Chinna vengaya vadakkal-Baby onion/Shallot fry

CHINNA VENGAYA VADAKKAL

My mother is not very fond of onions.But she has never denied us the pleasure of savouring onions in the various delicious dishes she specially cooked for us.Vengaya vadakkal (Onion fry) is her speciality and on the days she prepared this dish none of us even glanced at sambar or rasam. We gorged on the onion fry with steaming hot rice for lunch and dinner.We ate it with any 'tiffin' during tea time.We even used it as a spread on the bread and tucked it in greedily.
Since onion shrinks drastically after cooking mother had to chop a mound of onions, intermittently sniffing away the stream of 'tears', to make a large quantity of fry that was required to satiate the needs of our huge family.She cut the big onions lengthwise,into thin slivers and cooked it with spice and salt,and finally gathered it into a whole flavoursome mass.
I have used the same method here to prepare the 'chinna vengaya vadakkal'.

INGREDIENTS
Baby onions/shallots - 500 gms
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsps
METHOD

1. Peel,wash and drain the onions.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard splutters add curry leaves and then the onions.
4. Add chilly powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,turmeric powder and salt.(I used my home made spice powder).
5. Mix well with a spatula, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low fire.
6. Remove lid and stir the fry so that the spices get evenly distributed.
7. Sprinkle little water if necessary and cover and cook again till the onions are cooked.
8. When the onions start looking glassy remove lid and keep frying till the oil sepatates.
Enjoy the chinna vengaya vadakkal as a main dish with hot rice or as a side dish with your favourite meal.

Kuttu in Kitchen - His Cooking Event

Kuttu is my Son, 4 years old. Yes, 4 years old and he cooked something, well not for me but for himself. I posted these pics in my FB page, jokingly said i m going to send this to Priti's Event and to my surprise, she asked me to send it. 

This Lovely scene happened on this weekend. Weekend Mornings are always Lazy!!!! My Son wakes up only by 10 or 10:30. But this time, he happened to wake up early and asked for some breakfast. I had some Dosa Batter in the fridge, I kept it out and was heating up the tava, he suddenly came with a stool and said "Amma, Kuttu Dosai Pannanum!!". I didnt want to say No to his curiosity. I just stood besides me, jus to make to sure he doesnt get himself hurt!!! But, Mummy the ignorant, Son made 3 small cute dosas and had all it by himself. I m jus posting the pics and giving you the measurements for the dosa/idly batter.

Ingredients
3 cups Parboiled rice
1/2 cup urad dal
1 handful of raw rice
1 tsp Methi seeds

Method

Soak Rice and Dal separately for 3-4 hrs. Methi seeds with the dal. Grind urad dal and methi first and then grind Rice to a smooth battter. Then mix them together.I normally use Mixie to Grind. If you are going to make dosa, you can just take the required batter and add salt and make it immdly. It has a good taste. Many, like my hubby doesnt like dosa's to be sour. 

To make idlies, let the batter sit outside for a day. If you are grinding it in the morning, leave it out for the day, you will get good idlies for night.

Sending these cuties to Festive Food - His Cooking Event hosted @ Indian Khana

Tart, tasty rhubarb

Rhubarb Compote

INGREDIENTS

4 cups thinly sliced rhubarb

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

Place ingredients in a medium saucepan.  

Cook on medium heat until rhurbarb softens completely, about 5 to 10 minutes. 

Serve on pancakes or toast.