Cereal Mixture (a healthy version)

Diwali is comming up and if you want to eat something really crunchy and nice but worried about calories then this recipe is for you. A mixture made of cereals!

Ingredients
Corn Flakes - 1 cup
Plain Cheerios - 1 cup
Frosted or sweetened wheat puffs - 1 cup
Roasted salted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Bengal dram dhal (Pottukadalai) - 1/4 cup
Oma podi (or any other crunchy snack) - 1/4 cup
Peeled sliced alomonds - 1/4 cup
curry leaves - 1 handful
chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
salt - to taste

Method
In a pan add oil, then fry the curry leaves until crisp. Remove them from the oil and then add bengal gram dhal and fry for a while and keep aside. The in the same oil add the silvered almonds and fry until crisp. To this add chilli powder, salt and all the cereals, fried curry leaves, roasted bengal gram, oma podi and peanuts. Mix everything well and store in a air tight container. Will be fresh for upto 2 weeks.

Lettuce Soup

I was watching Essence of Emeril yersterday on Food Network and was just carried away by this simple recipe and immediately tried it out slightly altering to my taste. And the result was just too good!

Ingredients
Boston Lettuce - 1 bunch
White Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic - 2 pieces (finely chopped)
Corrianderr leaves - 1 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Chives - 1 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Thai Basil - 1 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Jeera Pepper Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Whole Milk - 1 table Spoon
Salt - to taste
Etra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)- little

Method
In a pan add EVOO and then add salt, jeera pepper powder and then the chopped onions and garlic. Sautee for a new minutes then add chopped Lettuce and sautee for a few more minutes. Add 4 to 5 cups of water, and the chopped corriander, chives and basil and allow it to boil for 20 minutes. Now using a hand blender grind the mixture then add milk and allow it to boil for a 2 minutes and serve immediately with croutons.

Paruppu Kola Urundai Kulumbu

This is a Chettinad special and a feast for the vegetarians!

Ingredients for the Kola urundai
Thur dhal - 1/2 cup
Channa Dhal - 1/2 cup
Red onion - 1 (finely copped)
Corriander leaves - few
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Sombu, jeera and kuskus dry roast and grind - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste.

Method
Soak the 2 dhals for about 2 hrs, then drain completely and grind to a coarse paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix them well. Make into small balls and steam cook for about 5-7 minutes.

Ingredients for the Kulumbu
For the Masala paste
coconut - 1 table spoon
sombu - 1 teaspoon
jeera - 1 teaspoon
kus kus - teaspoon
cumin - 1 teaspoon
raw rice - 1 teaqspoon
chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

In a pan add a little oil, and the above ingredients, fry for a few minutes and grind to a smooth paste.

Other Ingredients
Mustard seeds
Sombu
Fenugreek
Curry leaves
red onion - 1 (finely chopped)
garlic - 7 pieces (cut to length wise)
Tomato - 1.5 (finely chopped)
Tamarind paste - 2 tablespoon

In a pan add oil, then mustard seeds, sombu, fenugreek and curry leaves. Then add the chopped onions and garlic. Fry well. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Fry until the tomato is completely cooked. Then add the grinded masala, tamarind paste, and salt. When the mixture is boiling add the cooked kola urundai and close the lid and cook for 10 more minutes.

Puli Kulumbu

This is one of the traditional Chettinad recipe that goes well with white rice. You can add vegetables like Brussel sprouts, Brinjal, raw banana, or drumstick or just prepare the kulumbu with just onions and garlic.

Ingredients
For the seasoning:
Mustard seeds
Sombu
Fenugreek seeds
curry leaves

Other ingredients
Garlic - 20 to 30 pieces cut lengthwise if big
Small onions (preferred) or big red onions - 1 cup finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Corriander powder - 1 teasspoon
Veggies like brussel sprouts, brinjal, drumstick or raw banana - 1/2 cup if needed

Method
In a pan add oil (gingely oil preferred), then add the seasonings, then add the chopped onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes. At this time add the cut veggies (Veggies is not mandatory). In a bowl add water and then mix it with chilli powder, turmeric powde, corriander powder and salt. Add this mixture to the pan, and cook in medium flame until the kulumbu becomes thick. If you add 2 cups of water the mixture should be cooked until it reduces to 1 cup.

Adai

Ingredients
Channa Dhal - 1/2 cup
Toor Dhal - 1/4 cup
Urad Dhal - 1/2 cup
Moong Dhal -1/4 cup
Idli Rice - 3/4 cup

Soak all the above for atleast 4 hours and grind it to a very coarse paste with the following ingredients.

Chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafotedia - little
Salt - as required

Finally add:

Shredded Coconut - little
Curry leaves - few
Chopped corriander - little
Chopped big red onions - little

And pour this batter on a tave and make the adai one by one.

Katharikkai Kosthu

This is a side dish for Idli or Dosai and quite different from the regular sambars.

Ingredients
Small Bringals - 5 nos (cut into small pieces)
Mustard seeds - few
asafotedia - little
MTR Sambar powder - 2 teaspoons
Tamarind paste - 2 teaspoon
salt
ginglley oil
chopped corriander leaves

Method
In a pan add ginglley oil and fry the cut brinjal until soft. Cool it and grind to a coarse paste.

In a pan, add oil, then mustard seeds, asafotedia and then the grinded brinjals with some little water. Now add the sambar powder, salt and tamarind paste and allow it to boil for about 10 minutes and finally add the chopped corriander leaves and seerve hot with Idli or dosai.

Vengaya kosu

Chettinad dishes are famous for its variety of sides other than chutney and sambars for breakfast. A few to name are Vengaya kosu, Katharikkai Pachadi, Kosu malli, thirakkal, etc., I will be listing each one of these recipes in the forthcomming posts.

Ingredients
Mustanrd seeds - few
Urad dhal - few
Big red Onions - 4
tomato - 2
Potatoes - 1
sombu - 1 teaspoon
jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut - 1 tablespoon
chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
tamarind paste - 1/4 teaspoon

Method
Grind coconut, sombu, jeera, chilli powder and salt to a smooth paste.

In a pressure cooker add oil, mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves, then finely chopped onion, tomatoes and potatoes. Fry well. Then grinded paste, tamarind with some water and pressure cook for 1 whistle and 5 minutes.