Adai and Kara Chutney

Adai is a filling meal in itself with rice and dhals. Rich in protein. I normally add a fistfull of horse gram (kollu) to it. Many people are unaware of its cooking methods. Will post recipes on Horse Gram in my coming posts. People ignore it and consider it only food for horses. Any body thought how it gets so much energy? Horse gram is very good for cough and breathing problems. Also good for people who would like to lose weight.
Let me go on to the recipe now.
Adai

Ingredients:

Boiled Rice - ½ cup

Raw rice - ¾ cup
Thoor Dhal - ¾ cup

Bengal Gram - ½ cup

Urud Dhal - ¼ cup
Green Gram - ¼ cup
Horse Gram – 1 fistful (optional)
Red chili – 5 to 7(as per your choice)
Curry leaves – 2 springs
Ginger – 1 inch piece

Hing powder ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Medium sized big onion – 2 finely chopped or Small onions - ½ cup finely chopped
Murunga keerai – ½ cup (optional)

Method:
Soak the rice and dhals separately for 4 – 5 hours. Wash well and grind rice, red chilies, and ginger first to a thick batter of rava consistency. Now add the dhals and curry leaves and grind coarsely. The batter should be very thick, like vada batter
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadai saute the onions and keerai just for 2 minutes and add to the batter. Add the salt and the hing powder.
Take the dosa tava and grease with cooking oil. Pour one small cup of batter at the center and spread. Add a tsp of oil around. When one side is done turn and cook the other side. Cook in medium flame. When it turns golden brown remove it. Put one tsp of butter on top and serve.

Best combination for adai is Jaggery. The butter and jaggery combination tastes really good.

Other combination would be avial or coconut chutney.

My friend’s mom makes a kara chutney for it. It became a favorite in my family.

Kara Chutney

Ingredients:

Medium sized big onion – 3, chopped
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 2 pods
Red Chillies – 3 to 4
Tomato – 1
Tamarind – small gooseberry size

Urad Dhal – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

For tempering:
Oil 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:
Heat a drop of oil in a kadai and roast the Urad dhal until it turns slightly brown and remove. In the same kadai add another tsp of oil and fry the onions till tender, add the other ingredients one by one. Fry until the tomato is mushy and cool for a while. Add salt as per taste and grind in a mixie little coarsely with little water (30 ml would do) and not into a paste. Add the fried urad dhal and just give 2 runs and remove to a serving bowl

Add the tempering and serve.

This goes well with idlies and dosas also.

Rava Roti

I am allergic to certain foods and my doctor gave me a long list of items to avoid for four months, like milk and milk products, seafood, coriander, tamrind, coconout,yeast... and the list goes on. There is no complete cooking without tamarind, coconut, and coriander in south india except for a few dishes. So, I started modifying some regular recipies and , "I too need variety" , can't be eating parupu sadham daily. Breaking my head what to make for breakfast one day I ended up with this one. Came out well. And you know what, i had mixed the ingredients to make just 3 rotis for me, while making my husband peeped into the kitchen and had a bite and took the plate and went. My mother in law also tasted and liked it. I prepared it again for me. With the instant garlic chilli powder it tasted good. Will go on to the recipe.

Ingredients:
Rava - 1 cup
Besan - 1 tsp
Maida - 1 tsp
Medium sized onion, chopped - 1
Green chillies - 2 (can use 1 tsp of chilli power if making for kids)
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water
Oil - 2 -3 tsp
Method:
In a bowl put all the ingredients and mix. Sprinkle water (do not pour) and mix to form a tight dough like we make for chappathi. If the dough is not tight it will become soft like dosas. Divide them into small balls. This measurement would give 3 to 4 rotis. Heat the pan, put 1 tsp of oil and spread the balls into a circle with hands. Keep the flame low, cook on both sides. Smear some more oil. Serve hot with the chutney.

Garlic Chilli powder chutney
This is an instant chutney and can be kept for two days after preparing. It is similar to pickle. Very easy to make.
Ingredients:
Garlic - 10 pods
Chilli powder - 1 to 1-1/2tsp
Salt to taste
Gingely oil - 3 tsp
Method:
Crush the garlic cloves, mix the salt and chilli powder. Mix the oil. Chutney ready. Goes well with steaming idlies and dosas also.

Rice Rava Kozhukattai

An easy and tasty recipe for all ages.

Ingredients:
To soak and grind:

Raw rice - 1 cup
Thoor dhal – heaped on the rice (a handful approx)
For tempering:
Mustard seed - 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Urud dhal - 1 tsp

Bengal gram - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 4

Oil-2 tablespoons

Grated coconut - 2 tsp

Water 2-1/2 cups
Salt – to taste

Method:
For the upma -
Wash and soak the rice and thoor dhal for an hour and drain the excess water. Spread the rice in a kitchen towel for 30 mins. Dry run in the mixie into a coarse powder (rava texture).

Heat oil in a kadai, add the ingredients for tempering in order. Add the water and bring to a boil, add salt to taste. Now add the rice dhal rava slowly stirring inbetween to avoid lumps. Cook the upma in slow fire with the lid closed. This would take about 10 mins to cook. Switch off and let the upma cool for a little while.

For making Kozhukattai -
Make small oval or round balls of the upma as per your choice and steam cook in idly plates for another 10 mins. Tasty rice rava kozhukattai is ready to be served.

Serve hot as such or with coconut chutney. Makes a good breakfast or an evening snack.