Beetroot Vadai/ Beetroot Vada

                           Mostly beetroot comes under the category of the corned vegetables as for kids. Me too just hated beetroot when i was small. My amma (mother) will try to give it in different forms, but I never liked any, even the beetroot jam served in marriage functions (in those days). But as days passed by experiencing hostel life in college, even beetroot tasted better for me. So started having beetroot.

                          This idea of beetroot vada came from my neighbour. She made beetroot vadas and passed it to me and I loved the taste. So I got the veges the next day itself and tried those vadas. They came out well, so sharing it with you guys. Hope you ll like it.

                       

Prep time  2 hours ( For soaking the bengal gram)

Cooking time 25-30 mins

Ingredients

3/4 cup Bengal Gram
1 Beetroot grated
2 tsp Fennel seeds/ Perunjeeragam
7-8 Small Onion chopped
3 Chilly chopped
2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
1 tbsp Mint leaves (optional)
2 tbsp Rice Flour
A pinch Hing
As per taste Salt
For deep frying Oil

To Grind
1 inch sized Ginger chopped
6-7 garlic pods

Procedure

1. First soak the bengal gram for two hours. Then drain the water and take a little bengal gram (2 tbsp) and keep aside before grinding.Then grind the remaining soaked gram into a course paste.

2. Make the paste of ginger and garlic.

3. Grate the beetroot and saute it until the raw smell goes off. Saute by just adding 1 tsp oil.

4. With the coarsely grind-ed bengal gram add grated beetroot, fennel seeds, the ginger garlic paste, chopped onion, chilly, coriander leaves, mint leaves, rice flour, hing and salt. Mix it well.

5. The mix for making beetroot vadas is ready now. Now in a kadai pour the oil and deep fry the vadas. Wait for the vadas to get cooked. Drain them in paper towels.

    

                   Note: 

• For these vadas you can also coarsely grind the beetroot and then saute it.
• We cant except a golden yellow color here. They will turn maroon color, so no need to fear off the vadas getting over cooked.

                  For sure you will start loving these vadas, give a try.

WaterMelon Lime Smoothie Recipe /WaterMelon Lime Chilller

                 The days are turning hot nowadays. And the watermelon season is an indication for this. We could see the watermelons heaped on the roadsides. They are the true coolers for these hot days.

                Initially in my childhood days I just hate this watermelon, especially the smell. My very best friend Mangai loves these melons, I started eating them just by giving company to my friend and now a days I m fond of them.

              I tried the watermelon lime cooler and sharing it with you.

Prep time 15 mins

Cooking time Nil

Ingredients

3 cups Watermelon (Chopped and Deseeded) 

1 Lime ( Juice extracted)

1 tbsp Sugar (optional)

Procedure

1. Deseed the water melon and chop it. Leave off skin( green color)

2. Then in a blender put the 3 cups chopped melon along with sugar and blend it until smooth.

3. Transfer it to a container and pour the extracted lime juice and mix well.

4. Now the watermelon lime chiller is ready to be served. If necessary add ice cubes.

Urad Dal Vada/ Medhu Vadai / Uluntham Paruppu Vadai

                       This post is a very very special post for me, because the clicks made for this recipe was with my Canon EOS, gifted by my sissy for my blogging. Thanks a lot dear.

                       Medhu Vadai / Uluntha Vadai ( Urad dhal vada) is one of the mouthwatering dish when I think about having in my native. Uluntha vadai served with kara chutney or coconut chutney along with sambhar is an unbeatable combo. For my travel to my native, starting from Bangalore on the previous night and reaching on the next day morning to Tirunelveli, we break up for coffee (as we have to continue our journey for two more hours). During that time I will add Uluntha vadai with coffee. A perfect combo. And so my day will get fulfilled.

                     On my initial making of uluntha vadai i end up only with bondas (they are like ball shaped vadas) . Then I managed to make a little perfect vadas by practice. Now a days i dont add chilly (instead i add pepper) to this recipe because my kid is sometimes interested in eating these vadas.

                   My Mother in Law uses split urad dhal with skin for making these vadas. She will soak the urad dhal for 2 hours and remove off the skin by washing . My MIL will wash perfectly that there is not even a single skin found ( for me this it as a bit difficult process). But I use only whole urad dhal without skin for this preparation.

Prep time 2 hours ( For soaking the urad dhal)

Cooking time 20-25 mins

Ingredients 

1 cup  Urad Dhal ( whole without skin)

12-15 nos Small Onion ( if big onion-1)

2 nos Green chilly

1 inch sized Ginger

1 spring curry leaves

2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped finely

2 pinch hing

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp pepper crushed (optional)

as per taste Salt

as needed Water

as needed Oil ( For Frying)

Procedure

For Grinding the Batter

• Soak the urad dhal for 2 hours.
• Grinding can be done either in mixer grinder or wet grinder. But using wet grinder will yeild to better results.
• After transferring to the grinder donot add more water, just sprinkle the water in intervals for the dough should not get struck in between.
• The consistency of the batter should be like the butter consistency, so that you will get the perfect vadas
• For checking if the batter has grinded properly, just dip your fingers in water and then to the grinded batter. The batter should not stick to your fingers. Hence the check done.

            The batter is ready now. Now chop the onion, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and the coriander leaves. Add the crushed jeera and crushed pepper and salt. Mix the batter well so that all the ingredients are uniformly mixed.

            Heat the oil in the kadai. In your left hand take a polythene cover grease it with oil. Dip you right hand in wtaer and take some batter so that the batter will not stick to your hands. Put the batter to the polythene sheet and pat it to get a round shape using your right hand. And put a hole in the center of the batter. 

          Again dip your right hand in water and transfer the patted batter into the kadai. Keep the stove in medium flame. Turn the vada both sides so that it gets firm. wait till you get the golden brown. Then your vada is ready.

Broken Wheat Pongal

                           For many, books are their sleeping pills, I am also a member of the same club. That too engineering books are like rapid effective pills. Ven Pongal too falls under the same category. But I suppose that this broken wheat pongal does not make you as drowsy as ven pongal.

                         Being a diabetic my mother in law just hates chappatis. So I try different recipes which are diabetic friendly. And so came the broken wheat pongal. This recipe came out well as it tasted the same as ven pongal. My MIL also relished in eating a different diabetic recipe.

                        

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Prep time  10 mins

Cooking time 20 mins

Ingredients

2/3 cup Broken Wheat/ Daliya
1/3 cup Moong Dhal
1 Green Chilly Slit(optional)
1 inch sized Ginger chopped
2 cups Water
As per taste Salt


To Temper

2 tbsp Ghee
2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Curry leaves
6-7 Cashews (optional)


Procedure

1. Start with dry roasting the moong dhal just for two minutes. 
2. Next take the measured broken wheat and roasted moong dhal in a pressure cooker. Add the slit green chilly and chopped ginger along with the water in cooker. 
3. Now in a kadai add the ghee and put all the ingredients (under the temper). When the ghee is hot add the pepper, followed by cumin seeds, curry leaves and finally cashews.  
4. Mix the ingredients in kadai and along with the ingredients in cooker. Add salt as required.
5. Now close the cooker and put in high flame, once the steam comes put the cooker weight and reduce the flame and keep in sim position. Wait for ten minutes, then put off the stove.
6. After the steam escapes fully open the cooker and mix it with laddle so that all the ingredients are evenly spread.
7. The tasty diabetic friendly broken wheat pongal is ready.

 Sambar and coconut chutney along with any pongal variety is a divine combination. 

Aama Vadai / Paruppu Vadai / Bengal Gram Fritters

            Aama Vadai / Paruppu Vadai is a simple yummy recipe and quite popular street food snack of Tamilnadu. We can find this vadai usually made in the tea shops, and also in most of the streets a person making this vada with a big iruppu chatti ( Big Kadai) and big laddle. 

          We usually make this vada on Diwali mornings. The challenge for us is to make the vadas similar to those made in shops. It can be achieved by course grinding of the soaked dal.

          I usually make these vadas when I make the Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu, because I store the remaining stuff (for making urundais/ balls) in the refrigrator and then in the evening make vadas out of them and serve with hot tea.

Prep time  2 hours ( For soaking the bengal gram)

Cooking time 15-20 mins

Ingredients

3/4 cup Bengal Gram
7-8 Small Onion chopped
3 Chilly chopped
1 inch sized Ginger chopped
2 tbsp Curry leaves chopped
2 tbsp Rice Flour
A pinch Hing
As per taste Salt
For deep frying Oil


Procedure

1. First soak the bengal gram for two hours. Then drain the water and take some bengal gram and keep aside before grinding.

2. Now grind the remaining soaked gram into a course paste. Add all the above ingredients except the oil.

3. Now add the soaked bengal gram( kept aside) along with the above mixture and mix it well. Check for salt. You can make round balls out of the mixture and pat them for making vadas. 

4.In a kadai pour the oil and deep fry the vadas for golden brown colour. Simply made vadas are ready.

 When served with coconut chutney along with hot tea is a great evening combo.


         Note:

• I did not add fennel seeds to them. Fennel Seeds is optional. Adding them it becomes Masala vadai
• If in case you forgot to soak the dal, then no matter soak them in hot water in a closed container so that soaking time of half an hour is enough.

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu / Vadai Kuzhambu

                   Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu will be in the favorite list of many. And so me and my husband just loves this kuzhambu. 

                   On my initial stages of cooking, it was a big challenge for me to make this kuzhambu without breaking the paruppu urundai's in it. Then my neighbor said me a technique to just shallow fry the balls so that they will not break while cooking.

                This Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu is the typical Tirunelveli style of cooking. We don't add fennel seeds but instead jeera is added. This taste will also be great.

Prep time  2 hours ( For soaking the bengal gram)

Cooking time 20-30 mins

Ingredients

For Urundai's

3/4 cup Bengal Gram
7-8 Small Onion chopped
1 Chilly chopped
1 inch sized Ginger chopped
2 tbsp Curry leaves chopped
A pinch Hing
As per taste Salt

 
   For Grinding

   1/2 cup Coconut grated

   1 tsp Cumin seeds

   5-6 Small onion peeled
   1 tbsp Chilly powder
   1 tbsp Coriander powder


   For Gravy

  1 gooseberry sized tamarind ( juice extracted)
  Along with above grind-ed paste


  To Temper

  3 tbsp Sesame oil
  1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  1 tsp Mustard seeds
  3-4 Small onion chopped
  1 Drumstick (optional)
  2 tsp Curry leaves



Procedure

1. Soak the bengal gram for two hours. Then drain the water and grind it into a course paste. With the paste add chopped onion, green chilly, ginger, curry leaves, little hing and salt.

2. Mix all the ingredients in the step 1 and make balls out of it. Then in a Kadai put little oil and and shallow fry the balls.

3. Fry all the balls and keep them aside.

4. This is the step for making gravy. First soak the tamarind and extract the juice out of it.

Then make very fine paste using coconut, small onion and jeera. Finally add the chilly powder and coriander powder to the paste and just inch the mixer grinder. 

Add this paste along with the extracted tamarind juice.

This is the image of extracted juice and chopped veges for tempering.

5. In a kadai (I use mud pot) put the sesame oil , then fenugreek seeds followed by mustard seeds. After it splutters add onion and curry leaves. Then add drumstick, garlic is optional. Saute it for some time.

6. After the  drumstick is half cooked add the tamarind gravy mixer and allow it to boil. Once it starts to boil add the fried balls.

             Don't mix it with the laddle because the balls may break.Let it cook for five minutes, now your most awaited Paruppu Urundai kuzhambu is ready. 

Best with steamed rice. They usually make kadalai thovaiyal as side for this in my native.

In my plate I served it along with greens and poriyal.   

         Note: 

• We in Tirunelveli Style of cooking don't add fennel seeds to it, if you wish you can also add the fennels seeds add it to the balls/urundai's we make.
• If you feel no need to shallow fry the balls/urundai's , you can also them cook in idly cooker.
• When I make this kuzhambu I usually take more measure of the items for make urundai's, because I will store it and make Aama Vadai/ Bengal gram ada out of them. Served with hot tea.(See my next post)

      

                             

   





             

Manathakkali Keerai Poriyal

              Manathakkali keerai known as Kaachi Soppu in Kannada, and Black nightshade in English.
In most of the villages in TamilNadu this manathakkali plant is found grown in abundant.  
       
            When I was small I remember my grandma suggesting these leaves as a medicine for mouth and stomach ulcers. Usually in my native, while removing the unwanted plants grown in the paddy fields, if these manathakkali plants are found they don't remove it, but allow it to grow.

          All the parts of this plant is used in either ways. Leaves, flowers is used for kootu, poriyal, etc. The ripen and unripe fruit (Black Nightshade fruit) of manathakalli is used for making kuzhambu. The fruits are dried and then soaked in buttermilk for some days and then dried. This processed ones are used  in vatha kuzhambu ( famous dish of Tamilnadu)

Prep time 20-30 mins ( For cleaning the Greens)

Cooking time 10-15 mins

Ingredients 

1 bunch Manathakkali Keerai ( Cleaned and Chopped)

2 tbsp Moong Dhal

as per taste Salt

For Seasoning

2 tsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 Green Chilly

1 Dried Chilly 

2 Small Onion (Sambhar Onion)

Few Curry Leaves

For Garnishing

2 tbsp Coconut Scrapped

Procedure

The initial step is cleaning the Keerai kattu/ Greens bundle. Cleaning is removing the twigs off and collecting the leaves and flowers. Need not throw the flowers away. Cleaning is followed by chopping of the leaves.

Soak the moong dhal for 10 minutes seperately.

Then in a Kadai, put some oil, followed by mustard seeds. Letting the mustard seeds to splutter, put the chopped Onion, Green chilly and Red chilly and the curry leaves. Now put the soaked moong dhal and the cleaned and chopped greens/ manathakkali keerai. Just saute for few minutes, then sprinkle some water and close the kadai with a lid. Check if the keerai/ greens is half boiled, add salt at this stage.

Again allow it to cook for few more minutes. If the Kadai has gone dry sprinkle some more water.

After it is fully cooked switch off, the keeari poriyal is done.

Finally garnish with Scrapped Coconut.

            

                 Note:  No need for cooking the moong dhal seperately, as it will be over cooked and turn mushy.

As we are soaking the moong dhal, the moong will surely be cooked.

                          Care should be taken that the poriyal should not turn watery, so just sprinkle as required.

The tasty and healthy manathakkali keerai poriyal is ready to be served with rice for sambhar, kara kulambhu, etc. My sissy loves to eats poriyals as such itself.