Appam



Preparation Time : 20 mins
Soaking Time : 4 to 6 hours
Fermenting Time : Overnight
Cooking Time : 1 min per appam

Ingredients:

Raw Rice / Pacharisi - 2 cups
Fresh Coconut - 1 cup grated
Sugar - 2 tblspn
Salt to taste
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Water as needed for grinding
Oil for greasing pan

Method:

Take raw rice in a bowl and wash it well. Now cover it with clean water and let it soak for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

Once it is soaked drain it and add it to blender. Now add in coconut and blend them.

Once it is half blended, add water and make it into a smooth paste. Since it is rice, it wont be too smooth, but it should be as smooth as possible. It doesn't take more that 8 to 10 mins.

Now take them in a air tight container. Cover it and let it ferment overnight.

The next day, add sugar, salt, baking soda and some water and make it into a smooth runny batter.

Now heat your non stick appam chati on medium heat.

Pour a ladleful of batter in the center and swirl the pan to coat the sides. Cover it and let it cook for 45 second to a min.

Now open the lid and remove the appam. Serve it with any curry.

Notes:

1)Grind the batter to a fine paste. This result in soft appam.
2)Dont add to much baking soda. If you add, it wont give white appam.
3)The batter should be very thin, this will give soft appam.

Dosa




Ingredients
1 cup rice (chawal)
1/3 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
5 to 7 fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tbsp beaten rice (poha)
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
oil for greasing and cooking
fried coconut chutneyfor serving
sambhar for serving
Method
Soak the rice seperately in enough water for 3 hours and drain.
Blend the rice in a mixer till smooth. Remove and keep aside.
Soak the urad dal, fenugreek seeds and beaten rice togeather in enough water for 3 hours and drain.
Blend the urad dal, fenugreek seeds and beaten rice togeather in a mixer till smooth and frothy ( add water little by little as required ). Remove and keep aside.
Combine the urad dal paste and rice paste togeather in a bowl and cover and keep aside to ferment for atleast 3 to 4 hours.
Once the batter is fermented , add the sugar and salt to the batter and mix well.
Heat a non-stick pan and sprinkle a little water on it. It should steam immediately.
Grease it with oil and wipe hard with a slice of onion or potato.
Pour a ladeful of the batter on the tava and spread in a circular motion to make 125 mm (5") thin dosa.
Smear a liitle oil along the sides, cook till the dosa turns brown and crispy and fold over to make a semi-circle.
Repeat with the remaining batter to make 7 more dosas. Serve hot with fried chutney and sambhar.

For the perfect dosa
Always soak and grind the rice and urad dal separately. Grind urad dal in small portions by adding little water till smooth and frothy.
The dosa batter should not be thick but light. Mix the batter using a ladle starting from the bottom of the vessel as rice paste being heavier than urad dal paste, tends to settle down at the base.
The batter should always be at room temperature. So if you have refrigerated the batter, leave it at room temperature for about an hour before you proceed.
The dosa griddle is traditionally made of cast iron although non stick tavas are more favored now.
To prepare the tava/griddle, heat till it becomes very hot, sprinkle some water. It should evaporate quickly. Wipe with a soft cloth and reduce the flame. Then rub it with a thick slice of potato or onion dipped in oil. Tava should not be too hot while you spread the batter.
If your cast iron griddle is giving you trouble, pour half a cup of salt on it nad heat on a medium flame for about 5 minutes while stirring continuously. Remove the salt and use.
After spreading the dosa batter on the tava/griddle, pour a tsp of oil or ghee along the sides of the dosa and brown it evenly and to ensure that it does not stick to the tava/griddle.



Idli



Ingredients
1 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
3 cups par-boiled rice (ukda chawal)
1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
salt to taste
coconut oil or any other refined oil for greasing
fried coconut chutney for serving
sambhar for serving
Method
Soak the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in enough water for 3 hours and drain.
Soak the rice in enough water for 3 hours and drain.
Blend the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in a mixer till smooth and frothy (add water little by little as required ) remove and keep aside.
Blend the rice in a mixer till smooth. Remove and keep aside.
Combine the urad dal paste and rice paste together in a bowl and cover and keep aside to ferment overnight.
Once the batter is fermented add salt to the batter and mix well.
Put spoonfuls of the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 10 to 12 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining batter to make more idlis. Serve hot with fried coconut chutney and sambhar.


Sambhar



Ingredients
3/4 cup toovar (arhar) dal
2 drumsticks , cut into 3” pieces
1/2 cup bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki) cubes
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
6 to 7 curry leaves (kadi patta)
2 pinches of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
8 small shallots (madras onions)
2 1/2 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp
3 tbsp sambhar masala
2 tsp chilli powder
a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
Method
Wash the toovar dal thoroughly and drain.
Combine the washed dal and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Blend the dal using a hand blender till it is smooth and keep aside.
Combine the drumsticks and bottle gourd with 1 cup of water in a deep non-stick pan and cook on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes or till the vegetables are soft. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
Add the tomatoes, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked bottle gourd and drumstick, shallots, tamarind pulp, cooked dal, , salt, sambhar masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and ¾ cup of water, mix well and bring to boil and allow to cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the coriander, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
Serve hot.


Rasam



INGREDIENTS
100 gm toor dal
100 gm tomatoes
500 ml water
25 gm tamarind

Rasam powder:
10 gm peppercorns
10 gm cumin seeds
10 gm coriander seeds
3 gm red chillies

Tempering:
30 ml oil
3 gm mustard seeds
2 gm curry leaves
3 garlic cloves
10 gm sprigs of coriander leaves
Salt

METHOD
Crush garlic and chop tomatoes.

Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp.

Roast the ingredients for the powder and grind until fine.

Boil the dal with tomatoes till the lentils are mashed and set aside.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds, leave until it crackles.

Add the crushed garlic, curry leaves and the coriander leaves.

Mix the dal and water to get the required rasam consistency.

Mix in the tamarind pulp. Add the rasam powder.

Boil for 5 minutes on a low flame.



Chettinad Chicken



INGREDIENTS
500 gm chicken
75 ml oil
150 gm onions
100 gm tomatoes
2 gm cinnamon sticks
2 gm cloves
2 gm cardamoms
5 gm cumin
2 gm curry leaves
10 gm turmeric powder
Salt
25 gm coriander leaves


Paste:
100 gm onions
50 gm ginger
50 gm garlic
50 gm fennel seeds
20 gm cumin seeds
25 gm peppercorns
10 gm red chillies
100 gm coconut

METHOD
Grind the ingredients for the paste.

Clean and cut the chicken into 16 pieces. Marinate the chicken with the paste.

Chop the tomatoes, coriander leaves and the onions.

Heat oil and add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin, Saute.

Add the chopped onions and the curry leaves. Saute until the onions are golden.

Add the tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the marinated chicken and turmeric powder. Saute for 10 minutes, sprinkling water at intervals.

Add enough salt, cover with a lid and cook until done. Add more chilli or pepper if required.

Serve garnished with coriander leaves.


Pongal



Ingredients
1/2 cup moong dal (split green gram)
1 cup raw rice (chawal)
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp black peppercorns (kalimirch)
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tbsp broken cashewnuts (kaju)
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger (adrak)
salt to taste
a few curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 tbsp ghee for serving
Method
Heat a pan, add the moong dal and dry roast on a medium flame till the raw smell disappears, while stirring continuously. Keep aside.
Clean and wash the rice, drain and add the, milk and 3 cups of water, mix well and pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles or till the rice and dal become soft. Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan, add the peppercorns, cumin seeds, cashewnuts and ginger, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds, while stirring continuously.
Add the cooked rice and dal mixture, salt and curry leaves, mix well and cook on a slow flame for 5 to 7 minutes, while stirring continuously. Serve hot topped with 1 tbsp of ghee.