Vada Pav

I had a couple of friends with their family visiting us last weekend, so had to think of the menu much ahead. I wanted to make something different but not time consuming. By public demand from my family, ended up preparing 'Vada Pav' which was an instant success. It was real fun having hot Vada pav on a cold evening. Sharing the recipe with you all to enjoy.

Ingredients:
Pav
Boiled Potatoes - 4
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies(finely chopped) - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro(Finely chopped)
Green chilly paste
Samosa chutney
Oil
For the batter:
Besan (Gram flour) - 2 cups
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt

Put 3 tsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add ginger garlic paste and ginger paste. Keep stirring till it is done and releases flavour. Add turmeric powder, chopped green chillies, chopped cilantro, mashed potatoes and salt. Mix well and keep aside. Once it is cooled, make into small balls and keep aside.

Mix the batter ingredients with water so that it forms a batter of considerable thick consistency so that the potato balls are coated thick.

Heat oil and keep dipping the potato balls in the thick batter and deep fry in medium heat till all the sides are done. Remove and keep it paper towel to take away the excess oil.

Butter the pav (bread) on both the sides generously and gently toast in a hot tava till it turns golden brown. Apply green chilly paste on one side of the pav and samosa chutney on the other side. The vada pav is complete when you place the vada in between the pav. Here is the yummy 'Vada pav' ready 'Garam garam'.

Sun Lover

I came across a very interesting article on the effects of weather on the human psyche. As a matter of fact, I am the kind of person who associates myself with the sun. Being an early riser all my life, I used to wake up with the sun ray's glistening across my face.
This was until a few years back when I changed my location to a place where it snows six months a year. I wake up now to the annoying ringer tone of my cell phone alarm which I manage to switch off a couple of times before I finally wriggle out of my bedcovers and a couple of minutes more.... before I muster all my strength and drag myself from bed. The enthusiasm is just not there anymore. I don't want to be sounding pessimistic but its time I realize what I've turned into. They say its all in one's mind and well this is what my mind dishes out rite now. Oh well! I'll be fine, things will get better, the sun is going be out there , just a few days more. Been saying this for three months now.Sigh!
Finally, my prayer's seems answered. The sun had been out all day yesterday and with it my mood had hit an all time high. Getting back to my old "early riser" self was a welcome change for my family who had started to worry about the zombie I had turned into. I quickly planned out the list to-do in my mind. Hmm..lets see.....

• Not wearing a snowcoat- check
  
• A long walk in the sun - check
• French vanilla ice cream with brownie and caramel, delish - check
• Shopping in outlet - double check
• Maybe a movie in the end too :)

The sun had completely changed me. As they say, you never realize the value of something until you can't have it anymore. As planned, I headed out to the mall for some much indulgent shopping. Then stepped into my favorite Coldstone Cremery for generous extra toppings (guilt-free) and completely relished the ice cream. I had headed back home for lunch. After lunch, I settled into a patio chair in my balcony with a book and a nice hot cup of masala chai. I could hear the birds chirps, the ducks quacking, the water fountain in the lake- heaven! And then I drifted..drifted...into a deep slumber....

It is 10am today and has been snowing ever since I woke up. I am back to my cellphone alarm, back to my snowcoat, back to my boots...blah..blah...blah...back to being the zombie....

Sambar (Kutti Vengayam)

This is a recipe which is very popular in our house. Amma used to prepare this every weekend. This is prepared with shallots and fresh murungukka. My favorite combination was with cabbage or potato curry. I made this dish last weekend with spinach (keerai masiyal) and cabbage/ carrot curry with javarsi vadam (sabudhana papad).

Contents
Shallots (small red onions/ kutti vengayam): 8-10
Toor dal: 1 cup
Tamarind: 2 tsp (soaked in 1 cup warm water for 10 min)
Sambar powder: 1 tsp (use MTR madras sambar powder in case you don't have homemade :)- recipe soon to follow)
Turmeric (3/4 tsp)
Asafoetida: 2 pinches
Sesame seed oil- 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves- a few leaf strands (nicely chopped)
Salt to taste

Tadka:
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Sesame seed oil- 1 tsp
Curry Leaves- 3 to 4

Recipe
1. Peel the shallots and cut each slice into half
2. Heat some sesame seed oil in the pan and add the asafoetida and the shallots. (You may skip this step, I usually do it to avoid the raw smell of onions)
3. Marginally cook the shallots (do not fry them)
4. Squeeze the tamarind juice and add it to the cooked shallots.
5. Add the sambar powder and turmeric and let the entire mixture boil in medium high for 15 min.
6. Boil the toor dal and add it to the mixture
7. Add salt to the sambar
8. For the tadka heat oil in a separate pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
9. Add the curry leaves to the ooil and pour it over the sambar.
10. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

Bon Appetit!

Stuffed Karela (Bitter gourd)

This recipe is developed and prepared by my husband.  Me and my daughters enjoy his cooking as he comes out with new ideas and innovative ingredients to the usual recipes too.  One of the innovative 'Stuffed Karela' recipe is given below.

Ingredients:

Karela (Bitter gourd) -2  medium sized
Besan (Gram flour)  - 3 heaped tablespoons
Rice flour - 1 heaped tablespoon
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 6 tbsp

Filling:

In a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil, put mustard seeds, when it splutters add Jeera and Hing.  Switch off the heat and add besan, rice flour, pepper powder, turmeric powder,chilli powder, Asafoetida and salt (little extra for the karela too) and mix well in the residual heat.  Do not use water in the entire procedure.

Wash the Karela well and wipe it dry.  Slit it open into two lengthy halves.  Remove the pith and dry it with a paper towel.  Fill it with the above stuffing mixture and close the karela and tie it with a thread so that it does not fall apart and the stuffing is in tact while done.

Pour 4 tbsp oil in a flat bottom non stick pan and place the stuffed karelas on it. Keep turning the karelas on medium heat initially with lid on.  When it is free of moisture, remove the lid and keep turning till it is done.

Transfer and remove the threads and slice it into small pieces. This dish goes well with Rice items and Rotis.

'Hunger finds no fault with the cooking' - Anonymous

Celebrating Karthigai Deepam today

Best wishes to all Blogger friends on the occasion of Karthigai Deepam