Nippattu | Thattai : South Indian Crispy Snack Recipe

Nippattu is a deep fried Indian snack that is perfect for the coming Deepavali festival. You can prepare this couple of days in advance too. It stays fresh for up to 10 days.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients: (Makes about 30 nippattu)
Rice flour: 1 cup
Maida | AP flour: 1/2 cup
Chickpea flour | Besan: 1/2 cup
Roasted gram | Hurigadale | Putani: 2 tbsp
Roasted peanuts: 2 tbsp
Grated dry coconut: 1/2 cup
Sesame seeds: 1 tsp
Hing | Asafoetida: a big pinch
Red chili powder: 1 tsp, more or less
Salt: As needed
Hot oil or Vegetable shortening: 1 tbsp, refer notes
Water: As needed

Other ingredients:
Oil to deep fry the nippattu

Method:
Sieve the rice flour, maida and chickpea flour separately and keep them aside.
Roughly crush the roasted peanuts and putani (roasted gram). Keep them aside.
Take a mixing bowl. To that add rice flour, maida, chickpea flour, salt, hing, chili powder and vegetable shortening.

Mix until the shortening is incorporated in the flours. The flours should be slightly crumbly.
To this, add the grated dry coconut, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts and roasted gram. Mix again.

Add little water at a time to make a soft and yet not sticky dough. Refer note # 2 below.

Grease an aluminium foil or parchment paper.
Make marble sized balls out of the dough.
Flatten the dough on the greased foil. I made about 2 inch circles. Do not make it too thin.

Heat oil in a wok. When oil is hot, drop 2-3 nippattus (depending on the oil used) at a time & deep fry it on a medium heat until they turn golden in color.

Drain the fried nippattu on a kitchen towel & allow it to cool.

Repeat the procedure of flattening and deep frying until you finish the dough.
Once cool completely, store them in air tight containers.

Notes:

1. I used Crisco Vegetable Shortening (similar to Vanaspati or Dalda). You could use hot oil instead of vegetable shortening. If using hot oil, add about 1.5 tbsp. 
2. If you are making the nippattu in big batches, divide the mixed flour into 2-3 equal parts. Add water to one portion at a time and make the dough. You should not let the dough rest for a long time. Hence, dividing the flour and making dough helps. 
3. I repeat. Do not flatten the nippattu too much. It should be the thickness of a cracker or marie biscuit.

Eggless condensed milk cake | Eggless sponge cake

PS: I am a beginner in frosting the cake, so please bear with me until I perfect the art.

It's raining cakes & cupcakes at my home. I baked 2 large cakes and about 45 cupcakes for my son's and hubby's birthday. Both their birthdays are in the same week. It was a baking fiesta for me at home.

I normally use the yogurt/curd recipe to make the eggless vanilla sponge cake, but this time thought of making it rich using condensed milk and butter. I prefer this over the yogurt one. I have made it many number of times and it is always a hit at home :)

This is a basic sponge cake. You could frost it however you want or have it as is. I have tweaked the recipe a little as I did not have orange juice at home.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Baking Time: 35-45 mins
Recipe Source: My Diverse Kitchen

Ingredients: This cake yields about 16 pieces (I made it in 9" round tin)
Dry ingredients:
AP flour/Maida: 2.5 cups
Baking Powder: 2 tsp
Baking soda: 1 tsp
Salt: A pinch

Wet ingredients:
Sweetened Condensed milk: 14 ounce can or about 400gms
Butter: 3/4 cup or 1 & 1/2 sticks
Water: 1 cup
Vinegar: 1 tbsp
Vanilla Extract: 2 tsp

Method: 
Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C.
Grease the baking tray using a non stick baking spray.
Sieve all the ingredients mentioned under the dry ingredients section.
Melt the butter.

To the melted butter, add the condensed milk, water, vinegar and vanilla extract.

Mix gently and keep them aside.
Scoop the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl & mix them gently. Make a well in the center of the flour.

Pour the mixed liquid over the flour & mix. Use a whisk or a spatula to mix them. Do not whisk. Just mix them gently.

Once both the ingredients are mixed well, pour the batter to the greased baking tray. Little lumps here and there is okay.

Tap the tray and bake the cake for about 35-45 mins. Mine got done in about 42 mins.
Remove the cake from the oven & allow to cool for 10-15 mins on a cooling rack.

After 15 mins, run the knife on the edges of the cake & flip the baking pan over the cooling rack.
Tap the bottom of the pan gently and remove the baking pan. The cake will slide off easily.

Allow the cake to cool for a minimum of 1 hour before slicing them.
To frost the cake, you need to cool the cake for couple of hours.

I frosted the cake with the left over chocolate butter cream icing and sprinkled some powdered sugar. I decorated it with some chocolate chips and the cake is ready.

Notes: 

• Baking time of the cake depends on the kind of baking pan/tray used. If you use dark colored pan like the one shown above, the baking time will be more. If using a aluminium foil or thin aluminium tray, the baking time will be less. So, keep a close eye on the cake after 25-30 mins. 
• To check if the cake is baked or not, insert a toothpick to the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is done.
• You could use Nestle's Milkmaid to make this cake. 
• I will give the chocolate frosting recipe in my coming posts. Stay tuned!

Ribbon Pakoda | Ribbon Murukku | Indian deep fried snack: Gokulastami Recipes

Are you wondering why I am posting a Gokulastami recipe now, when the festival was over about a month ago. Hold on.., for few of us... the festival is not over yet. We are celebrating the Gokulastami (Krishna Janmastami) on the coming Monday (15th September 2014).

I noted down the ribbon pakoda recipe during my visit to India. When I searched the internet, I found many recipes for ribbon pakoda. Each of them was different. Hence, I went ahead with what I had noted down. It came out very crisp.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: About 30 mins

Ingredients:
Rice flour | Akki hittu: 1 cup
Gram flour | Kadale hittu: 1/2 cup
Butter: 1.5 tbsp, melted or softened
Salt: As needed
Asafoetida | Hing: a pinch
Pepper powder: 1 tsp
Water: As needed

Other ingredients:
Oil: For deep frying

Method:
Add the rice flour, gram flour, salt, asafoetida, pepper powder to a mixing bowl.Add the softened butter.

Mix well. The flours should get coated with the butter.
Add water little at a time to the flour mixture and make soft, non sticky dough. The dough should be smooth but non sticky.

Heat the oil in a wok for deep frying.
Grease the murukku maker. Use the ribbon pakoda plate. Add the dough to the murukku maker.

When oil is hot, press the ribbon murukku directly on to the oil. Cook it on a medium high heat until it turns golden brown.

Flip the pakoda & cook on both sides.
Drain the ribbon pakoda on a paper towel. Repeat pressing the pakoda & frying until the dough is over.

Cool the pakoda & save it in a air tight container. Can be stored for about 10 days.

Notes:

• As soon as the murukku is dropped in oil, the oil makes a "shh" sound and you see lots of bubbles in the oil. As the murukku gets cooked, the sound reduces to zero & the oil becomes clear.
• You could use about 2 tbsp of hot oil instead of butter to make a vegan version.

Red Chutney for Mysore Masala Dosa | Fiery hot garlic chutney

The specialty of the Mysore Masala Dosa is the spicy red chutney that is smeared on the hot dosa. I have got many requests for the red chutney recipe. This time when I visited India, I got many versions from my relatives. Here is one of the versions I tried & loved it to bits!

PS: My red chutney doesn't look exceptionally red, because I did not have the less spicy version of the red chili (Kashmiri Chili or Byadagi Chili: These add a rich color to the chutney keeping it less spicy).

The Mysore masala dosa recipe can be found here.
The potato curry | aloo sabzi | palya recipe is here.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: Nil

Ingredients: (Yields about a cup of chutney)
Roasted Gram dal | Putani | Daliya: 2 tbsp
Garlic: 3-4 lobes, refer notes
Onion: About 1/4 cup, diced
Red chili: 4 nos of spicy variety (Guntur Chili) & 4 nos of Kashmiri Chili
Tamarind : marble sized
Oil: 1/4 tsp
Salt: As needed

Method: 
Soak the red chilies and tamarind in warm water. Use about 1/4 cup of water. Let it soak for about 20-30 mins.

Heat oil in a wok. When oil is hot, throw in the diced onions. Saute the onions until they become translucent. This should not take more then 2-3 mins. 

Scoop out the sauteed onions. 
Add the soaked chilies, tamarind, garlic, sauteed onions, salt to the blender jar or food processor. Add the red chili soaked water & make a smooth and thick paste out of it. 
Scoop out the paste & chutney is ready. You could store this in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

Notes:

• If you are using Indian garlic, use about 7-8 lobes, as Indian garlic is comparatively smaller in size. 
• If the onion is non pungent, you could skip roasting the onion & use them raw. I generally use them raw in India while roast them here in US. I feel the onions are more pungent here. Pungent onions make the chutney bitter. 

Molake kaalu rotti | Sprouts Thalipeeth | Indian Flat bread with sprouts : Karnataka Recipe

The last few weeks, I suffered from acidity, constipation and gastric problem. During that time, my family and friends advised me to consume fenugreek. So, I used methi leaves, and made many dishes using methi (fenugreek). I sprouted some fenugreek seeds too. I put the sprouts in salads & with the left over sprouts I made this rotti.

The rotti was a tad bitter. But, you won't feel it if you have it with a spicy chutney or a side dish.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: About 3 mins for each rotti

Ingredients: (Makes about 9-10 rotti | thalipeeth)
Fenugreek sprouts: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped onion: About 3/4 cup
Finely chopped coriander leaves: 1/4 cup, tightly packed
Rice flour: 4 cups
Salt: As needed
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp, optional
Water: As needed

Other ingredients:
Cooking oil: 1-2 tsp, for each rotti.

Method:
Add the sprouts, onion, coriander leaves, cumin seeds and turmeric to a mixing bowl. Mix it well.

Add the rice flour, salt and mix again.

Add little water at a time to make a soft and smooth dough. Dough should be of patty or cutlet dough consistency. You should be able to pat the thalipeeth or rotti easily.

Divide the dough into equal sized balls. I prefer making them into small orange sized balls.
Grease the griddle or aluminium foil & pat the rotti on the foil/griddle.
Refer here and here to see how I make the rotti.

Cook the rotti on both the sides until slightly golden brown.

Serve it hot with a spicy chutney or side dish of your choice.

Notes:
You could replace rice flour with jowar flour or cream of wheat (semolina or rawa).
You could also add grated carrots and very finely chopped bell peppers to make it more healthy. 

Halasina Beeja Saaru | Jackfruit seeds Rasam | Kotte Saaru: South Indian Rasam Recipes

Jack fruit is used extensively in the South Canara Region of Karnataka. It is less consumed as a fruit, but used as a vegetable in the day to day cooking. To name a few, raw jack fruit is used to make chips, papads/fritters, sambar (koddel or huli), sabzi (palya), and dosa. Ripened jack fruit is also used to make kadubu (idli), dosa and mulka. The seeds of the ripened jack fruit is dried and used too. Posting below is a picture of jackfruit chips.

I learnt this unique jack fruit seeds rasam during my last visit to India. You will need minimal ingredients to prepare this flavorful rasam. Kotte is a Tulu word for Jack fruit seeds.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 45-60 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Jack fruit seeds: 12-14 nos, skinned
Green chili: 2 nos, slit
Tamarind: marble sized
Garlic: 1 lobe or about 1/2 tsp
Salt: As needed
Turmeric: a pinch
Rasam powder: 1/2 tsp, more or less
Water: About 4 cups, divided use

For tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp, refer notes
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Finely chopped garlic: 1 tsp
Finely chopped onion: 2-3 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

Method:
Crush the jack fruit seeds roughly. Add the green chili, tamarind, roughly chopped garlic, crushed jack fruit seeds, and salt to a sauce pan. Add about 2 cups of water and turmeric.

Boil the water until the jack fruit seeds are soft and tender. It will take a good 30-35 mins for the seeds to cook completely. Water would also reduce significantly. Allow the seeds mixture to cool completely.

When cool, drain the water and preserve the drained water. Make a smooth paste of the cooked seeds, green chili, tamarind and garlic.

Scoop out the paste to the same sauce pan. Add the drained water, more water (as needed), rasam powder and salt (if needed). Boil the mixture for 5-7 mins on medium-high. Turn off the heat.
Prepare the tempering. Add the coconut oil to a small pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard and cumin seeds. When seeds crackle, add the garlic and saute till the garlic is golden brown.

Add the chopped onion and saute until the onions are translucent. No need to brown the onions. Cook for couple of mins only. 

Turn off the heat & pour this tempering over the boiling rasam. Mix well and saaru is ready to be served.

Notes:
For the authentic flavor, I suggest using coconut oil. But, if you are not comfortable using coconut oil, use any other cooking oil that you prefer.

Menthya soppina saaru | Methi Rasam : South Indian Recipes

I will be sharing a simple & humble rasam recipe with you. This is a very aromatic & flavorful rasam. I bet you guys will like it. Try it to believe :D

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 40-50 mins (including the lentils cooking time)
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Methi leaves | Fenugreek leaves: About 1/4th cup tightly packed
Tomatoes: 2 nos, medium sized or 1 no, large
Garlic cloves: 2-3 large or about 2 tsp roughly chopped
Green chili: 1 no, sliced
Curry leaves: 3-4 nos, torn
Thick tamarind extract : 1/2 tsp, refer notes
Rasam Powder: 2 tsp
Salt: As needed

Toor dal | Pigeon pea lentils: a fistful
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

For tempering:
Cooking Oil: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric: a pinch

Method:
Wash the pigeon pea lentils thoroughly in water. Add about 1/2 inch water on top of it, add the turmeric. Pressure cook the pigeon pea lentils for 3-4 whistles or for about 25 mins, until the lentils are soft & mushy.
Let the cooker cool. 
Meantime, finely chopped the fenugreek leaves, and tomatoes. 
Heat oil in a sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When leaves wilt & seeds crackle, add the garlic & green chili. Saute till the garlic turns golden brown. 
Throw in the finely chopped fenugreek leaves & saute till the leaves are cooked. This might take about 3-4 mins.
Throw in the chopped tomato & saute till the tomatoes are soft & mushy. Add the turmeric powder, tamarind extract, salt, rasam powder & about 2 cups of water. Boil it on a medium heat. 
Mash the cooked lentils well and add the mashed dal to the rasam.  Boil for a good 15 mins on medium heat.
Turn off the heat & serve the rasam hot with steamed rice and a side dish or fritters/papad. 

Notes: 

• Adjust the tamarind extract according to the sourness needed. If you are using very sour tomatoes, you might not even need the tamarind. 
• You could use store bought rasam powder to make this too. I personally prefer MTR rasam powder. (No, I am not sponsored to say this)