Parotta

Parotta (preparation time 3hrs (including resting time of dough))
When young we used order this dish when ever we go to hotel because this was one dish which mom didn't make. When we went to college mom made this and we tried in our home it was fun. It came out well. Before marriage mom will ask me to cook the rare dishes along with her so that it will be easy to make. So i learnt how to make parotta, Channa masala, noodles, samosa, etc. These are not our regular dishes but we used to make occasionally. This is one of my favourite dish. 
After serving this dish surely everyone will place a loving request to make atleast once a month. All the best.
Now i used to make these dishes as healthy as possible. If you have help you can make in large quantity else you can do it for your family. Slightly time consuming process.

Ingredients:-
Maida - 250 gms
Butter - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp

Preparation method:-
In a mixing bowl add maida flour, butter, sugar, salt and mix well. You can add 1/2 tsp of oil and mix the flour well.
Add water as required and make a tight dough (as you make for chapathi). Apply little oil and beat well so the dough will be shinny and soft.

Apply oil over the dough and leave for 3 hrs (you can leave it for 4 hrs also).
After resting time make small balls (big amla size). Using rolling pin make a thin circle. Apply oil over the circle along with dry maida flour. Mix this well and spread over the circle (this helps to make layers for the parotta).
Now fold the circle like flip flop (During school days we used to fold the paper for making fan hope you remember it, i think you people remember the same way you have to fold or fold like saree pleats). Keep this folding and roll to circle so that the circle contains layers on the side.

Dust flour over the circle and make slightly thick circle using the rolling pin.
The layers will be visible in the circle you made.

Now heat the tawa and put the rolled parotta over hot tawa. When cooked on one side turn the parotta and add oil on the sides of the parotta. This helps to cook parotta well on both sides.

When brown spots appear the parotta is cooked well.

 Transfer to a plate and tap the sides of cooke parotta while it is hot so the layes of parotta will get seperated. You can take this with vegetable kurma or beetroot kuruma.

Try it out and provide your inputs.

Cauliflower varuval (Cauliflower fry)

Cauliflower varuval (Cauliflower fry) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
When mom used to buy cauliflower she used to make the varuval with the whole cauliflower. She make two types of snack using cauliflower, one will be like baji another is the crispy cauliflower fry. Now i am going to tell/share you about crispy fry. Within few seconds the plate will become empty when mom starts frying the cauliflower fry. As today is my niece's b'day this recipe is to her. She loves cauliflower and starts eating the boiled cauliflower even before frying it :-).

Ingredients:-
One cauliflower- Make this into small florets with little stem
Salt - to taste
Chili - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram flour (Kadalai mavu) - 2 tbspn
Rice flour (Arisi mavu) - 1 and half tbspn
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Water - If required
Asafoetida (Perungayam) - a pinch
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
Boil water in a bowl along with turmeric and little salt.
Add the cauliflower florets to the boiling water. Boil for few seconds, switch of the flame, close the bowl and keep for few minutes.
Filter the water and keep the florets in mixing bowl.
First in a bowl mix bengal gram flour, rice flour, chili powder, salt, asfoetida and check the spice and salt level.
You can keep this mixture permanently in an airtight box so that you can use it for fries and for making baji when you have a surprise visitors.
In a deep fry tawa heat required amount of oil to fry lady's finger.
To the mixing bowl add handful of boiled cauliflower and add the flour mixture as required using a spoon (don't hurry while cooking in kitchen. If you want the menu to be tasty you have to spend time). Let the flour mixture coat the vegetable. The boiled cauliflower will have some water content so water is not required to mix the flour.
When the oil is hot bring down the flame and add the flour coated snake gourd and fry slowly till it becomes slightly brown in color.
If you cook in high flame the vegetable will become brown quickly but it won't be cooked well inside (Not alone for this fry for any deep frying cook in hot oil but medium or less flame).
Transfer this to a plate with tissue paper to remove excess oil.
Repeat the cauliflower and flour mixing process and fry it.
If the fry is not crispy it will become soggy so serve hot. Actually even before transferring to plate all will start eating and complete before you finish frying :-) 

Kothavarankai,katharikkai kootu (Cluster beans & brinjal gravy)

Kothavarankai,katharikkai (Cluster beans & brinjal) kootu - preparation time 15 mins
When i went to relatives home they served this dish. It was nice so i started making this dish also. Usually due to the slight bitterness i used to make only sambhar or paruppu usili using kothavarangai.

Ingredients:-
Brinjal - 4 (chopped small cubes)
Cluster beans - handful or 100 gms(chopped to small pieces)
Turmeric - ¼ tsp
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 or 1 ½ cup water (till the greens get immersed)
Mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Toor dhal (Thuvaram paruppu) - one cup (pressure cooked).
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp (optional)
Cumin seed - ½ tsp (optional) {Grind this with coconut and make a paste}
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6 (finely chopped)

Preparation method:-
Boil water with turmeric, salt & sambar powder. When water boils add cluster beans and cook. When the cluster beans is half boiled add the chopped brinjal and cook till tender/cooked.
Add cooked toor dhal to cooked vegetables and boil.
In a tawa add mustard seed (splutters), urad dhal (turns golden brown), cumin seed (jeera will splutter or If you have thalikkum vadagam (which is made of jeera, urad dhal, onion, mustard, etc) it can be used.
Add the garnish to kootu, coconut paste (optional) and curry leaves to boiling kootu and serve with rice/chapatti/roti.
If you have  roasted and powder cumin seed add it finally and mix. This will give a unique flavour and enhances the taste of kootu.

Puli idiyappam (Tamarind idiyappam)

Pulli idiyappam (Tamarind idiyappam) - Preparation time 15 mins
Make idiyappam using idiyappam flour and idyappam mould (refer to making of idiyappam dough). Steam it in idli cooker for few mins. Color will change slightly when idiyappam is done. Transfer to a plate, leave it to cool. It will be like noodles make it to pieces. I love this puli idiyappam very much because of spicy and sour taste.

Ingredients:
Tamarind juice or extract - 1 tbsp (or extracted from 1 lemon)
Red chili - 3 broken to pieces (remove the seeds)
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - 6
Salt - as required
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Split Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Split bengal gram - 1 tbsp

Preparation method:-
In a kadai add sesame oil, mustard to splutter, urad dhal, bengal gram to golden brown. Now add chili, few curry leaves. Slightly sortae. 
Add tamarind juice, salt and turmeric. Leave this to boil so the raw smell of tamarind extract will goes off. When boils switch of the flame.
Add the cooked idiyappam (2 cup),little more fresh curry leaves. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil if required and mix well. Taste it and correct the salt level. 
Mix well till all the ingredients blend with idiyappam.
This is very tasty, easy to cook idiyappam. During weddings they used to serve this dish along with other tiffen items like idli gosthu, poori and potato masal, sweets, vadai, dosai, etc.