Friday, November 27, 2009
STUFFED IDIYAPPAM
My mom-in-law tried this out after watching this in a TV cookery show,4 years back 
. She uses microwave idly steamer, since I don’t have that, I have given here stove top method. The stuff part is up to you,use your creativity to experiment and suit your tastes.
Usually I make idiyappam with the ready mix(rice flour) available here in Singapore(BABA’S). Comes out really soft and moist. I usually prepare the basic white idiyappam and with that I mix tot make sweet(sugar+coconut+elachi) and savory-lemon/puli(tamarind)/paruppu(dhal) any one of these varieties. So for a change(okay,may be for blogging) I tried this out after 4 years 
,though I wanted to try it out for long time.
If you have guests at home,you can make this for Breakfast/dinner along with some thing else. I made coconut chutney with this as side dish. Was tasting great!
Ingredients:
For Idliyappam
| Idiyappam flour | 1 cup |
| Water and salt | As needed |
| sesame oil (optional) | 1 tsp |
For stuffing:
| Mixed vegetables of your choice | 1 cup |
| Turmeric | 2 pinches |
| Red chillie powder | 1 tsp |
| Garam masala powder | 1/2 tsp |
To grind to Coarse paste:
| Coconut | 1/4 cup |
| Jeera or u can use fennel | 3/4 tsp |
| Shallot(small/pearl onions) | 2 nos. |
| Green chillies(use this if you don't want to use red chilli powder above) | 3 nos. |
To temper:
| Mustard | 3/4 tsp |
| Jeera or fennel | 3/4 tsp |
| Curry leaves | 1 sprig |
| Oil | 1 tsp |
Method:
For Idiyappam:
- Boil water with oil(just till the bubbles start appearing in the sides) and add this to the flour(add salt if theres no salt in the mix) and make a smooth dough just like our chapathi dough. It should be non sticky if the consistency is right. Keep covered till you need.
For stuffing:
- Boil/steam cook vegetables with salt,turmeric and red chilli powder till done.
- Grind the coconut first then add jeera/fennel,onion and green chillies(if only u or not adding red chilli powder) and grind to a coarse paste,with only very little water.
- Heat kadai/pan with oil and temper with the tempering items given and then add the veggies and stir fry for a minute.
- Add the ground masala to this veggie and cook in medium low flame for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell disappears. remove from fire.
To make stuffed idiyappam:
- Fill in your idiyapam press with enough dough and take a greased idly plate and draw a single layer.
- Keep one or two tblsp of the prepared stuff above it and again layer it with the idiyappam to completely cover the stuff.
- Repeat it to fill the idly plate and steam this for 3-4 minutes.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney to rise your guest’s eye brows
.
Sorry If I have bored you all with too many pictures.
I still have to perfect mines,so that the stuffing doesn’t shows out.
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
PICKLED GOOSEBERRY – NEER NELLIKKAI
I have been bit lazy that its more than a week,since I posted a recipe here
. I took pictures when I made this pickle in between the week, but waited for the pickle to get a good look
.
. I took pictures when I made this pickle in between the week, but waited for the pickle to get a good look. 
. Very very flavorful one,am sure you all going to love it! This tastes best with curd rice,we can eat the gooseberry as such too,just give a wash in tap water and toss in to your mouth. I always been excited from my childhood,that after eating gooseberry,if we drink water,the water tastes way too sweet!!! Till now for that sake I never forget to drink water to enjoy that sweet taste
.No need to say how healthy this gooseberry is,so don’t hesitate to pick up from the store when you come across some fresh gooseberry! I took a pack of 12 or some 15 from Mustafa when I went for monthly purchase,this gooseberries were lying for a week in my fridge,then when a moment came that after this,the goose berries will not be good anymore,I made this pickle!!
I love to mix this water,in which we pickle the gooseberries,than the berries
.My mom-in-law makes thogaiyal too,with fresh gooseberries,which I should try in future and post here too! With very few ingredients and simple method,you can enjoy this flavorful pickle!
Ingredients:
| Fresh big variety gooseberries | 12-15 nos. |
| Asafetida&turmeric | 1/8 tsp each |
| Water | 2 & 1/2 – 3 cups |
| Salt | as needed |
To grind to coarse powder:
| Long variety red chilies | 12-15 nos.(I added 12) |
| Roasted fenugreek seeds | 1 tsp |
| Mustard | 1 tsp |
| Asafetida | 1/8 tsp |
| Sesame oil | 1 tsp |
Method:
- Fry the gooseberry in kadai with few drops of oil for 2 minutes in medium flame. This step is to make the soaking part faster,you can skip too!
- Transfer the gooseberries to the container in which you are going to keep the pickle and add enough water.
- Grind the chilies and roasted fenugreek seeds to coarse powder.
- Mix in the powder,turmeric,salt,asafetida powder to the gooseberry in water .
- Temper the items given in the “to Temper” table and Mix well.
- Keep closed for 2-3 days to ensure even mingling of the spices.
- After two days,the water will become so flavorful with all those spices mixed well (if you taste immediately after mixing,it will be bitter,don’t worry will be good after 2 days)and also will have the flavor of gooseberry!! Enjoy with a creamy curd rice!!
This pickle stays good for at least 15 days without refrigeration. Just have to handle it clean and stir everyday. Keep in airtight container. Use clean ladle. Can keep in refrigerator for a month!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
POONDU MILAGAI PODI
Both my mom and my mom-in-law makes this,my mom makes this for vendhaya dosai which I feel is a perfect combo,still it tastes great with idly and dosai ! My mom in law makes this as chutney,adding water and making its consistency different. So its our choice to make it as chutney or a dry podi. I have given the podi,we grind without adding water. Its quite flavorful one,I make it rarely and only in weekends as my hubby don't prefer to smell like garlic in office .
Ingredients:
| Red chillies(long variety) | 9 nos. |
| Garlic | one whole |
| coconut | 2-4 tblsp |
| Salt | As needed(I added 1,1/4 tsp) |
| Oil | For frying,1/2 tsp |
Method:
- Roast redchillies till deep red and cool down,peel the garlic pods.
- Grind first salt,coconut and red chillies to coarse powder.
- Then add the garlic and use Juice/inch/pulse option in your mixer to just crush the garlic and blend well with the chilli.
- Serve with Idly or dosa with generous sesame oil.
Can keep in air tight container and store it for 2-3 days in refrigerator!
Monday, November 9, 2009
SNAKE GOURD PORIYAL
A poriyal that has a simple taste,one of my hubby’s favorite. We mix this poriyal with hot rice and sesame oil/ghee and enjoy. Yesterday we had a friend at home for lunch. So I made little more than usual. I made chayote sambar,pepper rasam,cabbage kootu and masala vadai along with this.
Snake gourd needs some preparation before cooking,which I always enjoy doing…Some veggies needs more work to be done when compared to the others. But,I always love doing those special preparation part, and enjoy cooking that veggie. Snake gourd is one among the veggies I love to cook.
I took the pictures in hurry,especially the final pictures as I was expecting the friend.But still I managed to take step wise pictures to ensure that it should be helpful to the beginners 
.
Ingredients:
| Snake gourd | 2, medium in length |
| Moong dal/paasi paruppu | 1 tblsp |
| Coconut | 3-4 tblsp |
| Salt | As needed |
| Onion | 1 no. |
To temper:
| Oil | 1 –2 tsp |
| Mustard | 3/4 tsp |
| Urad dal/Ulutham paruppu | 1 tsp |
| Red chillies | 2 nos. |
| Curry leaves | 1 sprig |
Method:
- Scrap the skin of the snake gourd slightly to remove the snowy skin. You can skip this step,do only if desired.
- Cut the snake gourd into tubes and halve the tubes vertically as shown below.
- Remove the centre soft portion with a cutlery knife and wash the snake gourd.
- Stack two,three pieces and slice the snake gourd into thin crescents.Chop the onions finely,keep aside.
- Mix well,the cut snake gourd with salt and moong dal in a big plate and keep it in a slanting way to let the excess water drain.
- Keep aside for 10 – 15 minutes, the mixture will ooze out water.
- Squeeze out the excess water,you will get a lot of water. Keep aside.
- Heat kadai with oil and temper with the items given under the “To temper” table.
- Add the chopped onions and fry till transparent.
- Add the snake gourd and fry for a minute and press it lightly and cook covered for 4 minutes.(stir in between)
- Mix in the coconut and stir well for a minute and transfer to the serving dish!
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Note: Squeezing out the excess water gives a dry poriyal,so make sure you squeeze out the excess water!
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