All fond memories are made through food. Or at least the food enthusiast in me try to connect memories with food. There is a memory associated with these unniyappams. I first tasted unniyappam in one of dad's friends' home when I was around 10. They are a sweet family from Kerala and Aunty would make this every single time when we visited. I still remember how fondly she used to prepare these appams for us kids. Then they moved back to Kerala after Uncle retired and we all moved to different cities for work. But then the world has shrunk these days due to the advent of social media and we have got a chance to reconnect with our old friends. It is through Facebook that we reconnected with their family. I chanced upon to see her daughter, wishing her mother on her birthday. I too conveyed my wishes to Aunty and the foodie in me made a mental note that I have to make her unniyappams one day.
Ingredients:
Serves - 4 for snack
Rice flour - 2 cups
Jaggery - 1/2 cup (tightly packed) - see notes below
Banana - 3 small or 2 big ones - mashed
Salt - a pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - a big pinch
Water - 1/4 cup + more to make the batter
Oil - for frying in the pan
Method:
Mix jaggery in 1/4 cup of water and heat until it is melted. Filter with a fine mesh strainer. Mix the jaggery syrup with rice flour, mashed bananas and water to make a batter of pouring consistency but slightly thicker than dosa batter. Stir in salt, cardamom powder and baking soda. Heat the paniyaram pan / abelskiever pan in medium-high flame. Pour about 1/4 tsp of oil in each kuzhi (indentation). Pour enough batter into each kuzhi to fill. When little bubbles start to appear on the top, flip using a toothpick or chopstick to about halfway. After about another minute, flip again completely. At this stage all the sides of the appam should be golden and well-formed to a round shape. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the insides are cooked through. Repeat for the rest of the batter.
Notes:
1. The amount of jaggery used here yields a mildly sweetened unniyappam. For sweeter ones use 3/4 to 1 cup of jaggery. The water for making syrup should be 1:2 with jaggery.
2. Traditionally the unniyappam is made by soaking rice and grinding to form a batter with jaggery and banana. Another point to make it traditional is to add small pieces of fresh coconut fried in ghee and black sesame seeds to the batter.
I love getting invited to other people's places. I mean, who doesn't? Today I am going to Prathima's place as a guest. Blogging has extended my boundaries to meet new people and to get to know new cuisines. Prats (as she is fondly known) is a dear blogger friend of mine. We became close with emails and online chats. She is a sweet and genuine person with a passion for cooking, the thing we share. I also admire the way she almost never gets stuck up for words, a boon we bloggers crave for. Here, again I am stuck up without any words for her..
She is getting married in November and I wish all happiness in the next phase of her life. Wishing her a Happy Married Life and all Happiness!
Did you know that soy chunks make a great snack. A bowl of simple soy chunks stir fry will make me happy. It is like snacking without feeling guilty. Coming to this recipe, zhunka was something which I have not heard of before I started blogging. As I said before, blogging has extended my boundaries and helped me getting to know various cuisines. Zunka is of Maharashtrian origin and is a simple to make tasty dish. I have already made Okra Zunka, but decided to bring in more flavour by adding dried methi leaves (kasuri methi) to the besan.
Just hop over to Prathima's Space for the ingredients and the complete recipe.
Thinking of a quick side which can also be transformed to a snack. Then this one is for you. I love to eat kondakadalai aka garbanzo beans. I mean who doesn't. Amped with spices it makes a great healthy evening snack. I made this last week as a side for spinach masiyal and rice. I and Kavin (for him, I mixed the sundal with white rice and picked out the chana, to remove the heat) loved having this as a side for the earthy spinach masiyal and rice.
Ingredients:
Serves - 3
Chickpeas - cooked - 1-1/2 cups OR 1 can - Click here to know how to make canned beans at home.
Onions - 1/2 of a big one - approx 1/2 cup chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Spice mix:
Dry Red chillies - 3
Ginger - chopped - 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 clove
Tempering / tadka: (optional)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Method:
Pulse the ingredients for spice mix for a couple of times in the small jar of mixie/blender to make a coarse paste. A mortar and pestle also works fine. Heat oil in a saute pan and splutter the ingredients for tempering. Add the onions and saute in medium-high heat until transparent. Add the ground paste and fry for another minute. Add salt to taste and the drained cooked chickpeas and mix well. Remove from heat after 2 minutes. Serve as a side/snack.
Notes: A tbsp of grated coconut can be added at the end before removing from heat.
Linking this to My Legume Love Affair event by Lisa and Susan; Taste of the Tropics - Chilis.
For all the Tofu lovers out there, this recipe is for you. And for all the Tofu non-lovers you should really try this recipe once. Some think the taste of tofu is just bleh.. But honestly that attribute of tofu is what is really good in it. How? you may ask. Tofu absorbs flavors really beautifully no matter what dish it is used in. Bake it, Saute or Fry, it is always a winner. Make it spicy or make it tangy, it tastes awesome either way. I have a long list of dishes I use tofu in and love it in each form.
Ingredients:
Adapted from Cooking Light - way to cook Vegetarian cookbook
Serves - 2-3
Tofu - extra Firm - 1 block - pressed and cut into 1" pieces
Mushroom - 12 oz - 300 g - sliced
Carrots - julienned - 1/2 cup
Bell peppers (I used yellow and orange) - julienned - 1/2 cup
Roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup - coarsely chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Spring onion whites - 1/4 cup
Spring onion greens - 1/4 cup
For the Sauce:
Water - 1 cup (Can substitute vegetable or chicken stock)
Corn Starch - 1 tsp
Chilli paste - 1 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp (Low sodium)
Garlic - minced - 1 tbsp
Method:
Preheat the broiler and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and grease with oil. Place the cut tofu pieces and broil for 10-12 minutes, turning once or twice in the middle. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside. Heat oil in a large non-stick pan and saute the mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to release liquid add the carrots, green onion whites and ginger. After about a minute add the bell peppers, salt and fry for another minute. Add the sauce and allow to heat for about 2-3 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Add the tofu and spring onion greens, mix and remove from heat. Garnish with peanuts before serving. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes: Instead of broiling, the tofu can be pan-fried until golden.
It was one of those afternoons when it was just me for lunch. It was the week before Diwali and I was busy preparing sweets. So I did not want to make an elaborate lunch. I had made carrot dhal rice for Kavin and was thinking of making some quick pasta dish for my lunch. A quick fix for lunch just for me would be some whole grain pasta with some vegetables thrown in with few other simple flavours. This time it was Pasta with mushrooms and herb infused olive oil. Rosemary, garlic and lemon are those simple ingredients which I used to lift up my mood and gear me up for the whole afternoon of diwali snacks-making.
Ingredients:
Serves - 1; Total time - 15 minutes
Soba Noodles / Whole Grain Spaghetti - 1 bundle/ 2 oz
White Whole Mushrooms - 10 - sliced thick
Extra Virgin Olive oil - 1-1/2 tbsp
Fresh Rosemary - 1 tbsp - chopped
Garlic - 1 clove - smashed
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Salt & Pepper to taste
Method:
Cook the pasta/noodles according to package instructions. Heat oil in a wide saute pan and add the smashed garlic and chopped fresh rosemary. When the garlic is cooked (but not burnt), remove it from the oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute until it is almost cooked. Add required salt and pepper. Add the cooked drained pasta, lemon juice and toss well in medium heat. Remove from heat and serve hot garnished with a small piece of rosemary.
Linking this up to PJ's Herbs and Flowers - Season 2.
Ingredients:
