Thayir(Curd) Vadai

This is my mom's favorite snack item and is generally had as an accompaniment with the main course tiffin or as appetizer. I was thinking that this might be an elaborate procedure and never bothered to try it until I came across the recipe by Menutoday. Click here for her recipe. I followed the recipe exactly as she has explained. Thanks MT for yet another great recipe. I got to say I fell in luv with the pics of my curd vadai, so couldn't stop with just one pic. Oh well, u guys try this and let me know how it came out.

Minestrone soup

Minestrone soup is the name given to the famous Italian soup which is cooked with vegetables, beans, and/or pasta. This can be made with any veggies available readily and is cooked by slowly simmering the veggies in the stock with garlic, Italian seasoning & basil. I generally use a can of diced tomatoes and add water for the veggie stock.I remember reading somewhere that people in Italy at one time believed that minestrone soup would cure most aches & pains. Oh well, all I can think of is with all those veggies & garlic, it definitely ought to be good for health:)
Ingredients:
Onion- 1 big
Chopped Garlic- 2 or 3 tbsp
Diced Tomatoes- 1 can
Chopped Vegetables- 3 cups (I used carrots, celery, green beans, zuchinni)a
Red kidney beans- 1/2 can
small sea shell pasta- 1/2 cups
Italian seasoning- 2 tbsp
Basil- 1 tbsp
Black pepper- 1 tbsp
Oil- 1 tsp

Saute Onion and garlic in 1 tsp of oil and then add all vegetables, saute lightly for a min (do not let the veggies turn brown), then add the canned diced tomatoes and enough water to form the stock. Add some salt, cover and cook in low flame. The vegetables have to be slowly simmered in the stock.This will easily take at least 10 mins. When vegetables are almost cooked, add the kidney beans, pasta & the spices (Italian seasoning, basil & pepper) and let this cook again for another 7-8 mins or until pasta is cooked. Use a deep pan like stock pot so that there is enough room for water to be added. Add more salt & pepper if needed at the time of serving depending on each one's taste.
Sprinkle some grated cheese if u like at the end. I don't care for cheese on my soup, so I skipped that.

Optional:
1. Any kind of stock (chicken or beef) can be used for this, even though this soup has mainly veggies. For this reason, I always ask the waitress in restaurants what kind of stock has been used in the soup since I'm a vegetarian.

Upma Kozhukattai

This was my favorite tiffin item that my mom used to make very rarely. I knew that it involved washing the rice, drying it on a paper towel,dry grinding it etc. etc so I didn't have the patience to go through the elaborate procedure of making it until I came across the simpler recipe for this using Idly Rava(available in most indian stores) by Nandita of Saffrontrail. Click here for Nandita's recipe. I followed the recipe exactly the same way as she did.
Variations:
1. I have also seen some people soak 1 tbsp of tur dhal, jeera, red chilly,& pepper and grind and add it to the boiling water before adding the idly rava. This should taste good too.
2. I came across this other recipe for upma kozhukatai using oat grits by Lakshmik of Veggie cuisine which I'm yet to try but thought was a very good healthy choice.Click here for Lakshmik's recipe.

Gobi Manchurian

This is an indo-chinese dish that is loved by a lot of people and it goes well chapathi or noodles or just as an appetizer. I have categorized this as an appetizer since I didn't make it too gravy.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower/Gobi- 2 cups (big size florets)
Onion- 1- chopped (to teeth size)
Green pepper-1/2 chopped(teeth size)
Green onions/spring onions- 3 or 4 bulbss
Greens of spring onions- for garnishing
Ginger/Garlic- 2 tbsp grated
Green chilly- 1 tbsp chopped (or Green chilly sauce 1 tbsp)
Tomato ketchup- 1/2 cup
Soy sauce
Corn flour- 2 tbsp
Maida/All purpose flour- 2 tbsp
chilli powder- 1 tbsp
salt
oil


Cut the cauliflower/Gobi into big florets and microwave for 2 mins in water with salt. Gobi shouldn't be overcooked.
Take out the cauliflower florets and let it drain on a paper towel.
Make a batter(like bajji batter consistency) of maida, cornflour, water, 1 tbsp of hot oil, chilli powder (1/2 tbsp) & salt. Dip the Gobi florets in this batter and deep fry and place it on a paper towel and let this cool.
In the meantime, in a skillet to hot oil add grated ginger/garlic, green chilly & chopped spring onion' bulbs. sauté for a min and then add chopped onions, add a pinch of salt and sauté this. then add all the sauces & tomato ketchup, a pinch of salt, chopped green pepper & chilli powder.Take 1 tbsp of corn flour and add a little water to it to make a paste and add this to the skillet. This will be absorbed by the saute'ed onions and would thicken the gravy. Now add the gobi florets and mix it well and sauté it for a min. Add more soy sauce if needed. Garnish with greens of spring onions.

Note :Adding hot oil to the batter makes the gobi crispier
It is important to cool the deep fried gobi before adding to the gravy. Otherwise it will get soggy.
A little bit of vinegar could be added along with the sauces. I skipped it bcos I didn't have it at home.

Veggie Noodles

I choose the healthier multi grain Thin Spaghetti to make noodles instead of the usual noodle sticks which is usually made of refined all purpose flour. Muliti grain provides the necessary omega 3 for our body. And this comes out as tasty as the usual noodles.
Ingredients:
Thin spaghetti- 3 fistfuls
Onion, carrot, beans, carrot, green peppers, cabbage, cauliflower- thinly sliced
Green onions/Spring onions- 3 or 4 bulbs chopped
leaves of green onions- for garnishing
Green chilly- finely chopped- 2 tbsp
Ginger & Garlic- 1 tbsp grated
Soy sauce
Tomato sauce/ketchup
Boil the spaghetti in boiling water as per instructions on the package. Then strain the hot water, add cold water to the spaghetti, strain & keep it aside.
In a skillet, add chopped green chilly, ginger garlic to really hot oil and fry for abt 30 secs. Now add the chopped Onion, green onion bulbs and sauté. Then add the other vegetables (except for cabbage & green peppers) one by one . Sprinkle some salt to help cook the veggies and sauté it in high flame. The veggies have to be a bit crunchy.Now add the green pepper and sauté for a min. Now add the sauces, and then the cooked spaghetti and mix well. Now goes the cabbage and sauté till everything is mixed well, add extra soy sauce if needed and then garnish with the leaves/greens of the spring onions.
Serve hot!!! I served this with crunchy Gobi Manchurian...recipe for that will follow soon...

Rava Idly -Home Made!

I used to buy the MTR Rava idly instant mix for a long time until I learnt that it might be cheaper & also easy to just make my own rava idly mix at home. Since then I have always made my own mix at home to make those soft fluffy rava idlies. I used the same ingredients that are used in the instant mix.
Ingredients:
Rava- 1 cup
Curd/Yogurt- 1.5 cups
baking soda- a pinch
salt
chopped coriander leaves- 1 tbsp
cashewnuts- 1 tbsp
channda dhal- 1 tbsp
Urad dhal- 1 tbsp
mustard seeds- 1 tbsp
Green chilly- 1 finely chopped
Ginger- 1 small piece- finely chopped
curry leaves- few- chopped
hing- a pinch
ghee- 1 tsp
oil

Method:
1. heat oil+ghee in a skillet and add cashewnuts, channda dhal,Urad dhal & mustard seeds for tempering.
when mustard seeds splutter, add chopped green chilly, ginger,curry leaves, and then the rava. roast this until a nice aroma of rava comes. Let this cool down.




In the meantime, beat the yogurt nicely in a bowl. Add salt, hing & chopped coriander leaves.

To this add the roasted rava mixture and mix nicely to get a thick idly batter. add very little water if the mix is too thick. Now add a pinch of baking soda and set it aside for 20- 30 mins.

Then steam the idlies for 10 mins and serve with chutney or saagu or just milagai podi.

Chilli Porotta

Chilli porotta is a spicy dish made with porotta torn into pieces and sautéed with green chilly & spices. I genereally use the frozen porotta we get here in the indian store, thaw it and then tear into pieces. The last time I luckily got frozen kothu porotta in the indian store so didn't have to do the tearing, but this is not common to find. Also, remember look for Porotta and not Paratha, though they sound the same they are totally different.
Ingredients:
Frozen Porotta- 1 pack or about 6-7 pieces
Onion-1 thinly sliced lengthwise
Tomato- 1
carrot- 1/2 thinly sliced lengthwise
Green pepper- 1 thinly sliced lengthwise
Cilantro leaves- few
Ginger & garlic- finely chopped 1 tbsp
Green chilli- 4
chilli powder- a pinch
Garam masala powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- a pinch
salt
oil
For Tempering:
cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds-1 tbsp

Tear the thawed porotta into thin pieces and set it aside
In a pan, add jeera & mustard to hot oil and when the mustard seeds splutter, add the ginger/garlic & green chilly and fry for a min.
Then add the cut onions and sauté really well. The add tomatoes until it gets mushy,followed by carrots and sauté until the carrot is soft.
Now add the green peppers and sauté it a bit. Green pepper has to be a bit crunchy.
Now add the torn porotta pieces and add all the 3 powders mentioned above, salt and mix well.
Cook for a couple of mins and then garnish with cilantro leaves.
Serve with onion raitha.