Potato - Onion Pakoda

Pakoda is one of the yummy snack that most of us like.

I usually do prepare some fried dish because I love munching some fried food. I have prepared potato - onion pakoda.

I have used onions, potato, channa flour/besan and rice flour. I have used green chilly and little jeera/cumin seeds.

You can have this Potato - Onion Pakoda for snack or with lunch as a bite in between.

Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Besan/channa flour : 1 Cup

Onions : Medium size : 2

Potato : 1

Green chilly : 2

Jeera /cumin seeds : 1 Teaspoon

Salt : As required.

Pepper powder : 1/2 Teaspoon

Oil : To Fry : 1 Cup

Method :

1. Put besan/channa flour in a big bowl.

2. Add salt, jeera and little pepper powder.

3. Wash and remove the outer layer of potato and cut into very small pieces.

4. Wash green chilly and cut into small.

5. Remove the outer layer of onions and wash it again.

6. Cut onions into very small.

7. Add cut onions, potato, green chilly to besan. Mix it well.

8. Add required water and prepare the thick batter.

9. Keep a pan on the fire and add oil. Let it get hot.

10. Mix all the ingredients nicely and take a handful of batter and

leave as pakodas, in small portions.

11. Fry on both side on medium flame till they turn on golden brown.

12. Remove the fried pakodas and put it on the kitchen tissue.

13. Repeat the same and prepare remaining pakodas.

14. Serve with ketch up or chutney and a cup of coffee or tea.

Note :

The batter should be thick. Adding little red chilly powder is optional.You can also add coriander leaves and curry leaves to the batter. Do not add any cooking soda to the batter.

Time : 20 Minutes

Serves : 2 to 3 .

NENDRA BAALE GULAAB JAAMOON

Nendra baale jamoon is a sweet dish and I have used honey instead of sugar syrup and it is one of the simple healthy, easy and quick dish, I can assure you. We normally shallow fry nendra banana slices on the dosa tava (pan ) and sprinkle sugar. I have done that in my earlier recipe.
Lets see some benefits of having ghee in our diet. 
Ghee has full of nutritional benefits and medicinal qualities. Ayurveda recognizes ghee is an essential part of a balanced diet and considered it to be the best fat that one can eat. Ghee contain Omega 3 and Omega 9 essential fatty acids along with Vitamins A, D, E and K. and numerous other minerals are present in ghee.
Ghee helps to control eye pressure and is beneficial for who are suffering from glaucoma. Ghee is said to be stimulate the secretion of stomach acids and helps with digestion. Ghee is rich in antioxidants. It also contain anti viral properties. It is good for treatment of burns and helps in learning better and helps in memory retention. Ghee is a premium cooking oil celebrated for its taste, nutritional benefits, and medicinal qualities. Ayurveda, the ancient medical science of India, recognizes ghee as an essential part of a balanced diet, and considers it to be the best fat one can eat.
This Nendra Baale (Nendra Banana Fruit) Gulab Jamoon is purely my style a healthy and yummy sweet dish having a healthy concept and it will be liked by all age group and every one I am sure. 

Lets see the recipe now.

Things Needed:

Nendra Baale fruit : 1

Ghee : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Honey :  3 to 4 Tablespoons

Cardamom : 2 to 3 pods
Almonds powder : 2 Tablespoons  ( 8 to 10 Almonds)

Method :

1. Dry roast almonds and remove the outer layer of cardamom and dry grind cardamom seeds and almonds. Keep it aside.
2. Remove the skin of the nendra banana fruit and slice them into circle (very thin slices).

3. Keep a pan on the fire. heat. Sprinkle some ghee on the tava and keep banana slices in a circle shape. (Low flame).

4. Spread little ghee (Half Tablespoon) and let it cook on low flame and turn little golden colour.
5. Now turn the other side and spread another half tablespoon of ghee on top. Let it turn golden brown on the other side.

6. Now remove the banana slices and place on the plate. Pour honey on the top and then turn the other side.
7. Pour honey on the top again (a tablespoon will do on each side).
8. Sprinkle almonds and cardamom powder on the top of honey.

9. Nendra Baale Jamoon is ready to serve.

10. Repeat the same with remaining banana slices.

Note ;

Should be done on the low flame to get the good result. You can add more almonds. You ca also prepare sugar syrup and dip shallow fried bananas in the sugar syrup. I have used Honey instead of sugar syrup. Add honey to nendra baale when it is completely shallow fried and removed from the pan. Honey should not be cooked since it looses its good properties in high temperature.
Time : 15 minutes. (Total time)
Serves : 2 to 3

YERE-APPA

YERE APPA IS A SWEET DISH...which is normally done during  "DEEPAVALI" time. In South Canara ( Dakshina Kannada) we celebrate Deepavali for 4 days. First day we do pray and make pooja for Gangae ... the water God. This dish Yereappa ( a sweet fried dish), is prepared for Naivedya.on the eve of Deepavali. ( offering some thing during pooja).  Then the next day we do get up early and take oil bath and we have Dosa with PanchaKajjaya.( Panchakajjaya is a sweet dish prepared using beaten rice, jaggery, ghee, cardamom and coconut). Pancha means 5 kajjaya means sweet. Then so many customs and traditions will be followed for another 3 to 4 days.
Yereappa or Yere means put and appa means something sweet. Yereappa is prepared using raw rice, jaggery, coconut and cardamom.
You may think it is oily but as the weather starts cooling down and bringing cold breeze on the land, your skin gets effected by the cold wind in the atmosphere. Oil is very much needed for the body during winter. These things are well known by our elders and they practices the food habit according to it. There is no harm in eating just enough and right kind of food for the seasons. These are completely my opinion.
Here is a recipe of " Yereappa", that is what we call for this dish which is very easy to prepare and yummy to have. I am sure all age group will definitely love eating this  traditional dish and enjoy each bit of it 

Things Needed

Rice : 1 cup

Coconut : 1/2 cup

Jaggery : 2 Table spoon

Cardamom : 2 to 3 pods

Beaten Rice : 1 Table spoon

Salt : a pinch

Oil : 1 cup ( To fry )
Salt : a pinch
Methi Seeds " 1/4 Tea spoon
Urid dal : 2 Tea spoons.

Method:

1, Soak rice and beaten rice for 1to 2 hours in plain water. Grate Coconut.

2. Wash and drain water from rice and grind with beaten rice and coconut . It should be a fine paste.

3. Now add jaggery and cardamom and grind for two to three minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Remove the paste from grinding jar and put it in a bowl.

 4. Now keep a frying pan on the fire and heat oil.
5.When oil is heated put a spoonful of ground paste and deep fry on both sides on medium flame. Remove once it turns golden red. Place on kitchen tissue so that tissue absorbs extra oil. Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare Yereappa same way.

 6. Yereyappa is ready to serve.

Note :

The dough should not be watery..You can add little rice powder to thicken the dough if it turns watery. If the dough is watery Yereappa may take (absorb) more oil which is not good. Adding cashew nuts is also an optional. Adding more or less jaggery is according to your wish. Do not soak rice mixture more than 2 hours. Prepare Yereappa just after grinding the dough. Do not allow them to get savoury. ( It absorb more oil if it is left ).
Time : 2 hours to soak.
Preparation time : 30 minutes.
10 to 12 Yereappa can be prepared.. (According to the size of the spoon you use).

Urid dal Dosa

 Dosa or dose is one of the Udupi dish and Udupi Masla Dosa is world wide famous now a days. Dosa is prepared using rice, urid dal fenugrik/methi seeds and little aval.
Dosa is a breakfast dish and you can have them as snack in the evening also. It is one of the healthy dish that we can eat them in the morning for breakfast.
There are different types of dosa now a days. With this dosa dough you can prepare plain crisp dosa, fluffy set dosa or Masala dosa and guli appa. The rice and urid has to be soaked for 2 to 3 hours and then ground with urid and methi seeds. It has to left to get naturally ferment at least for 6 to 8 hours. Then you can prepare soft dosas.

Lets see the recipe.

Ingredients :

Raw rice : 2 cups

Urood Daal : 1/2 cup

Fenugric Seeds : 1/4 Tea spoon

Beaten Rice : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Salt : to taste

Oil : or butter to sprinkle on the top .

Method :

1. Soak rice, urid dal and fenugrik seeds together for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Wash and soak Avalakki/Beaten rice separately.
3. Grind it together little by little till paste and remove from the mixi jar.

4. Add salt and mix it well. Leave it for formentation.
5. Keep a dosa tava on the fire. Sprinkle oil and clean it nicely. Keep on medium heat.
6. Add a ladle of ready dough and spread it slowly.

7. Sprinkle oil on the top of dosa, cover and cook for a minute.

8. Remove the cover and turn the dosa slowly to the other side and cook for 10 seconds.
9.Now dosa is ready to serve.

10. Serve with any chutney you prepared.
11. Add little ghee or butter just before serving.
12.Repeat the same with remaining dough.

Note :

You can use grinder or mixit to grind it . Grinding in the grinder adds to the taste. If you are using mixi jar use very less water. You can add a tablespoon of toor dal while soaking. Adding boiled rice is optional. (I have added 1/2 cup of boiled rice). Dosa dough should be little thinner than idli dough. If it turns very thin add some maida and rava .
Time : 
Soaking : 4 hours + grinding : 15 to 20 minutes (grinder) + Fermentation : 6 to8 hours.
Preparation : 15 to 20 minutes.
Serves : 5 to 6 .

COCONUT HOLIGE ( Obaattu )...POORAN POLI

Holige/Obbattu/Pooran Poli/ Boli is a sweet dish which is normally done during the festival/feast time. Here is Coconut Holige.

Holige is known as Obbattu, Pooran Poli, Poli or Boli.  Holige is normally prepared using maida/all purpose flour for outer layer and to different ingredients are used for stuffing. Example like Toor dal holige, channa dal holige, rava holige, dry fruits holige, almond holige, sweet potato holige etc. Jaggery or sugar is added to above ingredients for stuffing.
I have used wheat flour and maida for the outer layer and coconut jaggery, poppy seeds and avalakki for sweet stuffing.
Let us see some benefits of eating jaggery in our diet. 
Jaggery is a good digestive agent and it helps to cleanse our body. It sweetens our food in healthy way. It is loaded with minerals. It helps to get relief from constipation problems. It boost energy.
Lets see the recipe Now :

Things Needed :

For outer layer :
Wheat flour : 2 Cups
Maida /All purpose flour  : 1/2 Cup
Oil : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : A pinch
For stuffing :
Coconut : 1

Jaggery : 1 Cup
Cardamom : 5 to 6 seeds ( Powdered )
Thin Avalakki /Poha : 1 Cup
Poppy Seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Cooking Oil : 2 Tablespoons (Optional)

Method :

1. Put wheat flour and  maida in a bowl. Mix it well.
2. Add required water and prepare chapati dough. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and mix it well.
3. Now add another tablespoon of oil on the top of the dough and let it rest for 2 to 3 hours.

4. Grate coconut and dry grind it with cardamom seeds.

5. Keep a pan on the fire and add jaggery. Let it melt. Add dry ground coconut. Mix it well.

6. Add avalakki and stir. Add a tablespoon of poppy seeds/gasagase.

7. When it gets slightly thick remove it from the pan. ( The mixture should be thick not watery).
8. Let it get cooled.

9. Now take the dough you have already prepared. Kneed the dough nicely and divide into small portions.
10. Divide the sweet stuff also into small portions.

11. Take a small portion of chapati dough. Spread it on your palm.

12. Place 1 tablespoon of sweet stuff in the middle and close it from all sides.

13. Dip in dry wheat flour and roll as chapati.

14. Keep a tava/pan on the fire and heat.

15. Put already rolled holige and cook on both sides. Sprinkle oil on the top while cooking.                     

16. Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare Yummy Holige.

17. Serve  Coconut Holige with a teaspoon of ghee

18. We had a chance to distribute " Coconut Holige " to our relatives.

Note..

While  preparing Hoorana ( coconut and jaggery mix ) do it on low flame. and it should not be too thick or too thin.. Let the water disappear from that mixture. Let once it is slightly thick put off the fire. Allow it to cool completely. Adding maida to wheat flour is optional. Let it the dough be smoother than chapati. Use of more/less oil is optional. You can use chiroti rava instead of maida/all purpose flour. I have used organic jaggery. If you are using normal jaggery, powder jaggery and add little water to it. Let it melt completely. Then sieve it with a strainer and then use it. (taking away the dirt part from jaggery).
Time : 40 Minutes to prepare holige + sweet hoorana (sweet stuff) 5 minutes + dough preparing and resting - 2 to 3 hours. 
20 Holiges can be prepared. (According to size and shape).