Non-Fried Batata Wada

I'm Enjoying my stay @ Chennai. Enjoying my Mom's Cooking. Shopping, Shopping and Shopping.
Recently bought Tarla Dalal's Non-Fried Snacks CookBook. It has got some great recipes, that can be baked/cooked on a Tava instead of Deep Frying. Me and My Sister, tried Batata Wadi recipe from that book. Came out great.
Here comes the recipe.

Ingredients

For the Batter

1/2cup Besan
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chilli powder
a pinch asafoetida
1 tsp oil
Salt to taste

For the Wadas

2 green chillies, finely chopped.
1 tsp  ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch asafoetida
2 cups boiled, peeled and mashed potates
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp choped coriander
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
Oil for cooking

For the Batter

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, add enough water to make a batter of pouring consistency.  Keep Aside.

For the Wadas.
Heat oil in  a small pan and splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves and asafoetida and saute for few seconds.  Add Green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and saute again for few seconds.
Add Potatoes, turmeric powder, coriander, lemon juice and salt and mix well. Remove from the flame and cook.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and shape them into flat round wadas.

Dip the wadas in the batter and place them on a greased non-stick pan.
Cover and cook on a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes.  Turn upside own, cover again and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, using lil oil.

Remove the lid and cook the sides holding the wadas with your fingers till they turn golden brown.
Serve hot. Enjoy with sauce.
Sending this to WYF-Tea Time Snack Event Hosted By EC of Simple Indian Food

You can also find this @ LYRO#Potato happening @ Sindhi Rasoi

DILL DAL

DILL DAL

Pasta and cheese, wholemeal bread toast, butter, cheese slices, mashed potatoes, boiled peas, broccoli, custard and fruits, ice cold milk, ice cream, chilled fruit yogurt ……
These are few of the many dishes in the menu card provided by the maternity hospital in Sydney for ‘new born’ moms to select their meal! While the spread was nutritious and very delicious as well, I can very well imagine my mother’s horrified face shaking violently in disapproval.

Mother was well versed in preparing the special diet or pathiyam for pullaipetha or the new mothers. The diet to be followed by mothers for 21 days after childbirth, was prepared with great care using select ingredients. Chillies, tamarind, any roots and tubers with the exception of ginger were taboo. No oil was used in cooking. A dollop or more of pure home made ghee was a must in each meal. No citrus fruits or curd was allowed. Though there were too many dos and don’ts in the preparation, the pathiya sapaadu is a very delicious diet which every one can relish.

Dill (Sabsige Soppu in Kannada / not sure what its called in Tamil!!) has a special place in the special diet as it is supposed to help the lactating mothers and is a rich source of calcium. Here is a ‘method of preparing a pathiya dal with dill. Tomatos are typically not used in pathiya diet, so the one below is a ‘no-so-strict’ version!
INGREDIENTS:
Dill – 2 bunches
Split green gram dal (Mung) – 1 cup
Tomatoes – 1
Garlic – 3 fat cloves
Peeled Ginger – 1 inch
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Black pepper – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Olive oil or ghee – 1 tsp
METHOD:
1. Wash and cop dill discarding the thick fibrous stalks.
2. Grate garlic and ginger.
3. Chop tomatoes.
4. Heat olive oil or ghee in a pressure cooker and throw in the ginger and garlic.
5. Add chopped dill. and stir.
6. Add washed dal and turmeric.
7. Pour in three cups of water.
8. Stir in the chopped tomatoes
9. Pressure cook until three whistles.
10. When the steam has subsided open the lid and add salt and coarsely ground black pepper .and stir vigorously
11. Fry cumin seeds and curry leaves in a little ghee and add it to the dal.

Relish the aromatic Dill Dal with very hot and soft rice, topped with a dollop of home made ghee.

Vazhaithandu Thogayal/Banana Tree Trunk South Indian Chutney

Banana Tree as a whole has lot of Nutritional Properties.Banana Tree Trunk in particular has lot of fiber.This white portion contains more fiber essence and also increases haemoglobin level in our blood. I got This Thogayal/South Indian Chutney recipe from Vijay TV's Cookery Show.

Ingredients

Medium sized Banana Stumps/Trunk - 2 nos.
Shallots - 250gms
Red Chillies - 7-8nos
Salt to taste

Seasoning

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Method

Remove the outer layer of the banana stump and cut it into small cubes.Saute it well for 10-15 minutes.
Peel the shallots and retain the whole.Heat oil in a pan and saute the shallots for a minute or two. Dry roast the red chillies for a minute. Take care not to over do this.

Let all the sauted ingredients cool. Grind them all to a fine paste with little water.Transfer it to a bowl.

Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add asafoetida and some curry leaves and add the chutney to the seasoning and saute it well for 20 minutes.

Makes a great combo with Idly/Dosas, tastes good with rice too.