GREENS GRAM VADAI

Ingredients:

Green gram split - 1 cup
Finely chopped spinach - 2 cups
Coriander leaves, mint leaves, vallarai/asiatic pennywort - each a handful
Salt to taste
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Chopped green chillies - 2 (optional)

Preparation:

Soak the green gram splits in water for an hour.Then grind in a mixer coarsely.
Mix all the other ingredients.


Make balls in hand, flatten and deep fry in hot oil and serve hot.

RAGI POORI

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Ragi flour - 1 cup
Really warm water but not hot
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Preparation:

Mix wheat flour, ragi flour and salt together.


Make a stiff dough with warm water.


Roll the dough slightly thicker and make pooris.


Serve hot with potato sabji or any other veg or non-veg gravy.

EMPEROR FISH FRY

Ingredients:

Emperor fish - 4 small sized (totally 1/2 kg)
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp or increase the amount according to your taste
Fennel seeds powder - 1 tsp
Oil to shallow fry
Onion rings and lemon to serve with

Preparation:

Clean fish and cut slits.


Make paste of all the powders and apply on the fish. Allow to stand for 1 to 2 hours.


Now heat oil in a pan and shallow fry in medium high flame until brown and crispy outside.


Serve with rice and gravy of any type or it tastes very good when eaten as a snack with onion rings and/or lemon wedges.

KAMBU / PEARL MILLET WHOLE WHEAT APPLE WAFFLE

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 150 gram

Kambu / pearl millet flour - 150 gram

Milk - 300 ml

Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp

Eggs - 2
Salt - a pinch

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Apple - 1 (finely chopped)

Honey - 3 tbsp + to serve

Raisins - 1 handfull

Preparation:

Mix together wheat flour, kambu flour and baking powder together and set aside. Whisk together all the other ingredients except apple and raisins. 

Now add the flour mixture and mix well. Finally fold in apples and raisins.

Heat waffle iron and prepare waffles.

Serve with honey and/or whipped cream.


Note: This is a less sweet waffle variety. Sweet variety I'll post soon.

OVEN BAKED CHICKEN

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces - 6 ( I used legs, thigh and wings from a chicken)
Salt to taste
Dried rosemary, garlic powder, pepper powder, dried basil - each 1 tsp
Finely chopped green chilies - 2
Oil and lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Freshly chopped garlic - 1 tbsp

Preparation:
Clean the chicken pieces and marinate with the ingredients except butter and fresh garlic.


Leave it at least for 8 hours in the refrigerator. Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
Heat butter in a pan and saute freshly chopped garlic.


Arrange the pieces of chicken in a tray and spoon the butter garlic over them.


Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until done and serve hot.

DUTCH CUCUMBER / CHAYOTE / CHOW CHOW RED CAPSICUM CHUTNEY

Ingredients:

Chayote / chow chow - 1/2 (thinly sliced)
Chick peas splits / bengal gram dal - 1/4 cup
Red capsicum - 1/2
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Red chili or dried green chilli  to taste
Mustard seeds and curry leaves to season

Preparation:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and roast chick peas splits until golden in color. Set aside.


Now in the same oil saute chayote and when half done add red capsicum. Saute until soft.


Cool down and grind with the roasted chick peas splits, dried green chili or red chili (dried green chili retain the red color than fresh) and salt.


Now season with mustard seeds and serve with idly or dosa.

GREAT MILLET / JOWAR / WHITE CHOLAM VANILLA CAKE

Ingredients:

Butter - 1/4 cup

Small eggs - 2

Sugar - 1/3 cup

Vanilla sugar - 1 tsp or vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Great millet flour - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Milk - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Melt butter and allow to cool. When cooled whisk with two eggs.

When mixed well add sugar and vanilla sugar or vanilla essence and mix well until sugar is dissolved.

Now sieve together flour and baking powder. Mix with the egg butter mixture.

Now mix milk and bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

For cream cheese orange frosting:

Cream cheese - 1/3 cup

Butter - 1/3 cup

Sifted sugar - 2 1/2 cups

Orange zest - 1 tbsp 

Preparation:

Beat together butter and cream cheese well. Then add sugar and finally add orange zest. 

Decorate the cake with icing and serve.

MUTTON THICK GRAVY

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 cloves
Pepper corns - 1 tbsp
Red chili - 4 or more
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Red Onion - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Make a paste of ginger, garlic, pepper corns and red chili.


Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds.


When it turns golden add chopped onion with salt and saute in medium flame.


After it turns translucent add mutton and allow to cook for a few minutes. Then add the ground masala.


Add little water and allow to cook until the mutton pieces are soft and cooked.


Now add the dry masala powders and some salt to taste.


Mix well and allow to cook in medium low flame. mix once in a while. When gravy thickens serve hot with pulao, biryani, ghee rice or any rice variety with any gravy.