Step By Step photos for Snacks!

Jiffy Cheese Pakora - best blended in the Food Processor.

Use the mincing blade & blend
Green chillies - 3,4 (or to taste)
Chopped coriander leaves - 3 tbs 9optional)
Grated cheese - 50 ms
Next, add
Maida – ½ cup
Salt – very little because cheese contains cheese
Cooking soda - ½ of 1/8spoon
Water is best added In spoons to get thick idli batter consistency.
As soon as you start mixing the above, heat oil in a kadai.
When hot, drop spoonfuls with wet hand into oil.
Deep fry till done.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.
Without coriander leaves, it tastes equally good.

 

Ama Vadai& Masal Vadai - using Food Processor (1)

Aama vadai

This is also called paruppu vadai.

There are many versions, as usual & this is one of them.

Gram dhal - ½ cup (can be 2/3 cup)

Tur dhal - ½ cup (1/3 cup)

Udad dhal - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 3,4

Green chillies - 3,4

Hing - 1 tsp

Salt

Curry leaves - few, finely chopped

Oil - to deep fry

Soah dhals & red chillies together for 2 hrs.

Then drain them for 1 hr - I personally feel this is one point in favour of crisp vadais.

Grind all ingredients (except curry leaves) without adding water, for short spells at a time,checking that it does not get more ground, than coarse.

Mix it thoroughly while needing so that consistency is uniform.

If at all, add 1 or 2 tsp water, not more.

It should reach the consistency that you can hold in hand & pat – not more.

Pat into small FLAT discs on a plastic sheet & deep fry.

When it is half done, simmer the flame & fry so that it becomes crisp.

Variations:

2 tsp of soaked gram dhal can be reserved to add whole, without ginding.

I once saw a cook adding little hot oil to the batter, just before frying to get that extra crispness !

Masal Vadai:

This is done like aama vadai but completely with gram dhal only.

Onions should be minced or chopped fine & definitely not ground with dhal – the batter will be losened a bit.

Finely chopped mint leaves, crushed saunf (very little) can be added for additional flavour

Note:

Now pattani paruppu (known as vadai paruppu) is available in Tamil

Nadu & this is excellent for vadai. It gives a taste & crispness which even gram dhal does not give..


Left side - ama vadai & Right side - masal vadai. Soak for 4-6 hrs & drain very well.

In the mincer blade of FP, first add red chillies+green chillies + 3,4 small onions+a dash of saunf (optional).

Give one run to mince them & add dhals+salt - strictly no water. Grind, pulsating.

For ama vadai, do the same without onions.Add 1 tbsp hot oil to the dough.


Pat a disc in your hands & drop in hot oil. Otherwise, it will disintegrate.

 

Ama Vadai& Masal Vadai - using Food Processor (2)

Deep fry in oil till brown, take out on kitchen tissue.

Both Ama vadai & Rasa vadai are ready to serve.

Ama vadai can be soaked in hot rasam to get Rasa Vadai.

 

Bajjis - 1 - a great favourite in South Indian households!!

Besan - 1 cup

Rice flour - ½ cup

Cornflour - 2 tbsp

Chilli powder - as per taste

Omum - ¼ tsp

Cooking soda - ¼ tsp

Dosai mavu - 4 tbsp (if, available only)

Salt

Oil - to deep fry

Vegetables of your choice

Mix besan, rice flour, corn flour, salt, chilli powder & omum well.

Keep oil for frying ready.

Now add about 2-3 tbsp hot oil & soda to the mixture.

Mix well.

Add dosai mavu & enough water & WHISK thoroughly to get the bajji batter.

This can be best done by a Food Processor - either blade.

You must really beat up, rather whisk the batter very well.

This step ensures good, crisp, fluffy bajjis.

Potatoes, banana, ridge gourd, brinjal:

Slice thin, dip in batter & deep fry, turning well to get a uniform colour.

Cauliflower:

Break into florettes, put in salt water for sometime.

Remove & put in boiling water, switch off the flame, cover & keep for sometime.

Drain & proceed.

Capsicum & onion:

Slice into rings & make bajjis.

This makes crisper bajjis.

Start with the "entire set-up" ready!

Beat, beat & whisk

Aeration & this consistency makes all the difference to get fliffy, non-oily bajjis.

 

Bajjis - 2

Use a shallo bowl & spread ready for a batch, to transfer quickly in hot oil "without drippings or tail"(!)
photo-1
Banana bajjis floating
photo-2
Round brinjal bajjis
photo-3
The entire spread with Coconut chutney, the perfect accompaniment!
photo-4
The remaining dough is mxed with finely chopped onions, edges of capsicum, chopped coriader leaves & used up!
photo-5

 

Kara Bhoondi (1) - the perfect snack!

Fresh besan gives best results.

Oil - to deep fry

Cashews - a handful

Curry leaves - few

Beat together till fluffy,

Besan - 1 cup

Rice flour - 2 tsp

Cooking soda - half of 1/8 tsp (definitey not more)

Salt - very little

With enough water, to get thick dosa batter consistency.

Whisk very well with a fork or small whisk.

Heat oil in a flat (not deeply curved ) kadai.Keep a little large amount of oil to get good shape for boondhis.If you keep very little oil, the shape of boondhis will not be round.Keep boondhi ladle (flat & round with holes ) above the oil at a distance.Pour one big spoonful of batter on it , so that tiny drops start falling in the oil .Tap the ladle very gently, with a spoon.Round boondhis will fall into the oil & get fried..

Quickly remove to a kitchen tissue.

Finish in batches.

Deep fry curry leaves till crisp & cashews till golden.

When all batches are fried, tranfer to a bowl & add red chilli powder, hing & little more salt.
Photos:

Mixing the dough, adding water gradually

Bubbles shpould form when beating - this is a test for perfect dough!

The ready dough

Tap it gently in oil

 

Re: Step by Step Photos for Miscellaneous Dishes

Kara Bhoondi (2):

 

Vegetable Cutlet (1) - let us learn to make it perfect!

Grate fine or mince:

Beetroots - 2 medium size

Carrots - 2 medium size

Cauliflower - ½ medium size

Fresh peas - ½ cup

Boil, peel & grate;

Potatoes - 3 big or 4-5 medium

Grind to paste without adding water:

Onions - 3 big or 4 medium

Garlic - 7,8

Ginger - 2”

Green chillies - to taste

Cashewnuts chopped - ¼ cup

Coriander leaves - ½ cup, chopped

Other ingredients:

Fried gram ( pottukadalai) powdered - up to 1 cup

Salt, garam masala

Besan - 1 tbsp

Bread crumbs - 1 cup

Cook the vegetables with not more than 1 tbsp water on a low fire in a closed vessel or better still microwave on Hi power, closed, for 10 mts.

Boil 4 or 5 med or big potatoes, peel &grate.

Mix all these & mash for homogeneous texture.

Preferably micowave the ground paste , mixing little oil for 8mts hi & 8mts med (this timing varies for every microwave) Or fry on a low fire till dry.

Mix this with the vegetables.

Now we usually add bread crumbs or bread slices for thickening the mixture -instead of that add powdered fried gram (pottukkadalai) . Add as much powder as is necessary to get the correct consistency of shaping culets.This gives a very good taste.

Add a little garam masala, salt, mix well &make cutlets.

Make a thin paste of besan (&not maida) for dipping before rolling in breadcrumbs.

Shallow or deep fry, as usual.

You will be surprised, how much the addition of cashewnuts, fried gram & besan paste for dipping, changes the taste of the cutlet.

All ingredients required:

All vegetables are best minced ( except potatooes) & ready for MWing. If steaming, squeeze the vegetables on cooling to make sure there is no moisture. Otherwise the cutlet mixture will be sticky.

The masala mixture ground, ready to be MWed or cooked on a slow flame:

Masala, cooked vegs, mashed potatoes & Fried gram powder

Make small balls, ready to be patted.

 

Vegetable Cutlet (2)

Dipped in thin besan paste & coated or rolled in breadcrumbs

If the binding is perfect, deep frying is the easy option - quick & non-messy. Can be shallw fried also.

Served with tomato ketchup.

Veg burger will be posted here later.

 

Kuzhi Paniyaram (1)- 2 varieties

Boiled rice - 1 cup

Raw rice - 1 cup

Urad dhal - ¼ cup

Methi seeds - 2 tsp

Salt

Oil - to shallow fry

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Finely chopped onions - ½ cup ( or more)

Green chillies, finely chopped - 5,6

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp ( optional)

Wash & soak rices, dhal & methi seeds together for 6 hrs.

Grind fine adding salt & water.

Allow to ferment for 10-12 hrs.

Temper the given ingredients & mix well.

Keep it in dosa batter consistency.

Drop small amounts in appakaral (paniyaram pan) & shallow fry.

Serve with onion – tomato chutney.

Big onion- tomato chutney":

Heat oil & fry 7,8 red chillies, 4 big onions chopped, when transparent, add 3 chopped tomatoes & fry till done. Cool, add 1 tsp tamarind paste & grind in mixie with salt. . Heat oil temper mustard seeds, hing & curry leaves, add paste & fry till done.

Now, when making small quantities, it is easy to use mixi and I have revised the ratio as follows:
Parboiled rice & Raw rice - each 1/2 cup
Urad dhal - 1/4 cup
Wash, soak, drain & grind. Ferment for 8-10 hrs. The proceed as usual.