Aloo bonda

Aloo bonda is a quick evening snack, that could be prepared in less time if we have boiled potatoes on hand. Aloo is a magic vegetable, loved by all persons irrespective of their age. During rainy days, we can serve this aloo bonda with hot chai to our family. Similar to aloo paratha stuffing, this stuffing is made quickly with slight variation in ingredients.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 3 - 4 nos

Ingredients:

Boiled potato - 3 nos (smashed)
Onion - 1 no (finely chopped)
Green Chilli - 2 nos (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - 2 table spoon (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - for frying

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Oil - teaspoon
Hing - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - a sprig

For batter:

Gram flour / Besan flour - 3/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Cooking soda - 1 pinch
Salt - to taste
Water - as needed

Preparation Method:

1. Pressure cook potatoes for 3 whistles. Once pressure subsides, open the lid of cooker and wash the boiled potatoes in cool water. Peel the skin of the potatoes and mash it without lumps when it is in medium hot.
2. Finely chop onion and green chillies.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing. Once mustard seed splutters add onion, green chillies and saute well. Once onion turns translucent add mashed potato, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and switch off the flame. Finally add coriander leaves and lemon juice.



4. In a seperate bowl mix together gram flour, rice flour, baking soda, red chilli powder and salt.
5. Add water little at a time and mix the batter well to right bajji consistency.



6. Divide the potato mixture equally and make balls out of it. 
7. Heat oil in a separate pan, dip potato balls in batter and add it to oil. Add 3-4 balls at a time in batches. Once balls are added to hot oil, reduce the heat and fry it gently until it turns golden brown.



8. Remove bonda from oil and add it to paper towel.

Serve hot aloo bonda with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.

Onion Paratha

Among different variety of paratha's, onion paratha is the most tastiest. I just love this tastiest paratha with curd and pickle.

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 3 nos

Ingredients to prepare stuffing:

Onion - 2 nos (large)
Coriander - 1/2 cup (washed and chopped finely)
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Chat masala - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Salt - to taste

Ingredients to prepare dough:

Wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 4 teaspoon
Warm Water - to make dough (50% measure of wheat flour)
Wheat flour - for dusting

Method:

To prepare dough:

1. In a wide bowl, add wheat flour, salt and oil / ghee and mix well.
2. Add luke warmwater little by little to the dough mixture so that dough gets evenly mixed. Prepare soft, smooth and pliable dough. Once the dough is ready, grease the hands with a teaspoon of oil and knead the dough. Cover and keep it aside for 20 mins minimum.

To prepare stuffing:

1. Peel onion skin and grate them finely.
2. Squeeze and remove water onion and set aside.



3. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chaat masala, salt and finely chopped coriander.



4. Mix well and make lemon size ball stuffing.

To Prepare Paratha:

1. Knead the dough again and equally divide the dough into 8 -9 large portions and make balls out of it.
2. Press and flatten single ball dough and dust flourish on both sides and roll out the dough to make small circle. Make sure, middle portion of the chapathi is thick and thin at corner.
3. Keep your stuffing ball in the centre, gather all the corners and seal the dough with stuffing inside. Press it down gently to flatten it.



4. Dust little flour on the sides and flatten it using hand. Gently roll out the flattened dough to 6-7 "circle.



5. Heat tawa with a teaspoon of butter and place the rolled out paratha on it.
6. When one side of paratha is done, flip it over other side and cook it well, until both sides turns golden brown.
7. Remove it from tawa and serve it with plain yogurt and mixed vegetable pickle.

Sakarai pongal

Simple but yummy South Indian dish, made during Indian festivals. Yummy and very tasty dish loved by kids is Sakari pongal. My mom used to make sakarai pongal very tasty as such like kovil / Temple prasadam.

Sakarai pongal is also made on Thai Pongal festival. It usually falls on 14th / 15th January. Pongal is an important festival in Tamil Nadu. It is a harvest festival dedicated to Sun God. Usually Sakari pongal is made using pot on the day of Pongal. It is also called Maha Sankaranthi festival at Northern India.

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: less than 30 mins
Serves - 4 nos

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1 to 2 tablespoon
Ghee - 3 teaspoon
Cashew nut - 5 to 7 nos
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cup (for pongal)
Water - 1/4 cup (for jaggery syrup)
Milk - 1 cup
Cardamom / Elachi powder - 1 teaspoon
Raw camphor (Pachakarpooram) - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 pinch

Preparation method:

1. Heat a teaspoon of ghee in pressure cooker pan and roast moong dal.
2. Add washed rice, water and milk to the pan and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.



3. Mash it well once pressure goes off.



4. In a separate pan add jaggery powder and 1/4 cup water. Wait until jaggery dissolves completely in water. Add it to the mashed rice (or) add powdered jaggery to the smashed rice if the jaggery powder is refined.




5. In a medium - low flame, cook the mashed rice mixture in jaggery syrup.



6. Add Cardamom powder, Raw camphor and a pinch of salt.
7. Finally roast cashewnut in ghee and add it to sakari pongal along with excess ghee.
8. Switch off the flame when Pongal is in semi solid consistency. As time goes off, it will be in right consistency.

Tips:

1. Adding cardamom and raw camphor will add nice flavor and taste to sakari pongal.

Coconut Milk Rice/ Thengaipaal Sadam

One of my favorite recipe, my mom used to cook is Coconut Milk Rice. Basmathi rice cooked in thick coconut milk along with mild spices gives a pleasant aroma. This rice goes well with vegetable kurma / spicy gravy.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice - 1 1/2 cup
Ghee / Oil - 2 tablespoon
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Onion - 1 (large, finely chopped)
Green chilli - 2 (slit)
Chick peas - 1/2 cup (boiled white channa)
Bay leaf - 1 no
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Cardamom - 1 no
Gloves - 2 no
Coconut milk - 3 cup
Salt - to taste

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and soak basmathi rice for 20 mins.
2. Soak channa overnight for 8 hrs and pressure cook for 5 whistle.
3. Heat oil in pan pressure, add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, gloves, cardamom and fennel seeds. Saute well for a minute and add finely chopped onions.



4. When onion turns translucent color, add green chills and saute well.
5. Add soaked rice, cooked channa, salt and coconut milk to it. Mix well and check salt for taste.
6. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
7. Once pressure vanish off, give a stir to the rice using fork to fluff the rice.

Yummy yummy hot coconut milk rice is ready to be served. It can be used with any type of spicy gravy.

Tips:

1. Cashew nut and raisins can be added to this rice while stirring green chilly.
2. Always it is preferred to use 2nd coconut milk for boiling rice.