AAPPAM

Kerala style appam can be made with yeast or without yeast.  The original recipe is made with the toddy i.e Kallu.  But it is very difficult to get the fresh toddy hence we can make it with yeast or without yeast.  The purpose of adding the yeast or toddy(kallu)  is to help the batter to rise in the centre  of the  appam.

The appam is served with Potato Stew or kadala curry or any curries veg or non veg.  It is a healthy breakfast.  I used to have with the thenga chammanthi also. (coconut red chutney).  Here I have made this aappam without yeast.  I personally try to avoid, yeast, baking soda etc. but when it is required, we have to add it,if there is no other alternative.

Some people are allergic to urid dal and cannot consume the same.  This recipe is useful to such people as they would love it since it is minus urid dal.

Whenever you visit Kerala, do not miss this dish.

Let us look at the recipe now:

video

PAASI PARIUPPU KANJI

Paruppu Kanji  is some what like the Paruppu Pradhaman but not exactly the s the pradhaman as certain rich ingredients are not included in the kanji.  During my childhood, my  grandmother used to give this kanji for breakfast.

I used to love this kanji and when I started making it, I used to add little bit of dalia i.e. cracked wheat or lapsi you can call it.  Normally, coconut milk is used as we are using jaggery.  If we use the normal milk,  sometimes, it will curdle hence the milk is added just before serving.   My grandma used to add milk  while serving, after preparing the kanji so that it cools down bit and the milk will  not curdle.

 The Paruppu Kanji along with sweet dosa i.e. vella dosa  provides the staying power of protein as well as a bit of sugar for energy for keeping up the spirited chanting of bhajans. 

It is a traditional offering for Sivarathri festival which falls during the  winter season.  After fasting the whole day, family members, friends, and neighbors gather together give support to each other for staying awake the entire night praying, singing, and chanting melodious songs and bhajans in praise of Lord Siva.  My mother used to say that we should not sleep in the night during shivrathri.  It is really fun to sit together in the thinnai (veranda ) in the gramama (village)  all together to keep oneself awake during shivrathri.

Maha Shivratri  means the Great Night of Shiva, is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the Lord Shiva.   It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers whole  night, fasting etc.  Ardent devotees keep awake all night, others visit the temple.

This year Sivarathri falls on February 24th of this month.   My friend Seetha Hariharan after going through the blog asked for the recipe.  That time only I realised that I have not posted this though en number of time I have prepared and taken photographs of it.  

Happy Shivrathri to all of you and may the lord bless us. And the recipe for my friend Seetha too.

Now let us look at the recipe :

PANCHMEL DAL VADI

Panch means five.  Mixing up of five varieties of dal and making a dish out of it.  The panchmel dal vadi is made out of five dals viz. urid, chana, masoor, moong and tuvar.  We make adai mixing up of dals with rice and is prepared on the tava.  the same batter can be steamed, cut and served along with chutney or sambhar.  The same can be fried too.

This vaid is also similar to that style.  Grind it,  by adding some spice in it, steam it, cut it and serve as it is with chutney or deep fry and serve.  

Normally, we make kothmir vadi with the gram flour and the process is steaming, cutting and shallow frying or deep frying.  The method of preparation is similar to that only.

This is a healthy dish as most of the dals are used in it.  A snack item which can be prepared and keep it in fridge one day ahead and can be fried the next day when you want it.

You can also add onion, carrots, crushed green peas, coconut, peanut in the batter.  Pinch out some and deep fry.  another way of preparation.

So let us look at the recipe now:

BREAD MEDU VADA

vada is liked by all especially when it is served hot with sambhar.  Medu vada is a South Indian dish made for breakfast and as snack too.  The hot medu vadas dunked in sambhar with chutney is awesome and can be had at any point of time.

We are familiar with the preparation of medu vada.  I decided to add some left over bread which I had with me i.e. two slices of bread and side pieces of four slices.  Bread medu vada is a best out of waste dish for you I am sharing here.  I am sure you will love it.

Let us look at the recipe now:

VEGETABLE RICE BHAKRI

Bhakri is the specialty of Maharashtrians.  They make the bhakri with jowar, bhajra and nachni and even with rice flour.  The ari pathri is made in Kerala with rice flour.  It is a flat bread  made without any yeast or raising agents.  Basically, it is served with Jhunka, a dish made out of gram flour, lasoon chutney, thecha etc.  It is famous in Gujarat, Goa , Rajasthan and North Karnataka too.

Today I made the rice bhakri with some vegetables in it.  Since I always prefer to prepare healthy and  some variety of food for my children, I tried this and was delicious.

After the recipe, you can have a glance about the story of bhakri.

Let us look at the recipe now:

HARBARA HALVA, CHOLIYA HALVA

Fresh Green Chikpeas  or garbanzo beans or choliya or hara chana is known as in Mumbai is also called Harbara.  This juicy tender fresh green chana is also a great snack.  You can eat them raw or steam with some kala namak i.e Indian rock salt.

We can make subzi out of this, halva, poori and parathas too.  This contains Vitamin C, E, K and B Complex vitamins,folate and the minerals viz. magnesium, zinc an pantothenic acid.  They are high in dietary fibres too.  Saute some in olive oil, put some sea salt and enjoy the taste.  It can be tossed into stir fries, salads and combined with sweetcorn and green or red bell pepper also make an awesome chat.

I tried poori and paratha with it. It was awesome like any other parathas.  Since we are getting the same during the season, we can enjoy it.

Now let us look at the recipe of making the halva

CHINESE BREAD

Children as well as adults are crazy about chinese food.  I am not very fond of it but occasionally, I eat only fried rice and manchurian.  I cannot stand for the noodles somehow. 

I tried chinese bread recipe as I had some bread left with me and the sides of the bread after cutting for sandwich.   You can include all kinds of vegetables in it as everyone would love to eat this.

The crunchiness of vegetables and the crunchy bread crumbs in it make this dish delicious.  If you have the vegetables and bread in hand, this is an easy snack for the guests who arrive in your house without any notice.

You can either deep fry the bread or shallow fry the same with little ghee to make it crispy.

Now et us look at the recipe:

video:

CAULIFLOWER POORI AND PARATHA

Parathas are liked by all.  Garam garam paratha with a blob of butter on top and with aam ka achar or lime pickle is my favourite.  I make parathas with any kind of vegetables in hand.

Cauliflower is the rich source of of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals. Its  beneficial effects on numerous aspects of health, cauliflower can easily be described as a superfood.  It's also a good source of Vitamin K and C,protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.

coming back to the recipe, I made poori and paratha with it and was really delicious.  My way of introducing the food which my children won't eat is to make paratha and poories which goes into their stomach without any ? mark.

If you have fuss making children, put all the vegetables in the pav bhaji subzi, paratha, poori and feed them.

Let us look at the recipe now: 

BER SUZBI

After posting the ber chutney and molagootal,  here is another subzi made out of the ber fruit.  There is no need for me to brief about the benefits and brief about this fruit as you must have already come to know from the above two posts.

The subzi I made with the fruit can be served with roti and rice too as side dish.  It is a simple preparation as you make the regular subzis with your coriander and chilli powder and tomato etc. etc.  Though the fruit does not have a particular taste when it is made, it is really tasty with the masalas we put in it and for a change, you can really relish this.

Let us look at the recipe now:

BER MOLAGOOTAL

Recently I posted the Ber chutney which was very very tasty.  Now, I am sharing with you all the molagootal and a subzi made out of it.  These can be served with rice, roti, phulka etc. and is an excellent accompaniment.

A brief is given about the ber in my chutney post hence I am not giving you the detailed benefits of it in this post.  

This is a seasonal fruit which is available in the market from November to March and mainly, you can see this with the vendor infront of the school.   I am sure, I brought back the child hood memories in your life by preparing the dish out of this fruit. The ber, imli, star fruit and what not.  Those school days memories can be revived when you see these stuff in the market.

Coming back to the molagootal,  this dish can be prepared with the red and white pumpkin, chow chow, keerai, madras kakadi, chenai etc. by adding  tuvar, masoor or moongdal.  The kootu can be prepared with the chana dal.  Easy to cook tasty to eat.

BER CHUTNEY

Ber or Bhor it is known as is a sweet and sour fruit which is available in Indian market during the period November to March. 

It brings back the childhood memory as we used to go to pluck this near the Krishnan temple at Pallanchathanur where my  grandfather used to stay.  During vacation,  we used to go there and our time pass is this among other mischievous activities. It is a nutrient fruit with antioxidant properties and stimulates your immune system.  It is also rich in Vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, iron, and phosphorous. These nutrients will keep your skin healthy, and your scalp and hair in good  condition. 

Traditionally in India, the fruit is dried in the sun and the hard nuts are removed. Then, it is pounded with tamarind, red chillies, salt and jaggery.  In some parts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, fresh whole ripe fruit is crushed with the above ingredients and dried under the sun to make cakes called ilanthai vadai or regi vadiyalu ) (Telugu).  This vadai I happened to taste when I went to Marudamalai in Coimbatore.  I was fascinated with the shape and colour of this and the fact that never tasted before, I purchased it for tasting.  I really liked it.

Various shapes and colours of ber is available in the market now.  I happened to see the green big ones looks like green tomato and tastes bit like a green  apple.  I purchased the same and cut it for tasting.  I felt the mild sweetness in it and thought of biting a green apple.  I made chutney, subzi and molagootal/kootu out of this and was excellent though you will not be able to identify the taste separately as you will feel that you have made it with the chow chow.  

Let us look at the recipe now and giving below a little brief about the fruit: