Pumpkin (Orange) Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 kg. orange pumpkin
• 500 gms. sugar
• 150 gms. salt
• 1 small bulb garlic (peeled)
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 2 tsp. red chilli powder
• 400 ml white vinegar
• 5-6 drops red colour (optional)
• 3 tbsp. oil

Method

• Peel and chop pumpkin fine. Take care to discard seeds and stringy pith. Grind garlic to a fine paste.
• Heat oil in a large pan, add garlic. Saute till light brown, stirring continuously. Add chillies, garam masala, stir for a minute.
• Add pumpkin and salt. Mix and cover. Simmer stirring occasionally, till pumpkin is soft.
• Add sugar and cook till a very soft lump is formed.
• Cool to room temperature. Add vinegar and blend in mixie. Strain and add colour. Mix and preserve.

Medu Vada Batter

Ingredients

• 4 cups urad dal
• 1 cup short grain rice.

Method

• Soak for 5-6 hours, grind it fine with minimal water.
• Just before frying beat well till light, add whole blackpeppers, coconut gratings, green chillies.

Vegetable Pancake Batter

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup gramflour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 tbsp. plainflour
• 1 tbsp. semolina
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda.

Method

• Grate and add veggies as desired, spinach, carrots, gourds, fenugreek greens, anything.
• To season add ground chillies, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, etc. 1 tbsp. oil.
• Proceed to make a medium batter, and spread as for dosas.

Moong Dal Pakora Batter

Ingredients

• 1 cup green gram dal with skin
• 3 green chillies
• 1 tsp. grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander
• 1/4 tsp. coarsely crushed coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp. coarsely crushed cumin seeds
• 3-4 pinches baking soda
• 1 tbsp. hot oil.

Method

• Soak dal for 2 hours,
• Grind to a paste with chillies, ginger, garlic, adding as little water as possible.
• Add all other ingredients just before making pakoras.

Appam Batter

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups raw rice
• 1-1/2 cups parboiled rice
• 2-3 tbsp. urad dal.
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. soda bicarb
• 1 tsp salt

Method

• Soak for 4 hours in water, wash well
• Grind to a fine thick paste, keep overnight.
• Morning add coconut milk, soda bicarb, and salt
• Beat well.
• The batter for Appam is ready
• Apply a little oil on a non-stick or heavy griddle.
• Pour a ladleful of batter on hot griddle.
• Hold handle and rotate and tilt griddle quickly such that its full base is covered with batter.
• Do not spread with spoon. A thin dosalike pancake must be the result.

Rice Idli Batter

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice semolina
• 1 cup urad dal (soaked for 3 hours, then ground to a very fine thick paste and kept
• overnight).

Method

• Soak semolina for 2 hours.
• Wash well by draining top water 2-3 time till it is white.
• Mix into the ground dal batter, beat till very light and fluffy, after adding salt.
• Do not keep the batter too thin.
• Proceed as for idlis in idli steamer.

Coating Batter For Fritters

Ingredients

• 1 cup plainflour
• 1 tbsp. cornflour
• 1 tsbp. rice flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• ground ginger, garlic, chillies for taste.

Method

• Mix all the ingredients
• Add enough water to make a batter which will coat the back of a spoon thinly when
• dipped.
• Dip chunks of cauliflower, babycorn, etc. which should have first been boiled to be tender
• but mushy.
• Chill the boiled veggies before frying.
• One may even fry thick rings of onion, capsicums, etc.

Coating Batter For Dipped Bhajias

Ingredients

• 1 cup gramflour
• 1 tbsp. rice flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• few ajwain seeds
• pinch of asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 2-3 pinches baking soda
• 2 tsp. hot oil (after batter has be prepared).

Method

• Mix together all the ingredients
• Make a batter which will coat the back of a spoon thickly, when dipped.
• One may add ground garlic, ginger, chillies, as desired.
• Dip chunks of paneer, or sliced capsicums, cucumbers, potato, onions, zuchinni, whole hot green chillies, boiled whole babycorns, etc.

Handvoh Flour

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat
• 1 cup jowar
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1/2 cup bengalgram dal.

Method

• Roast the grains lightly in a heavy pan, individually.
• Mix, cool and grind to a flour.
• Cool, store in airtight container, in dry area.
• Add water to knead to a smooth dough when required.
• Proceed to pat thick chappati, sprinkle finely chopped coriander, onion , chillies, etc. over
• it, press in.
• Make small hole in it with blunt end of hand churner.
• Roast on hot griddle over low flame till roasted crisp.

Thaalpeeth Flour

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat
• 1 cup jowar
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1/2 cup bengalgram dal.

Method

• Roast the grains lightly in a heavy pan, individually.
• Mix, cool and grind to a flour.
• Cool, store in airtight container, in dry area.
• Add water to knead to a smooth dough when required.
• Proceed to pat thick chappati, sprinkle finely chopped coriander, onion , chillies, etc. over
  it, press in.
• Make small hole in it with blunt end of hand churner.
• Roast on hot griddle over low flame till roasted crisp.

Dhokla Flour

Ingredients

• 4 cups rice
• 2 cups bengalgram dal (channa dal)
• 1 cup urad dal

Method

• Wash and soak in plenty of water for 2-3 hours.
• Drain, spread on a clean large kitchen cloth till dry.
• Dry roast till all moisture is dried up.
• Grind to a flour of the texture of fine semolina.
• This may be done in a home flour mill or at the commercial flour mills.
• Store in dry airtight container.