Thenga Manga Pattani Sundal (Coconut, Raw mango, White peas sundal)

Sundal is a tasty snack prepared with soaked and boiled legumes with seasoning.  It is simple, healthy and is more like a salad. 

Ingredients:

Dried white Peas                             - 1 cup

Chopped Raw Mango                       – ½ cup

Grated Coconut                                3 tbsp

Grated Ginger                                   – 3 tsp

Turmeric powder                             – generous pinch
Lemon juice -                                 1 tsp(optional)

Salt                                                 – as per taste

Dry roast and powdered coarsely

Red chili                                             – 2 no

Coriander seed                                 – 1 table spoon

Bengal gram                                        – 1 table spoon

For seasoning

Oil                                             – 1 tea spoon

Mustard                                       – ½ tea spoon

Urad dal                                      – ½ tea spoon

Red chili                                        – 2 no

Green chili chopped                            – 2 no

Asafetida,                                        - ½ tsp

Curry leaves few

Fresh coriander leaves                          for decoration

Method: 

• Soak white peas for 6 to 8 hours; after washing add salt, turmeric powder and boil; drain and keep.
• Dry roast the items given and powder them coarsely.
• Chop, coriander and raw mango into thin and small pieces. Keep aside .
• Split the red chilies to small pieces.  Heat oil in a pan.
• Add all seasonings and Wait to crackle.
• Add cooked peas and combine with  add  ground dry spices, chopped raw mango, coconut, grated ginger and mix well.
• Check for salt. If you want add little bit salt . Add lemon juice in it.
• Mix well and remove from the flame.
• Add coriander leaves for decoration. 
• Serve as a snack.

Vadai

Vada or Vadai is a popular tea time snack in southern part of India. It is made up of grinded Urad Daal with chopped Ginger, Green Chilly and Curry leaves fried in oil and served hot with Chutney. Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are about between 5 and 8 cm across. They are made from dal, lentil, gram flour or potato.

Ingredients:

Urad dal                                          -1 1/4 cups

Finely chopped Green chilies               – 8 no

Finely chopped Ginger                       - 1 tbsp

Pepper corns                                    – ½ tsp

Chopped Curry leaves                        – 1tbsp

Potato flour (mashed Potato) -             1tbsp

Salt                                                 to taste

Oil                                                  for frying                                    

 Method:

• Soak Urad dal for 30-45 minutes.
• Grind Urad dal with little cold water.
• Add chopped green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, pepper corns, potato flour and salt and mix well.
• Heat Oil in a deep frying pan.
• Dip the hands in the water and take some paste and place it on the palm of the left hand and flatten it.
• Make a hole in the Center and Slide the Vada into hot oil.
• Fry till both the sides are crisp and golden brown.
• Serve hot with Coconut chutney and Sambhar.

Thattai

Thattai is a popular snack in Tamilnadu. Another snack which is in my all-time favorite list after salt seedai is Thattai. Thattai is an ideal tea-time snack. It is little bit time consuming than any other snack. But the taste is worth all the effort and hard work!!

Ingredients

Rice flour-                                       2 cups

Urdh Dal Flour  -                              4 tbsp ( Slightly dry roast Urad dal in a pan.Powder it in a mixie.)

Green chillies                                  – 6 no

Curry leaves chopped                      – 2 tbps

Bengal gram                                   - 2 tbsp

White sesame seeds(optional)          -1/2 tbsp

Melted butter                                 – 3 tbsp

Salt                                                to taste

Asafoetida                                       1/4 tsp

Cooking Oil                                   for deep frying

Method

• Soak the Bengal gram in 1/2 cup of  warm water for an hour until soft.
• Grind green chillies and Asafetida in a mixer.
• Then add all the ingredients& green chili paste together.
• Add the melted butter to the flour mixture and mix it well. Then add water little by little and keep on kneading till it becomes stiff dough. Be careful in not adding too much of water.
• Make small balls of the dough in a well-oiled plastic sheet /Ziploc bag pat the balls into thin discs.
• Grease your fingers and press the ball with your fingers to flatten it.
• Press it thin. It’s ok if the edges get frayed a little.
• Then with a fork prick all over the Thattai because we don't want the Thattai to puff up like a puri when frying.
• Slowly turn it over your palm. The greased plastic will enable it to slip on your hands easily.
• Heat the oil in a deep kadai. When the oil is heated up, put a little bit of dough. If it rises up well and sizzles then the oil is ready for frying. If it settles down, then the oil is not ready yet.
• Drop the Thattai gently in hot oil. The oil will bubble and slowly the thattai’s will come on the surface.
• To ensure both sides are cooked .Drop them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Once cooled, store them in an air tight container.
• Enjoy them with your hot tea, or with piping hot rasam rice .

Cornflakes Mixture

This is a great Indian snack. I always love Grand sweet’s cornflakes mixture. This is my first attempt to make it at home. Use your imagination when it comes to the nuts and seeds.  It makes a healthy snack for both kids and adults. Have it at tea time along with a cup of hot masala chai or coffee.Store in airtight container for up to three weeks.

Ingredients

Raw Cornflakes (not fried)                    - 4 cups 
Maize Poha -                                         2 cup

Thick Beaten rice (Aval/poha) -                1 cup

Split roasted gram dal (dalia/porikadala)-  1/2 cup

Roasted peanut –                                     1cup

Raisins -                                                  1 cup

Cashews –                                               ½ cup

Curry leaves

Oil-                                                           for deep frying

Whole Red chillies –                                  4 no

Masala (for sprinkling)

Powdered salt -                                             1 tsp

Red chili powder -                                         1 1/4 tsp

Citric acid - (OPTIONAL)                                2 pinches

Sugar -                                                        1 tsp

Asafetida powder -                                        1/4 tsp

Roasted cumin seed powder                          - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric -                                                     a pinch

Method:

• Select cornflakes which are raw and meant for frying. (Do not buy breakfast cereal)
• Deep fry handful of cornflakes each time in hot oil.
• Drain away the excess oil.
• Fry each of the other ingredients separately and mix with fried cornflakes.
• Mix all mentioned spices under masala powder together.
• Sprinkle over fried ingredients when it is still hot (whenever powdered spices are added to any mixture, it should be sprinkled when it is still hot).
• Store in air-tight container after it attains room temperature.

Kerala Banana Fritters ( Pazham Pori )

 Pazham pori /Plantain fritters is made out of a special variety of plantain called "Nendrapazham" which is highly nutritious and  good source of  potassium and vitamins A & C. Ethakappam has been the popular and the favorite snack of keralites. The plantain slices dipped in sweetened flour and then deep fried in oil.This snack is common street item in Kerala and one of the fastest and hot selling snacks in trains.This snack is often fried in most of the homes and relished by all along with a cup of steaming tea or coffee. It's also a very tasty, fast and easy to make. 

Ingredients

Ripe Nendran bananas                          -2 (peeled)

Water                                                – ½ cup

Maida (all-purpose flour)                      – 3/4cup

Rice Flour                                            – ¼ cup

Sugar                                                  – 2tbsp

Cardamom powder                                – ½ tsp

Yellow color                                         – 1 drop

bicarbonate of soda                               A pinch of   

 Refined vegetable oil                           – for Deep fry

Method

•  Cut each banana into 3 pieces, lengthwise.
• Make a thick batter with both the flours and ½ cup water. Add sugar, yellow color and bicarbonate of soda.
•  Dip the banana slices in the batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
•  Drain off the excess oil and serve hot. 

Mysore Bonda

The name Mysore Bonda says it all. It is also famous in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. This is classified as evening snacks and often it is very popular in home and Indian restaurants. Mysore Bonda goes well with chutney and Sambhar. It is a very important item during - almost forgotten -  "pon parka varadhu" event. People 40 and above might remember the legendary joke "Mappillai enna pannindu irukkar" and "Bonda chaptundu irukkar" from old Tamil movie "Kalyana Parisu"

Ingredients : 

Maida                                                  - 1 cup

Finely chopped Green chilies/Jalapenos)-     4 no( I used jalapenos chilies) 

Rice flour-                                               ¼ cup

Sour curd-                                                1 cup mix with little water

 coconut pieces                                        1 tbsp

 cooking soda(Soda uppu)                         1/2 tsp

 cumin seeds                                             1 tsp

ginger chopped                                          1 tsp 

Salt                                                       to taste

 baking soda                                            A PINCH

Chopped coriander leaves                          1 tbsp

Oil                                                          for frying

 Method:

• Take a bowl add Maida, rice flour, salt, soda mix well then add buttermilk make it into a Vada batter consistency.
• Now add cumin seeds,finely chopped coconut pieces , chopped Jalapenos chillies  and  chopped Coriander leaves, mix well keep  aside for 1 hr.
• Heat oil to fry, make into small round bondas and put in to the oil, cook in a very slow flame.Remove once it is golden brown color.
• Serve it with coconut chutney or mint chutney. Typically it is served with Kesari followed by Coffee/Tea.

Mysore Bonda

Nendran Banana Chips (Kerala Banana Chips)

Nendran Chips is one of the popular snacks of Kerala. They are called “Upperi” or “kaai Varthathu” These are different from other banana chips and are yellow in color. The color is natural. They are fried in coconut oil and sprinkled with salt water. Banana chips are very important item in any formal dinner, especially Onam Sadya. My in-laws were very orthodox and they always eat only home –made food. This enabled me to learn chip making from my mother-in-law . In this recipe in place of coconut oil I used cooking oil.

Ingredients:

Raw Nendran banana                   - 4no

Salt                                             - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder                          – ½ tsp

Water                                          - 1/4 cup

Oil                                                 for deep frying

Method:

• Dissolve 1 tsp salt in 1/4 cup of water. Add Turmeric powder in it. Mix well.
• Peel the Nendran bananas. Do not throw away the peels. It can be used to make thoran Slice the bananas into thin rounds.
• Heat oil in a kadai (The stove heat should be in medium). Deep fry the banana pieces in batches.
• When they turn yellow, sprinkle 2 tsp turmeric salt water into the oil.
• Fry till the water evaporates fully.  Drain on a paper towel and store in an air tight container.