Lime Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:

  • Kothamalli (Coriander Leaves) – 2 cups
  • Green chillies – 1
  • Lime juice – 1-2 tsp
  • Salt to taste

Method:

Grind all the ingredients with a little bit water.? Goes well with idlis, dosas.

Coconut Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients:

  • Coconut – grated (3/4 cup)
  • Red Chillies – 3
  • Tamarind – a small marble sized ball
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

In a small pan, heat oil and fry the chillies, tamarind and coconut lightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little. Then, grind them in a blender with salt and a little water. The consistency should be somewhat like a thogaiyal (with less water). Goes well with pongal, idlis, dosas.

Chilli Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

  • Coconut – grated (1/2 cup)
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Split urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Curry Leaves – 4 or 5
  • Dry Red Chillies – 2
  • Pottu Kadalai – a handful
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

Grind the grated coconut, dry red chillies, pottu kadalai with salt and water to make a medium coarse paste. In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add the urad dal and curry leaves. Add this to the paste. Consistency of this can range from a paste to a little bit watery paste by altering the amount of water. Delicious red coconut chutney is ready. Goes well with pongal, vadas, bhajjis, bondas, idlis, dosas.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

  • Coconut – grated (1/2 cup)
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Split urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Curry Leaves – 4 or 5
  • Green Chillies – 2
  • Pottu Kadalai – a handful
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, pottu kadalai with salt and water to make a medium coarse paste. In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add the urad dal and curry leaves. Add this to the paste. Consistency of this can range from a paste to a little bit watery paste by altering the amount of water. Delicious coconut chutney is ready.

Miscellaneous:

  • Tips: Goes well with pongal, vadas, bhajjis, bondas, idlis, dosas. Additionally, you can add one or two garlic cloves and grind also to get a slightly different flavor.
  • Serves 5-6
  • Cooking Time: 10 min
  • Cuisine: Indian

Bonda

Ingredients:

  • Urad Dal – 1 cup
  • Fenugreek seeds – 4 or 5
  • Salt to taste
  • Green Chillies – 1
  • Ginger – 1/4 inch chopped finely
  • Whole Black pepper – 1 tsp
  • Curry Leaves – chopped 1/2 tbsp
  • Oil for deep frying

Method:

Soak urad dal and fenugreek for over 3 hrs. Grind them with the ginger and green chilli and salt to a coarse thick batter. Do not overgrind else the batter will become very smooth. Add in the black pepper and curry leaves. Mix well.

Slightly oil the palm of your hand. Take about a small ball of the batter and drop into the hot oil. Fry until a nice golden brown. Make sure the heat is not on a very high setting, otherwise the inside of the bonda would not have cooked well.

Miscellaneous:

  • Tips: Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
  • Serves 4-5
  • Cooking Time: 20 min
  • Cuisine: Indian

Masala (Paruppu) Vadai

Ingredients:

  • Gram Dal – 1 cup
  • Salt to taste
  • Onions – 2 medium finely chopped
  • Green Chillies – 1 finely chopped, 1 cut into two
  • Red Chillies – 2
  • Ginger – 1/4 inch chopped
  • Coriander leaves – chopped 2 tbsp
  • Curry Leaves – chopped 1 tbsp
  • Oil for deep frying

Method:

Soak gram dal for about 2 hrs. Grind all of the dal (except 2 tbsp) with the ginger, red chillies and 1 green chilli and salt to a coarse batter. Do not overgrind else the batter will become very smooth. Add in the chopped onions, rest of the soaked gram dal (2 tbsp amount), green chillies and coriander, curry leaves. Mix well.

Slightly oil the palm of your hand. Take about a small ball of the batter and place it in the palm of ur hand. Flatten it slightly. Remove from hand and drop into the oil and fry until golden brown. Avoid adding too much water to the batter, else the vadas will crumble.

Miscellaneous:

  • Tips: Serve hot as an appetizer/snack or with a meal.
  • Serves 4-5
  • Cooking Time: 20 min
  • Cuisine: Indian

Methu Vadai

Ingredients:

  • Urad Dal – 1 cup
  • Fenugreek seeds – 4 or 5
  • Salt to taste
  • Onions – 2 medium finely chopped
  • Green Chillies – 1 finely chopped, 1 cut into two
  • Ginger – 1/4 inch chopped
  • Coriander leaves – chopped 2 tbsp
  • Curry Leaves – chopped 1 tbsp
  • Oil for deep frying

Method:

Soak urad dal and fenugreek for over 3 hrs. Grind them with the ginger and 1 green chilli and salt to a coarse thick batter. Do not overgrind else the batter will become very smooth. Add in the chopped onions, green chillies and coriander, curry leaves. Mix well.

Slightly oil the palm of your hand. Take about a small ball of the batter and place it in the palm of ur hand. Flatten it slightly and make a central hole. Remove from hand and drop into the oil and fry until golden brown. Alternatively, you can make the vadas on a oiled plastic sheet instead of your hand. Can dip your hand between making the vadas in a bowl of water to avoid stickiness.

Serve hot with coconut chutneys/sambhar.

Note:
Can make these vadas without adding the chopped onions and green chillies to the batter.
When you soak the vadas in some sambhar with some ghee, delicious sambhar vadas are ready.

Miscellaneous:

  • Tips: Serve hot with coconut chutneys/sambhar. You can make these vadas without adding the chopped onions and green chillies to the batter.? When you soak the vadas in some sambhar with some ghee, delicious sambhar vadas are ready. When you soak the vadas in some rasam, it is called rasa vadai. When you soak these vadas in a curd mixture with some temperings, delicious dahi or curd vadais are ready.
  • Serves 4-5
  • Cooking Time: 20 min
  • Cuisine: Indian

Crispy Onion Pakoda

Ingredients:

  • Gram flour – 3/4 cup
  • Rice flour – 1/2 cup
  • Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Onions – 1 sliced lengthwise
  • Green Chillies – 2 finely chopped
  • Coriander leaves – finely chopped 2 tbsp
  • Oil for deep frying

Method:

Mix in the gram flour, rice flour with salt, chilli powder and little water to make a smooth paste without any lumps. Add in the chopped onions and green chillies and mix well. The mixture should be have the consistency of a thick batter.

Heat oil in a pan/kadai, and pour in a few tbsps of the batter randomly in the oil. Allow to cook till crispy and golden brown on all sides. Drain and pat dry with paper towels and serve.

Miscellaneous:

  • Tips: Serve hot with ketchup as a snack/appetizer or a side dish to any meal. This is a crisp pakoda. To make more crispier pakodas, add in more rice flour.
  • Serves 4-5
  • Cooking Time: 15 min
  • Cuisine: Indian

Bajji

Ingredients:

  • Gram flour – 3/4 cup
  • Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Orange food coloring – a little
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Veggies – Can use different vegetables to make different bhajjis -> Raw Banana (Vaazhakkai), Onions, Big Green Chillies, Potatoes – all cut into medium thin and flat slices. You can use Egg (hard boil the egg and cut into two), or Bread Slices (cut into 4) as well.
  • Oil for deep frying

Method:

Mix in the gram flour with salt, chilli powder, turmeric, food coloring and water to make a smooth paste without any lumps.

Dip the cut veggies/egg/bread slices to coat them evenly with the paste and deep fry them in oil.
Drain and pat dry with paper towels and serve hot.

Miscellaneous:

  • Tips: Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney (coconut or hot).
  • Serves 4-5
  • Cooking Time: 15 min
  • Cuisine: Indian

Sundal

Ingredients:

  • Channa (white/brown)/ Gram Dal/ Black eyed peas/Dried yellow/Green peas/ Mocha kottai – 1 cup
  • Onions – 1 small (finely chopped) optional
  • Green chillies – 1 small (finely chopped) optional
  • Red Chillies – 2
  • Curry leaves – 4 or 5
  • Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Split urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Sundal can be made with any of the dals/beans mentioned. All of these pulses have rich protein content. Makes a simple and healthy snack.

Soak the pulses (whichever sundal you want to make) for a few hours to overnight (soaking time depends on the type of beans you are using) and then pressure cook them with a little salt.

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add the split urad dal, and then the red chillies and curry leaves and fry for 1/2 min.? Then, add in the onions and green chillies and chilli powder. Finally, add the cooked pulses. Sprinkle a little water and allow to cook for 5 min or until the raw smell of chilli powder disappears.

Miscellaneous:

  • Tips: Serve as a snack. Very nutritious and healthy.
  • Serves 5-6
  • Cooking Time: 20 min
  • Cuisine: Indian