Pidi Kozhakattai aka Upma kozhakattai,rice dumplings[Breakfast/dinner recipes]

I always love m mom’s arisi upma…she serves it with kathrika gotsu…oh I remember having plates and plates of arisi upma topped with ghee and accompanied by kathrika gotsu…I never knew pidi kozhakattai is a variation of arisi upma…My mom never prepares this and after marriage I have seen my MIL make this dish often…At first I was not a big fan of this but gradually I started to like this dish…My mom and MIL follow the same recipe…I tried it today and it came out well..I made coconut chutney and gonkura as a side dish :)

Ingredients:

 

raw rice/pacha arisi	1 cup
channa dal(kadala paruppu)	1 tsp
salt	as required
mustard seeds	1/2 tsp
curry leaves	a sprig
green chilly/dried red chilly	1 medium sized
asafetida	a pinch
oil	2 tsp
water	2.5 cups
grated coconut	1/4 cup

Method:

1.Take raw rice and give it in a rice mil or using your food processor grind it…It should resemble  like sooji/rava.

2.In a heavy bottomed vessel or pressure cooker  add oil and once it is hot add mustard seeds…Let it splutter…

3.Add a pinch of asafetida,chilies chopped curry leaves,channa dal and wait till channa dal turns golden brown..

4.Add water,grated coocnut and salt and wait till the water starts to boil…

5.Once the water starts to boil add the raw rice powder(which resembles sooji) and stir well…If using pressure cooker put the lid and whistle…Switch off the flame after 2 whistle…

6.Once the pressure releases take the mixture from the cooker and spread it in plate…Let it cool completely.

7.Grease your idli plate with oil and also grease your hands…

8.Take some mixture in your hand and form a round or cylinder shape out of it…Put it in idli steamer and steam it for 15 minutes.

9.Serve it with any chutney…

 

Notes:

Instead of pressure cooker you can cook in any heavy bottomed vessel…You can simmer and cook the mixture in vessel itself.

You can add veggies too the choice is yours…

How to make Cauliflower fries/bajjis[Easy snack recipe]

 

I do not know how,when or where I got so addicted to cauliflower bajjis…My mom usually makes sepankizhangu toast and she told me to follow the same recipe for this which turned super yummy…Also this is one dish that you can make with the readily available ingredient in  the pantry…Whenever  I visit Marina beach I get a plate of cauliflower bajji and I love to munch it with the spicy green yummy there serve it with this!yay!my bajji pretty much tasted like the one that I get it in beach…Please do try it out and let me know how it turned…

 

Ingredients:

Besan flour/kadala maavu	1 cup
rice flour/pacharisi maavu	1tbsp s
salt	as required
red chili powder	1 tsp or as per your need
asafetida	1 tsp
cauliflower	1 medium sized
turmeric powder	a pinch

Method:

 

How to clean the cauliflower?

Take the cauliflower and roughly wash it in running water…roughly shred it into pieces…remove the long stems…Heat water in a vessel…add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt and allow it to boil…when it is boiling well switch off the stove and add the cauliflower florets to it and close the vessel with a plate…After 10 minutes drain the water and check for any worms…if it is clean and clear use it for the cooking.


How to make the bajji:

1.In a wide vessel add besan flour,rice flour,salt,red chili powder and asafetida…Mix it well

2.Add the cauliflower florets and mix it well…The water in the cauliflower itself will be enough to mix…In case you feel it is too dry add water and mix it well…Ensure that the cauliflower is coated well with the flour mixture.

3.Heat oil in high flame and when it is hot simmer it to low flame and drop the flour coated cauliflower and fry it till it is golden brown color.

4.Take it out from the oil and serve it tomato ketchup or green chutney.

 

Notes:

1.Instead of besan and rice flour combo you can use maida and corn starch…For 1 cup of maida add 1tbsp of corn starch.

2.You can add ginger garlic paste,garam masala or any other spicy powder to the four.The choice is yours :)

Vegetable raita[Easy side side recipe]

MY MIL makes vegetable raita and I totally became hooked with this recipe…She blends it well with curd and this is used as a side dish whenever we make rotis…This is one healthy recipe as we do not cook the veggies but blend it raw…I became so addicted to this so instead of onion raita I make this one…For someone who loves curd then this recipe would steal the show…Here you go :)

 

 

Ingredients:

tomato	1
carrot(finely chopped)	1
green chilies	1(roughly chopped)
coriander leaves	1 tsp
salt	as per your need
curds	1 cup+1tsp

Method:

 

1.In a blender put the finely chopped carrots,tomato,chilies and coriander leaves and blend it to smooth paste…Then add 1tsp of curd and salt and then blend it again for a minute…

2.Take the blended mixture in a cup and teh remaining curd..mix well and serve with any rotis.

Notes:

1.You can add grated coconut too.

2.Also you can add any vegetable of yours choice…Instead of grinding finely you can also coarsely grind to feel the texture :)

How to make nannari sharbath[Easy juice recipes)

Nannari concentrate is always kept in my mom’s home during summer…Amma makes the juice in jiffy and serves us during  noon when the entire house would feel the scorching heat..The last time I visited home my dad got me 2 big bottles full of goodness…I packed it safe and even I brought the bag safe till in front of my home…When I got out the auto I was in a hurry to take out my baggage and I took the nannari bag and hastily placed it in the floor but with more force…Then what?one of the bottles broke into pieces and I even started to cry such is my love for nannari…Mom says it is very good for health…I wish I get this concentrate all through the year.




Ingredients:

Nannari concentrate	1 tsp
lime juice	1tsp
sugar	2 tsp
Chilled water	3/4 glass
ice cubes	3 to 4

 

Method:

 

1)In a vessel add nannari essence,sugar,lime juice and chilled water…

2)Mix everything well and serve it with ice cubes topped.



Notes:

Adjust the sugar and lime juice quantity as per your taste.