MALPAT'S THAALIS - 51 - South Indian lunch

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                                                              Cabbage peas curry
                                                              Paruppu thogayal
                                                              Yellow pumpkin vathakuzhambu
                                                               Lemon rasam
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This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

NENDHRANGAI CHIPS, how to make chips out of Nendhran bananas

 These chips originate from Kerala, and they are known as Kerala chips. Normally they make it in Coconut oil but I have made in refined oil only.
By themselves they are yellow in color, and one thing about these chips is...as they are being fried, we have to add salt. I mixed little bit of turmeric powder also to salt, added water and added to chips!!
Many make a healthy powder out of Nendhrangai for small babies and give as porridge.
Here is my Vazhakkai/raw banana chips

Ingredients

Nendran bananas - 4

Enough oil to fry

Salt - 1-11/4 tsps

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Lunch/dinner/snacks

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 20-25 mts

Yields around 250-300 gms chips

Bananas peeled and dropped into water

Then they are sliced like this with a slicer, not too thin...not too thick...

Turmeric powder and salt taken in a cup

water added

slices dropped into oil. We can directly slice into the oil too.

After turmeric-salt water is added, it will make a sizzling sound like this. We must be careful whikle adding salt. For the first batch, we can add 1 tsp. Then later, since the oil has already taken in salt, we must add 1/2 tsp only. Otherwise if it become too salty, we can't do anything later.

Only the sizzling stops, that means, chips are done.

Take them out and put in a colander, which is lined with a kitchen napkin.

Yummy and crunchy chips are ready!!!

MINI BUTTER NAAN, how to make flat leavened bread easily at home

 Naans are flat leavened bread, made in Clay tandoor, and many restaurants make varieties of them.

This recipe is my old Cookery class recipe, slightly modified, and mixed with few ideas of Tarla Dalal also.

I found , these Naans were so easy to make, so soft, and unlike the restaurant made Naans, which become rubbery very soon, these stayed very soft and fluffy.

Also, I did not want to try putting it on  tava, then turning the tava to flames etc.....have seen several videos, where Naans become so black...simple steps I took, and the result was amazing!!! I think, making these easy and simple naans is going to be a regular feature in  malpatskitchen

Also, I wanted to make them small. And, wanted to experiment with a very small quantity, they were perfect!!!

Ingredients

Maida/All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Instant dry yeast - 1/4 tsp

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Lukewarm water - 21/2 tbsps

Curds - 1 tbsp

Melted ghee - 1/2 tbsp

Baking powder - 1/8 tsp

Salt to taste

Kalonji/nigella - 3/4 tsp for topping

Melted butter for brushing

Some flour for dusting

Recipe cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch/Dinner

Prep time: 2-3 hrs; Cooking time: 3-4 minutes for each Naan

Yields 3 mini Naans

Instant Yeast and Sugar taken in a cup

Lukewarm water added, and mixed. Water should never be hot, otherwise Yeast won't bloom and will die.

Cover with a lid, and leave it for 30-45 minutes

In the mean time, in a bowl, take All purpose flour, curds, melted ghee, salt to taste and baking powder

Frothy and bloomed Yeast after 45 minutes

Add the yeast to the flour. I did not have to add any extra water. Just grease your palm with some cooking oil......Incase you feel you need to add more water, you can add just a tsp of water or lukewarm milk.

and knead to a soft dough, smear some melted ghee on top,  cover with a wet cloth and leave for minimum an hour.

This is after 11/2 hours...see how dough has doubled in size!!! you can see many air pockets too.

Punch the dough, and again knead well.

Dough divided into 3 balls.

Make the ball slightly elongated, so that you will get longish Naans...and sprinkle some kalonji on top, and slightly press with your fingers

Dust some flour, and roll into an oval shaped Naan

3 Naans rolled and kept

Heat a non stick pan, keeping the flames on medium, place a Naan

Press softly with your fingers delicately, and dry roast both sides, like how we do for phulkas

The dough is so pliable and soft, you can see, how it is puffing up nicely

Then just like phulkas, cook over flames, flip, then cook the other side

Keep on a plate

Smear some melted butter on the Naan. 

Don't they look so good???

With Paneer butter masala, and peas pulav, isn't it an absolute North Indian feast???

Notes

*If you want to make garlic naans, after rolling out a bit, add very finely chopped garlic and finely chopped cilantro.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

FIRE ROASTED EGGPLANT GOTHSU, how to make fire roasted brinjal gothsu

 

A very flavorful gothsu, an apt side for Venpongal , idlis and dosas.

Please check my other side dishes for tiffins here

For roasted eggplant thogayals, click here

Ingredients

Big brinjal/eggplant - 1, washed & wiped well, then,  smeared with cooking oil/gingely oil

Onion - 1, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Sambar podi/chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

To season

Cooking oil - 2 tsps

Hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Split urad dhal - 1 tsp

Channa dhal - 1 tsp

Green chillies, chopped - 2

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - a few

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Side dish/breakfast/lunch/dinner

Fire roasting time: 20-30 mts; Cooking time: 15 mts

Serves 2-3

Brinjal being roasted on very slow flames, take care to turn it now and then so that all sides get roasted uniformly. It is very essential to roast on slow flames, then only inside also gets cooked well

Well roasted

Then drop it in a bowl of water, allow it to cool down

Then peel of the skin slowly

See, how beautifully it has been cooked!!

Seasonings, above mentioned, done in oil

Tomatoes, onions, green chillies and curry leaves added too, all sauteed

After onions and tomatoes become well sauteed, add enough water, add tamarind paste

Add sambar powder and jaggery. You can add chilli powder too, but I added sambar powder

Now, add the brinjal pulp

salt to taste added

Take a masher, and mix and mash everything nicely.

Boil just for 5-7 minutes. In fact, my mother-in-law used to add the sauteed mixture to raw tamarind water. But I just boiled the whole thing for a little while, so that the tamarind paste and sambar powder lose their raw flavor. 

Serve this extremely aromatic gothsu with Ven pongal

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com