Pav Bhaji

Ingredients:
Pav/Burger buns-1packet
Onions finely chopped-1cup
Tomato paste-1cup (fresh is better)
Potato –1medium
French beans chopped-1cup
Carrots-1no
Pav bhaji masala-2tsp
Chilli powder-1tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Cinnamon-1inch piece
Cardamom-1no
Cloves-2nos
Ginger garlic paste-1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil-2tbsp
Butter for toasting buns

Method:Method: Chop potato, beans, carrots (can add any other veggie) and pressure-cook till done. Drain excess water and keep the water aside and mash the vegetables with a masher or spoon.
Heat oil in a pan add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom then add onions and fry well and add ginger garlic paste, sauté for 1-2mts, now add the tomato paste and sauté till the raw smell is gone. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt mix well and let cook for 2mts. Now add the mashed vegetables and the drained water if the mixture is too dry, mix well. Cover and allow to cook for 2mts., uncover and add pav bhaji masala and mix well and let cook for 5-10mts.Add-lemon juice just before you switch off the gas.
Slightly toast the buns on a pan.Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro just before serving.

Coconut Vada

Ingredients:
Coconut Grated-1cup
Green chilli-6nos
Cardamom-1
Cinnamon-1inch piece
Cloves-2
Roasted chana dhal flour-3tbsp
(putnala pappu,dalia,pottukadale)
salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying

My entry for JFI-Coconut

Method: Grind the roasted gram dhal into fine powder & keep aside.
Grind coconut, green chills, cinnamon, cardamom, &cloves to a thick paste just by sprinkling very little water.
Now add salt & the flour mix well. If the paste is watery add little more flour to hold it.
Heat oil in a kadai. Make small balls of the paste & press them lightly & deep fry on medium heat till golden brown.

(Note: Can use Bengal gram flour also & Thin vadas would be more crisper.)

Butter Milk Biscuits

Recipe source Pillsbury: Healthy baking.

Ingredients:All purpose flour-4cups, Baking powder-5tsps, Baking soda-1tspSalt-1/2tsp, Margarine/butter-1/2cup, Buttermilk-11/2cup.

Method:Heat oven to 400°F. Grease cookie sheet. In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix well. Mix in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough buttermilk to form soft dough.
On lightly floured surface, shape divide dough into 4- 5 balls. Roll out to 1-inch thickness; cut with floured 2inch round cutter. Place biscuits on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 400°F for 10-15mts or until light golden. Serve warm (18-20biscuits)
For cornmeal biscuits add 1/2cup cornmeal &3 1/2cups all-purpose flour.

Rava Idly

Recipe adapted from a tv show

Ingredients:Oil-1tbsp,Black gram(urad) dal-1tsp,Mustard:1/2tsp, Green chillies-3nos,Cashew nuts6nos, Curry leaves-1spring, Sooji(rava)-1cup, Curd-2cup approximately,Salt to taste.

Method:Heat a kadai and add oil.Temper with mustard, black gram dal, cashew nuts, curry leaves and green chillies and sautetill it turns golden brown.Add rava and saute.Cool for sometime, (can store in air tight container at this stage) add curd and salt and soak for 15 minutes.Pour into idli plate and steam for 10 minutes.Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Ragi Puttu

Ingredients:-Ragi powder-1/2cup, Sugar-1/4cup approximately, Ghee as needed, Salt pinch,Coconut –2tbsp grated, Cardamom powder-1/4tsp
Method: mix salt & ragi powder together & steam it for 10mts Remove from fire & break up or mix well. Then add sugar, grated coconut, and cardamom powder Serve hot with melted ghee.

Butter Murukku

My entries for Santhi’s JFI-Flour andRevathi’s FMR-Comfort Foods

Ingredients:
Plain rice flour-3cups
Roasted gram flour-1/2cup
(pottu kadalae/Puttanalu pappu grinded into fine powder)
Fresh white butter-11/2tbsp
Salt-11/2tsp
Oil for deep-frying
Method: 1) Mix rice flour, roasted gram flour together & sieve.
2) Mix salt butter to the flour & mix well.
3) Divide the flour into 2or 3 parts equally.
4) Sprinkle water to one part & prepare thick dough.
5) Using a single star disc in a greased murukku maker squeeze murukkus directly in hot oil.
6) Fry till golden in color & crisp. Remove from oil, drain excess oil.
Store in air-tight container.



Note: Murukkus retain its color only when it is mixed with water just before frying. If all the dough is mixed at a time, Murukkus of later portions of dough will become red when it is fried.

Bread Murukku

I got this quick and easy murukku recipe from a book, don’t remember the name. I make this murukku when I just have to finish the bread before it gets spoilt.
Ingredients: Bengal gram flour-1cup
Rice flour-1/2cup
Bread-10 slices
Chili powder-3/4tsp
Salt to taste
Asafoetida powder-1/4tsp
Hot oil for dough-11/2tbsp
Oil-for deep frying
Method: Remove brown crust from bread slices. Dip one slice at a time in water, remove immediately and squeeze out water. Add rice flour, gram flour, salt, and chili powder to the squeezed bread and mix well.

Pour hot oil, asafoetida powder and then sprinkle water to prepare thick dough.

Use star or ribbon disk, (I prefer ribbon disk) fill the dough in murruku maker and squeeze directly in hot oil.

Fry till crisp in medium flame. Put it in a colander to drain excess oil.Crumble & then store in an airtight container.