Idli Kebab / Cocktail Idli

Idli Kebab

Ingredients
Leftover Idli ( at least a day old) - 4 nos
Diced onion and capsicum - required
Red chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter or Ghee - 2 tsp
Chat masala powder to sprinkle over kebab

Cocktail Idli

Method
1. Chop the Idli into cubes.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl except chat masala powder, if required sprinkle little water and mix well so that Idli cubes, onions and capsicum are coated with masala.
3. Pre heat oven, skewer the Idli, onion and capsicum into metal or wooden skewers.
4. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake until Idli kebabs are crisp and golden in color.
5. Sprinkle some chat masala on Idli kebabs and serve with mint chutney and ketchup.

Noodles Cutlet

Noodles Cutlet Recipe

Ingredients
Boiled noodles - 1 and 1/2 cups
Spring onion whites chopped - 3 to 4 bulbs
Green chilli chopped - 2 nos ( seeds removed)
Fresh or frozen peas - 1/2 cup
Carrot minced - 1/2 cup
Chaat masala - 1 tsp
Spring onion greens - 3 to 4 stalks
Oil required

For white sauce
All purpose flour / Maida - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Warm milk - 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Noodles Cutlet Recipe

Method
1. Microwave or boil minced carrot and peas for 3 mins and slightly mash the veggies with spoon.
2. To prepare white sauce, melt butter in a pan on low heat, when butter starts to melt and flour to the butter and fry until aroma of flour rises, now slowly add warm milk to pan and whisk quickly so no lumps are formed, season sauce with white pepper and salt, stir well until smooth and thick white sauce is formed.
3. Remove the pan with white sauce to the kitchen counter table and allow to cool.
4. Now add boiled noodles, slightly mashed veggies, chopped white onions, chopped green chilli, chopped onion greens and chaat masala to the white sauce, mix well everything with fingers to cutlet dough.
5. Divide dough into equal portions and flatten between palms.
6. Heat a tawa or griddle, place the prepared noodle cutlets on hot tawa and smear oil around each cutlet cook on both sides until golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Cutlet Recipe

Cheese Mirchi Bajji / Cheese stuffed green chilli fritters

Cheese Mirchi Bajji

Chilli stuffing Ingredients
Long green chillies / Anaheim peppers - 4 nos
Grated cheese - 1 and 1/2 cups
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Amchoor powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 tsp

Ingredients for batter
Gramflour / Chickpea flour - 3/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Asafetida - pinch
Cooking soda - few pinches
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water required to make thick batter

Other ingredients
Oil to deep fry bajjis

Chesse Stuffed Bajji

Method
1. Wash the chillies, pat dry, make a slit in them and remove the seeds( without cutting chilli into halfs).
2. Make a paste out of red chilli powder, turmeric powder, amchoor powder, salt and tsp of water, apply this paste inside each chilli through the slit.
3. Stuff the grated cheese generously inside each chilli and set side.
4. Prepare a lump free and thick bajji batter with the ingredients given under for the batter.
5. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, spead little maida flour on a plate, dust each chilli with this flour( by this method the bajji batter will hold on to chillies) and dip in prepared bajji batter.
6. Immediately drop the battered chillies into hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot cheese stuffed chilli bajji with chutney of your choice.

Mirchi Bajji Recipe

Beach Sundal Gravy / Kaiyendhi Bhavan Masala Sundal / Thattukada Street food Snacks Recipe

Beach Sundal Gravy

My hubby is fond of this street food snack made with dried yellow peas ( note do not use dried green peas for this recipe that doesn't give authentic taste) simmered in tomato sauce. While served masala vada or onion samosa are crushed on a plate then topped with this peas gravy and chopped raw onions. Though this pattani masala sundal is very tasty I'm scared of such street food as they are prepared in unhealthy way. So I started making this at home to satisfy his taste buds. Make sure you make some masala vada, onion samosa or even bajji to go with this pattani sundal.

Ingredients
Dried yellow peas - 3/4 cup
Onion minced - 1 no
Tomato minced - 2 no
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder / Aniseed powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water required

Other things required
Chopped raw onions to garnish
Onion samosa or masala vada to serve with sundal gravy.
Kara Boondhi - 1 cup

Street Food Sundal Gravy

Method
1. Soak the dried yellow peas overnight in water. The next day drain the yellow peas and boil it in water along with few pinch of cooking soda until the peas are tender. Drain the cooked peas and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add minced onion and sauté for a minute.
3. Now add the minced tomatoes to the onion in the pan and sauté until tomatoes are soft.
4. Next add all the spice powder along with salt to the pan and sauté for a minute.
5. Add generous amount of water to the pan and bring to boil. Adjust the seasoning if required.
6. Add the cooked peas to the gravy and simmer for 2 mins.
While serving crush onion samosa or masala vada on a plate pour pattani sundal along with watery gravy over it and garnish chopped raw onion, kara boondhi and serve.
To give more authentic feel to your hubby or loved one charge them Rs 10 per plate ;-)

Kaiyendhi Bhavan Masala Sundal

Chefs tips
1. There is no proper recipe for this street food, the base ingredients are dried yellow peas, tomatoes and onions. You can throw whatever spice powder available in your kitchen in this recipe.
2. The most important thing is this sundal gravy has to be watery with little less salt for very authentic taste;-)

Spring Roll Dosa - Kids Lunch Box Recipes Indian

Spring Roll Dosa Recipe

Dosa batter - 2 cups
Maggi hot and sweet ketchup - as required

Ingredients for filling
Cabbage shredded - 1/2 cup
Carrot julienne - 1/2 cup
Capsicum thinly sliced - 1/4 cup
Onion thinly sliced - 1 no
Boiled noodles - 1/4 cup
Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp ( optional)
Ajinomoto - 1/4 tsp
White pepper and salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Noodles Dosa

Method
1. To prepare filling. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan or wok, add cabbage, carrot, capsicum and onion, quickly stir fry on high heat for a minute( make sure veggies are not overcooked and retains it crunchiness).
2. Add boiled noodles to the pan and toss well. Season veggies and noodles with red chilli sauce, soy sauce, garam masala, ajinomoto, white pepper and salt. Finally add some chopped spring onion greens to the pan, stir well and remove the filling on a plate.
3. To prepare spring roll Dosa. Make thin and crispy Dosas with Dosa batter, spread about 1 tsp of maggi hot and sweet sauce on one side of Dosa, place some prepared filling in the center of Dosa and roll out immediately and serve.

Kids Lunch Box Recipes Indian

Steamed Vegetable Wontons / Vegetable Momos Recipe

Vegetable Momo Recipe

Ingredients for wonton wrap
All purpose flour / Maida – 1 cup
Butter – 2 tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Cold water as required

Ingredients for filling
Grated carrot – ¼ cup
Grated cabbage – ¼ cup
Grated tofu or paneer – 2 tbsp
Grated ginger - 1/2"
Minced green chilli - 1 tsp
Chopped spring onion whites – 2 tbsp
Dark soya sauce – ¼ tsp
Ajinomoto - less that 1/4 tsp
Salt and Pepper to taste

Steamed Wonton Recipe

Method
1. Combine maida, butter and salt in a bowl. Rub the mixture with fingers until the flour resembles bread crumbs. Add water little by little to the flour mixture and knead to a smooth and tight dough. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and set aside for 10 mins.
2. To make the filling. Squeeze the grated carrot and cabbage to drain any liquid from it. Combine grated carrot, cabbage, tofu, ginger, green chilli, chopped spring onion whites in a bowl, drizzle some soya sauce and sprinkle ajinomoto, little salt and pepper. Mix everything well with a fork.
3. Roll out the prepared wonton dough into thin sheet, dust with some flour and roll out.
4. Cut the dough into equal sized squares.
5. Fill each square with prepared wonton filling and seal the wonton edges with water. Seal it securely so that the filling doesn’t come out while steaming.
6. Bring water to boil in a steamer, grease the steaming plates and place prepared wontons.
7. Steam the wontons for 10 to 15 mins or until cooked.
Serve hot wontons with soy sauce, green chilli vinegar.

Click here for Vegetable Wonton Soup Recipe

Vegetable Wonton Recipe

Baked Tortilla Chips

Baked Tortilla Chips

Ingredients
All purpose flour / Maida flour- 1 cup
Cooking soda - 1/4 tsp
Butter or Olive Oil or Lard- 2 tbsp
Hot water- 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Tortilla Chips with Salsa

Method
1. In a large bowl combine flour, cooking soda, required salt and butter, mix well with your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs.
2. Add hot water to the flour little by little and knead flour for 10 mins until a smooth and soft dough is formed.
3. Set aside the tortilla dough for 5 mins. Take a lemon sized dough and roll out into thin and even circle. Prick flattened dough with fork and cut into several triangle shapes.
4. Pre - heat oven to 200c, place the triangle shaped dough pieces on a oven proof cookie sheet or tray leaving some spaces between each dough.
5. Bake until tortilla chips are crisp and golden browned.
6. Place the chips on wire rack allow to cool and store it in air tight container.
Serve with Mexican Salsa----> click for the salsa recipe

Indian Style Empanadas

Indian Style Empanadas

I adapted the empanadas dough recipe from here laylita.com since dough making details are already given in the link I just go ahead with potato stuffing.

Potato and pea stuffing ingredients

Potato ( boiled, peeled and diced into cubes) – 2 nos

Dried green peas ( soaked overnight and cooked) – 1 cup

Red chilli powder – 1 and ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves ( chopped) – few

Oil – 1 tsp

Potato Empanadas

Method

1. Prepare the empanadas dough and set aside.

2. To make filling. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and when they crackle add  boiled potatoes, peas, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Stir well until everything is mixed well and potatoes are slightly mashed. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Roll out empanadas dough into small discs like making puris, spoon pea and potato filling onto each disc and seal the edges. Bake in pre-heated 200c oven for about 15 to 20 mins depending on your oven settings.

4. Serve hot.

Empanadas Recipe

Curd Vadai / Thayir Vadai

Curd Vadai

Ingredients

Medhu Vadai( click here for the recipe) – 6 nos

Curd – 1 cup

Warm milk – 1  cup

Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos

Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no

Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Chana Dal – 1 tsp

Asafetida / hing – pinch

Salt to taste

Minced coriander leaves – few tbsp

Thayir Vadai

Method

1.     Prepare medhu vadas as per my medhu vadai recipe and set aside.

2.     Soak fried medu vada in warm water for 5 mins, drain vadas, squeeze excess water from vadas and set aside to make vadas soft.

3.     In a large shallow dish combine curd, warm milk and salt, mix well.

4.     Heat oil in a tadka pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, fry until dals are browned.        Add curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing to the pan, fry for few more seconds and add this tempering    to the curd mixture in the bowl.

         Soak the vadas in this curd mixture for 1 hour and serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Bonda Soup / Bonda Rasam

Bonda Soup

Bonda (click here for the recipe) – 8 nos

Ingredients for making soup

Water – 2 cups

Red chilly broken – 2 nos

Garlic cloves crushed – 2 nos

Tomato crushed – 1 no

Tamarind paste – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – few

Rasam podi /Rasam Powder( click here for the recipe) – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Asafetida / Hing – ¼ tsp

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

To garnish Bonda Soup

Minced onion - 1/2 no

Minced coriander leaves – few tbsp

Bonda Rasam

Method

11. Make bondas as per my bonda recipe and set aside.

22. To make the soup / rasam. Add 1 cup water, red chilli, crushed garlic cloves, curry leaves, crushed tomato, tamarind paste and salt to a bowl. Stir well and bring the mixture to boil.

33. Let the rasam boil for 3 mins on medium heat, then add rasam powder and rest of 1 cup water to the rasam, mix well and remove from heat.

  4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small tadka pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, hing and turmeric powder. Add this tempering to the rasam and stir well.

  5.While serving bonda soup. Place 2 to 3 bondas in a bowl, add enough rasam and top it with minced onion and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Khaman Dhokla Recipe ( A tribute to Tarla Dalal)

Dhokla Recipe

Recipe adapated from Tarla Dalal.com

Ingredients for Dhokla

Besan Flour ( Bengal gram flour) – 1 cup
Rava ( semolina) – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 3 tsp
Green chilli and ginger paste – 1 and 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Eno ( fruit salt) – 1 and ½ tsp
Oil to grease pan

Ingredients for tadka
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilies ( finely chopped) – 2 nos

Asafoetida / hing – few pich

Curry leaves( chopped) - few

Oil – 1 tsp

For The Garnish
Chopped coriander leaves – few tbsp

Grated fresh coconut – few tbsp

Khaman Dhokla Recipe

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients given for dhokla together, except the fruit salt in a bowl and mix well adding water as required (approximately ¾ cup) to make a thick batter.

2. Just before steaming dhoklas, mix eno fruit salt to 2 tsp of water and pour over the batter. When the bubbles form, mix gently.

3. Pour the batter immediately into a oil greased cake tin or deep plate and shake the tin to spread the batter in an even layer.

4. Steam dhoklas for 12 to 15 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Keep aside.

5. Heat oil in small tadka pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the sesame seeds, green chillies and asafoetida, mix well and sauté on a medium heat for few seconds. Add few tbsp water to the pan, mix well and add this tadka over the steamed dhokla.

6. When dhoklas are slightly cooled cut them into pieces and garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Khaman Dhokla Tarla Dalal

Roti Canai Recipe / Malaysian Roti Canai

Roti Canai is Malaysian style flaky paratha served along with Kari ayam (Chicken Curry)---click here for Kari ayam recipe

Roti Canai Recipe

Ingredients
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Butter - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1/4 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1 tsp

Method
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl except oil, knead dough for 10 mins until smooth and soft.
2. Place dough in a bowl, pour 1/4 cup oil over dough, cover bowl with damp towel and set aside dough for 4 hours.
3. Divide dough into equal sized balls, oil the kitchen counter, take one dough ball and flatten it on counter with palm and spread dough onto kitchen counter as much as possible by pulling dough from corners.
4. Dough must be spread as thin as possible, the counter top must be visible.
5. Gather the dough by making pleats like pleating paper fan or saree. Roll it from center to form disc and tuck end of dough to center.
6. Again flatten the pleated disc on counter top to form medium circle.
7. Continue the same with rest of the dough.
8. Heat a griddle or tawa and cook the flattened discs until golden browned on both sides for 3 mins.
9. Place cooked roti canai one on another on a plate, slightly dab on the sides of roti canai to make it flaky.
Serve hot with Kari ayam.

Mangalore Bonda / Mangalore Bajji

Manglore Bonda Recipe

Ingredients
Maida - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green chilies chopped - 2 nos
Coriander leaves chopped - 2 tbsp
Cooking soda / Baking soda - pinch
Ginger minced - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Water - 1/2 cup (plus more if required) 

Manglore Bajji Recipe

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry.
2. Meanwhile mix maida, rice flour and cooking soda in a bowl.
3. in another bowl whisk curd with cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, coriander leaves, salt and water. 
4. Add the curd mixture to the dry flour mixture and mix well until a smooth lump free batter is formed.
5. Batter should be slightly thick so it doesn’t absorb lot of oil.
6.Add spoonful of batter to hot oil, you can add many bonda batters depending on the size of kadai but do not over crowd 
7. Fry the bondas on medium heat for 3 mins until crispy and golden brown on outside. 
Serve hot with coconut chutney

Vegetable spring rolls - Indian Chinese style

Vegetable spring roll recipe

This light and crispy spring rolls are great as party finger food and evening snacks.

Ingredients for the spring roll wrapper

Maida / All purpose flour - 1 cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Butter / Vanaspathi - 1 tbsp

Ice cold water - required

Ingredients for the vegetable stuffing

Shredded carrot - 2 nos

Shredded cabbage - 2 cups

Julienned Capsicum - 1/2 no

Ajinomoto - 1/4 tsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Spring roll recipe

Method

To make spring roll wrapper, in a bowl mix in flour and butter until it resembles like bread crumbs. Add cold water little by little to the flour and knead into stiff dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and keep it in fridge for atleast 1 hour.

To make the stuffing, quickly stir fry carrot, cabbage and capsicum until crisp in 1 tbsp oil for 2 mins. Season veggie with ajinomoto, salt and pepper. Allow the stuffing to cool.

Roll the wrapper dough into very thin circle and trim the circle into square. Prepare 8 to 10 dough wrapper. Fill each wrapper with prepared stuffing, roll into cylinders and seal the edges with water.

Again freeze the prepared spring rolls for 20 mins.

Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, on low heat deep fry the spring rolls until cooked and golden color. Serve hot crispy spring rolls with tomato ketchup.

Crispy Spring Rolls

Tips

You can freeze prepared spring rolls for 1 month and use as and when required.

Crispy Chilli Vegetable Recipe

Crispy chilli vegetable aka crispy fried vegetable is served at one of the popular Indian Chinese restaurants in Chennai. The light crispy batter on the vegetables and hot chilli sauce coating makes this dish a flavorful tongue tickling appetizer or a dry side dish.

Crispy chilli vegetables chinese style 

Ingredients

Mixed vegetables - 1 cup( preferably all veggies to be diced or cut into squares)*

Cornflour - 1/4 cup

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Maida / all purpose flour - 2 tbsp

Baking soda- little

Salt- 1/4 tsp

White pepper- 1 tsp

Water few tbsp

Oil to deep fry

Spring onion green parts chopped- few tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Spicy Chilli paste to grind

Whole dry red chilli- 5 nos

Garlic - 3 cloves

Vinegar - 1/4 tsp

Salt - few pinch

Ajinomoto - few pinch( optional)

To garnish
Chopped spring onion whites - 2 tbsp
Chopped spring onion greens - 2 tbsp
Minced garlic - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp 

Crispy fried vegetables

Method

First prepare the spicy chilli paste -

soak the red chilli and garlic in few tbsp hot water until they become soft. Grind the soaked red chilli and garlic along with vinegar, salt and ajinomoto to fine paste.

Heat oil in a deep pan to deep fry. Meanwhile in a bowl add mixed vegetables, corn flour, rice flour, maida, salt, white pepper and few pinch of baking soda. Mix well the veggies, adding few tbsp water at a time until light batter is coated on veggies. Sprinkle and add batter coated veggies to hot oil so each veggie cooks separate, deep fry the veggies until golden brown and crispy. Drain fried vegetables from oil and place on oil absorbent papper towel.

In a wok / pan heat 2 tbsp oil, on low heat add the ground spicy chilli paste to the pan and stir fry for 2 mins. Once the chilli paste is cooked add chopped spring onion whites, greens and garlic to the pan, saute for a minute. Now add deep fried vegetables to the pan and toss quickly the veggies with chilli paste.

Remove crispy fried vegetables to a plate and serve immediately as appetizer or dry sidedish.

Deep Fried Vegetables Chinese Restaurant Style

Aloo Masala Sandwich

Aloo Masala Sandwich

Ingredients

Aloo tikki - click here for recipe

Green chutney - click here for recipe

Sandwich Bread

Finely chopped onion

Finely Chopped tomato

Finely Chopped green chilli

Finely Chopped coriander leaves

Aloo bhujiya or Sev

Butter

Potato Sandwich

Method

Spread butter on a slice of bread on both sides. Toast the bread on hot tawa until crispy. On one side of toasted bread spread a tsp of green chutney. Slightly smash aloo tikki and place on top of green chutney. Sprinkle some chopped onion, chopped tomato, chopped green chilli, chopped coriander and sev. Cover with another toasted bread slice and serve.

Indian Bread Sandwich

Pattani Sundal/ Peas Sundal- Kids Lunch box recipes Indian

Pattani Sundal- Toddler Snacks Recipe

Ingredients

Dried white peas/ Vellai pattani- 1 cup

Coconut shredded- 4 tbsp

Curry leaves- few

Chilli flakes- 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Urad dal- 1 tsp

Hing- 1 pinch

Salt to taste

Olive oil- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Healthy Snack Ideas

Method

Soak the white peas overnight and pressure cook for 5 mins or until tender. Remove the cooked white peas on to a bowl and add required salt, mix well. Heat oil in a tadka pan when hot add mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Next add the urad dal, chilli flakes and curry leaves, fry until slightly browned. Add this tadka to the white peas, add lemon juice and shredded coconut. Toss everything to mix well and serve.

Pepper Paneer- Indo Chinese recipe

This is a Restaurant Style Indo Chinese Pepper Paneer recipe. Creamy paneer cubes coated with soy sauce and then tossed with crunchy black pepper and chilli flakes. Serve this delicious Paneer Pepper Fry as starter or with fried rice, noodles or can be used as filling for spring rolls and Frankie.

Pepper Paneer Recipe

Ingredients

Paneer( Indian cottage cheese)- 250 gms

Onion medium( minced)- 2 nos

Onion small( diced and peeled into layers)- 1 no

Green onion/ scallions- 3 nos

Garlic cloves( minced)- 3 nos

Ginger and Garlic paste-1 tsp

Ginger( minced)- 1/2" piece

Dark Soy sauce- 1 tsp

Tomato sauce- 1 tsp

Ajinomoto- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil- 3 tbsp

Whole red chilli- 3 nos

Black pepper corns- 1 tsp( +/- to taste)

Paneer Pepper Indo Chinese

Method

Cut paneer into tiny cubes. Cut the green parts of spring onions into 1/2" pieces and mince the onion bulbs. Fry both red chilli and black pepper in 1/2 tsp oil until crisp, drain and set aside. Pound both red chilli and black pepper coarsely in a mixer and set aside.

Heat rest of oil in a pan when hot add minced onion, garlic, ginger and minced spring onion bulbs. Add ginger and garlic paste and fry for few secs. Add the paneer, tomato sauce, soy sauce, ajinomoto and salt to taste, stir fry paneer for few seconds. Finally add the diced onion peels, coarsely crushed chilli and black pepper to the pan and toss well. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot.

Paneer Pepper Fry

Medhu Vada/ Ulundhu Vadai

Medhu Vadai

Ingredients

Urad dal/ Ulunthu paruppu-1 cup

Rice Flour-4 tbsp

Onion medium sized sliced-1 no

Green chilly chopped-2 nos

Curry leaves chopped- few tbsp

Salt to taste

Baking soda/ Cooking soda- few pinch

Oil to deep fry

Ulundhu Vadai

Method

Soak urad dal for 1 hour and grind it into smooth paste without adding water( if required add about 2 to 3 tsp of water while grinding). The ground urad dal batter should be of butter consistency and should not stick to your wet fingers. Add rice flour, onions, green chilles, curry leaves, pinch of cooking soda and required salt to the urad dal batter and mix well with fingers. Heat enough oil in a kadai to deep fry the vadas. Take a plastic sheet and oil well the sheet. Take lemon sized batter and shape it into ball. Place the ball in the center of the sheet and slightly flatten with the fingers and make a small hole in the center. Carefully remove the flattened batter from the sheet to your fingers and slide it into the hot oil. Be careful while sliding vadas into the oil. You can add upto 5 vadas depending on the size of kadai. Turn the vadas and cook on both side until golden brown and crisp. Once the vadas are done, drain from the oil and place on the paper towel. Serve hot with Coconut Chutney and Hotel Sambar. 

Medhu Vada

Mysore Bonda/ Ulundhu Bonda/ Medu Bonda

Mysore Bonda

Ingredients

Urad dal/ Ulundhu paruppu- 1 and 1/2 cup

Rice flour- 1/4 cup

Coconut pieces finely chopped- 4 tbsp

Curry leaves chopped- 2 tbsp

Black peppercorns- 2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 2 tsp

Green chilli chopped- 1 no( optional)

Ginger minced- 1 tsp( optional)

Cooking/ Baking soda- few pinches

Salt- 3/4 to 1 tsp

Oil to deep fry

Mysore Bonda

Method

Soak urad dal in water for 2 hours. Drain the dal and grind to smooth paste adding very little water( a well ground urad dal batter will look like butter and should not stick to your wet finger). To the urad dal batter add salt, cooking soda, curry leaves, pepper corns, cumin seeds and mix well. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, when oil is hot, wet you fingers with bowl of water, take a good amount of urad dal batter and shape it into small lemon sized ball. Drop the ball into hot oil carefully and continue with rest of the batter. Once required amount of bondas are dropped into hot oil, reduce the heat and cook the bondas on low heat for 4 to 5 mins turning them all sides. Fry the bondas until golden brown in color and make sure inside is cooked well. Drain the bondas on a paper towel. Serve hot Bonda with Coconut chutney and Sambar.

Ulundhu Bonda