SpotLight Blog #My Experiments With Food ~ Recipe - Aval Kozhukkattai

The calendar is showing a new month and its time for a new blog to be on the spotlight. And this month, the limelight blog is Jayashree's 'My Experiments with Food'. The similarity doesn't end with our names and blog names, our traditional cuisine is same too (Palakkad Iyer cuisine).  I found many interesting, delicious recipes yet not very complicated in her blog.

The first recipe I tried for this series was Aval Kozhukkattai - Steamed balls from beaten rice. It made a quick and filling meal. The preparation is similar to upma kozhukkattai. When I first saw the recipe, my thoughts were how different is it going to be from aval upma/puli aval. The ingredients were almost the same except that tamarind or an equivalent is not used here. I am glad I tried it since it was so different from upma and had a unique taste. It was worth trying.

You need

Coarsely powdered aval/beaten rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 2 tblspn
Salt to taste

Seasoning

Oil - 2 tspn
mustard seeds - 1 tspn
Chana dal, urad dal, peanuts - 1 tspn each
Green chilly - 1 no
Curry leaves - few sprigs

Method

I used the rose matta aval which is very tasty and has a thick texture. To get one cup of coarsely powedered aval, take 2 cups of aval. Make sure you don't grind it fine else the kozhukkattais will not have the right texture.

Take a kadai. Heat oil and add the seasoning ingredients. Add water and salt. When water starts boiling, add the powdered aval. Mix well. Cook on low heat till the water is fully absorbed and resembles upma. Add grated coconut and mix well.

Spread the cooked mix on a plate to cool. Spape the dough into balls and steam cook for 5 minutes. Jayashree has  done this in microwave and I chose to do it on stove top.

The kozhukkattais tasted good on its own. You can serve it with any chutney as dip or sprinkle some chutney powder on it and serve. I got 11 nos of the size shown in the picture.

Bondas Galore

BONDAS GALORE - 1

Bonda is a versatile dish which can easily fit into any meal plan.It is a star among the many side dishes served with lunch or dinner on festive occassions . It is served as an evening snack ( tiffin) with coffee in weddings. It is a non messy dish which comes in handy to welcome guests. It is a much saught after starter in parties. Children love this snack when served at their birthday parties.
Each region comes out with a specific recipe for preparing delicious Bondas. Here are a few of the most common ones which I prepare at home

MYSORE BONDA

INGREDIENTS
Split black gram dal - 1 cup
Chopped green chillies- 1 tsp
Finely chopped fresh ginger - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Coarsely crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Chopped ( not grated) fresh coconut - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying
METHOD
1. Soak dal for half an hour and grind to a thick and smooth paste.
2. Mix in the salt, and blend all other ingredients together.
3. Heat a liberal quantity of oil in a kadai. If the oil is less the bondas will stick together or they will "sit" at the bottom of the kadai and get burnt.
4. Scoop out a ball of batter and gently drop into the hot oil.
5. Dip your hands in a bowl of water every time, before scooping out the bonda batter so that it easily slides into the oil.
6. Slide in six scoops of batter and reduce flame and spray hot oil over the bondas using the perforated ladle.
7. Flip the bondas when the bottom of the bondas start changing colour.
8.Cook till the bondas become evenly golden brown in colour on all sides.
9. Remove the bondas and drain on a paper towel.
Relish the piping hot Mysore Bondas with coconut chutney.

MANGALOORU BONDA

INGREDIENTS
Maida ( Plain flour) - 1 cup
Sour curds - 1 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chopped onoin- 2 tbsps
Minced green chillies - 1/4 tsp
Minced fresh ginger - 1/4 tsp
Minced coconut (Optional) - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few
METHOD
1. Blend all the ingredients into a smooth batter.
2. Add more curds if required to get a thick idly batter consistancy.
3. Heat oil and drop the batter in small scoops.
4. Fry the bondas till they are glden brown in colour, adjusting the intensity of the flame.
Relish Mangalooru Bondas with flavoursom coconut and fried gram chutney.

BOMBAY BONDA

This bonda is cooked with a potato filling and is also known as Alu Bonda.
INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING

Potatoes -

4 big ones
Mustard seeds - 1 pinch
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Dania powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Grated fresh ginger - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a few
Cashew nuts - a few
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Juice of one lime.

Oil - 2 tbsps

METHOD FOR FILLING

1. Cook potatoes in a pressure cooker.
2. Remove the skin and crumble the potatoes when cooled.
3. Mix salt into the lime juice in a cup and keep aside.
4. Heap chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder on top of the crumbled potatoes at one point.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
6. When the mustard splutters add cashew nuts and roast them to a golden colour.
7. Add cumin seeds, grated ginger and then the curry leaves followed by asafoetida.
8. Pour the hot oil and seasoning over the heap of spice powders on the potato.
9. Add salt and lime juice mixture, chopped coriander leaves and blend well.
10. Make lemon size balls out of the potato filling and keep aside.
INGREDIENTS FOR BATTER
Besan ( Bengal gram dal flour) - 2 cups
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Curds - 1 tbsp
oil - for frying
METHOD
1. Blend all the ingredients together except oil, adding the required amount of water to make a thick batter.
2. Heat 2 table spoons of oil separatelys and pour into the batter and blend well.
3. Allow the batter to stand for 20 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a kadai for frying the bondas.
5.Coat a potato ball completly with the batter by dipping it into the prepared batter, and drop it gently into the hot oil.
6. Drop in 6 to 8 batter coated potato balls into the hot oil and reduce flame.
7. Splash hot oil on top of the bondas using the perforated ladle.
8. Gently cook the bondas turning them over now and then until they become golden brown in colour.
9. Remove when done and drain on a paper towel.
Relish the sizzling hot Bombay Bondas with mint chutney or any other chutney or sauce of your choice.

NAATTU KOZHI KUZHAMBU :

This kuzhambu is having a delicious taste as it has a lots of curry leaves. The powder enhances the taste very differently.
நாட்டுக்கோழிக்குழம்பு:

Ingredients:


Chicken pieces-750 gms
Cubed potatoes- 1 cup [optional]
Sliced onion-3
Chopped tomatoes-2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil-6 tbsp
Chopped coriander-half cup
Curry leaves- 5 arc
Coarse fennel powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Chillipowder-1 tbsp
Coriander powder-2 tbsp


Powder the following:


1 tsp fennel seeds, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp poppy seeds


Grind the following to a fine paste:


Shredded coconut- 1 cup, Sambar onions-10, fennel seeds-1 tsp, ginger-2 tbsp, small garlic pearls-15


Procedure:


Heat a vessel and add the 3 tbsp of oil.
Add the half of the onion and fry them to golden brown.
Add the tomatoes and fry it until they are mashed well and the oil floats on top.
Add the potatoes and cook them with a few cups of water until they are half-cooked.
Add the chicken pieces with the powders and salt.
Cook the chicken for some minutes.
Add the ground paste and cook for a few minutes.
Heat a pan and pour the remaining oil.
Add the remaining onion and fry it to golden brown.
Add the coarse fennel powder and the greens.
Fry them for a few seconds.
Add this to the kuzhambu.
Let the gravy cook for a few minutes on slow fire.
Serve hot with rice or aappams.