CHAKKULI / MURUKKU

After a long time I am making murukku. This is my mother-in-law's recipe, but this time I added chilli powder to make it spicy.

CHAKKULI/ CHAKLI/MURUKKU

WHAT YOU NEED :

Raw rice - 1 cup

Udad dal - 2 handfuls

Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste

Red chilli powder - 1/2tsp or to taste

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Butter - 2 tsp

CHAKKLI....

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash rice well and soak at least for 2 hours. Drain and keep aside. When it is dry and still having little moisture then put it in a mixer and jar and make powder.

Dry roast udad dal till it becomes little brown and you get the aroma. When it is cool powder it.

Now in a mixing bowl add in rice powder, udad dal powder, salt, red chilly powder, cumin seeds and butter. Mix well.

Then adding little warm water make a firm dough like chappati dough. Make the dough soft but firm dough by adding little by little water. You can add hot oil instead of butter.

Fill some dough in Murukku Maker and press to make shape of chaklis over the greased plastic sheets.

Now heat enough oil in kadahi. When hot take each chakli from the sheet and put in hot oil carefully. Reduce the heat and fry well on both sides. Fry the chaklis in batches.

Allow to cool before you store in air tight container.

Serve Chakkuli/Murukku with a cup of tea or coffee.

MINT AND LEMON CUBES

Sometimes we have sudden guests and we get panic what to serve them first without spending much time on preparation. Here is one simple solution.  

MINT AND LEMON CUBES

WHAT YOU NEED:

Lemon 

Mint leaves

JUICE MADE FROM CUBES

HOW TO MAKE :

First immerse lemon in hot water for some time. If you do this process you get more juices and also easy to squeeze.

Then squeeze the lemons and pour one to two tsp in each ice tray holes. Keep in the freezer when it is set and hard, transfer in air tight plastic container and store in freezer.

Same way put few mint leaves in each ice tray holes and fill water in them.

When set and hard, remove and transfer in plastic container. Store in freezer.

HOW TO MAKE DRINK:

Take one cube of mint and 5 tsp of sugar and run it in a mixer and make fine powder. 

Transfer it in a glass, add one cube of lemon, little salt and add soda.

There is another method I follow, I make sugar syrup first, when it is hot I add both the cubes then it melts immediately. Then i add  salt and soda. Here you get to see mint leaves. Some throw it so better powder it with sugar. But I love to eat the leaves while drinking juice.

GREEN GRAM DOSA

GREEN GRAM DOSA WITH COCONUT CHUTNEY

A perfect breakfast recipe :

WHAT YOU NEED :

Udad dal - 1/4 cup

Green gram / Moong - 1/4 cup

Raw rice - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

GREEN GRAM DOSA AND COCONUT CHUTNEY

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash udad dal, green gram and rice very well and soak all together for 4-5 hours.

Then grind in a wet grinder for 15 minutes to a smooth batter.

Transfer the batter in to a container and add salt.

Keep overnight to ferment.

The next day stir well the batter with big spoon.

Heat dosa tava, when hot pour a big spoon full of batter  and spread thick. Put a tsp oil around the dosa. Cover the lid.

Reduce the heat to medium

After 2 minutes open the lid and flip the other side and fry well.

Remove from the pan to serving plate.

Serve Green Gram Dosa for Breakfast along with Coconut chutney.

PHOVA MIXTURE

A simple snack can prepare in no time that is Phova Mixture. It is a tea time snack very kurkure and yummy. 

PHOVA MIXTURE

WHAT YOU NEED:

Phova - 1 cup, thin variety

Corn flakes - 1/2 cup

Pea nuts - 1/2 cup

Dried coconut / Copra pieces - 2 tbsp

Curry leaves - 8-10, torn in pieces

Turmeric Powder - 2 pinches

Dry red chilly - 1, broken

Salt - to taste

phova mixture...

PHOVA MIXTURE

HOW TO MAKE :

Heat kadahi and put a tsp oil. When hot add poha, salt and turmeric powder and fry over low heat till crisp. Remove.

Then put corn flakes in the same kadahi and fry till crisp, remove.

Then add 1 -2 tsp oil in kadahi, fry peanuts, remove.

Now add coconut pieces, fry till brown. Then add curry leaves and dry red chilly and fry till crisp. Remove.

When it is warm mix all the fried items. Check the salt, if it is less add salt and shake the container.

When it is cool store in air tight dabba or container.

MALTA LEMON / BADGAPULI / VADKAPULI PICKLE

A Kerala recipe, curry type pickle with malta lemon is a very important item on Onam Sadya. It has many names - Malta lemon, wild lemon, Big lemon, Kodu limbiyo . The lemon is basically very bitter in taste, to remove its bitterness some people remove its outer skin or the whole lemon is boiled with enough water and discard the water. But I did not peel its skin or I did not boil it in the water. I prepared the pickle at the time of Onam. And this pickle won't last for long, it should be refrigerated and consumed with in few days.

MALTA LEMON PICKLE

WHAT YOU NEED :

Malta lemon /Vadkapuli - 1 (it makes almost 2 cups pieces)

Chilli powder - 4 tsp

Green chilly - 1-2

Ginger - 1 inch, chopped

Jaggery - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seed / Methi seed powder - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - A big chana size piece or 1-2 tsp powder

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Refined oil  - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste 

BADGAPULI PICKLE- KERALA STYLE

HOW TO MAKE:

Wash the lemon first and wipe with dry cloth. Cut in bits and put a cup of water in it and boil till it is tender. Then keep aside.

Cut green chilly in rounds.

Heat oil in kadahi. When oil is hot add mustard seeds, when it splutters add curry leaves. 

Add ginger and green chilly, saute for few seconds. 

Then add red chilly powder, fenugreek seeds powder, jaggery powder and asafoetida. Stir well for few more seconds.

Now add boiled lemon pieces, salt along with 1 cup of water and mix thoroughly.

If needed add another cup water and boil over medium heat. 

Allow to cool down. When cool transfer in a jar, keep it outside for a day, after that you must store in refrigerator.

Serve Malta lemon / Badgapuli Pickle as a side dish.

SAMBAR / VATTUNU KOLOMBO

This type of sambar made mostly in karnataka. My Mother never prepared or bought Sambar powder when we were kids. She always prepared Sambar with ground masala. Recently my daughter had gone to Mangalore to spend her Onam vacation at her Aunt's place. When she came back she said she loved her sambar and requested me to prepare the same sambar /Kolombo. Normally I prepare with sambar powder. The recipe goes this way...

SAMBAR/ KOLMBO

WHAT YOU NEED :

Tur Dal - 1/2 cup

Vegetables - 1 1/2 cups. I added Lady's finger, Sooran, Potato, Carrot, Flat beans, Beetroot, tonde kai/tinda

Onion - 1 small - chopped

Tomato - 1 - chopped

Tamarind - size of a gooesberry, make juice adding little water and keep aside

Turmeric powder - 1/4 + 1/4 tsp

IT'S SPECIALITY IS MADE WITH GROUND WET MASALA

For the masala:

Corinader seeds - 1 heaped tsp

Chana dal - 1 heaped tsp

Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp

Dry Red chilly - 5

Asafoetida - pea size 

Coconut gratings - 1/4 cup

Salt - to taste

For seasoning

Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Coriander leaves - to garnish

VATTUNU KOLMBO!

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash tur dal well and keep in a vessel adding 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp coconut oil and double the water. Keep in the pressure cooker.

Place cut vegetables like sooran, potato, carrot, beetroot, flat beans, tonde kai in another vessel, put a little water in it and keep over tur dal.

Close the lid and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes after the first wistle. I reduce the heat to medium after the first wistle.

In another container add chopped onion, chopped tomato and lady's finger along with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and tamarind juice. Add little water too and cook till done.

Meanwhile heat a pan with 2-3 tsp oil. when hot roast red chilly, chanadal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds and asafoetida till you get aroma. Do not burn the ingredients, fry over low heat. In the end add coconut gratings and fry for another 2 minutes. then put off the fire.

Now grind all the fried items in a mixer adding required water to a fine smooth paste.

Now add cooked vegetables in the container which has tomato, onion and lady's finger.

Churn the cooked tur dal to smooth, add this paste to the vegetables. 

Then add ground masala to the vegetables along with some water. Cook to boil.

Add salt and water to your desired consistency. 

Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan. When hot add mustards seeds, once it crackles add curry leaves. Pour the seasoning over the Kolombo.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve Kolmbo / Sambar along with steaming rice.