Toilet Talk

We know you can NEVER know too much about toilets. So, here you go...

• The average person spends 3 years of his or her life on the toilet.
• "Psycho" was the first film to show a flushing toilet. This generated many indecency complaints.
• The first toilet stall in a row is almost always the last used, and therefore the cleanest.
• Toilets around the nation are flushed more times during the Super Bowl halftime than any other time of the year.
• You have a 1 in 1,000 chance of being injured by a toilet. 
• 72.4% of people place their toilet paper to be pulled from over the roll, rather than under.
• Toilets use more water than any other household appliance. 
• 33% of people flush the toilet while still sitting on it.
• Most women wad toilet paper and most men fold it. 
• Only a handful of people from around the world actually wrap their whole toilet in christmas wrapping paper during the holiday season.  (not statistically proven) 

Chickpea Fritters

Dodging bicyclists, mopeds, and pedestrians, Kerala’s rickshaws and taxis offer a nonstop thrill ride. If you prefer the slow and steady but still adventurous, I suggest taking the train. The windows have bars, but no glass, and each train car has turbo charged fans welded to the ceiling. You can watch the lush countryside streaming by and feel a whoosh of jungle air before it gets chopped up by steel blades.



When your stomach starts to grumble, you’ll hear the sound of auctioneers stalking the aisles. "Chai, chai, chaiii!" (“Tea, tea, tea!”) "Kappi, kappi, kappiii!” (“Coffee, coffe, coffee!) “Vada, vada, vadaiii!” (“Fritters, fritters, fritters!) Or could they be food peddlers? 



Of all the sights and sounds that Kerala produces, the parade of noisy railway venders is by far my favorite. In the old days, the vendors waited on the platform at each station. When a train stopped, they started their pulsing chorus. Riders shoved rupees through the windows in exchange for cups of frothy coffee or tea served in steel cups and a variety of fried snacks. If you leaned close enough to the window, you could watch the beverage vendors pouring the tea between two cups held two feet apart to produce froth. Truly an unsung art. Before the train pulled away, the cups were passed back to be washed and filled for the next wave of riders.



Now the vendors board the train, dressed in neatly pressed uniforms. American snack foods – which have helped to make much of the world obese – are part of their offerings. Thankfully the oldies still endure: “"Chai, chai, chaiii!" "Kappi, kappi, kappiii!” “Vada, vada, vadaiii!” 



CHICKPEA FRITTERS

Makes 18 to 20

Crunchy on the outside and cushiony inside, parippu vada is my favorite fried snack. They are made with chickpeas, ginger, and chilies. Think of them as a spiced up falafel served aside freshly plucked bananas, if you're lucky. 
 

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups skinned and split channa dhal (Bengal gram)
1/4 cup water

2 small dried red chilies, roughly chopped

3/4 cup finely diced onions

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 teaspoon salt

Two dashes of asafetida (optional)

10 to 15 fresh curry leaves, torn into 1/4 inch pieces

2½ cups canola oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the dhal in a medium size bowl. Cover it with water and soak for at least 4 hours. (The dhal will expand as it softens). Rinse and drain.

Place half of the soaked dhal and water in a food processor. Pulse it for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides. 

Add the dried red chilies and pulse until the dhal is very finely chopped and almost forms a paste.

Add the rest of the soaked dhal to the food processor and pulse until it is very roughly chopped, 5 to 10 seconds. The dhal should clump when you squeeze it in your palm.   

Transfer the dhal to a medium size bowl. Add the onions, ginger, salt, asafetida, and curry leaves, and mix together. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Place a couple of paper towels on a large plate. Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of the seasoned dhal to the oil. When it rises to the top and bubbles around the edges, lower the heat to medium.

Place a tablespoon of the dhal on the palm of your hand and shape it into a loose ball. Gently flatten it into a disk about 1/2-inch thick. Carefully sculpt together the edges with the side of your free hand.  

Place it into the oil. For 4 more disks and add them to the oil one by one.

Fry them for 4 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and cool on the paper towels.  Repeat with the rest of the seasoned dhal.

Serve warm or reheated in a toaster oven.

Dry Chicken Drumsticks Fry

Its a long time since I posted any chicken recipes and I realized this only when one of my Facebook friends enquired about it. Looked quickly in my repository and found dry chicken drumsticks fry recipe which I haven't posted until now. Immediately I wrote a recipe for this dish and you are seeing it here. It tastes as good as fried chicken drumsticks. I prepare this at home often for my hubby instead of the deep fried one. You can try the same recipe with the boneless chicken pieces too.



Ok now I straight away come to the recipe part without dragging further :-)

Basic Information:

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Idle Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 2



Ingredients:



For Marinade:



Chicken drumsticks - 4 nos, large size

Red chilli powder - 3-4 teaspoons

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Pepper powder -1/2 teaspoons (Optional)

Salt - to taste

Lemon juice - 2 teaspoons



For Dry Fry:



Onion - 1 no, large size, finely chopped

Tomato - 1 no, medium size, finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons

Dry red chillies - 3 nos

Curry leaves - 1 string

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Oil - 5 tablespoons

Coriander leaves and lemon wedges - for garnishing and serving

Method:



1) Wash and peel the skin of the chicken drumsticks. Using a sharp knife to make slits on the surface.

2) Mix all the ingredients given under marinade. Make sure to coat the masala well on all sides of the chicken drumsticks.

3) Keep this mixture aside or keep it inside the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

4) Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan.

5) Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves to it. Let it splutter.

6) Add onion and fry till it becomes soft.

7) Add ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell disappears.

8) Add tomato and cook it until it becomes very soft and well cooked.

9) Add chicken drumsticks along with the juice left in the bowl.

10) Stir well and cover it. Cook for 7-10 minutes in low flame. Adjust the salt.

11) Open the lid and cook the chicken uncovered for 5 minutes. Add oil in between to avoid burning of the chicken.

12) Turn the stove off when the chicken drumsticks are completely cooked.

13) Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot.

Notes:

1) Add red chilli powder based on its spicy level.

2) Instead of oil, you can use water to avoid the chicken to become drying. However, you can find the subtle change in taste if you add water.

3) This dry fry gives spicy taste. If you want to reduce it, you can skip adding the dry red chillies while doing the seasoning or reduce the red chilli powder quantity.