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

Just to share with you….

Quite interesting thing about this Medthu vada/Urad dhal vada is the same thing can be used as starter/Appitizer and dessert with little variation.  If it is a plain vada or sambar 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

Ingredients

1.  Medhu vadas  -  5
2.  Curd  -  1 cup
3.  Green chilli  -  2
4.  Corriander leaves  -  1 tsp
5.  Sombu – 1/4  tsp
6.  Salt – a s 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  and grind this into fine paste by adding little water.
3.  Take the curd beat well then add the grinded paste and little salt.   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 mustard seeds, curryleaves and redchilli and add to the Dahi vada.  Mix it well and then serve.

Tips

1.  Don’t transfer vadas directly into curd it will not  absord curd inside.
2.  If  you don’t want chilli hotness avoid grinding chilli.
3.  While serving garnish with chopped cilantro, carrots, boondi, chat masala or red chili powder as per your taste.
4.  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………..

We all are aware of Malai Kofta which is a very famous recipe.  This kofta is made up of  mixed vegetables.   Recently I heard from one of my friend that they make Kofta’s using bottle guard(surrakkai), cabbage etc.  Cabbage is easily availabe vegetable in all seasons so letz try this Cabbage kofta.   I don’t follow any hard and fast rules in making gravy for this kofta.   Once I made gravy in southindian style (replace paruppu uruandai with cabbage uruandai in paruppu urandi kozhumbu) and anothertime I made north Indian style kofta gravy.   This Kofta goes well in all types of gravies.   Here I am not mentioning the gravy since you can add this balls into your very special gravies.

Cabbage Kofta

Ingredients
1.  Cabbage  -  2 cups (finely chopped (like finely chopped onion for vada’s))
2.  Channadal/kadalaparuppu  -  1 cup
3.  Green chilli  -  2 (finely chopped)
4.  Jeera/cumin seed  -  1/2 tsp
5.  Salt – little
6.  Red chilli powder  -  1/2 tsp
7.  Besan/Kadala mavu  -  little (may be 2 tsps)

 Preparation

1.  Pressure cook channa dhal  with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water.   It should be cooked well.   If you mash it with hand, it should get mashed well.  Once it is cooked well drain the water from it.   Keep that drained water to use while making gravy.
2.  Cook the cabbage well with little water.  Once it is cooked well drain the excess water and keep for future use in gravy.
3.  Now take the drained channa dal, drained cabbage and to this add finely chopped green chilli, red chiili powder, little cumin seeds(black cumin seeds will be good) and salt as needed.
4.  Now add little Besan/gram flour .  This will act as binding agent.
5.  Mix all the ingredients well and knead and make small balls out of it.
6.  Deep fry the balls in oil.

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 /maida  - 2 cups
2.  Baking powder   –  2  tsp
3.  Salt – 1/2 tsp
4.  lightly beaten  egg –  1
5.  Milk  - 1 and  1/2 cups
6.  Butter melted  - 2 tsp

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. Heat the dose pan pour  a spoon of batter for each pancake.  Don’t spread.  Let it spread by itself.
5. Cook until done on both side like dosa.
6. This can be eaten with Honey or maple syrup.

Just to share with you…..

I still remember I tasted my very first cutlet with my friends in Neyveli which one of my favourite place too.   Though I lost contact with my Neyveli friends I always remember the days we spent together.  Hope if any of my friends browse this recipe will contact me. Cutlets are well known appetizer/Starter.  Itz simple ,healthy and easy to make.  Different color veggies are used.  Kids will love this since it won’t be too spicy.

Ingredients

1.  Carrot  - 4
2.  Potatoes  -  4
3.  Green Peas  -  1  cup
4.  Cumin seeds  -  1/4  tsp
5.  Onion  -  1
6.  Green chillies  -  5 to 6 (avoid this if making for kids)
7.  Ginger (very small piece)
8.  Red Chilli Powder
9.  Garam Masala powder
10.  Salt
11.  Coriander leaves  -  a small bunch
12.  Eggs  -  2
13.  Breadcrums  - as needed
14.  Oil to fry.

Preparation

1.  Boil the potato and peel it and mash it with hand and keep aside.  Cook peas and chopped carrots separately.  When its done cool it mash it with hand.
2.  Heat the pan with 1 tsp of oil and cumin seeds.
3.  Add and fry chopped onions, chopped green chillies and finely chopped ginger, chilli powder and garam masala powder.
4.  Transfer the contents into bowl. To this add mashed potato, peas and carrot.
5.  Add the chopped corriander and curry leaves(optional).
6.  Add Salt and mix well . Care should be taken not even a drop of water is added at any time.
7.  Make ball out of this mixture, flatten and shape like cutlets by pressing and keep ready.
8.  Break the eggs in seperate bowl.  Dip the shaped cutlets in egg and roll them in bread crumbs.
9.  Heat flat bottomed pan or dosa tava with little oil and shallow fry this.
10.  When one side is done turn the other side and cook till both sides are brown.
11.  Serve with chutneys or Ketchups.