Puttu and Kadala curry / Steamed cake and Chickpea Curry

Puttu and kadala curry  are a popular breakfast dish in Kerala. A very healthy and wholesome combination. Puttu can be made with rice flour /wheat flour/ tapioca flour/  a mix of rice and ragi flour etc.

Chickpeas also known as Garbanzo beans or bengal gram must be a part of our daily diet. It is so nutritious that one cannot avoid it. It should be a part of the diet of  diabetics and people with high blood pressure. It contains lots of potassium and many other essential minerals which is good for bone health and the heart. Selenium a mineral present in chickpeas prevent tumor growth. 

Method:

Soak the chickpeas overnight.
Peel and chop the shallots coarsely. Pressure cook the soaked chickpea and shallots in 1 cup of water. Keep aside to cool.
Grind together coconut and all the other ingredients together.
Heat a pan. Add the oil, when it starts to boil add the chopped shallots, mustard seeds, dry red chilli pieces and curry leaves. When a good aroma arises, add the ground coconut mix and saute for a minute. Add the cooked chickpeas along with the water. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.

NOTE:If you are using coconut cream, add it towards the end. That is, after the whole thing coming to a boil, add the coconut cream, stir well and remove from the stove. No need to boil.

Serve hot with Puttu.

Ingredients:

Chick pea / Kadala ( black ) - 1cup
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup coconut cream
Shallots - 10
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Black pepper - 4
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 2
Fennel - 1/2 teaspoon
nut meg - a very small piece
Caraway seeds - 1 pinch ( optional )
Star Aniseed - 1 segment
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
shallots ( chopped ) - 2 - 3
Dry red chillies - 2 ( each broken into 2 or 3 pieces )
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 tablespoon


Method:

Take 2 cups of flour in a mixing bowl. Add salt and mix well. Sprinkle water on the flour little by little and make a granular mixture. Be careful not to add too much water.

Heat 1cup water in a small pressure cooker. Close the lid. Don't put the weight.OR you can use a Puttu -Maker for the purpose.

Take the Puttu mold, usually bamboo-shaped, place the small steel plate with holes inside it. This will allow the steam to enter the mold without blocking the main inlet. Now add 2 - 3 tablespoon of coconut into the mold and see that it is evenly spread out. Over this fill the flour granules up to half of the mold, again add 2 - 3 tablespoon grated coconut, then again fill the mold to the top with the flour granules. Close with the lid .

 Place this on the steaming pressure cooker and steam cook for 5 - 7 minutes OR wait 2 minutes after you see steam coming out through the lid of the puttu mold. De-mold into a plate.

Repeat the process of filling the mould and steaming the puttu until the whole flour granules are used up.
Serve hot with kadala curry.

Ingredients for Puttu:

Whole wheat flour / Rice flour - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1 cup
salt to taste
Water

Baked Beans

Preparation:

Soak the Kidney beans overnight. Pressure cook the kidney beans along with the peppercorns in 2 cups of water.
Slice the onions thinly. If you are adding green chillies, slit each chilly and keep aside.

Heat oil in a large pan and and saute the onions till they are transparent. No need to brown.  Add tomato puree and cook on high heat, until oil separates. Stir continuously.  Add the cooked Kidney beans along with the water. Cook on high heat till the sauce thickens. Add the ketchup and vinegar, bring to a boil and remove from stove.

If you are adding green chillies add now.

Ingredients:                                                                                                                 

• Kidney beans - 1 cup                                                                                                                       
• Peppercorns - 10 - 12
• Onion - 1 large
• Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
• Tomato ketchup - 1 tablespoon
• Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
• Oil - 1 tablespoon
• Salt
• Green chilly - 4 (optional)
• Water - 2 cups

 pc google

Kothu Paratta

Kothu Paratta /Kothu Parotta is a South Indian street food.

Preparation:
Chop the carrots, capsicum, onions, tomato and ginger into thin, long pieces.
Chop the green chillies finely.
Cook the frozen paratta on a tawa. Flip and cook both sides. When cool tear the parattas into small pieces.

Heat a large pan. Pour oil. Add the mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add the onion and curry leaves. Saute until the onions become transparent.
Add ginger and green chillies and stir.
Add the carrot, capsicum, tomato and the whole garlic. Stir and cook until soft.

Add the red chilly powder, garam masala, chaat masala and salt. Mix well.
Add the paratta pieces and stir well for a minute.
Add the coriander leaves, keep aside a table spoon for garnishing.

Break the eggs into the pan directly and stir continuously until the eggs are incorporated thoroughly.
Add the pepper powder and stir well till the wetness disappears. Remove from fire.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves/cilantro.

You can eat as it is or you can serve raita along with the Kothu Paratta.

Ingredients:                                                                                Serves 2
Frozen paratta : 3
Carrot- 2 small chopped
Capsicum - 1 small chopped
Onion -1 small chopped
Green chilly - 1 finely chopped
Garlic - 4 - 5 nos.
Ginger - 1 teaspoon grated
Tomato - 1 chopped
Eggs - 2
Red chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chat masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Black pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander leaves - a handful
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Parippu Vada

Parippu vada / Masala vada is an easy to make tea-time snack, made with split chickpeas. A very tasty, savoury snack.

Chickpeas also known as Garbanzo beans or bengal gram must be a part of our daily diet. It is so nutritious that one cannot avoid it. It should be a part of the diet of  diabetics and people with high blood pressure. It contains lots of potassium and many other essential minerals which is good for bone health and the heart. Selenium a mineral present in chickpeas prevent tumor growth.

Preparation: 

1. Soak the split chickpea and tuvar dal in water for half an hour.
2. Slice the shallots and cut green chilly into 4 or 5 pieces.
3. Drain the chickpeas and grind it coarsely. It is nice to see some whole split chickpea here and there. So on the safer side you can keep aside a tablespoon of chickpea, before grinding.

4. Mix the chickpea mix with shallots, green chilly, red chilly powder, whole black pepper, fennel seeds, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt.
5. Divide the mixture into 6 parts. Roll each into a ball. Flatten each ball in the centre of your palms.

6. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the vadas on medium flame. Flip so that both the sides are evenly cooked.

Serve hot with hot tea.

Ingredients:               
                                                                                                        Makes 6
Channa Dal / Split Chickpea - 1/2 cup
Yellow lentil / Tuvar Dal - 1 tablespoon
Green Chilly - 1 - 2 nos.
Shallots - 4 - 5
Whole black pepper - 9 - 10
Fennel - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a handful
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Kuzhi Paniyaram is a fried dish made with idli batter. Very tasty. In some places this is served as a breakfast dish. I prefer it as a tea-time snack -  Hot and crispy with coconut chutney.

                               

Ingredients:                                                    Makes 15 - 16 kuzhi paniyarams
Idly Batter - 1cup
Salt to taste
                             

For seasoning:
Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon
Black gram split - 2 teaspoon
Shallots/ onion (chopped) - 3 tablespoon
Carrot (grated) - 1 medium sized
Green chilly (finely chopped) - 1
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 2 teaspoons

 For Coconut chutney: 
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Shallots -   3 - 4
Green chillies -   4 - 5
Ginger - a thin slice
Salt
Water - 1/4 - 1/2 cup
                                           

For seasoning:
Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon
Whole red chillies - 2 (each cut into 2 or 3 pieces )
Shallots (chopped) - 2
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 2 teaspoons

Preparation:

First we will make chutney, So that we will be able to devour the kuzhi paniyarams hot.

1. Grind together coconut, shallots, green chillies and ginger with little water to a smooth paste. Taste of the chutney depends on the quality and freshness of the coconut used.
2. Heat a pan, add oil and all the other seasoning ingredients. When the mustard starts spluttering, add water and bring to a boil.Lower the flame. Add salt and chutney paste. Mix well and remove from flame. Do not boil.  Trasfer to a serving bowl.
                                     

Making Kuzhi paniyaram:

1. Heat a pan, add 2 teaspoons of oil and add mustard. When it splutters add the chopped shallots/ onions. Stir fry. When it turns translucent add the carrot, green chilly and curry leaves. Stir for a minute or two on medium flame or until the mixture dries up. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes.

2.Add the carrot mixture into the batter and stir well. Adjust salt to your liking.

3. Wash and dry the Appam Patra. Pour half to one teaspoon of oil into each depression. Heat the Appam Patra on medium flame. When the oil starts boiling, drop a spoonful of batter into each depression. When one side is fried, flip and cook the other side. When both sides are golden brown, remove and drain on a paper towel.
           

Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambhar or any other chutney of your liking.

Coconut and Rice Payasam

    I was on the look out for an easy payasam recipe. It was then i came across this one. When i went through the recipe i remembered having it some place. Very less ingredients, easy to prepare, and not too heavy. Thanks to Sharmi's                                      

 
Ingredients:                                                                                          Serves 4

1. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
2. Raw rice - 3 tablespoon
3. Jaggery - 1/2 cup
4.Boiled milk - 1/4 cup
5. Water - 21/2 cups
6. Ghee - 2 teaspoon
7. Cardamom - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Cashew nuts - 6
9. Raisins - 10
                                                   

Preparation:

• Melt jaggery with little water. When it is one string consistency remove from fire. Strain and keep aside. 
• Wash the rice and soak it in water for at least 30 minutes.
• Grind rice and coconut with very little water and very very coarsely. Bigger grains of rice must be there, otherwise your payasam will turn out to be a sweet paste. 
• Boil water in a heavy gauge saucepan. Lower the flame and add the coconut-rice mix. Let it cook.
• Once the rice is cooked and the mixture is of porridge consistency, add the jaggery syrup. Stir well and cook for another 3 minutes.

                   

Add the cardamom powder. Stir well and let the payasam cool for 10 minutes.
Break the cahewnuts into pieces and fry it and the raisins in ghee.
After the payasam cools a bit add the boiled milk and stir well. Add the fried nuts and raisins and stir once more.

Serve hot/warm/chilled.

Nankhatai

   Nankhatais, the crispy and tasty indian shortbreads, are very easy to make. And i was waiting for a recipe which made use of healthier ingredients. Finally i got it from rak's kitchen.
                                                

Ingredients:                                                                               Makes 20 - 23

Preparation:
1.Grind the sugar and cardamom together into a fine powder.

2.Preheat oven to 180 degree C.

3.Sift together wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar and baking powder, so that all the ingredients are mixed well. Add this to a bowl and mix well once more.

4.Add ghee little by little and rub into the flour mix. Continue this until you get a stiff dough. No Water.

5.Divide the dough into 20 equal parts.Roll each into a ball and flatten slightly. I used a cutter.

6.Line a cooking tray with cookie sheet / grease the tray with ghee and dust with flour. Place the nankhatais on the tray.

7.Bake for 10 -12 minutes at 180 degree C. Keep an eye on the nankhatais while baking, the colour must not change to dark brown. When you observe slight colour change take them out immediately ( don't follow the baking time strictly here, trust the appearence or you will be left with a handful of burnt nankhatais ) and cool on the wire rack. If you have a second batch, it will take even lesser time to bake.

Note:If you have pistachios, grind them coarsely. After rolling out and flattening the nankhatais, make a cross sign on each of them and top with the ground pistachios/ cashew nuts/ almonds and then bake.
Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
All purpose flour -1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup (You can use lesser quantity, if you wish)
Ghee (melted) - 1/2 cup (you may not need all)
Cardamom -1
Baking Powder - 1 pinch
Pistachios - 10 (optional) it is for garnishing