Beach Sundal | Thenga Maanga Pattani Sundal - What is Beach Sundal? ,

 Beach Sundal or Thenga Maanga Pattani Sundal is a popular Street food sold in the Beach of Madras present day Chennai . Everyone who visits the beach definitely will enjoy either this Beach sundal or the spicy and crunchy Vazhakkai Bajjis from the shacks at the shore .

Boiled yellow peas tempered with mild spices and seasoned with lot of chopped mangoes and grated carrots makes it a perfect snack to munch on while you enjoy the cool breeze.

Madras has a natural Beach shoreline of 6kms making it the longest beach of the Country. Beach is known as Marina Beach and is always buzzling with people and various beach related activities all day long. The most common site is the vendors selling this yummy snack Thenga Manga Pattani Sundal which is very very tasty and flocks of people playing on the shore as well as enjoying the lashing waves . 

The 6 km long promenade is a walker's paradise where we can see regular set of senior citizens , walking group friends, having a nice stroll as well as catching up some good time with friends .

Bird's eye view of Marina Beach and Chennai City as seen from the Light House

When the theme for this month's Shhh secretly cooking challenge was announced as Mango ,I instantly decided that I should make this Thenga Manga pattani sundal and Preeti my partner for this month gave me oil and green chilly as the secret ingredients which fit in perfectly to make this recipe. Preeti has dished out creamy and delicious Mango Shrikand with jaggery and pista which were her secret ingredients suggested by me .

This sundal is also popular during the Navaratri season and prepared as prasad on one of the 9 days . If raw mangoes are not in season you can skip that particular ingredient and make this healthy sundal.

Soaking Time - 8 to 10 hrs
Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time -  20 to 30 min
Complexity  - simple 
Serves - 3 to 4

Ingredients 

2 cups dried yellow peas 
1 medium chilli finely chopped 
3 tbsp finely chopped mango 
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 carrot grated 
Salt as needed 
1/2 tsp mustard 
Few curry leaves
2 tsp oil
Asafoetida/hing as needed 
Fresh corriander chopped 

Method 

• Wash and soak the dried yellow peas overnight or for min 8 hrs .
• Throw away the soaked water, wash it once again and pressure cook with a little salt and 5 cups water for 4 or 5 whistles on medium flame.  Release the pressure naturally and check if the peas are well cooked .If you take a boiled pea and mash it between the fingers it should get mashed easily and you shouldn't be feeling the hardness . If the pea appears hard cook for 1 or 2 whistles more .
• Drain the water through a colander and let the peas cool down .
• Meanwhile,heat oil in a kadai, temper the mustard seeds followed by the curry leaves, green chillies and asafoetida. 
• Add in the chopped mangoes and saute for a few seconds and then tip in the boiled peas ,mix it properly ..adjust salt if needed . Cook covered for a min just for the mango flavor to be absorbed into the peas.
• Lastly add the grated carrots, coconut, fresh corriander and give a quick mix . Turn off the stove .
• Delicious and tasty sundal is ready .

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Sundal Podi | Khaara Sundal podi - channa (kondakadalai) sundal using sundal podi

 Sundal podi or sundal masala powder is a special spice mix used to season the sundal /chundal or even various vegetable stir fries.

Sundal is a special preparation made from different legumes and the most preferred prasad during Navaratri .The dried legumes are soaked overnight, cooked to perfection and a delicious stir fry is prepared by seasoning either with fresh coconut or this special sundal podi . Sundal can also be called as a warm salad and is rich in protein. 

For the month of April,Jayashree suggested we share some home made spice mixes and I was paired with Poonam as a partner.  We exchanged our secret ingredients wherein poonam made a delectable Cheese powder mix while I made this Sundal Podi . Jayashree's blog has an amazing collection of home made spice powders and her flavorful Chai /Tea Masala is very unique and aromatic. 

Every family has a special sundal powder recipe which will be followed as per their family's likes and tastes.  Some recipes use channa dal + udad dal in combination while some use just plain channa dal or plain udad dal . These lentils are roasted to perfection with corriander seeds,dry chillies, cumin and ground to a coarse powder . This coarse masala powder can be stored upto 15 or 20 days in normal room temperature away from moisture and under refrigeration the shelf life is around 2 months after which the essence will be lost gradually. I prefer to make this fresh in small batches and use it immediately. 

Preparation Time - 5 mins 

Roasting Time - 5 mins

Complexity - simple

Ingredients 

2 tbsp udad dhall

2 tbsp corriander seeds

Few curry leaves 

1 tsp cumin /jeera

3 to 4 dry red chillies 

Pinch of asafoetida 

1/2 tsp oil

Method 

• Heat the oil in a kadai and start roasting the udad dhall until it turns crispy and brown 
• Take it aside and let it cool on a plate. 
• In the same kadai ,roast the curry leaves,dhaniya and jeera until they all turn crisp and you get a nice aroma . Let it also cool along with the roasted udad dhall.
• Lastly, roast the dry red chillies till they turn warm crisp. 
• Cool all the ingredients, add asafoetida and blend it to a coarse powder in a blender or spice grinder .
• Transfer to a dry bottle and keep away from moisture. 

Recipe for Sundal using Sundal Podi 

 Ingredients 

100 gms kabul channa /chickpeas /Kondakadalai 

2 tsp sundal podi

Salt as needed 

Fresh curry leaves 

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

Pinch of asafoetida 

2 tsp fresh grated coconut (optional)

** you may also use lobia , brown channa , green moong , peanuts also for making sundal with this sundal podi. Follow the same steps as mentioned below.

Method

• Soak the chickpeas overnight in sufficient water . Discard the water and pressure cook the chick peas in fresh water with salt until its soft and tender.  Strain the cooked water and let the chickpeas cool down. 
• In a pan, heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves. 
• Add the cooked chick peas, asafoetida and sundal powder and give a quick stir . Lightly sprinkle water and cook covered for 2 mins on low flame .this step ensures the flavors steep into the sundal evenly. 
• Open the lid, garnish with fresh coconut.  Many people don't use fresh coconut while using sundal podi,but I personally like the sweetish taste from fresh coconut and hence I add. You can skip it if you want to avoid coconut. 
• Garnish with fresh coriander and serve. 

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Kos (Cabbage) Kootu | South indian style cabbage lentil curry

 Winter is the best time to enjoy and relish fresh vegetables.  These days though almost all vegetables are available year round ,there is always something special about buying and cooking winter special veggies .  Cabbage and carrots are my most fav winter vegetables. 

My favorite for lunch time would be the yummy mildly spiced Cabbage kootu which mom would serve with hot rice ,ghee and roasted papad .

As a child,I would love to visit the vegetable market with my mom to enjoy the beautiful display of crisp fresh winter produce namely radishes, cabbages,cauliflower,  spinach (palak), fresh methi (Fenugreek) ,capsciums,carrots , broccoli etc . The vendors would have stacked them so perfectly that one would not feel like disturbing the stack .

Gajar would be bought unfailingly to make garma garam gajar halwa and methi ,cabbage ,cauliflower would also join the band wagon to get transformed into yummy methi theplas , gobhi parathas , pakoras etc .

This month in our food group Shhh cooking secretly, we had decided on Healthy Cooking as the theme . I was paired with Anu Kollon of Ente Thattukada and we exchanged our secret ingredients to dish out our healthy recipes . Anu has dished out green peas egg stir fry which I am sure will be a hit with egg lovers and I chose to make this humble and protein packed Cabbage Kootu which is a family favorite at my place.  Hubby loves to have paruppu podi rice and cabbage kootu while I love to have kootu rice and papads with some pickle or cool Vellarikaai Pachadi in summer .

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Serves - 2 to 3 
Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 
2 cups chopped cabbage 

1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas 
1/2 cup moong dhall/paasi paruppu 
4 - 5 tbsp fresh grated coconut
1tsp jeera 
1/2 tsp pepper corns 
3 to 4 dry red chillies 
1 tsp coconut oil 
1 tsp mustard seeds 
Pinch of turmeric
Salt as needed 
pinch of asafoetida 
Few fresh curry leaves 

Method 

• Wash the moong dhall thoroughly and pressure cook with 2 cups water and pinch of turmeric until soft and mushy .
• Boil the cabbage and peas in a deep pan with water and some salt .
• Grind the coconut, red chillies,  jeera,pepper into a fine paste .
• Add this ground paste to the cooked cabbage and bring to a rolling boil then add the cooked moong dhall to this cabbage and mix well . Adjust salt if needed 
• Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a rolling boil while you keep stirring the kootu else it will get burnt easily because of coconut paste .
• Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil and pour over the kootu . Mix the tempering and serve hot with rice. 
• Goes well with rotis too .

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Thurai Moong ki Dal | Ridge Gourd Lentil Curry

 Some recipes are close to our heart for many reasons, and this Thurai Moong ki dal is one such recipe for me . Memories of this dal dates back to those days when internet was not heard off and we relied on magazines and cook books for various recipes to try on . Amma used to collect a lot of recipes from various magazines and also write down in her diary from the cookery shows that she would watch on TV . All off those have been my source of inspiration for what I am today. 

Thurai Moong ki Dal was one of the very first recipe I tried on my own right from chopping to pressure cooking and received a big pat from my mom who has been the  best critic of my life. I don't even have the magazine cutting with me now ,but this recipe is etched in my mind and credit goes to Mrs Tarla Dalal for having detailed the recipe so well even for a novice to prepare with confidence. 

 Ridge gourd is known as Heerekaai (kannada) , Beerakai (Telugu)  , Thurai (Gujarati) , Peerthangai (tamil) .Ridge gourd is a very healthy vegetable packed with healthy nutrients and can be used in a variety of recipes.  Peerthangai Thogayal is a very famous recipe made in Tamil Nadu and pairs very well with rice and also dosa ,idli,chapathi .Kalyani has a very detailed and delicious recipe for Peerthangai Thuvayal on her blog.

Thurai Moong Ki Dal is simple to make and gets done in less than 20 mins and the best part is ,it can all be done just using your pressure cooker. Serve this delicious mildly spiced dal with steaming hot rice or piping hot fulkas . Thurai Moong dal is easy to digest and hence you can serve this to kids or even to old people who need soft and simple food which is light on the stomach .

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Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Complexity- simple 
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

1 medium ridge gourd 
1 cup moong dhall /split yellow lentil 
2 green chilies 
1tsp finely chopped ginger  (skip for Jain version)
Few curry leaves 
1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
1/2 tsp jeera 
2 tsp oil
Salt as needed
Pinch of turmeric
1/2 tsp sugar

Fresh corriander 

Method 

• Wash and peel the ridge gourd and cut them into medium sized chunks. 
• Wash and soak the moong dhall for 10 mins in water .
• Chop the green chillies and curry leaves finely .
• Heat oil in the pressure cooker , splutter the mustard seeds ,jeera and then fry the green chillies ,curry leaves and ginger. 
• Add the chopped ridge gourd with turmeric, salt and saute it for 2 mins.
• Add the soaked moong dhall  2 cups of water and suagr along with some chopped corriander and close the pressure cooker lid. Adjust salt at this stage if needed. 
• Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium flame ..let the pressure release naturally .
• Open the lid, mix it well. Add some ghee if you like and serve it hot with rice or rotis .

Sev | सेव - Diwali Snack

 Sev and Ghatiya are two quintessential traditional snack made during Diwali in North India . 

Sev is a versatile savory snack made from besan /gram flour.  It can be served as is during tea time, added to Chivdas or used on various chats  like Bhelpuri,  Masala Papad,  Sev Puri for garnish.  I prefer making this thin sev at home and keep a batch ready most of the days so that it is easy when I plan to make chaat for dinner or evening snack.

In Tamil Nadu,we make Omapudi which is same as this sev but flavored with the essence of Ajwain/ Omam/Carom water . 

Requires just the basic ingredients from the pantry and the sev press of murukku maker with the correct mould to press the dough out of the sev press.   If you like you may flavor it with pudina extract , spinach extract or even garlic extract to get the desired flavor sev .

The only tricky part is kneading the dough to the perfect consistency so that it easily slips out of the mould and you can shape the sev very comfortably.  

I donot use cooking soda as many recipes call for it to get the crunchiness ,but my sev turns out crunchy as I use hot melted butter and a tsp of rice flour while kneading the dough.  You can skip butter if you are Following Vegan diet and use hot oil instead

Ingredients
2 cups of gram flour/besan/kadalamaav
2 tbsp rice flour
Salt as needed
1 tsp red chilli powder
1tsp haldi powder 
Asafoetida a pinch
2 tablespoon butter or 2 tbsp hot oil 
Oil to fry

Method

• In a wide mixing bowl, add the flours, salt, asafoetida, red chilli powder and mix it well.
• Now add the melted butter or hot oil and rub it well into the flour to form a crumbly mixture .
• Knead the dough by adding water slowly . In case you feel the dough needs more water , you can sprinkle water to complete kneading.
• The dough has to be soft and pliable . Too hard a dough will make it difficult to press from the sev maker mould. 
• Heat oil in a kadai and same time grease the sev press and plate well with oil.
• Take a small portion of the dough and put into the mould and carefully press it over the hot oil .
•  Flip it over after 2 mins and fry for just 1 more min. Take it off the oil as soon as the hissing sound of the oil stops. Drain it on an absorbent paper or in a colander . 
• Prepare sev from all the dough and keep the dough covered with a moist cloth while you are making the sev.
• Crush the sev/omapudi with your hands and store in an airtight container. 
•  Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or coffee!! 

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Payatham Paruppu Payasam (Parippu Pradhaman) | Moong dhall kheer - Mahalaya / Amavasaya Special

Payatham paruppu payasam is a very simple but tasty kheer or paysam made using moong dhall specially during Amavasya .In my home,this payasam is made only during the days when we offer obeisance to Pithrus.   

This payasam is also known as Parippu Pradhaman made in Kerala for Onam or Vishu Sadhyas . In Kerala style a pinch of cumin powder and dry ginger powder is added to this Pradhaman.

In Hindu Tradition,  Amavasya(New Moon Day) / Amavasai / Amavaas(अमावस्या) is considered very important day to pay obeisance to all the departed souls in the family.  The forefathers are called  as "Pithrus" and the oblation ritual is called "Shraadh/ Tharpanam" . There is a mild difference in the way the shraadh is offered in North and South  India . When I say difference, the difference is in terms of the Prasad offered and also the way the ritual is performed.  In my post ,I will quickly describe the way Tharpanam is done in a typical South Indian Brahmin household .

Black sesame seeds (karuppu ellu ) and water are offered as oblation to the forefathers.  The oblation is offered to Father ,grandfather, great grandfather likewise ,mother,grandmother and great grandmother.  The oblation dates back to 3 generations .  Devout and traditional Brahmins perform this Amavasya Tharapanam every month all round the year .

If one is unable to do it every month ,there is a rule that he must perform the shraadh atleast  on Mahalaya Amavasya, during the Mahalaya Paksha / Pithru Paksha which is a period of 15 days starting from Full Moon to New Moon . This special fortnight falls in the month of September- October and generally corresponds to the Tamil Month of Purataasi.  This year in 2021 Mahalaya Paksham has started on 21 /9/2021. 

Mahalaya Amavasya also known as Sarva Pithru Amavasya will be observed on 06/10/2021.

An elaborate meal which is very satvik in nature (sans Onion and Garlic)  using basic native  vegetables will be prepared and offered to the fore fathers .

Moong Dhall / Split yellow lentils are used while cooking a Shraadh meal and native vegetables like cucumber ,arbi(taro root) , snake gourd (podalangai /padwal) , raw banana (vazhakkai),cluster beans(kothavarangai/gawar) , broad beans (avarekkai/paapdi) , bitter gourd (karela/pavakkai) , ginger ,curry leaves ,coconut are used . Jaggery is used for making sweets and not sugar.  The Amavasya meal is more or less  standard in every household with some minute changes here and there . Jeera/cumin,Pepper and dry red chillies are the only spices which are used .Turmeric is avoided in most homes but some families use fresh root turmeric and not turmeric powder. Mustard seeds and Udad dhall are used for seasoning along with asafoetida.

On other special occasions we prepare different  payasams or kheer . It is customary to prepare Medhu Vada and Moong dhall paysam along with Vazhakkai (Raw Banana) Curry  on every Amavasya even if one is unable to prepare an elaborate spread.

Preparation Time - 20 mins
Cooking Time - 10 mins
Complexity - simple 
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup moong dhall/payatham paruppu 

1/2 cup powdered jaggery .

5 to 6 tablespoons grated coconut 

1-2 pods elaichi /cardamom 

1 tsp ghee (skip if vegan) 

**you can increase the quantity of jaggery depending on the level of sweetness you like .

Method 

• Grind the coconut and cardamom with some water to a fine paste and keep aside .
• Wash the moong dhall and pressure cook with sufficient water for 3 to 4 whistles or until mushy.  Release the pressure and mash it well with a ladle .
• In a thick heavy bottomed vessel ,melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup water . If you see any impurities , filter it through the sieve .
• To this melted jaggery add the coconut paste ,1/2 cup water and cook until the raw flavor of coconut is lost . Keep stirring as the coconut has the tendency to stick to the bottom .
• Now add the boiled and mashed moong dhall to the above and mix it well . The dhall should blend well with the jaggery coconut decoction. 
• Continue cooking on medium flame with occasional stirring until it comes to a rolling boil.
• Turn off the stove and add the ghee ,cumin powder and ginger powder if using  . Delicious paasi paruppu /hessaru bele payasam is ready .
• You can fry cashewnuts and coconut slivers in ghee and add it to the payasam .

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Dal Kebab | Dal Kababs

Kebabs are native of Mughalai cuisine a wonderful culinary gift from the Moguls to us

 .Originally, Kababs were made out of minced meat mixed along with a whole lot of aromatic and exotic spices and then either grilled or deep fried . As always, recipes and cuisines  undergo various innovations and changes over time to suit to the native taste buds and thus evolved the various vegetarian version of Kababs . 

Kababs are one starter which I unfailingly order everytime we dine out . Seekh kababs,hara bhara kebabs ,dal kebabs ,dahi kababs are some of my all time favorites.  Kababs if made well ,are soft ,juicy ,succulent and melt in mouth often paired with a delicious Imli chutney or Spicy Hara Dhaniya Chutney .

 My blogger friend Sujata ji's blog was an inspiration for me to try my hands on making Kababs at home . Her Rajma Spinach Kabab was my inspiration post which gave me the confidence to prepare kababs at home.  You must also definitely try out the innovative Ivygourd Channa Kabab / Tendli Channa Kabab by Preethi . 

We are celebrating Kabab Special in our food group Shh cooking secretly challenge for the month of August  and am linking these Delicious Dal Kebabs to this month's event. 

Dal kababs are rich in protein and easy to make for a beginner . Dal kabab is more or less a close cousin of the Masala Vada except for a few extra ingredients like whole spices and masalas that go into the making of the kabab batter . Kids will definitely love these mildly spiced kabab and these will be a super hit at any kind off get togethers. With a little pre planning and preparation you can make delicious melt in mouth Dal Kababs at home and your family cannot stop with one .

Some more tasty starters from my blog 

Oats Tikki 
Aloo Matar Tikki 
Kothimbir Vadi 
Sabudana Vada 
Moong Bhajjiya
Bread Pakoras 
Falafel 

Soaking Time - 2 hrs

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Frying Time - 20 mins 

Makes about 10 to 12 kababs 

Ingredients 

1 cup channa dhall 

2 medium potatoes 

2 green chillies 

1/2 tsp saunf/fennel seeds 

Handful of fresh corriander 

Few mint leaves 

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp bread crumbs 

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala 

1/2 tsp amchur powder/ chat masala

Small piece of ginger 

Oil for deep frying

Salt to taste 

Method 

• Wash and soak the channa dhall in enough water for 2 hrs. 
• Boil and peel the potatoes . 
• Drain the water and add the dhall to a blender along with green chillies, corriander ,saunf and mint leaves and grind to a fine paste . Donot add too much water while grinding else the batter will become runny .If need be , sprinkle water while grinding .
• Transfer the ground paste to a mixing bowl , add salt , grated potatoes,  bread crumbs,  haldi powder ,red chilli powder ,garam masala , amchur powder,  lemon juice and mix it all well .
• Rest this batter in the fridge for 20 to 25 mins . This step ensures that there is no extra water and the salt also coagulates well into the kabab mix. The kababs will hold good shape if the dough is refrigerated.
• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan .
• Take the kabab batter out of fridge and pinch out small roundels and shape them into Tikkis or flat cookie like and deep fry in the oil on medium flame until the kababs turn crisp and golden brown .
• Serve it hot with chutney of your choice. 

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Kunukku Paniyaram | Dal Appe | Lentil Dumplings - Vegan Snack

Kuzhi Paniyarams , Appe, Paddu, Ponganalu are different names for a very tasty shallow fried snack made in India.  This snack is made in a special vessel called as "Paniyarakal" , " Appe Patra"  or "Aebelskeiwer Pan" .  It is also known as "Appakaaral" in Tamil.

The pan is traditionally a very heavy one made out of cast iron with small fissures or moulds. 

Over the long time usage ,the pan gets seasoned very well and acts almost like a nonstick pan . When cooked on slow fire , the paniyarams or appams turn out crispy from the outside and soft from inside . Modern kitchens make use of Nonstick appe pans too for ease of handling ,cleaning and maintainence.

This time for the 285th week of Foodie Monday blog hop , it was my turn to suggest the theme , and the Paniyram Pan won over hands down against Welcome drinks which was another option I had suggested for voting.  

Come back to my Facebook space and check out the various innovative and lipsmacking recipes dished out by my co bloggers using the paniyram pan .

Traditionally the kuzhi paniyarams or uppu appams are made using fermented batter prepared  with soaked udad dhall and rice or even left over idli batter .  I frequently make paddus with left over idli  batter by adding some vegetables and freshly prepared tempering.  The recipe can be accessed by clicking here .

The sweet variety is  known as Nei Appam or unni appam and is made using rice flour or wheat flour  and jaggery is used for sweetening. 

You must definitely try out Watermelon Nei Appam which I have on my blog . It can be served as a dessert during any special occasion. 

Now a days , lot of varieties are being made using millets , oats , quinoa as well .

We can also  make vadas , sabudana vadas,kothimbir vadis etc to avoid deep frying keep up with healthy lifestyle and relish some guilt free indulgence.   I have tried to make kothimbir vadis too using the appe pan and it was a super hit. The recipe will be posted soon on my blog .

Today's recipe is a protein rich appe made using various lentils. The lentils are soaked and ground to a fine batter along with chillies and curry  leaves,later fried in the appe pan. We can call this a no fried version of Kunukku - a traditional deep fried  South Indian snack ,the recipe which is already on my blog .

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Soaking Time - 45 mins to 1  hr 

Preparation Time - 20mins

Cooking time - 20 min per batch 

Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup channa dhall /bengal gram dhall /kadalai paruppu

1/4 cup thoor dhall /pigeon peas /thuvaram paruppu 

1/3 cup moong dhall/split yellow lentil

2 tablespoon rice 

2 tablespoon  udad dhall /ulutham paruppu (for softness)

3 to 4 dried red chillies

2 green chillies

1 tablespoon grated fresh coconut 

Salt as needed

Pinch of hing/asafoetida  (skip for gluten free)

10 to 15 curry leaves /kadipatha 

Handful of finely chopped corriander

Oil as needed 

Method 

• Wash the dals and rice multiple times and soak it for 45mins to 1 hr . The water used for soaking should be 1 inch above the dhalls and rice after washing. Soak the dried red chillies also along with the dhalls. This will make the chillies soft and will grind easily. 
• After 45mins, drain the water and add it to a blender along with salt , grated coconut, asafoetida and few curry leaves.  Reserve the balance for adding to the batter .
• Add water little by little and grind to a semi thick batter . The batter has to be smooth and of dosa batter consistency. Only then it will be easy to pour in the appe pan.
• Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl, add in the chopped corriander and curry leaves and mix well . You can add some finely chopped cabbage ,mint leaves or chopped onions also if you like . I have not added. 
• Heat the paniyaram pan and pour tsp of oil in each of the holders and let it heat well 
• Once , the oil is heated slowly pour a small amount of batter into each kuzhi/holder carefully and let it cook nicely from the downside .
• Now with a spoon carefully flip it over and let the other side also turn crispy and golden brown.
• Drain it carefully and repeat another batch until all the batter is over . Serve hot with some chutney or it can be had as is with some piping hot filter coffee or masala tea.

Notes

1. Incase you are unable to prepare paniyaram after soaking, drain the water and keep it in the fridge and you can grind it the next day and make it.
2. Never leave the soaked dals outside as it will ferment and give out a foul smell .
3. You can also grind the batter and keep it in the fridge and use it later for frying . Try to consume within 24hrs as the batter will begin to turn sour and the sour taste may not be liked by all .

Peanut Masala | Warm Peanut Salad - Vegan Salad

Sometime back , I got totally fresh peanuts/groundnuts from my vegetable vendor and it was too tempting to not buy them.  I quickly bought around 1/2kg of it and relived my childhood days by cooking them with some salt and then enjoyed eating them by removing the shell and popping out the peanuts from them .

Some of the boiled peanuts is reserved to make something as the weather in my city is playing a little hide and seek with us . The days are warm while as the evening sets in, it begins to get chill as the cool breeze blows . Such is the time when we start craving for something spicy and sizzling to go along with the evening tea.

 With the fresh groundnuts that I had bought, I made some delicious warm peanut salad or peanut masala as it is called colloquially  . This salad is very filling and healthy too . They can be served as one of the starters or appetisers during any parties .

If you donot have the fresh groundnuts,you can always  soak and boil the store bought raw groundnuts and use them.

Fun facts 

In Bangalore ,it is an annual ritual to have a huge farmer's market called "Kadlekaai Parishe" during the months of November/ December.  It is a 2 day event held in an area called Basavanagudi .Here, one can find cart loads of fresh groundnuts directly from the fields and also some interesting and innovative delicacies made using groundnuts and various other snacks and traditional stuff. 

Preparation Time- 5 mins

Cooking time - nil

Complexity - Simple

Serves - 3 to 4 

Ingredients 

250gms boiled peanuts/groundnuts

1 medium sized cucumber 

2 medium sized tomatoes 

Juice from 1 lemon

Pinch of salt 

Chat masala as needed 

1 finely chopped green chilli

Fresh corriander finely chopped 

Method

• Peel the cucumber and cut them into small cubes 
• De seed the tomatoes and cut into small cubes
• In a large salad bowl , add the boiled peanuts, green chillies cucumber, tomatoes, salt and chat masala and toss it well.
• Lastly garnish with fresh corriander and lemon juice.  
• You may also add some finely chopped onions or boiled corn to the salad .

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Jaggery Maa Ladoo - Healthy Roasted gramflour balls

 Diwali is round the corner , and slowly we will now start planning our festive snacks to be prepared which is a yearly ritual in most homes all over India . I love this Festival of Lights and all the happiness it brings along . 

Diwali is the most celebrated festival and there is a lot of positivity, good vibes, joy and cheer everywhere.  People go about shopping for new clothes , fairy lights , rangoli powders , different types of Mud lamps which are designed and painted beautifully by the local potters and artisans .The homes are all decked up with lights, flowers , beautiful drawn rangolis and a joyous occasion for friends and family to meet and greet one another..Sweets and savories are exchanged and in totality people love to celebrate Diwali .

This month in our Shhh Secret Cooking Challenge Poonam of Annapurna decided to celebrate with Diwali theme so that we have a collection of some amazing delectable snacks and sweets to plan our Diwali Snack list . If you are a fan of karanji or ghujjiya like me then head to Poonam's blog for winter special Matar Karanji .

What is Diwali without sweets ? I wanted to present some healthy sweet without using too much of sugar and luckily Narmadha of Nams Corner with whom I am paired this month was kind enough to give me 2 versatile ingredients pista and cardamom which are used in any sweet when I told her I plan on making some sweet .Narmadha has prepared a crunchy and crispy Besan murukku with the secret ingredients  besan/gramflour and butter I gave her . 

As I mentioned  , I was on the lookout for a healthy and nutritious sweet , a casual talk with Kalyani on some general topics suddenly took a turn and ended up in discussing how her grandmother would dish out Maa Ladoo , a delicious sweet using jaggery .  Next what , I immediately decided to try that with slight variations and the recipe for the theme was ready. 

Maa ladoo is generally made using Sugar and I have shared the recipe on my blog.  Click the image below for recipe .

Maa ladoo is a most favorite sweet in our home and it just vanishes soon after it is made . I prepare this unfailingly on Diwali and many a times just like that to satisfy our sudden sweet cravings.

This time along with the main ingredient; Roasted gram /pottukadalai , I added some badams and pista and used organic jaggery in place of sugar .Need I say ? It was as usual a super hit and there was a request for another batch .  

Jaggery Maa ladoo can be prepared in just 15 mins and there is no extensive labor involved in the making or pre preparation .The most happy part.. No Cooking at all. 

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Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - Nil
Makes - 10 to 12 ladoos 
Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 
1 cup roasted gram /pottu kadalai/hurigadle 
1/4 cup badams + pista (almonds + Pistachio)
1 cup powdered jaggery 
3/4 cup melted ghee /clarified butter 
3 to 4 green cardamom pods 

Method 

• Lightly dry roast the roasted gram , pista and badam in a dry pan until they feel warm . This will help in increasing the shelf life . (**this step is optional )
• Add these roasted ingredients and cardamoms to a blender and grind into a fine powder . Sieve these to a wide bowl to remove any grits if at all .
• Add jaggery powder to this gramflour and mix it well with a spoon.
• Pour in melted ghee on to this mixture and mix it well till the mixture feels moist and crumbly . The ghee has to be warm . When you pour the ghee the flour will slightly sizzle , this is the perfect temperature for ghee .
• Grease your palms, take a handful of this mixture and shape into balls . You can add some more warm ghee if you feel the mixture is dry and not holding shape .  Store it in a dry container. 
• Jaggery powder can also be added or reduced depending on the sweetness.  This time I used only 3/4th cup of jaggery as this batch of organic jaggery that I  used was very sweet and tasty. 
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Do not miss to head to the recipe of spicy , crunchy Madrasi Mixture / South Indian mixture on my blog . This is the most sought after savory made for Diwali . Now a days it is easily available in the shops , but when made at home , it is healthy as well as hygienic.