Miscellaneous not to be missed !

Coriander Paratha - let us include more greens !

For the parathas:

Wheat flour - 2 cups

Ghee - 1 tbsp

salt

Enough water to make the dough

Filling:

Coriander leaves, finely chopped &dried on a towel - 2 cups

Jeera powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Ajwain - 1 tsp ( coarsely powder )

Amchur powder - 1 tsp

Besan - 1 tbsp

Minced green chillies - 2 tsp

Salt

Ghee or oil for making parathas

For the dough, mix all the ingredients to a soft dough adding water.

Rest for half an hour, covered with as damp cloth.

Mix all ingredients for the filling.

Take a ball of the dough & roll into a 4” diameter chappathi.

Smear a few droops of ghee or oil all over.

Spread some filling well on it.

Now fold from one side, rolling like a mat & coil to a circular small shape.

Lightly flatten by hand & then roll into a paratha with a rolling pin.

Cook on a hot tava, applying oil or ghee on each side, till brown patches appear all over.

Serve with any spicy gravy with vegetables or dhal.


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Nannari Sharbath - do all delicacies come only from enga ooru Madurai ?

Nannari ( sarasaparilla ) roots are availabe in Indian medicine stores or Nattu marundu kadai.

Sarasaparilla(nannari) roots 100gms

Water 1 litre

Sugar 1 kg

Lemon 6

Break the sarasaparilla roots into 1"-2" pieces.

Dry very well in hot sun.

Ligtly crush and remove the hard portion inside.

Powder the rest fine in a dry grinder.

Boil the water, remove from the stove and add this powder, mixing well.

Leave for 8-10 hrs undisturbed.

Strain using fine muslin cloth, add sugar , put on stove again.

Heat stirring continuously ( to prevent sugar sticking at the bottom) till you get a slightly sticky consistency.

Remove, cool well and add juice from the lemons.

More lime juice is optional.

This preserves very well.

To 1 portion of syrup add 3 portions ice water and put it in a blender for few seconds.

It fizzes very well and tastes very good.

 

Chinese sauces - a prelude to some Chinese dishes.

They are a very important accompaniment to Chinese food & are required with savouries & most of the main dishes. Sauces add zest to a Chinese meal. Spread them & allow your guests to flavour dishes according to their own likes.

Green Chilli Sauce:

Green chillies - 30

Garlic - 4 cloves

Vinegar - ½ cup

Sugar - 1 ½ tbsp

Soya sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt

Peel the garlic & chop green chillies into large pieces.

Mix together garlic, green chillies, ¼ cup vinegar, salt & sugar.

Grind to a smooth paste without adding water.

Add soya sauce & the remaining ¼ cup vinegar to the paste & stir well.

Transfer to a bowl & serve.

Red Chilli Sauce:

Red chillies - 30

Garlic - 4 cloves

Vinegar - ½ cup

Sugar - 1 ½ tbsp

Salt to taste

Worcester sauce - 1 tbsp

Peel the garlic.

Mix red chillies, garlic, ¼ cup vinegar, salt & sugar to a smooth paste without adding any water.

Add Worcester sauce , remaining vinegar to the ground paste & mix well.

Transfer to a bowl & serve.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

Tomato sauce - ½ cup

Vinegar - ¼ cup

Sugar - 2 ½ tbsp

Water - 1 cup

Cornflour - 2 tbsp

White pepper - ½ tsp

Salt

Mix all the ingredients in a pan & heat slowly on the stove.

Stir constantly till the mixture boils.

Remove & pour into a bowl.

Sour & Hot Sauce:

Water - ½ cup

Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Black pepper - 1 tbsp

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Sugar - ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Same procedure as Sweet & Sour Sauce:.

Garlic Sauce:

Garlic - 20 cloves

Oil - 2 tbsp

Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

Water - ¼ cup

White pepper - ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Soya sauce - 1 tsp

Cornflour - 1 tbsp, mixed with ¼ cup of water

Peel & grind garlic fine.

Heat the oil & fry the garlic on a slow fire.

Add tomato sauce, water, pepper, salt & soya sauce.

Bring to the boil & simmer for 2 mts.

Add cornflour-water mixture, stirring all the time, until the sauce thickens.

Transfer to a bowl.

Hot Garlic Sauce:

Garlic - 20 cloves

Green chillies - 2

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

Soya sauce - 1 tsp

Water - ¾ cup

White pepper - ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Chop green chillies, peel garlic & grind both to a smooth paste.

Heat the oil & fry the paste on a low fire for 2 mts.

Add chilli powder & fry for 1 mte again on a low fire.

Combine the other ingredients & heat to boil.

Reduce & simmer for 2 mts.

Remove & transfer to a bowl.

 

Chinese Accompaniments: - they enhance the taste of Chinese food.

Vinegar Chillies:

Brown or white vinegar - 1 cup

Finely chopped green chillies - ½ cup

Salt - ½ tsp

Sugar - ½ tsp

Put the vinegar in a bowl.

Add all ingredients & stir well.

Cover & serve after 4 hrs – only then te chillies will lose some of their bite.

This is served with all Chinese dishes.

Pickled Onions:

Baby onions - 8

Sugar - ½ tsp

Black pepper - ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Vinegar - ¼ cup

Water - ½ cup

Peel & parboil the onions.

Place in a glass bowl.

Add all other Ingredients & stir well.

Use after 2 days.

Pickled Spring Onions:

Spring onions - 8

Sugar - ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Vinegar - ¼ cup

Water - ½ cup

Minced green chillies - 1 tbsp ( optional)

Peel the onions & cut off the green tops, retaining some of the stem.

Place the onions in a glass jar.

Add all other ingredients & stir well.

Keep closed & use after a day.

Pickled Cucumbers:

Cucumbers - 2 medium or 4 baby cucumbers

Sugar - 1 tsp

White pepper - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Vinegar - ¼ cup

Water - ½ cup

If the cucumbers are medium size, peel & cut into 4 sticks, lengthwise.

Baby cucumbers can be used whole.

Place them in a glass jar & add all ingredients.

Stir & keep closed.

Use after one hour minimum.

 

Sandwich Fillings - Mine are DESI, please !

Sweet fillings:

For plain or grilled sandwich:

Bread slices are preferably, slightly buttered.

Sliced banana + honey

Sliced banana + brown sugar

Finely chopped pineapple & grated processed cheese - photo shown below

Finely chopped apple + grated processed cheese

Condensed milk + grated chocolate

Other fillings:

Eggless Mayonnaise Sauce:

Fresh cream - 200 gms

Mustard powder - 2 tsp

Salt - ½ tsp,

pepper - ½ tsp

Powdered sugar - 3 tbsp

Any odourless oil - ¼ cup

White vinegar - 3 tsp

Take fresh cream in a vessel & add mustard powder, salt, pepper & sugar.

Keep this over crushed ice & beat well till it is a bit thick.

Gradually add oil & beat further till the whole mixture acquires a sauce-like consistency.

Add vinegar & mix slowly & thoroughly.

Store airtight in the fridge

Spreading mayonnaise on either or both slices tastes very good.

Grated paneer + chopped onions + chopped green chillies + salt ( preferably grilled)

Coriander chutney + cucumber slices

Mint chutney + tomato slices

Tomato slices + grated processed cheese

Grated paneer + finely chopped pineapple + grated paneer ( specially good for brown bread)

Rajma sandwich :

Soak & cook rajmah soft the usual way. Cool & grind it with salt , red chilli pdr or chilli sauce. Spread this thickly on a slice of brown bread, keep tomato slices, cheese slice &toast in sandwich toaster.

Russian Sandwich:

Mix togetger

Chopped & boiled carrots, beans & peas - ¾ cup

Boiled & chopped potatoes - ¼ cup

Chopped pineapple - ¼ cup

Mayonnaise - ½ cup

Salt & pepper

On one slice of buttered bread, keep a lettuce leaf & then the filling.

Cover with another buttered slice.

Cut & serve.

Club Sandwich:

This has 2 fillings with 3 slices.

The first filling is Russian sandwich filling.

The second is
Tomato slices + cucumber slices + cheese with salt & pepper.

Colourful spreads for children’s parties:

Cheese spread-butter+finely grated cheese+pepper+salt

Potato spread- mashed potato+yellow colour+above spread

Mustard spread-cheese spread+mustd pdr+lemon colour

Orange colour spread-cheese spread+tomato ketchup+ finely grated parboiled carrot

Green spread-cheese spread+finely chopped cucumber+ground gr:chillies+cor:leaves

Pink spread- cheese spread+ finely grated boiled beetroot+little chilli pdr

 

Jain Tomato Chutney – Goes well with all tiffins, specially idiyappam

By jain, I mean it does not contain onion & garlic.
Ripe red tomatoes - 4, chop

Red chillies - 4, 5

Hing - ¼ tsp

Gram dhal - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tsp to fry the above & 1 tsp to temper

Coconut - 3-4 tbsp

Salt

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Heat 2 tsp oil & fry red cillies first.

Then add gram dhal & saute till it turns light brown.

Finally add tomatoes & hing.

Fry till the tomatoes become soft.

Cool & grind with coconut & salt.

Temper as given.

This goes with all tiffins.

 

Moong Porridge – Desi substitute for cereals for breakfast !

Moong - ½ cup

Red chilli powder - ¼ tsp

Salt, haldi

Lime juice - 1-2 tsp

Jaggery - 2 tsp ( optional)

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Red chillies - 1, broken


Hing - ½ tsp

As a topping:

Ghee - 2 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tsp

Wash very well & soak moong in 2 cups of water.

Next morning, add salt & haldi & boil till soft.

Temper as given add red chilli powder & jaggery.

Simmer to desired consistency, adding little more water, if necessary.

Serve with lime juice, ghee & coriander leaves.

 

Chinese Noodles - a perennial favourite, in every house !

I used Hakka Veg Noodles, made with 100% durum wheat. I think you can use any available good brand.
Boil plenty of water to which a little salt & 1 tsp oil are added. Drop the noodles & boil well for 2-3 mts. The noodles are cooked “aldent” ( patially cooked ). Drain, spread on a plate & toss in 1 tsp oil to prevent sticking.
Vegetables like cabbage, capsicum, little carrot, little baby corn are used.
Shred them thin & long.
Spring onions give the best flavour. If not available, use regular onions.
You can use finely chopped red chillies along with garlic or red chilli flakes & chilli-garlic sauce, if you like it. I have added it, in the photo shown. That is optional.
The vegetables must be crunchy to eat.

Boiled noodles - 2 cups

Finely chopped garlic - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 2, 3, broken into tiny pieces or chilli flakes to taste

Shredded vegetables - 2 cups

Chopped onions - ½ cup ( if using spring onions, use white portion now & green portions for garnishing)

Ajinomoto - ¼ tsp ( optional)

Salt

Oil - 2 tbsp ( olive oil is best)

Heat oil & first fry garlic & red chillies on a high flame till they sizzle well.

Add vegetables & onions.

Add ajinomoto & stir fry on a high flame for a few mts.

Then add noodles, chilli flakes & salt.

Stir on a high flame for 2 mts. Stir on a high flame for 2 mts.

Serve hot, garnished with green tops of spring onions.

If chilli-garlic sauce is not available, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup may be added. This is also optional.

 

Samosa Chole - the youngsters’ “forever favourite” chat!

This forms a meal by itself.

Chole:

Chick peas( Kabul Channa) - 1 cup

Onions - 2, finely chopped

Tomatoes - 2, finely chopped

Green chilies - 2,3, slit lengthwise

Ginger juliennes - 3 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Dhania powder - 1 tsp

Chole masala - 3 tsp (store-bought )

Oil - 3 tbsp

Dry methi leaves - 2 tsp

To serve :

Sweet chutney

Either the date chutney or jaggery-tamarind chutney given in

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7577&postcount=50

green chutney:

Pudina or coriander leaves - 1 small bunch

Jeera - 1 tsp, roast & powder

Black salt - ½ tsp

Pepper powder - ½ tsp

Green chillies - 1-2

Salt ( optional)

For chutney, grind pudina or coriander leaves, green chillies & black salt.

Add jeera & pepper powders.

To garnish:

Chopped onions, Chopped coriander leaves, sev

Soak channa with ½ tsp cooking soda overnight.

Wash well & pressurize with little salt & a teabag immersed till very soft.

Take 2 tbsp & grind to a paste.

Hear oil in a pressure pan & brown onions well.

Next add tomatoes, green chillies & ginger juliennes.

Fry for 5 mts & add red chilli powder, dhaniya powder & chole masala.

Saute for few mts & add boiled channa & ground paste.

Add salt & if necessary little water to get the right consistency.

Close the cooker, put the weight & cook till one whistle comes.

Cool, open & add 2 tsp ghee when hot.

To serve:

Place 2 samosas, break them into pieces.

Pour chole over it.

Add both chutneys to taste & sprinkle chopped onions.

Garnish with sev & chopped coriander leaves.