Ullunthu milagu methu vadai (Soft urad dhal & pepper vada)

Ullunthu milagu methu vadai (Soft urad dhal & pepper vada) - Preparation time 1 hr 10 mins
Mom used to make this two types of vadai during pongal festival (Bhogi). Vellam vadai and milagu vadai. These vadai's will be different but tasty.For a change try making this simple vadai.

Ingredients:-
Urad dhal - 1 cup (washed and soaked for 1 hr)
Salt - a pinch
Crushed pepper - 1/2 tbsp
Water - Only to sprinkle while grinding
Oil - To deep fry

Preparation method:-
Remove water from soaked urad dhal and grind in the grinder/mixer till the flour is fluffy.
Add required amount of salt and grind. Mix the coarsely ground pepper and mix with the flour.
Heat the oil for deep frying. 
Take a silver foil. Make small ball in the flour and make vada using the silver foil and fry in medium hot oil.
When cooked and golden brown, remove from oil and transfer to bowl. If excess oil remove using tissue.

Making of Sesame seed rice powder (Ellu podi)

Making of Sesame rice powder (Ellu podi) - Preparation time 10 to 15 minutes
You can make this podi, refrigerate and use for few days. Make this health podi and serve to kids and family along with rice.

Ingredients:-
Sesame seed - 50 g (I used black sesame seed)
Red chili - 7
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a dry kadai add sesame seed and roast in medium flame. When sesame (ellu) starts spluttering transfer to a plate and leave it to cool.
Roast the chilli and add to roasted sesame seed along with required amount of salt.
When the roasted ingredients are cool grind to coarse powder and transfer to an air tight container.

Varagu arisi appam & thengai paal (Kodu millet thin pancake with coconut milk)

Varagu arisi appam & thengai paal (Kodu millet thin pancake with coconut milk) - Preparation time 8 to 10 hrs for dough fermentation
I thought of replacing rice quantity with a healthy millet in our daily food items so i started experimenting some of the dishes which will be gluten free and rich in fiber. Mostly the taste won't differ but some times we might not get the same taste of the food which we are eating from childhood. 

Ingredients:-
Boiled rice 3/4 cup
Varagu rice - 1/4  cup or slightly more
Urad dhal - one medium ladle
Fenugreek seed - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - little to grind
Aappa soda - a pinch
Coconut - 1 grated , ground and extract the milk
Cardamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Organic sugar or brown sugar - As required (because some coconut will be very sweet some won't)

Preparation method:-
Soak boiled rice, varagu rice, urad dhal and fenugreek seed for 4 hrs. Grind in a mixer to smooth paste (use less water then only dough will be soft) and leave to ferment for 10 hrs (according to your climate). Dough should be fermented well. 
Next day in a vessel take two ladle of fermented aapam dough, mix water, pinch salt & aappa soda.
Make the dough little bit thin than dosa flour. If you rotate the kadai the dough should spread evenly.
Heat a kadai, spread little oil and pour the dough in the sides of the kadai and rotatae the kadai.
This will make the dough spread evenly and middle portion will be little soft. Pour little oil over the edge of appam.
Close the kadai with a lid and cook in slow flame. 
After few minutes when the edges or slightly brown remove from kadai.
Serve this appam with coconut milk over it (appam). This will be very tasty and healthy.
If you mix appa soda and keep for long time the appam will lose its texture and won't taste good so mix required quantity at the time of preparing the appam.

Karuveppillai arachuvita kuzhambu (Curry leaves paste gravy)

Karuveppillai arachuvita kuzhambu - Preparation time 15 to 20 mins
Curry leaves (Karuveppillai) is rich in iron content. I most of the recipe it will be used only as a garnishing ingredient and thrown away while eating. The best way to make people eat is chop the curry leaves finely and add to sambar, rasam, kootu and dry curry. In my home we do that way and consume while eating.
Yesterday i tried this karuveppilai arachuvita kuzhambu it came out well and tasted different. We can also consume more amount of curry leaves. We can make this out of ingredients which will be always available in our anjarai petti. Contains all healthy ingredients try it out.

Ingredients:-
Curry leaves - Fresh leaves, washed and dried handful (might be 10 to 15 strings)
Dhania seed (dry coriander) -2 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Black Pepper - 10
Red chili - 4
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Garlic pods - 10
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp or less
Mustard seed - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation method:-
Roast dhania, cumin, black pepper along with little oil when half done add red chili, fenugreek seed and curry leaves.
When roasted nice aroma comes and color will be slightly changed (take care, don't burn while roasting).
Grind the roasted ingredients to coarse powder. Add little water and grind to paste (it won't be very smooth).
In a kadai add oil, mustard to splutter. Add the garlic pods and roast slightly. Now mix the paste with tamarind, turmeric and salt.
Check for spice level and salt. If you want this to be bit spicy you can always add few red chili while garnishing (i.e after garlic pods add red chili). Add this gravy to the garnishing and boil till oil separates.
Goes very well with white rice and roasted appalam.