puttu



Since few days, I have been thinking of making something different with the big loaf of Multigrain bread remaining in the bread basket. Really bored of the regular Bread Jam, Bread Peanut butter, Bread with Nutella. Though I heard of this bread puttu from one of my friends, I never get a chance either to make it  or taste it before. I followed the regular procedure for making this puttu without a traditional puttu maker. It came out decently and it could be served with some uppuma ( with rava, semiya ) as a combo for breakfast. It will definitely be an ideal and healthy breakfast for kids. Preparation time for this puttu is also very less...So, don't get scared with the second loaf of any bread variety which you buy from the wholesale stores ( like Costco, BJs)...The second loaf can easily be consumed by making this variety too....

Ingredients

Multigrain Bread - 1 full loaf

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Cardamom Powder - 2 tsp

Cashew Nuts - 2 tbsp

Fresh Coconut flakes - 1/2 a cup

Sugar - Between 1/4 to 3/4th of a cup ( depending upon the sweetness of the bread )

Method

• Grind the remaining loaf of the Multigrain bread in a mixer grinder.
• Mix the bread puttu powder with the fresh coconut flakes and steam them together in a vessel for 5 -10 minutes. As I don't have the puttu maker, I steamed them by keeping the puttu vessel inside a big kadai and covered the kadai with the lid. After its steam cooked completely, keep the steamed puttu ready.
• On medium heat, add ghee into the kadai. When its heated, add the cashew nuts and fry them for few minutes till they get golden brown.
• Add the steamed puttu mix to the kadai.
• Add the cardamom powder and sugar to the puttu now.
• Mix them all well for few minutes and switch off the flame.
• Now the healthy puttu is ready with rich taste and good flavour.

Tips

Any variety of excess bread loaf can be converted into puttu form.!!! Though its a healthy option, multigrain puttu variety would be little heavy, so its difficult to eat more quantity whereas the wheat bread puttu is softer and can be eaten easily by kids.

Vankaya Ulli Karam / Brinjals in Spicy Onion Gravy / Brinjal Masala

Vankaya Ulli Karam is my mother-in-laws recipe and we all liked the dish very much. So I decided to share her recipe with my blog friends. This brinjal dish is an excellent choice for parties along with a side of Jeera Rice / Pulav. Even with rotis or plain rice, this tastes much better. The major factor which decides the taste of the dish is the age and size of the brinjals and its freshness..If  you have very fresh small brinjals, don't keep them in the fridge and postpone the preparation.Try to make the Vankaya Ulli Karam as fresh as possible.

Ingredients

Fresh small brinjals - 12 to 15.

Onion - 1 Big

Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

For Tempering

Oil - 3 tbsp

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Mustard Seeds - 3 tsp

Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 2 stems

For the Paste

Dry Red Chillies - 8

Groundnuts - 1 handful

Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp

Urad Dal / Ulutham paruppu / Mina Pappu - 1 tbsp

Channa Dal / Kadalai paruppu / Senaga pappu - 2 tbsp

Methi seeds / Vendhayam / Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Black pepper - 1 tsp

Dry Coconut Powder - 3/4th of tbsp

White Sesame Seeds - 2 tbsp

Tamarind - 1 pinch

Onion - 1 Big one shredded

Ingredients for the Gravy

Method

• Wash the Brinjals and make 4 or 6 slits from its bottom without breaking the brinjal in the middle. Let it looks like an umbrella with different slits and a handle at its top.
• Cut the brinjals in a similar way and put them in a bowl of water. Cut the onion into pieces and keep it ready for the gravy.
• Meantime, with few drops of oil, fry all the ingredients required for the gravy except onion pieces till you get a nice aroma. Then, transfer them to a mixer grinder. In the same pan, fry the cut onions and add them to the mixer grinder. Grind everything together to a fine smooth paste with little bit of water. Keep the gravy paste ready.
• Meantime, in the vessel add oil for tempering. Add Hing, mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves first.
• Then, add the cut brinjals into the kadai / vessel. Add 2 tsp of turmeric powder and cook them with little water and salt. Cover the vessel and let the brinjals cook inside.
• When the brinjals get cooked three fourth, add the gravy paste from the mixer grinder into the vessel.
• Wash the mixer grinder with some water and pour all the gravy water into the vessel.
• Add required amount of salt and 1/2 tsp of sugar and mix the brinjals with the Gravy carefully making sure that the brinjals don't get mashed too much. Try to keep the brinjals in full shape inside the gravy.
• Let everything cook completely and the oil would ooze out of the dish slowly which indicates that the vankaya ulli karam is done perfectly.

Tips

Fry the spices till you get a nice aroma before grinding them for the gravy. This makes the gravy tastier.

Avoid making this dish with green brinjals or long fatty big brinjals. Try to make with small violet brinjals only to enjoy the heavenly taste of the masala.

Coriander Pulav / Kothamalli Pulav / Kothimeera Pulav / Coriander Pulao

Freshness of coriander leaves always add taste and flavour to any food we make. This herb is not only used  for garnishing and its widely used in Indian cuisine for making different varieties of food like coriander chutney, coriander rice / pulav, coriander based gravy in many side dishes, etc., Whenever I go for vegetable shopping, I invariably pick up more coriander bunches than I require for the week. This time, I tried to make coriander pulav / kothamalli pulav for lunch. Without any side dish, we can have this tasty coriander pulav and its an ideal choice for kids too as they like this green colour pulav. Adding few potato pieces and peas to the pulav make the rice more captivating and make it more healthier too..

Ingredients

Fresh Coriander Leaves - 3 or 4 Big bunches.

Tomato - 1 medium

Green Chillies - 3 or 4

Basmati Rice - 1.5 cup

Sugar - 1 pinch

Salt - To Taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

Butter / Ghee - 2 tsp

Onion - 1 Medium

Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp

Cinnamon Sticks - 2 big

Lavang - 5 or 6

Cardamom Seeds / Elachi - 4 or 5

Marathi Moggu - 1 big

Garlic Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Potato - 1 medium

Peas - 1 Handful

Method

• Wash the Basmati Rice and soak the rice for sometime.
• Grind the washed coriander leaves, one red tomato, green chillies in a mixer grinder and keep it ready.
• n a non-stick vessel or a flat bottomed thick vessel, add ghee or butter first. Then add oil to the pan and when the oil gets heated, add the spices to the oil. Fry them for a minute.
• Add ginger garlic paste to the vessel next. Fry them for a minute till the raw smell goes off.
• Add onions and the grounded paste and fry them for few minutes. Add the potato pieces and peas while frying. Also add the basmati rice to the oil and fry everything for a minute.
• Add water, enough salt, a pinch of sugar to the rice mix and cook them on a low flame.
• For 1 cup of rice , add 1 3/4 th of water. But it depends on the Basmati Rice type too..So, add water according to the variety you use.
• After its completely cooked, switch off the flame. Turn it upside down and garnish with few cashew nuts and coriander leaves before serving.
• This coriander pulav can be eaten with raita or any side dish of your choice.

Methi Paratha / Methi Parata / Methi Chappathi / Methi Chapati

Fenugreek leaves , methi leaves are nature's gift to mankind. Its rich in minerals like Potassium, Calcium and Iron. Fenugreek leaves have good dietary fiber and are abundant in Vitamin C and Vitamin K..They add an excellent flavour to cooking. In our small vegetable patch, we grow methi, green peppers ( capsicum ), lady's finger(okra), tomatoes, basil this year. Out of these, methi leaves grow faster and are abundant in our garden. So, I use methi leaves in most of our regular cooking at home. This time I made methi paratha, one of our favourites at home for dinner. With a side of good creamy raita, it was delicious.  There are "n" number of ersions of methi parathas and its ratio and taste would be different in every household and I am presenting you my version of methi paratha.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 4 cups

Fresh Methi leaves shredded or cut - 3 cups

Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp.

Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - To Taste

White sesame seeds - 3 tbsp.

Curd or Plain Yogurt - 1 Full cup

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp

Green chilli paste - 2 tsp

Water - Enough to make the Dough.

Oil - For frying the Methi parathas.

Method

• Wash and cut the methi leaves thoroughly. Cover it with a lid and cook the leaves in the microwave for few minutes to make them softer. Keep it ready.
• On a big basin or bowl, add all the ingredients for making the dough and add water little by little.
• Make a thick dough like poori dough and add little oil in the middle of dough preparation. Knead the dough properly in order to get good methi parathas.
• Keep the dough for few hours. When you are ready to eat, heat the tawa / pan to medium.
• Using a roti maker or using manual methods, make a medium size round parathas and keep them ready.
• When the pan is ready, cook the methi parathas one by one uniformly on both sides with little oil on its side.
• Store them in a round shaped container and enjoy the hot methi parathas with a side of raita , mango chunde or tomato pachidi / pickle of your choice.
• Methi parathas can be stored for even 4-5 days and eat and its an ideal choice for travel too...

Tips

You can make methi pooris with the leftover methi paratha dough and it tastes very good. My kids loved the methi pooris very much.

Try to make the paratha dough atleast 3-4 hours before cooking the parathas.

Paruppu Vadai / Ama Vadai / Pappu Vada / Dal Vada

Paruppu Vadais also called as Aama vadais are more commonly made during the festival days and its a South Indian speciality snack. As they are made out of different kinds of Dal / lentil, they are rich in protein. There are different versions of Dal Vadas and every variety depends on the kind of Dals and the proportion they use to make them. I used thuvar Dal ( Thuvaram paruppu / Kandhi pappu ), Channa Dal ( Kadalai Paruppu / Sena pappu ), Urad Dal ( Ulutham paruppu / Mina pappu ) and Moong Dal ( Pesara pappu / Payatham paruppu ) in my preparation.

Ingredients

Thuvar Dal - 1 Cup

Channa Dal - 1/2 Cup

Urad Dal - 1/2 Cup

Moong Dal - 1/4 Cup

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Curry leaves - 1 or 2 stems

Dry Red Chillies - 3 or 4.

Oil - For Frying

Salt - To Taste

Method

• Soak all the Dals in the water for an hour. Then, grind them coarsely with red chillies, hing and some salt. Add the crushed curry leaves into the vadai batter and mix it.
• Meantime, heat the oil in the frying pan. When the oil gets heated up, take a small ball of the vadai batter and make a small round and drop it slowly into the heated oil. Continue the process for the rest of the batter.
• Fry the vadas till they become golden brown and crispy. Drain all the vadas from the pan carefully and put them on a plate with a paper tissue on its top to soak the excess oil from the vadas.
• Now the parppu / Dal Vadas are ready for Neivedhyam.

Tips / Variations

You can add crushed coriander leaves, onion pieces into the batter too and fry them during non-festival days.