Adai

Adai is a highly nutritious, protein-packed dosa variety. Simple to make. There is no need for fermentation of batter. Here we go for the recipe.

Ingredients

Idli rice - 2 cups

Toor dal - 1/4 cup

Channa dal - 1/4 cup

Moong dal - 1/4 cup

Dry red chilli - 10

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Coriander leaves - a handful (chopped)

Salt - as needed

Cooking oil - for drizzling on dosa

Method

* Wash and soak the idli rice along with the dals for 3 hours.

* Grind the above with red chillies to a coarse batter.

* Add the chopped onions, curry leaves, asafoetida, salt and coriander leaves to the batter and mix well.

* In a tawa pour a laddle full of batter and make dosa, drizzle some oil, once cooked flip to other side and wait till the dosa gets cooked.

* Serve hot with chutney or sambhar of your choice.

Carrot bonda

This is an easy recipe with carrot and urad dal. Nice evening snack for children after coming from school. Healthy one too since carrot is included.

Ingredients

Urad dal - 1 cup

Carrot - 1 medium sized

Big onion - 1

Garlic - 2 cloves

Curry leaves - 10

Coriander leaves - a handful

Dry red chilli - 1

Salt - as required

Oil - for deep frying

Method

* Wash and soak the urad dal in water for 2 hours.

 

* Take chopped onion, carrot, curry leaves, coriander leaves, garlic, dry red chilli and salt along with the drained urad dal and grind it together. Do not add water.

 

* Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Make small balls out of the batter. When the oil is hot enough, drop the balls one by one in batches. Turn them over and when the balls get nice brown colour, remove it from the oil. Serve hot.

 

Arisi Sundal

Arisi Sundal is a very easy tiffin item with less ingredients. Let us now see the preparation of this simple dish.

Ingredients

Rice (Half-boiled or raw) - 3/4 cup

Moong dal - 1/4 cup

Water - 2.5 cups

Red chilli - 1

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp(optional)

Curry leaves - 10

Coriander leaves - a handful

Hing - a pinch

Mustard seeds - 1/2 spoon

Salt - as needed

Cooking oil - 1 spoon

Method


* In a pan dry roast rice and moong dal together till nice aroma arises.(Care should be taken that the rice and dal does not get burnt)

* In a small cooker, add oil, splutter mustard seeds followed by red chilli, hing and curry leaves.

* Add in the onions and sauté till it becomes soft.

* Add tomatoes, sauté it till it becomes mushy.

* Add the roasted rice and dal together and mix well.

* Add water and check for salt.

* Close the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle.

* Grated coconut can be added and mixed.

* Garnish with coriander leaves.

* Can be served with any chutney.

Aval upma

Aval upma is a very easy tiffin to make. It takes only less time. Let us see the recipe now.

Ingredients

Aval - 1 cup

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 1

Asafoetida - a pinch

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 10

Salt - as required

Cooking oil - 2 tsp

Method

* Wash and soak aval in water just for few minutes.

* After absorbing water, the aval becomes soft like this.

* Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal, channa dal, red chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida. Saute for few seconds and add the soaked aval with little salt and mix everything well and switch off the stove. 

* Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Green Peas Curry

This is a very simple recipe using fresh green peas. It is rich in protein and children would love this.
An excellent side dish for curd rice and lemon rice.

Ingredients

Fresh green peas - 2 cups
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped) 
Garlic - 6 (finely chopped)
Curry leaves - 10
Finely chopped coriander - a handful
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Sambhar powder - 1.5 tsp
Salt - as needed
Cooking oil - 2 tsp

Method

* Heat oil in a pan.
* Add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add cumin seeds followed by urad dal.
* Saute till the dal turns light brown.
* Add curry leaves followed by chopped onion and garlic.
* Saute till the onion turns translucent.

* Add the fresh green peas.
* Add salt, turmeric and sambhar powder and mix well.

* Add chopped coriander leaves and saute for 2 minutes.

* Add required amount of water and close the pan with lid and cook on low flame.

* Once the water is completely absorbed by the peas,switch off the stove, serve the curry with curd/lemon rice.

Vada Curry

Vada Curry is a popular, spicy side dish served with idli, dosa, aapam, idiyappam, etc., Let us now see the preparation of this dish.

Ingredients 

Channa dal - 1/2 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Red chilli - 1
Fennel seeds - 1.5 spoons
Garlic cloves - 12
Ginger - a small piece
Mustard - 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves - 10
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 2
Star anise - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Black stone flower - 1
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Mint leaves - 10
Turmeric - a pinch
Sambhar powder - 1 spoon
Salt - as required
Cooking oil - required amount

Method

* Soak channa dal and toor dal together in water for 4 hours. After that, drain the water completely and grind to a coarse paste along with red chilli and 1 spoon of fennel seeds and little salt.

 


* Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste by adding water.

 


* In a non-stick pan, add few spoons of oil, when the oil is hot transfer the dal paste to it and saute well.

 


* Close the pan with a lid and wait for few minutes. Open the lid and check whether the dal paste has turned brown in colour. Saute well for few more minutes until small pieces are formed from the dal paste. Switch off the stove and transfer the contents to a bowl.

 

* Heat 2 spoons of oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, 1/2 spoon fennel seeds followed by curry leaves.

* Add bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, black stone flower and cloves. Add the chopped onion, when the onion turns translucent, add the chopped tomato. When the tomato turns soft add the ginger garlic paste and mix well. Add mint leaves and saute for few seconds till you get the aroma.

 

* Add salt, turmeric and sambhar powder and mix well. Next add the sauted dal and add required amount of water and mix well.

 

* Let the above boil for few minutes till the gravy consistency is reached. Once done, transfer to a serving bowl and serve with idli/dosa or aapam/idiyappam.