PARUPPU PANIYARAM

INGREDIENTS:

Idli / Dosa batter - 2 cups
Gram dhal(Kadalai paruppu) - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 4
Scraped coconut - 1/4 cup
Hing
Urad dhal - 2 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 ladle
Salt

METHOD:

Soak gram dhal in water for 1 hour. Drain the water completely and grind it with little salt and chillies to a coarse paste. Mix it with idli/dosa batter.

Chop curry leaves.

Heat a spoon of oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, chopped curry leaves, scraped coconut, hing and turmeric powder. Add this to the batter. Mix well.


Heat an appakaral or paniyaram mould (ensure medium heat), pour 1/2 a spoon of oil and then the batter. Cover with a lid and flip it to the other side and cook till golden brown and crispy.

Serve with any chutney of your choice.

SNAKEGOURD SEED THOGAYAL

INGREDIENTS:

Tender snakegourd seeds - 2 cups
Tamarind - 1/2 the size of a lemon
Coconut scraped - 1/2 cup (optional)
Dry red chillies - 3 or 4
Urad dhal - 2 tablespoons
Hing
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 2 tsp.



METHOD:

This is a popular iyengar thogayal. Whenever , we see the tender seeds of snakegourd, we make this thogayal.

Scoop out the tender seeds from snakegourd.

Fry chillies, hing and seeds in oil, till it shrinks well & the raw smell goes away.

Fry urad dhal till golden brown.

Allow it to cool. In a mixie, grind chillies, half of the urad dhal, tamarind and salt. Then add the seeds and grind it till soft. Do not add water. (Can also add coconut alongwith this, but I have not added).

Season with remaining urad dhal.

Best when mixed with rice & a little bit of gingelly oil or ghee, also with idlis and dosas.

VEGETABLE SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh corn kernels - 1/4 cup
Tomatoes - 2
Cucumber( small variety) - 2
Carrot - 1
Coriander leaves - few
Lime - 1
Salt - as per taste

METHOD:

Peel cucumber. Chop all the vegetables to small pieces. Mix all the vegetables, add salt and squeeze a lime. Mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.

Sending this to Cooking for Kids event by Lakshmi and Sharmi
& Radhika's Food for 7 stages 4-14 yrs.kids event

GULAB-E-AAB

Impressed by Lata's recipe, I also tried it out, as I always love the baby pink colour. I used paalkhova as it was easily available. Yes. It was really fantastic and rich, creamy and easy to make. I wanted to give it a dim light effect. Arabian nights?!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Milk - 1/2 ltr.
Paal khova - 50 gms
Rose syrup - approx. 6 tsp.
Saffron - 2 strands
Pistachios - 1 tsp.
Almonds- 4

METHOD:

Boil and cool the milk.

Add the rose syrup little by little till you get a baby pink colour. You may not need sugar as rose syrup has high sugar in it.

Scramble the paalkhova into the milk and whip it in a blender.

Blanch pistachios and almonds, peel the skin, and grate.

Garnish the milk with these grated pistas, almonds and saffron strands while serving.

Serve chilled. Vah-Re-Vah. Gulab-E-Aab is ready.

Easy way to blanch almonds: Boil half-a-cup of water, add badam and pistachios and microwave for 30 sec. in "High".

Sending this to Meeta's event -Monthly mingle Brunch.