Sunday, January 17, 2016

Vendhaya Dosai





One of my friends,Lakshmi gave this vendhaya dosai one day along with onion chutney.I have never before tasted such a spongy dosai without urad dhal in it.Usually there will be urad dhal and some fenugreek seeds to get the spongy texture.But this dosai has only 2 ingredients in it, Idli rice and vendhayam.
Now back to the ingredients.

5cups  Idli rice
1cup    vendhayam/methi seeds/fenugreek seeds


  • Wash the rice and soak both the rice and vendhayam together for minimum 4 hours.
  • Grind them in a mixie/blender/grinder to a nice smooth batter.
  • Allow it to ferment for 12 hours.I live in colder place.It is on the colder side most of the year. :) I usually allow it to ferment for 12 hours.Adjust the time according to the place where you live.Usually 6-12 hours will be ideal for fermentation.
  • The batter will be little bit thick.You could add enough water to make it to a little thinner consistency.
 
  • start making dosai little thick.You won't be able to spread like a normal dosai batter.


Enjoy the vedhaya dosai with onion chutney ! It is a killer combination :))  I bet you won't be able to stop with one dosai !!!!
   

Zucchini Chutney




Zucchini Chutney



zucchiniZucchini chutney ! Yep..you heard it right ! You will never know there is zucchini in it, unless you tell them.One lazy sunday morning I was planning to make Onion chutney with Vendhaya Dosai.
Little did I realise I was out of onions.I wanted to make something spicy and light like onion chutney.
When I was in my morning yoga (yes during my yoga..I am at my creative best during my yoga :)))) )
I realised zucchini would be a good choice for chutney.

And that's how zucchini chutney was created ;) It is very simple to make,feels very light to eat and you could eat it just out of the mixie. It doesn't have the raw smell, which I thought it would at first.
Actually zucchini has no flavor on its own.It just picks up any flavor you add to it.Feel free to throw in garlic/tomato/onion/coconut with it.Get creative..Play around with your ingredients a bit.

I am sure it will be equally delicious.Now the best part is, my kids ate it nicely with the vendhaya dosai.They are very picky eaters.I was totally surprised when they didn't complain about it.

Now to the recipe...

2 zucchini, peeled and chopped to big chunks
6 dry red chillies
1/4 tsp of tamarind or small piece of tamarind
salt to taste

To temper
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dhal
1 tbsp oil

Wash and peel the zucchini.Trim the ends.Cut it into fairly big chunks and throw in the mixie.
Add the red chillies.You could add more or less depending upon your spice level.Mine would be medium spicy.
Throw in the tamarind and salt.
Grind to a smooth consistency.Check for salt.
In a hot pan,add oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds.Once it splutters, add urad dhal and pour the freshly ground zucchini chutney in.
When it starts bubbling, switch off the stove.


Your zucchini chutney is ready !! Enjoy it with dosai or steaming idli !!


vendhaya dosai with Zucchini chutney

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Brussel Sprouts Poriyal

Brussel sprouts !! Who knew this could be so tasty ???!! For a long time I have stayed away from this vegetable,not sure how to make it in a simple ,fast yet tasty way.
At last, I have a simple saute with only 3 ingredients and you can cook it in less than 10 minutes.

You would be surprised by the unique taste of Brussel sprouts.It goes well with rice/Roti/chapathi.

Ingredients

500g / 1 lb Brussel sprouts 
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 or 2 dry red chilli
Turmeric - optional
Salt 
Oil

Wash the Brussel sprouts and cut it half . Then slice it thinly lengthwise.thin slices make it crunchy and it cooks fast too.

In a warm pan,add oil. When it is hot enough, add the cut Brussel sprouts.add salt, turmeric and saute it for few minutes in low heat in a closed Tawa/pan.

In the meanwhile grind fennel,cumin and red chilies to a coarse powder and add it to the Brussel sprouts.

Saute for few more minutes and voila !! It is all done ! 
 If you want it to be crunchy, saute for 5 more minutes in open pan in medium heat, stirring continuously.Be careful, it sticks to the pan and becomes black fast as we didn't add any water.

Enjoy with with warm Rice / Roti !



Pasta in yellow sauce


Ingredients

Pasta 1 box  cooked and drained

For creamy Yellow sauce

1 red bellpepper
1/2 green pepper
2 carrots
1 zucchini 
5 tsp channa dal
2 tsp urad dhal
1 tsp chilli powder/ sambar powder
1/4 tsp tamarind paste or small marble size whole tamarind
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp olive oil/any preferred oil

Cook pasta according to directions in salted boiling water.Usually it should take anywhere between 10 to15 minutes,depending on the shape.drain the pasta and reserve a cup of the pasta water for sauce.

In a warm pan,add oil,add mustard seeds.
Once it pops, add channa dhal,urad dhal.let it become golden brown.
Then add cut carrots, green and red bell pepper,zucchini.
Add chilli powder/ sambar powder too.
When they are half cooked,remove them from heat. Let it cool down a bit.
Grind it coarsely in a blender/mixie.
If you need add some water too.you could use the leftover pasta water too.

In a warm pan, heat some oil, add the cooked pasta and the creamy yellow sauce . Saute for a minute or two.Garnish with coriander leaves!

This has such a creamy consistency and is a sure way to include veggies for your kids in their diet ! ( for us too :) )

This is a sure lunchbox favorite for us and for the kids !