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.

Hot & Sour Soup - Veg

During winter we really look for hot soup bowl. Hot & sour soup is one of my best soup I love. Though it is spicy it creates good appetite and feels warm during winter. It's a special soup for this winter. We can adjust the spiciness and make this healthy soup at home. Combination of more vegetables adds richness to this soup. It is so simple to make and we can really add pungent to this soup by adding chilli sauce & soya sauce. Sour taste we get by adding vinegar.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 nos
Measuring cup (1 cup = 250 ml)

Ingredients:

Onion - 1/4 cup ( Thinly sliced)
Capsicum - 1/4 cup ( julienne sliced)
Carrot - 1/4 cup (julienne sliced)
Beans - 6 nos ( finely chopped)
Red cabbage - 1/4 cup (thinly sliced)
Mushroom - 1/4 cup (thinly sliced)
Celery/ coriander - 1/4 cup (washed, chopped & tightly packed)
Ginger - 1/2 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Garlic -1 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Salt - to taste
Water - 750 ml
Pepper - to taste
Corn flour - 2 tablespoon
Chilli - 1 (finely chopped)
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Palak leaf - 1/4 cup (washed & thinly sliced)
Soya sauce - 3/4 teaspoon
Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Chilli sauce - 1/2  teaspoon( optional)

Method:

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables and keep aside.



2. Heat butter in a wok/kadai and add garlic to it. Saute it until it turns golden brown colour. Nice aroma arise out when garlic is saute in butter. Now add ginger, onion and saute until onion turns translucent colour.



3. Add beans, carrot, capsicum, cabbage, mushroom, chilli one by one and saute well until all veggies are half cooked.



4. Meanwhile make corn starch by mixing corn flour in 3-4 tablespoon of water to get thick paste.
5. Once mushroom turns slightly brown colour add celery and palak leaf. Saute it for a min.
6. Add water, salt and soya sauce and allow veggies to boil around 15 mins. Check for salt as soya sauce contains lot of salt.



7. Bring the soup to simmer on a medium flame and add corn starch and mix uniformly such that no lumps are formed.



8. When soup thickens add white pepper/ normal pepper and vinegar. Give a final stir and switch off the flame.



Hot and Sour soup is ready to be served. Serve it by sprinkling coriander/ celery leaf.

Tips:

1. Salt, pepper, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli are adjusted according to the taste. If you don't need the spiciness avoid adding chilli.

Malai Paneer - 15 mins Recipe

Very recent days I have tried so many paneer recipes and one of the most easiest recipe which is more creamy and tasty is Malai Paneer. Kids will love this recipe for sure. Cottage cheese dunked in fresh cream and spices which could be served as starter as well side dish for chappathi/ roti.

Preparation time : 5 mins
Cooking time : 10- 15 mins
Serves : 2 nos

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 (finely chopped, large)
Paneer - 200 gm (diced into cubes)
Ginger garlic paste -2 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Kashmiri red chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1/8 teaspoon
Kasturi methi - 3/4 teaspoon(crushed)
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoon of butter in a kadai and add chopped onion. Saute well until onion turns golden brown color.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute well, until its raw smell vanish off.
3. In low flame add coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir well and make sure, spices doesn't get burnt.



4. In low flame, add paneer cubes and mix well such that paneer is coated with masala.



5. In reduced flame, add fresh cream, such that paneer is coated with cream. Season with salt and stir well for 2-3 min



6. Once oil started oozing out, sprinkle kasturi methi and garam masala and stir well.
7. Switch off the flame and serve Malai paneer by garnishing with coriander leaf/ kasturi methi.

Malai panner is ready to be served. Serve it along with any bread varieties, roti, pulka.

Capsicum Chutney

Capsicum chutney is one my most favourite chutney. I love to have it along with soft and hot idli's or dosa. Below combination of ingredients adds separate flavor to this chutney. Capsicum generally have more nutritious value, contains vitamin c more than orange fruit and vitamin B6. Also it is one of the best anti oxidant.

Ingredients:

Green capsicum -1 no (diced into cubes, large)
Onion -1 (sliced, large)
Garlic cloves - 3 nos
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)
Green chilli - 2 nos(slit)
Red chilli - 2nos
Coconut - 1 tablespoon (grated)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander - 1/2 cup
Asafoetida -1 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Tamarind paste - 1 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- few nos
Red chilli -1 no
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal (split)- 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in kadai and add garlic, ginger, green chilli, red chilli, onion and capsicum one after other and saute it in medium flame around 5  mins.
2. Add chopped coriander,coconut, curry leaves and tamarind paste and saute well again for 1 minute and switch off the flame.
3. Add  asafoetida and salt to the mixture and allow it to cool completely.
4. Once the above mixture completely cools off, add it to blender and make fine paste. check for salt.
5. In a separate kadai heat 2 teaspoon oil and add red chilli, mustard seeds, once it splutter add urad dal, curry leaf and switch off the flame.
6. Add above seasoning to chutney.

Capsicum chutney is ready to be served.