Thengol/Thenkuzhal

Ingredients:
Rice flour - 2 cups
Urad flour - 1 cup
Unmelted Butter or Crisco (vegetable shortening) - 3 tablespoons
Cumin - 2 tablespoons
Asefoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt per taste
Water for mixing
Oil for deep frying
Optional: Pepper powder - 2 tablespoons

Apparatus:
Thengol/Thenkuzhal mould - has 3 or 5 holes .
Flat plates covered with saran wrap OR plastic sheets

Method:
Mix the flours with cumin, Pepper powder(optional), asefoetida, salt and Crisco. Mix water little by little to form a manageable dough without lumps(consistency of a chapati dough). Fill the mould with the dough and press into small mounds on a flat plate/plastic sheets. Slide the thengol/thenkuzhal for deep frying into hot oil maintain medium heat. When the bubbling reduces around the thengol/thenkuzhal its an indication that its well cooked. Remove, drain on a paper towel. When cool store in air tight container. Lasts up to 4 weeks.

Rajasthani Alu gravy

Ingredients:

Potato - 4 medium sized cooked and cut into large cubes

Yogurt - 1 cup

Besan/Chick pea flour - 1 tablespoon

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon

Tempering:

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Kalongi(Onion seeds) - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Pepper corns - few

Sonph - 1/2 teaspoon

Asefotida - pinch

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Cloves - few

Bay Leaves - few

Garnish:

Curry Leaves

Salt

Method:

Mix Yogurt, Besan/Chick pea flour, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Chili powder, Turmeric and set aside. In a pan heat oil and add mustard, after mustard crackles - add all other tempering ingredients, fry for a minute on medium heat until the spices let out the aroma. Add the yogurt mixture and salt and let it boil for 2 minutes. Add cooked potato and garnish with curry leaves. Let it come to a boil, then turn off heat. Serve with rotis or pooris.

Plantain Tambulli (Plantain mixed in yogurt)

This will be another submission for RCI: Karnataka

I would also like to submit this dish for JFI: Banana. Thanks to Mandira and Ashwin of Ahaar for hosting this event.

Ingredients:
Plantain - 1 small
Urad daal - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Pepper corns - 5
Green chillies - 3
Coconut - shredded 1 tablespoon
Fresh curds/yogurt - 1 cup
Asefotida - pinch
Salt
Oil - 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:
Cook Plantain and peel the skin. Either mash or grate the pulp. Dry Roast urad daal, cumin and pepper corns until the daal turns golden brown. Grind the roasted ingredients with asefotida, green chillies and coconut with little water to a fine paste. Mix the ground paste, plantain and yogurt with some salt. Provide a tempering of mustard.


This dish is relished with rice.

Nuchina Unde, Vegetable Thatte Idli and Onion Mint Chutney for RCI Karnataka

I would like to thank Asha of 'Foodies Hope' for hosting this event.

Nuchina unde:

Ingredients:

Toor daal - 1 cup

Green chillies - 3

Dry Red Chillies - 3

Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup

Asefotida - 1/4 teaspoon

Grated fresh Coconut - 1/4 cup

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Salt

Optional Ingredients:

Valore Lilva (Avarekai) - 1/2 cup

Onion fine chopped - 1 cup

Methi leaves chopped - 1 cup

Method:

Soak Toor daal for about 3 hours. Drain water completely and grind the daal with Green chillies,Red Chillies,Coriander Leaves,Asefotida,Grated fresh Coconut,Ginger and Salt to a smooth paste.(Make sure no additional water is added, else you will not be able to shape the daal mixture). Mix with any or all of the optional ingredients. Shape into small cylindrical shape and steam in pressure cooker with weight for 2 whistles and once its cool, steam again without weight for 15 minutes and serve.

Tip: If you feel the ground paste is too soft to mould shape, add some rice flour.

This healthy dish can be eaten as is or mixed with rice and ghee. Also we can add these nuchina unde in Majjige Huli or Sambhar after steaming.

Vegetable Thatte Idli

Ingredients:

Idli Rice - 3 cups

Raw rice - 1 cup

Urad daal - 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon

Green beans very finely chopped - 1 cup

Carrots very finely chopped - 1 cup

Salt

Method:

Soak rice and daal seperate. First grind the urad daal into a fine paste and then grind the rice to coarse consistency. Mix the two with enough salt and water(The final batter should not be too thick or too watery). Allow the batter to ferment for at least 8 hours. Before making idlis, steam beans and carrot until half cooked and mix it with idli batter.Pour mixture into plates (thatte) and steam for 10 minutes. Serve with any chutney or Sambhar.

Onion Mint Chutney

Ingredients:

Onions - 2 medium sized diced

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Mint Leaves - 1/2 cup

Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup

Green Chillies - 2

Red Chillies - 2

Urad daal - 1 tablespoon

Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Tamarind - 1 teaspoon

Oil - 1 teaspoon

Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add urad daal and roast. When the daal turns golden, add mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds splutter, add fenugreek seeds and red chillies. Then add all other ingredients and saute for about 5 minutes. Grind to a coarse paste without adding water. Serve chutney with thatte idlis.

Vellai Murukku (Chakli/Wheel shaped rice flour crispies)

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 4 cups

Urad flour - 1 cup

Unmelted Butter or Crisco (vegetable shortening) - 5 tablespoons

Cumin - 2 tablespoons

White sesame seeds - 2 table spoons

Asefotida - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt per taste

Water for mixing

Oil for deep frying

Apparatus:

Chakli/murukku mould - single star shaped .

Flat plates covered with saran wrap OR plastic sheets

Method:

Roast rice flour and urad flour separately without oil for about 10 minutes until warm. Then let it cool. Mix the flours with cumin, sesame, asefotida, salt and crisco. Mix water little by little to form a manageable dough without lumps(consistency of a chapathi dough). Fill the murukku mould with the dough and press into murukku shape on a flat plate/plastic sheets. Slide the murukkus and deep fry in hot oil. When the bubbling reduces around the murrukus its an indication that its well cooked. Remove, drain on a paper towel. When cool store in air tight container. Lasts up to 4 weeks.

This is my entry for Srijayanthi or Janmashtami event hosted by 'The Yum Blog'

Krishna Janmashtami Delicacies

I would like to dedicate these pictures to my Mother In Law and Periamma for being a source of encouragement to make this festival a very grand celebration.
(Clockwise from top) Butter-sugar, parched rice(poha) with raisins, sugar, desiccated coconut and pinch of cardamom powder, dryginger powder-jaggery

Krishna Janmashtami Decorations

Masala Morkuzhambu (Yogurt based gravy)

My toddler arranged this as a choo choo train :)

I proudly used my home grown vegetables :). Since they summed up to a bounty, I was excited to make this dish. Please ensure to wash all vegetables before use.

Ingredients:
Vegetables (any) – 4 cups OR
Cucumbers - 2 cubed
Green bell pepper – 2 deseeded and cubed
Okra – few(I used about 8) cut into ½ inch pieces
Tomato – 1 cubed
Carrots – ½ cup
Japanese eggplant – 4 cubed
Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

For Grinding:
Coconut – Grated about 1 tablespoon

Toor daal - soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
Coriander leaves – about 6 sprigs
Dry Coriander – 1 tablespoon
Dry red and green chillies – 3 + 3
Garlic – 3 pods

To be added later:
Yogurt – 1 cup ( I used Fat free dahi)
Salt per taste

For tempering:
Oil – 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds – ¼ teaspoon
Cumin Seeds – ½ teaspoon
Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

For Garnishing:
Curry leaves – few

Method:
In a thick bottom vessel add all vegetables except tomato with 3 cups of water and turmeric. Cook the vegetables for about 15 minutes on medium heat (depends on vegetables used). With some water, make a paste of the ingredients listed for grinding.
When the vegetables are almost done, add the ground mixture, tomatoes and salt. Cook this on low flame for about 5 minutes and turn off heat. Temper the kuzhambu and add yogurt and mix it well. Serve with hot rice or rotis.