Masala Puri

My craving for masala puri started after I visited Pondy. After I had that hot masala puri from the beach street, I become total fan of it. It is similar to the Masala puri we get in Coimbatore too. Below is Pondy click.

  

The base of the Masala puri is green peas. But in Chennai we don’t get to taste this type, most of the places the base is mainly chenna or potato.

This masala puri is ultimate and best when had super-hot.

The green peas base is not very rich in masala, it is mild and delicious.

Ingredients:

• Dried Peas – 1 cup (I used yellow variety, white and green one also can be used)
• Water- 2 cups.
• Salt

To Grind:

• Onion – 1
• Green chili – 2 (Change as per ur taste)
• Garlic – 5 pods
• Ginger – 1 inch piece.

For topping

• Few small puris crushed.
• Finely chopped onions
• Grated Carrot.
• Finely chopped coriander
• Sev

Method:

Wash and Soak the dried peas with enough water overnight.

Grind all the items mentioned in the – To grind section.

Wash the soaked peas again with fresh water.

Now pressure cook the peas by adding the water and ground paste for 5 whistles.

Meanwhile prepare the toppings.

My sis in law sent me these puri chips which can be deep fried in oil whenever required.  It is far better than readymade puris which are available in stores. Thanks Jothi Akka J

By the time peas would have been ready.

Take little amount of peas from the cooked peas and grind it then add the peas again. This gives thickness to the gravy.

Add water and salt.

The cooked peas should be in a soup consistency.

Keep heating it till the mixture combines well and starts boiling.

Now pour a ladle of the peas gravy in the serving bowl. I took pics after i served everyone at home. It should be piping hot.

Add the crushed puri.

Chopped onions, grated carrot, coriander.

Top of it, add the sev.

Optionally add little chat masala on top and serve it very very hot. 

Paalada Pradhaman

        Whenever I attend weddings, I will be curious during the lunch to look at what paayasam they serve. More than anything else in the menu, paayasam is what attracts me, because paayasams are best when prepared in bulk. In these occasions, generally they skip these tinned condensed milk stuffs, and prepare them by stirring the milk for long hours in urulis in wood fire. It gives hell lot of taste to the paayasams.

Paalada pradhaman comes on the top of my favorite list of payasams.

Paalada pradhaman is kerala special payasam. Any special lunch in Kerala is incomplete without this.

It’s made with milk and rice adai. I have used the readymade adai. (Double horse brand works best). You can also prepare the adai at home. But it’s little time consuming.

Ingredients:

• Milk – 1 litre ( I used aavin blue, you can also use full cream milk)
• Rice adai – 100 gms
• Water – ¼ cup and more.
• Sugar – 3 tsp (change according to your sweetness)
• Condensed – 100 gms and little more (I used about quarter of 400 ml can)
• Cardamom powder -  from 2 Cardamom
• Butter – 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

Wash the adai in fresh water couple of times and drain well.

In a vessel, add ¼ cup of water. (The quantity  of water should be enough to cover adai)

Let it boil well. Once it starts boiling well. Switch off the stove. Add the adai to the water and close the lid. Let it rest for 10 mins.

  

While it is resting, take a thick bottom vessel (urili works best), add milk and let it boil with occasional stirring.

After 10 mins, take the adai out drain the excess hot water if any. It will look fluffy. 

Wash well couple of times in normal water. This step prevents from the adai dissolving in the paayasam when added. Drain again and keep it aside.

Once the milk starts rising, reduce the heat and add the adai carewfully and start stirring continuously by changing the heat from high – medium, medium – high.

Since my vessel was small, I took of some milk from the vessel before adding adai and added it after the milk is reduced a little. This can be skipped if you have a big vessel.

Keep on stir and stir for about 10- 15 mins. Now check if the adai is cooked by pinching it. If it is soft, then its cooked well.

At this stage add sugar and condensed milk.

 Condensed milk is purely a short cut, or else you have to stir a little longer.

And start stirring again by singing your favorite song, this will reduce the strain.

After about 15 mins, add the cardamom powder. For thicker version, make it 20 mins.

I dint have cardamom powder on hand, so powdered in hand motor pestle with help of my lil Lakshmi.

As a final touch add a tsp of butter for a glossy finish.

In general the fried cashews are not addede in this paayasam. But its upto you.

You can either serve this paayasam hot or cold. Chilled one tastes better.

This uruli is gift from my mil. Thanks Amma. 

Beetroot cutlet

Cutlets are easy party snacks. Can be prepared ahead and tastes good even when it is not hot.

Since my daughter is not much fan of beetroot, I find some way or the other to feed her some beet root.

You can also include other veggies like carrot, beans, cauliflower, green peas etc. Potatoes are mandatory in this recipe as it’s the main binding agent.

Ingredients:

·         Beetroot - ½ beetroot medium size – grated

·         Potatoes – 4 medium size

·         Bread slices - 4

·         Green chili – 1 – finely chopped

·         Ginger – 1 inch piece – grated

·         Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

·         Garam masala powder – ¼ tsp

·         Chili powder  - ¼ tsp ( Change according to your spice level, I added ½ tsp and its was hot)

·         Salt to taste

·         Oil for shallow fry / Deep fry.

You also need these

·         Bread crumbs – for coating the cutlets

·         Maida – 1 tbsp

·         Water – as required.

Method:

Pressure cook potatoes for 3 whistles and cool it down.

Grate beetroot.

In wide bowl take the boiled peeled potatoes and grated beetroot.

Immerse bread slice in water and squeeze well, there should not be any water, and then add to the potato beetroot bowl.  Don’t immerse all the bread slices together, do it one by one.

Add grated green chili, grated ginger, fennels seeds.

Add the garam masala, chili powder and salt.

 

Mash them well.

Flat them into patties. Keep them aside.

In a flat bowl, add a tbsp of maida and mix water. Make it a thick batter. Like dosa batter. Actually we can substitute maida here with atta too. I will have to try it. (My batter was little runny, you please make it thick J )

In another plate take some bread crumbs. You can powder some rusks to make bread crumbs or toast the bread in oven till crisp then powder it in mixer. I find the rusk thing much easier. But mostly in market we get sweet milk rusks, so you can decide which one you prefer.

Now dip the cutlet in the maida water mixture and take out immediately and coat it with bread crumbs well in all the sides.  Repeat this process for all the cutlets.

At this stage you can refrigerate them and deep fry / shallow fry whenever you get time within a day.

When doing in bulk, I prefer the deep fry option, for small quantities shallow fry is healthier.

For deep frying, heat the cooking oil in a deep frying pan, add the cutlets carefully one by one. Cook it well both the sides by flipping them. Once done, drain them in tissues to absorb extra oil.

For shallow fry, in a dosa pan, drizzle some oil, place the cutlets, toast them both the sides in medium flame.

Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.