Pudalankai poriyal/ Snakeguard poriyal

Pudalankai poriyal is my favourite that too when it is made by my grandmother. I just remember the days when she specially make pudalankai kootu or poriyal and serves with hot rasam and steamed rice. I just love the simple way of her cooking in low flame. Yes, almost now I do follow slow flame cooking, it gets you awesome taste and every portion of curry will be evenly cooked. Pudalankai poriyal goes well with Sambar rice and rasam rice.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15- 20 mins
Serves: 2 nos

Ingredients:

Snakeguard - 250 gms (finely chopped)
Onion - 1no (finely chopped)
Coconut grated - 1/4 cup
Red chilli - 2 nos (split into two)
Asafoetida/ hing - 1 pinch (optional)
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Moong dal - 1 tablespoon(washed & soaked, optional)
Water - to sprinkle
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - few no
Sambar powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoon

Method:

1. Wash and cut snakeguard into two and remove the middle white portion. Chop snakeguard finely as shown below.



2. Wash and soak moong dal for 20 mins.
3. Heat oil in a thick bottom kadai and add mustard to it. When it splutter, add urad dal, red chilli, curry leaves and hing. Saute it for a min and add onion to it.
4. Saute well until onion turns translucent colour and then add snakeguard, turmeric powder.



5. Sprinkle little water and cook covered in low flame. Stir in between and sprinkle little water if needed.
6. Once snakeguard is half done, add soaked moong dal, salt, sambar powder and again cook it covered.



7. When snakeguard is cooked, add grated coconut and mix well and switch off the flame.

Yummy, tasty and simple snakeguard curry is ready to be served. Serve it with Sambar rice or rasam sadam.

Crispy French Fries- Restaurant style

Indian veg snacks doesn't end without potato. Different varieties of  aloo/potato snack are available. French fries is a universal snack served with burger/ sandwich. Children are more fond of potatoes that too when it is served crisp with tomato ketchup.

French fries are prepared in different form and I used the simple method to make it. My hubby is more fond of potatoes. It all that he needs boiled potatoes with cheese. He can eat daily without boring. I used to make potato wedges both Indian and thai curry style, french fries, aloo tikki, baked aloo, cheesy aloo and it goes. Non-starchy potatoes are best for making different fries and chips, since it doesn't turn brown soon once we immerse potato into hot oil. Non- starchy potato could be identified by peeling the skin of potato using hand. The skin is very dry and peel off very easily.

Preparation time: 4 hrs
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 3 nos

Ingredients:

Non starchy potato - 2 (large)
Salt - to taste
Water - to boil
Oil - to deep fry
Ziplock cover - 1 medium size
Paper towel - 3 to 4nos

Method:

1. Boil water in a deep non-stick pan and add 11/2 teaspoon of salt to it.
2. Wash and peel 2 medium non-starchy potatoes. Cut them into slices and further into batons as shown below.



3. Now add the potato batons to boiling water. Cover and cook until potatoes are three-fourth done.
4. Strain the baton and pat dry on kitchen towel. Transfer it to zip-lock bag and freeze it around 3-4 hrs.



5. Heat sufficient oil in a pan and deep fry the frozen baton until it turns slight golden brown.



6. Drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle salt to it.

Serve it hot with tomato ketchup.

Tips:

1. Oil should be really hot for frying frozen baton. Once frozen baton are added to hot oil, it reduces the heat of oil. If oil is less in heat, these baton turns soggy and you feel more in french fries.
2. Batons can be prepared as a whole and stored in many small ziplock bag in freezer. It can be used when ever it is required. Once ziplock is taken from freezer use all the batons and don't store it back.

Kuzhi paniyaram (Sweet)

Kuzhi paniyaram is a great chettinad tiffen. Similar to soup shop, we could find more kuzhi paniyaram shops at chennai. My husband is more fond of this recipe and he drools for it, when ever he cross that shop. I learned this recipe from my mother-in-law. She and my hubby's grandma used to make this recipe as they stayed in chettinad for long years. Before marriage I used to make paniyaram using dosa/idli batter.

Aapam/ kuzhi paniyaram batter are same. But in most of the houses we used to make kuzhi paniyaram with idli/dosa batter. When specific batter is prepared for making paniyaram, it gives spongy texture and exotic taste.

Ingredients for making batter:

Raw Rice / Sonamasoori  - 1 cup
Idli Rice - 1 cup
Urad dal - 2 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Ingredients for making paniyaram:

Paniyaram batter - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Dry ginger powder/ sukku - 1 pinch
Cardamom powder- 1 teaspoon
Oil - to fry

Method:

1. Soak raw rice, idli rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 4 -6 hours.
2. Grind it in mixer or grinder to thick consistency batter similar to idli batter.
3. Add salt to the batter and mix using hand and allow it to ferment over night,
4. Take one cup batter and mix powdered jaggery/ grated jaggery along with elachi powder and dry ginger powder.



5. Heat paniyaram kadai and add 1 teaspoon oil in each mold if it is non-stick kadai or add little more oil to each mold.



6. When kadai is hot, add sweet batter to 3/4 of each mold and allow it to cook in low-medium flame. The batter will puff and raise.


7. Flip to other side and allow it to cook. Make sure, the crispy outer layer turns golden brown on both the sides.





8. Remove paniyaram from kadai and serve it hot.



Spongy, tasty and exotic paniyaram is ready to be served.

Cabbage Pakoda/Pakora - Winter Special

During winter, my hubby love to have a evening tea with hot snack. I used to make different pakoda using spinach, onion and veggie pakoda. I tried cabbage pakora, which came out so good. With simple ingredients at home, we can make this pakoda. All just you need is 10 mins time to prepare and 10 mins to cook. Try this recipe during this rainy season.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serving: 2 nos

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 (large, thinly sliced)

Green chilli - 2 (diagonally sliced)

Ginger - 1 inch (thinly sliced)

Coriander - 1/2 cup (cleaned, chopped)

Besan flour - 1/2 cup

Red Cabbage - 1/4 cup (finely shred)

Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)

Cashewnut - 15 nos (optional)

Water - to make thick batter

Salt - to taste

Oil - to deep fry

Method:

1. Mix onion, chilli, ginger  and salt and keep it aside for 10 mins.

2. Soak cashewnut in water for 15 mins. 

3. Now add coriander, soaked cashewnut, cabbage to the onion mixture and mix well.
 

4. Finally add besan flour and chilli powder and mix well by sprinkling water to it.

5. Deep fry the pakoda mix in oil by adding little by little to oil in batches.



6. Flip pakoda to other side and fry until it turns golden brown.
7. Drain the excess oil using paper towel.

Serve crispy pakoda with hot tea.

Tips:

1. No need of rice flour. Adding salt to onion leaves little water. This helps in binding the besan flour.