AdaIzza ( Adai + Pizza ) - Fusion cooking

Adai as all of us know is a very traditional south indian breakfast item prepared using various lentils and rice.  There are various proportions that can be used to prepare the Adai Batter . One such version is already mentioned in my blog . Recipe can be found in this link .

Today , I shall present to you another variation of Adai batter and also the Fusion element of turning the Adai as the base for a south Indian version of Pizza. This variation in the proportion of Lentils to be used for Adai was given to me by one of my aunty friend whom I befriended on a food group in social media . By far the best proportion of Adai that I have come across and it has been a hit in my house ever since.
Thanks Bageerathy Aunty for the recipe :-)

Idli molagai pudi  and Karvepillai podi (Curry leaves powder) replaced the use of Oregano and Chilli flakes . Kids would love to have these cheesy Adais as they resemble bite sized pizzas and also the necessary proteins and veggies can be sneaked in conveniently.

click below for video recipes of
Idli molagaipodi and
Karevpillai podi / Curry leaves powder

Preparation Time : 4-5 hours
Cooking Time : 15-20 mins
Complexity : medium
Serves : 3-4
Batter shelf life - 2 days under refrigeration

Kondakadalai Vethakuzhambu | Chickpeas in Spicy tamarind gravy-vegan Tambrahm special Detox Meal

Presenting to you ,yet another treasure from my grandmom's kitchen. I have already explained in my earlier posts as to what is Vethakuzhambu / Vethakolambu .. this is another variation to the same recipe.

This recipe makes use of boiled chick peas / kabuli channa / kondakadalai in the gravy . Days when we are out of veggies in our pantry or there is no proper vegetable to cook up a meal, these kind off recipes come really handy and useful. Vathakuzhambu is kind off detox meal and helps lighten up a heavy stomach after binge eating during vacation or marriage season.

The blog already has other variants of vethakuzhambu / Tamarind based gravies  , whose links are mentioned below.

• Appalam Vethakuzhambu  (Papads in tamarind gravy)
• Parangikkai (pumpkin) Vathakuzhambu 
• Milagu Kuzhambu (Pepper based tamarind gravy)
• Vendhiya (fenugreek) Kuzhambu 
• Verkadalai VethaKuzhambu  (Peanut based tamarind gravy)

Vathakuzhambu and paruppu thogayal (lentil based chutney) served along with roasted and fried papad is an evergreen classic combination. At home we often pair it with some cooked thoor dhall and also rasam . Chilled curd rice at the end of the meal is a complete soul satisfying lunch menu on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  A glimpse of one such lunch menu from my kitchen . The Sunday menu was a humble attempt to make a platter totally sans veggies and purely Vegan . Such a menu comes handy on days when we have exhausted vegetables in our pantry .

 

On the platter ,

Paruppu /Cooked Thoor dhall 

Kondakadalai Vethakolambu

Paruppu Thogayal / Lentil chutney 

Jeera Milagu Rasam / Cumin Pepper Rasam

Chunks of Sweet Ripe Mango

Plain steamed rice 

Fried papad 

Photos and write up updated on 18/5/2023 as a part of Redoing Old posts activity on my Facebook group . We like minded bloggers, come together every fortnight and redo one of our old posts by way of editing the text and or images . This way we give face-lift to our old posts which have been dormant for over time . 

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Serves : 3-4
Complexity : Medium

Ingredients

100ml thick tamarind pulp
100 ml water
2-3 tablespoons sambar powder (click here for recipe)
2 tablespoon gingelly oil / til oil / nallennai
25-50gms boiled chickpeas / kondakadalai/kabuli channa
freshly chopped corriander leaves
freshly chopped curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 tsp jaggery powder

Method

• Heat the oil in a kadai and splutter the mustard seeds, followed by the boiled chick peas and toss them well.
• Add the curry leaves, corriander leaves,asafoetida,haldi and sambar powder and fry them until you get a nice flavor of the spices. Do it on low flame taking care not to burn the masalas.
• Pour the tamarind pulp,water,salt and jaggery and boil the concoction until it starts to thicken and the oil starts separating. you can adjust the water content through the boiling process in case you feel it is too tangy.Likewise salt and spice can also be adjusted as per your taste requirements.
• Serve it with piping hot steamed rice with some ghee . Thogayal and any coconut based curry are an excellent accompaniment for this rice. 
• I personally like it with Inji karvepillai thuvayal and Thenga arachavitta curry. 

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Karamani Kunukku | Lobia Pakoras | Black Eye Bean Fritters

  A different type of fried snack using lobia/karamani alongwith udad dhall and pumpkin pulp. A traditional south indian more so ;a  tamil recipe used to make sun dried fritters or wadis traditionally , but can also be used to make a fresh tea time snack .

This deep fried snack is dedicated to my paati (grandmom) and thatha (grandpa)  . 

kunukku was my thatha's favorite  and was made very frequently  during my dad's childhood . The recipe was taught to me by my Dad when I was emptying a pack of lobia into the grocery box.

This same batter can be scooped out as roundels and sun dried during peak summer and be used as Sambar Karuvadaam / Wadiyan as they call it in Northern India.  These sun dried wadis can then be deep fried and put into gravies like Sambar , VethaKozhambu, More Kuzhambu  etc just like how we use the Soya chunks or Wadis in Khadis.

Preparation Time : 1 - 1.5 hrs ( includes the soaking time) 

Cooking Time : 30 mins

Serves : 4-5

Complexity : Medium

Thengaai Arachavitta Kariamudhu ( Poriyal )| Vegetable stir fry with coconut paste

Thenga Araichuvitta kariamudhu  / stir fry used to be a regular at my mom's place and I have also eaten quite a few times at some weddings here in Bangalore,Karnatka .  Kariamudhu is a typical iyengar jargon for poriyal / curry /stir fry .

Thenga is coconut and Araichuvitta means grind ,so basically we make a quick masala by grinding fresh coconut, jeera ,chilli and some salt.  This spice mix is added to the tempered and boiled vegetables. 

By and large in South Indian cuisine, fresh grated coconut is added in the end after the stir fry is prepared but this slight twist in the addition of ground coconut paste ,elevates the flavor profile and enhances the taste of the curry .

This stir fry is not anything complex of different , instead of the usual fresh coconut scraping garnish, we grind the coconut with a few spices and add it to the cooked veggies and saute it for a few minutes . I love this  stir fry with beans , chayote / chou chou , carrot or  beans - carrot combo .

At home ,I make araichuvitta kariamudhu (poriyal) stir fry using

• Beetroot
• Cabbage
• Cabbage + Peas
• Carrots 
• Cabbage +Carrot + Beans 
• Carrot + Peas 

Below recipe uses beans and carrot as the main ingredient ,but you can use the same recipe for preparing the stir fry  using any of the veggies mentioned above . Beetroot Thenga araichuvitta kariamudhu is also simply lipsmacking. 

Some more simple and tasty curries on my blog  

• Cabbage Peas Poriyal 
• Chou chou carrot poriyal 
• Beans paruppu Usili
• Vazhakkai (raw banana) Roast 
• Urulai (Potato) Kaara Curry 
• Baby Potato Roast 

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Complexity : Medium
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients
150 gms french beans
2 medium carrots
3 tablespoons fresh coconut scrapings
1 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
2-3 green chillies (mildly spiced)
fresh corriander chopped - handful
1 tsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste

Method

• Chop the beans and carrot into small cubes and wash it well and drain .
• In a mixie jar / blender . Quick blend/pulse the coconut, jeera, chillies and corriander leaves. Do not add any water, just a pulse or two so that the ingredients are all crushed well. Keep aside.
• In a pan / kadai , heat the oil and temper it with mustard seeds, asafoetida and add the chopped beans and carrot with some salt , add some water and let it cook well. Cook covered with a snall opening such that the steam can escape and the color of the beans and carrot is retained.
• Check occasionally to ensure that the vegetables donot charr / burn due to inadequate water. Adjust water if needed and let it cook to be soft but not mushy. Alternatively ,you may also steam the veggies before hand or even microwave them .
• Once the water is all evaporated and veggies cooked well, add in the ground paste and stir well and cook for just 1-2 mins and turn off the stove.
• Serve it along with Sambar , Rasam and Piping Hot rice and ghee.

Aloo Lacchha | Potato Stripes

Aloo Lacchha is thin strips of potato deep fried in oil to perfect crispness and seasoned with pepper powder, red chilli powder and black salt . The addition of black salt is the highlight as it enhances the taste and flavor manifold. I used to love munching on Haldiram's Aloo Laccha very much and once while doing so, it struck me why not try it at home,but I always brushed aside the idea of doing it as I felt it was a tedious job .
Nonetheless, it is a tedious job,but really worth all the effort and time.
More so, safe and made hygienically at the comfort of our home and kitchen.
There are few tips that you need to keep in mind to get the best and awesome crispies. Refer to the Notes section below the recipe for the same.

Preparation Time : 2 hrs
Cooking Time : 45 min - 1 hr
Complexity : High

Khaara Bhaath | Karnataka special Rava Upma

Khaara Bhaath , is a typical Karnataka style Upma made using rava / semolina/ sooji and uses the Vaangi Bhaath masala powder for added flavors . This addition of the spice powder makes it taste different. Unlike, the usual upma this upma is slightly soggy and well lubricated using ghee / oil such that one spoonful in your mouth and it will just slide down your throat.

Khaara Bhaath is usually paired with Kesari Bhaath (Sheera) and the combo is called as Chou Chou Bhaath . The traditional eateries called as Darshinis or Upahara Darshinis across Karnataka serve this on their Breakfast Menu.

The Khaara Bhaath can be made using mixed vegetables or just plain tomato and some peas / groundnuts .

My version today makes use of plain tomatoes,paired with some fried groundnuts and the quint essential Bhaath Masala .(Recipe for masala powder is detailed below in the post).

Preparation Time : 10 min

Cooking Time : 20 mins

Complexity : Medium

Serves : 2-3

Verkadalai Vethakuzhambu | Peanuts in spicy Tamarind Gravy

VathalKuzhambu / Vethakuzhambu is prepared by reducing tamarind concoction with the right amount of spices to form a nice gravy. This kind of gravy is generally made when we want to go easy on the stomach or just want to pep up our taste buds. This is my go to recipe when I am almost run out of veggies or want a mild detox mid week .
The blog already has two other variants of this kind , whose links are mentioned below.

Appalam Vethakuzhambu  (Papads in tamarind gravy)
and
Milagu Kuzhambu (Pepper based tamarind gravy)

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Serves : 3-4
Complexity : Medium