Pachipindi Upma (Rice Flour Upma)

This upma is one of my favourites because of two reasons: 1) It is quick to make and needs no prior preparation at all and 2) It is very yummy. This upma serves one person with a second helping too 🙂

Ingredients

Rice Flour or Pachipinndi – 1 measure

Red Chillies – 2

Mustard Seeds

Oil

Salt to Taste

Method of Preparation

First heat some oil in a kadai, then add some mustard seeds.

After the mustard seeds splutter, break the red chillies into two pieces each and add it to this.

Then add one cup of water and let the water come to a boil.

After the water comes to a boil, add salt according to your taste.

Then add the rice flour to the water and keep it closed with a lid for about 10-12 minutes. (Do not stir the mixture meanwhile).

After some 10-12 minutes, stir the mixture and pour oil while you stir it.

When you mix it, it will come to a upma like consistency, except that it will be coarse. Close the lid and let the upma cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve this upma hot with any pickle. Tastes best with tomato pickle 🙂

Alternative

You can add sour curd also to this upma during preparation. This makes it even more yummier !!

Cold Coffee

Whenever I go to the Sathyam Theatre to watch a movie, I buy Cold Coffee there during the break. I simply love that coffee but I wonder whether the coffee is worth 30 bucks. So I decided to try it at home. After a bit of googling and some improvisation I arrived at the Cold Coffee which tasted exactly like the one which is sold at Sathyam Theatres. Ok, here goes my recipe which serves two.

Ingredients

Coffee Powder (Instant or Filter) – 2 tbsp

Sugar – 3 tbsp

Cocoa Powder – 1 tbsp

Milk – 150 ml or as required (Chilled)

Method of Preparation

In 4 tbsp of hot water, dissolve the sugar, coffee powder and the cocoa powder.

Please note that the filter coffee powder leaves residue. To avoid this you can use the decoction made using the traditional filter or the coffee maker.

Then add the chilled (boiled) milk and keep in refridgerator for 15 mins.

The Cold Coffee is ready and serve with ice cubes.

Custard Fruit Mix

This is one of the most simplest and tastiest sweets I have ever come across. If I can add, it is economical too especially if you want to make any tasty sweet for a large gathering at the shortest possible time. Ok, here we go. This recipe serves 4 people .

Ingredients

Milk – 1/2 ltr

Custard Powder – 4 tsp (Available in any super market in various flavours, I am partial to Vanilla 🙂 )

Sugar – 1/2 cup (Increase or decrease according to your sweet tooth)

Fruits like Banana, Mango , etc – 1 cup, Cut into small pieces

Dry fruits like Cashew nut, Raisins, etc – 2 tsp each, cut into small pieces

Method of Preparation

Dilute the custard powder with enough quantity of cold milk and set aside.

Bring the half litre of milk to a boil. Reduce the flame and stir the milk well and let it boil for 5 minutes.

Then add the required amount of sugar and stir well until the sugar dissolves.

After the sugar dissolves, add the diluted custard powder to the boiling milk.

Keep stirring for about 5 minutes. If you stop stirring then the milk will stick to the pan and the sweet will go bad.

After 5 minutes, remove the Custard Mix from the flame and let is cool to room temperature.

After the mix cools add the nuts and fruits that have been cut.

Refridgerate for about 2 hours and serve chilled.

 

Ullligadda Kaaram (or) Onion Kaaram

This kaaram is also an accompaniment to idli and dosa. Also this can be used for making various curries. So it is handy to always have this kaaram in stock.

Ingredients

Onion – 3 big, Cut

Red Chillies – 20

Tamarind – A small piece (the size of a marble)

Jaggery – A little (If powdered should come to atleast 1 tsp)

Method of Preparation

Grind all the above in mixie to a fine paste.

Combination

The way to eat this kaaram is to mix it with oil and have it as a side dish with idli or dosa. This can also be spread on the dosa to make a tasty onion kaaram dosa.

Thellagadda Merapadi (or) Garlic Karam Powder

This is the podi which I had made a mention in “Idli Karam Toast”. The method of preparation is as follows.

Ingredients

Garlic – 20 Cloves (With the skin)

Chilli Powder – 3 tsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp (Table Salt, not crystal salt)

Method of Preparation

Dry Grind all the above ingredients in a mixie. Store in an air tight container.

Combination

While eating mix this podi with oil. Have this podi as a side dish with either idli or dosa.

Molaga Podi

This is one of the most famous “Podis” of South India. This podi is synonymous with idli, so it is often called “Idli Molaga Podi”.

Ingredients

Urad Dal – 1/4 Cup

Chana Dal – 1/4 Cup

Sesame Seeds (White) – 2 tsp , Dry Roasted in a pan

Red Chillies – 40 (Lessen the number of chillies if you do not like your molaga podi to be too spicy)

Salt – As per taste

Method of Preparation

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and roast Urad Dal, Chana Dal and the Red chillies till the Dal turns a golden brown color. Add salt as per taste.

Dry Grind the above mixture in mixie.

The molaga podi is now ready.

Combination:

The molaga podi obviously goes well with idli and dosa.

Vegetable Kuruma

This is one of my most favorite side dishes. My mother makes this Kuruma really well. It is such a hot favorite in our house that all of us have atleast three helpings of this Kuruma. The preparation of this dish is time consuming, it takes about an hour to finish making this. But the taste is well worth the effort. The below recipe will serve 4 (also including second helpings 🙂 )

For the Tamil, Telugu or Hindi equivalent of the Ingredients, kindly visit the Glossary Page)

Ingredients

Carrot – 1/2 cup , diced

Beans – 1/4 cup, diced

Green Peas – 1/4 cup (If you are using Dried Green Peas soak them overnight)

Potatoes – 2 Large

Onions – 3, Thinly Sliced

Coconut – 1 cup, Grated

Cashewnut – 5 (Optional)

Kasa Kasa – 2 tsp (If you do not have Kasa Kasa then take 12 pieces of Cashewnut)

Green Chilles – 4

Tomoto – 3 Medium sized

Coriander Leaves – 1 cup

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Lemon – 1 medium sized

Garam Masala Powder– 1 tsp

Dhaniya Powder – 1 tsp

Sombu/Somphu – 1/2 tsp

Chilli Powder – As per taste

Salt – As per taste

Oil – 2 tsp

Method of Preparation

Initial Preparation

Boil or pressure cook carrot, beans, potatoes and Green Peas till they are soft.

Mash the potatoes.

Grind and Keep Ready the following

In a dry mixie jar, grind Kasa Kasa and cashew nut into powder. Then with this powder grind coconut with a little powder so that a paste mixture is obtained. Keep aside.

Then, grind the tomatoes, green chilles and Coriander leaves into a gravy along with water.

Cooking

Heat the oil in a pan and once it heats up add Sombu to it.

After about a minute, add the onions and saute till the onions turn light golden brown.

Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for about half a minute.

Add the cooked vegetables (Carrot, beans, Green peas and mashed potatoes). Mix well.

Saute the vegetables for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomato + green chillies + coriander leaves gravy. Add water according to the quantity of the Kuruma that you require. Make sure you do not dilute it too much.

Add necessary amount of salt, chilli powder (if required), Garam Masala Powder and Dhaniya powder.

Cook till the raw smell fades out and the gravy starts to come to a boil.

Then add the Coconut + Kasa Kasa + Cashew gravy to the mixture and mix well.

Let the Kuruma boil for atleast 5 minutes.

Then switch off the stove and then add the lemon juice to the Kuruma and mix well.

Garnish if required with coriander leaves.

Combination

This goes well with plain rice, vegetable rice, chappathi, poori, upma and dosa

Siyali

Yet another recipe for the idli aficionados from my mother’s kitchen. This is slightly different from the usual ones. So try it and let me know how you liked it. This will serve 3.

For the Tamil, Telugu or Hindi equivalent of the Ingredients, kindly visit the Glossary Page)

For the Idli

Ingredients

Moong Dal – 1/2 cup

Chana Dal – 1/2 cup

Method of Preparation

Soak both the dal for 2 hours.

Wash and grind them in a mixie along with salt. Grind till the batter becomes coarse.

Add a little amount of water so that we are able to pour the batter into idlis.

Make idlis from this batter.

After the idlis cool, cut the idli into pieces and set aside.

For the Podi

Ingredients

Chana Dal – 2 tsp

Urad Dal – 2 tsp

Dhaniya – 2 tsp

Red Chillies – 6

Method of Preparation

Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan and roast all the above ingredients.

Let them cool and grind them into powder in a mixie.

For Seasoning and Garnishing

Ingredients

Oil – 3 tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Urad Dal – 1 tsp

Chana Dal – 1 tsp

Onions – 2 , sliced thin

Jaggery – A small piece

Curry Leaves – As required

Method of Preparation

In a pan, heat 3 tsp of oil and add mustard seeds.

After the mustard seeds burst, add urad and chana dal.

After the dals have been lightly roasted, add the diced onions and curry leaves.

After the onion turns golden brown, add the cut idli pieces.

Then add the podi which we have made before, salt, turmeric powder and jaggery.

Mix well and serve.

Kandhinooka Idli

This is my most favorite variety of idli. This idli is very filling, only 3 of this idli is enough to fill your stomach fit to burst. The batter with the following measurements can make 16 idlis.

Ingredients

Idli Rice – 1 1/2 cups

Toor Dal – 3/4 cup

Urad Dal – 2 tsp

For the Tamil, Telugu or Hindi equivalent of the Ingredients, kindly visit the Glossary Page)

Method of Preparation

Soak the rice, toor dal and urad dal for 6 hours.

Grind them coarsely.

Then add rock salt and let the batter ferment overnight.

Next day you can make yummy idlis 🙂

Side Dish Combination

This idli and Dhaniyalu Karam combination is an excellent one.

Kanchi Idli

Otherwise called Kancheepuram idli, this is a very healthy sort of idli with jeera and pepper. Using this batter we will be able to make atleast 16 idlis.

Ingredients

Idli Rice – 2 cups (or) Raw Rice and Idli rice – 1 cup each

Urad Dal – 1/2 cup

Pepper and Jeera – 1/2 tsp each

Curry Leaves – Optional

Sonti (Dried Ginger) – A small piece which has been crushed (This is available in Naatu Marundhu Kadai or in shops which sells herbs)

For the Tamil, Telugu or Hindi equivalent of the Ingredients, kindly visit the Glossary Page)

Method of Preparation

Soak the rice and the urad dal for 3 hours.

Grind them together till the batter is coarse enough for you to make idlis.

Add pepper, jeera, sonti and curry leaves.

Add crystal salt and leave the batter overnight for fermentation and then make idlis next morning.

Side Dish Combination

This idli will taste well with Kobbari Karam or with Idli molaga podi.