Khatta dhokla made with rice dhokla flour

dhokla with chutney

Rice dhokla flour:

We can make dhokla flour in advance by dry grinding 3:1 ratio rice and urud dal. 
1. Wash the rice and urud dal and spread it on a cloth to dry - in a sunny spot outside or on the kitchen counter. 
2. Dry roast the grains, let it cool and grind it coarsely. 
3. Store it in an airtight container. 
Ingredients:

2   cups            dokla flour

1"                    ginger   

3                     green chillies

1 tsp                oil / ghee 

1/2 cup            yogurt / curd / dahi

1 pinch            aesofoetida

1/2 tsp             coarsely ground black pepper / red chilli flakes

4 cups            warm water

1/4 tsp             fruit salt / uno salt

salt to taste

To temper:

1/2 tsp               mustard seed  

1/2 tsp               urud dal

3                        dry red chilli

1 tbs                  oil

few                    curry leaves

Method:

2. Add the warm water, salt and yogurt to the dhokla flour, mix it nicely with the hand and leave it overnight / 6-8 hrs to ferment.

3. Grind the chilli and ginger into a paste, mix it to the batter along with aesofoetida. Check for salt.

4.  Add uno salt to the dhokla batter, it's consistency should be like cake batter,  add a few drops of water over it (it will bubble).

4. Grease a round metal pan / thali with ghee or oil, pour the batter into it.

5. Sprinkle the black pepper or the green chilli flakes over it. Keep the pan in an iddly or dhokla cooker and steam it for 10-15 mins or till the middle part of the dhokla gets firm. Take the dhokla out of the pan.

6. Heat oil in a tadka pan, add the mustard seeds and urud dal. When the mustard splutters add the red chillies and curry leaves and fry till it gets crispy.

7. Pour the seasoning over the dhokla and cut it diagonally. Enjoy eating it with green chutney. 

Green Chutney

Chutney:
2 tsp           oil
4                red chilli
1 clove       garlic
1 cup         shredded coconut 
2 handful   mint/ coriander leaves
 1. Heat  oil in a pan, add the red chillies, garlic and fry till it gets crispy.
2. Add 1 cup of shredded coconut and fry for few minutes, now add  the  mint or coriander leaves and fry till the leaves starts to wilt. 
3. Add salt and  lemon juice, grind it in a blender and serve with the dhokla.

Tips for taste:

1. We can fry the dhokla pieces in the seasoning for a crispy snack.

2. Use a pan with a lid to steam dhoklas instead of cookers.

                                     
                                     
                                                                                

Eraal Kheema / Minced spicy Shrimp

   Shrimp is a close relative of prawn. The larger ones are commonly referred as prawns and smaller ones as shrimps. It's called jhinaga, eral, chemmeen, konch in other indian languages. This eral kheema pairs well with any bread, plain rice or pulao.

Eraal kheema / spicy minced shrimp 

Ingredients:
1 lb/ 1/2 kg   shrimp / prawn
1                  onion or 20 - 25 small onions/ shallots/sambar vengayam        
 4 - 6            green chillies
1/4  tsp         sombu / fennel seed
2 clove         garlic
1 tsp             red chilli powder
1 tsp             garam masala
few sprigs     coriander / cilantro leaves
2 tsp             channa flour / kadalai maavu or corn starch   
2 tbs             oil 
salt to taste 
Method:
1. Mince onion, garlic and green chilli and keep it aside,   
2. Clean the shrimp/prawn and cut into small pieces, mix the chopped shrimp with channa flour and garam masala.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the fennel seed and fry for few minutes add onion and green chilli.
4. When the onion becomes soft and brown, add garlic and fry. 

5. Add the red chilli powder and salt.  
6. Reduce the heat and add the shrimp/ iraal mix, stir fry and cook till the shrimp is well cooked and the raw smell no longer remains.

                                         ENJOY:)           

Vegetable Choux

Choux is a light pastry dough made with butter, flour, eggs and water. Choux (pronounced - shoo) is baked first at high temperature and finished at low temperature. Instead of leavening agents like the baking soda, yeast or baking powder it's leavened by steam it creates from it's high moisture content and it's initial high cooking temperature. I took this recipe from 5 fruits and vegetables a day - cook book and modified it. 

Spicy vegetable choux

Choux Pastry:
1 1/4 cup            water
4 ounce              butter
5 ounce              all purpose  flour
4                        eggs
4 ounce              cheddar cheese
1 tsp                   chilli powder
salt to taste
    
For the filling:
1/4 cup                 carrots, finely diced 
1/4 cup                 green peas
1/2 cup                 potatoes, finely diced
1/4 cup                 bell pepper, finely chopped 
1                          onion, medium - chopped
2 tbs                     oil
1                          tomato- small, chopped
2 sprigs                coriander leaves, finely chopped
1                          garlic clove, crushed  
1 tsp                     chilli powder 
salt to taste   

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients together in a skillet, cover it with lid and cook in med/ low till the vegetables are soft.
2. Preheat oven into 400* f. 
3.  To make choux pastry, heat water in a large saucepan. Add the butter to it.
4. Remove from heat when the butter melts, add all the flour to it and stir it well till the dough becomes smooth, allow it to cool slightly.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and continue beating till the weather looks glossy. Stir in chilli powder, salt and cheese. 
6. Grease 6 oven proof dishes and pipe or spoon the pastry into the dishes.
7. Divide the vegetables between the six dishes, add spoonful of cheese over the vegetables
8. Bake it in the oven for about 25 - 35 minutes or until the choux pastry is puffy and golden.
9. Serve hot.
                                            ENJOY:) 

Vegetables...

Melt the butter...

cook the flour ...

Add egg one at a time..

Spoon or pipe the flour into a dish..

vegetable choux..

ready to bake :)

  

Porulvilanga Urundai / Mystery Balls

       This is one of the sweets you cannot find in a regular sweet stall in Tamilnadu- India. My grandma used to make this sweet whenever she visited us. It has this funny name, porul + vilanga + urundai, which is translated as, unknown round thing (!?!)    

Porulvilanga Urundai

As I said before, this blog is for my daughter and my nieces. I want them to learn about some of the traditional food and sweet i know. My older sister was one of the li'l helpers, who helped my grandma then, i got this recipe from her. It's a simple recipe made with powdered rice and vellam / jaggery / sugar syrup.  

rice, jaggery and spices...

Ingredients:
1 cup       uncooked rice
3/4 cup    water
3/4 cup  *jaggery / vellam     
1/2"         dried ginger
1 pinch    salt
2             cardamom  
2 tbs        dried coconut pieces
* made with unrefined cane sugar juice or with the sap of date palm tree.
Method:
1. Heat a pan and dry roast the rice till it becomes puffed and light brown in color, let it cool for some time. 
2. Grind the rice, dried ginger and cardamom in a blender / grinder to a fine powder. 
3. Sift the rice flour with a sieve to separate any remaining coarse rice, grind it again to a fine flour. Reserve 2 tbs flour for dusting.
4. In a separate saucepan heat the water and add the jaggery and salt, stir it till the jaggery gets dissolved. Remove from heat and strain it to remove any impurities in it.
5. Pour the liquid in the pan again and boil it for 5 more mins, to get a thick sugar syrup, remove from heat.
6. Make a mound of the flour on a flat work surface.
7. Create a hollow/ well in the middle of the mound and add spoonfuls of sugar syrup into it and stir the mixture with a fork.  
8. Make small balls with the wet flour. Roll the balls real quick as it tends to become dry and hard very soon. Coat the balls with the reserved flour. 
9. Allow it to cool and store it in an airtight container. This sweet has longer shelf life.
                                             Enjoy:)

dry roast the rice....

sift the flour and reserve some for dusting...

boil the sugar syrup....

mound the flour...

add the sugar syrup to the flour..

stir the mixture with a fork

hardened sweet balls ready 

Banana Leaf Wrapped Fish in Tangy Bell Pepper Sauce

    To make this tangy and spicy fish: 1.*sear the fish 2. make the sauce with bell peppers and green mango 3. fold it in a banana /plantain leaf and steam it. Foil can be used instead of banana leaf.  Sometimes i'll leave out the steaming process and just pour the sauce over the browned fish and serve it. In this recipe i used indian mackerel / ayila meen.
*sear - brown the fish in a very hot tawa / pan. 
Bell pepper is also called sweet pepper or capsicum

fish with bell pepper sauce

indian mackerel / ayila 

Prepare fish:

3              medium sized fish / indian mackerel

1 tsp         chilli powder

1 tsp         channa flour / kadalai maavu or corn starch

1/2 tsp      cumin powder / jeera powder

1/2 tsp      coriander powder / dhania podi

1/8 tsp      turmeric powder

1 tsp         lemon juice

1 tbs         oil

salt to taste

marinate the fish 

 Clean the fish, combine all the other ingredients with the lemon juice and apply it to the fish and let it marinate in the refrigerator till the sauce is made.

To make sauce:

bell peppers, mango and onion

2            bell pepper ( red, yellow or orange)

1/2         small green ( unripe mango) 

4 - 5      shallots (small onions / chinna vengayam )

1/2 tsp   chilli powder 

2 tsp      oil      

salt to taste 

1. Slice the bell pepper, peel the cut the mango and the onions.

2. Heat oil in a pan, fry the bell pepper, onion and mango till it becomes tender, add the chilli powder and salt. Grind the vegetables coarsely and keep it aside.

Cook the fish

sear the fish...

1. Heat  a non stick pan on high for few mins (if we sprinkle a drop of water in the pan it should jump and evaporate immediately), 

2. Add oil to the pan and slide the marinated fish, cook till the pan side of the fish gets crusted and it comes off easily from the pan. 

3. Reduce the heat, flip the fish and cook it. Remove from the pan and cook all the remaining fish.

Yummy!
 Aluminium foil can be substituted for plantain leaves. If you think steaming the fish as a time consuming process, place the fried fish on a serving plate, spoon the sauce over it and serve.  

Steam the fish in banana leaf

Banana leaf wrap....

1 tsp          oil

3                banana leaves

1. Coat the banana leaf with oil, spoon 1 tsp of bell pepper sauce on the middle of the leaf, place a fish on the sauce, spoon two more spoons of sauce over the fish.

2. Wrap the leaf and tie it with a string. Continue with the remaining fish. Steam it in a covered pan/ ricecooker/ iddly cooker for 10 minutes.

3. Remove it from heat and serve it with white rice.

      

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :) 

Seared fish in a tangy sauce

                                      

  

Potatos in yogurt and methi sauce

          This potato dish is very creamy with a hint of methi flavor, good side dish for spicy pulaos or indian flat breads. It can also be used as a filling in sandwich wraps. Spinach can be substituted for methi leaves.

Ingredients:
6 - 8     small potatoes 
2tbs      methi leaves  
4tbs       fresh yogurt
1tsp       chilli powder
1tsp       cumin powder
1tsp       oil
1/2 tsp    mustard seeds
3            dried red chilli
few         curry leaves
Method:

 1. Wash and cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, skin on. Cook it in salted water, until the potatoes becomes tender.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds after it splutters add the red chillies and curry leaves, fry till it becomes crispy. 

3. Add the methi leaves  and stir fry for few minutes, lower the heat, add the chilli powder, cumin powder and salt.

4. Add the potatoes to it and cook for few minutes, mix it well without breaking the potatoes. 

5. Add 3 tbs of yogurt to the mixture and stir it thoroughly, check for salt and remove it from heat.

6. Transfer it to a serving bowl, cover it  and let it stand for at least 2 hours before serving.

7. Add the remaining 1 tbs yogurt to it just before serving.
                                                 
Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)


                                        

Vattayappam / coconut rice steamed cakes

Vattayappams are easy to make and it tastes really good. This is a kerala delight, it's a round appam so it's called vattiappam. The method is similar to sweet rava iddly. When making it with rice, soak it and grind it with coconut. Cook the rava or semolina and add it to the rice batter and sugar. Add yeast, ferment it overnight and steam it. In this recipe i used rice flour and it took 4-6 hours to ferment.  

Soft and fluffy vattayapams!

Ingredients:
2 cups    rice flour
1 cup      ground coconut
handful   toasted cashew bits and rasins 
1 cup      sugar
1 pinch   salt 
2    tbs    rava / semolina
1/4 cup   water
1/2 tsp    yeast 
1    tsp    sugar
2   tbs     warm water

Fluffy light rice appam

Method:

mix yeast and sugar...

 1. In a small bowl add the warm water and mix yeast and 1 tsp sugar,  keep it aside.

cake batter thickness...

2. Heat 1/4 the cup of water in a sauce pan, add the rava / semolina and cook till it becomes a fine paste, remove from the heat.

mix the rice with the other ingredients...

3. In a large bowl mix the rice flour with all the other ingredients including the cooked rava / semolina and the yeast mixture, add some water to it and mix it well. It should have a cake batter consistency.

fermented batter...

4. Cover the bowl and leave it to ferment for 4 - 6 hours. It should double. 

5. Mix the fermented batter well, grease a small pan with oil and pour the batter into it, add the cashews and raisins. 

pour batter into a small pan...

6. Meanwhile heat 2-3 cups of water in a  cooker ( or a pan with tight lid).  Keep the batter inside the pan / cooker, cover it and steam it till the batter becomes firm in the middle.

soft vattappam ready !

7. Remove the steamed appam from heat and transfer it to a serving plate.

soft...

8. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, add water to the cooker for every new batch.
              Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)