Appam kerala style ~ Appam with yeast

Diposting oleh adiba
Kamis, 30 Agustus 2012
komentar (0)

First i hate to name this has Appam. we call it as ஆப்பம்(aappam), in english it may be read / means burp. so without heart i call it appam now! My great grand mom used to make appam with coconut toddy (kallu) for us. the flavor and taste of those appam is just unbeatable. forget the drowsiness after eating appam. and just for the drowsiness, we kids won't be fed appam on school days!! 

On our recent trip to kerala, i had appam for break-fast and also for dinner all the 2 days we stayed. i like these soft white bowl shaped appam so much! what i have made here is, appam with yeast. yeast is used as a substitute for toddy. usually fresh toddy should be added to the appam batter, which naturally ferments. it should be allowed to ferment for at least 8 hrs. In my experience, even if you are preparing appam without yeast, the batter should be allowed to ferment for above 16 hrs. only then you can get perfect appam's.


How to eat the appam is, sprinkle 2 or 3 tsp's of sugar in the centre of the appam and pour coconut milk/ just plain milk, let the appam soak for few seconds and eat! It will be a divine break-fast!

appam served with veg stew and milk 





Appam with Yeast Recipe

Prep Time: 30 mins 
Cooking Time: 05 mins  
Serves: 20
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Type: Breakfast

Ingredients:

  • Raw rice - 2 cup's (400gms)
  • Par boiled rice / Idly rice - 2 cup's (400 gms)
  • Urad dal - 1/2 cup (50 gms)
  • Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
  • Luke warm water - 1/4 cup
  • Active dry yeast - 1 tsp
  • Sugar - 1 tsp
  • Rock salt / kal uppu - 1 tsp


Method:

 Soak the raw rice, par boiled rice, urad dal and fenugreek in water for about 4 hours. Grind them into a very smooth and thin batter(not very thin actually). the grinding time may take from 45 minutes to 1 hour when grinded in grinder. Once the grinded appam batter is ready, transfer the batter to a clean vessel and close it with its lid and let the batter to ferment for overnight or 12 hours. 


After fermentation, its time to add yeast and let it ferment for the second time. so prepare for this second fermentation, ahead of 2 hrs of preparing appam. In a small mixing bowl, mix yeast, sugar, rock salt in Luke warm water and stir well with a spoon so that the yeast get's dissolved. close the mixing bowl with a plate and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes. this is to prove the yeast for its activeness. once the yeast mixture turns frothy, add it to the fermented appam batter and stir well. Now let the appam batter ferment for the second time for about 1 and half hrs to 2 hrs. once the batter ferments. its ready to make appam.

                  this pic is taken after first fermentation. it actually ferments more after adding yeast!



Mix little water, if the batter is too thick. heat a appa kadaai, i use my non-stick appam pan. smear the pan with a drop of oil. with a sliced onion, just spread the oil on sides of the pan(repeat this when preparing each and every appam). Pour 2 heaped ladle full of appam batter in the center of the appa kadaai / pan and swirl the kadaai / pan, this makes the batter spreading towards the sides of the pan. close the pan with its lid. let the appam get cooked in high flame for just a minute.

if you want the centre of the appam to be thick(like in the above pics) and the sides thinner, you should add another ladle of batter, this makes the excess batter get into the center. but you have to put the flame in medium and close the appam pan. it may take more than a minute for the appam to get cooked. you can test, by touching the center of the appam. if it sticks, its not cooked! then wait for some more time.

The left over appam batter can be put back in fridge, actually it ferments again and that gives still good appam 's in the next batch. do not forget to finish up the batter in 2 day's. its not like our idly batter, which keeps good for 5-7 day's.

Notes:

If you want to prepare appam without yeast, just let the appam batter ferment for about 16 hours. take half a cup of water, add 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp rock salt and 1/4 tsp of cooking soda and mix well. now add the mixed water to the fermented batter and mix well. let the batter rest for 30 minutes before you start making appam.

You can also add Instant yeast and add it to the batter, without proving the yeast. if using coconut toddy, add 1 cup of toddy, for this recipe.

Label: , ,

Kathirikai podi varuval ~ Brinjal podi curry

Diposting oleh adiba
Senin, 27 Agustus 2012
komentar (0)

This is the recent poriyal craze going on at home. just love this kathirikai podi curry, as it goes well with rasam or sambhar or any variety rice. its simple and easy to prepare.

                                    Kathirikai podi varuval with arisi paruppu sadham


You can prepare it in three different ways. yes i have tried three different ways just in the past one week! i will share two ways here, one is with less oil and the other is sinful varuval kind. though it can be prepared in three ways, basic podi is same, and it differs in either sauting or frying or steaming the brinjal's.

Ingredients for podi: 

                            got this moram after seeing it on raks kitchen. now i love to use it!

4 or 5 dry red chilli
1 tbsp chana dal
1 tsp dhania
1 tbsp peanuts
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp grated fresh coconut or kopparai(dry coconut)

Dry roast the above ingredients one by one in medium flame till they turn into golden color. once roasted, cool them down and grind into a coarse powder.


If you have added dry coconut, you can store the podi in fridge and use it up later. you can also prepare vazhakkai podi varuval. so prepare the podi  in excess and store in an air tight container, which could be good for at least a week.

Kathrikai podi poriyal: ( with just 1 tsp oil )


Purple brinjal - 10
Oil - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Tamarind - a small lemon size
Podi - 3 tbsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
salt to taste

Method:

Trim the tails of brinjal and cut them lengthwise. soak the tamarind in 1/2 a cup of water and squeeze out the pulp. heat a pan, add the tamarind water and brinjal's. let the brinjal get fully cooked in it and the water should be absorbed by the brinjals. at this stage, add salt to taste, turmeric powder and the podi. mix up all together. add a tsp of oil and mix them all. leave the brinjal's  in slow flame for about 2-3 mins. add curry leaves & remove from flame. serve with hot rice. Tastes best when served with mor kuzhambu or rasam.

Kathrikai podi varuval: (with 4 tbsp's of oil)



Purple brinjal - 10
Oil - 3 - 4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Podi - 3  tbsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
salt to taste


Method:

Trim the tails of brinjal and cut them lengthwise. Heat oil in a pan, add the brinjal's and fry them till they are almost cooked(3 - 4 minutes). add salt to taste, turmeric, podi and chilly powder. mix up well. let the brinjal's get wrapped up well with the podi. Let the brinjal fully cooked in low flame for about 2 or 3 minutes. add the curry leaves and remove from flame. serve hot.

I served with arisi paruppu sadham, which was a delicious combo!

I liked the version with less oil, as its guilt free. but you all know, which one will taste good. i was talking about the third version of steaming isn't it?. you can refer bharathy's spicy chilly.



Label: ,

Pesarattu ~ andhra style

Diposting oleh adiba
Selasa, 21 Agustus 2012
komentar (0)

Me and hubby love pesarattu. whenever we eat out at a andhra hotel, we order this. I love to prepare pesarattu on weekends as it involves less job and extra credits goes for this healthy break-fast. when you have little of last batch of the dosa batter, mix it along with pesarattu batter. that yields good dosa's.


I used to add raw rice for making the batter and have made thick pesarattu like our adai before. somehow, we liked only the thin one's. so i started to follow this simple recipe.


I just love to eat these pesarattu without any side-dishes. the onions and green chilli on every bite will simply be good. Pesarattu is normally served with upma. It can also be served with simple coconut chutney and sambhar. 
Pesarattu

 yields- 10 thin pesarattu
soaking time - overnight or 3 hrs
preparation time - less than 15 minutes



Ingredients:
  • Whole moong dal - 1 cup / 200gms (soaked in water overnight or 3 - 4 hrs)
  • Green chilli - 2
  • Cumin - 2 tsp
  • Ginger - 1' inch size
for topping:
  • Onion - 1 finely chopped or 10 small onions finely chopped.
  • Green chilli - 1 finely chopped
Method:
Wash and soak the whole moong dal in water for about 3 - 4 hrs or overnight. if soaked for overnight, it may also sprout and that makes the pesarattu more nutritious.
Grind the soaked moong dal along with green chilies, ginger, cumin, 1/4 cup of water & salt to taste into a smooth and fine batter.
Now the batter is ready to make pesarattu. yes you need not ferment! Heat a dosa tawa, take a ladle full of batter and make dosa's. if you prefer thin make thin dosa's.
Drizzle oil on sides, if you prefer toppings, add the finely chopped small onions and green chilli over the dosa and wait for a minute and flip the dosa, to let the other side of the dosa to get cooked. after half a minute remove the dosa to serve.
          Serve plain or with coconut chutney or sambhar.

Notes:

  1. As mentioned, you can mix this pesarattu batter along with left over dosa batter and make dosa's.
  2. If serving pesarattu for kids, make sure to reduce one green chilli, it will reduce spice.





Label: , , ,

Tandoori Idly

Diposting oleh adiba
Minggu, 12 Agustus 2012
komentar (0)


Tandoori idly, I have eaten this idly more than dozen times. i have seen it in menu's only in pondicherry hotels. right from my childhood, it is my favorite dish. though I wanted to share the recipe for tandoori idly years back, the time came just today.


Tandoori means marinating with yogurt and spices, and then cooking in a tandoor oven. so the idly has to be marinated in curd and tandoori masala, after marinating, the idly should be fried. then gravy should be poured over the fried idly. though fried, the idly turns soft on soaking in the gravy. according to me, it’s pointless in frying the idly. also i hate to fry something well cooked. if you prefer frying idly, do that.


You can call this dish as a mock tandoori chicken. the idly gets soaked well in the gravy and the flavor and taste will be so good. never try this with left over idly. even in that case, reheat the idly and pour the gravy over it.



Tandoori Idly

Prep Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 25 mins  
Serves: 3
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Type: Breakfast

Ingredients:

Idly – 8
Onion – 1
Tomatoes – 2
Ginger – Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Cashews – 5
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water – ½ cup
Masala powders or use tandoori masala – 2 to 3 tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Chilly powder/Sambhar powder/Madras curry powder – 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Kasuri methi – 2 tsp

To Garnish:

 Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Cashews or peanuts – 1 tbsp (finely chopped)

Method:

Prepare idly and cut them into half. with a help of fork or tooth pick prick few holes on the idly.

To prepare the gravy, heat a pan, add oil, and then add chopped onion and sauté till it turns translucent. then add the chopped tomatoes and sauté till it turns soft. then add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off.

Now start adding tandoori masala or the masala powders one by one, turmeric, chilly powder, dhaniya powder, cumin powder, garam masala and kasuri methi to the pan and mix well. once the masala powders are well mixed with onion and tomato let the flame be in slow, and keep mixing, so that masala’s do not get sticked to the bottom of the pan for about 1-2 minutes till the raw smell of the masala goes off. remove the pan from flame and let it cool. add cashews and little water to the masala’s and grind them into a fine paste.

Heat another pan, add the grounded masala’s and add water as per the consistency you want. add salt and chilly powder as per your taste and let it boil. once it boils for 2-3 minutes remove the gravy from flame.

Once the gravy is ready, place the idly on plate and pour the gravy over it, cover the idly with the gravy. sprinkle some chopped cashews or peanuts over and finally add chopped coriander leaves. do not miss this; it makes the dish visually so impressive also a byte of nuts here and there makes the difference!

Serve with lemon wedges, onion slices or onion raita.



Notes:

I tell you all an idea, if you have left over idly from morning breakfast, prepare more amount of gravy, so that you can use it for this tandoori idly for evening snack and also use up the gravy to prepare aloo masala or pea’s masala or paneer masala for dinner. just add 2 tsp of fresh cream to the gravy at end. it’s done. no one will spot the difference ;)

Also do not use the sour idly batter and make sour idly. this will not work with sour idly. idly should be so soft and fresh.

Label: , , ,

Rice payasam with condensed milk

Diposting oleh adiba
Jumat, 03 Agustus 2012
komentar (0)

Rice payasam also known as paal payasam or milk kheer is made with milk and basmati rice as main ingredients. Slow cooking the rice along with milk and sugar for about 1 hour is the traditional way of making the payasam. I was desperate in using the condensed milk, which i had sitting in my fridge. adding condensed milk gave a tasty, thick consistency payasam quickly.


Payasam will be the first dish i start to make on festival days. A good warm cup of payasam at the end of the meal is a perfect way to end South Indian Lunch.


Today is my hubby's birthday and i prepared this rich rice payasam for him. i also made vegetable pulao, which i will share soon.


Serve this payasam warm or chill, they are just awesome. don't get over excited and add raisins,badam etc. this payasam should be devoured just plain like this.

                                                
                                              Paal Payasam / Rice Payasam




Serves - 8
Cooking time - 45 - 60 minutes


Ingredients:
  • Basmati Rice - 1/4 cup (45 gms)
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup (175 gms)
  • Milk - 1 and 1/2 litres 
  • Condensed Milk - 100 ml.
  • Ghee - 1/4 tsp
  • Cashews - 5 


Method:

  1. Measure the basmati rice and put the rice in your chutney jar of your mixer or food processor. just pulse for 3 or 4 seconds / times, till the rice gets broken. (or) wash and soak rice in water till it turns white(30mins - 1 hr). drain the water away from rice. now crush the rice with just your hands. its easy, as the rice gets broken because off soaking.

  2. Heat a large and wide bottomed pressure cooker, add the broken rice and 1 litre of milk to it. keep stirring, till the milk boils. then add sugar. Dissolve the sugar well by keeping on stirring. Add the condensed milk and stir well. close the pressure cooker with its  lid and put on the weight. let it cook on high flame up to 1 whistle(just 1 whistle, not more than that). switch off the flame, once the steam releases open the pressure cooker and put on the flame back.

  3. Let the flame be medium, add the rest of milk and stir well. Let the payasam simmer in medium flame in the open pressure cooker for about 30-40 minutes till the rice is cooked well. remember to stir in between, else the rice sticks to the bottom.

  4. Heat a small tadka pan, add ghee and roast the cashews in it. add the roasted cashews to the payasam.
Notes:
  • You can skip condensed milk and add more sugar and milk to the payasam depending on the sweetness and thickness you prefer.

  • Use always raw rice or basmati rice, as it gets cooked fast.

  • If you want to double the quantity, rice, sugar and milk ratio should be 1:3:8. for 1 cup of rice(200 gms), use 3 cup's of sugar and 8 cup's of milk and 400 ml of condensed milk.
  • I used my 5 ltrs pressure cooker. Use a big pressure cooker, giving enough room, for the rice to plump and get cooked.



Label: , ,

Langganan: Postingan (Atom)