Happy Diwali

Deepavali is a sanskrit word which means a row of lights. Light symbolises god, truth and wisdom. This festival, which is celebrated on the darkest night of the year, enhances the beauty of light, signifying the victory of brightness over darkness.

Diwali is celebrated for different reasons. In North India it is a celebration of the return of Lord Rama after a 14-year exile. In South India Diwali is celebrated as a victory over Asura Naraka.

Happy Diwali to all the readers. May this Diwali bring lots of good luck, happiness and success to all. I hope the celebration is also pollution free.

Masala Dosa (mashed potatoes filled pancake)

This is a dosa that has a filling of mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes filling can be prepared in many ways. It can be prepared with onion, without onion, with garlic, without garlic, with tomatoes and without tomatoes.
Generally, a dosa is named depending on the filling used. For instance, a filling of stir fried cauliflower becomes cauliflower dosa. A filling of spicy cottage cheese becomes paneer dosa. A filling of cheddar cheese and green chillies becomes chilli-cheese dosa. Fusion dosa has a filling of fried noodles drizzled in hot and sweet sour sauce. So the choices of filling are endless.
I have presented here the simple masala dosa with onion.

Ingredients:
Dosa batter -2 cup
Boiled and mashed potatoes -2 cup
Onion -2 (finely chopped)
Green chilly- 3 (finely chopped) 
Crushed ginger -1 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves -2 tsp
Curry leaves -few
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Split black gram -1 tsp
Salt and oil- as required

Method:
Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add the mustard seeds. When it to crackles, add the black gram and fry till it turns brown. Then add the onions, green chilly, ginger and curry leaves. Fry for five minutes. Then add the coriander leaves, mashed potatoes, salt and one cup of water. Cook till everything is blended well. This is the filling.

Next, heat a griddle and pour one ladle of the dosa batter and spread it round to make a thin pancake. Drizzle some oil on top and cook on both the sides.
Then place a spoonful of the filling in the center of the dosa and roll it.

 Serve hot with chutney and sambhar.

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Podi dosa (Gun powder crepe)

Podi dosa is a thin crispy crepe smeared with idli/dosa chutney powder and fried onions. Podi in Tamil language means powder. Podi dosa is made of milaga podi, which is nothing but idli/dosa chutney powder. Idli/dosa chutney powder is usually mixed with sesame oil or clarified butter and in the process it loses some of its pungency. Hence it is deliberately made with good quantities of chillies to retain that heat.  For this reason it is also known as South Indian gun powder.

Ingredients for Idli/Dosa podi

Black gram (urad dal) -1cup
Split chick pea (channa dal) -1/2cup
Red chillies -1/2 cup
Asafoetida powder -1tsp
Coriander seeds -1tsp
Horse gram -3tblsps (optional)

Dry toast all the ingredients separately. Combine everything and grind to a smooth powder. Add salt to taste. Store it an air tight jar.
This powder can be used for dosa, idli and for making stir fried vegetables.

Podi dosa

Dosa batter -1 cup
Idli/dosa podi -2tsps
Shallots -few (finely chopped)
Chopped coriander leaves -1tsp
Sesame oil - as required

Method:
Fry the shallots with one teaspoon of oil. When it turns brown, remove from heat and mix the idli/dosa podi and coriander leaves. Keep it aside.
Heat a griddle and pour one ladle of the batter and spread it round to make a thin crepe. Drizzle some oil on top and cook. When it starts lifting from the edges, smear the dosa podi mixture and serve hot.

Note:
Using clarified butter to fry the shallots will give a rich flavour to the dosa.

Green dosa

This is a dosa (rice pancake) made with green vegetables.

Ingredients:

Dosa batter -2cups
Green chillies -2(chopped finely)
Green capsicum -1/2(chopped finely)
Shallots -few (finely chopped)
Finely chopped spring onion green -1tbsp
Chopped coriander leaves -2tsp
Oil and salt - as required

Method:

Mix everything except oil. Heat a griddle and pour one ladle of the batter and spread it round to make a pancake. Drizzle some oil on top and cook on both the sides. Serve hot with Sambhar.

Diyas for diwali

Diwali is a festival of lights. So make colourful diyas using your imagination. Here are some tips to convert the plain clay diyas available in the market into beautiful pieces.

You will require plain clay diyas, a box of fabric paint and a lot of imagination. Dab on the desired paint directly from the bottle without diluting it. Allow it to dry and apply another coat. You can also superimpose your designs on it.
Here I have used different colours on each diya to highlight its shape. Note: To one diya I have given basket design to its interior.
I would recommend the use of candles to light the diya instead of wick and oil.

Manoharam

 

Want to make a new sweet this Diwali, then try out manoharam. This is a kind of sev coated with jaggery. It is comparatively a healthier sweet as it incorporates green gram, rice and jaggery. This is generally prepared during south Indian brahmin weddings.


Ingredients:

Rice flour -2cups
Green gram flour -2cups
Butter -1tsp
Oil for frying
Powered jaggery -1cup
Dry ginger powder -1/4tsp

Note : To make sev you will need a mould which has different perforated sheets at its base to give different designs to the sev. Manoharam sev is prepared using a sheet that has several smooth holes (not the thorny one).

Method:

Dry roast both the flours separately. Combine together and sieve it. Mix the flour with the butter. Then add warm water little by little to make a stiff batter.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Place a ball of batter into the mould and press it out into the oil. Fry the sev till it is crispy. Remove and keep it aside.
Then heat the jaggery with few teaspoons of water in another pan. Boil and thicken it to one string consistency. Remove from heat and mix the sev. Stir thoroughly till the entire sev is coated with the jaggery syrup.

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Onion carrot pancake

Breakfast can be made more filling and nutritious with vegetables. Here is one easy recipe that uses carrot and onion.


Ingredients:
Dosa batter -2 cup
Grated carrot -1/2 cup
Onion -1 (finely chopped)
Chilli flakes 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil and salt  - as required

For the dosa batter:
Soak the parboiled rice and black gram for four hours. Grind them to a smooth paste and add salt. Ferment it overnight or at least for eight hours.

Method:

Mix the vegetables, chilli flakes and salt to the batter. Grease a hot griddle and pour one ladle of the batter on it. Spread it round to make a pancake. Drizzle some sesame oil over it and cook on both the sides.

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Carrot and apple rice

I have prepared this rice with carrot and apple. However, other vegetables and fruits like green peas, cauliflower, pineapple and mango can also be used to make this rice. 

Ingredients:
Cooked long/basmati rice -2cups
Apple -1/2(cubed)
Grated carrot - 1/2cup
Onion -1(chopped finely)
Cashew nuts -50gms
Raisins -50gms
Black pepper powder -1/4tsp
Chilli flakes -1/4tsp
Sugar -1/2tsp
Oil and salt as required

Method:
Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Remove and keep it aside. In the same frying pan, fry the apple pieces with some salt and oil. Remove and keep it aside. Similarly fry the carrot pieces and keep it aside.

In the same pan fry the onions along with sugar. When it turns brown add all the powders, vegetables, salt and rice. Sauté till everything is blended well. Cover and cook for few seconds. Garnish with cashew nuts and raisins.

Pumpkin curry

Pumpkins are rich in beta carotene, which gets converted into vitamin A in the body.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin 200gm (cubed)
Onion -1(chopped finely)
Tomato -1(pureed)
Coriander powder -1/2tsp
Cumin powder -1/2tsp
Red chilli powder -1/2tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2tsp
Chopped coriander leaves -1tsp
Sugar -1/2tsp
Oil and salt - as required

Method:

Fry the onions in some oil. When it turns brown, add all the powders in quick succession. Sauté  for a while. (Take care not to burn the mixture). Then add the pumpkin pieces, tomato puree, salt, sugar and little water. Cook for five minutes till the pumpkin turns tender. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Shades of green

Green bee eater is a beautifully coloured slender bird. It has one elongated tail that adds further beauty to it. It is also a photographer’s delight who capture them in frames.

I like this bird for its colour and often see them in flocks of two and three. During the monsoon season, you simply cannot miss them, when insects, wasps and dragonflies are dominant.

These birds have been my subjects for painting for a long time. Here is an oil painting on canvas board.

Green sandwich

This is a very tasty sandwich that is easy to make. It is made with whole wheat bread, green chutney and cucumber.  
Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread -8 slices
Cucumber -1(cut into round slices)
Green chutney -1/2 cup

Make the green chutney by grinding the following ingredients to a smooth paste.

1. Green chillies -3 to 4
2. Crushed ginger -1/2 tsp
3. Crushed garlic -1/2 tsp (optional)
4. Chopped coriander leaves -1 cup
5. Sugar -1/4 tsp
6. Lemon juice -1/4 tsp
7. Salt to taste

Method:

Spread the green chutney on one side of a slice. Arrange the cucumber pieces over the chutney spread. Take another slice and spread the green chutney on one side and place it on top of the cucumber spread with chutney side facing down. Press it down a little and toast it on a griddle.

Arsi kozhukattai (rice dumpling)

 


Mention kozhukattai and it is immediately related to Chathruti Kozhukattai, which is a dumpling with sweet fillings made from grated coconut and jaggery. In northern India it is referred to as modak.
However, there are many other salt kozhukattais that are prepared without any fillings. Arsi kozhukattai is one of them. It is prepared with raw rice flour and a combination of lentils.

Ingredients:
Coarse raw rice flour -1 cup
Split chick pea (channa dal) -2 tblsp
Black gram (urad dal) -3 tblsp
Green chillies - 4
Asafoetida powder -1/4 tsp
Grated coconut -4 tblsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Curry leaves -few
Oil and salt - As required

Method:
Grind coarsely the lentils/dals, green chillies and curry leaves. Keep it aside.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When it crackles, add the asafoetida powder, ground paste and one cup of water. Cook for five minutes. Then add another one cup of water. When it begins to boil, add the rice flour slowly, stirring continuously. Then, add the grated coconut and cook for another few seconds. Cool it and make oblong shape balls and steam it till done.

Split chick pea sundal

Sundal is an offering to the gods during the nine days of navarathri celebration in South India. In Tamilnadu dolls are arranged in odd number of steps and every evening sundal is distributed to ladies and kids along with betel leaves and areca nuts.

Sundal is a dry dish made of pulses or lentils with mild flavourings of coconut, green chillies and curry leaves and seasoned with fried mustard seeds.

Sundal can be made with chick pea (channa), split chick pea (chanan dal), green gram (green moong dal), Cow pea (lobia), groundnut etc.


Here is a recipe for Split chick pea sundal.

Ingredients:

1. Split chick pea -2cups (soaked for 8hrs)
2. Grated coconut -2tsps
3. Curry leaves -few
4. Chopped coriander leaves -2tsps
5. Green chillies -1(finely chopped)
6. Ginger -1/inch piece (finely chopped)
7. Mustard seeds -1tsp
8. Salt and oil as required

Method:

Cook the split chick pea in a pressure cooker without adding water or salt.
Remove from the cooker and add items 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Mix well. Season it with mustard seeds fried in oil.

Date roll

In this roll, crushed dates are stuffed with toasted nuts that are drizzled in honey.
Dates are high on dietary fibre and when mixed with different nuts its nutritional content also increases.This is an ideal offering for festivals like Dussehra and Diwali as it requires very little cooking time.

Ingredients:
De-seeded dates -100gms
Almonds -50gms
Cashew -50gms
Pistachio nuts -25gms 
Raisins -25gms
Honey 3tblsps
Coconut powder -4tblsps
Ghee/Clarified butter -1tsp
Aluminum foil - 1sheet

Method:
Toast all the nuts in one teaspoon of ghee and crush it coarsely. Mix the raisins and honey and keep it aside. Crush the dates in a blender. Spread it on an aluminum foil. Place the nut mixer on the dates lengthwise. Fold both ends of the foil lengthwise such that it is looks like a rolling pin. Seal the edges and set it in the refrigerator. After one hour take it out of the fridge and roll it in the coconut powder. Cut it into round circles.

Keerai masiyal

Keerai masiyal is a famous side dish of South India which can be prepared in different methods. It is easy to make and tastes delicious.  It is generally prepared with Arai keerai. (Botanical name of Arai keerai is Amaranthus dubius).

Ingredients:

1. Arai keerai/amarnath -1 bunch
2. Asafoetida powder -1/4tsp
3. Mustard seeds -1tsp
4. Black gram - 1/2tsp
5. Rice flour -1tsp
6. Red chillies - 3
7. Coconut oil or clarified butter -2tsps

Wash and chop the keerai finely. Add salt and cook it in a cup of water. Cool and puree it using a blender. Mix the rice flour. Add more water if required. Bring it to a boil. Season it with mustard seeds, red chillies, black gram and asafoetida powder fried in oil.

Unnakaya (Stuffed banana fry)

Unnakaya is a special fried snack of the malabar region. This is prepared by filling sweetened coconut in mashed half ripe kerala bananas. I learned this during my stay in Tellicherry.

Ingredients:

1. Half ripe kerala bananas/nenthra pazham -2
2. Grated coconut -1/2cup
3. Sugar -5tblsps
4. Cardamom powder -1tsp
5. Oil for frying

Method:

Heat the coconut and sugar together in a frying pan. Allow it to blend well. Mix the cardamom powder. Keep it aside.
Next, steam the nenthra pazham/bananas with the skin. Cool and skin it. Mash it in a blender. Make equal balls out of it.
Then grease the palm with oil and flatten one ball. Put one spoonful of the prepared coconut and seal it. It must be shaped oblong and fit inside the palm. Fill all the balls in this method.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry them in batches till they turn brown.

Avial Kuzhambu

While avial is a side dish for sambhar, avial kuzhambu is a curry which is mixed with cooked rice and eaten. It is in pouring consistency like sambhar.

Ingredients:

Ash gourd -100gm
Elephant yam -50gm
Drumstick -1
Tamarind pulp -3tblsps
Turmeric powder -1tsp
Grated coconut -1cup
Green chillies -4
Cumin seeds -1tsp
Curry leaves -few
Coconut oil -2tsps
Sugar -1tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind the grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds into a smooth paste.
Dilute the tamarind pulp with one cup of water.
Cut all the vegetables into two inch lengths.
Cook the vegetables in tamarind water along with turmeric powder and salt. Mix the ground paste, sugar and curry leaves. Check the consistency. Bring it to a boil. Garnish with coconut oil.

Pazham adai (banana pancake)

This pancake is usually prepared in kerala Iyer homes, using the locally available ingredients like nenthra pazham and coconut.
A sweet version of this adai uses jaggery and clarified butter instead of salt and oil.

Ingredients:

Kerala banana/nenthra pazham -1(chopped finely)
Par boiled rice -2cups (soaked in water for 3 hours)
Cumin seeds -1tsp
Black pepper -2tsps
Grated coconut -1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Gingely oil for toasting

Method:

Grind the rice coarsely along with cumin seeds and black pepper. Mix the banana pieces and grated coconut. Add some water to bring it to dosa batter consistency. In a non-stick tava pour a ladle full of this batter and spread it out like dosa. Toast on both sides with 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil.

Bhel puri

This is a tangy Indian snack largely found in the streets food stalls of Mumbai. However, now it is sold throughout India, even in restaurants under chatt category.

For this prepare the date's chutney first.

Ingredients for date's chutney:

• Dates- 1/2 cup (soaked in water)
• Tamarind pulp -3tblsps
• Sugar -1tsp
• Ginger paste -1tsp
• Chopped mint leaves -2tsps
• Chopped coriander leaves -2tsps
• Green chillies -2
• Red chillies -2

Method:
Grind everything into a smooth paste by adding little water. Add salt and boil it once. Allow it to cool.


Ingredients for bhel puri:

• Puffed rice -2cups
• Sev -3tblsps
• Dates chutney - 3tsps
• Onion -1(finely chopped)
• Fried peanuts -1tsp
• Boiled potato -1(mashed)
• Chopped coriander leaves -1tsp

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except coriander. Garnish with coriander.