A humble request.

Dear Friends ,
I came to know that many of the Catholic Churches in USA are collecting grocery items for the food pantry . I have never seen a concept like this before. But I think it is a good mission during this recession period. They request the people to come and leave the new grocery items in the church every Sunday. They distribute the collected items to the needy.
If you are interested , please inquire the nearby RC Church and help them in their mission. You can just google 'Catholic church , zip code' and find their address , phone number.
The most needed items are Cereals,oats, canned - soup, tuna, fruits,vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, coffee,milk powder, cake mix, oil, biscuits, dry fruits, sugar, All purpose flour etc.
Even a single pack of cereal can help a family .
Please kindly bring new and unopened grocery items with valid shelf life.
Why don't we think of the needy atleast once in a month?
This is my personal request and not an advertisement from any organisation.
If you feel it appropriate , then please pass on this word to those who want to help others.
Lets spread the happiness through our blogs.
Thanks a lot,
VikiXavier.


Matthew 25: 35-40 "‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
"Whatsoever you do for the least of My people,
That you do unto Me"

Green beans koottu

Green beans is the most common vegetable that is available in all seasons globally.
Just another koottu (boiled lentil based side-dish) for the people who long to have a variation for the beans fry .



Beans koottu (side dish):
Green beans - 1/4 kg
green gram dhal - 1/2 cup
salt - to taste
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
asafoetida - a pinch
To fry and grind:
oil - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seed - 1 tbsp
cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
pepper - 1/2 tsp
red chilly - 3
coconut - 2 tbsp
To temper:
oil - 1 tsp
mustard - 1/4 tsp
Bengal gram / channa dhal - 1 tbsp
chopped onion - 1 tbsp
Red chilly - 1
garlic - 1
curry leaf - brig

Method:

1.Wash and soak the moong dhal (green gram dhal for 1/2 an hour).
Clean and chop the beans into small pieces.
Half cook the dhal. Add the chopped green beans, asafoetida, turmeric and cook completely.

2.Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan. Fry all the items given.
Let it cool. Then grind it with little water into a thick paste.
Add this masala to the cooked beans and let it come to a boil.
Add salt to taste.

3.Heat oil in a pan. Add the channa dhal and mustard.
After the mustard seeds Crackle , add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, curry leaf, red chilli and fry till the onion becomes red.
Mix it with the boiling koottu and switch off flame.

Green beans koottu is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Yields a lot of koottu. Serves 6 people.
Serve as side dish with any rice / roti.

Idly Uppuma (scrambled Idly)

Here is a quiz for you my friends:)
1.What will you do if you have a lot of left over Idlies?
2.What will you do if your 'Jasmine like Idlies' turned out into hard rocks due to improper batter?
3.How can you feed Idlies to a kid who hates it like anything?
The most probable answer to all the above questions will be an easy but delectable dish called 'Idly Uppuma'.

I got introduced to this Idly Uppuma by my Rukmani aunt. She cooks everything with a lot of care and passion. She insisted me to use Sesame oil for this Idly Uppuma and then I found that the oil gives a unique taste to the dish.
I will reveal her lovely vegetarian dishes in course of time.
Here goes the recipe.

Idly Uppuma / Idli Upma:



Ingredients:
Idli - 6
Urid dhal - 1 tbsp
mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
curry leaf - 1 brig
Onion (chopped)- 1 cup
Green chilly - 3
sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp for 4 Idlies

Method:
While calculating the number of Idlies required, just minus one Idly per head.
Because we have to add a handful of onion for every 3 Idly we use and that will increase the volume of the end product.
Scramble the Idlies with your hand into small pieces. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok.
Add urad dhal and mustard seeds.Let the mustard seed crackle.
Then add the chopped onion, finely chopped green chilly, curry leaves and salt.
Saute well till the onion becomes transparent.
Add the scrambled idlies and stir well.
Switch off the stove after a minute.
Idly Uppuma is ready.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve as dinner / breakfast with 'Idly podi' or any chutney of your choice.
The Picture shows Idly Upma served with onion chutney.
Serves 2 adults.

Some sweet memories:
My hubby told me that he became a fan of this Idly uppuma after seeing this dish in a movie called 'Surya Vamsam' (a Tamil Movie). In that movie , the heroin (Ms.Devayani) and the hero (hubby's favorite actor - Mr.SarathKumar) prefer to serve this Idly uppuma for an unexpected guest as a quick fix meal . Actually that is a touching scene in the movie to show the hospitality of the couple even in the midst of poverty. Whenever I prepare this Idly Uppuma , I make fun of this scene to see his blushing smile:)

Yasmeen of health nut has passed me a sweet note . See the picture below. Thanks Yasmeen.You are so sweet dear !!

Potato roast

First I should admit that , this potato roast may be a well known recipe for many. Because the simple but elegant potato curry could be the first for any beginner.
Who can deny a hearty serving of roasted potatoes along with the piping hot sambar and rice?
While browsing through my blog , I found that some potato roast is missing and immediately started posting this recipe.
I modified the well known original version with some marination (just like any non-veg roast).
(The original version do not call for any curd or marination. But doing so enhances the flavor)
We can enjoy each step in this cooking process , because of its flavor:)
I prefer to do this roast in a heavy iron wok ('Irumbu chatti' in Tamil). If we cannot find such a robust wok, we can get satisfied with a thick bottomed non stick vessel. Use the Indian store-bought potato for this dish. Because we cannot be sure of the original touch with other potatoes. If you know any other variety of potato that tastes like Indian potato, kindly let me know.



Ingredients:
Potato - 4 (1/4 kg)
onion - 1 (chopped 1 cup)
Turmeric - a pinch
curd - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - 1 brig
cilantro , mint - a handful
salt - to taste.
Dry roast and grind:
Cinnamom - a bit
cumin - 1/2 tsp
fennel seed (sombu) - 1 tsp
cloves - 2
coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Method:
Scrub and peel the potato skin. Wash and clean it.
Cut each potato into 4 - 6 big pieces.
Dry roast and grind the items given. This is the masala powder.
Mix curd, salt, Red chilly powder, turmeric , ginger garlic paste, prepared masala powder and marinate it for an hour or more.
Heat oil in a thick bottom vessel.
Fry the fennel seeds to red color.
Add the chopped onion, cilantro, mint leaf, curry leaf and fry for a while.
As the onion turns transparent , add the marinated potato mixture.
Stir well. Reduce the flame, cover it and cook with occasional stirring.
This roast should be cooked in very low flame.. Do not hasten the process, as it may char the dish.
If the curry starts sticking to the bottom, sprinkle little water and then cook it covered.
The masala will be slowly absorbed by the potato while the outer side becoming crispy.
Using a spatula gently check if the potatoes are done. Then check for salt .
Potato roast is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Mostly people serve it as a side dish for sambar & rice or rasam & rice.
Goes fine with roti also.
The consistency should be like a dry curry.
Serves four.

Bottle gourd - curd curry (surai kaai thayir pachadi)

Bottle gourd is a popular Indian vegetable .Village people believe that it has some property to reduce our body fat.
The Tamil meaning of Bottle gourd is surai kaai. Koottu means a watery side dish .

Bottle gourd is a watery vegetable and tastes somewhat similar to white pumpkin or cucumber. Mostly it is used in making sambar , dhal or a watery side dish called koottu . The most common way is to cook it with Thoor dhal or green gram dhal.
Cooking it with Curd belongs to South TamilNadu cuisine.

In Tamil nadu a grand vegetarian feast should be served on a Banana leaf (gently cut with its tip). The rice must be accompanied by a koottu (watery side dish), a poriyal (cooked and tempered vegetables with shredded coconut) , a varuval (deep or shallow fried vegetable ), a curry (a spicy side dish with some dry gravy), sambar (dhal based stew), vatha kulambu (tamarind based stew), more kulambu (curd based stew), rasam (a soup poured on rice.. good for digestion), Payasam (a rice or vermicelli based sweet ) and at last the Buttermilk on rice. The other dishes are a an appalam, vadai , some sweet. Oh , my God ...What an elaborate lunch menu .Isn't it?.Believe me , we people cannot take every day like this . But the very thought makes us nostalgic. Right?

Just because of my love for our native cuisines , I am eagerly collecting as many recipes as possible . And this curd based recipe is my favorite koottu .




Surai kaai Thayir pachadi koottu / bottle gourd - yogurt curry.

Ingredients:
Bottle gourd - 1/2 kg (1 small)
curd - 1/2 cup
onion - 1 (small)
olive oil - 1 tbsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 brig
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
salt - to taste.
To grind:
ginger - 1 inch
green chilli - 3
channa dhal - 2 tbsp
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Soak the channa dhal for 30 minutes.
Peel the skin of the bottle gourd. Chop it into small cubes. Donot discard the seeds. Tender seeds tastes good.
Heat 1 cup of water and add the chopped bottle gourd, salt, turmeric powder and cook it .
Grind together the items given .
Pour the ground masala to the cooked bottle gourd.
Let it come to boil.
Now add the curd and switch off flame. Check for salt.
Heat oil in a separate pan. Add the mustard seeds , after it crackles , add the chopped onion, curry leaves and fry till the onion becomes red.
Add this tempering to the cooked bottle gourd.
Mix well.
Bottle gourd thayir koottu is ready.

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with plain rice or rice and sambar or with chapathi.

Omelet

Omelet / Omelette / Muttai adai.

Just a very simple egg omelet. This is my mom's method. I love to make it with coconut oil only.As its flavor will fill the entire house with grace.
This oil is my secret ingredient for a successful omelet. But nowadays my health conscious brain dictates me to use olive oil instead:( Still the omelet stays good.
In my dad's house we prefer to have it with fish curry and plain steamed rice.

Ingredients:
Egg - 1
Red onion (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
green chilli (finely chopped)- 1
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
coconut oil - 1 tbsp (any oil)
salt- 1/8 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Take a bowl and fork.
Break and pour the egg in to the bowl.
Chop the onion and green chilly very finely.
Add salt and cumin seeds to the egg and beat well.
Now add the chopped onion and chilly. Beat till the egg doubles its volume:)
Heat a tbsp of coconut oil in a pancake pan / dosa tawa / chapathi tawa . (I keep the omelet pan as separate and donot use it for other cooking. As it will emit an unwanted smell while cooking other recipes).
Pour the well beaten egg on the pan.
Reduce heat. Flip the omelet. Be more attentive, so that the omelet do not get charred.
Take it out.
Place on a serving saucer. sprinkle some freshly ground pepper over the omelet.
Egg omelet is ready !

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot either as breakfast or as side dish.

Sweet memories:
My 'packi anna - periyamma' and 'cook - Gnanamani' call it as Muttai adai in pure Tamil.

Parotta

The parotta , I am narrating here is entirely different from the North Indian parathas and frozen malaysian poratta.

Poratta or parotta , they tell in Tamilnadu and kerala is made of maida (All purpose flour). while the parathas of north India are made of whole wheat. The street side stalls in TamilNadu and kerala serve this parotta with a side dish called salna. Actually they call the parottas as 'veechu parotta'. That means the chef uses a style to spread the dough into a thin chapathi by swinging it in air. 'salna' means a watery gravy with few pieces of chicken or completely vegetarian. This parotta and salna combo is an unbeatable one .It has the potency to tempt even a strict diet conscious person. My weaker soul always craves for those parottas :(
Last week I got tempted a lot by Varsha and chams parottas. But the frozen parotta we get here cannot satisfy my crazy instincts. So I decided to make it my own in a different method.
Long time ago I learned to make this parotta from a cookery show in SunTV . A chef from a star hotel demonstrated this version to make parottas easily. We will get parottas of larger diameters and this can be a fool proof method for a novice like me . May be we can call this as the 'parotta for dummies'.

We may need:
Maida / All purpose flour - 2 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
water - as per requirement
salt - 1 tsp
baking powder - 1/2 tsp
sesame oil - 1/2 cup
(The parotta stalls in Tirunelveli do not use ghee / butter).

A flat surface like clean kitchen counter top.
Rolling pin.
plastic sheets - 20
(I cut and used the plastic sheets used for filing. we can clean, preserve and use the plastic sheets given with frozen parotta also).

Method:
Mix Maida with salt and baking powder.
Then add water little by little to get a chapathi dough consistency.
Then add 3 tbsp oil to the dough and knead well.
Knead for 5 minutes with beating and punching to get a silky smooth dough.
Cover it with a cling wrap or wet towel and leave it for 4 hours in the room temperature.
Then divide the flour in to 10 equal size balls.
In a small bowl, mix the rice flour with 2 tbsp of sesame oil to get a ghee like paste.

Step 1:


Take one dough ball,apply some oil to it and flatten it on a clean kitchen top .
Flatten it till it tries to tear off. No need to get a smooth circle.
But a very thin disc should be achieved.
(Do not try to take it with hands, just flatten it to a big circle.)
Take a little rice flour + oil mix and apply it smoothly over the flattened disc.
The rice flour gives a flaky texture and also prevents the layers from sticking with one another.

step 2


Using a knife , slit the disc into long ribbon like strips.
Fold every strip once in a longitudinal manner like a paper. (see figure).

step 3


Apply little oil on a plastic sheet . Make concentric circles using all the folded ribbons to get the shape as shown.

step 4

Place another plastic sheet above the dough . No need to apply oil now. Press it gently with a rolling pin to get a perfect circle.


step 5

Make all the 10 parottas as described in the leisure time. keep them frozen in a freezer.

step 6


If you want to fry them immediately, then no need to freeze.
Heat a dosa tava. Apply a little oil over the surface.
Remove the top plastic sheet. Peel off the parotta . Place it on the hot tava.
Flip it again and again to get it cooked evenly.
Take out and serve hot.
Parotta is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Place all the cooked parottas one above other.
Using both the hands , pat them on the sides , to get a loose flaky texture.
Serve hot with any gravy or salna along with raitha.
Makes 10 bigger size parottas.
Increase the flour quantity to get more parottas.

Note: Even though the all purpose flour parottas are not that great for health, these home made ones will surely outwit the store bought 'ghee loaded frozen parottas'.
Try these 'southern style Parottas' and lemme know how it comes out.
You may be interested in 'scrambled parotta / Muttai kothu parotta' too.