Veg Keema Balls/ Veg Kola Urundai/ Beet Balls/ Beet Falafel

                      Keema Balls/ Kola Urundai is always a non-vegetarian delicacy. But what will vegetarians do???

                   Usually veg keema balls is prepared with meal maker, but we have made this recipe with a super ingredient Beet root. Every women will have a dream to have beet coloured lips. I am not sure if your lips will turn in beet colour, but beet is surely good for our health. 

                 Beetroot lowers the risk of anaemia, promotes digestion, boosts immunity and much more benefits.

Cooking Time: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes

Soaking Time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup Beetroot Grated

1/2 tbsp Chilly Powder (can change as per taste)

1/2 tbsp Rice Flour

Salt as per taste

Oil for frying

For Grinding:

1 cup Channa Dal/ Bengal Gram (Clean and soak in water)

1 tbsp Mint Leaves

2-3 nos Green Chilly

1 inch sized Ginger

6-7 cloves of Garlic

2 tsp Fennel Seeds

2-3 sticks of Cinnamon

3 nos Cloves

Procedure:

1) First soak the Channa dal for 1 hour.

2) Meanwhile, we can make the other ingredients ready. Starting with Beetroot,         Peel the outer cover of beet and then grate it.

3) In a mixer jar, put all the ingredients mentioned in for grinding.

4) Now in a pan, put the grated beetroot and saute it, till the raw smell goes off.

5) Then, add the grinded paste along with the beetroot and saute it together.

6) Check for the spice and salt. If needed add a little chilly powder and salt as per your taste. Add the rice flour and mix it together.

7) After sauteing for 5 minutes, let the mixture cool down. Now, make small balls out of it.

8) Now in a kadai, pour some oil. After the oil heats up, put the beetroot balls and fry it in medium low flame.

9) Considering the color of the beetroot, the balls will turn dark so fast. Hence fry it in medium low flame.

10) Now the yummy beetroot balls is ready to be accompanied with your evening tea. Kids will surely love this delicacy.

Plantain Chips/ Kerala Banana Chips/ Nendran Chips

               The sound of tossing the chips, just tingles my brain and my sensation😂. 

A big Hi-Fi🙌 to you if you fall under the same league.

          I used to have a silly belief that, if a recipe tastes great then the preparation of the recipe would be very difficult. But my silly thought was crumbled similar to the chips. 

                     This easy-peasy recipe requires very few ingredients. All the ingredients used are always readily available in your kitchen, except for the banana- the chief ingredient😀.

                      In my native village, we get ample varieties of banana with varied  sizes too🍌🍌🍌. Each of the variety has a unique taste. For making chips, normal bananas also can be used. Nendran Bananas gives a unique flavour n taste.

Cooking Time: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

2-3 numbers Raw Banana

2 tsp Turmeric Powder

Salt as per taste

Oil for frying

1/2 tbsp Chilly Powder

1/4 tbsp Pepper Powder

Procedure:

1) Keep all the ingredients ready for the recipe.

2) Peel off the bananas. In raw bananas, the peeling is a bit hard, but semi-ripe ones can be peeled off easily.

3) After peeling the bananas, we need to make the mixture of turmeric powder and salt, by adding little water.

4) Next step is heat the kadai(frying pan). Once it heats up, put oil for frying. I prefer using coconut oil. Once the oil heats up, slice the bananas into the oil and start frying. 

5) Allow the bananas to cook. Once it is half cooked, add the mixture of turmeric and salt. 

6) Allow it to cook for some more time. If the banana slices is completely cooked, the oil will stop bubbling. Now you can filter off the oil and transfer it to a container. 

           Notes:

• You can use any banana for making the chips, I have used the nendran variety ones.
• Adding chilly powder or pepper powder is optional. Many like to have the bland taste of banana itself.
• The ripe ones will give a little sweet chips.
• In any oil fried recipe, if the item is cooked the oil will stop bubbling.

        You can enjoy the lip smacking chips with tea.

For detailed video description, look onto to our youtube channel.

Below is the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVtdgeWSyFA

Bread Chaat with leftover Chanamasala

                        Leftovers occupy a lot space in most of the kitchens today. Cooking for the exact quantity is considered to be a great skill. Reusing the leftovers, makes me to think. And, hence my thought process yielded with the bread chaat from the chana masala left overs.

              I just toasted the bread, made them into pieces and mixed with the already prepared chanamasala, with few minutes of heating in the kadai. Finally topped with chopped onion and coriander leaves, with a dash of lemon juice added.         

                     

Prawn Bajji recipe / Prawn Fritters with garlic touch

                    Bajji/fritters is an ultimate snack, that when made with any ingredient (either plantain, onion or aloo/potato,etc) will turn the whole scrumptious. That too, if the ingredient itself is divine, yes that would be my day then. The divine ingredient is nothing but prawn. It has a unique feature that, even for a beginner in cooking, the outcome will be tasty. Fritters with prawn would be heavenly, but wanted to give an unusual touch.

Fried Spicy Crispy Moong Dal using Microwave

                      The weather is absolutely fine. The cool, windy evening with some drizzles in between, makes the evening pure. This increased the thirst for a cup of ginger tea and a crunchy snack. Fine evening or weather, with a cup of tea and crunchy snack would make a best team. Yep, made this moong dal fry for halting my whole day.

                                As many, I am also a huge fan of Haldiram's Fried Moong Dal. They would be a best accompaniment for my long lonely travels. And for people like me, nowadays even small packs are available.

                                   Started making fried moong dal. But after soaking the moong dal, found my ladle (ladle with small holes) for oil frying, missing. Yes, my daughter was playing with it yesterday, while making food for her toys. Remembered my sister's tip on frying pappad using microwave. Hence tried out the moong dal with microwave frying in intervals. They turned out well too.

Prep Time 20 mins
Cooking Time 5 mins


Ingredients
1 cup Moong Dal
1 tsp Oil
As per Taste Salt
As per Taste Red Chilly Powder

Procedure
1) First soak moong dal for 20 minutes. 
2) Then drain off the water and spread it in a towel or tissue for drying.

3) Dry roast the moong dal in a kadai in medium flame. In a microwave safe vessel, put the moong dal and microwave it for one minute.
4) Once done, toss it, add oil, salt and chilly powder and mix well. Again microwave for two minutes.

5) Allow it to cool down. Hence your crunchy, low fat moong dal is ready.

                                          Note:

• You can also avoid the step 3 of dry roasting the moong dal in kadai. Instead you will have to microwave the moong dal, first for two minutes and toss it and again for two minutes. 

Mixed Vegetable Cutlet without deep frying

                              Mixed vegetable cutlet is a perfect snack liked by everyone in my home. The beauty of the recipe is that it doesn't need any oil frying, but yet tastes delicious. It is a combination of potatoes with mixed veges. The coating made with bread crumbs, gives a crispy outside. Gives the similar taste and texture as of oil deep frying.
 
                                  An as a homemaker, the best part of the cutlet is that, the left outs of the potato masala, can be used for making mixed vegetable masala dosa. This happened in my house recently. One of my friend was to join us for evening tea, but unfortunately she did not come. So, finally the left out masala gave form to mixed vegetable masala dosa. The dosa was also yummy. 

Prep Time 20 mins
Cooking Time 15 mins


Ingredients

2 nos Potatoes Medium (Cooked and mashed)
1 Onion Big (Chopped)
2 nos Carrot Medium (Chopped)
6-8 nos Green Beans (Chopped)
1/4 cup Green Peas (Boiled)
1/2 cup Dry Breadcrumbs
1/2 tbsp Chilly Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
As per Taste Salt
As needed Oil for Tawa Frying

Procedure

1) First boil the peas and potatoes, mash the boiled potatoes and keep aside.

2) Meantime chop all the vegetables.

3) In medium flame, put little oil in a tawa and add the vegetables one by one. Start with onion, when they turn translucent add the carrot and beans. Saute them for 4-5 minutes. 

4) Now add the sauted vegetables to the boiled potatoes and peas mixture. Add chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt.

5) Now mix all the ingredients together and just knead it softly. With the available vegetables potato mixture, make desired shaped. 

6) Meantime, prepare the maida mixture and bread crumbs.

         
7) Dip the shaped potato mixture in maida batter. To make the maida batter. just add water to maida and mix well without any lumps. The batter should not be very thick.

8) Once dipped in maida batter, dip them in bread crumbs. 

9) In low flame, in a non stick tawa and put the above.

10) You can add very little ghee/oil in the intermediates. Keep turning them, so that it is not over cooked. 

           
                      Note:

• Adding of onions is optional.
• You can also add chilies, then reduce the amount of chilly powder.

                        These simple and yummy vegetable cutlets goes well with tomato ketchup, green chutney and side dish of your choice.

Sweet Corn Vada Pav

                            Even on thinking about Vada Pav, I just can stop my mind(even) drooling over it. Vada Pav is known to me only few months back, so feeling very bad that I have wasted many years without knowing the taste this iconic recipe. I had my first vada pav, only when the vada pav retailer Goli, was established in my area. I just feel in love with the recipe and was not able to stop with just one. From that day onwards, I was feasted with vada pav almost daily. Adoring taste and even much more.

                                  I was like under Vada Pav addiction. Finally one day I had to stop and tried making vada pavs at home. The taste was still pleasing, and home made is always hygienic, and changes can be made according for the diet conscious too. Tried first with mixed vegetable vada pav. When potato added to any recipe, it becomes a foolproof recipe. And one day tried with these corn vada pavs, which are more healthy. Instead of oil fried vadas, I used tawa fried corn tikkis,a healthier version. This is also a foolproof recipe.

Prep Time 20 mins
Cooking Time 20 mins


Ingredients

2 nos Sweet Corn Tikkis/Cutlet
2 nos Pav Breads
As required Butter
As required Tomato Ketchup
As required Green Chutney

Procedure

1. Take the pav breads, slice it and apply butter on both the halves.
2. On the top pav(inward), apply some green chutney.
3. On the bottom pav(inward), apply some tomato sauce or ketchup.
4. Place the tikkis in between the slices.
5. In a tawa, put some butter and place the vada pav. Toast it till golden brown on both sides.

                        The savory vada pav in easier and healthier version is done. 

                      Note:

           It is not an authentic version of vada pav, but a healthier version.

Click here How To Make Corn Tikkis./Cutlet.

Red Aval (Poha) Kozhukattai /Flattened Red Rice Dumpling- A Spicy version

                               All of the sudden there was a heavy rain, last evening. The rain made the evening gracious. Decided to do something spicy and hot, which will be more soothing for the rain. And also, I was not ready to miss pleasing climate. Poha is always the optimum choice, when we want to do something fast and taste should also foolproof. Was stocked with some Red Poha (Flattened Red Rice) and yes made some spicy dumplings.

                              Poha/Flattened rice has many nutritional benefits: packed with iron, good for diabetics, good source of carbohydrate and so on. Red poha is more healthy than the white poha.

Prep time 15 mins 
Cooking time 5 mins                 
                       
Ingredients
1 cup Aval(Red)/Poha/Flattened Rice
1/2 cup Coconut Grated
As per Taste Salt

To Temper
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 tsp Bengal Gram Dal
2 tsp Urad Dal
1-2 nos Green Chilies/ Dried Red chilies
2 pinch Asafoetida
1 spring Curry Leaves (Chopped)

Procedure
1) Soak the poha for 10-15 minutes. In medium flame, add oil followed by mustard seeds, once it splutters, add bengal gram dal, urad dal, green chilies and curry leaves one by one. Once done set it aside.

2) Once the poha/aval is soaked, knead it to make a dough. Add salt and asafoetida to it.

3) Now add the tempered items along with the kneaded poha. Add the grated coconut also and knead well, so that they are spread uniformly.

4) Check for salt. Now take some dough(say lemon size) and make oval or round shaped kozhukattai/dumplings. 
Grease the idli plate/idiyappam plate and steam cook it for 5 to 7 minutes.

5) Now your simple, aval kozhukattai is ready. 

                                   Note:

• One cup of poha when soaked will increase in amount.
• If the poha is thin need not soak it for 10-15 minutes, five minutes would be enough. Else it would turn watery.
• You can also use blender/mixer grinder for kneading. Kneading/Blending should be coarse and not very fine.
• Adding of asafoetida without sauteing can also be done.
• I added chopped cilantro/coriander leaves, as I was out of curry leaves.

                                     Healthy, simple and foolproof aval kozhukattai/flattened rice dumplings goes with kara chutney, coconut chutney. Without chutney, still it tastes yummy.

                                      

Sprouts Salad Recipe for Kids with Sprouted Lentil

                               Yesterday I got a chance to go to a library. My intention was to engage my kid over there, to avoid her boredom. But, I found my mind completely refreshed after I went there. Lots of books, lots of kids, lots of people and many new activities. When I was gazing through a book, I found food for kids, food for 20's, food for 30 & 40's, food for 50's and so on. Sprouts is the one item which falls almost in all categories.

                            While making this Sprouts salad recipe, I crumbled some potato chips along with the sprouted lentils, boiled peanuts and some veges. The taste turned to be better. From then I have started adding chips of some sort to the sprouts salad.

Prep time 15 mins (regardless of sprouting of beans)
Cooking time Nil

Ingredients
1 cup Sprouted Lentil / Sprouted Mung Beans.
1/2 - 3/4 cup Peanuts (Boiled)

1/2 cup Potato Chips (Crumbled)
1 Onion Big (Chopped)
1 Tomato (Chopped)
1 tsp Pepper Powder(optional)
1 tbsp Cilantro(Chopped)
As per Taste Salt

Procedure

1. Sprouting of Moong beans is the first step.
2. Then boil the raw peanuts for 5-6 whistles in pressure cooker.
3. Crumble the potato chips. Chop the onion, tomato, cilantro and set aside.
4. Now mix all the above ingredients, add salt and pepper as per taste.
5. Sprouts salad is ready. 

                          Note:

• You can add lemon juice if needed.
• 1 tsp of chat masala can also be added. It gives a good flavor and taste.
• You can add the chips you wish to add. As potato chips are tender I prefer adding them.
• You can also add the roasted peanuts, will end in different taste.