Mini Masala Fried Idlis with Peppers and Peas

Day5 of BM#4: An interesting conversation between myself and my bossy 3-yr old-
A: Mom, what is your problem?
Me: What's the matter, A?
A: Take me to the library. I want Max and Ruby book.
Me: Hold on, Pudding. We will go in a bit, ok?
A: (2 seconds later) Mom, come away from the computer. Its your last warning.
Me: Puttu, you can't talk to mommy like that.
A: Yes Mommy. I will put you in the the Dirty Water(Storm Drain) and you will stay there until you are 60-yrs old.
Me:(At loss for words..wondering where this is all coming from) We will go after you are done with your snack. Okay, pudding?
***An hour later..he has forgotten the trip to Library. He lifts his T-shirt and touches his belly-button while I am chilling with a cookbook) ***
A: Mommy, what is this?
Me: Its a belly-button, Pudding
A: I want to hold that belly-button.
Me: You may touch it, feel it but you can't hold it A.
A: (After some thought) I want 2 belly-button, 3 belly-button, 4 belly-button
Me: You can't have that many, Pudding. Everyone has "just one". Be happy with the one you have, okay?
A: (After some thought) I want to go buy belly-buttons in the shop. Mommy, lets go to Stop & Shop.
Me: LoL, LoL, LoL. They don't sell belly-buttons in stores. Okay? But they sure sell veggies. Go get your coat, A. We will go get some peppers for your num-num.
*** Off we go! The End ***

A few other Hilarious quotes of my little boy:

• Daddy is a Mad Dog, I am a happy puppy (My favorite)
• Mommy, clean this poo-poo-ness (After a potty session, My least favorite, LoL)
• Timeout for you Mommy. That's your patience (He can't say "punishment" yet)
• Mommy, can you be Princess Fiona?? (He says this after he picks out a nice outfit for me. The kid knows only one Princess and that's from Shrek movie. The kid doesn't grasp the concept that she is also an Ogre Fiona)

Anyways, I make this colorful dish for A to snack on or even as a breakfast. This recipe goes with the assumption that people have "Idli batter" handy. I am surprised that I haven't posted an Idli("Steamed Rice Cakes")  recipe yet!  

And hey folks, Happy Earth Day 2011. To the Christians around the world, Have a reflective Good Friday! To my sweet loving Mom, Happy Birthday!

Ingredients:

• 18 Mini Idlis
• 1 Small Yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Red, Yellow and Orange Peppers
• 1/8 Cup Green Peas
• 1 Stalk Curry Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/8 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Oil
• Salt as needed

Procedure:

• Make Idlis from the Idli batter. 

• In a skillet, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they start sputtering, add the chopped onion and the chopped peppers. Saute until the onions are browned and the peppers are shrunk.

• Add the green peas, curry leaves, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt and give a good stir.

• Add the steamed "mini idlis" to the pan.

• Toss about until they are all mixed.

• Move it to the plate and get ready to dig in.

On a lazy day, I just chop the regular-sized idlis and fry them with the spices minus the Veggies and they look like this-

Makes 2 Servings.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv

Enjoy!

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Cabbage, Onion And Blackgram Fritters "Doughnut Vadai"

Day4 of BM#4: My neighbors, a gay couple sold their house last week and moved out. I mean why would anyone want to sell their house when its not a seller's market?? Found a bigger house?? Can't afford to pay the mortgage?? Don't know what the reason was but I am sad to see them go.I will especially miss "hubby#2" cause he was a true example of perseverance and discipline. There wasn't much of an interaction between us except for an occasional hi and bye..But I used to watch him..Don't take it wrong, I wasn't ogling but I liked watching him go about his business.You see,my kitchen overlooks his garage and since I spend most of my time washing and cleaning in the kitchen I couldn't escape clapping eyes on him, whether I liked it or not. Oh, I liked.
So "hubby#2" drives a blue beetle. I have never seen someone care of their car like he did. Rain or shine, hell or high-water, he would clean his car the old-fashioned way - with a pail of water and a soapy sponge exactly 2 times a week. No more, no less. Even when there was snow on the ground he carried on. Nothing would deter him from his car-cleaning obligation. That kind of dogged determination certainly impressed me and I rejoiced that I had found "my muse for discipline". He had recently adopted an uber cute Chihuahua puppy that he would take for a walk right after he comes from work.Now my loss is two-fold -- I will miss my neighbor "hubby#two" and his puppy too.
Speaking of discipline and perseverance, you will need it both if you want to make this deliciously deep-fried fritter. The texture and consistency of the batter is important if you want the fritters to have that perfect hole in the center to resemble a doughnut and there is no easy way out. The batter is indeed unforgiving..if it is too runny it will end up like these. So if you fail to achieve this perfection first time, try it again and again. Its totally worth it. Addition of cabbage in this "Doughnut Vadai" was a new for me.
I first saw this at Kathy's space, The Colors of Indian Cooking,  about 2 months ago. Kathy is an extremely talented Hollywood writer and an equally talented cook whose Momo recipe, Pizza recipe, Vietnamese drip coffee recipe and definitely this Cabbage fritter recipe have made me go mad with wanting. I made this Fritters(Vadai) for my hubby's potluck party at work and he said they were gone in a matter of minutes. Its totally irresistible and definitely not to be missed out. Even my 3-yr old who doesn't care for hot, spicy food but certainly loves deep-fried goodies, asks for seconds.He is equally crazy about Masala Vadai too.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Whole Black Lentil/Black Gram minus the shell
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 1-1/2 Cup Finely Shredded Cabbage
• 1/8 Cup Finely Chopped Cilantro
• 4-6 Hot Green Chilies or More/Less 
• 1/2" Ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/8 Cup Fresh or Frozen Green-peas (Optional)
• Canola Oil for deep-frying

Tool:

• Kadai or a dutch oven for deep frying

Procedure:

• Soak the Black Lentils in water for about 2-3 hours.

• Drain it completely and grind it to a fine paste with very-less/no water either in a food processor or a blender.

• Remove the seeds of the hot green chili, finely chop and add to the lentil paste.

• Add the chopped cabbage, onion, cilantro, salt to the batter. I did not grind the onions because it leaves water and that is bad for the batter. The batter has to be relatively thick to make a doughnut shaped fritter.

• Place a Ziploc plastic bag on a flat surface, smear it with oil and add a golf-ball size batter. Press it down gently to form a Pattie. Using the forefinger put a hole in the center.

• Pick up the Ziploc bag with your left hand, transfer the doughnut to your right hand and drop it gently into the oil. Repeat for the remaining batter. Deep fry fritters in batches until they are browned evenly on both sides.

• Fish them out of the oil using a skimmer and drain them on paper towel and serve it hot and crispy with a cup of Masala Chai/Tea.

Makes ~ 20 Doughnut Fritters.

Note:

• It is extremely important that you grind the batter with as less water as possible(no more than 2-3 tbsp). The dough has to be relatively thick to form a perfect doughnut shaped fritter.
• Do not let the batter rest. The salt in the batter will make the cabbage and onion shed water thereby making it soggy.Ergo, no perfect doughnut and no crispy fritter.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv

Enjoy!

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Stuffed Lacey Crepes

Day3 of BM#4: Today I don't have a great story but I sure have a great Brunch/Sunday Breakfast item -- Stuffed Lacey Pancakes. Remember the Malaysian Lacey Crepes step-by-step recipe that I posted ages ago? It can be stuffed with any dry Vegetarian or Meat filling. My son loves watching me make these doily style crepes. I tell him that I will let him hop on the counter to sit beside the stove to watch me create these "Bootiful Food" if he keeps his hands to himself and not play with the batter. He solemnly agrees with a promising "I Understand, Mom" statement. Then keeps saying WoWWWW, WoWWWW everytime I go about with the magic of making these super-cute, too-pretty-to-eat crepes. I have to easy they are a pain to make without the authentic "Roti Jala" maker.I get easily flustered and perplexed cause the piping bag does make things a little complicated..so to go easy on myself I make some sort of filling a day in advance.
Assembling the Stuffed Crepes are a breeze. I just add a couple of tbsp of filling, fold them to make bundles and put them on the griddle/tava to warm them up and onto the plate it goes. From there its gobbled up from the plate with gusto.While the filling can be anything I personally prefer one of these:
Vegetarian Filling: Lentils, Sweet Potato and Carrots  Or  Potato, Sweet Potato, Peas and Carrot
Meat Filling: Sukuma Wiki  Or Mutton/Chicken Kheema

Ingredients(For 4 Servings):

• 8 Cooked Lacey Crepes/Net Bread/Roti Jala
• 2 Cups Vegetarian or Meat Filling of Choice

Procedure:

• Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of filling into the center of the crepe.

• Bring the edges together to overlap.

• Bring the other 2 ends together to make a bundle/parcel. Throw the parcel on a greased hot griddle to warm it up- 1 minute per side.

• Move to the plate and devour.

Makes 4 servings.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv
Enjoy!

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Spiced Apple and Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

When I was young I used to hate a couple of things - waking up on a Sunday morning and Cinnamon. You might wonder what the connection is. Well, there is a connection. Growing up as a staunch vegetarian amongst meat-eating neighbors meant that I have to endure the strong smells of Spiced Biryani and Mutton Kurma wafting from their kitchen and assaulting my nostrils in a very bad way. So besides the cooked meat its the smell of cinnamon stick that will linger the whole day! In many Indian households Sunday is not a part of a Fasting/Religious day and its this day that anything can be eaten.So my Flexitarian neighbors deemed Sunday as the day when they would transform into "meat eating gluttons". The men would rush to the Butcher's shop to get their plump poultry or meat and the ladies will start preparing the spices and such. There was no concept of buying frozen meat..at-least not when I was growing up. To a butcher, Sunday is like what Black Friday is to retailers. To top it, street hawkers would be selling all the nasty-smelling fish you can possibly imagine. It was terrible. And Cinnamon was the most hated spice.Because I always associated it with meat and such. I wouldn't touch a Vegetarian Kurma if I see cinnamon stick floating on it. My mom fearing my tantrums would take care not to add it in any of the foods. Poor mom!
Even after transitioning to a Flexitarian, developing a love for Chicken Biryani and Mutton Kurma, I still continued with my cinnamon-hating stint. Except this time it was being averse to baked goodies that had it. Given a choice between eating boiled cow's testicles or a cinnamon bun I would clearly choose the former. Ironically, I started craving for McDonald's Cinnamon Spiced Baked Apple Pie, Cinnabon's Classic Cinnamon Rolls when I was pregnant. I suppose it wasn't me. It was my boy who was wanting them when he was "In-Utero". He will keep kicking me until I have my share of those with a tall glass of orange juice. LoL. The fact that there were was a McDonald's a stone throw away from my work place at Park Avenue didn't help. Every-time I passed by, I would smell the Cinnamon Apple Pie in the air. What used to be revolting suddenly became pleasing. :-). Now I am at peace with the Cinnamon. Yeah, we have a treaty of sorts, thanks to my little boy. Its not high up there with Cardamom, the much-loved spice but not much hated either.
Anyways, today I will address my son's second favorite -- Soft and Fluffy. Right after little A wakes up he will ask me if he can either have Marshmallow and Charms Cereal or Fluffy pancakes. I prefer the latter cause I can always sneak in a few fruits in the pancake batter and he wouldn't know.While I am much of a Cocoa Pancake or a Banana Berry Pancake  fan, my son prefers(you guessed it) Spiced Pancakes. Well, he knew what he wanted while he was still "In-Utero". While I don't care for the strong aftertaste it leaves on my taste-buds it doesn't bother him. So I happily make this for him.

Ingredients(Makes 10, "3.5" Pancakes"):

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 3/4 Cup Apple Juice
• 1/4 Cup Apple Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Blueberries
• 1 Apple, peeled and grated
• 1 Egg, whisked
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Allspice powder (Cinnamon Powder may be used instead)
• A pinch of salt

Procedure:

• Add all the dry ingredients(Flour, Baking Powder, All Spice, Sugar and Salt)  in a wide shallow bowl.

• Add the Oil, Apple Sauce, Milk to the dry ingredients and mix.

• Stir in the whisked egg along with the blueberries and grated apple. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

• Pour a ladle-ful of batter on a greased nonstick skillet and cook for 2 minutes on a low-medium flame.

• Flip and cook for a minute or two. Repeat for the remaining batter.

• Pile and serve with warmed maple syrup.

Makes 10, 3.5" Pancakes.

Enjoy!

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv

Note: If you are a sneaky mom looking to sneak in veggies into a pancake, check this recipe.

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Rice And Finger Millet Flour "String Hoppers"

Hello, I am back after a week of laying low. Well, I was gearing up to post for 7 consecutive days. Yes, I will be doing one a day, every day for a week with posts that are Kid-Friendly..especially my son-friendly. He is a very fussy preschooler but he has a few favorite(s) -- anything noodle-y, anything colorful, anything soft and fluffy, anything with unusual patterns, anything burger-y, anything deep-fried(Uh-Oh) and anything stuffed[just like Mama, :-)]. So here is one of his favorite -- Noodle-y and pleasing to the eye- Its a traditional South-Indian dish called "Idiyappam"  that translates to "String Hoppers". If you remember you should know that I have admitted a mighty strong weakness for String Hoppers in one of my previous posts.My son is no different. "An apple doesn't fall far from its tree" holds true, especially  in this case. :-)
The sauce/side-dish for the string hoppers can be sweet or spicy but my son likes the former. Yup, he is all for it if the hoppers are dunked in a sweet sauce made with warm milk + unrefined sugar(Jaggery/Panela), topped with fresh grated coconut and ghee-fried cashews. Be warned: the divine combo of hoppers, sweet sauce, coconut and nuts will incite a conflagration of hunger for more that even my picky eating son succumbs.. Every-time!
This is my post for Day1 of "Blogging Marathon #4".

Ingredients:(Makes ~ 16 Discs)

• 1 Cup Finger Millet Flour "Ragi Flour"
• 1 Cup Rice Flour
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1-1/2 Cups Boiling Water +  more as needed
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

For the Sauce:
Option1:

• 3 Cups Skimmed Milk
• 1 Cup Unrefined Sugar/Jaggery/Panela, crumbled

Option2:

• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar or more/less

For the Garnish:

• 1/4 Cups Cashew
• 1 Tbsp Store-bought or Homemade Ghee "Clarified Butter" or Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tbsp Fresh/Frozen Grated Coconut

Tool:

• Idiyappam Press (I used authentic wooden Idiyappam press that has 2 parts. Bottom part has a cavity to stuff the flour and the top part is a press that pushes down on the flour to make noodles) Or Pasta maker ( I haven't tried with a pasta maker though)

 Procedure:

• Sift the rice and ragi flour  in a shallow bowl. Add the salt and stir to incorporate.

• Bring 2-3 Cups of water to a roiling boil. Initially pour 1-1/2 Cups of water and quickly using a wooden-spoon handle stir. Add 2-3 tbsp more or if needed. The flour should clump together but not/never soggy. Quickly cover the bowl and let the flour absorb the water for 10 minutes.

• Once the flour is warm enough to be handled with hands, knead it gently along with a tbsp of olive oil to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough into small portions to fit the Idiyappam tool(for a detailed step-by-step check this link) and squeeze the strings directly on any flat plate/Idli Mould. The String Hoppers need to be steamed for 10-12 minutes.

• After 12 minutes of steaming, remove the String Hoppers to a bowl.

• Repeat the above 2 steps until the dough is completely used-up.

• To Make the sauce: Use Option1 or Option 2 to make the sauce. I used Option1 for this post - using unrefined sugar to make the sauce.

• Add a cup of crumbled unrefined sugar to milk and cook only till its dissolved into the milk. The sauce doesn't have to be thick.

• Brown the cashews with a tbsp of ghee or butter. Move a portion of String Hoppers on a plate and pour a portion of warm milk-sugar sauce over it. Garnish with fresh or frozen grated coconut and a sprinkling of browned cashews. Sit back and Savor.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-

Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv

Note:

• Hoppers can be made with just Rice flour alone. The sweet sauce can be made with granulated sugar and milk for the white hoppers. Check the recipe for "Rice Flour String Hoppers"-
  

Enjoy!

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