Arbi (dry colocasia roots) Fry

My daughter loves to eat root vegetables so I am always finding different ways of cooking. This turned out very yummy and we all loved eating. Goes well with sambar or rasam as a side dish and one can eat them as a snack.It is something different to regular recipe which we made at home.

Let's start looking into the procedure.

First wash arbi / chama dumpalu / chama gaddalu very well.

Take some water in a microwave safe bowl and add these washed arbi into the bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 6- 8 mts or until the arbi turns slightly soft to touch.

Remove the peel and cut them into round pieces. You can cut them in any shape of your choice.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom vessel, add the arbi pieces and shallow fry them on medium high. Alternately you can deep fry them. When you are shallow frying, do not add all the pieces at a time. Fry them in batches. Take care not to burn them.

                                          

When they are done, take them onto an absorbent paper.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in another pan, add 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and fry for 30 seconds on low flame.
Now add the fried arbi and toss them well in the spices.
Add mango powder and mix well.
Switch off the flame and add lemon juice.
Garnish with cilantro.
Serve hot as a side dish or enjoy them as a snack.

Arbi / chama dumpalu fry

Ingredients : 
250 gms arbi / colocasia roots / chama gaddalu
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder / dhaniya powder
1 tsp dry mango powder / amchur
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste
oil for frying

Instructions:

• First wash arbi / chama dumpalu / chama gaddalu very well.
• Take some water in a microwave safe bowl and add these washed arbi into the bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 6- 8 mts or until the arbi turns slightly soft to touch.
• Remove the peel and cut them into round pieces. You can cut them in any shape of your choice.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottom vessel, add the arbi pieces and shallow fry them on medium high. Alternately you can deep fry them. When you are shallow frying, do not add all the pieces at a time. Fry them in batches.Take care not to burn them.
• Take them onto an absorbent paper.
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in another pan, add 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
• Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and fry for 30 seconds on low flame.
• Now add the fried arbi and toss them well in the spices.
• Add mango powder and mix well.
• Switch off the flame and add lemon juice.
• Garnish with cilantro.
• Serve hot as a side dish or enjoy them as a snack.

Zucchini Fritters

These days zucchini became my favorite vegetable. I tried zucchini dal and zucchini fritters. Zucchini fritters are my favorite breakfast now.

I made them many time and my family enjoyed this new breakfast at our home. This recipe is so easy and very tasty and they are melting in the mouth. So addictive too.

Ingredients :

1 Zucchini
1 egg
2 tbsp all-purpose flour or wheat flour.
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated cheese
Butter for frying
salt to taste

You can any kind of cheese for this recipe. If you don't like to add cheese, you can completely omit it.
You can add any other flour like all-purpose flour or wheat flour or rice flour. But I added wheat flour in this.

First grate zucchini on large grating holes. You can also use food processor with gratin blade. It would be easier to grate large quantities.

You can also add salt and squeeze out the water from zucchini before adding all the other ingredients. But I did not squeeze out any water because I don't want to waste the water too...:)

Now add the egg, cheese, flour and salt to the grated zucchini. Mix everything well.

Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a large heavy nonstick skillet. 

Pour zucchini mixture using a large table spoon or ice cream scoop to the skillet and cook them for 3-4 mts each side.

Serve them with tomato ketchup or sour cream of your choice.

Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients :

1 Zucchini
1 egg
2 tbsp all-purpose flour or wheat flour.
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated cheese
Butter for frying
salt to taste

Instructions :

• First grate zucchini on large grating holes.
• Now add the egg, cheese, flour and salt to the grated zucchini. Mix everything well.
• Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a large heavy nonstick skillet. 
• Pour zucchini mixture using a large table spoon or ice cream scoop to the skillet and cook them for 3-4 mts each side.

Oven Baked Bhindi / Okra Fry

It is a fat free dish. Takes very less oil and you do not need to stir the fry for every 4 to 5 minutes and you do not need to worry about burning. I love bhindi fry. Everytime I make bhindi fry, it would either burns or turn gooey. Once I tried baking it in the oven. It turned very yummy. From then, I am making this fry in the oven only.

Trust me, it is very easy, tasty and not at all messy. Just cut the okra into bite size pieces, toss with spices and then bake.

Ingredients :

1 lb Okra / Ladyfinger / Bhindi
1 tbsp Olive oil / any vegetable oil
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp curry leaf powder / garam masala powder
salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice

                                                   Okra pieces with all the spices

• Wash okra thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel.And then cut okra into 1 inch pieces.
• Mix all the above ingredients except lemon juice in a bowl, toss them well and keep it aside for 10 mins.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F(230 C)
• Spread them in a oven pan and bake them for approximately 30 minutes.

                                                       Before                            After

•   Take out from the oven and add lemon juice.

Note : You can also add seasoning with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and peanuts.
You can also add dry coconut powder to this fry for a variation.

Homemade Granola Balls

                                           Granola Balls

Now a days it became really difficult for me to make my daughter eat nuts. It is a rule in my home that everybody has to eat 5 almonds and 5 walnuts in the morning along with breakfast. My husband and daughter loves to eat granola bars. So I thought of making some granola balls with almonds and walnuts at home. I made a batch now and they are enjoying their breakfast balls.

All we need is just 6 ingredients for making these balls. All are healthy and most important they are sugar free. Can also make them as bars.
Just 6 ingredients , no need to bake or cook. Toast the oats and nuts, and they will keep for long time.
Can serve as breakfast or snack. Crunchy and sweet.

Ingredients

1 cup dates(remove the pits)
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup peanut butter or any seed butter.
1 cup roasted almonds
1 cup chunked and roasted walnuts
2 cups oats.

Procedure 

• Grind dates for 1 to 2 minutes. It should be soft.
• Toast oats and nuts separately.
• Place Oats, almonds, walnuts and dates in a bowl and set aside.
• Warm honey and peanut butter in a pan. Stir and pour over oat - nut mixture and combine them well.
• Transfer it to a plate lined with plastic wrap.
• Take small mixture and press tightly like a ball.
• Alternately you can press the mixture until flattened and let set in the freezer for 15 minutes to harden and then cut like bars.
• Store them in a airtight container. Stay for ever in the freezer.

Note : If your dates are not sticky, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, drain them completely and then grind to hold the balls together better.

Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks

 Baked chicken legs are ultimate in healthy and effort less cooking. We can bake them at once and store in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days. you need to marinate them for at least 20 minutes to 1 hour with all the spices. It will take only 1 tbsp of oil. Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients : 
Chicken drumsticks - 5
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder 1 tbsp
clove powder - 1/4 tbsp
cinnamon powder - 1/2 tbsp
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
coriander powder / dhaniya powder - 1 tsp
water - 1-2 tbsps
salt to taste.

• Wash chicken thoroughly and give cuts with knife all over the chicken drumstick. 
• Mix all the above ingredients except chicken in a bowl. It should form a paste.
• Add and Coat the chicken drumsticks in the spice mix one by one.(Alternately, you can pour the spice mix in a zip-lock bag along with chicken drum sticks and shake the bag until everything mix well.)
• Allow the chicken to rest for at least 20 minutes to 1 hour.
• Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place drumsticks in a baking dish.
• Bake them for 40 minutes.
• Once done take them out, wrap aluminium foil at the end.
• Serve with lemon and onions.

Gunta Ponganalu / pongadalu

Had some left over dosa batter and eating dosa for 2 days is boring. So thought of making gunta ponganalu. You need a special skillet to prepare these. We can make these with pan cakes puffs pan too. Recently I have ordered my pan in amazon. It is so simple, quick and easy if you have some dosa batter at your home. Just add onions, green chillis, cumin seeds, soaked channa dal and curry leaves to the batter and fry them with very less oil.

Goes well with kids lunch box. Kids love to eat and we can make lot of different versions. Will discuss them later.

So here is the recipe..

Gunta ponganalu

Ingredients:

Urad dal / black gram dal – 1 cup
Rice – 2 cups
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Green chilli-ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Channa dal - 3 tbsp washed and soaked
Cumin - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - to grease the mould

1. you can use left over dosa batter or make the batter using the below procedure.
2. Soak rice and urad dal for 6-7 hours. Grind the soaked dal and rice to a fine paste. Ferment the batter for over night or for 7-8 hours. Add salt to taste and mix well. 
3. Add chopped onions, green chilli-ginger paste, soaked channa dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves to the batter and mix well.
4. Add few drops of oil into each mould. Pour batter into each mould and allow to cook with lid for 3-4 minutes. Cook on low to medium flame. It will cook to a golden brown shade. Flip over with help of a spoon or fork and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes without lid.
5. Serve hot with chutney or spice powder of your choice.

Chicken Manchurian

Chicken Manchurian is my All time favorite appetizer. Can be used as starter or appetizer in parties. This is Indo Chinese starter is a must weekend dish at our home. My daughter is a fan of this yummy chicken manchurian. 

Ingredients :

300 grms boneless chicken

3-4 tbsp corn flour

1 tbsp maida (all purpose flour)

spring onions

1 tbsp green chilli sauce

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 slitted green chillies

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp vinegar

salt to taste

1 egg white

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tbsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

oil

11/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Procedure:

First marinate chicken with below ingredients for at least 20 mins to 1 hr.

pepper

egg white

salt to taste

ginger-garlic

soy sauce

maida

corn flour

1-2 tbsps of water.

• Heat oil in a pan, make small balls of the marinated chicken and carefully drop into the hot oil. Cook on low medium flame and towards the end of the cooking process increase flame to high and deep fry to a golden brown color. take on to an absorbent paper.

• Heat another pan, add oil, add the chopped garlic and saute for few secs. Add the chopped ginger and green chillis and saute for a few more secs. 

• Now add the brown sugar, soya sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and vinegar. Mix them well and add 1/4 cup of water and cook for a minute. Add the deep fried chicken and cook for some more time.Add the spring onions and saute for 2 minutes.

• Add the cornflour water and cook it till it becomes thick.

• Yummy Chicken Manchurian is ready.

• Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.

Instant Rava Dosa

We can make the rava dosa whenever we wish to eat a dosa. No need to ferment overnight or no need to blend the batter. This is instant, easy yet tasty.
It requires less than 15 minutes to prepare the batter.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups Rava (Semolina)
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup Maida (Plain/all purpose flour)
• 1 cup curd or butter milk (better if it sour)
• 2 tsp Jeera (Cumin seeds)
• 2 Green chillies, finely chopped
• chopped onions (optional)
• coriander leaves – 2 tbsps (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 5 - 6 cups water(approximately)
• oil as required

Procedure :

• First of all mix all the ingredients except onions,green chillies and Jeera and prepare the batter by adding water as required. The batter should be in pouring consistency. It should not be thick like idly batter and should not be runny too.It should be like a thick butter milk.
•  Keep it covered for 10 minutes.  
• Now crush the jeera and then add it to the batter along with the green chillies and coriander leaves.  You can also add finely chopped onions to make Instant onion rava dosa.
• Next head the Tawa preferably a non stick one.  Take a laddle full of the batter and pour it on the tawa. First pour the batter from outer side of tawa in circular motion and then fill gaps in the middle. Increase the flame to high and let dosa roast for half minute.Now reduce the flame,drizzle some oil on the sides and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the Rava Dosa and again cook it for a minute or two. 
• The Rava Dosa is ready.. 

The Rava Dosa can be served with coconut chutney or any other chutney powder mixed with ghee or oil.The maida makes it easier for the batter to spread on the Tawa and the rice flour makes the dosa crispy.

Tip : soak the batter for half an hour for extra crispiness or put it in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.