BEETROOT VADAI

For vegetable vadai varieties, some add gram dal or tuar dal instead of Bengal gram as a binding agent. If you add pattaani paruppu instead of Bengal gram, then the taste will be delicious!!!

Ingredients:

Beetroot-300gms
Thinly sliced onion- 1 cup
Finely chopped green chillies-2
Turmeric powder- half sp
Chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
Curry leaves- 1 arc
Salt to taste
Bengal gram- 1 cup
Chilli powder- half sp
Soda bi carbonate-a pinch
Enough oil to deep fry

Grind coarsely the following:

A small piece-cinnamon, fennel seeds-half sp, shredded ginger- half sp, garlic flakes-8[small]

Procedure:

Soak the Bengal gram in enough water for an hour. Drain the water and grind coarsely with enough salt. Shred the beetroots finely. Heat a pan and pour 2 tbsp of oil. Add the onions with the chillies and the curry leaves. Fry them to golden brown. Add the beetroot with the turmeric powder and fry for a few minutes. Add the ground paste, chilli powder and salt. Fry the beetroot until it is well cooked. Finally add the coriander leaves and toss for a few seconds. When it is cooled, add it to the ground paste of Bengal gram, add the soda bi carbonate and mix well with the fingers. Make small balls, flatten them in to thin vadais and fry them in hot oil to golden brown.

RICE KHEER

Though there are so many varieties of paal payasams, this one is very special and tasty because the rice is fried in ghee first and then pressure-cooked in milk here. This makes this kheer the most delicious dessert in your kitchen!!

Ingredients:

Raw rice- 1 cup
Ghee- half cup
Thick milk- 2 liters
Broken Cashew nuts- 2 tbsp
Raisins- 3 tbsp
Saffron- ¼ sp
Cardamom powder-1/4 sp
Sugar- 3 cups

Procedure:

Heat a pan and pour the ghee.
On slow fire, first fry the cashew nuts and raisins and take them away.
Add the rice and fry them to golden brown.
Heat a pressure cooker and pour the milk.
Add the fried rice with the ghee, saffron, and cardamom powder.
Mix well. Close with the lid and pressure cook the milk with the rice to one whistle on medium fire.
Then reduce the heat to very low and cook for further 25 minutes.
Open the pressure cooker, add the sugar and further cook for some minutes until you get a slight thickened consistency.

KEERAI KOOTTU

This is a very simple recipe but the taste is delicious!

Ingredients:

Thuar dal- ¾ cup
Split Green chillies-4
Finely chopped onion-1
Finely crushed tomato-2 cups
Small garlic flakes-10
Finely chopped coriander leaves- half cup
Finely chopped keerai-3 cups
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste
Oil-4 tbsp
Cumin seeds- half sp
Asafotida –half sp

Procedure:

Pressure cook the dal.
Heat a pan and pour the oil.
Add the cumin seeds and when they splutter add the onion and fry them to golden brown.
Add the tomatoes with the green chillies, asafotida, turmeric powder and the garlic flakes and fry them until the tomatoes are mashed well and the oil floats on the surface.
Add the dal and when it starts to boil add the keerai with enough salt.
Boil for some minutes until the keerai is cooked without changing its green colour.
Pour a spoon of ghee and serve.

Note:

Either palak keerai or mulaikkeerai will give great taste to this dish.