Tasty tiffins , Tastier snacks!

Sago Special Mixture - nothing more than frying and assembling !

For this, buy the tiny variety sago so that the frying will be uniform. Do not buy nylon sago.


Sago- 250 gms

Roasted peanuts - 1 cup

Fried gram - 100 gms ( puffed gram or pottukadalai)

Cashewnuts - 100 gms

Raisins - 50 gms (optional)


Curry leaves - few

Red chillies - 5, 6

Salt

Hing - 1 tsp

Spread kitchen tissues on plates, to spread the deep fried ingredients.

Heat oil in a kadai & first fry casews & raisins.

Next fry curry leaves till crisp.

To fry the sagoeasily, put one tbsp or less in a metal strainer, immerse this in hot till they puff up well & remove.
Repeat sago in batches thus.

After the oil in all the fried ingredients is absorbed by the kitchen tissue completely, transfer to a vessel.

Deep fry the red chillies & powder with salt & hing.

Powder & add to the mixture.

Mix well, cool thoroughly & store airtight.

 

Jiffy Vellayappam - this is equally soft, but absorbs less oil !

Yet another recipe, I learnt from Ms Cheeniya ! In Madurai, this is made for Deepavali breakfast in many houses.

Raw rice - ½ cup

Urad dhal - ½ cup

Minced green chillies - 1 tbsp

Minced ginger - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Chopped curry leaves - 2 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Coarsely powdered pepper & jeera - 2 tsp

Salt

Oil - to deep fry or shallo fry, as given below

Wash & soak rice & dhal together for 1 hour.

Drain well & grind fine.

The consistency should be that of idli dough.

Add salt & all minced ingredients & pepper-jeera coarse powdered.

Heat oil, smearing hand with water, form balls & drop in oil.

The alternate method is shallowfrying if you have a “paniyara chatti” or “appakaral”

Turn over when one side is cooked & cook till uniformly brown all over.

Gently wrap absorbent tissues around it to absorb oil !

Serve with coconut chutney.

 

Ragi Oothappam - the taste is simply superb !

Ragi flour - 1 cup

Potatoes - 2 med (Boiled & grated)

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt, hing

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Oil - to make oothappams

Mix all ingredients with water to dosa dough consistency.

Make oothappams as usual, using little oil.

Serve with coconut chutney.

 

Lapsi-Sprout Upma - nuitritious, suitable for diabetics also !

Lapsi - 1 cup

Moong or Horesgram sprouts - 1 cup

Water - 2 ½ -3 cups

Salt, hing

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Either

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad & gram dhals each - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 3,4

Curry leaves - few

OR

Pepper-jeera coarsely powdered - 2 tsp

Ginger chopped - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

In a pressure pan, temper either of the above.

Then add lapsi & roast on a low fire for 5 mts.

Now add sprouts & water.

Add salt & hing.

When the entire mixture starts boiling, close the cooker & keep the weight.

Do not wait for whistle, simmer & switch off after 10 mts.

Cool, open & serve with any chutney or sambar.

 

Oats Idli - Yet another dish with the “low cholestrol” cereal !

Oats - 1 cup

Urad dhal - ¼ cup, heaped

Gram dhal - 1-2 tbsp ( soak for an hour & drain)

Eno’s fruit salt - 1 level tsp per 1 cup of fermented dough

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Minced green chillies + ginger - 3 tsp

Coarsely powdered pepper + jeera - 2 tsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

Wash & soak urad dhal for 30 mts.

Drain well for 1 hour.

Grind till fluffy adding water in teaspoons.

Remove, mix with oats soaked in ½ cup of water for 15 mts & salt.

Ferment for 8-10 hrs.

Temper as given.

Add the soaked & drained gram dhal.

Make like rava idli, adding fruit salt just before steaming.

Serve with sambar or any chutney.

 

Besan Kara Appam - takes 15 mts flat !

This tastes very similar to Bajji (minus vegetables), the ingredients being similar !


Besan - ½ cup

Rice flour - ¼ cup

Maida - ¼ cup

Curds - 1 tbsp

Rde chilli powder - 1 tsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

Salt

Fruit salt - 1 tsp (or cooking soda ½ tsp)

Oil - to shallw fry

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Finely chopped curry leaves - few

Mix all ingredients with enough water to a dosa-cnsidtency dough.

Whisk very well to get soft appams.

Temper & add fruit salt just bfore making it well & beat well.

Shallow fry in a Paniyaram pan or appa karal.

Serve with coconut chutney or tomato sauce.

 

Sambar Vadai - yet another ideal dish for parties !

For ulundu vadai,please go to
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/ask-chitvish/554-tips-tips-tips-5.html#post2922

For sambar:

I make this without dhal so that the whole dish will not be heavy

Boil together, blend and strain in a soup strainer:

Tomatoes - 4,5

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Roast in 2 tsp oil & grind to a paste:

Red chillies - 4, 5 (or to taste)

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Dhaniya - 3 tsp

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Chopped small onions - ½ cup

Curry leaves - few

Mix both the blended mixture and the ground paste.

Add salt & enough water to get the sambar consistency.

Boil & remove.

Temper in 1 tsp oil with mustard seeds and 2,3 slit green chillies.

To assemble:

As soon as you fry the vadais, drop them in a big basin of cold water.

After 1 hour, take each vadai, gently squeeze between palms & keep on a plate.

Arrange side by side & not one over the other.

Pour the sambar all over.

Garnish with chopped raw onions (optional), chopped coriander leaves & bits of karuvadam or appalam (optional).

Serve at room temperature.

This makes a very good dish in get-togethers.

 

Oats Dosai (With onion) - very quick & simple !

This can be prepared in a jiffy.

Oats - ½ cup

Riceflour & Rava - each ¼ cup

Thin buttermilk - 1 cup

Salt, hing

Oil - to make dosai

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Musard seeds - 1 tsp

Chopped onions - 2-3 tbsp

Chopped green chillies - 2 tsp

Mix all the 3 dry ingredients with salt & buttermilk.

Temper the given ingredients.

If necessary, add little water to get dosa batter consistency.

Make dosas the usual way – they will not come out thin.

But they are soft & tasty.

Serve with any chutney or sambar.

 

No Oil Oats Dosai - a dieter’s dream come true!

Make these dosais on a non-stick tava, without a drop of oil, on a low flame. This cannot be spread very thin because of the oats grains. But it comes out very soft.

Dosa Batter (regular) - 1 cup

Oats - 1 cup

Soak oats in minimum water for one hour till it becomes very soft.

Mix this with dosa batter & rest for an hour.

Make dosas, keeping them covered while cooking, so that they will not stick.

Serve with any chutney or sambar.

You can add chopped onions & green chillies, if you like.

 

Cereal Oothappam - make it fast !

Maize flour (makai ka atta) - ½ cup ( makka chola mavu)

White millet flour (jowar flour) - ½ cup

Wheat flour - ½ cup

Chopped onions - 1/3 cup

Chopped green chillies - 2 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 2-3 tbsp

Salt, oil to make

Mix all ingredients with water, to make a soft loose dough.

Greasing a non-stick pan lightly, make small oothappams.

Cook on both sides till golden brown.

Serve hot with any chutney.