Cauliflower Pakoda

Ingredients

Cauliflower -350gms
Ginger - garlic paste - 11/2 tsp
Red chilly Powder - 1tsp
Garam Masala powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Besan -1/2 cup
Rice flour - 2tbsp
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Wash the cauliflower florets well and keep it in a pan. Add ginger - garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, green chillies and salt.
2. Mix well and evenly sprinkle the besan, rice flour and corn flour and coat the cauliflower florets with that. Use water as needed for that.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the cauliflower florets and fry them till they turn golden brown.
4. Serve hot.

Vattayappam

(Steamed Rice Cake)

 

Ingredients

Raw white rice (Sona Masoori) -2 cups

Grated fresh coconut -2 cups

Sugar – ¼ cup

Cooked rice – ½ cup

Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp

Yeast – 1 tsp

Salt – 1pinch

Directions

1.Soak the white rice in water for about 5 hrs.

2. Drain the soaked rice and grind the rice to a fine paste with grated coconut, sugar, cooked rice and water.

3. The batter should be of the right consistency( idly batter consistency)

4.When the grinding is almost done, add yeast, cardamom powder and salt.

5.Keep the batter aside for fermenting overnight.

6.Grease the suitable moulds and pour the batter to the half mark level of the moulds.

7.Garnish with cashews and raisins and steam for 15 -20 minutes.

8. When it is done, remove from flame and allow it to cool for 10- 15 minutes.and cut into pieces

Bread Bajji

Ingredients

Bread - 4 slices
Besan - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Shallots - 3(cut into very small pieces)
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Mix besan, chilly powder, rice flour, asafoetida, shallots and salt with water ( The batter should be of the right consistency...not too thin or too thick)
2. Cut each bread slice into four pieces.
3. Dip the bread pieces in the batter so that it gets coated on all sides. Deep fry in oil and serve hot with sauce or pudhina chutney.

Chakka Varattiyathu

Ingredients

Ripe jackfruit – 2 kg
Jaggery -1 kg
Ghee – ½ - 1 cup
Dried ginger powder(chukku)–1tbsp
Cardamom powder – ½ tbsp
Water – 2 cups

Directions

1. Cut jackfruit into small pieces.
2. Pressure cook it with one cup of water. Allow it to cook nicely (6 whistles).
3. Either grind the cooked jackfruit in a mixer grinder or cook it in a vessel till the water evaporates completely, stirring continuously.
4. Boil the jaggery adding 1 cup of water and make it into a thick syrup.
5. Pour this into the ground cooked jackfruit and stir continuously till it becomes thick.
6. Add ghee to this little by little while stirring. Add dried ginger powder and cardamom powder also and stir well.
7. When the mixture becomes thick, remove from the flame, cool, cut into pieces and store in air tight container.

Chakka Upperi

(JACKFRUIT CHIPS)


Ingredients

Raw jackfruit – 1
Cooking oil
Salt water

Directions

1. Cut the raw jackfruit bulbs into long pieces after removing the seed.
2. Heat oil in a pan. When it starts boiling, add the sliced jackfruit slowly into it.
3. Stir fry until it becomes crisp.
4. Sprinkle salt water on the chips.
5. Cool and store in air tight containers.

Parippu Vada

Ingredients

Parippu (Tur Dhal ) - 1 cup
Dry red chilly - 2 nos
Oil - 2 cups
Green chilly (minced) - 3 nos
Ginger (minced) - 1’’ piece
Shallots (sliced) - 10 nos
Curry leaves (chopped)
Salt to taste
Water - 1/4cup

Directions

1.Soak the parippu in cold water for 2-4 hours. Drain the water. Grind ¾ of the dal to a paste adding water so that the paste is stiff. Add the remaining dal and grind coarsely. The dry red chillies should be ground together with soaked parippu(dal).
2.Mix sliced onion, minced green chillies, minced ginger, chopped curry leaves and salt.
3.Heat oil in a pan.When the oil is hot, wet the palms of your hand and shape about two table spoons of dal mixture into a 2 inch round disc. Slide the vada gently into the oil. Deep fry it till it become brown colour. Serve hot.

Spicy Boondi

Ingredients

Besan / Gram flour – 2 cups
Rice flour – ½ cup
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Red chillies (dry) – 4
Roasted peanuts – ¼ cup
Chilly powder – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Directions

1. Make batter with gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder and salt. The batter should not be too thin. The batter should evenly coat the back of a spoon when dipped in it.
2. Heat oil in a pan, hold a perforated spoon a little above the hot oil, por some batter on the spoon and tap very gently at the edge of the spoon to allow small droplets to fall into the oil.
3. Stir the boondis in oil and gently fry till it becomes crisp. Drain and put aside.
4. Grind the red chillies, cumin seeds and chilly powder. Add this to the boondi with peanuts and mix well.

Maavunda/Avalos unda

Ingredients

Rice flour – 2 cups
Thick coconut milk taken from scraped coconut - 1 cup
Powdered sugar – 1 cup (Jaggery can also be used)
Ghee – ¾ cup
Kismis soaked in ghee – ¼ cup

Directions

1. Heat a pan and roast the rice flour in it.
2. Pour the coconut milk slowly into the flour and stir well till dry.
3. Add the powdered sugar and kismis along with the ghee and mix well.
4. Make balls out of the mixture before it cools and roll in in dry flour.

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

All purpose flour – 2 ½ cups
Sugar – 2 cups
Eggs – 4
Milk – 1 cup
Vegetable oil – ¾ cup
Baking powder – 2 ¼ tsp
Vanilla – 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - few
Butter for greasing the pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease the round cake pans with butter.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs together until it becomes slightly thickened. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla. Beat until the batter is smooth and creamy. (Do not over beat). Pour the batter into the greased cake pans (baking pans). Put cashew nuts on top of the batter.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top turns golden colour or a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.

Murukku

Ingredients

Gram flour – 2 cups
Rice flour – 1 cup
Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder – ¼ tsp
Butter – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Make a smooth and stiff dough with gram flour, rice flour, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, butter, salt and asafetida powder using enough water.
2. Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame. Take a ball of dough, put in the murukku press and squeeze out the murukku over a greased plate.
3. Drop the murukku gently to the hot oil from the greased plate. Fry on both sides until the oil stops bubbling.
4. Drain the excess oil using a paper towel.

Vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients

Finely chopped carrots, beans & cabbage – 2 cups
Potatoes – 3 (boiled & mashed)
Fresh green peas – ¼ cup
Onions – 2 (chopped)
Green chilly paste – 1 tsp
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 ½ tsp
Cooking oil
Bread crumbs
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Steam the chopped vegetables and peas in a pressure cooker.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add ginger & green chilly paste and sauté.
3. Add onion and fry till it becomes golden brown.
4. Add the mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Fry for 10 minutes.
5. Mix garam masala and salt to the vegetables and sauté well.
6. Make lemon sized balls out of this mixture when it cools and coat it with bread crumbs.
7. Flatten this into thin patties.
8. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the cutlets until both sides become brown.
9. Place the fried cutlets on napkins to drain the excess oil and serve hot.

Banana Chips

Ingredients

Raw bananas – 6
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Salt water to taste
Cooking oil

Directions

1. Peel the bananas and put them in turmeric water.
2. Slice the bananas in thin round shape.
3. Heat oil in a pan and when it boil, put the sliced bananas directly into it.
4. Turn over till it is fully cooked and crisp
5. Sprinkle salt water on the chips.
6. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

All purpose flour – 2 ¾ cups
Unsweetened cocoa powder – 1 cup
White sugar – 2 ¼ cups
Softened butter – 1 cup
Eggs – 4
Baking soda – 2 tsp
Baking powder – ½ tsp
Vanilla extract – 1 ½ tsp
Cashew nuts –a few
Boiling water – 2 cup
Salt – ½ tsp

Directions
1. Take cocoa powder in a bowl. Pour boiling water over it and whisk until it is smooth. Allow it to cool.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda , baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly in baking pans greased with butter and put cashew nut pieces on top of the batter.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes. Allow it to cool.

Banana Fritters

(ETHAKKA APPAM)


Ingredients

Banana (Ripe)– 4 (each cut into 4 thin pieces)
Refined flour(All purpose flour) – 1 cup
Sugar – 4 tbsp
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Cooking oil
Salt – 1 pinch

Directions
1. Make a thick batter by mixing together the flour, sugar, cardamom powder and salt with a little water.
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Dip the banana slices in the batter and deep fry in the hot oil till they are golden brown in colour.
4. Place on a tissue paper before serving to get rid of excess oil.

Uzhunnu Vada

Ingredients

Black gram(Uzhunnuparippu) - 2 glass
Onion(big) - 1
Green chillies - 2
Pepper - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1" piece
Soda powder – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Soak the dal in water for some time.
2. Grind it with ¼ cup of water. (It would be better if u don’t add water.)
3. Add salt and grind again.
4. Chop the onion, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.
5. Add all the ingredients to this ground dal and mix well.
6. Pat hands with water.
7. Make balls off the paste and make patties.
8. Make a hole in between the patties.
9. Deep fry them in oil till golden brown in colour.
10. Serve with chutney or sambhar

Samosa

Ingredients

Refined Wheat Flour 1 ½ cups
Potatoes (medium) - 3
Garden peas - ½ cup
Shredded Cabbage - 1 cup
Chopped Onion - 1 cup
Chopped Green Chillies - 2 tbsp
Ginger Paste – 1 ½ tsp
Coriander Leaves – ½ cup
Vegetable Oil - 3 tsp and separate for deep frying
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Boil potatoes, peel and slightly mash.
2. Boil peas and cabbage and keep aside.
3. In a non stick pan, heat oil and add chopped onions until light brown.
4. Add ginger paste, coriander leaves, green chillies and fry for one minute.
5. Add salt and the boiled peas, cabbage and mashed potatoes and Stir well.
6. Let it cook for a minute, remove from heat and keep aside.
7. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add to the flour and salt mixture and mix well.
8. Add a few tablespoons of water at a time, to the mixture and make into dough. The consistency of the dough should be like that of chappati. Divide the dough into walnut sized balls and flatten each ball to form a circle. The size of each circle is roughly six inches in diameter. Divide the circle into two (half circles). Wet the edges of each half circle. Place sufficient amount of stuffing in the middle of the half circle and fold the corners in, so that, the end result looks like a stuffed triangle. Pinch the edges lightly, they should seal easily because they are wet.
9. In a pan, heat oil over medium-low. When oil is hot, deep fry the stuffed samosas until they become pale brown in color. Remove from the pan and keep it aside. After frying all the samosas to a pale brown color, re-fry them, over medium heat, once again to a deep brown color.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree -1 ¼ cups
Sugar – ¾ cup
Salt – ½ tsp
Ground ginger – ½ tsp
Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
All-purpose flour – 1 tsp
Lightly beaten eggs -2
Evaporated milk (undiluted) -1 cup
Water – 2tbsp
Vanilla extract – ½ tsp
Pie crust (unbaked)

Directions

1. In mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and flour.
2. Add eggs; mix well.
3. Add evaporated milk, water and vanilla; mix well.
4.Pour pumpkin pie mixture into a pie pan. Preheat oven to 425°. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake pumpkin pie for about 35 minutes longer, until pumpkin pie is set.

Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

Chicken (boneless, skinless) - 500 gms
Egg white - 3
Green chillies – 6
Onions - 2 (large)
Ginger – 2 inches piece
Garlic cloves – 4
Potatoes – 3 (large)
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Bread crumbs
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Cook chicken with little salt and pepper powder till chicken becomes tender.
2. Mash with well with hands or a spoon.
3. Cook potatoes with little salt and mash them well too.
4. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Sauté chopped onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies together.
5. Add coriander powder, pepper powder and turmeric powder and sauté well.
6. Add garam masala powder.
7. Finally, add mashed chicken and potatoes into this and mix well.
8. Beat egg white with little salt in a bowl.
9. Make small oval shaped cutlets with chicken potato mix. ( Use a spoon to shape them easily)
10. Dip in beaten egg, coat them with a thin layer of bread crumbs and shallow fry.
11. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Momos(Dumplings)

Ingredients:

Dough for wrappers

All purpose flour – 4 cups
Cooking oil – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 pinch
Water – as required

Filling
Lean ground meat – 2 lbs
Finely chopped red onion – 1 cup
Finely chopped green onion – ½ cup
Finely chopped ripe tomato – 1 cup
Fresh chopped cilantro – 3 tbsp
Minced fresh garlic – 1 tbsp
Minced fresh ginger – 1tbsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Freshly grated nutmeg – ¼ tsp
Garam masala or momo masala – 1 tbsp
Minced fresh chillies – ½ tbsp

Directions

Dough:
1. In a large bowl combine flour, oil, salt and water.
2. Mix well, knead until the dough becomes homogeneous in texture, about 8-10 minute.
3. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minute.
4. Knead well again before making wrappers.
Filling:
5. In a large bowl combine all filling ingredients.
6. Mix well, adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
7. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow all ingredients to impart their unique flavors.
8. This also improves the consistency of the filling.
Assembly:
9. Give the dough a final knead.
10. Prepare 1-in dough balls.
11. Take a ball, roll between your palms to spherical shape.
12. Dust working board with dry flour.
13. On the board gently flatten the ball with your palm to about 2-in circle.
14. Make a few semi-flattened circles, cover with a bowl.
15. Use a rolling pin to roll out each flattened circle into a wrapper.
16. For well executed momo's, it is essential that the middle portion of the wrapper be slightly thicker than the edges to ensure the structural integrity of dumplings during packing and steaming.
17. Hold the edges of the semi-flattened dough with one hand and with the other hand begin rolling the edges of the dough out, swirling a bit at a time.
18. Continue until the wrapper attains 3-in diameter circular shape.
19. Repeat with the remaining semi-flattened dough circles.
20. Cover with bowl to prevent from drying.
21. For packing hold wrapper on one palm, put one tablespoon of filling mixture and with the other hand bring all edges together to the center, making the pleats.
22. Pinch and twist the pleats to ensure the absolute closure of the stuffed dumpling.
23. This holds the key to good tasting, juicy dumplings.
24. Heat up a steamer, oil the steamer rack well.
25. This is critical because it will prevent dumplings from sticking.
26. Arrange uncooked dumplings in the steamer.
27. Close the lid, and allow steaming until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
28. Take dumplings off the steamer and serve immediately.

Rava Munthirikothu

Ingredients

Rava(fried) - 2 cups
Sugar – 1 ½ cups
Grated coconut - 4 cups
Cardamom – 10
Enriched wheat flour -1 cup
Salt
Cooking oil

Directions
1. Mix the fried rava, sugar, grated coconut and ground cardamom well.
2. Make small balls out of that mixture.
3. Mix the enriched flour with salt and water (the mixture should not be watery)
4. Dip the rava balls in the flour mixture and deep fry in oil.