FRIED PLANTAINS - VAZHAKKAI FRY

INGREDIENTS :

Spice Powders :

HOW TO MAKE FRIED PLANTAINS - VAZHAKKAI FRY

FRIED PLANTAINS - VAZHAKKAI FRY

METHOD :

• Wash, Peel the Plantain and Cut them into thin round slices.
• Soak the Plantain Slices in salted water for 8-10 Minutes.
• Drain the soaked water and line up the Plantain slices on a clean kitchen towel.
• Heat Oil in a deep pan and deep fry the Plantain Slices until they turn crispy.
• Remove the Fried Plantains from oil and transfer them into another Pan.
• Sprinkle Salt and Spice Powders over the Fried Plantains and cook on a very low flame until the fried plantains turn crispier and the spice powders are well coated to each slice.
• Leave the pan on a low flame and stir occasionally until the Fried Plantains turn crispier and turn into golden brown in colour.
• Serve Fried Plantains - Vazhakkai Fry with Rice and any Curry, Sambar or Rasam.
• Pairs well with Variety Rice dishes like Coconut Rice, Lemon Rice, Puliyodharai, Paruppu Sadham, Tomato Rice, Rice Kichdi etc.,
• But the best combination is with simple Rice and Curd or Thayir Sadham.

NOTES :

• Select fresh and firm green Plantains for the recipe.
• Cut them into thin even slices to yield crispy Fried Plantains. 
• While cooking the deep-fried plantains with spices in a pan, there is no need to add oil.
• Alternatively, can marinate the Plantain Slices with Salt and Spice Powders and slow cook on a low flame until they turn crispy and golden brown in colour.
• Can temper the Plantain Fries with Mustard Seeds, Urad Dhal and Curry Leaves, if preferred.
• Adding Kitchen King Masala is purely optional.
• Adjust the amount of spice powders to suit your taste and preference.

CURD SEMIYA - THAYIR SEMIYA RECIPE

HOW TO COOK CURD SEMIYA - THAYIR SEMIYA RECIPE

CURD SEMIYA - THAYIR SEMIYA RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

For Tempering :

For Garnishing :

METHOD :

• Cook readymade Roasted Semiya/Vermicelli along with water and a dash of Salt until it turns soft.
• Drain the excess water from the cooked Semiya/Vermicelli by draining it through a colander.
• Meanwhile, Heat Oil/Ghee in a pan, splutter Mustard Seeds& Bengal Gram Dhal.
• Immediately add Cashew nuts and Raisins to the above and roast it on a very low flame until cashew nuts turn into light golden brown in colour.
• Immediately add finely chopped Green Chillies, Ginger and Curry Leaves to the above and give a quick stir.
• Switch off the flame and pour the tempering to the cooked Semiya/Vermicelli.
• Pour Milk and Curd/Yoghurt to the above and mix well.
• Adjust the amount of Salt and add a pinch of 'Sugar to the Curd Semiya.
• Garnish Curd Semiya with finely chopped Coriander Leaves and few strands of finely grated Carrots.
• Can also add few seeds of Pomegranate or thinly sliced fresh Grapes to Curd Semiya.
• Simply serve this Curd Semiya with a smidgen of a Spicy pickle of your choice.

NOTES :

• I have used readymade Roasted Vermicelli for the recipe. 
• If using normal Vermicelli, roast the Semiya/Vermicelli along with few teaspoons of Ghee on a very low flame until it turns into light golden brown in colour.
• If cooking the same recipe with Bihun/Mee Hoon, cook Bihun as per instruction and follow the rest of the steps as above.
• Then cook the Semiya/Vermicelli as mentioned above and temper it as such.
• If you feel Curd Semiya dry, adjust the consistency of the dish by adding some Milk and Curd.
• If the Curd/Yoghurt is sour can add more Milk to adjust the sourness.
• Never add curd when the Vermicelli/Semiya is warm.  This will curdle the curd and make the dish watery.
• Tempering the ingredients in ghee would enhance the flavour.
• Adding Raisins and a pinch of Sugar to the recipe is truly optional.
• Garnishing Curd Semiya with Pomegranate Seeds or fresh Grapes is purely optional.
• Can refrigerate Curd Semiya until you serve it (if you prefer it to be served cold).

POTATO VARUVAL

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

• Clean and peel the Potatoes.
• Cut Potatoes into four and then slice them into thin pieces.
• Soak them in slightly salted water until use.
• Heat Oil in a pan, splutter Mustard Seeds, Asafoetida and Curry Leaves.
• Saute finely chopped Onions until they turn translucent.
• Add thinly sliced Potatoes along with a dash of salt into the oil and give a quick stir.
• Saute them in a very low flame until potatoes are well cooked.
• Add Turmeric Powder and Red Chilli Powder to the potatoes and mix well.
• Leave it to simmer for few minutes until the Potato slices are coated with masalas, stirring occasionally.
• Serve hot with any type of rice varieties or as a side dish for any curry.

KARA BOONDI

   

    'Kara Boondi' is a spicy version of Boondi and a lighter version of South Indian Mixture. Deep-fried Boondis with added Nuts & Seasonings makes this light snack into an exquisite treat & a wonderful Tea Time Snack. Kara Boondi which is Boondis South Indian counterpart, slightly spicy and a few add-ons. Kara Boondi is a combination of Chickpea Flour & Rice Flour with spices & seasonings, fried Curry Leaves, Cashews & Ground Nuts for an extra richness of flavour and taste. Kara Boondhi is also one snack added to South Indian Mixture Recipe along with various other tiny little savouries. 

 

For BOONDI NAMKEEN RECIPE, Click here....

 

    In South Indian culture, when you visit a friend or a relative, it is a tradition to take along with them a Sweet & a Kaaram(Savoury). And it is the same when you serve a snack to a guest. Mostly South Indian Mixture  or Murukkus take a special place in the Kaaram(Savoury snack) list & at times this humble Kara Boondi also would come into the limelight. Boondi a base ingredient while making Laddoos takes its twist and turns and convert itself into Sweet Boondi or Boondi Namkeen or Kara Boondi with a whole lot of variations & add-ons.

 

    Though the recipe seems to be quite similar to Boondi for Laddoos, Sweet Boondi & Boondi Namkeen we do not add Rice Flour & spices to those batters. Whereas, Kara Boondi uses both Bengal Gram Dhal Flour(Besan) & Rice Flour in it which gives the needed crispiness in the snack.  Kaara Boondi recipe is slightly extravagant when it comes to seasonings & add-ons like Nuts, giving this snack a standalone position of its own. 

 

 

KARA BOONDI

Points to remember before making Kara Boondi:

 

• The consistency of the batter plays a significant role in the shape & texture of Boondi.
• Make sure the flour has no lumps.
• Blend the Gram Flour, Rice Flour, Turmeric, Red Chilli Powder, Asafoetida Salt & Soda-bi-carbonate along with 1/2 a Cup of water.
• Then pour in the remaining 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoons of water and blend it without any lumps.
• Blending it yields you with a perfect batter, with no lumps.
• The batter needs 3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon of water for the right consistency.
• This measurement is perfect and yields out perfectly shaped Boondis.
• Soda-bi-carbonate also helps to yield perfect round shaped Boondis. But adding it is purely optional.
• Boondi Jhara makes the task easier when it comes to the shape of a Boondi. I use a slotted spoon for the purpose. 
• If the consistency of the batter is perfect, then slotted ladles also do justice in getting perfectly shaped Boondis.
• Fry boondis on a medium flame until Boondis are well cooked and turn crisp.
• Make sure that Boondis do not turn brown. It should be yellowish.

 

 

For more DIWALI RECIPES, Click here... 

 

 

 Cuisine - South Indian

 Recipe Type - Snacks & Savouries 

 Spice Level - Medium

 Difficulty - Medium

 Yields - 2-3 Cups(Approx.)

 Author - SM

 

 

Preparation Time - 10-15 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 -30 Minutes

 

 

For more SNACKS & SAVOURIES, Click here... 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE KARA BOONDI  

 

KARA BOONDI

INGREDIENTS:

 

For Kara Boondi:

 

Bengal Gram Dhal Flour (Besan) - 1 Cup

Rice Flour(Idiyappam Flour) - 2 Tbspn 

Asafoetida - 1 Tspn

Turmeric Powder - a Pinch 

Red Chilli Powder - 11/2 Tspn

Soda-bi-carbonate -1/2 a Pinch(Optional)

Salt - To Taste 

Water - 3/4 Cup + 1 Tbspn

 

For Deep Frying:

 

Oil 

 

Add-ons:

 

Ghee - 2 Teaspoons 

Cashew Nuts - 20-25 Nos. 

Ground Nuts - 2-3 Tablespoons

Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs

 

Seasoning(Optional):

 

Salt - To Taste 

Asafoetida - a Pinch

Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 Tspn  

 

KARA BOONDI

 

METHOD:

 

For Boondi:

 

 

• Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Make sure the flour mixture has no lumps.
• Blend the Gram Flour, Rice Flour, Turmeric, Red Chilli Powder, Asafoetida Powder, Salt & Soda-bi-carbonate along with 1/2 a Cup of Water. 
• Then pour in the remaining 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon of water and blend it without any lumps.
• Blending it yields you with a perfect batter, with no lumps. 

• * 3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon of Water yields you with a perfect consistency for the batter.
  

• Heat oil in a pan, reduce to a medium flame while frying the boondis.
• You will need TWO slotted ladles for the purpose.
• One slotted ladle is to pour the batter through for making Boondi and the other one for draining it.
• Hold one slotted spoon just above the hot oil, pour a ladle full of batter over the slotted spoon and spread it.
• Ensure that the batter flows evenly through the slotted spoon and falls into perfect balls.
• The flour & the water consistency I have given is good enough to get perfectly shaped Boondis.

• Fry the boondis on a low flame, turning them continuously which would ensure even cooking.
• When the sizzling sound stops, drain the Boondis with the other slotted spoon.
• Spread them over Paper towels.
• Repeat the process for the remaining batter.

 

 

 Frying the Nuts:

• Meanwhile, heat Ghee in a pan and fry the Ground Nuts on a low flame until it turns crunchy. 
• Once done, remove it from the ghee and line it up on a paper towel.
• Then add halved Cashew Nuts and fry it on a low flame until it turns crunchy and slightly change its colour.
• Once done, remove it from the ghee and line it up on a paper towel.
• Now add Curry Leaves to the ghee and fry it on a low flame until fragrant and it turns crispy.

 
 

Mixing Kara Boondi:

KARA BOONDI

• Now, mix Boondi along with fried Nuts & Curry Leaves. 
• Sprinkle some Red Chilli Powder & Asafoetida Powder for an extra note of flavour.
• Add a dash of salt if you prefer the snack to be a bit salty.
• Toss it up until all the ingredients are well-combined. 
• Store it in an air-tight container.
• If stored properly, Kara Boondi lasts up to a week.
• Kara Boondi serves best as a Tea Time Snack or a festive snack for Diwali.
• Can add it along with Sev and convert it into South Indian Mixture.
• Kara Boondi can be added as a garnish for Thayir Vadai, Thayir Semiya, Thayir Sadham/Curd Rice, Millet Curd Rice etc.,
  

KARA BOONDI

 NOTES:

• The quantity of Water I have given in the recipe is of perfect consistency which yields perfectly shaped Boondis.
  
• Adding Soda-bi-carbonate is optional. It will add crispiness & also helps to yield perfectly shaped Boondis.
• I usually blend the ingredients in a blender/mixer-grinder jar.
• This is to ensure that the boondi batter is lump free and also helps to mix all the ingredients into a perfect batter.
  
• If you happen to add more water, the Boondis may turn out into flat shaped ones.
• So use the mentioned amount of water.
• I have used a slotted spoon for making Boondi and have not used Boondi Jhara.
  
• Deep fry the boondis on a very low flame. Otherwise, the boondis may turn brown.
• Drop the batter into hot oil through the slotted spoon and fry the boondis until the sizzling stops.
• Make sure that Boondis do not turn brown. It should be yellowish.
• Adjust the amount of Salt & Red Chilli Powder to suit your preference.
• Can add more or less Cashew Nuts & Ground Nuts if you prefer. 
• I have added few cloves of roasted Garlic into this Spicy Kara Boondi. But it is optional. 
• Toss all the fried items along with the seasonings until well combined.

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