Sundal vadai / Chickpeas -chana vada from boiled leftover chickpeas

My Mother likes to have boiled chick peas for break fast which we call as Sundal in TamilNadu. We do this with both varities of Bengal Gram (Black and white). Well here is the story of me trying out this dish. My mother soaked a handful more of chana overnight for next day breakfast. I ended up boiling all of it, but left about a cup of chana in the fridge. Ever since I have been thinking of something different over the usual curry called 'Chole Masala'. I thought of making small pakoras then came to a conclusion with two options Vada first if it fails would make yummy pakoras out of it. I didn't want to waste the boiled chana as well.

And Bingo !!! It was a hit, workers and mum liked it. Here is the recipe for you guys you can alter some ingredients and play with it.

Ingredients:

1. Boiled Chickpeas (Grind in blender to form a coarse paste)
2. Finely chopped green chili as required
3. Medium size onion chopped
4. Finely chopped coriander leaves a bunch
5. Chopped Curry leaves (Optional)
6. Rice flour - 2 tbl spn (optional)
7. Besan (kadalai maavu) or wheat flour - 1/4 cup or as needed. Used as binding agent
8. Ground ginger - 1 tb spn
9. Asafoetida - 1 t.spn
10. Salt to taste
11. Coarsely powdered fennel seeds - 1/4 tb.spn (Perum jeeragam)
12. Oil for frying.

You may use your own spice powder as well.

Preparation:

1. In a bowl add ingredients and mix well with hand. Taste for seasoning and add salt or spices if needed.
2. Try to make small balls and check if the mixture binds well. It should, in case it doesnt add little besan or wheat flour.
3. Make small balls and press them flat to form vada shape, ensure it's thin and flat unlike regular vadai
4. Heat oil in a kadai fry the vada in medium low heat until they are brown.
5. Enjoy this with evening tea.

Note:

• Do not fry in high heat, as it would be under cooked.
• Instead of spices I have used you may grind a course powder with little red chili, coriander seeds, fennel seeds.
• You can also add little boiled & mashed potatoes to this mixture for added flavour.

Crispy Carrot fry with Indian Spices

I tried Beetroot fry recently and applied the same technique on carrot and it did turn out be a good dish for rice. Continue reading the recipe if you would like to know the secret. For Beetroot Fry Recipe Click here

Ingredients:

1. Carrots sliced using a cutter as shown in picture
2. Slit green chili - 1 or 2
3.  Bunch of curry leaves
4. Cumin seed – 1 tspn or more as per the quantity of carrots
5. Pepper powder – 1 tspn
6. Chaat masala – a pinch or more as per taste
7. Chili Flakes - optional
8. Oil for frying
9. Salt to taste

Preparation: (Prepare this dish in low heat)

1. Heat oil in a large pan or kadai, add cumin seeds.
2. When the cumin seeds change color add slit chili and carrot.
3. Sprinkle salt and all masala items as described. Let them fry for a minute or two. do not Cover.
4. Give a toss or saute so that carrots gets fried on both sides.
5. Check seasoning, sprinkle very little water if required. ONLY if required. 
6. Cook until it turns crispy but tender at each bite.

Enjoy this with sambar/rasam rice. When the recipe is done, curry leaves and chili would have turned crispy.

Ensure the carrot slices are paper thin. 

You might want to cook 200 gm/250 gm for more than 2 servings.

Raw Banana Fry / Plantain Fry with Indian spices

This is a quick and easy dish with only few ingredients. In traditional south Indian dish it would be chopped in small pieces and made as sabji/poriyal/thoran with grated coconut.  In this recipe we have the banana in thin slices, soaked in lemon water to prevent discoloring.

Ingredients:

1. Medium sized raw plantain 2 – Slice thinly as in picture. I used Peyan variety
2. Slit green chili – 1
3. A bunch of curry leaves
4. Asofoetida – 1 t.spn
5. Cumin seed – 1 tb.spn
6. Chili Flakes – 1 tb.spn
7. Turmeric Powder – ½ tspn
8. Chaat masala – ¼ tspn
9. Oil for frying
10. Salt to taste

Preparation (Entire recipe prepared in low heat)

1. Heat oil in a large pan or kadai, add Cumin seeds and saute
2. When the cumin releases its flavor add green chili, asofoetida and curry leaves; saute for few seconds. Then add in the turmeric powder and mix well.
3. Add raw banana slices sprinkle salt and let them fry for 2 – 3 minutes. Toss well in between.  
4. Add red chili flakes, chaat masala powder; saute everything. Sprinkle little water if needed.
5. Cover and cook in lowest heat for about 2 minutes.

Enjoy this with sambar/rasam rice.

Coconut Milk Rasam / Thengai paal rasam without tomato

This awesome recipe was shared by one of my friends from School, and her name is Khalida. I would like to thank her for this. I remember my grandma and mom making a modified version of this without coconut milk when I was a kid. Not sure if it is prepared outside Kanyakumari Villages. They use to burn red chili and soak them in stone ground chutney water, add tamarind and salt to have with rice along with thuvaiyal (Chamanthi). Let me get into this recipe from my friend.

Ensure you use small onion and red chili both burnt as shown in picture. I burnt them on my gas stove top. Use thick coconut milk diluted in little water as we would not be using water for this curry. Remember we do not need tomato or other masala in this curry. I would soon post tomato rasam with coconut milk. Just can't wait to try.

Ingredients:

1. Burnt Shallots 3 - 4
2. Burnt Red Chili 1 or 2 as per your taste
3. 2 large garlic pods or 3 - 4 small pods
4. Small piece of ginger
5. Cumin + Black pepper about 1 tb.spn
6. Little Tamarind to make juice, 
7. Coconut milk 1 1/2 cups
8. Salt to Taste
9. Oil , mustard, curry leaves for tempering. 
10. Coriander leaves for garnishing - optional

Preparation:

1. Grind ingredients listed under 1 to 5 to a coarse paste without water. you may simply crush them using a mortar - Refer to pictures here.
2. In a small pan heat oil and prepare the tempering in medium heat. 
3. Add in the crushed spices saute for a minute in low heat.
4. Add tamarind juice and salt as required bring to a boil.
5. Mix in the coconut milk giving a nice stir. Switch off the flame after 30 seconds.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves. 

Enjoy with steamed rice. If you need little more rasam add coconut milk. Prefer not to add water as the dish would lose it's real flavor.

Let me know how you liked it. Did you eat an additional handful of rice :) ????

Once again thanks to Khalida.