Neer Dosa | Neer Dose - vegan breakfast

 Neer dose or neer dosa is a very popular breakfast from Tulu Nadu in Karnataka and delicacy from Manglorean cuisine . 

Neer dosa literally means water dosa in Tulu/Kannada but that doesn't mean that it is made from water ,just that the batter to prepare the dosa is very watery hence its called Neer Dosa. The consistency of the batter is very similar to that of Rava Dosa meaning pouring consistency.

Best part of Neer Dosa is the simplicity in preparation as there is no fermentation needed like the usual dosas,meaning you can make dosas as soon as the batter is ready . 

Neer Dosa uses just 2 ingredients ;rice and water .Adding grated coconut is optional but tastes really good when added to the batter .

Neer dosas are very soft and spongy to eat and it remains the same even after a few hours of preparing, making it ideal to pack for lunch box or travel . 

Neer dosas are served with coconut chutney , sagoo , balehannu Rasayana and for non veg lovers it is paired with some spicy curry made from egg,chicken etc .

Soaking Time - 4 to 5 hrs 
Preparation Time - 15 mins
Complexity - simple 
Makes - 15 to 16 neer dosas 

Ingredients 

2 cups normal rice (except basmati)
1/2 cup grated coconut 
Salt as needed
Water to grind 

Video recipe 

Method 

• Wash the rice well and soak it overnight or for minimum of 5 hrs .
• After 5 to 6 hrs , transfer the soaked rice to a blender along with the coconut and grind it to a fine paste..donot add water to grind. The water in which you have soaked the rice is sufficient to grind the batter .
• Transfer this batter to a wide vessel and add some more water and bring it to a pouring consistency. Check the video recipe below for exact consistency.  Add salt as needed.
• Heat a non stick tawa or a seasoned cast iron .
• Sprinkle some water on the tava and if it sizzles immediately the tawa is ready to make dosas .
• Pour the batter from outside to inside like how we do for rava dosa . Donot spread the batter like regular dosas.
• Close the dosa with a lid for 30 to 40 sec and then open it up .Slowly using a spatula remove the dosa and fold it up like a wedge and serve with chutney or any other side dish of your choice. 
• Neer dosa gets cooked only on one side. You don't have to flip over and cook . 
• Keep adjusting the heat of the tawa as you keep making the dosas.  If the tawa is too hot then the dosas won't get cooked evenly.  

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Poori Bhaji Aamras - Summer Seasonal special

 Poori Aamras and Aloo Bhaji is almost everyone's favorite in Maharashtra and Gujarat. There will hardly be anyone who wouldn't like this combo.  During the mango season, this made in heaven match features in my home quite a few times  but surprisingly it never made to the blog .

My dad and me love this combo a lot and it really surprises my husband as to how we enjoy puris with aamras . He will always say enjoy puris with Bhaaji and relish the aamras separately.  To each one their taste..but all said and done puri aamras is a delectable match . 

The recipe for Aamras and Puri is already there on the blog while that off this simple yet tasty Aloo Bhaaji or Sabji will be shared today with you all . Every household has an heirloom recipe for making the aloo sabji depending on the family's liking . I am going to share a very very easy recipe which has been our favorite always. Preethi my blogger friend has a delicious recipe of Adraki Aloo which will also pair well these puris . The aamras has a little milk added while the aloo sabji is purely vegan . If you want to make the entire combo vegan friendly,you can skip the milk while preparing the aam ras .

This combo is so popular  and a hearthrob that people swarm like bees at restaurants to enjoy. Some popular restaurants in Bombay have carved a niche for serving this delectable mini thali during the Mango Season and have been featured in various food magazines and shows for their superior quality and popularity. 

Recipes for Poori & Aamras click below 

Fluffy and soft puris 

Aamras 

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

Ingredients 

4 medium sized boiled potatoes 
2 small green chillies chopped
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped 
1 tsp mustard 
1/4 tsp udad dhall (optional)
1 tbsp oil
Pinch of turmeric 

1/4  tsp red chilli powder
Pinch of asafoetida 
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt as needed
Few curry leaves 
Finely chopped corriander 

Method 

• Peel the skin of the potatoes and roughly crumble them.
• Heat oil in a thick pan ,crackle the mustard seeds followed by udad dhall until the dal turns golden brown.
• Fry the green chillies,  ginger , curry leaves and asafoetida. 
• Add the crumbled potatoes, corriander leaves, turmeric ,red chilli powder ,salt and mix it well .
• Sprinkle some water and cook covered for 2 to 3 mins till all the flavors blend well . Turn off the stove ,add the sugar,chopped corriander and mix it gently .
• Serve hot with hot hot puris and Aamras .
• You can also serve some thick coconut chutney also as an accompaniment. 

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Aloo Kabli / Alu Kabli - Kolkatta style Alu Chaat

 Alu Kabli or Aloo Kabli is a classic street side delicacy from the streets of Kolkatta . Unlike other street food which is normally loaded with lot of oil and spices ,Alu Kabli is totally oil free and healthy.  It is more like a potato salad loaded with the goodness of boiled chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers etc .

Alu Kabli infact is also Vegan friendly and if all the ingredients are available handy we can put this together in less than 15 mins.

Alu Kabli can be served as a starter for any parties and will also pair well with drinks just like Peanut Masala  or classic Potato Wedges from Sujata's blog .

There is no hard and fast measurements for making this lipsmacking and refreshing chaat ..we can increase or decrease the quantity of ingredients based on our likes.  Only thing is that potato needs to be the Hero of the recipe as compared to the other ingredients.  Instead of Kabuli channa (boiled chickpeas) we can also use peanuts or cooked white peas as well.

Traditionally only tamarind sauce/chutney is used in the recipe but I have added the Tamarind Dates chutney for the extra punch and flavor .

Preparation Time - 10 min
Cooking Time - Nil 
( assuming we already have boiled potatoes and chickpeas on hand ) 

Complexity - simple
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 
2 medium sized boiled potatoes
1 cup boiled brown chick peas  or yellow peas
1 medium sized tomato finely chopped 
1 small cucumber finely chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped ( I haven't used )

2 - 3 tbsp dates tamarind chutney 
1 small green chilly finely chopped
Fresh corriander chopped 
1/2 tsp red chilli powder 
1/4 tsp kala namak
1/2 tsp chat masala
Salt as needed
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Method 

• Cut the potato into small cubes . 
• Mix the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions (if using) along with the potatoes and chickpeas. 
• Thrown in all the spice powders along with salt,green chillies and the tamarind chutney and give it a gentle mix . Donot be harsh while mixing as the potatoes will turn mushy .
• Squeeze in the lime juice and garnish with fresh corriander and serve immediately. 
• Alternatively if you donot have boiled chickpeas you can also add roasted peanuts or even boiled peanuts.

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Mango Mastani - Summer special

 Mango Mastani is a popular beverage from Pune ,Maharashtra.  Mango Mastani is a thick mango milkshake topped with scoops of vanilla icecream and garnished with lots of chopped dry fruits,  tutti fruity , mango slices and glazed cherries.  

Normally, the Alphonso/Aapus variety of Mango is used to make this delicious summer drink, but I think you can use any sweet pulpy variety of Mango. 

By the looks of it Mango Mastani, is very close to Falooda,but then there is a lot of difference in the texture and taste when we take a bite.

Making mango Mastani is very very easy and its a no cook recipe which makes it even more interesting to prepare and relish this yummy delicacy . 

My friends from Pune ,swear by this drink and are die hard fans of Mango mastani . I am waiting to try this drink personally, but from the many videos and descriptions that I have heard from my friends, I just couldn't resist myself from trying it this summer. You can use either vanilla or mango icecream for making this luscious summer delight .I liked the taste with vanilla icecream rather than mango .The mild vanilla essence cuts the flavor of mango and hits the right notes thus elevating the taste of mango Mastani. 

Fun facts about the name Mango Mastani !!!

As we all know,that Mastani was the wife of Peshwa Bajirao ,the ruler of Deccan . Its said that she was very beautiful and her beauty was a sight to behold.  

Since ,this drink looks just as beautiful as it can be,they say its been given the name Mango Mastani .

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - nil 
Complexity - simple
Makes 2 to 3 glasses 

Ingredients 
2 cups chopped Mango 
1.5 cup chilled milk 
3 scoops vanilla icecream 
Sugar if needed 
For garnish 
Roughly chopped badam ,pista and cashews 
Some tutti fruity 
Vanilla icecream 
Glazed cherry 

Method 

• Blend the mango pieces ,milk and vanilla icecream to a silky smooth puree.  
• Taste the puree and if it feels less sweet,add some sugar and blend it again. 
• (I haven't used ice cubes while blending as the milk was chill and so was the ice cream,you may use if you wish to )
• Pour the milkshake into serving glasses,top it with scoops of vanilla icecream and garnish with chopped nuts, tutti fruity, glazed cherries and chopped mango pieces.
• Serve chilled and immediately. 

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Inji Thayir Pachadi | Ginger yogurt dip | Adraki Raita

 Inji Thayir Pachadi also known as Inji thayir is frequently made in a Tambrahm home and also a part of Sadhya menu in Kerala .  Whenever there is an elaborate festive  spread ,then inji thayir will definitely be a part of the menu.

Thick yogurt /curd is whipped well and to this is added a finely ground paste of ginger,coconut, green chillies and curry leaves  along with salt and tempered with mustard .

Puli Inji is a lipsmacking dip from Kerala cuisine and Inji Karvepillai Thogayal (ginger curry leaves chutney)from Tamil Nadu  compliment the quint essential thayir saadham ( curd rice )  especially during hot summers

Ginger - the Magic Spice

Ginger is widely used in India and world over across cuisines.  We can see that ginger will be a mandatory ingredient as part of cooking be it vegetarian or meat based recipes.  The reason for the wide spread use of ginger /adrak/inji is the refreshing strong flavor and the immense medicinal value it exhibits.

 Ginger is a wonder herb which aids in digestion,  relieves mild colic pain ,immunity booster and aids in improving metabolism. Ginger is also anti inflammatory ,eases cough and cold .Ginger also plays a very major role in Ayurveda .

In North Indian cuisine ginger is used in various types of gravies ,dhalls, sabjis , biryanis and pulao in combination with garlic while in south indian cooking, we use it in chutneys,  thogayals, pachadi a.k.a raita variety.

Ginger Tea flavored with cardamom is a very popular and refreshing drink in India and we all love to sip on it regularly.  

Preparation Time - 5 mins

Cooking Time - nil

Complexity  - easy 

Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut 

2 medium green chillies 

1/4 inch of fresh ginger 

Few curry leaves 

Salt to taste

2 cups thick yogurt/dahi/curd 

1 tsp oil 

Few mustard seeds 

Few udad dhall 

1 dry red chilli 

Method 

• Whip the curd in a mixing bowl and keep ready.
• In a blender grind the coconut ,green chillies, ginger and curry leaves to a fine paste with little water.
• Add this paste to the whipped curd and mix well by adding required amount of salt. 
• Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds , udad dhall,  red chillies and curry leaves in hot oil . Once this seasoning cools down ,pour it over the curd .  If you pour hot tempering over the curd,there is a tendency for the curd to get sour if you are not going to eat immediately. 
• Serve this flavorful and delicious inji thayir with your regular meal or even with a spicy biryani or pulao too.

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Maangai Pisaral | Instant Mango Pickle | Maanga Oorgai

 The very name of raw mango is enough to salivate our taste buds and make us drool . Such is the power of the tanginess and unique taste that a raw mango exuberates . 

Today , I shall be sharing a quick and instant recipe of a tasty mango pickle which doesn't need any elaborate ingredients or pre and post processing . 

Known  by various names ; Maanga pisaral , Maangai thundam , Maanga Keeru , Maamidikaya pachadi , kalyana Manga oorga etc etc .. this pickle doesn't have a very long shelf life but tastes very heavenly and is served in almost all  South indian weddings during summer.  Usually the thothapuri /kilimooku mango variety is used to prepare this instant mango pickle

Offlate most of us are shying away from eating pickles for various health reasons.  As much as I agree on the health part of it , at times I love to take a bite of some spicy and tangy mango pickle and enjoy it with some chilled curd rice on a hot sunny afternoon.

For a South Indian, no meal is complete without the creamy curd rice and specially in summers  curd rice is  soothing and divine when served with some fresh manga pisaral.

Maanga pisaral is totally vegan and you can make it even Gluten free by skipping the asafoetida used for tempering. 

 Mangai thundam tastes heavenly and very flavorful when prepared using gingelly oil for the tempering, but you can use any other edible cooking oil too. I would highly recommend using only Gingelly/Sesame/Til oil to get the authentic flavor and taste. 

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - nil 
Serves - 2 to 3 
Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 

1 medium sized raw thothapuri mango /kilimooku maanga  or any variety raw mango .
1.5 tsp red chilli powder 
1/2 tsp turmeric/haldi 
Salt as needed 
1tbsp sesame oil/til oil 

1tsp mustard seeds 
Pinch of asafoetida (skip for GF)

Method 

• Wash and peel the mango . Chop into small cubes and transfer into a dry mixing bowl .
• Add the chilli powder, salt, turmeric to the chopped mango and mix it well.
• Heat the gingelly oil in a pan , splutter the mustard seeds ,turn off the stove and add the asafoetida if using and the gently pour it over the mango mix.
• Gently mix it such that the tempered oil coats the mango mixture evenly . Rest it for 20 mins for the flavors to steep in and then serve .
• Store it in the fridge and consume within 2 days as this is an instant version and has a low shelf life unlike the processed pickles .

Some other lipsmacking recipes using Raw Mango which you can try this summer !! 

Maangai Thogayal / Mango chutney 

Maangai Thokku 

Maangai Pachadi/ Tangy Mango dip

Maangai Saadham / Mango Rice

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Medhu Vada Platter - South Indian Delicacy

Medhu Vada is a traditional South Indian fritter or deep fried snack prepared using Black gram / Udad dhall / Ulutham Paruppu . Uddina Vade (Kannada) , Medhu Vadai(Tamil) , Garelu(Telegu) , Uzhunu vada(Malayalam) , Urad dal Vada (Hindi) are the various other names used in different parts of India .

 

 Medhu in Tamil means Soft and Vadai means Fritters , so it translates to Soft Fritters but colloquially it is often known just as Vadas .

In a south indian home, these vadas are made during many special occassions like marriages , birthday celebrations, festivals and as prasad during Varalakshmi Pooja , Ganesh Chaturthi, Krishna Janmashtami. 

Chutney and Sambar are the perfect accompaniments for piping hot and crispy vadas . If you happen to attend any Tamil wedding, you will be treated to sumptous soft Idli , Medhu Vada, Pongal and Kesari  as breakfast along with chutney, sambar and piping hot filter coffee .

The other famous variants are 

•  Rasam Vada - Crispy vadas are dunked in hot & tasty tomato rasam.
•  Sambar Vada - Crispy vadas dunked in piping hot Tiffin Sambar and topped with some coconut chutney. 
• Thayir Vada - Crispy Vadas are dunked in flavored yogurt spiced with coconut chilly mixture . The south indian style Dahi wada is slightly spicy from the North Indian Dahi Bhalla which is flavored using Sweetened yogurt alongwith variety of chutneys.

Click on individual names for detailed recipes 

• Tiffin Sambar 
• Coconut chutney
• Ven Pongal
• Kesari 

Diwali, is round the corner and this is the most rejoiced Hindu festival and celebrations are always vibrant and colorful.  Living up to the joy and cheer , we at FMBH are celebrating Diwali for our 272 week theme . So all of you enjoy this wonderful virtual Diwali with us and stay tuned for some exciting ,innovative and classic recipes from all my blogger friends. 

How is Medhu Vada prepared? 

• Simply put, a batter is prepared using soaked black gram / udad dhall and then the vadas are shaped and dropped into hot oil & fried until crisp and golden brown. 
• Simple as it may sound, there are certain tips and tricks to be followed which will help you get the perfect & crisp texture of the vadas as you taste at the restaurants . 
• The main challenge is preparing a fluffy batter using the soaked udad dhall . If the batter is ground to perfect consistency, then it is easy to shape the vadas . 
•  In this post, I have tried to cover maximum possible tips and videos to help you prepare tasty and crunchy medhu vadas at the comfort of your home. 

 Ingredients 

 1 cup udad dhall (split / full )

 1 tablespoon rice

 salt as needed 

 2 to 3 green chillies

 few fresh curry leaves 

fresh corriander chopped

 pinch of asafoetida ( Skip for GF) 

Oil for frying the vadas

For Thayir vada / Dahi vada 

3 tablespoons fresh grated coconut

1 green chilli

1/2 tsp jeera/cumin 

fresh corriander 

2 cups fresh curd / yogurt 

salt as needed

1 grated carrot 

For Rasam Vada 

Piping hot tomato rasam 

Fresh corriander leaves chopped

 Method 

• Wash the udad dal multiple times until the water appears clean . 
• Soak the udad dhall and rice for maximum 2hours and then drain the water & grind . Donot soak for more time . It will give sour taste . 
• When grinding batter for vadas,be it in mixie or the wet grinder,add water little by little and grind with patience. The batter will double in volume and feel very light. 
• Take a small blob of batter and drop it in a cup of water. It should float and not settle down like a blob. That is the right consistency. 
• When grinding in mixie use cold water as mixie jar tends to get heated up ,when you stop grinding and open the lid ,you can see the trapped air bubbles releasing one by one . This indicates good aeration.
• Once the batter is ground,add salt and beat it well with your hands.Using hands to beat the batter induces aeration which is most important for fluffy vadas.
• Mix finely chopped green chillies,curry leaves, corriander and asafoetida to the batter and keep in the fridge for 20 mins or until the oil is heated up well. 

Pro tips 

• Salt should always be added only after grinding the udad dhall else the batter won't double up
• If you are unable to grind for some reason , drain the water from the soaked udad dhall and refrigerate it . Grind it before 24hrs else it will give a foul smell . Also , rinse it nicely before grinding to remove the slimy coating.
• Keeping the batter in the fridge, helps to hold the shape of vada while patting it .
• Be very careful while adding water at the time of grinding . Too much water will make the batter watery and vadas can't be shaped properly. 

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How to shape the medhu vadas like donuts? 

• Wet your palms each time before shaping the vadas .
• Take some batter ,bounce them , flatten it , make a hole and drop it carefully in the hot oil.
• Donot add too many vadas in the oil, there must be space for flipping the vadas and even frying. 
• Fry on medium flame until it turns golden brown . this way the wadas will be soft and spongy from inside but crunchy and crispy from outside. 
• Frying on high flame will cook only from outside and the inside will remain undone and turn hard.

Thayir Vadai - South Indian style Dahi wada

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• Grind the coconut,jeera,chillies and little corriander to a fine paste .
• Whisk the yogurt /dahi/curd well until it is smooth and silky. Add this coconut mixture to the whisked dahi and add salt as needed. 
• In a wide bowl take some warm water and add 2 tbsp of this yogurt mixture to it and mix well .
• Dip the fried hot vadas into this warm water mixture for 1 to 2 mins and then transfer it to the yogurt mixture and let the yogurt coat the vadas nicely .
• Garnish with chopped corriander, grated carrots and put it in the refrigerator until serving.  You may also garnish with crisp boondis before serving .

Rasam Vadai

•  Prepare tomato rasam and keep ready. 
•  Dunk the freshly fried medhu vadas in piping hot tomato rasam such that the vadas are immersed well and serve hot . 
• Rasam vada always needs to be served piping hot .
• Incase the rasam has turned cold, remember to reheat in a microwave before you soak the vadas . 
• Never reheat or reboil rasam on a stove top, it will lose its flavor .
• If you do not have microwave , heat water in a wide pan and place the rasam vessel into that to get heated up . Works on the principle of double boiler .

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Vegetable Molagootal - Vegan vegetable curry (Palakkad Cuisine)

 Molagootal is an authentic and traditional recipe from Palakkad cuisine.  There is a slight difference in the kootu  and molagootal  though it might look the same .

In Tamil "Molagu" means "Black pepper " while in Malayalam or Palakkad Lingo "Molaku/Molagu" means " dry red chillies" . So initially I thought Molagootal or Milagutal has pepper ,going by the name but I was mistaken.  I have some lovely friends of Palakkad origin who cleared this air for me .  Today's recipe of mix veg molagootal was shared with me by Chandra aunty who I befriended through a food group on social media .

Palakkad / Palghat - some facts 

• For the uninformed, Palakkad or Palghat is a city in the southern state of Kerala . Like any other city in Kerala , Palakkad also has lot of temples , scenic surroundings , rivers and is a quaint and peaceful town.
• Palakkad has close proximity to the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu , hence Tamil and Malayalam are widely spoken by the natives of Palakkad . 
• Palakkad Junction is the nearest railway station.  Formerly it was known as Olavakkode Junction . This city is well connected by roadways and railways .

Palakkad Iyers / Kerala Iyers - who are they? 

• Generations ago, many Tamil Brahmins migrated to this beautiful place and their traditions and culture reflect a fusion of both Tamil Nadu and Kerala influence. 
•  The Tamil Brahmins who hail from Palakkad are called as Palakkad Iyers or Kerala Iyers and have a distinct dialect of Tamil which is again a mix of Malayalam and Tamil . Colloquialy it is called as Palakkad Tamizh .
• Most often the Brahmins would settle around a particular temple and their daily schedule would involve activities related to temple, special poojas , veda patshalas and various other rituals. This establishment is commonly called as "Agraharam". 
• Each Agraharam would be identified based on a temple around which it is established.  For example the establishment around a Ganapathy temple would be known as Ganapathy Agraharam and over time the families living there would be identified by that Agraharam name.
• Today we can find Palakkad Iyers all over the world and they have marked their presence in almost every field .
• They are very soft spoken and good natured .
• Notable personalities like Shankar Mahadevan - the ace singer , Vidya Balan - the Bollywood Diva have their ancestral roots in Palakkad. 

What is Palakkad Cuisine?

• Traditionally Palakkad cuisine makes use of native vegetables like ashgourd, red pumpkin, raw banana , tubers like yam , taro root , sweet potato etc  . The basic flavor is not very spicy or pungent . It is mild and suitable to all .
• Fresh Coconut, dry red chillies , udad dhall (black gram), pepper , ginger , green chillies , cumin and curry leaves are widely used as part of spices and spice paste/mixes.
• Jackfruit, mangoes , Nendran Banana are the most sought after fruits and used in a variety of sweets and pradhaman (kheer).
• Molagooshyam , Molagootal, Puli Inji , Aviyal,Chakka Pradhaman , Paal Payasam , Mezhukkuveratti , Thoran , Masiyal are some popular items from Palakkad cuisine.

This is the 268th week in our Foodie Monday Bloghop and Narmadha of Nam's Corner suggested we share recipes with Coconut .

As we all know in Kerala and other coastal regions of India , coconut and coconut oil is used in plenty as we can find Coconuts in abundance in and around any coastal region .  I am going to try her simple recipe of "Dal Moth Mixture" this time for Diwali . 

You can never separate a South Indian and coconut as they are both made for each other . We use coconut in almost every single recipe in some way or the other . 

Coconut tree is known as the Kalpavriksha . 

Kalpavriksha means a tree where every single part of the tree is useful in one way or the other.

•  The coconut water from the tender coconut is very healthy and delicious. A very good source of rehydration for our body.
• When tender coconut is let to dry it is becomes  Nariyal / Copra and is used in cooking and also to extract coconut oil
• The coconut husk, called coir, is used for rope making.
• Coconut leaves are used in making fans , make shift roofs , mats etc 
• Midrib of the tree when dried is used for making boats and decorative pieces too.
• Even the dried coconut shells are used as a source of fuel along with wood and logs to fire up traditional stoves in villages.

Now let us head to this very simple but tasty recipe of mix vegetable molagootal.

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Cooking Time - 30 mins

Complexity - Simple

Serves - 3 to 4

Recipe courtesy  - Mrs Chandra Muthukrishnan 

Ingredients 

To grind 

8 to 10 tbsp fresh grated coconut 

3 to 4 dry red chillies 

2 tsp jeera /cumin seeds 

For the molagootal 

2 cups chopped mix vegetables  (beans, carrots, white pumpkin , peas , potato)

1/4 cup thoor dhall/ pigeon peas 

1/4 cup moong dhall/split peas 

Pinch of turmeric

Fresh curry leaves 

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp udad dhall 

Salt as needed

Pinch of asafoetida 

Method 

• Wash both the dhalls and pressure cook with turmeric until soft and mushy. 
• Grind the coconut, red chillies , cumin with water to a fine paste. 
• Boil the chopped vegetables with little salt until they are 3/4th done.
• Add in the ground masala paste and stir well . Cook until the raw flavor of coconut and red chilies is lost . Adjust water so that the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom and burn .
• Stir in the cooked dhall and mix it well until it reaches a rolling boil and then turn it off.
• Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds , udad dhall , curry leaves and asafoetida in hot coconut oil and pour it over the molagootal.
• Serve it hot with rice and puli inji or any raita . 

Some delicious sweets using Coconut that you may want to try for the upcoming Navratri festival 

Traditional Thenga Burfi (coconut barfi)

Coffee Flavored Coconut Barfi

Oats Coconut Ladoo 

Seeyam / Chitthunde/ Boorelu 

Coconut Dryfruit Payasam

Vendakkai Podi Potta Sambar | Lady's finger Sambar - Vegan & Coconut free

 Moment we say Sambar ,many people think and see it only as an accompaniment for idlis  ,vadas, dosas etc . Undoubtedly it is that but there is a lot more to it. 

In a South Indian household, Sambar is a staple menu and a perfect accompaniment with steaming hot rice . Though we make various types of gravy or curry like kootu , morekuzhambu , vethakolambu etc as a part of our daily menu , Sambar will definitely feature atleast 2 to 3 times a week or at times daily in many homes .

There are so many variations in way Sambar is prepared even though the basic ingredients remain the same .  Each family has an heirloom recipe for making the Sambar powder which forms the heart and soul of the dish .

In our home we make Sambar in 2 ways viz;

1. by grinding coconut with freshly made sambar masala which is also called as "Araichu Vitta Sambar " where "Araichu Vitta" means "using freshly ground coconut masala" 
2. by just using the sambar masala without any coconut and this is called "Podi Potta Sambar" which translates to "Sambar prepared using Sambar Masala" 

Today we shall see how to prepare lip smacking Podi Potta Sambar using Bhindi / lady's finger . You can use store bought sambar masala or quickly prepare it at home.  Check my video link below to prepare Sambar powder in less than 3 mins 

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 30 mins
Serves - 3 to 4
Complexity - Medium   

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Ingredients 

3 tbsp sambar powder

10 to 12 bhindi/okra/lady finger 

1 medium tomato 

Medium lemon sized tamarind soaked in hot water 

3/4th cup thoor dhall (1 cup = 200ml )

Pinch of turmeric/haldi

Salt as needed

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

Pinch of asafoetida 

Fresh curry leaves 

Method 

• Wash and pressure cook the thoor dhall until soft and mushy.  Add haldi /turmeric while cooking the dhall.

• Extract the tamarind water and filter it using a strainer .

• Chop the okra into 1 inch long pieces .

• Chop the tomato into big cubes 

• In a thick bottomed vessel , add the tamarind extract , chopped bhindi and tomatoes with a little salt and cook until the raw flavor of tamarind is lost . The veggies will get cooked in this tamarind water so don't worry about it. The sliminess in the lady finger won't be there when cooked in tamarind water.

• After the raw flavor of tamarind is lost, add sambar powder, cooked dhall and some salt if needed . You may add a tsp of jaggery powder to enhance the taste .

• Adjust water if you find the sambar too thick.

• Let it come to a rolling boil and will appear frothy .

• Turn it off at this stage and prepare a tempering of mustard seeds and asafoetida in hot oil with some curry leaves and pour it over the sambar .

• Enjoy it with steamed rice and some pappadums  

Some other Sambar variants on the blog that you must try 

Drumstick Sambar 

Potato Sambar 

Greens (Palak) Sambar 

Karamani (lobia) Sambar 

Tiffin Sambar for Idli Dosa Vada  (restaurant style)

South Indian Lunch - Thali #3

 Festival time or special occasions at home call for a delicious spread keeping in mind every  family member's liking and prepared with love and utmost affection. 

Today's thali is very close to my heart with all of my mom's favorite which she would always relish and as a tribute to her I prepared this small thali on her birthday.

I wanted to make this my 300th post as a gratitude post to my mom who has been a friend , philosopher and guide as long as she was there and continues to be my guiding angel every minute. Coincidentally, that very day we bloggers at FMBH were discussing about the 264th week's monday theme and we finalized on Thali theme which was proposed by Sasmita of First timer cook . 

 Hence, my 300th post was a delicious Choco Orange Cake and this delectable thali got scheduled for 264th week - "Time for Thali" . If you love chocolate flavor like me , you should check out Sas' piped chocolate cookies which are a melt in mouth treat for all chocolate lovers

It took me a total of 2.5 hours to prepare this thali from scratch . I started preparing around 9.30am. I have detailed how I went about with the pre preparations to make cooking stress free. 

The items on thali starting with the small cups on plate 

1. Thovve / Dhall /Paruppu 
2. Podi Pota Sambar
3. Aviyal
4. Tomato rasam
5. Vellarikai kosambri / Cucumber salad
6. Nendran chips / Kerala Banana chips
7. Plain Rice with ghee 
8. Semia Payasam /vermicelli pudding/ sevayyan kheer
9. Curd / Dahi / Yogurt 

Recipe for thovve and podi pota sambar is detailed below while recipes for all other items are linked and you can click on individual item names to get the detailed recipe.

 Pre Preparations 

• Chopping of vegetables for the Avial, salad/kosambri  and Sambar . 
• Grating the coconut for preparing the masala for Avial and salad . I prefer to grate fresh coconut for aviyal , incase you are using frozen grated coconut, thaw the required quantity atleast 30min prior to cooking. 
• Pressure cooking the thuvar dhall with haldi for sambar and thovve.
• Blanching the tomatoes for rasam
• Soaking tamarind in hot water to prepare the tamarind extract for sambar and rasam. 
• Nendran chips I had prepared the previous evening .
• Boil fresh milk for kheer /payasam
• Curd was set the previous night 

Thovve / Paruppu 

Paruppu or thovve is served soon after hot rice and ghee are served on the plate or banana leaf . People usually mix hot rice with this paruppu and start enjoying their feast . Dhall is followed by Sambar and other items which are served one by one.

Ingredients 

1 cup pressure cooked thoor dhall /thuvaram paruppu 

1 tsp cooking oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

Few fresh curry leaves + chopped corriander 

2 tsp grated coconut

Salt as needeed

Pinch of asafoetida 

Method 

• Mash the boiled dhall with a whisk or beater till it is creamy . Add required quantity of salt.
• Heat oil in a small pan and temper with mustard seeds , curry leaves and asafoetida. 
• Pour this tempering over the dhall and lastly add the fresh coconut and corriander leaves . Mix well.
• Serve with hot rice and a dollop of ghee.

Podi Pota Sambar 

In Tamil ,podi means  masala /spice powder , pota means " put " so loosely Podi pota sambar means a Sambar prepared  with spice powder and there is no use of coconut masala paste .Just freshly ground sambar powder is used in the preparation of this sambar. Podi pota sambar tastes very delicious and is easy to prepare . A perfect accompaniment for even idlis, dosas and vadas too .

I have used beans and carrot as vegetables for this sambar,but we can use any vegetable like ashgourd, red pumpkin, lady's finger etc. 

Ingredients 

8 to 10 French beans 

1 medium carrot 

1.5 cups tamarind extract 

3 tbsp freshly ground sambar powder 

2 cups boiled and mashed thoor dhall 

1 cup water 

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds /methi

Salt as needed 

1 tsp jaggery powder

Fresh corriander 

Method 

• Cut the French beans into 1 inch long pieces . Peel the carrot and cut into 1 inch long pieces
• Boil the carrot and french beans in water with a little salt .
• Once the vegetables are 3/4th done add the tamarind extract , haldi and 1 tbsp sambar poeder.Boil until the raw flavor of tamarind  is lost .
• Once the raw flavor is lost , add the boiled thoor dhall, jaggery and remaining sambar powder , mix well and bring it to a rolling boil . Adjust salt if needed and also check for the consistency of sambar. If too thick, add some water and bring it to the right consistency. You can add some more sambar powder if you want it more spicy . 
• Prepare tempering of mustard seeds and methi seeds in oil and pour it over the sambar and garnish with fresh corriander .
• Add a dollop of ghee when you pour the tempering, this gives a nice flavor to the sambar.

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Other South Indian thali variants on my blog 

Thali # 1 

(Vethakuzhambu, rasam, potato stir fry,Alphonso mangoes , buttermilk)

Thali #2 

(Capsicum rice , Aviyal, Baby Potato roast, Curd rice) 

Thali #3 

Aloo Capsicum Sambar , carrot Kosambri , chou chou carrot curry , rasam, kheer , curd and papad