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.