Piyava Tambli ( Coconut based Onion Gravy)

Piyava Tambli is an easy, 'no cook' dish. I got this recipe from a cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy. This is a traditional recipe and it comes handy when you don't have any vegetables on hand (assuming onions, potatoes, garlic and coconut are always in stock :-)).

Few months back, my brother suggested to post this recipe. He had eaten it at his friend's place and really liked it. I have been thinking of posting this for a while but never happened. This is the first time I am making it and it turned out very good as I expected. The mild coconut gravy with a hint of coconut oil and the crunch from raw onions really makes it special even though the ingredients look simple and few.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, Fresh/Frozen - 1/2 cup
• Roasted Dry red chilli - 2-3
• Tamarind - A small piece
• Onion, finely chopped- 1/4 cup
• Coconut oil - 1 tsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Chop the onion (as fine as possible).

Now take grated coconut, roasted dry red chilli, salt and tamarind in a blender.

Grind it along with little amount of water to get a paste (not very fine).

Now transfer this paste into a bowl. Add water to get the desired thickness (I kept it medium thick). Then add the chopped onion. Drizzle coconut oil and give a good mix. 

Piyava Tambli is ready!!

Serve it along with rice and any side dish of your choice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Malpuri ~ Deepavali Special

Malpuri is a delicious, rich, deep fried sweet. It is quite popular in the region where I grew up. I got this recipe from my mother. Malpuri has a very unique texture. The center is soft, chewy and the edges are brown and crispy.

Deepavali (diwali) - 'The festival of Lights' always reminds me of Malpuri. Every year my mother used to make them without fail. As a kid I would stand by her watching the whole process. Making this sweet is little difficult but trust me you will forget all the pain after a bite into it. It has been so many years since I ate Malpuri made by my mother (I have already requested her to make some when I visit her this time:-)). So made a batch of these and was satisfied with it. Do make a batch of these (addictive ones) for Deepavali and enjoy!!
I wish everyone a Happy Deepavali!!

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour /Maida - 1 cup
• Sooji/ Semolina- 1/4 cup
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Yellow food color - A big pinch
• Cardamom powder, freshly pounded- 1/2 tsp
• Ghee (clarified butter)* - For deep frying

*This sweet absorbs lot of ghee while deep frying. Hence I used a mixture of ghee and oil, to cut down the fat.

Procedure:

Take a bowl and add all the ingredients mentioned above except ghee.

Now add water in small amount to get a thick batter ( I used little more than 1/2 cup). This is a very important step. Once done, let the batter rest for 3-4 hours.

The final batter should be thick such that it has a dropping consistency and not pouring.

Now heat ghee (or mixture of ghee and oil) on a medium flame. Once moderately hot (not very hot) pour little amount of batter so that it forms a round shape (make only one at a time). Once it is cooked on one side flip it on the other side using tongs. Let it cook until the edges gets crispy and golden brown.

Once it looks done, take it on a slotted spoon and remove the excessive ghee by pressing it using another spatula or spoon (this step has to be done over the pan containing hot ghee. So you have to be extremely careful).

Then transfer it on a paper towel. Continue with the rest of the batter. 
Malpuri is ready!!

Once it cools down, transfer them to an air tight container.

Note: To get a clear idea of deep frying, see this video.

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Khara Kaddi

Khara Kaddi is a very popular snack using Chickpea flour (besan). In Kannada, Khara means spicy and kaddi means small stick. It got its name by its looks. I got this recipe from a cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy. I varied the amounts to suit my taste buds. It turned out very good and I really liked it.

In this recipe, the chickpea dough is passed through a mould to get thick noodles. These are then deep fried. They can be had as it is or can also be used to add in spicy mixture. 

Ingredients:

• Chickpea flour/Besan- 2 cups
• Carom seeds/ Ajwain- 1 tsp
• Peppercorns, freshly crushed- 1 tsp
• Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - To taste
• Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil -  2 Tbsp + Extra, for deep frying

Procedure:

Take all the ingredients except oil, in a bowl. Mix it well to remove the lumps (I sieved besan to remove the big lumps). 

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil and then add it to the above mixture. Mix it with a spoon. Now make a stiff , non - sticky dough adding little water at a time.

Star heating the oil. Then next step would be to grease the mould in which we are going to make the sev. I used this-

At the bottom of the mould we need to add the attachment which gives the desired design. I used this (You can as well use the attachment with three holes).

Now put the dough into the greased mould and then start rotating it in clockwise direction in the hot oil directly, until there is enough room for the noodles to get fried evenly (To stop the noodles from coming, rotate handle in the opposite direction). 

Fry the noodles on a medium flame on either sides, until it turns slight brown and the bubbles disappear . Take it out from the oil and drain the excess oil on a paper towel. Khara Kaddi is ready!!

Allow it to cool and then break them into desired size. Store them in an air tight container.

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Nelkadle Chikki (Peanut Brittle) ~ Using Sugar

Nelkadle Chikki is a very popular snack. It is quick and easy. The best part is you can use any nut or mixed nuts. Everything tastes wonderful. I got this recipe from a cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy. I have already posted a recipe for peanut brittle using jaggery.

I love peanut brittle. It is my favorite right from my school days. I remember buying them in small local shops in a big glass jar. Once in a while my mother used to make this for us and that would vanish within couple of days. I like both the jaggery and sugar version but if I had to make a choice then I would choose jaggery version. The love the jaggery :-) You can try any version but don't forget to top it over ice cream. It really tastes wonderful :-)

Ingredients:

• Peanut*- 1 cup
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Ghee (or butter) - 2 tsp 

*You can use any nut or mixed nuts of your choice.

Procedure:

Take a kadai and start frying the peanuts on a medium flame.

Once it turns slight brown, turn off the heat and allow it to cool.

Now remove the peel and break open the peanuts using your hands. The peanuts are ready to use. Then keep a parchment paper ready, to pour the hot mixture (or you can also use a greased plate to set it).

Now start heating the sugar along with ghee on a medium flame. 

Slowly the sugar starts to melt. Once it melts completely, it starts to caramelize. At this stage, lessen the heat and take care not to burn it with constant stirring.

When the sugar turns deep brown, turn off the heat. 

Here onwards you have to act quickly. Add the roasted peanuts and mix it until all of them gets coated in sugar syrup. 

Then quickly transfer the mixture on a parchment paper (or greased plate) and spread it.

Then you can roughly mark on it (when warm) using a knife so that you can get the desired shape. Once set it becomes hard and difficult to get desired shape. If desired you can also cut randomly to get different shapes.

Nelkadle Chikki is ready!!

Store them in an air tight container.

Note:  Peanut (or any nut) Chikki (or brittle) can be coarsely powdered and stored in a container. It can then be used as a topping on ice cream. This gives a wonderful crunch.

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Kothambari Palle Saaru (Coriander Leaves/ Cilantro Soup)

Kothambari Palle Saaru is a coconut based flavorful dish. In Konkani, kothambari pallo means Cilantro (coriander leaves) and saaru is nothing but a flavorful soup which is generally served with rice. I got this recipe from my mother.

My mother makes it when she has lot of cilantro in her refrigerator. This is a healthy way to use up the cilantro. Best part is - it is very simple to put together. Do try it sometime!!

Ingredients:

• Cilantro/Coriander leaves - Half a bunch
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen - 1/2 cup
• Roasted Dry Red Chillis - 3-4
• Tamarind- A small ball (gooseberry sized)
• Jaggery- 1 Tbsp (vary accordingly)
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 3-4

Procedure:

Wash the cilantro (leaves as well as the stem). Then give a rough chop to it.

Then Grind the roughly chopped cilantro along with dry red chillies, tamarind, jaggery and salt (add water as required while grinding). 

After grinding, it looks like this.

Transfer it to a pot and then start heating. Add water to get the desired thickness (I kept it medium thick). Bring the mixture to a good boil and then turn off the heat. Finally add the seasoning.

For Seasoning: Heat oil. Then add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Once the seasoning is added, mix well. Kothambari Palle Saaru is ready!!

Serve it hot with rice and any side dish of your choice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Moogadali Chakkuli (Moongdal Chakli)

Moogadali Chakkuli is a recently tried recipe. Chakkuli/Chakli is a very popular deep fried Indian snack. They are so delicious and addictive that you just can't stop at one. I had noted down this recipe few months back from a food group. I wanted to try this from a long time but somehow it didn't work. Finally I tried it and they turned out very crunchy and delicious. I really liked it a lot.

Making Chaklis at home is a little time consuming but I promise they turn out much better than the store bought ones. My husband loves this a lot and hence I like to take that extra effort for him. Do try making this for Diwali and I am sure these will vanish in no time :-)

Ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida- 1 1/2 cups
• Split Skinless Greengram/ Moongdal- 1/2 cup
• Red Chilli powder - To taste
• Black (or white) Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 1 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- For Deep frying

Procedure:

Take all purpose flour in a cotton cloth and tie it tightly so that it is closed from all sides.

Now steam the all purpose flour or maida (in cloth) for 15 minutes.

Once done allow it to cool for few minutes. It looks like this after steaming.

Once the flour is warm, it becomes easy to handle. Start breaking the lumps using your hand (because once it cools down completely, it hardens and hence more effort is required to break the lumps).

Then sieve it to get a lump free flour. Set it aside.

Now wash the moongdal and cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles so that it turns mushy (don't add too much water). Once cooked transfer it to a bowl and mix it.

Then add red chilli powder, cumin seeds, sesame seeds and salt.

Finally add the prepared all purpose flour (maida) to this mixture. Mix it well without adding water to get a non sticky, soft dough.

Now keep the oil for heating on a medium-high. Now take the chakli making press. I used the mould plate having one hole.

Now divide the dough into two parts. Keep one part of the mixture closed (to avoid drying) and the other part in the mould. Now start rotating it in clockwise direction and make small/big chakli (the free end of the chakli should be sealed. otherwise there are chances of  it opening up).

You can make chaklis on a parchment paper or banana leaf (as required for one batch. Don't make too much of them in advance. It will dry and fall apart while frying). I made 4-5 per batch . 

Then transfer it to hot oil carefully. 

Fry them evenly on both sides, until they turn light brown (another indication of the end point is the bubbles stop forming). Take it out and drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Moogadali Chakkuli is ready!!

Allow it to cool then the store them in an air tight container.

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