Ragi puttu/Ragi upma

I have always loved ragi dosai but ended up with a bag of roasted ragi flour which makes really bad dry dosas. So my search brought me to ragi puttu recipes.I have a puttu maker in which I can fill water in the bottom part while filling the puttu mix in the pipe above so steam can cook the mix.

roasted ragi flour - 1 cup
salt - very less (1/2 a tsp) (flour doesn't take much salt)
water - 1/4 cup
coconut - optional

for upma
onion - chopped (1/2 a cup)
green chillies - 2
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
urad dal, chana dal - 1 tsp each
curry leaves - 1sprig
oil - 1 tsp

Knead the ragi flour with salt and water (little by little) until the mix has a bread crumb consistency without any lumps. It should hold its shape when pressed and disintegrate when pressure is applied. Remember that the pipe is open from both sides. So press the mix firmly and drop into the puttu pipe so that it does not just leak through the bottom. Keep adding the puttu mix and affix the pipe to the bottom vessel filled with water (half-filled). Steam for 10 minutes (start keeping time once steam escapes from the top) Remove puttu from pipe using the stick provided. It is amazing what the right recipe can do to a lump of flour.

Coconut can be added to the puttu either when steaming or after cooking.

If proceeding to make upma, skip the coconut, sputter mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal, saute onions and green chillies and add crumbled steamed puttu. Remove from heat and serve. Is very similar to idli upma.

Enjoy!

No fry Batata vadas/Mysore Bondas

Potatoes - Boiled and mashed(5-6 or as per requirements)
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
green chillies - chopped fine - 3-4 or to taste
ginger, grated fine - 1-2 tsp or to taste
asafoetida - a few pinches
cilantro (coriander) leaves, chopped - for garnish
garlic minced (optional)
salt - to taste
turmeric powder - 1/2 a tsp
lime juice of 1 lime
oil - 1 -2 tsp

Besan (chana dal flour) - about a cup
salt
turmeric powder

Sputter mustard seeds in oil and add asafoetida, garlic, chillies and ginger in that order. When chillies are fried enough, add the mashed potatoes, salt and turmeric powder and stir well. Remove from fire and add chopped cilantro and lime juice and mix.

Make a very thick paste of besan, with water in the consistency of idli batter or thick yogurt so that it sticks to the potato balls. Add turmeric powder and salt and keep aside.

Heat an appam/paniyaram pan and add a little oil to every appam mould in the pan. If you have a nonstick like mine (or a seasoned cast iron pan), no oil is required. When the potatoes have cooled down enough for handling comfort, make small balls of the potato bhaaji (curry) and dip in besan batter and place them on the moulds of the pan. Once the batter does not stick to the pan and has brown spots, turn over and cook again. Depending on oil used and shape of the bondas/vadas they may not be brown all over but will still be cooked and taste good.

Serve with chutney of choice (green and sweet chutney or coconut chutney) or with pav as vada pav with green, sweet and dry garlic chutney.

korivi karam (ripe red chilly pickle)

I have always loved this Andhra pickle ever since I tasted it in my Aunt's place. So I had to try it when I saw red ripe chillies interspersed with the green ones in the Indian grocery store. So I spent quite some time picking out a pound of just the red ones. After reading a few recipes here and here, this is what worked for me. It was quite easy to make and the most painstaking task was wiping the washed chillies to ensure that they are dry.

ripe red chillies (the slightly long ones would be less spicy) - 1 pound
tamarind (wet Indian variety) - .5 pounds
salt - .25 pounds or to taste
fenugreek powder - 2 tsp
asafoetida - 1/ a tsp
gingelly (sesame) oil - 1/2 a cup (approximately)

Wash and dry the chillies (by drying out in the sun or wiping each one of them). Remove the stems and add to a blender/mixer. Grind with tamarind and salt without adding water. (Add oil if needed). Marinate for 3 days before adding fenugreek powder and heated sesame oil with asafoetida. Mix well and let it stand for a week or 2 before the spice level tones down and it is ready for consumption. Stir with a ladle occasionally.Will store well for a really long time.

Goes well with curd rice (of course) and idlis (add sesame oil to it to combat the heat). Enjoy if you are sucker for spice and heat!

Note: Only RIPE chillies work well for this recipe.

Rava pongal

Ingredients:

Rava - 1 cup
Moong dal (pasi paruppu) - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup substituitional if not you can add water instead of milk.
Cashew nuts - 10
Pepper corns -1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Ginger - (minced)
Ghee - as you wish
Oil - The more oil the better it is
Curry leaves - a few

Procedure:

1.Pressure cook the dal, strain and save the stock and set aside the dal.
2.Roast the rava in a tsp of ghee and set aside.
3.In the same pan, add the remaining ghee and oil and season with pepper corns and cumin seeds.
4.Then add the cashews, ginger and curry leaves and fry until cashews turn golden brown.
5.Add two and half cups of the following mixture - water, milk.
6.Add salt and let the mixture boil. Then add the roasted rava and stir in medium heat until the rava is well cooked and reaches a semi solid consistency.
8.Now add the cooked dal, mix and cover in low heat for 5 mins.
9.Add some ghee on the top and mix well.
Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar.