Moong dal dosa / pasi parrupu dosai

Usually our traditional southindian dosas are made with lots of preparation, like soaking for hours in water and allowing them to ferment ( for yeast formation ) for another one day. so by the time you eat your dosa you have to wait for 2 days.

Moong dal/pasi parrupu is a great substitute for this traditional dosa made with rice and urud dal. These dosas are faster and easier to prepare.

Ingredients for 2 people / around 6 large dosas :

moong dal - 1 cup washed ( 250 gms )

cummin seeds - 1 tbsp

salt - to taste

oil - for making the dosas ( around 6 tbsps)

Method:

Wash the dal in water several times until the water becomes clear

Soak the dal in water for about 3 to 4 hours

Drain and blend them along with the required amount of salt.( the batter blends smoother with little water)

Add cumin seeds in the batter ( for digestion ).add water if needed to form into a dosa consistency.

Heat non-stick/dosa pan , spread oil and make dosas with the batter.

serving suggestions:

tastes best with aloo(potato) peas curry ( my preference)

also can be served with any chutney or gunpowder(milagai podi)

Beetroot Raita by Anjum Anand

Ingredients:

small uncooked beetroot - 1 peeled and finely grated

yoghurt/curd - 250 gms blended/stirred

sunflower oil - 1 tbsp

mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

curry leaves - few ( around 10 leaves )

sesame seeds - 1 tbsp

black pepper - 1/2 tbsp

salt - to taste

Method of preparation:

Mix together the beetroot,yoghurt, salt and pepper

Heat oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and when they start to pop add the curry leaves and sesame seeds. cook until the seeds are colouring and then pour them into the raita.

serve it immediately or chill until you are ready to eat.

My fav Cook / Chef / Food writer

Discovery Travel and Living is supposed to be one of my fav channels till date and the show ' Indian food made easy ' by Anjum Anand is my fav cookery show.

Anjum is a British Indian food writer and chef. she is passionate about Indian food and shows people how easy and quick authentic,home style Indian food can be made.

I simply love the way she prepares, organises and presents the show.

All her receipes are Indian ranging from

Bengali dish

Punjabi dish

Tamilian dish

keralite dish etc, etc

I just loved the way she prepared lemon rice and avial and served them to Britishers.

Also i have seen her episodes of panner butter masala, palak panner, indian bread ( roti/chappati)

Anyone would enjoy and love to learn cooking when you see her kitchen, her utensils and cutlerys,her blender, oven, the fresh vegetables, grains and rice used. simply awesome !

Also she s cute and i love her mannerisms.

Check out her show on travel and living on weekends 7 pm.

Thai Green Curry

I was jus watching 'chef and the better half ' on NDTV Good Times where you find both husband and wife cooking for you (Nikhil and Natasha). It is jus a fun cookery show wherein you have to concentrate really hard if you want to follow the recipe in between their romances !

Here's a receipe which is similar to our Avial.

Ingredients:

To be made into paste -

cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp roasted

Coriander seeds - 2 to 3 tbsp roasted

green chillies - 3 to 4 slit

ginger - 1 inch cube

onions - 1 chopped

other ingredients for the gravy/sauce:

garlic - 1 tbsp

sugar - a pinch

salt to taste

carrot- 1/2 cup chopped in cubes

broccoli - 1/2 cup chopped ( optional )

cauli flower - 1/2 cup chopped

potatoes - 1/2 cup chopped

baby corn - 1/2 cup chopped

coconut milk - 2 cups thick

1 cup thin

Method:

Grind into a smooth paste with little water all the ingredients mentioned under to be made to a paste

in a pan / kadai add oil and when hot had garlic. saute well and add the paste in the blender and stir by adding very little water.

Add coconut milk little by little , starting from the thick milk and stir continuously.

Add salt, sugar and stir

one by one start adding the vegetables, stir and close the container.

Allow the veg to cook in the coconut milk gravy and when done serve.

Serving suggestion: Taste best with steamed rice.

Nutrition : all the veg and coconut milk have good amount of proteins and vitamins in them.

smt.Vishaka Hari - Divine Voice tribute to tradition

Though I'm not very passionate about carnatic music , i happen to listen to one of the hari katha (discourse/upanyasam) performed by smt. Vishaka hari. she is truly divine. The genuine interest of the carnatic music has given into other forms of music, but she has marvelously revived the culture of music, especially for the younger generation.

Her deep knowledge of scriptures,intimate bhakthi and musical power has refined the art ,far from what one can imagine.The young , middle aged and senior citizens all alike, are eager to see her performance.

juice ! Juice !

Six Starwberries,

one apple - sliced

half orange - peeled

process through a juicer and serve

My fav tamil song

This is my all time fav folk song - listen this song for the beats composed by illayaraja!

Chinna Mani Kuyile Mella Varum Mayilae Engae Un Jodi Naan Poaraen ThaediIngae Un Joadi Illaama Kaetathaan Bathilum SollaamaKukukoo Ena koovuvadaenadi Kanmani Kanmani Bathil Sollu Nee Sollu Nee
(Chinna)
Nillaadha Vaigaiyilae Neeraada Poagayilae Sellaadha Seigaiyilae Neejaada SeigayilaeKallaagi Poanaen Naanum Kan Paarththaa Aalaavaen Kaisaerum Kaalam Vandhaa Thoaloadu ThoalaavaenUlla Ganathadhadi Raagam Paadi Naalum Thaedi Nee Adikkadi Anaikkanum Kanmani Kanmani Bathil Sollu Nee Sollu Nee
(Chinna)
Pattu Thuniyuduthi Uchi Mudi Thiruthi Ettu Adiyeduthu Etti Nadandha Pulla Un Saela Kaatril Aada En Nenjum Saerndatha Un Koondhal Vaasam PaarthuEn Ennam Koothada Maaraappu Saelaiyila Noolapola Naanirukka Naan Saamiya Vaenduraen Kanmani Kanmani Bathil Sollu Nee Sollu Nee
(Chinna)

My marriage and significance of thali(mangal sutra/sacred thread)

Hi all,

I was jus browsing through my wedding photos(june 2008) and thought why not blog about our traditional indian wedding ceremony. Being a south indian (tamilian) the thread is called as thali, its in yellow colour which symbolises auspiciousness in all forms and its a single colour without any fusion of other colours.

I came across an article which says tying of this thali or auspicious emblem on the wedding day became popular only on the 6 th century before which it is tied on their hand to signal their commitment in marriage. I found from the web that the variations change from region to region. it contains shiva lingam - iyers , namam and sudharshana chakra for iyengars. In ancient days the leaves of the tree 'thaala vriksha' were used together in place of thread. tying the thali is similar to the western culture of exchanging rings. Three knots are tied - one by the groom and the other two by his sister

Dinesh's fav dish

Im sharing with you all another receipe which is my husband's fav. This is ofcourse an indian version of a chinese dish 'Gobi/Veg manchurian' (Gobi - Cauli flower) which is popular in north india and is available in punjabi restaurants.

Items req:

For the veg balls -

Cabbage - 2 cups finely chopped

carrot - 1/2 a cup grated

spring onions - 1/2 a cup chopped

cornflour - 2 tbsp

plain flour (maida) - 2 tbsp

garlic - 2 tbsp finely chopped

green chilli - 1 tbsp finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

oil for deep frying

For the sauce /gravy -

garlic - 2 tbsp

green chillies - 1tbsp

ginger - 1 tbsp

vegetable stock - 1 cup ( plain water will also do)

soya sauce - 1 tbsp

schezuan sauce - 2/3 tbsp

cornflour - 2 tbsp dissolved in a cup of water

sugar - a pinch or 2

oil - 2tbsp

salt to taste

Method of preparation:

for the balls -

mix all the ingredients and shape the mixture into balls, little water can be sprinkled to bind them in case it is difficult to form balls

Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown and drain in tissue/absorbent paper

sauce/gravy:

heat the oil in kadai/wok, add garlic ginger and green chillies and fry for few seconds, add the stock and all the other ingrediants and simmer for 5 to 8 mins.

just before serving put the balls in the gravy and bring to a boil

In case of gobi manchurian , cauli flower can be used instead of all the other veg.

varalakshmi vratam

Varalakshmi vratham is one important pooja performed especially by women in South India. It is celebrated on the last friday of the bright fortnight in the month of Adi. For this festival a small portion of the wall facing east will be whitewashed and a figure of gaja lakshmi will be drawn with paint or red oxide along with the kalasam with mango leaves and coconut and then a mandap is drawn around it.

A varalakshmi face tied to a silver vessel(sombu) which has 2 to 4 cups of rice,betel leaves,nuts,turmeric,plantain fruit and coins (gold/siver ornaments). A small coconut smeared with turmeric is placed on the mouth of the vessel

Rangolis (kolam) using rice soaked in water and made into a watery paste is drawn. The Kuthuvilakku(lamp) is lit and pooja is performed with flowers and akshadai(rice smeared in turmeric).

Neivedyam is performed with payasam(kheer),cooked rice,vadai, kozhukattais(modak),coconut and idlis

Then ladies singing traditional songs invoking the deity carry the plank with the kalasam carefully to the mandap and place it there for performing pooja. during the pooja ;noanbu charadu'(string) applied with turmeric paste should be tied in the hand. then mangala aarathi is taken.

In the evening sumangalis(married women) are invited and kumkum,turmeric betal leaves and nuts are offered to them.

The next day, punar pooja is performed to the deity and the kalasam is moved to the northern side and placed in a drum or vessel with raw rice .

Black Pepper / Curry Leaves Chutney

So to start with a simple recipe, I'm giving you all a south indian dish which i made today afternoon for lunch.
Items required:
Black pepper - 1 tbsp
Tuvar Dal - 1 tbsp
Urud Dal - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 3 to 4
tamarind - lemon size
Curry Leaves - a bunch ( optional)
oil - as required
Mustard seeds - for seasoning
Hing - a pinch

Salt - to taste
Method :
Soak the tamarind in water or we can use tamarind paste about 1 tbsp. In a frying pan add about half a tbsp of oil , when hot add hing , red chillies, tuvar dal and urud dal. Fry till the dal changes colour and blend them in a blender into a fine powder. Now heat a Kadai add a tbsp of oil and when hot add mustard seeds to splutter , now lower the heat and pour the the tamarind paste soaked in water and stir. when bubbles start to appear add the powder already kept in the blender along with salt and allow the mixture to boil for about 8 to 10 Min's

Serving suggestions:
it tastes best with hot rice and ghee, Idli, Dosa

Storage:
Can be stored in room temperature for a day and in refrigerator for about a week

Nutrition:
Black pepper and curry leaves are good for stomach and for glowing hair!

India is a land of diverse culture and ethnicity.Food is an important part of Indian culture, playing a role in everyday life as well as in festivals. Various civilizations have contributed to Indian food and Indian culture.

In my blog i would like to share the richness of our culture, along with different kinds of recipes, their method of preparation along with pictures and videos if possible.Also anything interesting in my day to day activities.