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

Just to share with you………….

I love “santhakai” which is also called as iddiyappam in many places. The traditional way of making it includes a lot of process. Now a days we are getting frozen Idiappam in Indian groceries in US. But for those where Indian Groceries are nearby they can try the sevai(anothername ) using rice noodles.

In my place and also in my neighbouring places (coimbatore,erode,salem side) ” Santhagai ” has one particular  importance. After marriage when the guy (mappillai ) comes to his in-laws place (mamiyar vedo)for the first time  that time they have to make idiappam as first food . We use a special tool/utensel  for this . I will upload that picture later. Idiapam maker has a tumbler shaped place with tiny hoes where you need to put  idlis(made out of only rice flour) and there will a screw type press which presses the idli when you start screwing . This process makes rice noodles to come out of idlis like how the water comes in shower.   Many has the belief that while pressing (which make some sounds) they think all the thirusti’s (bad eyes on the couple) will go away . This is what I have heard from grandma’s. There might be some other reasons too.

This Idiyappam is my all time favourite. Last week I saw rice noodles in H-mart and I thought why I can’t I try this like idiyappam so i bought and tried it. Almost 90% close in taste to Santhagai. You can try that too.

Tomato Rice Noodles

Ingredients

Note:I am not mentioning the amount since it deponds on the amount of rice noodles you have taken. Another reason is Rice noodles are available in different size packets.

1. Rice noodles – as needed
2. oil – 3 tsp
3. mustard seeds – little
4. urud dal/channa dal – little
5. Curry ,corriander leaves -little
6. chopped Green chilli
7. chopped onion (more onions gives more taste)
8. Red chilli powder
9. turmeric powder
10. Tomato  (atleast 4 tomatoes or one hunts diced tomato tin for 2 persons quantity)
11. salt as needed

Preparation

1. Break the noodles  into small pieces(2cm size) othewise it will be too tought for mixing.
2. Soak the rice noodles in water for 5 mins. Once you feel that its soft drain the water and steam cook in idli maker till soft. Moslty 5 mins will be enough.
3. Heat wide mouthed pan. Add oil and temper mustard seeds, Urudal /channa dal,curry leaves and corriander leaves.
4. Add the chopped onions and green chilli (may be 1 or 2). Let it fry.
5. Blend the tomato roughly( may be 5 seconds the so that thee will be some little tomato pieces) don’t  make as fine paste.
6. Now add the coarsly blended tomato.
7. Add turmeric and red chilli powder (remember that you add green chilli too) and needed salt and let it cook for 5 mins
8. If needed sprinkle little water.
9. Now add the steamed rice noodles and mix well together . Now your sevai is ready to serve.

Tips

You can try curd sevai, lemon sevai, vegetable sevai,coconut sevai etc . Try in the way how to make that variety rices but instead of rice add the steamed rice noodles because this this how we do curd idiyappam, lemon idiyappam ,mixed vegetable idyappam,and coconut idiyappam.

Just to share with you………………

My mom  always used to cook semiya in a normal way. Pour oil in tawa, temper then fry onion and chillies and add water. Once it starts boiling add vermicelli and cook.  But once in my grandma’s place Palappampatti ( in one of my brothers house) I had a semiya  which is made in a different way .  They soaked vermicelli in water for 2 mins then steam  cooked it and then fried as usual . I remember I had this when I was in my 11th standard.

After marriage, I started my cooking and always want to try something different. Sometimes I try to recollect something which I had is cooked in a different way and customize according to my own way of cooking. This tomato semiya is one such thing. Hope you will really enjoy this.

Most people won’t like semiya(vermicelli). Hope if you start cooking vermicelli in this way everybody will like it.  Hope this  will come very well with ANIL semiya which is available in TamilNadu,India. since I counld find that brand here I used Bambino vermicelli for my cooking.

                                Diced Tomato                                   

Tomato Semiya

Ingredients:

1. Vermicelli       – 1 and 1/2 cup
2. Dice tomato ( can use canned) – 1 cup
3. Chopped onion      -  1/2 cup ( u can add more also)
4. green chilli slitted  – 2
5. Red chilli powder   – 1/4 tsp
6. Turmeric powder – a pinch (optional)
7. oil – 2 tsp
8. salt – as needed
9. Mustard , corriander and curry leaves for tempering

Preperation:

1. wash and soak Bambino vermicell for 1 min.
2. In steam idli maker .  Put wet cloth on plate and spread the vermicelli over the top and steam cook it for 5-10 mins. If you do someother way of steam cook that is also fine.  We need steam cooked Vermicelli/semiya.
3. Blend the tomato in mixer. (not too fine)
4. Heat the tawa.  Pour oil and temper mustard and cury leaves.
5. Add onion and green chilli and fry well.  Then add the blended tomato.  Add  a picnch of turmeric powderand salt and mix well.
6. Now add the steamed vermicelli  to it and mix well .   Sprinke water  and keep mixing. If you feel itz fully done. Swtich of the stove and garnish vermicelli with corriander leaves.

 Tips

 I tried only with tomato since tomato is my favourite. You can try this with mixed vegetables(like Vegetable birayani),  Lemon (like lemon rice) ,  coconut (like coconut rice) and Tamarind ( like tamarind rice).

Just to share with you……………..

Many of you might have tasted pasta with cheese. This is a different style of pasta which I found myself which is hot & spicy.

South Indian Pasta

Ingredients

1. Pasta- 1 cup
2. onion very small size -1
3. tomato very small size -1
4. ginger -garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
5. redchilli powder -1/2 tsp or (according to your taste)
6. turmeric powder a pinch
7. tomato paste 3 tsp

Preparation

1. Heat little oil in tava and fry cutted onion,tomato,ginger-garlic paste,tomato paste(gives color. If you don’t have then add 1 fully ripen tomato),redchillipowder and turmeric powder well.
2. Meantime cook pasta with plenty of water in a seperate pan by adding little salt. Once it is fully cooked then drain the water and keep aside.
3. Grind the fried things into fine paste by sprinkly water.
4. Heat the tava now add pasta and the grinded paste and mix well for few mins. Add salt if needed.

Just to share with you…

This is an normal way of making tomato rice. When I was kid I always used to grow tomato plant in our house because it grows just like that and no need to be taken care of regularly.Where ever the seed gets scattered plant will grow.I love to pluck the ripen tomatoes .For plucking sake I always used to ask my mom to cook tomato rice.

Ingredients

1. Rice – 1cup

2. Onion -1 (small)

3. Garlic – 4 pods

4. Cilantro to garnish

5. Tomatoes -2

6. Green chillies – 3

7. Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

8. Oil – 1 tbsp

9.Sombu -1/2 tsp

10.Curry leaves -10

11.Salt to taste

Preparaiton

1. Cook the rice with little salt ,and allow it to cool in a plate.

2. Cut the onion,garlic,tomatoes,Chillies.

3. In a pan add oil,then add Mustard ,sombu ,Curry leaves and fry for a minute.

4. Cut garlic into small pieces.

5. Add the onion,garlic,chillies,tomatoes. Add Chilly powder and salt to taste.

6. Stir well till the tomatoes are tender and then add the cooked rice and keep in low flame for 5 minutes with constant stirring.

7. Garnish with cilantro.

Facts about Tomato

• Tomato products are beneficial in aggressive cancers.

• Tomatoes are good for the eyes.

• Lycopene, the most abundant carotenoid in the blood serum, was found to be the key antioxidant that guards against ARMD ( Age-Related Macular Degeneration), a condition that may cause blindness.

• Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Potassium

Facts about Onion

• The name may come from onion’s “union” or singleness as a bulb.

• It is said to be the basis for the name of Chicago, which comes from an Indian phrase meaning “The place where the wild onion (or garlic) grows”.

• It is the most popular herb, since it is nutritionally satisfying in addition to being flavorful.

• Homeopaths use a dilute extract as a treatment for colds, but most other medical systems use it in a non-specific fashion as a warm, invigorating and satisfying tonic herb.

• It is sometimes used topically to treat insect stings, but personal experience suggests it lacks any significant anti-allergy properties.

• It has mild anti-microbial qualities and has been used in wound treatment.
  

Let us combine Valuable Tomato and Onion and make chutney to have in our food.

Tomato Onion Chutney

Ingredients

1. Big Tomato – 1

2. Red chillies – 2

3. Onion – 1

4. Oil – 1 tbsp

For seasoning

1. Oil – 1 tsp

2. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

3. curry leaves – 1 sprig

Preparation

1. In a pan heat tsp of the oil and add cutted tomato and onion and fry it well till onion becomes golden brown.

2. Grind the fried things.

3. Heat the oil and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds When the seeds start spluttering, add the curry leaves.

4. Quicky stir the mustard seed mixture into the tomato chutney.