Rice Idiyaapam / Arisi Sevai / Rice String hoppers

Whenever i think of rice sevai, i become so nostalgic of my childhood days when my mom used to make this. It's a 'not so often' dish at my home due to the difficulty in squeezing and so it's always a longing for this special one. Another loving memory on this dish, is the aroma of rice flour getting steamed spreading all over the house!!!! My mom makes coconut chutney as an accompaniment for this, while i always prefer sugar :)

I couldn't enjoy the happiness of making and having this after marriage as my dear hubby is not a great lover of steamed foods starting from Idly to any sundal varieties, and so the tradition started to get into my kids as well.....!!!!

So i thought of exposing these kind of 'our' food to my kids and started making some spicy accompaniment for them so that my hubby can also have it...(he needs some kurma or chutney very very hot for these  kind of steamed dishes)

This time i made idiyappam with Thakali kurma and the combination was really heavenly and went on well with my hubby and kids. (In fact my daughter has started asking me to make white noodles more often nowadays :))

Another reason for me liking this dish is that it can be had during sick times as well. So there is a healthy alternative for idly for people who fall sick...!!

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 3 cups

Salt - as required

Water - Not so hot, but more warmer inorder to make the dough

Oil - very little

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Boil water and when its starts to leave out small bubbles on the side, remove water from stove and carefully make a soft dough of rice flour. Use spatula at the earlier stages and finally use hand to finish the dough making. At the end add little bit of oil if required.

2. Grease the idly plates with little oil and keep them ready.

3. Squeeze the dough into sevai maker and start making shapes with the dough on the idly plates. You can either squeeze into the idly pit alone to make it look like idlies or sqeeze them all over the plate like rings. It's up to you...!!!

4. Steam the idly pot for 3 to 4 mins. After 4 mins, reduce the flame and make sure the idiyappam is cooked. Switch off the flame and transfer it to the serving plate.

Enjoying steaming hot idiyappam with Tomato Kurma !!!

If  you like this post, do leave a comment....:)

Hotel Sambar /Restaurant style sambar

Whenever we get a chance to go to any South Indian restaurants, one thing that always pulls me is the sambar that they make. Even though am not a big fan of Idly/pongal, for the sake of that sambar i generally order idly. The flavour and the taste of that restaurant style sambar has really amazed me and i have always tried many times about bringing the same taste at home.

After a lot of trials, researches and reference from my uncle who was a chef,i finally found the recipe for restaurant style sambar. There is a magical 'multi purpose spice powder' that we need, to make this sambar.

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - small lemon sized
Carrot/beans/drumstick - cut into small pieces
Small onion - 1 handful with skin removed
Curry leaves
Corriander leaves
Multi purpose spice powder - 3 tbsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
jaggery - very little
Salt - as required

For seasoning:

Oil - 2 tsp
Red chilly - 2 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Hing - a pinch

Preparation to be done before cooking:

1. Cook toor dal with little turmeric powder and mash it nicely. Keep it aside.
2. Soak tamarind in little water for atleast 20 mins and keep it aside.
3. Cut small onion and veggies and keep it ready.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Add red chilly, mustard seeds and jeera.

2. Add small onion and curry leaves and saute them nicely till the onion turns golden brown.

3. Add carrots and continue sauteing.

4. After 2 mins,extract juice from tamarind (extract 2 or 3 times and mix them together) and pour it to the veggie mixture. Add salt and turmeric powder. Allow the veggies to get cooked in the tamarind extract.

5. Add the mashed dal and multi purpose spice powder and allow the sambar to get cooked till it reaches a consistency not so watery or not so thick.

6. Now add the jaggery and sprinkle the corriander leaves and switch off the flame.

7. Serve idly with steaming hot Sambar and a spoon of ghee on top.

Tips:

1. Use veggies like carrot/drumstick/beans to get a nativity about the restaurant style sambar.

2. Small onions and the multi purpose spice powder play a major role in getting the flavor and texture of the sambar.

3. Adding very small amount of jaggery at the end is optional. For those who doesnt like the taste of jaggery can skip it.

4. Do not add tomatoes to this sambar.

Enjoy restaurant style sambar :) Do try this recipe and let me know your comments

Arisi maavu Upma / Rice flour Upma

Upma is a popular south indian tiffin variety done generally with Semolina, Vermicelli and Rice. Its a very healthy tiffin where lots of vegetables are added to the thick porridge of Semoline(rava)/Vermicilli or rice served with either Sambar, coconut chutney or with sugar (mostly for kids)

This particular Upma is something very special that my mom makes for me. I just love it to the core. During  my childhood when i come back from school and when my mom had this ready for me, it would be flying on air and would grab and finish it almost everything myself.

Now its been so long that i didn't eat this almost after my marriage. Suddenly i decided to prepare this on a day when i had no clue what to do, as my kids were bored of almost all the dishes i suggested them. Though i was not sure if they will like it or not, at the end i was very happy when they had competition on who is eating more :)))

There is a slightly different version of this same upma which i will explain at the end of this post.

Preparation time: 10 mins.
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Fine rice flour - 1.5 cups
warm water - as reuired
Salt - as required

For seasoning:

Onion - finely chopped
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp

Method:

1. In a bowl, take the rice flour and mix it with the required amount of salt.

 2. Add the warm water little by little and mix it nicely. The consistency should not be too thick or too watery. It should be slightly thicker than dosa batter. Keep it aside.

3. Heat oil in a kadai and add the seasoning items one by one.

4. Now add the chopped onion and curry leaves and saute them well. Sprinkle very little salt for the onion.

5. Once the onion turns golden brown, add the rice flour batter to the kadai. Now without leaving it, keep mixing it with the seasoning, till everything is mixed properly and the flour gets cooked.

6. The real challenge is to keep breaking the lumps getting formed and allowing the rice flour to get cooked. Keep the flame in medium and repeat the process. Sprinkle little bit of oil now and then to get the upma cooked and to get a crunchy upma.

7. Once the upma is not sticky and crispy, it can be removed from flame. 

8. Serve hot. Once it becomes cold, it becomes rubbery which makes it difficult to eat and to enjoy the upma.

9. Sprinkle sugar and serve kids. It can be eaten alone or accompanied with any side dish of our choice.

Variation:

Soak a small amount of tamarind for about 15 mins. Extract the tamarind juice and prepare the batter with the the tamarind juice. This will give a tangy taste to the upma and this is called Puli upma.

Tip: This dish has to be eaten hot as soon as it is prepared to enjoy the real taste of it.

Veg Spaghetti Masala

My dear husband used to tell me to try making a dish with spaghetti, but somehow i was not sure how it might turn out and how my family might accept it. Finally i decided to try it and see how it tastes. Its almost the same recipe as i do for noodles, with some slight variations here and there. 

The final outcome was too good and my kids liked the dish. Now i have got the courage to try out other pastas also.

References:

Tarla Dalal mam's notes.

Items required:

Spaghetti - Required amount.

Onion - 1, chopped

Tomato - 2

Capsicum - 1 cup (chopped)

Mustard powder - 1 tsp

Grated mozarilla cheese - for garnish.

For Grinding:

Garlic - 3 pods

Ginger - a small piece

Red chilly - According to taste

Pre-requisites before starting to cook:

1. Boil water and once the water starts to boil, switch off the flame and put the spaghetti into it. Let it cook for few mins. Once the spaghetti becomes tender, remove from stove, drain the water and keep it aside.

                                      

                                      

2. Grind all the items given for grinding and keep it aside.

                                     

3. Boil water in a bowl. Once the water starts to boil, switch off the flame and put 2 tomatoes in it. Remove after 5 mins, peel the skin off and keep it aside.

                                    

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai and saute the onion once the oil is heated nicely.

2. Add the grind paste of ginger, garlic and red chilly to the saute onion once the onion becomes golden browm in colour. 

3. Add the capsicum (bell pepper) pieces now and saute all of them well for few mins. Sprinkle the required amount of salt and 1 tsp of mustard powder to it.

4. Add the peeled and smashed tomatoes to it now. Mix them thoroughly. Now add the cooked spaghetti and mix them well.

5. Remove from flame and transfer it to a serving bowl. Grate some mozzarella cheese and spread them on top of the cooked masala spaghetti.

Serve hot :)

Try this and let me know your comments. 

Rava Kichidi / Sooji Kichidi

Though am not fond of Upma varieties, i like to prepare this often due to its high nutritional value. I add as much as vegetables as possible and make this as a colourful one. When accompanied by coconut chutney, Rava kichidi is too yummy

Items Required:

Combo of vegetables - 1 cup (Potato, Carrot, Green Peas, Beans) 

Onion and Tomato - 1

Green chilly - 1 or 2 as per taste. Slit into 2.

Curry leaves

Bansi Sooji - 2 cups

Water - 4 cups

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds

Urad dhal

Channa dhal
Jeera

Pre-requisites before cooking:

1. Dry roast the Sooji if its not roasted before. If you are buying roasted sooji, then skip this step.

2. Clean and cut all the vegetables into small equal sized cubes.

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter, add the urad dhal and channa dhal. Once they become golden brown, add the jeera to it and immediately add the onion, green chilly and curry leaves. Once the onion becomes golden brown,  add the remaining vegetables except tomato. Finally add the tomato also and saute them well. Now add some water and boil the vegetables. Add salt and turmeric powder to it.

Once the vegetables are cooked nicely, add the Sooji little by little keeping the flame in low. Mix the sooji slowly making sure no lumps are formed. Once all the Sooji is mixed leave it low flame for few mins. 

Switch off the gas once kichidi is done. Serve hot with Coconut chutney.

Try this and provide your valuable comments :)

Vegetable Dosai

I always have carrots in stock as i use carrots in all possible forms in many dishes. When i plan to make onion dosa, i generally use carrot along with it to make it more healthier and tastier. When served with any good combination chutney/sambar, this dosa is too yummy to be left without it.

Kids like it too due to its catchy colour.

Items required:

For the spread:

Onion - cut in to small pieces.
Carrot - skin peeled and grated.
Chilly - if required, cut into thin and small pieces
Corriander leaves - cut into thin pieces
mustard seeds and urad dhal - for seasoning.

Method:

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and add the mustard seeds to it. Once they start to splutter, add the urad dhal and remove them from flame once the urad dhal becomes golden brown  in colour. Add this to the onion-carrot mix. Add the thinly cut corriander leaves also. Sprinkle very little amount of salt and mix them gently. Keep this aside.

Heat the dosa tava and spread little oil in it. Once the tava is hot, sprinkle water to make the surface clear. Lower the flame and take little amount of dosa batter and spread it evenly and thick on the tava. Take the onion-carrot mix and spread it evenly on top of the dosa. 

Sprinkle little oil/ghee around the dosa and on top. With the spatula, press the vege topping slightly so that it gets pressed in the dosa nicely. Let it cook. 

Slowly turn the dosa upside down and cook it in low flame. Remove the dosa from the tava after few secs.

Vegetable dosa is ready. It goes very well with coconut chutney.