Russian Salad

Ingredients:

French Beans- 100 gms
Carrot- 100 gms
Shelled peas-75 gms
Potato- 200 gms
Apples- 2
Pineapple-2 slices
Lettuce leaves-3 or 4
Fresh cream- 100 gms
Mayonnaise- 2 tbsp
salt, white pepper, sugar to taste

Method:

Peel and chop carrots and potatos. Chop beans into half inch lengths. Boil all the vegetables and keep aside. Peel and chop apples into cubes. Chop pineapple slices. Mix the cream, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and sugar well. Add the boiled vegetables and fruits. Mix well. Arrange the lettuce leaves in a dish and transfer the salad onto the leaves. Alternatively, serve the salad with tomato slices on the side. If desired, you can add boiled cauliflower florets also.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Cooked pasta- 100 gms
Capsicum- Red, yellow and green- one each
Carrot- 1 medium- cut into juliennes
Tomatoes- 3 medium- dice or cut into strips
Spring onions- 5 nos- cut into long pieces
Cucumber- Peel and cut into strips
Lettuce- a few leaves- chopped

For dressing:

Peanuts- 4 tbsp- Dry roast and coarsely crush
Garlic- 1 clove- chopped fine
Sesame seeds- 2 tbsps- lightly roasted
Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp- Remove all stalk and chop
Lemon Juice- 2 tsps
White pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Sugar- 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Mix well all the salad ingredients in a bowl. Prepare the dressing and mix with the vegetables. Toss lightly and serve.

Kadai Cauliflower

Ingredients:
     
1 med. cauliflower, separated into big florets
1 small capsicum, chopped in slivers
1 med. onion grated
1 med. tomato peeled and chopped fine
2 tsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp. ginger crushed or grated
1/2 tsp. garlic crushed
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp. oil
Salt and sugar to taste

Mix into paste in 1/2 cup water:
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. dhania powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/5 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tbsp. curds beaten
2 pinches asafoetida

Method:

Steam cauliflower florets with a pinch of salt until just soft.
Heat oil in kadai, add cumin seeds, allow to splutter.
Add ginger, garlic and capsicum and stir for a minute.
Add onion, tomatoes and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the prepared masala paste, salt and sugar and fry till oil separates.
Add the steamed cauliflower florets and mix gently.
When oil separates, remove from fire and garnish with coriander leaves.

Vegetable Cutlets

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, boiled, peeled & mashed or grated
1 medium carrot, boiled & grated
1 large beetroot, peeled, boiled & grated
100g frozen green peas boiled soft
3 medium onions, chopped fine
4 green chilies, chopped
60ml Bengal gram, dry roasted
1 cardamom
1 clove
A piece of cinnamon
A handful of mint leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Little Corn flour and bread crumbs
salt to taste
Oil

Method:
Powder roasted gram dal along with cardamom, cinnamon and clove and keep aside. Mix the mashed potato, carrot, beetroot and peas with salt to taste and a pinch of turmeric powder. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions, ginger garlic paste and green chillies for about 10 minutes. Add mint leaves, vegetable mixture and the ground powder. Mix well and fry for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from fire and allow to cool. Make small balls of the mixture and shape into cutlets of desired shape.

Make a thick batter of corn flour and water. Dip the cutlets in this batter and then roll in the bread crumbs and shallow fry on the pan in hot oil until golden brown in colour.

Kharabhath

Ingredients:

Semolina- 160 ml
Oil- 2-3 tbsp
Mixed cubed vegetables- 160 ml (Beans, Carrot, potato, peas)
Chopped onion- 160 ml
Hot water- 320 ml
Mustard- 1/2 tsp
Black gram- 2 tsp
Bengal gram- 1 tsp
Cashew nut- broken – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves- 10-12
Green chillies- 2- chop
Ginger- grated- 1tsp
Asafoetida- 2 pinches
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Ghee- 1 tbsp (optional- reduce oil)
Salt- 1 tsp
Sugar- 1 tsp

For garnish:
Coriander leaves chopped- 1tbsp
Grated coconut- 1 tbsp

Method:

Boil or microwave the mixed vegetables till just soft and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, black gram, bengal gram, cashew nut and allow to splutter/ brown. Add curry leaves, green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and saute for a minute. Add chopped onion and saute further. When onion turns translucent, add the semolina and roast on low heat for two minutes. Add the mixed vegetables, turmeric powder, salt and sugar and mix. Add the hot water, reserving a little. Mix well and close the pan. Cook on low heat until all the water is absorbed. Add the remaining water if needed. If semolina is not so fine, more water may be required. Finally add shredded coconut, coriander leaves and ghee (optional) and cover. Switch off the stove. Mix well after 5 minutes.

Bharwan Subzi – Stuffed Vegetable

Ingredients:
Baby potatoes, Small Brinjals and Baby onions- 500 gms in all
Coriander leaves- 1 big bunch- Remove any stalk and Chop leaves
Grated dry coconut- 4 tablespoons
Roasted Peanuts coarsely powdered- 4 tablespoons
Haldi powder- .5 teaspoon
Sugar- 1 teaspoon
Garam masala- 1 teaspoon
Oil- 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Method:

Slit the vegetables twice such that the pieces do not fully separate and are attached at one end and soak in salted water for 15 minutes. Mix half the oil and the rest of the ingredients into a mixture for stuffing. Stuff the vegetables with this, reserving some mixture to sprinkle on top. Heat the balance oil in a kadai and add the stuffed vegetables. Cover the kadai with a plate and pour some water on the plate. This will ensure that the vegetables stay moist. Cook over slow heat. Remove lid and gently turn the vegetables a few times. When the vegetables are done, add a dash of lemon juice to the balance masala mixture and add to the contents. Remove and serve.

Kanjeevaram Idly

Ingredients:
Boiled Rice- 1/2 cup
Urad dal- 1/2 cup
Salt- 1 tsp
Pepper corns- 10-12
Cumin seed- 1tsp
Hing- 2 pinches
Ginger powder- 2 pinches
curry leaves- 2 sprigs
Curd- 2 tbsp
cooking soda- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 3 tbsp
ghee- 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash Rice and dal together and soak for 4 hours. Grind to a coarse consistency- like rawa. Powder pepper/ jeera coarsely and add to batter as also ginger powder, hing, curry leaves. Also add cooking soda, curd, oil, ghee and keep for 3-4 hours.

Grease the bottom and sides of a flat pan which you can keep inside the pressure cooker. Pour the batter in this and steam in the cooker. DO NOT PUT THE WEIGHT OF THE PRESSURE COOKER. Steam for 20 minutes. (Keep enough water in the cooker since the steaming duration is long).

Check if cooked by inserting a needle or knife which should come clean. Cool for some time and turn over to a plate and cut into pieces.

Date and Walnut Cake

Ingredients:
250 gms de-seeded dates
100 gms shelled walnuts
100 gms unsalted butter
100 gms powdered sugar
250 gms flour (maida)
1 egg
150 ml water
2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Chop walnuts coarsely. Chop the dates into small chunks. Add boiling water and a pinch of baking powder to the dates, mix well and set aside.

Sieve together the flour and the remaining baking powder. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Fold in the flour and the then the nuts and then the dates. Add a teaspoon or more of milk if needed. Put the mixture in a pre-greased loaf bin and bake at 360 F for 50 minutes. Check if done by inserting a needle in the center. If needle is coated keep for 5-10 minutes more. Remove from oven, cool, wrap in foil and keep. Cut after 24 hours and serve alone or with a bit of butter.

Idiyappam and Vadakari

Idiyappam:

Wash and soak 2 cups of parboiled rice for 3 to 4 hours and grind fine. Add required salt. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai, add a cup of water and stir in the batter and keep stirring to make a homogeneous mass. Ensure the bottom does not burn. Remove from fire. While still hot, take fistfuls of the cooked dough and make balls. Dip your hand in cold water and do it to stand the heat. Stuff the balls one by one into a murukku press with omapodi plate (fine holed one) and press into idiappam onto a greased idli plate. Steam the idiyappams for about 10 minutes in the pressure cooker without the weight. The steamed idiyappams can be removed piece by piece for serving. Repeat with remaining dough.

Vadakari:

For Vadai:

Soak 60 ml each of Toor dal and Channa dal with 2 red chillies for an hour. Drain and grind with 2 green chillies, a pinch of aniseed (saunf- optional) and required salt. The ground mixture should be coarse and NOT watery. Add one finely chopped onion and chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased plate or idli plate and steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and cut into pieces.

For Gravy:

onions- 3 medium- chop fine
tomato- 5 medium- crush
ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
grated coconut- 1 cup
cardamom-1
clove-1
turmeric powder- 1 spoon
salt
oil

Grind the coconut with cardamom and clove and extract milk.
Heat 3 spoons of oil in a pan, add ginger garlic paste and onion and saute. Add the tomato and saute further. When it is cooked and oil floats, add the coconut milk, turmeric powder, required salt and 2 cups of water. When the gravy thickens slightly, add the vada pieces and cook for some more time.

Thali Vadam

Ingredients:

Raw rice- 2 cups

Green chillies- 6

jeera or ajwain- 1 tsp

salt to taste

Oil for smearing

Method:

Wash and soak rice for a couple of hours. Grind fine with salt and chillies and leave overnight to sour a little. Add jeera or ajwain and mix well.

Smear oil lightly on thali vadam plates and lightly spread batter on each plate. Place the stand in a cooker or steamer and steam for two minutes. Remove stand from cooker and remove the vadams on to a plate and dry in sun. Repeat until all the batter is done. Dry well and store tight in canisters. This can be either microwaved or deep fried.

Thattai

Ingredients:

Rice Flour- 240 ml
Urad flour- 60 ml (dal roasted, powdered and sieved)
Ghee or butter- 60 ml
Channa dal – 1 tablespoon
Coconut grated- 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Oil for frying

Method:

Soak channa dal for one hour. Take a wide basin and mix salt and asafoetida powder in 1/4 cup of water. Add the flours, chilli powder, drained channa dal, coconut and butter and mix well. Add more water as needed and make a firm dough. If the dough is too dry, cracks will form on the thattai and it will break. In that case, sprinkle a little water and mix well. Adjust salt if needed. Divide the dough into small balls- bigger than marble but smaller than a small lemon.Keep covered.

Spread a smooth cloth, keep a ball of dough on it. Place an oiled polythene paper on the ball and press with a flat bottomed cup (dabara would be ideal). Remove the paper and repeat with 3 more balls. Heat oil in a frying pan and when hot enough to fry, take and slip 4 or 5 thattais gently into the oil. Fry on medium heat, turn both sides and remove when golden and the noise subsides. Drain on paper. Repeat with the balance dough. After the first batch is over, check for crispness. If not crisp, add a little more of butter.

Cool and then store in a air-tight container.

Obbattu

Ingredients:

Maida 120 ml
Channadal 60 ml
Coconut grated- 45 ml
Jaggery powdered- 60 ml
Oil and ghee for smearing, cooking
A pinch each of salt and turmeric powder
A pinch of cardamom powder

Method:

Take maida in a bowl, add salt and turmeric powder, 2 spoons of oil and mix well. Add water and make a pliable dough. Pour two teaspoons of oil over the dough and let it soak for an hour at least.

Soak channa dal in water for 30 minutes and then pressure cook. Drain and grind in mixer till powdery.

Heat jaggery with a spoon or two of water in a pan, add coconut, channa dal powder and cardamom and keep mixing until a homogeneous mass is formed. Take care not to let the jaggery burn. If needed a little ghee can be used. Cool and divide it into 10 balls for filling.

Divide the dough also into 10 balls. Take one ball of dough and pat it with hand on a plastic sheet smeared with oil into a 3? diameter circle. Put one ball of filling. Bring the edges of the dough over the filling and fully cover it. Pat this ball into a 5? circle using oiled fingers or use a flat bottomed cup to press and make the obbattu. Heat a tawa. Take the made obbattu carefully and cook on both sides on the tawa using a little ghee. Repeat with the rest of the balls of dough/ filling. Spread a little melted ghee when serving.