VADAIKARI

Hi everybody, the recipe I am going to post right now is requested by a regular reader of my blog. If you have any requested please e-mail me or post a comment or sign my guest book. Your request will be answered.

Vadakari
Vadakari is basically made from masal vadai. Which are easily you can get in India from restaurants. But in US you have to make the vadai from scratch and then you have to make the vadakari. Once you make the vadai the other part of the recipe is very easy to make. I do have the masal vadai recipe in my blog.

Ingredients:
Masal vadai - 5
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - ½ inch (Shredded)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - ½ tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
1. As soon as you fry the vadai, put the vadai in water. Let each vadai soak for 5 minutes.
2. Squeeze the excess water from vadai and keep it separate.
3. Now heat a pan add oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin, and garam masala powder.
4. Once mustard seeds started to splatter add the onions sauté for 2 mins.
5. Add the tomatoes, green chillies and ginger and sauté for about 10 minutes.
6. Split the vadai in half and add to the mixture. Add ¾ cup of water and cover with a lid for 10 minutes.
7. Serve with dosai, Idli, Chappathi

MINT CHUTNEY

Mint chutney(Thovayal)

Ingredients:

Mint - 1 cup

Coriander – ½ cup

Coconut – 2 tbsps

Salt – to taste

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Asafoedita(hing) – a pinch

Red chilies – 4

Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Heat a pan, add oil and add all the other seasoning ingredients.

2. Let that splatter.

3. Now add mint, coriander and coconut.

4. Sauté for 5 mins and let it cool.

5. Grind well, and add salt mix well.

6. Serve with idli,dosai,vadai,bonda,pakoda etc.,

TIP OF THE WEEK

To make fluffy idli:

Raw Rice:4 cups Urad dal :1 cups Cooked Boiled Rice(leftover rice):1 cup Soak the above two ingredients for atleast 4 hours and grind the urad dal until fluffy and smooth .
Then add the raw rice and coarsely grind it .In the end add the cooked boiled rice and mix the salt.Keep it for fermentation .

If winter keep it inside the preheated oven for 1 hour and make idli . Smooth and fluffy hotel idli is ready. Enjoy with sambhar or chutney or milakapodi.

SAMBAR

This is an Indian dish made out of lentils. You can either eat with breakfast like (Dosai, idli,vadai, etc) or with white rice.

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 3/4 cup (pressure cooked)

Onions - 1

Tomato - 1

Green chilies - 2or up to your taste

Vegetables - Pumpkin, carrots, bell pepper, radish, potato , etc ( any vegetable u like)

tamarind paste - 2 tsps

chili powder - 2 tsps

TO SEASONING :

mustard - 1 tsp

urad dal - 1 tsp

curry leaves - few sprigs

dry red chilies - 2

1. First pressure cook the toor dal(lentils)

2. In a pan pour 3 tsps of oil and then add mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chills, curry leaves and wait for one minute.

3. Add the sliced onions, tomatoes and green chilies.

4. Saute for 5 minutes. Add all the cubed vegetables.

5. Saute for 10 minutes and then add the tamarind paste with 1 cup of water. Add salt.

6. Close with a lid for 15 mins.

7. Take the pressure cook lentils and just viper it in the blender for 30 secs.

8. Now add the lentils to the boiling mixture. Set in med low for 15 mins. Garnish with cilantro.

9. Serve hot with idli, dosai, vadai or with white rice.

CHUTNEYS

Chutneys are easy to make any one can do it.

Coconut chutney:

Ingredients:

Coconut - 1/2 cup
Fried gram dal - 1/2 cup
Green chilies - 5
Salt - to taste

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 2tsps

Method:

1. Add all the above ingredients on a blender and grind well.
2.Heat a pan. add the oil.
3.Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves until it splatter.
4. Add the seasoning to chutney and mix well.
5.Serve with idli's or dosas.

Tips:

If you like mint leaves u can add 1 or 2 when you grind the chutney. It will give you nice flavor.