Pudina Thogayal | Pudina Thohayal - Vegan

Pudina Thogayal or Mint Thogayal is very common in our household. The flavour of mint gives a refreshing treat to the taste buds. Thogayal is a south indian style chutney and makes used of roasted lentils and coconut.  The roasted lentils give the thogayal a nice volume and nutty texture while the coconut adds up to taste with a mild sweetness .

Mint as we all know is widely used in Indian cuisine.  As much as it is flavorful and aromatic,pudina has a lot of health benefits especially related to digestion and acidity . Pudina has a slightly pungent taste and hence it is always used in combination with other ingredients and spices so that the pungency can be balanced out .

In summers ,Jaljeera and Pudina Chaas are very refreshing and also hydrating when consumed with daily meal .

Pudina Thohayal tastes delicious when served alongside a simple kootu (South indian style dal curry ),  mor kuzhambu(yogurt curry) or even a coconut based vegetable stir fry .

In my home , pudina thogayal is relished as an accompaniment to Vellarikaai (Cucumber) kootu or Chou Chou Kootu  and some papads.

I personally love to mix pudina Thogayal with hot rice and ghee and enjoy it as is .

Pudina thogayal also goes well with dosas,idlis or even rotis and puris. To serve it alongside dosas or idlis you can Slightly dilute the thogayal by mixing some warm water . Donot add too much water as the flavors will go off balance. 

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 5 mins
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

1 cup packed Mint leaves
1 tbsp Udad dhall

2 to 3 dry red chillies
2 tsp black pepper corns
pinch of asafoetida
small piece of tamarind
1 tsp jaggery grated (optional)
2 tsp grated coconut
salt as needed

Method

• Wash and dry the pudina/mint leaves nicely.
• In a pan,heat a little oil and fry the udad dhall until golden brown. Fry the red chillies too until crisp .
• Slowly add,the pudina leaves and saute well,until the aroma of pudina fills the room.
• Lastly add the pepper corns ,asafoetida and saute just lightly until it turns a little crisp.
• You can add the tamarind at this stage,so that the tamarind becomes soft and it will b easy to grind.
• Transfer all the contents on a plate and cool for sometime.
• Grind all the roasted ingredients along with coconut,jaggery and salt until smooth. 
• Adjust water.Thogayal has to be slightly thick and not watery like chutney.

Aloo Frankie / Kati Roll

People from Bombay need no introduction to Frankie. For others with a little question mark on the face,Frankie most commonly known as Kati Roll is a very popular street side food.

Its a  roti/paratha filled in with spicy yummy tasty fillings.Vegetarian fillings consists of mashed potatoes or paneer  as the main ingredient with a garnish of grated cheese,onions ,cilantro and chat masala.For non vegetarians,potato filling can be substituted with minced meat,chicken etc.

Having grown up in Mumbai,I used to have frankie with my friends when we used to go out during our college days.Later in Bangalore,after marriage me and hubby used to have yummy kati rolls at a joint near our home .But after coming here to US ,I just missed frankie and kati roll very badly.So decided to make it from scratch.

I had read this recipe in one of Tarla Dalal's cook book.I made a little changes to suit our taste. 

Preparation Time : 1 hr
Cooking Time : 30 mins
Makes about 6-7 frankies

Aloo Frankie / Kathi Roll

Ragi Dosa / Finger Millet Crepes

Ragi or Finger Millet or Nachni is a fibre rich low carbohydrate  cereal used widely in India in different forms.Ragi is used as malt  in the preparation of health drink mixed with milk ,yogurt or boiling in water. Ragi flour is used in the preparation of Dosas or Rotis /Bhakris (flat breads) .
Since it is low in carbohydrates and rich in fibre and amino acids its perfect for people with Diabetes.
Can be incorporated in a daily diet for weight watchers as well.

" Sending this to HITS – Diabetic friendly and HITS page"


Preparation Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 10 mins
Makes : 7-8 Dosas
Complexity: Medium

Blogpost updated with photos on 21 June 2019

Maida Dosa / Flour Crepes

Dosa is a very healthy breakfast in most south indian homes.There are various varieties of Dosas that can be prepared. Some of them need the traditional soaking and grinding of ingredients while some are just a mixture of various flours such as Ragi /Nachni(Finger Millet) , Wheat flour,Maida / APF.
These flours are mixed in certain proportion with rice flour and some other spices to make yummy dosas. Can be served with chutney,sambar or the traditional Idli / Dosa Molagapudi.


Preparation Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 7-8 mins
Serves : 2-3

Maida Dosa / Flour Crepes

Mix Veg Raita / Yogurt Dip

Raita is an Indian dip made from yogurt/curd.
Chopped vegetables such as onions,carrots,cucumber,tomatoes are added to the whipped yogurt and  served as an accompaniment to flavored rice such as Pulavs,Biryanis,Parathas,Rotis(Indian breads) etc.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 3-4

Elaichi Nankhatai / Cardamom Cookies

Nankhatais are Indian Style cookies which are crisp but just crumble in the mouth and melts down.
A perfect tea time snack.There are various flavours like Kesar Pista(Pistachio-Saffron),Badam(Almonds) or simple plain nankhatais which taste heavenly.
This is my first try at nankhatais/cookies.


Preparation Time : 20 mins
Baking Time : 20-25 mins
Makes around 20 cookies

Elaichi Nan Khatai / Cardamom Cookies

 

Choco Vanilla Milkshake

Summer is slowly setting in and soon the sun will be right over our heads. This is the time of the year when all of us look for some coolers for our throat and tummy.Instead of having bottled drinks or simply chilled water,we can try and have chilled health drink.
To begin with, I am posting the  favorite of children and most elders,Choc Vanilla Milkshake.
Quick to whip up with homemade ingredients,it can be prepared anytime.

Preparation Time : 2-3 mins
Cooking Time : Nil

Beans Paruppu Usili /Beans & Lentil Stir Fry

Paruupu Usili (Tamil) is a lentil based preparation where the lentil is blended into a coarse paste and then stir fried until the lentil mixture gets cooked and separated to a grainy texture.To this is added boiled vegetables like french beans,clustered beans (kothavarangai or gavaar),flat beans(avarakkai/paapdi),snake gourd (padwal/podalangai),Vazhaipoo(banana flower).
A great combination to this would be piping hot Rasam  or MoreKuzhambu/Majjige Huli with steamed rice.If you like,this can be an accompaniment to rotis/chappati as well.

Preparation time : 1 hr
Cooking time : 30 mins
Serves : 2-3

Jain version : Omit the ginger and follow the recipe as is

Pesarettu / Green Gram Crepes

Pesarettu,a traditional Andhra cuisine is a popular breakfast or snack item similar to Dosa.A batter is prepared using green gram and rice along with green chillies and cumin seeds.
Served hot with tamarind chutney or coconut chutney.

Preparation Time : 8-10 hours
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 2-3

Jain Version : Omit the ginger and onion from the recipe and follow the rest of the recipe.
No Onion -Garlic Version : Omit the ginger from the recipe and follow the rest of the recipe.

(Image updated on May 30' 2019)

Vendakkai Morekuzhambu/Majjige Huli/lady's finger in Spicy Yogurt gravy

Morekuzhambu (Tamil),Majjige Huli (kannada) a yogurt/curd based item,is an integral part of South Indian menu.Served in almost every Tamil wedding as a part of the traditional menu.Simple to make and great to taste can be prepared in a jiffy with various vegetables like Lady's finger/okra , ashgourd,chayote/chou chou. 

Today I am going post how to make using lady's finger.Nevertheless,I am going to tell you  how to go about making morekuzhambu using the other veggies.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 7-8 mins
Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

10-15 nos Lady's finger - cut into 1 inch long pieces
2 cups thick curd
1 tsp methi / fenugreek seeds
pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
For the masala
5 tbsp grated fresh coconut
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
3-4 green chillies
small piece ginger
1 tsp corriander seeds/dhania
3/4 tsp channa dhall /bengal gram /kadalai paruppu
For Tempering
Mustard seeds
few curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida

Method

• In a kadai,heat a little oil and roast the lady's finger with a little salt. Roast until the slimy texture of the lady's finger is lost.
• If using other veggies like white pumpkin,snake gourd(padwal),chou chou ;cut them into 1 inch cubes and boil in water with a little salt.
• Grind all the ingredients under the MASALA section into a fine paste.
• Beat the curd well,add salt ,turmeric,methi seeds and the ground masala paste to it and mix well.
• Slowly pour this curd mixture to the roasted lady's finger or boiled veggies and cook on low flame.
• Turn off the stove,once you see the mixture raising.Donot let it boil,else you will experience a curdled texture.
• Prepare the tempering and pour it all over.
• Serve hot with steamed rice and ghee.

Instant Khatta Dhokla / Safed Dhokla

I have already posted the recipe for Khaman Dhokla earlier in my blog. This is another type of dhokla called  Khatta(Sour) Dhokla or Safed(White) Dhokla because of its sour taste and white color.
Traditionally prepared by grinding rice and udad dhall  into a batter and fermenting it overnight.It is steamed the next morning and served with mint chutney.
Here,I am going to post the instant version of this dhokla,which can be prepared in just a matter or 10-15 mins.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 1-2

Khatta Dhokla / Safed Dhokla

Chou Chou /Chayote Kootu

"Kootu" is a Tamil word meaning "ADD".In this particular recipe,its a combination of vegetables and lentils/dhall.Most of the vegetables can be used to prepare except for Okra/Lady's finger/bhindi due to its slimy nature.
There are various varities of kootu,like

Arachuvitta Kootu - A kootu which is prepared using freshly ground masala/spice powder using corriander seeds,gram dhall,dry red chillies mixed with thoor dhall ,vegetables and tamarind extract.

Poricha Kootu - Poricha meaning FRIED in tamil is prepared using ground coconut,pepper seeds,cumin seeds and fried udad dhall and mixed with vegetables and moong dhall.

Thengai Arachuvitta kootu - A kootu prepared using fresh coconut,green chillies,curry leaves and cumin seeds mixed with Moong dhall and vegetables.

 Here I am going to present Chou Chou/Chayote also called as Bangalore Kathirikaai.You can use ash gourd/white pumpkin,orange pumpkin instead.


Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 2-3
 

Chou Chou /Chayote Kootu

Potato Sambar / Urulaikizhangu Sambar

Sambhar is an inevitable part of South Indian cuisine. A preparation involving vegetables,tamarind water,thoor dhall(pigeon peas) and a special spice powder called Sambar powder.
Various vegetables like drumstick,potato,bell pepper/capsicum,lady's finger/okra,Radish,Brinjal etc are used in the making of sambhar.
A perfect combination would be hot steamed rice,sambhar and some fried/roasted papads (fritters).
For the Not So Calorie Specific,drizzling of fresh ghee on the rice adds up some more flavour.


Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 2-3

Urulaikizhangu Sambar /Potato Sambar

Peanut Ginger Chutney

This spicy ,sweet ,tangy chutney / dip is a very good accompaniment for dosa ,idli,adai ,chapati etc or simply can be mixed with piping hot rice and ghee.The sweetness from the peanut,dry red chillies and ginger for spice and a little tamarind for the tangy combine and give a nice taste and flavor to this chutney.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : Nil

Peanut Ginger Chutney

Hara (Green) Chutney / Corriander Mint Chutney

Hara Chutney is an extremely handy dip which is a must while preparing any form of Chats,Sandwiches or an accompaniment for any Indian starters,kebabs and tikkis.
Combination of corriander,mint and a few additional spices,it can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : Nil

(Image updated on 30 May 2019)