Golgappe / Golgappa / Pani puri

Golgappa is considered as the KING of Chaats and I really doubt if anyone can say no to this chaat anytime.I absolutely love this and would like to eat anytime,even for my breakfast.I rarely make puri's at home as it is easily available in the shops here.As all the chutney's are prepared and stored in advance it really does not need any pre-planning to prepare this chaat at home.This will be our every alternate weekend fare as V feels it is not safe to eat those golgappe outside ,So I prepare them at home and end up having them for dinner.
I am sending this to "RCI:MUMBAI Street Food" event hosted by Aquadaze which was originally started by Lakshmi and also to " Sunday snacks-spill the Beans " Event hosted at Akshayapatram by Priya.

Ingredients:

For Puri:
1 cup fine sooji(Hollige rava)
1 cup Maida
1/2 cup Urad dal flour
1/4 cup Oil
salt to taste
Meetha(Imli) Chutney:200 gm Tamarind
2 cups dried Dates(Kharjur),finely chopped
1 cup Jaggery
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Black salt
1 tbsp roasted cumin powder
salt
Green chutney:1 Bunch of Coriander leaves
1 Bunch of Mint leaves
10-12 green chillies
1" Ginger
Juice of 2 lemons
2-3tbsp sugar
salt to taste
For Pani:1L Water
3/4 Cup green chutney paste
1 tbsp black salt
2-3 tbsp Pani puri Masala(I used Everest)
1/4 tsp lemon salt
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
For Filling:1 cup whole Moong sprouts
2 Alu(potatoes)
1 cup salted boondisalt to taste

Method:

Puri:

• Mix maida, sooji and urad flour with enough salt.
• Heat ¼ cup of oil until hot and pour the oil into the above mixture and add enough water and make it into a medium smooth dough.(do not make it over stiff or very soft).
• Cover the dough with damp cloth and cover it and let it sit for 45 mins.
• Make a big, thin and round poori and using a round cookie cutter cut it into small puri’s.
• Drop them in piping hot oil on high flame and using the spatula pour the hot oil from the sides on top of it and pressing them slightly down which helps in fluffing up the puri’s and reduce the flame and fry them until golden brown.
• Cool them and store them in air-tight boxes. Stays good for 8-10 days.Below is the pic of puri's which I prepared.(and remaining in all the pics are the store bought ones)

Imli Chutney:

• Clean the tamarind and soak in water for sometime(approx half an hour) and boil it for 10-12 mins until soft.
• Cool the mixture and take the pulp out of it. Add Jaggery and Kharjoor to it and boil until it is soft and all the jaggery melts and forms a syrupy liquid.
• Add black salt,red chilli powder,jeera powder and Garam masala to it and mix.
• Cool the mixture and grind it a fine puree.
• Strain it and store it in a bottle in refrigerator. It stays good for 6-8 months.

Green Chutney:

• Wash coriander and mint leaves drain out the extra water and let it drain for 15-20 mins.
• Wash Green chillies and pat dry it.
• Grind Mint,coriander,green chillies,chopped ginger,salt,sugar and lemon juice to a fine paste.
• Pour the mixture in the Ice cube tray and freeze it and remove the cubes from it and place them in a zip lock bag or in a big container in freezer .
• Use it when required.Stays good for 3-4 months.

Pani:

• Mix green chutney with water properly.
• Add sugar,lemon salt,Black salt and pani puri masala to it and mix well until the sugar is melted properly.
• Adjust the pani according to your taste by adding enough salt.
• Chill it for 1-2 hrs.Add some Ice cubes if required before serving it keep it chilled.

Filling:

• Soak green whole Moong in water for 6 hrs and then drain out the water completely from it and place them in sprouts maker and keep it in a warm place for 8-10 hrs until the sprouts are formed.
• Steam the sprouts with little salt for 6-8 mins in a pressure cooker.
• Slightly mash the boiled potato and mix with steamed sprouts and salt.
• Soak Boondi in hot water for 8-10 mins until soft and squeeze out the extra water.
• Add the boondi to the potato mixture and mix properly.

Assembling them together:

• Make small holes in the center of Pani puri and place ½ tsp of potato-sprouts mixture in it and add 1 tsp Imli chutney to it and dip in pani and eat.Adjust the quantities of mixture according to your taste
• Repeat the same for all puri's and enjoy.

and the final look...

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Dum Aloo(Baby potatoes cooked in Dum style)

Before entering this phase of cooking,I was under the impression that "Dum cooking" is some what different from the regular cooking and is more complicated.Might be I was under the misconception just because of the tedious process involved in preparing Dum Biriyani's.But when I started learning the complete cooking I got to know the basic differences between various types of cooking and cuisines and got to know the process of Dum cooking.Dum basically means slow cooking and it is achieved by closing the vessel with a lid and sealing it with atta dough in order to avoid the steam from escaping and which results in enhancing the flavors of the dish and this kind of process is generally followed for preparing Biriyani.But also the other dishes do call for this type of cooking where we can simply cover the vessel with a tight lid (which avoids steam from escaping) and is cooked on very low heat for longer time until the flavors are well infused.Here comes one such recipe of Dum style cooking called "Dum Aloo".

Ingredients:

18-20 Baby Potatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium onion diced
1 big Tomato finely chopped
1 cup Curd,beaten
1" ginger,chopped
2" ginger Julienned
4 cloves
1" cinnamon stick
2 tbsp chopped cashewnuts
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
a pinch of hing
salt to taste
1-2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp oil


Method:

• Grind the diced onion and chopped ginger to a fine paste.
• Grind together slight dry roasted cloves,cinnamon and cashewnuts into powder.
• Par boil the potatoes,drain and cool them.peel the skin and rub turmeric over it.Prick all over with a fork and deep fry in oil.(I prefer shallow fry or oven bake method for this job).
• Heat oil in a kadai crackle jeera,add bay leaves and hing.Add finely chopped onion and fry till golden brown,add ground onion mixture to it and fry for 2-3 mins.
• Add chopped tomato,chilli powder,cumin powder,coriander powder,salt(required for gravy),haldi and cook until oil separates out from the mixture(approx 3-4 mins).
• Add curd to the mixture and mix properly until mixed well with the other ingredients,add water if necessary and boil it on low to medium heat.
• When the gravy starts bubbling,add fried potatoes to it and enough salt required only for potatoes and cover it and cook on low flame for 8-10 mins until potatoes are cooked.
• Add ghee to it and give a good stir to the curry.
  
• Garnish with Coriander leaves,beaten curd and ginger juliennes.

Serve it hot with roti/Naan/Paratha/Kulcha or Pulav.

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Savory Oats Porridge | Indian Oats Recipes

Oats is one of the healthiest cereals which are easily available everywhere and is a most preferable choice for breakfast.Even though it is healthy we make it more caloried food by adding sugar to the porridge.I am not a fan of this sweet kind of porridge for breakfast and it takes 10-15 mins for me to complete a bowl of sweet oats porridge..:)But the blogging world has educated me a lot regarding cooking and gave me enough sense to modify the regular food stuff.I tried this savory porridge and believe me I finished off my bowl with in matter of minutes and received thumbs up even from my hubby.
But I am confused to decide the name,What do I need to call this,Oats porridge or curd oats??
and finally decided on savory oats porridge..Try it and follow the Mantra "Eat healthy and live healthy".

Ingredients:

1 Cup Quick Oats
3/4 Cup Thick beaten Curd
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 tbsp Raisins
1/2 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp oil



Method:

• Cook Oats with water and salt in microwave until soft,it hardly takes 2-3 mins.(you can even do it on stove top).
• Add the carrot pieces to it and microwave it again for one more minute.(If you are preparing it on stove add it at the end before you remove it from stove).
• Cool the Oats mixture completely.
• Beat the curds with some water and salt to a medium consistency liquid.
• Heat oil in a small Tadka Pan on stove and crackle mustard seeds,jeera and fry green chillies,raisins and curry leaves and fry it until the raisins bubbles.(If using microwave use a microwave container and avoid using mustard and jeera or you can avoid complete tadka process by adding finely chopped green chillies and curry leaves to the oats mixture directly).cool the tadka.
  
• Now add the Oats mixture and the Tadka to the beaten curd mixture and mix properly and add coriander to it and mix.

Serve it cold.

Note:
You can even top this with grated carrot,coriander and boondi..I bet you will not miss dahi vada...atleast I felt the same...strange right?? try it by yourselves you will come to know why I said that..!!

This again goes to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se.

and also to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen.

The microwaved version of this porridge goes to Simran's event "MEC:Breezy Breakfasts" which was originally started by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons.

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Tadka Bread Snack with Yoghurt dip

Being a foodie I like to watch all cookery shows that comes in TV and language is not a barrier for me.I watch Telugu,Kannada,Tamil,Rajasthani,Hindi,English anything which is related to cooking and I have scribbled so many books with those recipes.As it is very difficult for me to remember which one I liked among them and which I wanted to give a try,I generally rate those recipes in my book.And you would have understood by now that this recipe is one among those recipes which I wanted to try from my book.
This is a very simple and yummy recipe which can be had either as a breakfast or evening snack.The flavor in this snack is really amazing,and I am sure that your kids will definitely love this.

Ingredients:

8-10 Bread Slices with Crusts
1 Big Onion,thinly sliced(Julienne cut)
3-4 green chillies finely chopped
1 Big Tomato,roughly chopped
1 1/2 tbsp Yoghurt,beaten
1 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Lemon juice,fresh
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil/Butter

Method:

• Toast the Bread slices either on Tawa or Toaster until light golden Brown,cut them into square blocks.
• Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan and crackle mustard seeds and jeera.
• Add thinly sliced Onions and finely chopped green chillies and add sugar to it and fry until the onions are caramelized and turn golden in color.
• Add Turmeric,salt,Yoghurt to it and fry for a minute.Now add the toasted bread cubes to it and fry until its crispy.
• Add Chopped Tomatoes to it and cook for a minute(do not overcook).
• Add coriander leaves,lemon juice to it and mix properly.
  

Serve it hot with cool Yoghurt dip.



Yoghurt dip:

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup beaten fresh curd
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients until it forms smooth and creamy mixture.If the curd is sour,add half spoon of sugar while whisking it.Hand whisker works better for this job.
  
• Chill it for 15-20 mins.
  

Serve this with Tadka Bread Snack.

This again goes to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se.

and also to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen

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Vegetable Dosa

Bangaloreans are great foodie's and if you ask them about their favorite food, they will be having a big list and a special place for each item .During my last trip to Bangalore my bro took me to a street joint in Jayanagar suggesting that he is very famous for his softest khaara Idli. That guy opens only after 7 pm and as the place is always over-crowded typically most of his fare gets over soon. As we reached a bit late there, we could not taste his famous Idlis but were lucky enough to get to taste another signature dish,Vegetable dosa.That was the first time I got to know that such kind of dosa's exist!! They were extremely soft and fluffy like set dosa's.Mom who again is a great foodie tried this after getting different versions from her sister and friends. She has passed this lovely recipe to me which is just perfect and yummy and always turn perfect.
But the blogosphere is lot ahead of us and I noticed that many of you have already posted different versions of dosa. The preparation of this dosa is slightly different from the other vegetable dosa's available in blogs. I have seen that a lot of people add vegetable puree to dosa batter but in my version even vegetables are added while grinding the rice and fermented which gives a different taste to the dosa and is more flavorful. Gals,Do give it a try and I am sure you will love it.
Does the batter looks like strawberry lassi for you??It does look like that for me...:)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Raw rice(normal rice)
1 handful Urad dal(less than1/4 cup)
1/4 Cup chopped Lauki(bottle gourd)
1/4 Cup chopped Cucumber
1/4 Cup chopped Beetroot
1/4 Cup chopped Carrot
1/4 Cup chopped Tomato(optional)
Salt to taste


Method:

• Soak rice and urad dal separately for 6-7 hrs.
• Grind Urad dal to a smooth mixture and add rice to it and grind it again.
• Now add all the chopped vegetables to it and grind it to a smooth mixture.Add salt to it and mix.
• Ferment it overnight and make dosa's next day.
• These dosa's are crispy outside and soft inside.Dosa's can be spread thick like Set dose or spread it thin to get crispy one's.

Serve it hot right off from the flame and on to the plate with some coconut chutney/peanut chutney or sambar.

Note:

• As the vegetables provide softness to the dosa do not add more than a handful of urad dal while preparing the batter.Otherwise the dosa's will be messed up.
• You can add finely chopped coriander while making Dosa's,but I personally prefer to make the plain dosa's and prepare a chutney that goes with this.
• Always Cover the dosa with lid once it is spread and keep it on medium flame.Let it sit for approximatley one minute then remove the lid and increase the flame to high until you see the red patches forming and do not flip the dosa.This makes the dosa crispy.
• You can even sprinkle kaarappodi inside the dosa before folding it.

This again goes to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se.

and also to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen

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Tofu - Alu Paratha

It is very healthy to include Tofu(Soya Paneer) in our regular diet .Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes, and is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish.It is low in calories and contains a relatively large amount of Iron and contains little fat.Though you can substitute paneer with tofu in our dishes there will be a compromise in taste,but it is so healthy.Here comes a simple paratha made up of Tofu.
Ingredients:

For the Dough:
1 Cup Wheat flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Water
1/2 tsp Oil

For the Filling:
1 Cup grated Firm Tofu
1 Cup boiled and grated Alu
1/2 Cup grated Carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Jeera powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Amchur powder
1 tsp green chilli paste
Salt

Method:

• Make a smooth and elastic dough out of wheat flour,salt and water and leave it aside for 30-45 mins.Smear the hands with oil and give a nice massage until it forms a nice and smooth dough.
• Mix well all the ingredients required for the filling.
• Take a small portion of dough and roll it into a 3" dia round using wheat flour and place the stuffing in between and gently close it from all the edges and roll it again to a 6" dia paratha(roll it bit thicker than the regular roti's) and fry it on tawa on both sides by smearing it with Oil/ghee.

Serve it hot with Mirch ka Achaar and cool Cucumber Raitha.



Cucumber Raitha:

Ingredients:1 Cup Beaten Curd
3/4 Cup grated cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped Onion
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp green chilli paste
1/2 tsp chaat masala
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt to taste
Method:

• Beat the curd well with sugar,salt and chaat masala.
• Add grated cucumber,onion,green chilli paste,coriander and mix well.
• Chill for half an hour.

Serve it cold with Hot Hot Paratha's.

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Peas Pulav and an Award...

Peas Pulav is a simple which can be prepared with no pre-planning.Yet it is so aromatic with lots of flavors and can go with any Gravy/Dal.

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice
3/4 cup Fresh/Frozen Green Peas
12-15 cashewnuts
1 Big onion finely sliced
2 green chillies slit
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1" cinnamon stick
3 Laung(cloves)
1 bayleaf
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Soak Basmati rice in water for half an hour.
• Heat Butter and Oil in cooker,add the dry whole masala's one by one and fry it add green chillies,ginger-garlic paste and fry it.
• Add thinly sliced onions and fry until they golden brown in color.
• Now add Green Peas and fry until it changes its color and then add soaked Basmati rice and fry for a minute gently.
• Add Water in the ratio of 1:1 3/4(rice:water) and add enough salt and cover it with the cooker lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle and lower the flame and cook for 8-10 mins.This makes the rice granules separate.If you are in hurry pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
• Decorate it with the Ghee/butter/oil fried whole cashewnuts on top.

Serve it hot with any spicy Gravy or Dal and vegetable raitha.

Note:

• For a Vegan version use oil instead of ghee for tempering.

This is my final entry for Nag's 'Ravishing Rice' Event Which was originally started by Meeta.

and Finally its the time to share an Award with you friends.


Renu of Renu's Kitchen has passed me this Lovely Blog Award to me.I am so honoured Renu to recieve this award from you.Thank you so much gal!!!
I would like to pass this to all my blogger friends,but as per the rules only 10 names are to be selected and I am forced to select only 10 names.As some of our blogger friends have also got this award,I would like to pass this award to Priya, Vrinda, SJ, Nithya, Aruna, Varsha, Sushma, Ramya, Mangala, Ramya Vijaykumar and Mahimaa.
Gals,Please pass this award to at least 10 bloggers.

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Gojju Avalakki/Huli Avalakki(Poha variety-2)

In my earlier post I have mentioned that avalakki(poha) is prepared in so many ways at our home and this is one among them.Gojju avalakki means poha that is prepared in tamarind sauce and is mainly prepared in Karnataka.This is again a simple recipe which can be done in a matter of 20-25 mins .The main difference between this recipe and the other poha recipe which i have posted earlier is the extra sweet and sour taste of Avalakki(poha) which is added by jaggery and tamarind pulp.Even the spiciness is caused by sambar powder instead of regular green chillies or red chilli powder and that makes this dish so special.If you are a tangy taste lover like me this recipe is for you.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Thick Poha/Flattened rice
2 tbsp Tamarind pulp
2-3 tbsp grated Jaggery
1/4 cup Groundnuts
2 medium onions thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp Sambar powder,the key ingredient in this
1 tbsp Chana dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
8-10 curry leaves
2 tbsp coriander leaves
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
a pinch of Hing
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil


Method:

• Take the Tamarind pulp out of tamarind and mix well with jaggery,salt and sambar powder and add 1/4 cup of water to it(or use the water for which the pulp is extracted).
• Now soak Poha in this mixture.(Check the water content required for poha,just add below the level of poha in the vessel).Soak it for 15-20 mins and give a nice mix to the mixture,the poha should be lightly damp and have separate granules(it should not be mushy).
• Heat oil in a big kadai and crackle mustard seeds,fry Groundnuts until the skin starts coming out and then add Chana dal and urad dal mixture and fry until they turn light brown.
• Add Curry leaves,Hing and Onions and fry until they turn pink.Now reduce the flame and slowly add the poha mixture to this and mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.Taste this at this point and add more salt or chilli powder if required.
• Add finely chopped coriander leaves to it and mix and garnish with fresh grated coconut(I did not add here)
  

Serve it hot or warm with some chips and Spiced Dahi(optional).

Note:
Sambar powder can be replaced by store bought Rasam powder.

You can check another simple poha recipe here.

This again goes to Nag's 'Ravishing Rice' Event Which was originally started by Meeta

and to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se.

and this also goes to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen

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Vegetable Sandwich....in Mumbai Style

We all know that Street food is very popular in Mumbai,One among those sinful delicacies is this delicious and simple Vegetable Sandwich.One can get to see atleast 3 to 4 Sandwich waalas standing in every lane here in Mumbai.These sandwiches taste amazing with the smell of fresh butter on it.Here comes this simple recipe..

Ingredients:
6 Whole wheat Bread slices or regular sandwich bread
1 Potato, boiled and thinly sliced rounds
1 Beetroot, boiled and thinly sliced rounds
1/2 cucumber,thinly sliced rounds with skin on
1 capsicum,de seeded and thinly sliced rounds
1 onion,thinly sliced rounds
1 Tomato,thinly sliced rounds
1/4 cup Green Chutney
1 tsp Chaat masala
Miracle Whip,the magic ingredient
Salt to taste
Butter


Method:

• Apply green chutney on one side of all the bread slices.
• Arrange the thinly sliced vegetables on each bread slice and sprinkle salt and chaat masala over it generously.
• Form a three-tier sandwich and apply butter on the outer slices and grill it until its crisp and golden brown in color.
• Remove the top slice and spread/pour the miracle whip over it and cover with the removed slice.Apply butter on top of it and sprinkle some chaat masala over it.
• Cut it into half in Triangle shaped Toast or else it can be cut into 9 pieces.

Serve it hot with the Tomato ketchup.


Note:

• Green Chutney is a simple blend of mint and coriander leaves with green chillies,salt,sugar and lemon juice.
• Adding of miracle whip is completely optional.That is my personal touch as I feel the taste of the sandwich is really enhanced by the miracle whip.
• You can even place a cheese slice on one of the layers of the bread before grilling it which will make this taste even better.

This vegetable sandwich goes to "RCI:MUMBAI Street Food" event hosted by Aquadaze which was originally started by Lakshmi

and to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se

and this also goes to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen.

Note Updated:
As many of you are not aware of this Miracle Whip, I would like to share its picture which will be more helpful to spot it easily in your Grocery Store.As it is not available in India easily I generally ask my husband to pick it up for me on his business trips and I am sure you guys get it easily in our local American Grocery Stores.Try adding this to Sandwiches , burgers and rolls which makes it taste even better.

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Mango Ice cream...completely Home made

Who would say ' No ' to Ice cream in these Hot summers??

Infact season is not a barrier for most of us to enjoy those delectable Ice creams.As some fruits are seasonal and especially our king of Fruits "MANGO" is available only in summers,why not we use them to the fullest extent .I have scribbled this recipe from my SIL's cook book when I visited her last year.I tried this couple of times in this summer and it was so easy to prepare with no mess.It was an instant hit at home and everyone liked it and Home made things always gives a better satisfaction than the store bought one's right??This is one simple and easy recipe with very less ingredients and turns out perfect in texture.
so,here comes the recipe...try it out and enjoy this summer..

Ingredients:
3 Alphonso Mangoes(Other mangoes also do,but Alphonso's taste best)
1 Cup Milk,boiled and cooled
6 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tin Milkmaid(condensed milk)
200 ml Thick cream(I used Amul cream)
5-6 drops of Mango essence

Method:

• Peel the mangoes and cut it into small pieces.
• Melt Sugar in milk and add essence and mix well.
• Grind the mango pieces with milk mixture and condensed milk into a very smooth and fine mixture.
• Pour the mixture into the Ice cream tub(Closed one) and freeze it for 3-4 hrs.Remove it and scrape the mixture and churn it along with Cream to a fine mixture.
  
• Now check the taste,if it needs more sweetness add milkmaid and churn it again to a smooth mixture and pour it back into the tub and freeze it.

Scoop out and serve it cold.

Note:
The above process of churning can be repeated again in order to get still smooth and soft Ice cream.

This is my second entry to "MANGO MELA" event hosted by Srivalli of Cooking for all Seasons.

You can find another delectable Mango Kulfi recipe here.

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Akki Rotti | Akki Roti...Karnataka Special.!!!

Akki rotti is a very famous dish in Karnataka and is my favorite too. I never get bored of this rotti and I can eat this daily provided if someone prepares this for me...:)..!!
This used to feature as a regular dish in my lunch and my mom used to give me 6-7 roti's so that her daughter could get to taste atleast one...poor mom...!!Guys believe me, my lunch box used to be a hot target for my friends.If I tell them that i have brought this for lunch,I had to run after them to chase my lunch box or else there would be just a tiny piece left for me to taste and I always ended up to go the canteen....Hmmm..So many memories with this rotti for me.My Mom makes the best Akki roti's that I ever had.They will be perfect crisp and soft at the same time.

As Hubby is brought up in Delhi and as my Inlaws are from Andhra,they never got to taste this.The very first time i prepared this after my marriage Hubby was very much impressed by the taste and has become a big fan of this and now he always asks me to prepare this rotti.


Ingredients:
2 Cups Rice flour
2 Onions finely chopped
1 Cup grated Bottle gourd(can be substituted by cucumber)
1/4 cup grated Carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped Coriander
1/4 Cup Roasted,deskinned and slightly powdered peanuts
1 tsp green chilli paste(Ground into a coarse mixture)
1 tsp jeera
salt to taste


Method:

• Mix the rice flour with all the ingredients properly with hand until everything is mixed properly.
• Now add enough warm water to make it into a semi solid dough as shown in picture.(Rice flour varies from place to place,if you feel that your rice flour is sticky then add warm water to make the dough which in turn helps to release the stickiness of the dough,it always help better).
• Take a handful of dough and make it into round balls of Orange size.
• Smear the Rotti tawa(Non-stick/normal dosa pan) with little bit of oil all over the tawa and place the rotti dough in center and press it gently with hands and spread into a thin layer by rotating the pan by immersing the hand in a bowl in between which helps in patting the dough evenly and smoothly on the tawa.Make it as thin as possible.do not bother if small gaps are there,that makes the rotti even crispier.
• Pour a spoon of oil over it and cover it with a lid and place it on fire on medium flame.Let it cook for 2 mins.Keep an eye on it to check in b/n whether it is done or not.Once you see the red patches started forming increase the flame and cook it.Try to rotate the tawa inorder to get an evenly roasted rotti.No need to turn it on the other side.

Serve this right off from the flame and on to the plate with a dollop of fresh white butter and some Thokku(smashed pickle type generally made up of either mango or tomato).You can even serve it with masala dahi.




Other variations of Akki rotti:

• The Basic Akki rotti contains Rice flour,onions,green chilli paste,coriander leavessalt,jeera.Try the other variations of Akki rotti according to the availability of vegetables.
• Grated Carrot/Bottle gourd/Cucumber/Beetroot/fresh coconut can be added to the above mixture according to our taste.
• Crushed peanuts add the extra taste to the regular Akki roti's.
• Seasonal seeds like Avarekallu(tender ones) can be used to make these.
• Greens like Mint/Coriander/Dill leaves/Spinach can also be added according to our taste

Mix and match the above variations in order to suit your taste buds.

Important Notes:

1. Use two-three tawa's to make these rotti's which eases the process of making them.
2. Do not attempt to pat the dough on hot tawa,the dough does not spread evenly and we may even burn our fingers.
3. Run the backside of the pan(after the rotti is done) in running water in order to cool it faster.But do not try to attempt this process for non-stick tawa's,there is a possibility of the non-stick coating coming out and the shape of the tawa gets disturbed.
4. Always prepare it on medium flame and higher the flame inorder to get nice crispy and softer one's.Otherwise it will become very hard and chewy.
5. The rice flour's vary from place to place.The gluten content in rice flour also varies which when attempted something like this makes the rotti very hard and stiff and will be very chewy.So try to use non-glutinous rice flour for this and use medium hot water to make the dough inorder to avoid the extra glutinous of the rice flour.
6. Dip your hands in water in between the process which helps you to pat them evenly or you can even apply oil to your hands while doing it.
7. If you don't have many pans/tawa's at home,try to use a hollige paper if available to pat the rotti or you can even pat on the greased baking mat and place it on tawa with the dough side down and remove it after one minute and fry the rotti normally.
8. Sometimes the rotti sticks to the pan and it does not come out.The Best way to get a non-sticky rotti is "spray Pam(Oil spray) all over the hot pan and run it in the water and follow the procedure, you can really avoid that messy job.
9. If you do not have pam spray pour 1-2 tbsp of oil on the hot pan and prepare tadka (just add mustard seeds) and remove it and let the pan cool and follow the procedure.You can still avoid the sticky- messy job of rotti's.

I have shared you some important tips to make perfect and crispy Akki rotti's.Hope it might be helpful for you guys.These are the techniques which i have learnt from Mom inorder to make my favorite crispy Akki roti's.The process seems elaborate for beginners but experience makes it more easier to do them.

For a more healthy version you can even check my Ragi rotti which is equally delicious and more healthier than Akki rotti.


As a kid I never used to eat ragi rotti, In order to make it appealing for me my Mom used to pat half the tawa with the Rice flour dough and the other half with ragi flour dough which tempts me in a combo of different colours.Seems quite interesting right??Try it out to make your kids eat if they are also like me, do not accept some dark colors in their food.

This again goes to Nag's 'Ravishing Rice' Event Which was originally started by Meeta

and to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se.


and this also goes to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen

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Dosakaaya Pacchadi

Yellow cucumber is widely available in Andhra and so is famous there.This vegetable is so versatile like raw mango.It can be used to prepare pacchadi,dal,sambar and Avakaay and now comes the recipe for this yummy pacchadi.

Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped Dosakaaya(Andhra's yellow cucumber),peeled and deseeded
1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
4-5 green chillies
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1/4 tsp haldi
salt to taste

For Tadka:
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 red chillies
1/2 tsp split urad dal
5-6 curry leaves
a pinch of hing
1 tsp oil/ghee

Method:

• Grind green chillies,grated coconut,salt,tamarind pulp,haldi to a coarse mixture.
• Now add finely chopped cucumber and grind it in whipper mode slightly(do not run much,just run once.It should be chunky).
• Heat ghee/oil in a Tadka pan crackle mustard seeds,add red chillies,urad dal,curry leaves,hing and fry it and pour this tadka to the prepared pacchadi and mix well.

Serve it with hot rice and ghee.

Note:

• For a Vegan version use oil instead of ghee for tempering.

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Thotakoora pesarapappu podi koora | Amarnath leaves-Moong dal stir fry

I prefer more greens in my daily food diet.Thotakura/Amaranth is one of my favorite greens as it is versatile and can be used in various preparations like Amaranth stir-fry,Dal,Pakora and Parathas.This is a very simple dry curry and is the most favorite of mine with these greens.A bite into moong dal and the flavors from coconut makes this curry absolutely delicious.It goes well with rice as well as roti.

Thotakura Pesarapappu Podi Kura Recipe:
(Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped Amarnath Leaves/Thotakura
1/2 cup Moong dal
1 Onion,chopped
7-8 garlic pods
1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut
4-5 Green chillies,chopped
1 tsp of Urad dal
1 tbsp Chana dal
1 Red chilli,broken
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
a pinch of Asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadai,crackle mustard seeds and jeera,add hing,red chilli,urad and chana dal and fry for a minute.
• Wash and soak moong dal for 10 mins.
  
• Add garlic pods,sliced onions and fry until it turns pink.
• Add moong dal and fry for 2-3 mins,now add chopped amarnath leaves to it and cover with a deep plate and pour water over the plate.This will help in steam cooking,cook for 12-15 mins till the moong dal is cooked.Do not make moong dal mushy,it should be cooked and hold its shape.
  
• Grind coconut,green chillies and salt to a coarse paste and add this to the cooked curry and give a good stir to it and fry for 2 mins.

Serve hot with Rice and papad or roti and dal.

I am sending this to the sowmya's SWC: Cooking with greens Event which was originally started by Lakshmi.

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