Thair Vadai (Curd Vadai)

Thair Vadai is Popular in all Parts of India and made in various versions.
In South India spicy verion is more popular than the Sweeter North Indian version.

Thair Vadai

Ingredients Needed for Vada:
1. Urad Dal - 3/4 cup
2. Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
3. Green Chillies - 2
4. Small Piece of Ginger
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil to Deep Fry
7. Ghee - 1 tsp
8. Warm Water - 5 cups ( To soak vada)

Vada making

Ingredients for Curd Mixture:
1. Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
2. Green Chillies - 2
3. Salt to taste
4. Grated Carrot - 3 tablespoons
5. Boondhi (Optional) - 5 tsps.
6. Coriander Leaves
7. Water - 1/4 cup
8. Thick whipped curds - 3 cups + 1/4 cup milk

Fried Vadai

Method:
1. Soak Urad dal and Moong Dal for an hour and Grind it along with Chillies, Ginger and Salt.
2. In the grinded Mixture add 1 tsp of Ghee and mix well.
3. Make vadas without hole in centre and deep fry in oil.
This measure makes 16 to 18 vadas.
4.Grind grated Coconut, Chillies and Salt and add to the whipped curds.
5. If it is too thick add 1/4 cup of water and Milk.(Milk to avoid sour smell in the curds) Make this into 2 portions. (In One portion mix grated Carrot and chopped Coriander leaves)
6. Temper Mustard Seeds and Curry leaves in 1 tsp of oil and pour over curd mixture.
7. Soak these Vadas in warm water for 5 minutes and remove excess water and put these Vadas in plain Curd mixture.
8. Pour remaining Curds and chill in fridge till use.

Thair Vadai

While serving spead some Boondhis on top. Kids would love this.

Colourful and Healthy (Oil Less ) Curd Vadas

Tomato Onion Dal

Dal with Tomato and with Onion.

Ingredients Needed:
1. Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
2. Tomato - 2 (Fully Ripe) Cut into big cubes
3. Onion cut into length wise - 2
4. Green Chillies - 2 (or according to taste)
5. Salt to taste
6. Turmeric Powder
7. Hing
8. Coconut Milk - 2 tablespoon
9. Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 to 3/4 tsp
10. Jeera (Cummin Seeds) - 1/4 tsp

Ingredients for Tempering:
1. Ghee 1 tsp/ Oil - 2 Tsp
2. Mustrad Seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves
4. Coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:
1. Fry dal in a tawa for few minutes, Wash and Cook in a separate vessel
by adding Turmeric and Jeera.
2. In a Kadai heat Oil / Ghee, temper ingredients and fry Onions till soft.
3. Now goes the Slit Green Chilli, Chillipowder and mix well.
4. Now add cubed Tomato pieces and turn 2 times without mashing the tomatoes.
5. Add Cooked dal, 1/4 cup water, cook for 5 minutes.
6. Before removing from fire add Coconut milk.


Serve the flavourful Dal with Rice or Roti.

Beauty of Kerala

God's Own Country - Kerala from my son's Camera

Elephant Quarters

Chinese Fishing Net in Cochin

View of Munar Tea Estates

Thekkady

Kerala Boat House

Kerala kalari Fight

kalkandu Pongal

Traditional Sweet Pongal.
This can be prepared as Neivedhyam due to the purity of Rock Sugar.
Milk Based Sweet Pongal.

Ingredients Needed:
1. Raw Rice - 3/4 cup (Roast for a minute)
2. Milk - 3 cups
3. Saffron - Little (This gives us rich colour)
4. Rock Sugar - Kalkandu 3/4 cup
5. Ghee - 3 tablespoons.
6. Cashew, Badam, Pista, Elaichi and Pachai Karporam (Edible Camphor) for garnishing.
Method:
1. Wash several times roasted Rice, add Milk, Saffron and cook in the pressure cooker till 2 whistles and sim for 10 minutes.
2. Make a thick syrup with Kalkandu.
3. Mash Cooked rice and add to the Kalkandu Syrup and keep on stirring till syrup mixes with the rice.(5 Mins.)
4. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee .
5. Fry garnishing items (Cashew, Pista and badam) in remaining ghee and pour over Pongal.
6. Garnish with Elaichi and Pachai karporam.
!-! Pongal O Pongal with Sweet Pongal. !-!

Happy Pongal, Happy Makara Sankranthi, Happy Lohri !

EriSeri

Traditional Keralite dish.
Tasty curry made with Suran (Yam) and Raw Banana (Vazhaikkai)

Ingredients Needed:
1. Yam (Suran) cut into cubes - 1 cup
2. Raw banana cut into cubes - 1/2 cup
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
4. Hing
5. Salt to taste
6. Pepper Powder - 1 1/2 tsp (according to taste)
7. Water - 1/2 cup

Ingredients for Grinding:
1. Grated Coconut 3 to 4 tablespoons. [Can there be a Keralite dish without Coconut?]
2. Rice flour - 1 tsp

Ingredients for tempering:
1. Mustard Seeds
2. Curry leaves
3. Dried Red Chilli - 1
4. Grated Coconut - 3 tsp. (You can add more, if you like.)
5. Oil 2 tsp (preferably coconut oil)
[Here I used sunflower oil and before removing from stove I added few drops of Coconut oil.]

Method:
1. Wash Suran completely [atleast few times] and boil in 1/2 cup water by adding turmeric and pepper powder.
2. When it is 1/2 cooked add Raw banana pieces, Salt and Hing.
3. When fully cooked, add grinded paste and cook till gravy thickens.
4. Heat oil in kadai temper with mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves.
Now goes the grated coconut and fry till colour changes and pour over Curry.
5. Now add the Keralite touch, that is, Add few drops of coconut oil (Optional)


Go Kerala with Eriseri and Variety rice or Sambar rice.