Chickpea Salad with seasoning

This is a famous recipe and prepared in almost each and every temple.

Ingredients:
Boiled Chickpea – 1 cup
Fresh coconut cut into small pieces or grated– 2 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard + Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilli – 2 chopped finely.
Turmeric – 1 pinch
Salt
Chopped coriander – 1 tsp

Method:

Take a pan and add oil. When the oil is hot add Mustard + Cumin, green chilli and sauté for few seconds. Add turmeric, salt and stir momentarily. Now finally add boiled chickpea and toss until every thing gets mixed. Remove from fire and serve it warm by sprinkling chopped coriander and coconut.

Uthappam / pancake in Sandwich maker

This is one of the interesting recipe to make kids happy. To make this either you can use Dosa batter or fresh batter prepared using rice and urad daal flours. This is also for the people who don’t have Indian tawa / Pan.

Ingredients:

Dosa batter – 4 cups
Onion – chopped ½ cup
Green chilli – chopped 1 tsp
Grated carrot – 2 tbsp
Chopped coriander – 1 tbsp
Salt

If you don't have dosa batter, then you can prepare this instantly with out grinding by following the below steps.

Urad daal powder – 1 cup
Rice flour – 3 cups
Water - to make the batter, yogurt like or Pan cake batter consistency.


Mix every thing and leave for 6-8 hours (Overnight) to get fermented. To the fermented dosa batter add chopped onion, green chilli, coriander, grated carrot along with some salt.

Pre-heat the sandwich maker by applying some oil on the plates. When it is hot enough pour the batter into the pits and close the lid.

Allow it to get cooked for about 3-5 minutes. Turn them on to the other side and cook until it is done.

Once done, slowly lift them and serve them with chutney or ketchup.

 Uthappam made in sandwich maker

Gatti Pakoda / Crispy Fritters

The name itself explains that the fritters are fully crispy. Simple trick is we just need to add Basin/ Gram flour and Rice flour in 1:1 ratio, bit of warm oil and very little water to get the fritters crispier.

 Gatti pakoda / Onion fritters

Ingredients:

Onion – 2 large
Curry leaves – Hand full
Basin / Gram flour – 3 tbsp (Heaped)
Rice Flour – 3 tbsp (Heaped)
Salt
Green chili – 2 slit them and chop
Oil to deep fry
Water – 3 – 4 tbsp

Method:

To deep fry the pakodas, heat a pan with oil on medium heat.

Whilst the oil is heating, chop Onion into thin strips. (Time Management). Mix the chopped onion with salt, green chili, Curry leaves, gram flour and rice flours thoroughly.

Now add about 3-4 tbsp of warm oil into the onion mixture.

Mix the ingredients well, so that they resemble crumbs.

Now sprinkle 3 – 4 tbsp of water and mix every thing thoroughly. (If necessary add bit more but do not make the batter loose).

Ready to fry

Increase the flame and when the oil is hot enough, take hand full of onion mixture and drop them into oil slowly by breaking the batter into small bite size pieces. This is the quick way. If you can’t do it quick enough then just pick small amounts of batter and drop into the oil slowly.

Occasionally turn the pakodas, so that they get cooked equally on all the sides.

Drain them on to a paper towel and serve them warm with Coffee or Tea. It is a great feeling, eating spicy pakodas and sipping the hot beverage.

Note: I have mentioned the measurements for about 2 - 3 servings. You can increase the quantities in the same ratio to make more.

Spinach Raita with Sweet corn

I choose this recipe when I do not have much time to prepare curries, as this is a quickie one.

Spinach Raita

Ingredients:

Spinach – 1 bunch
Sweet corn – 1/3rd cup
Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
Salt
Yogurt – 1 cup

Method:

1. Wash and chop spinach finely.
2. Steam cook spinach and sweet corn separately and allow them to cool.
3. Whisk yogurt by adding salt and cumin powder. Finally fold the spinach and sweet corn into it. Serve it with roti.

Note: If it is frozen sweet corn, you can just thaw them and add directly to raita. No need to cook.

 Roti with Spinach Raita

Mushrooms with Soya chunks

 Mushroom Soya Curry

Mushrooms contain about 80 to 90 percent water, and are very low in calories (only 100 cal/oz). They have very little sodium and fat, and 8 to 10 percent of the dry weight is fiber. Hence, they are an ideal food for persons following a weight management program or a diet for hypertensives. Mushrooms are an excellent source of potassium, a mineral that helps lower elevated blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke. One medium portabella mushroom has even more potassium than a banana or a glass of orange juice. One serving of mushrooms also provides about 20 to 40 percent of the daily value of copper, a mineral that has cardioprotective properties. 

Soya bean helps in weight loss, is a source of energy, improves heart health. Research studies have shown that soy protein has the beneficial effect of lowering LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) or “bad cholesterol”. Hence the FDA has approved the cholesterol lowering claim of soy protein.

You can also find more details about soya here  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean

 I have mixed the benefits of both and prepared the recipe with mild flavours.

Ingredients:

Soya chunks – ½ cup
Mushrooms – 1 cup, chopped into 2 pieces
Tomato – 2, Chopped
Onion – 1, Chopped
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala – ½ tsp

Soya chunks, Mushroom and Onion

Method:

Boil 2-3 cups of water and add soya chunks to it and leave it for 30 minutes. Drain them and squeeze all the water from them. Cut each chunk into two halves and keep them aside. Heat a pan with one tsp of oil and fry the onion until they change their colour. Keep them aside. In the same pan add another tsp of oil and when it is hot enough add tomatoes and fry until they become mushy.

Grind onion and tomato into smooth paste.

Heat another pan with 2 tbsp of oil and add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute. Now add chopped mushroom and soya chunks and fry for 2 minutes. Add onion and tomato paste, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Fry every thing for another 2 minutes and cover the lid until it is done. No need to add any water as mushroom automatically oozes water out whilst cooking.

Two ways to check the doneness is, mushrooms should reduce their size and oil should get separated from the curry.

India Trip in Dec - 2010

We went to Kerala last month. True to the name 'The paradise on earth' it is probably one of the greenest places you will ever see. Kerala has got a lot of unique reasons to be called a paradise. A pleasant climate, sun kissed beaches, backwaters, hill stations, exotic wildlife, breathtaking waterfalls, Ayurvedic health holidays, enchanting art forms, magical festivals lot more.Traveler's come to see Kerala's wildlife sanctuaries, historic cities and temples.A big stress relief journey to rejuvenate ourselves in Kerala.

These are from Alleppey.Alleppey is also known as Alappuzha is a land of immense natural beauty in Kerala. Today, Alappuzha has grown in importance as a Backwater Tourist Centre, attracting several thousands of foreign tourists each year.It is also famous for boat races, houseboat holidays, beaches, marine products and coir products. It ia also known as the Venice of The East. For a total Alappuzha experience traverse the canals on small vallams (Boats) or anchor in the middle of the backwater lakes on a Kettuvallam (rice boat converted to cozy house boats) - spend the night under the star lit sky, listening to the splash of water on to the boat.

Beautiful Backwaters

The Boat House with built-in bedrooms, bath, kitchen and dining

The chef in the kitchen cooking fresh food for our dinner

Interior of the boat house

One of the bedrooms in the boat house

A Beautiful and pleasant evening in Alleppey

Munnar is a small hill station set amongst the Kannan Devan hills. It is famous for its lush green surroundings, lakes, reservoirs, forests, and tea estates. The quiet environs of Munnar attract the traveler to relax in the lap of Mother Nature. It has some of the highest tea estates in the world.

 Tea Estate and the Black Pepper plant

 Paradise on earth

 Procession on Munnar roads

Thekkady is one of the important tourist destinations in India. Thekkady is located in Iddukki district of Kerala in a distance of 160 miles from Thiruvanandpuram. The place has gained utmost popularity and is well known for wildlife preservation. In Thekkady, one can watch wildlife in a close range. Thekkady wildlife sanctuary offers unique opportunity to watch and film the wildlife while they are in action

 A beautiful scene from the hotel room

 The chef preparing the hot breakfast

Elephant Ride

 A beautiful Sunrise in Kanyakumari

Swami Vivekanada Rock Memorial

A wonderful sunset at Kovalam beach , Trivendram

Another beautiful scene at Kovalam beach

Putnala Pappu / Roasted Chickpea Laddu

This is a very quick preparation. I call this as instant laddu as you don't need to cook.

Putnala pappu laddu

Ingredients:

Roasted chick pea – 1 cup
Jaggery – ½ cup
Elaichi / Cardamom powder – 2 pinches
Ghee – 2 tbsp

Roasted Chickpea, Jaggery

Method:

Break the jaggery into smaller pieces using hand (as it is soft) or even knife if you choose the hard variety.

Grind the roasted chick pea along with jaggery into fine powder. (if you choose soft variety of jaggery then just grind the roasted chickpeas only. Then mix the powder with jaggery, cardamom and ghee).

Spread the mixture in a wide plate and sprinkle cardamom powder, ghee and start making laddus.

Note: I have chosen soft variety of Jaggery, so that I do not need lots of ghee. Not only that, Jaggery adds the nice colour, flavour, taste and loads of medicinal values.

You can find more details about Jaggery here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggery

 Instant laddu with roasted chickpea