407: ALOO BONDA

Take a pause to savor the crunchy Aloo Bonda: An easy recipe for deep fried balls made of potato and chickpea flour. This Aloo Bonda is a south Indian version.  ..

Ingredients

For Potato Masala

Big Potatoes                                    4 no.

Finely chopped Green Chilies             3 no.

Grated Ginger                                  1 Tbsp.

Crushed fennel seeds                        1 Tsp.

Finely chopped curry leaves              1 Tbsp.

Finely chopped coriander leaves        1 Tbsp.

Turmeric powder                             1/8 Tsp.  

Salt                                                 to Taste

For Batter

Gram flour (Besan)                            1 Cup

Rice Flour                                        ¼ cup

Water                                              ¼ - ½ cup

Red chili powder                               1 Tsp.

Asafetida powder                              ¼ Tsp.

Turmeric powder                              ¼ Tsp.

Salt                                                 1/8 Tsp.

Baking soda                                      a pinch (Optional)

Other Ingredients

Cooking Oil                                    for Deep Frying

Method:

Preparing Potato Masala

• Boil the potatoes, then peel and mash them when they are still warm.
• Add salt, Turmeric powder, Fennel seeds, coriander& curry leaves and green chilies to the mashed potatoes and mix well.
• Make small to Medium sized balls from this mixture. Keep aside.

For Batter

• In a big bowl, add all the Batter ingredients. Add little water bit by bit and mixing with hand make a batter. Neither too thick nor too loose.

For Making Bonda:

• Heat oil in a kadai. Drop a drop of batter into the oil, if it raises from the surface immediately, then the oil is ready to fry the bondas. Now reduce the flame to medium
• Dip each potato ball in the batter and coat it well with the batter.
• Carefully drop the balls into the hot oil and fry the bondas until they turn golden color.
• Drain aloo Bonda on paper towels to remove excess oil.
• Serve hot with Coconut chutney and hot chai or coffee.

If you like this recipe, you might  like my other Bonda Recipes

MysoreBonda

BatataVada

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406: Arisi Kurunai Kozhukattai/Steamed Rice Dumplings

This is one of the classics from South India. Healthy and a very filling steamed rice dumplings. It tastes like Uppuma but it is healthier since we use less oil and it is steamed.

Ingredients

Rice Rava                               1 ½ cups (Coarsely ground Rice)

Water                                   3 – 4 cups

Grated coconut                     1 Tbsp.

Salt                                       To Taste

For Seasoning

 Coconut oil                             1 Tsp

Mustard seeds                      1 Tsp

Grated ginger                        1 Tbsp

Chopped green chilies           1 Tbsp.

Chopped curry leaves            1 Tbsp.

Chenna dhal                            1 Tsp.

Urdh dhal                                1 Tsp.

Asafetida powder (hing)        ½ Tsp.

Method:

For Rice Rava Preparation

•  Wash and soak the raw rice for 30 minutes. Drain the water and spread it on a muslin cloth and allow it to air dry until it is only slightly moist. Grind it coarsely like rava.  Keep aside.

For Kozhukattai Preparation

• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, when it splutters, add all other seasonings and sauté for few minutes.
•  Now add water into it. Once it starts boiling, add the ground rice and grated coconut while stirring it constantly.
• Now add the salt and Cook till it becomes thick and leaves the side of the pan. Cool it.

• Make oval shape balls from the cooked mixture.
• Prepare the idli plates by greasing them with oil. Place the oval shape rice balls in the idli plate and steam cook for 10 minutes.

• Turn off the stove heat and let it allow cooling for 3 minutes.
• Serve hot with chutneys, Gothsu, Sambhar

405: Vazhathandu Pachadi/ Banana Stem Raita

The banana tree is one of those few species where each part is used in some way or the other, be it the leaves which are used for eating food, the fruit which is eaten in the raw or ripe form, or the flower or stem which is also consumed.

The stem is cooked in various ways in South Indian cuisine Dishes such as vazhaithandu usli (dry cooked banana stem with lentils), vazhaithandu kootu (banana stem cooked with lentils), vazahaithandu poriyal (banana stem tempered and garnished with coconut) are popular in Tamil Nadu.

Health Benefits of Banana stems are:

• Helps detoxify the body
• Rich source of fiber and helps in weight loss.
• Vitamin B6 helps in production of hemoglobin and insulin.
• The Banana Stem juice also relieves ulcers, burning sensation and acidity.

 Yesterday my SIL Nalini gave me a tender banana stem to me .  Next day itself I made this vazhathandu pachadi and vazhathandu Thuvaran. Here the challenge is to prepare the vegetable for cooking! Cutting the banana stem  is a real task! And really time consuming. I prefer to keep it prepared  previously.

Ingredients:

 Banana Stem        -      6 inch

 Green Chilies                2 no.

Grated Ginger               1 Tbsp.

Thick Plain Curd             1 cup.

Salt                               to taste.

Coriander leaves            few

For Tadka

Oil                                ½ Tsp.

Mustard seeds               ½ Tsp.

Hing powder                  a pinch

Red chilies                     1 no.

  

Ingredients:

• Wash and discard the outer cover of banana stem and take the inner part only.
• Cut the stem into thin rounds and remove the excess thread. Then chop the round stems into small pieces and put it in buttermilk water.
• Drain the water. Steam the chopped  banana stem pieces in microwave for 3 minutes.
• Finely chop the green chilies. Put the cooked banana stem in a bowl and add salt, green chillies and grated ginger. Mix it well.
• Beat the curd  well and add it to the banana stem and mix it well.
• Heat the oil in kadai and add all seasonings and fry it for a minute and add to the banana stem pachadi. Let it soak  for 30 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve it cool with steam rice. Enjoy!