Ani’s Kids Recipe,South Indian samayal & Tips!

Just to share with you…………

After a very long time (almost a year and a half after) I am positng this recipe. Birth of this recipe has a secret behind it. Two days before Dilwali I wanted to make some varieties of sweet for my husband. Coconut burfi is one among his favourities. For his Birthday I made this in a traditional way and it came out really good. After that I saw somewhere that coconut burfi can be made easily with the dry coconut from Indian store . So I thought of making coconut burfi using dry coconut. With that process I ended up with real good coconut ladoo instead of burfi.

Ingredients
Dry coconut powder   : 14 oz packet
Sweetened Condensed Milk : 14 oz can
Cardamom powder   : a pinch

Preparation:
1. Place a thick bottom kadai in stove.Kadai must be thick otherwise coconut will get burnt easily. you can use Indian pressure pans if you don’t have thick kadai.

2. Add the dry coconut and roast it well till nice aroma comes out.May be in a low flame for about 5-10 mins.

2. Add two cups of sugar to the coconut and mix well. ( I used the rice cup given along with rice cooker).

3. Add the condensed milk into it  and mix well. All these should be done in slow flame otherwise cocount will be burnt.

4. Add cardamom powder to it and keep mixing for another 5-10 mins. Once everthing is mixed well and if yiou feel you can make nice balls out of it turn off the stove.

5. Cool it for sometime when it is warm enough to be handled then start making ladoos by pressing the mixture very well. This will yield you 30-35 ladoo’s of normal size.

Tips:
To make this rich you can add roasted cashews or anynuts before turning of the stove.

This is very quick but very rich sweet which needs minimal effort/work and can be done in 10-15 mins.

Just to share with you………..

Paruppu Vadai /Aama vadai is basically a dish of Tamilnadu origin which is usually made during family feasts and is served as a starter. Most of the lunch menu for special occasions will include this Paruppu vada and Payasam.It is a fast and easy mouthwatering appetizer which can be made in minutes. Advantage of this recipe is that you need not search for much of ingredients in your pantry and fridge. the outer layer of Masala vada is very crispy . It can be eaten as  teas time  snack.

Paruppu vadai

Ingredients

1. Channa dal  – 1 cup
2. Ani seeds/Sombu - 1 tsp
3. ginger - very little
4. green chillis -4
5. Onion -1
6. salt
7. curry leaves
8. Corriander leaves
9. oil for frying

Preparation

1. Soak channa dal in water for 2 hours.Drain and keep aside a fistful of drained channa dal (optional) and grind the rest of the channa dal with sombu/ani seeds coarsely.
2. To this coarse mixture, add chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves,chopped green chillies,finely chopped ginger and salt and mix well.
3. Add the remaining channa dal (optional)and mix well. Make small lemon-sized balls and pat it lightly on your palm  and slide into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown.

Tips

To Make Keerai Vadai/Greens vada

• You can add chooped spinach along with corase grinded dal. Or you can add Drumstick greens (Murunga keerai) -It will taste good.

To Make Valapoo vadai

•  you can add cleaned and  finely chopped banana flower. There is a spl method to cook Valpoo vada that we will see later.

Mixture of Dals
You Instead of channa dal/Kadalaparuppu you can mke Channa dal 1/2 and toor dal 1/2 cup.

Just to share with you….

Quite intersting thing about this Medthu vada/Urd dhaal vada  the same thing cab be used as starter /Appitizer and dessert with little varitation. If it is a plain vada then it is used for starter. If put in Dahi/Yogurt/ Curd then it will be dahi vada and can be dessert. Let us see how to make this Dahi vada

Dahi vada

Indgredients

1. Medhu vadas – 5
2. curd – 1 cup
3. green chilli -2
4. corroander leaves – 1 tsp
5. sombu – 1/4 tsp
6. salt – as needed

For tempering

1. Musturd seeds – 1/4 tsp
2. oil- 1 tsp
3. Dry red chilli – 1
4. curry leaves -little

Preparation

1. Click on the Methu vada  for Meduvada preparation.
2. Take corriander leaves,green chillies and sombu ( Ani seeds ) and grind this into fine paste by adding little water.
3. Take the curd beat well then add the grinded paste and little salt(as needed). Now your curd is ready.
4. Boil little water and switch off the stove. Put the vada’s in hot water . Take out immediately and squeeze out the water by pressing vada between two palms. Now add this vada into the curd.
5. keep it in fridge. Before serving ,temper mustardseeds,curryleaves and redchilli and add to the Dahi vada mix it well and then serve.

Tips

• Don’t transfter vadas directly into curd it will not get absord curd inside.
• If you don’t want chilli hotness avoid grinding chilli.
• While serving garnish with chopped cilantro, carrots, boondi, chat masala or red chili powder as per your taste.
• If the curd it too thick add little water while beating
  

Just to share with you………..

I like ulunthu vadai a lot.  I still remember whenever I am back home from college or going from home to college I will wait for dindugal. I have to go to Trichy for my college.  I have to go via Palani-dindugal and trichy. The bus will stop for 10 mins there. So I used to go and get Urudal vada in one of the shops there. I forgot the shops name. There you will get a very very big Urudal vada. the siae will be equalivalent to 3 idlis or I can say like kushbu idli.

Doyou know how I got to know that shop? One time an old couple was travelling with me from Trichy all the way to Palani (4 hrs journey in bus). When the bus reached Dindugal  the old man went outside (it was almost 2 ‘clock)  and came with yummy big vada’s. since i was sitting with them in same seat (3 -seater) he bought one for me too.  I said I don’t want but since they are like my grandparents and they also hesitate to eat leaving me I just took a bit .  It was so yummy (already its my favourite) and size ,look and feel was amazing. I haven’t seen urudal vada in that size anywhere.Also whenever I goto  my friend Sasi’s house her dad used to buy and keep the urudal vadas for me. I still remember those days. 

 In Tamilnadu pongal and meduvadai goes together . For pongal recipe click here http://ani-samayal.yoksha.com/ven-pongal.html. The picture below has both type 1 and type 2 vadas. If you saok in curd that is dahi vada let see that recipe soon.

Ulunthu vadai

Ingredients for Type 1 :

1.  Uad daal -1 cup
2. Green chillies – 2
3. Onion- 1 small
4.  Ginger  – 1/2 tsp (Chopped)
5. Pepper corns – 1 tsp
6. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
7.  Salt
8. Oil  for frying

Ingredients for Type 2:

1.  Uad daal -1 cup
2.  Ginger  – 1/2 tsp Chopped
3. Pepper corns – 1 tsp
4. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
5.  Salt
6. Oil  for frying
   note : to the grinded paste all the ingredients if you are using type 2 ingredients

Preparation

1. Soak the   urudal in water for about one  hour. 
2. Drain the water completely from soaked urad daal, add salt and grind it to a smooth paste. (Do not add water at all, just sprinkle water if needed also use grinder if you have).
3. Cut the green chillies ,onion,ginger very finely and cut the curry leaves, corriander  into pieces .
4. To ginded Urudal paste add all the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and check for taste. Add more salt if necessary.
5. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan sufficient enough to deep fry.
6. Check to make sure that the oil has reached the correct temperature, by putting in small amount of batter
   If there is a sound of a sizzle that means the oil is ready.
7. Take about lemon size ball of the batter from the tips of your hands and put it in the deep fryer. Add about 4-5 depending on the size of the pan at the same time.
8. Remove from oil, when done and continue the above for the remaining batter as well.

Tips

• If you are using Mixie or blender or food processer to grind the Uruad dal you get the grinded paste in plae color . So, in that case mix the grinded paste well with hands for some time  so that it changes to white color instead of pale color.
• If you feel batter is watery then add little rava/sooji abd little rice flour this makes your vad grispy and also the batter thick.
• Adding little rava to the batter just before deep frying make vadas more crispy.
• If you don’t get the proper shape don’t worry just make bonda’s out of it.

Just to share with you…..

My daughter loves pancakes a lot especially from IHOP. Sometimes she used to ask me in odd times. So I started making pancakes using the recipe I got in net. I came good but can’t be compared with IHOP ‘s Pancakes.

Pancakes

Ingredients:

1. All-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring  – 2 cups
2. Baking powder  – 2 and half tsp
3. salt – 1/2 tsp
4. lightly beaten  egg – 1
5. Milk -1 1/2 cups
6. melted butter -2 tablespoons

Preparation:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In abowl, add egg and milk. Add to flour mixture, stirring  until smooth.
3. Then add the melted butter and mix well.
4. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.
5. Cook until brown on one side and around edge; turn and brown the other side. 
6. This can be eaten with Honey.