I have always been fascinated by the scene in the film ‘Roja’ in which Aravinda Swamy’s  Boss says ‘Vellai Paniyaram…’ We make these paniyarams mostly in our home. We have paniyaram as dinner in my mom’s place, but after marriage, in my in-law’s place its not considered as a dinner dish. Its rather ok for evening snack. So we rarely make. Same with my hubby.

     I have tried this paniyaram quite a few times from MB’s cookbook… I love it a lot. The raw smell of the batter with rice and urad dal with all those onion and ginger and curry leaves remind the taste of vadai :) In first few attempts, I got in a bit of harder side and then figured out what could be the reason. Though the recipe is called vellai paniyaram, I never got it so white, but I am sure if we make it in non-stick pan it will come out whiter.  Mine is an indolium. 

    The chutney recipe also I tried from Mrs Mallika Badrinath’s cookbook,for the first time and I love it. I should say this is a perfect side dish/chutney for paniyarams.

Edited to Add:

I get a lot of mails/comments about the authentic recipe. So I am updating here. The ingredients are only the rice and urad dal as mentioned in the table,just do not add anything else,grind with water,milk and salt and deep fry the one laddle of batter at a time in kadai with oil,only filled 1/4 th.  Here is the picture updated:

VELLAI PANIYARAM

(recipe from Mrs mallika badrinath’s 100 tiffin varieties)

Ingredients

When I Google-d for extra tips, I found this measurement here. If you take rice upto the rim,you can fill the urad dal to make it full and that will be a correct ratio. But if you are using cup measurement, the refer the above.

Method:

1. Soak rice and dal at least for 2-3 hours and grind it to a batter,with required water,soak channa dal separately .Add salt and milk while you are grinding itself,but at the end.The batter should be light,not too thick in consistency.  
2. Chop onion,green chilli,channa dal,curry and coriander leaves and mix along with ginger.Add cooking soda at the time you are going to make.
3. Heat a paniyaram pan and grease the moulds with generous oil and pour the well mixed batter in it. Cook covered in low flame and flip and cook on the other sides too. Serve with a tangy & spicy chutney!   The chutney I have given below was really yummy with these paniyarams,so if you decide to make this paniyaram do try this same chutney!

TOMATO CHUTNEY 

INGREDIENTS

Method:

1. Peel the shallots, grind it along with roughly chopped tomatoes,red chillies,asafoetida,fennel and salt.
2. Heat a pan with oil and boil this chutney until the oil separates from it.

Serve with hot paniyarams!  With fennel seed’s smell,this chutney I have to say,IT SIMPLY ROCKS!!

Notes:

     I had chapati noodles for the first time in one of my cousin’s place. Then saw this recipe in Vijay Tv’s Suvai Ula. I had some left over chapathis today morning and wanted to try this and have it for lunch. I just made it the usual way I make fried rice / this one . This is sure a kid’s menu and you can give this to your kid when he come back hungry from school.

Ingredients

Method:

1. Stack the chapatis and cut them first into 4 quarters and cut them into long thin strips.
2. Heat a pan with oil and add crushed garlic first followed by onion and green chillies. Fry for a minute and then add the vegetables carrot,cabbage and capsicum,frying each for a minute.
3. Lower the flame,add the sauces and pepper powder,sambar powder,little salt(chapati has salt,so add very little).Stir well and add the cut strips of chapati and toss well in high flame to mix thoroughly.
4. Lastly Garnish with finely chopped coriander and spring onion and serve immediately.

I had this with raita,tasted great with it!

Notes:

             One can call this south Indianized onion paratha! Who cares about the name when it tastes awesome. My mom makes this for dinner and I was not a big fan of this before marriage…And after marriage when I made this,my hubby loved it and me too realized the taste and flavour of this one and started liking this! I made this yesterday for dinner… Flavoured with sambar powder,its truly south Indian!

Ingredients: (makes 6 adais)

Method:

1. Chop the onions finely, add the chopped onions,turmeric,sambhar powder,salt,curry leaves to the flour and mix well.
2. Add water (for me it consumed 1/2 cup plus little more) and make a smooth dough. Divide into six equal sized balls.
3. Take a polythene film over a platform and grease it with few drops of oil. Flatten the dough ball with hands into a little bit thicker than roti.
4. Heat a flat pan,drizzle with oil and toast the adai both the sides in medium flame till golden brown spot appears….
5. Serve hot with raitha of your choice…my mom makes a raita with golden fried onions+curd,seasoned with mustard,urad dal and curry leaves. The best combo for this adai.

              I dint add jeera. You can also add the onions to the adai after sautéing it. Also you can add a chopped tomato,after frying it… Replace sambar powder with 1 tsp of red chilli powder and 1/2 tsp dhaniya (coriander) powder. Apt for dinner!

Entry for the Festive food-His cooking event :

VERMICELLI UPMA

       I some how made him cook this upma for me this weekend,to send entry to Priti’s event. He was more than happy and made this for me!

Even he got too enthusiastic and made semiya kesari too as additional treat for me .

Ingredients:

To temper:

Method:

1. Roast semiya with a tsp of oil and fry till just the semiya turns golden yellow here and there.
2. Heat a pan with oil and season with the items given under To temper table.Add sliced onion and green chillies,fry till transparent.
3. Then add water and bring it to boil,add the vermicelli. Add salt and mix well. Cook covered in low flame for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add coconut oil few drops if you like. I had with chutney,my hubby likes with curd and sugar.

       

        I used to buy ginger garlic paste in the stores, after I started cooking . My parents side and in-laws side still wont use Ginger garlic paste in any of there cooking!!  Even if I cook for them anytime,I use it carefully that they wont know that smell . 

        I used to buy a famous brand in Mustafa where I do my monthly groceries shopping,then one fine day I could not find that and I was sceptical in buying/trying the other brands,then friends suggested this and that and hooked on another brand,again that too disappeared!  . It always happens there,suddenly the usual brand they keep will disappear and another new one will be there…the problem is…. that’s the only shop where I do the shopping…

      You may wonder why I didn't tried at home,well ,every one needs a good reason to start something new right!! I am first of all lazy,the second thing is I tried once or twice and I don't know where I went wrong,the ratio or what,but it dint smell good! Then when the situation is like I have to do at home,then I tried myself seeing the ratio in other blogs and tried at home,and now I never care to see if the stock is there or no in the shops ! But I don't remember which blogs I referred,so please don't sue me if its yours! .

GINGER GARLIC PASTE

INGREDIENTS

Method:

1. Peel the ginger skin( I get big palm size ginger,so I use the vegetable peeler and just peel the skin of ginger) and garlic ( I took garlic flakes from 3 –4 whole bulbs).
2. Take equal amount,first grind ginger for a  minute with turmeric and oil and then add the garlic.
3. Grind to a smooth paste. Don’t use your hands to mix at any time while grinding,use spoon.
4. Transfer the paste to clean air tight containers and store in refrigerator. You may use for a month if you handle well.

Note:

And now a simple recipe that you can find every where ,still I am posting :

PEAS PULAV /PULA0 / PILAF

INGREDIENTS

To temper:

Method:

1. Soak the basmati rice for atleast 20 minutes.
2. Slice the onion and slit the green chillies.
3. Heat the cooker and directly add the oil+ ghee and add the seasonings.
4. Add the onion,green chillies and reduce the flame and fry for a minute.
5. Add the ginger garlic paste and again fry for a minute.
6. Add the peas(I used frozen) and fry in low flame for 2 minutes.
7. Add the soaked rice,salt and water and mix well.
8. Let it boil and then close the cooker and reduce the flame to low and cook for 7-9 minutes.
9. Let the pressure get down by itself and then mix carefully and serve hot with any rich gravy or simply dal or subjis. I served with Cauliflower subji.

You can also use thin coconut milk in place of water,which enhances the taste… This is very simple yet delicious rice,you can use your imagination and add more spice to the dish!

Note:

• Never fry the onions and ginger garlic paste in high flame or till burnt,which will give a dull coloured pulav!

Sending my Agathi keerai thanni saaru and Keerai kootu to Preeti’s Green gourmet Event .