Raagi Puttu

Ingredients:

Raagi flour - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 4 tsp
Cinnamon - 2 or A pinch of cinnamon powder
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Sugar - 4 tsp
water - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Roast the raagi flour in a pan for 5 mins and let it cool.
2. Mix salt with the raagi flour. Sprinkle water on the flour little by little and wet the flour. Consistency we can say like, the flour should be wet, but when you try to make as ball, it should break and should not stick with each other like dough. You can see the picture below.
3. If you have the puttukuzhai(puttu making vessel), add 1 tsp of coconut first, then 3 tsp of the prepared mix, then coconut again and then prepared mix again, until it fills. (OR)

If you don't have that puttukuzhai, you can make using idly vessel. Spread a white cotton cloth in the idly plate and spread the prepared mix. In the middle keep the coconut and cover it with the cotton cloth, just bring the 4 corners to the middle(see wheat puttu recipe in my blog). If you do not cover, because of the steam, it will stick to each other and will be like cooked dough.
4. Steam it for 10 mins.
5. Change it to a vessel, add ghee, sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Nice aroma will tempt you to eat hot.

Notes and Secrets:

-> Those who are in diet can have this raagi puttu, but reduce the amount of coconut and sugar. Avoid ghee.
-> You can also mix pappad and banana with this. Same way you can also prepare rice puttu. I'll post it soon.
-> Diabetic patients also can have this, but instead of adding sugar follow the method below.

-> Add a tsp of oil, splutter mustard seeds, add 2 red chillies, few curry leaves, a pinch of hing and mix the boiled puttu with this. Kaara puttu is ready!!

Vegetable Kuruma - 2

Ingredients:

Potato - 2 - boiled
Green Peas - a hand full - boiled or fresh
Onion - 1 - Cut it lengh wise or as your wish
Tomato - 1 - chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp(optional)
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp

For Grinding:
Grated Coconut - 3 tsp
Green chilli - 4 nos
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4 nos
Poppy seeds - 1/4 tsp(optional)
Chutney dal - 1/4 tsp(optional)
Cloves - 1 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1/2"
Oil - 2 tsp(optional)

Method:

1. Heat a pan, add all grinding ingredients and fry in medium flame for 10 mins or until you see coconut is roasted well and getting nice aroma of all ingredients.
2. Let it cool, grind and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter fennel seeds, add onion and fry until golden brown color.
4. Add chopped tomato, turmeric powder, coriander powder, curry masala powder, salt and fry until oil gets separated.
5. Add boiled potato and green peas and mix well.
6. Add ground coconut paste, and 1 cup of water and mix well. If you add chutney dal and poppy seeds then add 1/2 cup water in additional.
7. Let it boil for 10 min, see the thickness of the gravy and finally add coriander leaves for garnishing. (Boil for few more mins, if gravy is not thick.)

Notes:

-> This kurma suits idly, dosai, chappathi/roti.
-> In our home, only on special occasions we'll prepare this dish.

Onion Uthappam:

Ingredients:

Dosai batter - 1 cup
Red onion - 1 - Chopped( for each uthappam)
Oil - 2 tsp or less

Method:

1. Heat dosai pan, add a ladle of batter and spread lightly. Uthappam should be thick.
2. Then add chopped onions on the top, and add oil around uthappam.
3. When it is half cooked(means, in the middle or sides you will see raw batter here and there, remaining portions will be cooked)flip uthappam to the other side and let it for 15 secs.



Notes and Secrets:

-> If your dosai batter is sour/bitter, add a little baking soda and you can try this uthappam.
-> All chutney varieties, kurma varieties and chicken curry suits this dish.

Paper Roast

Ingredients:

Dosai batter - 1 cup (if you have only idly batter, make it thin like dosai batter).
Oil - 2 tsp (each)


Method:

1. Heat dosai pan, add a ladle of batter and spread it thin using ladle.
2. Add oil around dosai, let it for 30 secs.
3. Then spread one tsp of oil in a flat ladle/dosai ladle(dosai karandi) and try to flat the bulged portion of dosai. (see pic)
-> Do it carefully in such way that it do not tear (see pic for a hole)
-> Add more oil for crispiness.
4. Then flip the dosai to the other side. Let it for 15 secs. Roll it in shape of cone or as you like.

Normal Dosai: Compare both the pictures, you'll find the difference.
















Notes and Secrets:

-> Every one love paper roast. But not many of them know that we can bring a restaurant in our own kitchen. As soon as we enter a south Indian restaurant, more than 80% of us order dosai(different types).
-> You can also use ghee instead of oil, ya, Ghee Roast! Easy, isn't it??

Thideer Puli Rasam

Ingredients:

Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size or 1/4 tsp of paste
Onion - 1 tsp - chopped
curry leaves - few
Green chilli - 1 - cut them into pieces
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - A pinch
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water and extract the juice, filter it and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add onion, curry leaves and fry until golden brown in onion.
3. Add tamarind juice, turmeric powder, hing and salt.
4. Let it boil for 10 mins. Do not let it too thick as you prepare for puliogare. It should be thin.

Notes and Secrets:

-> It will be very sour, so add very little to rice and have. But it'll taste good.
-> If you are planning to take this out, say lunch, add a tsp of oil more. So that rice wont become dry. (see pic)
-> It will stay for 2 - 3 days. Pappad, vadam, chips suits this dish.

Fish fry - 2

Ingredients:

Fish(any kind) - 1 lb or 1/2 kg
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Tomato - 1 (let it be juicy)
Salt - 1/4 tsp or as per need
Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Clean fish, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Squeeze the tomato using hands, so that only juice comes out and not the flesh and skin. No matter if seeds are there.
2. Mix well using hand and let it for 30 min - 1 hour.
3. Heat oil in a kadai/dosai pan, add fish (2 or one at a time)
4. Let it cook well. Turn it, so that the other side also cook well.
5. Cook until you see brown color. (see picture)

Notes and Secrets:

-> Add salt and chilli powder little more(very little), so that after frying also everything remains perfect. Do not add more at the beginning, fry a fish, taste it, if needed add more salt and chilli powder. Stick to the recipe to get the perfect taste.
-> If you feel its bitter add a little salt and chilli powder.

Fish Kozhambu/Curry

Ingredients:

Fish(any kind) - 1 lb or 1/2 kg
Tamarind - A lemon size
Onion - 1 - chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Grated coconut paste - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - few, say, less than 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 5 tsp(2 tsp more if you prefer)

Method:

1. Clean fish, drain water completely and keep it aside.
2. Soak tamarind in a cup of water and extract juice, filter and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter fenugreek seeds, add onion and curry leaves.
4. Fry until golden brown in onion, then add chopped tomato and fry until oil gets separated.
5. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and stir once.
6. Add tamarind juice now and coconut paste and add 1/2 cup of water.
7. Let it boil for 5 mins, then add fish one by one and close the lid. Let it boil for 5 mins. (Note: Do not add fish at the beginning, it gets cooked faster and will break or melt if boiled more.)
8. Check for salt and now its ready.

Notes and Secrets:

-> Fish curry is healthier than fish fry. But taste wise the reverse.
-> People have dry skin can have more fish, be careful that eat the fish that have less or no mercury content. Mercury do some hormone changes in our body.
-> Don't serve it hot, leave it for 4 hours. So that fish gets soaked well with all ingredients in curry and taste ....taste....Yummy! Yummy!
-> Do not add much coconut to fish curry, because actual taste may get varied.
-> Neimeen(Gheefish), is the best for kuzhambu/curry. If you use this fish, reduce the amount of oil as the fish lets out oil while cooking.