INSTANT TIFFIN SAMBAR RECIPE| SIDE DISH FOR IDLI|DOSA

SAMBAR WITHOUT DAL

  I have already posted the recipe of Tiffin sambar , but  few weeks ago when i went for an outing with my friends the topic of instant sambar came. Suddenly i remembered that i have tried an instant sambar long back from Rohini’s space. But since i forgot that recipe i searched in her blog again and made the instant tiffin sambar again and enjoyed with idlis . After a break rohini has started blogging again. Follow Jeyashri's Kitchen on Facebook to recipe updates.
Also check out my

• Hotel sambar recipe
• Udipi sambar recipe

CARROT	1/2
TOMATO	2
SHALLOTS(SMALL ONIONS)	4-5
TAMARIND EXTRACT	3 TBLSP
CORIANDER SEEDS	1 TBLSP
RED CHILLI	2
POTTUKADALAI | CHUTNEY DAL|ROASTED GRAM	2 TBLSP
OIL	2 TSP
MUSTARD SEEDS	1/4 TSP
WATER	AS NEEDED
SALT	AS NEEDED
TURMERIC POWDER	1/4 TSP
CURRY LEAVES | CORIANDER LEAVES	FEW

METHOD:

• Chop the tomatoes and carrots and  peel the skin of the shallots.

• In a pan, add a tsp of oil and roast the coriander seeds(dhania),red chilli and 2-3 shallots.
• When it turns brown add half portion  of the chopped tomatoes and saute in a medium flame till the tomatoes becomes soft.

• Allow it to cool and and grind it into a smooth paste adding the pottukadalai (roasted gram)to it.

• In a pan, add oil and throw in the mustard seeds and when it splutters add in the remaining shallots and when they are slightly brown add the remaining half of the chopped tomatoes.
• Now add the carrots and saute for a minute and add the tamarind extract and add 2 cups of water. Add salt and turmeric powder.

• Allow it to boil for few minutes till the carrot becomes soft.
• Add the ground spice mix to it and before adding the ground masala dilute it with 1/2 cup of water.

• Allow this to boil and garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.
• If you find the sambar is thick just add water to dilute it and bring it to a boil.
• Serve it hot with Idli | dosa | pongal.

PARRUPU URUNDAI KUZHAMBHU | URUNDAI KULAMBHU

Parrupu Urundai Kuzhambhu, my mom makes during our childhood days, but i never used to eat it and she makes rasam for me but my sister used to love it like anything. Even after marriage in my in laws place they never used to make it but i remember once my mil made this with morkuzhambhu. When i wanted to make this last week, I asked my mom for the recipe and i tried it and somehow i enjoyed it and told my mom that i liked the paruppu urundai kulambhu very much.
Check out my

• Ulli theeyal recipe
• Thatta payar kuzhambu

INGREDIENTS:
FOR URUNDAIS:(YIELDS 10 SMALL BALLS)

TOOR DHAL	1/4 CUP
CHANNA DAL	1 TBLSP
RED CHILLI	2
SHALLOTS(SMALL ONION)	6-7(OPTIONAL)
SALT	AS NEEDED
ASFOETIDA	A GENEROUS PINCH

FOR THE GRAVY

TAMARIND EXTRACT(THIN EXTRACT)	3 CUPS
SAMBAR POWDER	2 TSP
SALT	AS NEEDED
TURMERIC POWDER	1/4 TSP
ASAFOETIDA	A PINCH
SESAME OIL	1 TBLSP
MUSTARD SEEDS	1/4 TSP
CURRY LEAVES	FEW

Method:

• Wash and soak the dals together for 45 minutes.
• Drain the water completely and grind it into a slightly coarse paste by adding red chilli , salt and asafoetida to this.
• Peel the skin of the shallots (if using)and finely chop them and mix it to the ground dal mix.

• Grease your hands and make small tight balls.
• Grease the idli plate and arrange the urundais on it and steam it for 12 to 15 minutes on medium flame.
• Insert a tooth pick to check out whether it is done.

• In a pan, add sesame oil and throw in the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the tamarind extract and add the turmeric powder, salt,sambar powder ,curry leaves and asafoetida.

• When it starts boiling simmer the flame and add the steamed paruppu urundais carefully to the boiling gravy one by one.

• Let this boil till it reaches a kulambhu (gravy) consistency.
• It should be slightly thicker than the sambar.

• Serve with hot rice. Normally we mix  the gravy with hot rice and keep he urundais as accompaniment.
• We had with avarakkai(broad beans) curry and Vazhakkai chips.

Note:

• Adding onions is totally optional. My mom told adding onions makes it soft.
• Some people add fennel seeds while grinding ,but since i don’t like it much i didn’t add.
• You  also add a tsp of cumin seed while grinding.
• Some people may add coconut to the gravy, if you want to add just grind 2-3 tblsp of coconut with little water and add it to the gravy in the last.
• Always ensure that the balls should be tight and while grinding do not add water. If it is loose they may tend to break after putting it into the gravy.

HOW TO MAKE SOFT IDLIS | IDLI BATTER RECIPE

IDLI RECIPE

 Idli is an extremely popular breakfast recipe made in almost every South Indian household,  a  soft, fluffy rice cakes made by steaming a fermented rice and lentil batter.. Idli is now recognized worldwide as a healthy and nutritious breakfast option. I have been wanting to post the recipe – how to make soft idlis for a long time now. However, after coming to Singapore I stopped following the traditional method of grinding idli batter as I was not very sure about the quality of urad dal
available here. Back home in India, I would grind a large batch of idli batter every week and we would all savour deliciously spongy idlis. We used to bring back packets of Udad dal from India but they would last me only a few months. I tried adding a handful of poha (puffed rice) along with rice and this gave me soft idlis. But, the idea of grinding udad dal and idli rice separately was slightly time consuming and did not appeal to me. Hence, I started grinding urad dal, idli rice and poha together smoothly. I must say I am extremely satisfied with my method of making idli batter as this never fails to result in super soft idlis. After repeated requests from many of my friends, I am posting the recipe of Idli batter. This method is very convenient for people who like to grind the batter in smaller quantities. Do scroll down to the end of the recipe for the tips to get soft idlis. For bachelors and people who do not have a grinder, I have also posted the recipe of idli/dosa batter in mixie and in case you do not have idli rice, you can check for the recipe of  idli using idli rava. 

VAZHAKKAI CHIPS RECIPE| HOME MADE RAW BANANA CHIPS

   Vazhakkai | Raw banana chips is a rare one which i make at home, though my grandmother makes a super crispy chips often. One day i had a sudden craving for this chips and i decided to make it out and asked my mom for the exact procedure of making it(though i know roughly). The raw banana chips came out super crispy and yum and we enjoyed with hot rice and Paruppu urundai kuzhambhu for a weekend lunch. Will be posting the recipe for parrupu urundai kuzhambhu in my next post.
Also check out my

• Maravalli kizhangu chips
• Vendakkai fry

INGREDIENTS:

RAW BANANA | VAZHAKKAI	2
OIL	TO DEEP FRY
SALT	AS NEEDED
BLACK PEPPER POWDER	1/4 TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER	1/8 TSP

METHOD:

• Peel the skin of the  raw bananas and slice them using a slicer (mandoline slicer)and immerse it in salt water for 10 minutes.

• After 10 minutes, take out the slices and pat dry in a kitchen towel.
• On the other hand heat the oil for deep frying.

• When the oil is hot, carefully put in the dried and sliced raw bananas.
• Fry it in batches. Do not put too much at a time. Also carefully put them and ensure everyone is separate . If the raw banana slices are together then it will get cooked evenly and will become soggy.
• When the sizzle sound of the oil subsides, take them out and drain it in a kitchen towel.

• Repeat this for the rest of the slices.
• Transfer it to a wide airtight container. Add pepper powder and chilli powder. Do not add salt as we added while immersing them in water.
• Shake vigorously for even mixing of spices.
• Enjoy crispy Vazhakkai chips with Rice and sambar or with tea | coffee.

Note:

• Just before frying take out the sliced raw bananas from water and pat dry. Else the color will become dull.
• After frying and draining the excess oil in the kitchen towel, a minute later transfer it to a air tight container. Repeat this for all the batches . If the chips stays outside till the entire batch gets over it will loose its crispiness.
• For a healthy version you can bake it instead of frying.
• In my in laws place the cook mami will take out the skin of the vazhakkai ( as we do for ripe banana) and directly slice them in the oil. though i have seen that I never tried as i don't think i can bear the heat!!

HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE | HOME MADE HOT CHOCOLATE

     Though I am not a fan of chocolate, very rarely i get cravings for chocolates and few days back  suddenly i have a craving for some hot drink with chocolate i made this hot chocolate at home adapting the recipe from here. It tasted very yum and i thoroughly enjoyed it and sharing the recipe today.
This posted i drafted a few weeks back . As i was extremely busy with the kiddos exams and other routine work, couldn’t visit any of the blogs and missed all the super recipes. I will be back to routine from next week.
Also check out my

• Teh tarik recipe
• Mint chai

INGREDIENTS:(  SINGLE SERVING)

COCOA POWDER	1 TBLSP
SUGAR	1 TBLSP
HOT WATER	1 TBLSP
LOW FAT MILK	1 CUP
SALT	A PINCH
VANILLA ESSENCE	1/4 TSP

METHOD:

• In a pan add the cocoa powder, sugar and salt along with hot water.
• Slowly add the milk and bring it to a boil. Keep the flame low.

• Remove from heat and add vanilla essence.
• Whisk the mixture to make it frothy.

• Dust with some chocolate powder on the top if you want.

The entire process can be done in Microwave too.

BESAN LADOO | BESAN LADOO RECIPE

(KADALAI MAAVU URUNDAI)- Recipe updated with video
  Till date i have i have never tasted or made besan ladoo, but when a reader asked me the recipe for this few days back, I thought i will learn and post the recipe of besan ladoo before diwali. But, she again insisted me to post before Ganesha Chaturthi, I tried this two days back. When i asked my mom about the recipe for Besan ladoo, though she never made this, but makes a yummy ladoo with green gram flour(Payatham urundai) ,didn’t say the exact measurements for this besan ladoo. So i called up my friend’s MIL, who stays in our apartment,and asked her for the recipe. Aunty is an expert in making sweets and she told the recipe and the way to make the besan ladoo too.  It came out extremely well and super perfect and we all enjoyed it a lot.
Check out my

• Boondi ladoo
• Atta ladoo recipe

   Though i packed few ladoos for my friend too but here is a visual treat for her MIL (who taught me the recipe) who is celebrating her birthday tomorrow.

                                              Video of how to make besan ladoo

                  


INGREDIENTS: (YIELDS 10 LADOOS)

BESAN |KADALAI MAAVU	1 CUP
SUGAR	3/4 CUP
GHEE(CLARIFIED BUTTER)	1/4 CUP
CASHEWNUTS	8-10
CARDAMOM POWDER(optional)	A PINCH

METHOD:

• In a heavy bottomed pan, add a spoon of ghee . Chop the cashew nuts into small pieces. Fry them in the ghee till golden brown and keep it aside.

• In the same add the besan and roast it in a medium low flame till it emits a nice aroma and the colour of the besan must have changed by now.This took approximately 20 minutes.

• Be careful not to get it burnt.
• Melt the ghee in a separate pan .
• Transfer the roasted cashew nuts and besan to a wide bowl .
• Powder the sugar finely and add it to the bowl.
• Add the ghee slowly. The ghee should be hot.

• Mix everything well with a spoon. When it becomes warm, make medium sized balls with your hands.

• The ladoos were moist in the beginning but after an hour it was perfect.

 

• If by any chance you can not make ladoos  just melt a tblsp of ghee and try making ladoos.

Note:

• Always roast the besan nicely else it will give a raw taste to the ladoos.
• Do not add too much ghee ,else you will get  very soft  ladoos instead of a firm one.
• Do not lessen the quantity of ghee too as the mixture will be dry and you cannot make balls.
• You can sprinkle few drops of milk to bind the mixture, but this will lessen the shelf life of the ladoos.
• This tasted super yum on the next day.
• The quantity of ghee depends on the texture of the besan. when i made it again it took 2 tblsp more ghee.

POTATO MASALA FOR POORI , POORI KIZHANGU RECIPE

Restaurant style poori kilanghu with video

Potato masala for poori| Poori Kizhangu, a popular South Indian restaurant style gravy, pairs well with poori, dosai and also Rava idli. The Poori masala which they normally serve in restaurants especially in Saravana Bhavan is one of my most favorite. Whenever Varun  order Poori in Saravana bhavan here, he will just dip the masala and eat the poori, so me a big fan of Poori masala will eat it as it is and Varsha will sometimes share with me too.  Though i tried Poori masala | Poori kizhanghu at home many times , but mostly i will be making for kids lunch box only and i never had a chance to click the pictures. Yesterday i made poori and kizhangu for evening tiffin and i made this before the kids are back from school and clicked the pictures too.
Check out my

• Poori recipe
• Masala dosai
  

ULUNDU KOZHUKATTAI | UPPU KOZHUKATTAI | GANESHA CHATHURTI RECIPES

  Recipe updated with video 

The savory version of kozhukattai , which is made by stuffing urad dal poornam, made for ganesha chaturthi. Last year itself i wanted to post the recipe of ulundu kozhukattai, but somehow i couldn’t make it out. In my mom’s place she makes this savory version of kozhukattai more than the Modakam, where as in my in laws place every one likes Modakam a lot. Though making of kozhukattai is a bit time consuming i love to make it and of course to eat it too. Check out my ganesha chathurthi recipes