Madduru Vade

Its a very famous traditional snack prepared in south karnataka and originated from a place near Mysore called Madduru. Its very easy and takes very less time.

Preparation time : 30 mins

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 measure
Maida/All purpose flour - 1/2 measure
Rava - 1/2 measure 
Curry leaves - 2 twig (Finely chopped)
Oinion - 1 medium size
Green Chilies - 2 (Finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 and half spoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 sp
Kadale hittu/Channa flour - 1 sp
Salt - As per taste
Oil - Deep frying
Plastic sheets

Method:

1. Keep oil for heating in a deep frying pan.
2. In a big mixing bowl add all the above ingredients. i.e Rice Flour, Maida, Rava, Kadale hittu/Channa flour, Ginger Garlic paste, Finely chopped Onions, Curry leaves, Green Chili, Red Chili Powder and Salt as per requirement
3. Add  6-7 spoons of hot oil to the mixing bowl and use spoon to mix well
4. Add water in a small quantity and prepare dough. It should be very hard than Chapati dough.
5. Take a big lemon size dough, place it between a good quality plastic sheet and gently press with your palms. It must be quite thick around 1/4th inch in thickness. You can also choose to roll them but its very important to be bit thick. 
6. Place them slowly into hot oil until Onions are little brown. Remove them into a plate with napkins and serve hot with Green Chutney, Coconut Chutney or with Tomato Sauce. Its makes a good evening snacks during winter. 

Let me know how did you enjoyed this with your family in comments :)

Vermiceli Upma

Dear Lovelies,

This is my son's favourite and thought would be helpful to all moms who worry a lot about there lil ones not eating food.

preparation time : 30 mins

Ingredients:

• Vermiceli
• Onion - 1 medium
• Green Chili/Red Chili - 2-3
• Curry leaves
• Oil - 2-3 sp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 sp
• Uddina Bele/Urad dal - 1/2 sp
• Kadale Bele/Channa Dal - 1/2 sp
• Cashews - around 10
• Tomato - about 1/2
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Coriander leaves/Cilantro - about 1 sp finely chopped

It is very simple n can be prepared in no time and very colourful. The trick is that vermiceli must be separated and it should not be sticky. here goes the method.

1. Firstly dry roast the vermicelli until they are very light brown in color. Simultaneously bring water to boil in a sauce pan. (approx ratio might be 1 cup of vermiceli into 2 and 1/2 cup of water would be sufficient). Add 1/2 t sp salt and few drops of oil into the boiling water. Now add the dry roasted vermiceli into the water, turn off the flame, cover it for 2 mins and remove all the excess water using strainer. Adding few drops of oil is the trick for vermiceli tobe non sticky.
2. Prepare tadka with Oil, Mustard Seeds, curry leaves, Red/Green chilies, Channa n Urad dals, Cashwes, Onions. Cook until Onions are transparent. Add Tomatoes and cook until they are soft. Add pinch of Tumeric powder. 
3. Add the Vermiceli and Salt as per taste. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro n Serve hot.

Ps: It makes a good evening time snack or a light break fast. You can alwys skip tomatoes n add fresh lime juice according to your taste and also number of chillies can be varied depending on the requirement. Do try and let us know your experience. Happy Cooking!!

Masala Vada

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• KadaleBele/Channa Dal - 1 cup
• Onion - 2 medium size
• Green Chilies - 5-6
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1sp
• Cilantro - 1/2 Cup
• Mint Leaves - 1/2 Cup
• Salt - As per taste
• Oil - 2 Cups (For Deep fry)
• Cooking Soda - 2 pinch

Method:

• Soak Channa Dal in water for about 30-40 mins. Drain excess water and grind the dal using mixer to a coarse texture.No need to add water and care should be taken to see that its not grind to a smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
• Finely chop Onions, Green Chilies, Cilantro and Mint leaves. You can replace Cilantro and Mint combination with a bunch of Dill Leaves/Sabsige Soppu too.
• To a bowl containing Dal, add finely chopped Onions, Green Chilies, Cilantro and Mint leaves or Dill Leaves. roughly crushed Ginger, Garlic, Salt to taste and pinch of Baking Soda. Mix well using Spatula. Roll out ping pong ball size mixture and make them round patties. Deep fry and serve hot along with Green Chutney. Hot Vada is a treat during rainy day. 

Crispy Crackles

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients:

• Rice Flour - 1Cup
• Water - 1 and 1/2 cup
• Jaggery - small amla size
• Salt - asper taste
• Red Chili Powder - 1sp
• Onion - 1
• Green Chili - 2
• Curry leaves - 1 twig
• Sompu/Ani Seeds - 1/4 sp
• White Til - 1/2 sp
• Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 2sp (Finely Chopped)
• Oil - 1cup
• Roasted roughly broken peanuts - 3-4 sp (Optional)

Method:

• In a sauce pan add 1 sp rice flour and 3-4 sp water and mix to form paste with out forming lumps, now slowly add remaining water(dilute the paste) with continuous stir. For this add jaggery, salt about 1/2 sp and red chili powder and bring to boil.Add the rest of the flour and continue to cook for about 10 mins. mix well with a help of flat spoon ar spatula. Allow to cool for a while.
• Now for this mixture add, finely chopped Onion, Green Chili, Curry leaves, Coriander leaves/Cilantro, Sompu/Ani Seeds  and White Til knead well.
• Roll out small balls and make flat thin rounds similar to poori. Deep fry on medium flame until nice brown. Crispy Crackles are ready to serve. they make good snack on a rainy day. Amazing to go with Tea. Its so crispy that i bet you just cant stop for just 1 or 2.

Onion Pakhora

Preparation time - 30 mins

Ingredients

• Onion - 2
• Kadale hittu/Besan flour - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 2 tsp
• Chiroti rava - 1/4 cup
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander seed - 1/2 tsp
• Green chilies - 5
• Ginger - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves - 2 twig
• Oil - 1 bowl (for deep fry)
• Cooking soda - 1/8 tsp

Method 

• In a large vessel add kadalehittu, rice flour, chiroti rava, red chili powder and mix well.
• Heat 7 tsp of oil and add to the flour, mix well
• Add coriander seed, finely chopped green chilies, ginger, onion slices, cooking soda, salt to taste and mix well. 
• Sprinkle 2 - 3 tsp of water and mix. If you press the flour it should hold together. you can add another 2- 3 tsp of water if required but dont add too much of water like we do to prepare bonda dough.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add the above prepared mixture in irregular shape and fry on medium to low flame.Once onion slices turn to nice brown, remove from oil and spread on a tissue paper to remove excess oil.
• Deep fry few curry leaves and use them to garnish on pakhora, serve hot.

Chakkli

Preparation time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• Akki hittu/Rice flour - 1 Cup
• Hurigadale pudi/Roasted gram flour - 1/4 cup
• Red chili powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Beli ellu/white til - 1 tsp
• jerige/Jeera - 1sp
• Salt - 1/2 to 3/4 tsp
• Oil - 8tsp
• Water
• Oil - 1 bowl (for deep fry)

Method:

• In a mixing bowl add rice flour, roasted gram flour, Red chili powder, white til, jeera and salt to taste. Heat 8tsp of oil in a small pan, add to above mixture and mix well with the help of spoon. Add required amount of water and knead well to form a chapati like dough as shown below.
• Heat oil in a pan for deep fry.
• Make a ball of small orange size out of  chakkli dough and place it in chakkli mould and press gently to from round shape or irregular shape on a butter sheet. Care should be taken to see that the dough coming out of mould is not placed one above the other, otherwise it will not be cooked properly inside.
• Once oil is hot, carefully transfer the raw chakkli on butter sheet to oil and deep fry till golden brown. Serve hot during evenings and rainy days

Bread with Tomato Carrot Topping

Preparation time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• Bread - 8 slices
• Carrot - 2
• Tomato - 2
• Onion - 2
• Green chilies - 6
• Uddina bele/Urad dal - 1 sp
• Oil - 4 sp
• Butter - 5sp
• Mustard seed - 1/2 sp
• Salt t o taste 
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 small bowl

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seed allow to pop well, add uddinabele/urad dal and fry until light brown.
• Add finely chopped green chilies and onion fry until transparent.
• Add tomatoes and cook till its soft, add grated carrots and cook for around 5 mins
• Add salt to taste, mix well and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and allow to cool.
• Apply butter on bread slices and roast them on griddle or using oven.
• The above prepared topping is spread over roasted bread and serve along with tomato ketchup.

Namkeen/Tea time biscut

Preparation time:15 min

Ingredients:

• Maida/plain flour - 1 bowl
• Oil - 1 bowl
• Salt - 1/2 sp
• Water

Method:

• Heat 3 sp of oil in a pan
• Take maida/plain flour in a bowl
• Add the hot oil and salt to taste mix well using a spoon.
• Add required quantity of water and knead well like chapati dough, it should be quite hard compared to chapati dough. leave it for 5 mins
• Heat oil a pan for deep fry
• Roll out small balls(big lemon size) out of maida/plain flour dough and press it like a thin sheet of chapati
• Cut into 1/2 inch ribbons and then cross cut to get diamond shapes or you can cut into any of your desired shapes
• Deep fry them in oil till nice brown.
• Tastes well with hot tea.

Khara biscut

Preparation time:20 mins

Ingredients:

• Maida/plain flour - 1 cup
• Green chilies - 5 (finely chopped)
• Jeera/Om kaalu/Tymol seeds - 1/2 sp
• Curry leaves - 10
• Coriander leaves - 2 big sp (finely chopped)
• Salt - 1 sp
• Red chili powder- 1/2 sp
• Oil - 1 bowl
• Water - 1 glass

Method:

• Take maida/plain flour in a bowl, add finely chopped green chilies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, jeera/om kaalu, red chili powder and salt to taste. mix well.
• Heat 3 sp oil in a small pan and add to above mixture, mix well using spoon.
• Add required quantity of water and knead well to form soft dough. it should be quite hard compared to chapati dough.leave aside for 5 mins
• Meanwhile heat oil in a pan for deep fry.
• Roll out lemon size balls out of dough and prepare quite thin chapatis
• Cut in to required shape and deep fry in oil until brown.
• Really makes a nice evening snacks.
• Ps: To make it healthy for kids, spinach/palak is cleaned and cooked. once it is cooled make paste of it and add to maida/plain flour, mix well, later you can add water if required. Quantity of chilies and red chili powder is reduced for kids. Rest of the ingredients and process remains same.   

Quick Bajji

Preparation time :10 mins

Ingredients:

• Maida/Plain flour – 2 measure
• Rice flour – 1 measure
• Coconut pieces – ½ small bowl
• Green chilies – 5-6
• Curd – 1 bowl
• Ginger – 1 inch
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 1 big bowl
• Baking soda – a pinch
• Black pepper (crushed) – optional

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, add maida/plain flour, rice flour, finely chopped green chilies, ginger, salt to taste, baking soda and coconut pieces. Mix well,
• Add roughly crushed black pepper.
• Add curd in small quantity with continues stir as to avoid forming of lumps. Consistency should be very thick like uddina vada hittu/dough.
• Heat oil in a pan for deep fry. Add the above prepared dough to hot oil in small lemon size balls and fry until nice brown.
• Serve hot with green chutney.

Stuffed Mirchi Bajji

Preparation time: 30 mins


Ingredients:

• Mirchi - 5
• Potato - 2 
• Green chilies- 3
• Red chili powder - 1 sp
• Jeera powder - 1/4 sp
• Amchur powder - 1/4 sp
• Coriander seed powder - 1/2 sp
• Salt to taste
• Kadale hittu/Besan flour - 1 bowl
• Cooking soda - a pinch 
• Om kaalu/Tymol - a pinch
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 small bowl
• Oil - For deep fry

Method:

• Pressure cook potatoes till 3 whistles, allow it to cool, peel-off  potato skin smash and keep it aside.
• In a big mixing bowl take the smashed potatoes, add finely chopped green chilies, 1/2 sp red chili powder, coriander seed powder, jeera powder, amchur powder and salt to taste. Also add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. our stuffing is ready.
• In another bowl, add kadale hittu/besan flour, 1/2 sp red chili powder, om kaalu/tymol seeds salt to taste and a pinch of cooking soda mix well by adding required quantity of water idly dough like consistency. care should be taken to not to form lumps.
• Slit the Bajji mirchi, remove the seeds and fill in the above prepared potato stuffing.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a pan for deep fry.
• The stuffed mirchi is dipped in besan dough to get neat coat of it and deep fried in oil till golder brown.
• Serve hot with Tomato ketchup or green chutney. It will be a treat to have on rainy days.