Spicy Mashed Potatoes

This is one of my favorite dish. The traditional name for this is Potato Puttu. It
needs simple ingredients and frequent stirring and we can make this delicious dish
in 15-20 minutes. It goes very well with Kara/puli kuzhambu



Ingredients:

Boiled Potatoes -3
Chopped Onions- 1 big
Chopped garlic - 6 pods
Green chilli - 3 ( can be replaced with chilli powder if you have kids at home)
chopped cashews - 10
turmeric powder - pinch
salt
Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Boil the potatoes well. Mash them with salt and turmeric powder and mix well and make as a dough. (it will be sticky)

2. Heat oil in a pan (preferably heavy bottomed non-stick). Fry the cashews. To this add onions, garlic and green chillies. Fry well. (if you are using red chilli powder add after the onions are sauted well and brown)

3. Add the mashed potatoes and keep stirring. Keep on a medium low flame. Spread the mixture evenly across the pan with the spatula.

4. Keep stirring for every 1 or 2 minutes. It will gradually turn brown on the bottom. If you don't stir it will burn. Do this for 15 minutes or until it turns light brown.

5. Potato puttu is ready.

Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a tasty appetizer which is easy to make. The stuffing can be changed with any of your favorite ingredients like peppers(capsicum), cabbage, potatos etc., I got the recipe from my friend and my special thanks to her. you may prepare this few hours ahead and reheat in the oven before serving



What we need:

Whole Mushrooms - 10
chopped onion - 1/2 cup
chopped garlic - 3 pods
red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
pepper
salt
Oil - 1tsp
Shredded cheese (parmesan or mild cheddar) - 1/2 cup

How to make:

Work with mushrooms:

1. Wash the mushrooms a couple of times to remove the mud completely.

2. Remove the stem of the mushrooms which will leave the hollow part inside. Keep the whole hollow part aside

3. Finely chop the stem part of the mushroom


Making the stuffing:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Then add chopped onions and garlic.

2. After its sauted add the chopped mushroom stems. We can add other vegetables also at this time

3. Now add the red chilli powder, a little pepper and salt.

4. cook till its done. we may not need water as mushroom tends to leave out some


Final part:

1. Preheat the oven at 350F

2. Take the whole mushrooms and fill the prepared stuffing inside them

3. Assemble the mushrooms in an oven-safe vessel with the open side facing upwards

4. Now sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and keep inside the oven

5. Cook for 35- 40 mts. Mushrooms will be brown and bubbly. Serve hot.

Tricolor Chapati

I was just bored of regular of making regular chapatis. And luckily came across this different recipe and tried it out. It looks colourful, tastes good and serves healthy too. I used carrots for the orange color, coriander and mint leaves for the green color. You can try other veggies like beetroot, broccoli etc., for different colors.




Ingredients

Chapati flour - 3 cups
carrots -2 (steam and grind to a thick paste)
Coriander and mint leaves - 1 cup (grind with little water to a smooth and thick paste)
salt
oil

Method




1. Add water and salt to 1st cup of flour and make a soft chapati dough. This is the usual brown dough

2. Add grinded carrot paste and salt to 2nd cup of flour and make a soft chapati dough. Add water if needed. You'll get a orange dough

3. Add grinded coriander and mint paste and salt to 3rd cup of flour and make a soft chapati dough. Add water if needed. This serves for the green dough

4. Flatten each dough separately using hand or rolling pin to the size of a roti. Arrange the flattened doughs one on top of other ie., keep brown down on top of it keep orange and then green.

5. Now roll it together cylindrically and cut to the size of a chapati ball using knife. Don't make the ball as this blends the color and you maynot be able to the unique colors

6. Take each piece and roll the colorful chapati and cook over tawa as usual

7. Colorful Chapatis are ready for serving

Mani Kozhukattai

These are smaller versions of regular kozhukattai. And these are then stirred with cooked and crumbled urad dal which gives a different and great taste. I got the recipe from chefinyou but definitely could not beat her picture. The only difficulty in this is to make the small balls as it takes quite time compared to the regular ones.



Ingredients:

Steamed Rice flour/Idiyappam flour - 1 cup
warm water as required
Mustard seeds
Red chili -1
curry leaves
urad dal - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

Coarse grind
Urad dal - 1/2 cup(soak for1/2 hr)
Red chili - 1
curry leaves
fennel seeds
salt


Procedure:

Coarsely grind the soaked urad dal with chili, curry leaves, fennel seeds and salt and steam them like idly

After cooling down crumble the steamed urad dal. This makes the spicy pooranam

Knead the flour with warm water and salt to a soft dough. Alternatively you can grind rice to a smooth paste and cook it over stove to form a soft dough (pls check the kozhukattai recipe for details)

Apply oil on ur hand and make it to small balls and steam them for 10 minutes

Now heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. After they crack, add urad dal, red chili, curry leaves and saute the spicy pooranam.

To this mix the steamed kozhukattais and serve hot

Tindora (Kovakkai) Fry

These are tasty fries with very little oil. I did this in microwave and it came very well. I bet this will be a great combination with Sambhar and curd rice..Try out wen u get a chance...

Take good amount of tindora as it shrinks to 1/4th the regular size.




Ingredients:
Tindora - 200 gms --cut each into 4 pieces lengthwise
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil - 1 tsp


Procedure:

1. Keep the sliced tindora/kovakkai in microwave safe bowl/plate and cook it covered for 4 minutes

2. Add salt and chilli powder and mix well. Microwave again on high for 4 minutes stirring once after 2 mins

3. Now the tindora would have cooked well. If not microwave for another few minutes

4. Now heat oil in a pan on stove and the cooked tindora. Keep stirring on medium heat till it gets light browned.

5. Serve as side with rice.

Cucumber cups

A veggie delight made with cucumber, carrots and green peppers(capsicum) loaded with nutrients. The stuffing can be altered with any vegetables as u wish. This is easy to make and will attract kids. Am submitting this recipe for the Food contest in Manjula's Kitchen

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 1
Groundnut powder (coarse) - 2 tbsp
Bread crumbs
Cheese

Stuffing:
Shredded Carrots- 1/2 cup
diced Capsicum- 1/4 cup
chopped Onions - 1/4 cup
Diced tomatoes - 2 tbsp
grated ginger - 1 tbsp
coriander leaves
Oil
salt
pepper

Procedure:

Stuffing:
Heat oil in a pan. Add Ginger and onions and saute well. To this add carrots and capsicum and saute for 2 minutes. Then add tomatoes, coriander leaves, salt and pepper and mix well. Turn off the stove and cool the mix.


Cucumber cups

Peel the skin of the cucumber and cut into 4 or 5 pieces. Each piece will serve as a cup.

Gently remove the inner seeds of the cup leaving the bottom part.

On the hollow top, stuff the prepared vegetable mix. On the top, layer groundnut powder, bread crumbs and cheese



Bake the cucumber cups in 400F oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts

Remove from oven and serve hot

Masal dosai

Masal Dosai is a traditional dosa variety served in any south indian restaurant. And its easy to make at home too. The potato masala made for this makes a perfect combo for Pooris also.

Ingredients:

Dosa batter
Oil

Potato masala:
Potato - 1 -cooked and peeled
Big Onions - 1 finely chopped
Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Green chilli- 1 cut finely
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Orid dal - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
asafotedia - a pinch
salt
Oil



Procedure:

Potato masala:
1. Roughly mash the boiled potatoes and keep it ready

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. As it splutters, add the chana dal and orid dal.

3. When they turn light brown, add ginger, green chili, turmeric powder and asafotedia

4. Then add onions and fry well till it becomes soft

5. to this add the coarsely mashed potatoes, salt and chili powder and add 2 tbsp of water and mix well. Let it cook well and become dry.

6. Add coriander leaves and mix well


Masal Dosai
1. Heat the Dosa tawa, and pour dosa batter and spread it thin. Add oil on the sides and cover it with a lid

2. Check if it had started to brown. Then slighlty remove the corners with a spatula and keep the potato masala in the middle. Roll the dosa as u wish and serve hot with coconut chutney