Palakura Pappu(Spinach Dhal)

This is an Andhra Dish. I learnt it from a friend of mine. Ever since I learnt this recipe, I have been making it quite often. It's very easy to prepare. This dish is served with rice(and a tsp of ghee :-))

Ingredients:

Clean cut spinach - 1 bunch
chopped tomatoes - 1 cup
Thor dhal - 3/4 cup
Chopped onions(optional)- 1/2 cup
Hing
Tamarind - an inch size
Green chillies - 1

Pressure cook all these ingredients together. Add salt and mix well.

To tamper:

Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, Red chillis, jeera, 3 cloves of garlic and add it to the dhal spinach mixture.

Rava Dosa

Finally I learnt how to make a nice and crispy rava dosa. You need a lot of patience to make it. I usually do multi-tasking(like cutting veges or loading the dishes :)) when I prepare rava dosa for dinner.
Ingredients:
Rava - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 2.5 cups
Curry leaves - few sprigs
Coriander leaves
Salt
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Ginger - chopped 1 tsp
Green chillis - chopped as per your taste
Hing - just a hint
Chopped onions(optional)- 1/2 cup

Method:

1.Mix all the above ingredients in water and let it soak for 1 hr.
2. Heat a pan. When the pan is hot, pour the batter from top using a cup right in the middle of the pan. Since the batter is thin, it will spread by itself. Do not use laddle.
3. Drizzle oil on the corners.
4. Let it cook for approximately 3-4 minutes. Turn it and let it cook on the other side for a minute or two.
It is well worth the wait! Who doesn't like Rava Dosa?

Uppma Kozhakkattai

Steamed rice balls

As a child, I never liked this tiffin. My sister also is not much of a fan of this kozhukattai. So amma almost never prepared this when we were at home. After marriage, I found my MIL makes this often for breakfast.At home it was strict No for this tiffin. But, with MIL, I can't say so. (That too with the newly wed status!!!). Being a new entry to their house, I didnot want to make her feel that I am fussy with food. Having stayed 3 years at hostel, I had learnt to eat things which I would like to avoid, given a chance. Also I am not that fussy kind, who just can't stand seeing a food altogether. I eat what is given. But if I like, I relish it and other wise it is like 'eat to live' attitude.

Somehow after marriage, I acquired a taste to this. When I run out of batter for breakfast, this started finding place regularly in my menu. So now I make this often. Since it is steam cooked, its healthy too.

First you have to prepare the rice rava. I have seen my co-sister preparing this using the store bought rice rava which is used to make idlies. It comes out absolutely fine using the store bought one. I don't get to buy that in my place.

So for those who have tp prepare the rice rava, here is how to proceed

Raw rice - 2 cups

Tuvar dal - 3 tblspn

Wash and soak rice and tuvar dal in water for 30 minutes. The rice should not go very soft on soaking. Depending on the variety of the rice, the soaking time can be adjusted.

Drain the water, leave the rice dal combo on a colander for sometime so that any water left will be completely drained.

Spread on a dry kitchen towel. This will take some 15 mts. Don't dry under sun.

Make a coarse powder in a mixer grinder. The texture of the flour should be like rava (sooji).

Prepration of the upma for the kozhukkattai.

Water - 2 cups for every cup of the flour

Salt

Grated coconut -1/2 cup (increase the qty if you wish)

Seasoning

Oil - 2 tblspn

mustard - 1/2 tspn

chanadal- 1/2 tspn

urad dal - 1/2 tspn

chopped green chilly - 4 nos

broken red chilly - 2 nos

curry leaves - few

Take a kadai. Do the seasoning as given.

Add water and salt. Wait till the water starts boiling.

When water starts boiling, slowly add the rice flour with out forming lumps. Let it cook. When the water is completely absorbed, add grated coconut. cook for 2 minutes.

Now upma consistency will be reached.

Transfer to a plate. Let it cool.

When it is warm enough to be held in hand, take the cooked dough and make balls to the size of tennis balls. Usuall the shape is not perfect rounds but more like the shape of an egg.It is always rolled with one hand.

Place the balls on a idly steamer and steam cook for 10 minutes. Kozhukkatais will have a glossy appearance once it is cooked.

Serve with coconut chutney or sambhar.

As I mentioned healthy in the beginning, this is off to Suganya for Healthy Eats of WBB