Green Peas Masala Mom's Style

My mom used to prepare this peas masala whenever she makes poori. For me, this is the best combination for poori, rather than the poori masala that is usually served. Whenever she packs this for my lunch box during school days I and my friend will exchange our lunch boxes, cos she loves this a lot :-). Also, this is very simple and doesn't require much ingredients. Actually, the original recipe grinds all the grinding ingredients first and then cooks them. But for added taste and flavor I used to saute them first and then grind to a paste and cook again along with the peas and spices. You can opt for any method depending on your preference. Now, to the recipe.

Ingredients

Green peas - 1 cup (Soaked overnight or atleast for 5-6 hours)
Tomatoes - 3
Onion - 2 (1 for grinding and the other for sauteing)
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Garlic - 4 cloves
Cinnamon stick - 1, a small one
Cloves - 2
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering

Method

1. Soak the green peas overnight or atleast for 5-6 hours and pressure cook for 3 whistles in high flame and 5 minutes in simmer. Soaking is not required if using fresh peas.
2. Chop the ginger, garlic, one onion and tomatoes and set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add the cinnamon stick and cloves and saute for few seconds. Then add the ginger and garlic pieces and saute for couple of minutes. 
3. Then add the onions and fry until they turn transparent. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until they turn mushy. Allow this to cool down and grind to a coarse paste. You need not have to grind to a smooth paste. This gives a nice texture and flavor to the gravy.
4. Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering and add the ground paste. Add the spice powders, salt and hing. Stir well and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Then add the cooked peas and add more water if the gravy is too thick. Allow to cook for few more minutes and turn off the flame. Enjoy with hot and puffy Poori's.

Thattai Recipe - How to make Crispy Thattai

Thattai is mostly prepared for Krishna Jayanthi or Diwali in the Southern parts of India. I had tried this couple of times earlier, but have never clicked or posted the recipe. So I wanted to prepare this for this Diwali and here is the recipe along with the tips that I have learnt so far.

Ingredients

Rice flour - 1 cup
Fried Gram dal flour (Pottukadalai Maavu) - 2 1/2 tbsp
(OR)
Urad dal flour - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 1/2 tsp
Peanuts - 1 tsp (optional)
Unsalted Butter - 1 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few (Optional)
Hing, salt as per taste
Oil - for deep frying

Method

Preparing the flours and other ingredients

• I used the store bought rice flour. Sieve the flour twice and roast it for couple of minutes. Just until the flour becomes warm. Transfer it to a wide bowl.                            

• Take 2 1/2 tbsp of fried gram dal (pottukadalai) and powder it in a mixer. Sieve it and add it along with the rice flour.

• If using urad dal flour, take a tsp of urad dal and fry until golden brown, allow to cool and grind it in the mixer. Sieve and add along with the rice flour. Remember, you need to use either fried gram dal flour or urad dal flour, not both.
• Soak the channa dal in water for 30 mins.

• In a pan dry roast the peanuts, remove the skin and add it along with the flours.

 

How to prepare thattai

1. Take the bowl containing rice flour and gram/urad dal flour. Along with this add chilli powder, curry leaves, hing, channa dal, peanuts and salt. Mix well.                          
   
2. Now add enough water to knead to a soft pliable dough. 1/2 cup of water is what I needed for getting the right consistency. Now, the thattai dough is ready. Check the dough for salt and add adjust accordingly.
3. Make equal sized small balls out of it and keep covered.
   
4. You will need ziplock bags or milk covers or any plastic sheets, greased with oil for flattening the thattai. Place a ziplock cover on a flat surface. Place few drops of oil in its center and grease it. Do the same to the other ziplock cover too. Now, place a dough ball over the ziplock cover and cover it with the other greased one. Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying. 
5. Flatten it with your finger tips or use a bowl with a flat surface and press it until it is thin and even on all sides. This is the key thing for getting crispy thattais. Carefully take off from zip lock cover by inverting it on one hand and drop in hot oil. Cook in medium until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Repeat the same for all the thattais. Store in an airtight container  and enjoy the crispy thattais.

Tips

1. The dough should not be too dry. For checking this, take a small ball and try flattening it. It should not crack, you should be able to flatten it smoothly. That is the right consistency.
2. Flatten the thattais as thin as possible. Only then you will get crispy thattais.
3. Prick it with a toothpick or fork here and there, if thattais are not cooked in the middle
4. Oil temperature has to be perfect for perfect thattais. Oil should not be fuming hot, else the thattais will turn dark brown in color. Keep the flame in high while dropping the thattai dough. Then turn the flame to medium low and cook on both sides until golden brown.

Basundhi Recipe - How To Make Basundhi

Basundi is an easy-to-make milk dessert with a nice flavor of cardamom or kesar. It  is a traditional sweet recipe of Maharashtrians and Gujaratis. This recipe is very easy and doesn’t require much preparation as compared to other sweet dishes. The thicker version of Basundhi is called as Rabri. Rabdi is very thick with lots of malai / heavy cream when compared to Basundhi. It just took 30 minutes for me for the whole process. Do not worry if you don't have whole milk in hand. You can also use the 2% one. All you have to do is, once the milk reduces to half, add 4-5 drops of lemon juice and cook for 2 more minutes so that the milk curdles a bit and gives you a creamy texture. Now lets learn this easy recipe.

 
Ingredients

Serves - 2

Full Fat Milk (Whole Milk) - 1/2 litre
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/8 tsp
Saffron strands - 5 or 6
Nuts of your choice - 1 tbsp (almonds, pistachios, cashews etc)

Method

In a heavy bottomed vessel (preferably non-stick), boil the milk until it reduces to half of its original quantity.

To do this, place the milk on high heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the flame to medium-low and add sugar, nuts, saffron strands and the cardamom powder. Stir well until the sugar dissolves.

Keep on boiling until it reduces to half of its quantity, scraping its sides and bottom of the pan continuously. At the end of the process, the mixture will start to thicken and get a creamy texture. Turn off the stove. Serve hot or chilled.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Joyous Diwali with this yummy dessert.

Note

Scraping the sides and bottom of the pan continuously is very much important, else the milk can get burned at the bottom which might alter the taste of the basundhi. I used the rubber spatula which made my work easier for clean sides and bottoms without stickiness. You can also use a wooden spoon.

Once basundhi cools down completely, it would turn more thick. Refrigerate overnight for a better texture and taste.

Ribbon Murukku - Ribbon Pakoda - How to Make Ribbon Murukku

Ribbon Murukku is also called ribbon pakoda or Ola Pakoda. There are lots and lots of murukku varieties prepared in South Indian houses. Among these, ribbon murukku is the simplest one to prepare and tastes absolutely great. You can try this easy murukku recipe for this Diwali and enjoy with your family.

Ingredients

Rice flour - 1 cup
Roasted Gram dal (Pottukadalai) - 1 cup
Unsalted butter - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp (adjust as per your spice buds)
Salt - as needed
Water - as needed
Oil - for deep frying


Method

•  In a mixer add the roasted gram dal and powder it finely. Sieve it twice and transfer it to a wide mixing bowl. Also sieve the rice flour and add it to the gram dal flour. 
• Add unsalted butter, asafoetida, sesame seeds. red chilli powder and salt and crumble well. Now add water little by little and knead to a soft pliable dough.          

• Heat oil for deep frying. Meanwhile take the murukku press and fill it to 3/4 with the dough. Test if the oil is hot enough (drop a small ball of dough into the oil, if it raises to the surface immediately, then the oil is hot enough for frying the murukkus)
• Using the murukku maker pipe the dough directly in the hot oil. Make sure the flame is in medium high. You will get lot of bubbles and shh sound.           

• Fry for few seconds, after some time the bubbles and the shh sound will start subsiding. Flip it to the other side and fry until golden brown. Remove it using a slotted ladle and drain in a paper towel.

          

•  Repeat the same process for all the murukkus. Allow them to cool down and store it in an air tight container. Stays good for upto 2 weeks.

Poori/Puri Recipe - How to make puffy Poori

Poori is a yummy breakfast recipe that is loved by everyone irrespective of their ages. My mom used to make this for all sunday breakfast. The peas masala that she makes as a side is an ultimate combo. All my school friends love the combination. At times my mom used to prepare this specially for them. After marriage I had not prepared it often, but now since my little one loves it I have started making it frequently. That too a puffy and soft poori is a bit tricky one to prepare. Consistency of the dough, rolling the poori, oil temperature are the key things to be noted down. Now to the recipe!

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt - as needed
Warm Water - as needed, 1/3 cup approximately is what I used

Method

1. In a wide boil add the flour, salt and oil and mix well.  Add warm water little by little and knead to a soft dough. The dough should be little stiffer than the chapati dough, but not too stiff. Knead the dough well for few mins, this makes the dough smooth and soft. Do not allow the dough to sit for a long time as we do for chapati. Start making balls and roll them immediately
2. Divide the dough into small equal portions and make balls out of it. Roll them evenly into circles. Do not roll them too thin, else the pooris will not puff up. Keep the rolled dough in a paper or plate without overlapping and keep covered
3. Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying. Check the temperature of oil, put a small piece of dough. It should rise immediately, that's the correct temperature. Now start making poori's.
4. Drop the rolled dough gently by sliding on the sides of the pan, after a second, press it with a slotted ladle. It will puff up, now flip it to the other side and allow to cook for few seconds. Remove and lower the flame till u drop the next poori .Drain in a tissue paper. Keep the flame in medium high and repeat the same for remaining pooris. If you feel the oil temperature is too high, switch off the flame for few seconds and turn it on.