Vazhakai Podimas (Plantain/Raw banana fry)

Plantains are rich in vitamin A than bananas, also a powerful antioxidant. Very easy to cook vegetable. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients:
Plantain - 1
Small onions - 4-5 nos.
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tablepsoon


Method:
Peel the plantains, wash and chop into small cubes. Chop onions too and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped plantains and saute well.

Add in asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, chilli and coriander powders and saute well.

Then add chopped onions, curry leaves and salt to taste.

Keep sauteing for 10-12 minutes, until it is cooked well.

Serve hot with sambhar or curd rice.

Preparation Time : 12-15 minutes
Serves 2 -3 persons.

Payatham Maavu Laddu / Mung dhall Laddu / Nei Urundai

Season's greetings and Deepavali wishes to all the readers!!!

Mung dhall is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol. Good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, etc. Sprouted beans are too healthy for those who watch on weight.

This laddu is very easy and simple to make, but too tasty. 


Ingredients:
Powdered Passi Paruppu/ Mung dhall/ Green gram - 2 cups
Powdered Sugar - 2 cups (can lessen to 1 1/2 cups based on the type of sugar used, brown or white)
Melted Ghee - 1/4 to 1/3 cup
Cashew nuts (broken into small pieces) - 1-2 tablespoons
Cardamom - 3-4 (powder the seeds)

Method:
Sieve the powder, dry roast it on a low flame, in a clean non stick pan, until the raw smell goes off. Powder slightly changes to golden brown, then switch and allow it to cool.

Sieve the powdered sugar, cardamom powder and add it to it.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of ghee and fry the cashew nuts to golden brown, and add to it.

Add ghee in smaller amounts and mix well, until you can make small balls of laddu.

Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Makes 20-25 small lemon sized laddus.


Note: 
To prepare the mung dhall powder at home, dry roast the seeds, cool it, grind it to a fine powder and sieve it.

Kadalai paruppu chutney/Thogaiyal

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One of the quick and easy recipe, which goes well with any rice variety. Its a must with sambar rice(bisi bela bath) or any kozhambhu(tamarind gravy) rice at my grandma's place. Checkout the recipe here.

Ingredients:

Split chickpeas (Kadalai paruppu/Channa dal) - 3 tablespoons
Grated coconut - 4-5 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cry red chilies - 4-5 (add accordingly to your spice level)
Tamarind - a small piece
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 teaspoon

For tempering:
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Black gram (Urad Dal / Uzhunthu) - 1/2 tablespoon
Curry leaves - few
Asafoetida - a pinch


Method:
Heat pan, add oil, fry chana dal, dry chillies, cumin seeds for 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown and keep aside. 

Once it is cool,  add these to a mixer, with grated coconut, tamarind, salt and grind to a paste(sprinkle little water if required). 


Tempering:
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds once it is hot. Once it splitters, add urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves.

Fry them until dal turns golden brown. Add it to the chutney and mix well.

Delicious chutney is ready. Can be served with any rice variety.

Goes well with sambhar rice. A picture to drool ;-)