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.