orema

When i posted the recipe of POORI MASALA | POORI KIZHANGU, few readers were asking to post the recipe of how to make poori too. Though i make it twice a month, but never had a chance to click the making of Poori as either it would  be on weekends or on a weekday morning breakfast. Finally i made poori for kids snack , after they come from school, generally they eat meals as they normally take some tiffin like idli, paratha, chapathi or bread for lunch. When i made this around 3 pm suddenly i thought i would click poori so that it will be useful for readers too. So in a hurry i clicked and posting the recipe now.

Scroll down to note down the tips as how to make poori in advance if you have guests coming to home.
INGREDIENTS (YIELDS 1O POORIS)

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR	1 CUP
SALT	1/4 TSP
SOOJI (RAVA) |SEMOLINA	1/4 TSP(OPTIONAL)
SUGAR	2  PINCHES
OIL	FOR DEEP FRYING
WATER	TO KNEAD THE DOUGH

METHOD:

• In a wide bowl add the whole wheat flour, salt, sugar,sooji (if adding) and slowly add water to this and make this into a pliable dough.
• Do not make the dough very tight else while rolling it will not come smooth. Do not make it too soft else it will absorb oil too.

• Divide this into equal sized small balls.
• Heat the oil for deep frying. Dust the rolling board with flour and roll the ball into a small medium thick disc.

• When the oil is hot, carefully drop this into the oil and deep fry on both sides.

• Using a jolted ladle take out the puffed poori draining the excess oil.

• Always ensure that the oil is very hot. else pooris will not puff.
• If the pooris while rolling has any hole in it it will not puff.

Notes for making pooris for guests
Generally i won’t opt for making pooris when i have guests coming to my house for lunch or dinner. I always make Chapathis as i can make in advance and keep in a casserole. If i start make making pooris, i can not spend time with the guests and finally they also end up coming in the kitchen to help me out to roll the pooris. But i learnt this tip from a friend which i tried twice and it worked out very well.

• Grease a wide plate with oil.
• Roll the pooris as mentioned above . Place them on the greased plate . while placing do not keep it one above the other. they should not be over lapped.
• Put a cling wrap on this and keep it in the refrigerator . this can be made 1- 2 hrs in advance.
• Just when all are ready to eat, heat the oil and start frying the pooris.
• You get fluffy soft pooris.

Kandantippili rasam i wanted to post for a long time , but somehow i didn’t search for that in Singapore, but when my mom visited me last month bought this for me and i wanted to start a series of recipes which we used to give for moms after delivery , commonly called as Pathiya samayal in Tamil and Postpartum food in English.  My athai used make this for me when i delivered my second kid Varun, and  she used to tell this kandantippili rasam helps in digestion too. Now a days we generally do not follow pathiyam after delivery and in my case too when i deliverd my first child 12 years back my mom strictly followed pathiyam but for the second one after 4 years i never follow any strict pathiyam. This kandantippili i don’t know what is is the English term of this but you can get this easily in most of the small shops in chennai. I will be posting some Postpartum food which we generally follow at our house, more frequently here.

Before moving on to the post, thank you so much for trying out the Gokulashtami recipes and i am overwhelmed to see the mails . Thank you so much again.
INGREDIENTS: SERVES 4

KANDATIPPILI	4-5 sticks
TOOR DHAL	1 TBLSP
BLACK PEPPER	1 TSP
JEERA	1/2 TSP
TAMARIND EXTRACT	1 AND 1/2 CUP
TURMERIC POWDER	1/4 TSP
GHEE	1/2 TSP
COOKED TOOR DHAL	1/2 TBLSP
MUSTARD SEEDS	1/4 TSP
CURRY LEAVES	FEW
ASAFOETIDA	A PINCH
SALT	AS NEEDED

METHOD:

• Dry roast the kandantippili , toor dal, black pepper .
• Powder it finely in a mixer along with cumin seeds.

• Soak a small lemon sized tamarind and extract the juice from this.
• In a vessel add the tamarind water, 1 tblsp of the ground powder, salt, asafoetida, turmeric powder.

• Let this boil for 7-9 minutes in a low flame.
• Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water to the cooked toor dal and add this to the boiling mixture.
• Let this become frothy , add curry leaves and switch off the flame.
• Temper with mustard seeds in ghee.

• Super flavourful rasam is ready for serving.

Note:

1. You can make the powder in bulk and make rasam whenever you want.
2. If you want you can add 1 tomato (pureed) while boiling. But for pathiyam tomaotes will not be added.
3. You can add 1/2 tsp of coriander seeds while roasting if you want.

       

Gokulashtami is always special to my mother i law as she always tells me to make as many items as possible to offer Neivedhyam for Lord Krishna. Two years back when i was talking to her she told that she made Rava uppu seedai for Krishna jayanthi and she learnt the recipe from her friend. At that time i didn’t remember asking her the recipe but last week suddenly i remembered that conversation while talking to her and asked her for the recipe. She couldn’t give exact measurements but i was bit worried whether the seedai will burst as rava is bit coarse in texture. But she told me to try in small quantity but she told the rava uppu seedais didn’t burst. Later after 2 days, while talking to my relative here, she was mentioning her mom will make rava seedais and to my luck she is now in Singapore now to visit her. So mami instructed me properly the recipe of Rava uppu seedai and following her recipe i made it correct.These Rava seedais turned out crispy too. Thanks to your mom Chitra.

INGREDIENTS

RAVA | SOOJI	1/2 CUP
POTTUKADALAI |CHUTNEY DAL|ROASTED GRAM	1 TSP
COOCNUT (SCRAPPED)	1 TSP
BUTTER	1/2 TBLSP
SALT	AS NEEDED
SESAME SEEDS(WHITE)	1/4 TSP
OIL	FOR DEEP FRYING

METHOD:

• Powder the rava and pottukadalai  in a mixer. You can even powder the pottukadalai  alone finely. My rava was bit coarse i felt and so i powdered it too.

• Dry roast the coconut and sesame seeds separately till golden brown.
• Add butter , salt and the roasted coconut, sesame seeds and the ground rava and pottukadalai.

• Knead the dough into a soft pliable dough. This will take very less water 1 to 2 tblsp.
• Cover this and keep it aside for 45 minutes.

• After that make small balls out of this and allow this to dry in at kitchen towel or a while cloth for 10 minutes.
• Heat the oil for deep frying.  Carefully drop this in oil and deep fry in a low flame till  nice golden colour.
• Drain this in a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

• Rava Seedais are ready for neivedhyam. 

Note:

1. Adding pottukadalai is optional. I just added out of my own interest as the original recipe mami gave was without pottukadalai. I just added for binding.
2. But do not add more than the proportion mentioned. It will become soggy.
3. You can add 1 tsp of rice flour too instead of roasted gram dal, but if adding rice flour roast it nicely and sieve and then add.
4. Red chilli powder can be added to enhance the taste.

 Gokulashtami | Krishna Jayanthi 2013 falls on Aug 28 . Though i have posted an elaborate post on recipes to make for Janmashtami , HERE, but if you are working and don’t have time to prepare for an elaborate neivedhyam like uppu seedai, vella seedai, mullu murruku or thattai or due to any health reasons if you can not make preparations the before day, here are 5 quick recipes that you can make for Neivedhyam to Lord Krishna on Gokulashtami | Krishna jayanthi.  In our family, we have the tradition as we have to fry some sweet or savory in oil on Krishna jayanthi. So even if ladies in the house can not go into the kitchen and make anything the men in the house make some simple vadai and aval payasam. My mil says that the smoke comes out from the oil get rids of the negative thoughts inside the house.

Nei appam is generally made during Krishna jayanthi |Gokulashtami along with Uppu seedai and Vella seedai.  We also make this for Ganesha Chathurthi and Karthigai Deepam too. Even for working women who cannot come and make all items elaborately after coming back from office, they can offer Nei appam and Aval payasam for neivedhyam. This nei appam my amma makes very nice and generally she deep fries it . But i made in paniyaram pan . So sharing today the recipe of nei appam  which i learnt from my mom.

INGREDIENTS: MAKES 12 APPAMS

RAW RICE	1/2 CUP
URAD DAL	1 TBLSP
RAVA | SOOJI	1 TSP
JAGGERY	1/4 CUP + 1 TBLSP
GHEE	AS NEEDED
CARDAMOM POWDER	A PINCH
COCONUT GRATED	2 TBLSP

METHOD:

• Soak the rice, urad dal and rava for 2 hours.
• Drain the water and grind this into thick paste without adding much water. When  it is done, add the jaggery and pulse till it mixes to the rice mixture.

• Add coconut and cardamom powder to this and pulse again.
• The batter is ready, Let this be like a ildi batter consistency.

• Heat the paniyaram pan and add ghee to this. Spoon in the batter and keep the flame low. When it becomes golden brown flip on the other side. Add some ghee and cook till golden brown.
• Repeat the same for the rest of the batter too.

• Nei appams are ready for neivedhyam.

• If deep frying add ghee plus oil in a pan and spoon(little bigger spoon) in  for one appam at a time.

Note:

• Instead of urad dal you can add 2 tblsp of wheat flour to ground rice and jaggery mixture.
• You can add mashed banana (1 banana) to get pillow soft appams.
• A pinch of baking soda can be added just before making this.
• If you feel the jaggery has impurities then grind the rice separatelythick, and melt the jaggery in little water and add filter this and add this to the rice paste.

Methi pakoda is an easy and quick snack which i tried for the first time. This methi pakoda turned out well and we had this as an evening snack with hot tea on a rainy day. I have tried Methi pakoda kadhi but this is a different recipe of pakoda which i tried from a cook book. If you have Methi leaves in hand, just go ahead to make this methi pakodas.

INGREDIENTS: SERVES 3-4

METHI LEAVES	2 CUPS
BESAN |GRAM FLOUR	1/2 CUP
RICE FLOUR	1/4 CUP
SAMBAR POWDER*	1-2 TSP
JEERA POWDER	1/4 TSP
AMCHOOR POWDER	2 PINCHES
CORIANDER LEAVES	1 HAND FUL
SALT	AS NEEDED
GARAM MASALA	1/4 TSP
ONION	1
OIL	FOR DEEP FRYING

*Sambar powder can be replaced with coriander powder and red chilli powder.

METHOD:

• Wash the methi leaves and chop them roughly.
• In a wide bowl add the methi leaves and add the rice flour, gram flour, sambar powder,coriander leaves,amchoor powder,jeera,salt and garam masala.
• Add chopped onions to this.

• Add little water to this and make it to a dough consistency.
• Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. when the oil is hot, keep the flame to medium.
• Spoon in the dough in small batches into oil and deep fry them till golden brown.

• Drain excess oil in kitchen towel and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

       NOTE:

1. Adding amchoor powder lessens the bitterness of the methi leaves in the pakoda.
2. Mint leaves can be added instead of coriander leaves.

Check out my other methi leaves recipes:

• ALOO METHI
• METHI LEAVES SAMBAR
• METHI THEPLA
• METHI PULAO
• METHI MALAI MUTTER
• PANEER METHI MAKHANI
• METHI PARATHA