Banana Stem Chutney| Vazhai Thandu Thogayal

Banana Stem Chutney| Vazha Pindi Chammanthi| Vazhai Thandu Thogayal is an easy to prepare healthy fibre and nutrient rich chutney/ thogayal which could be used with idli dosa with tempering and without to match with rice. I am eager to add banana stem in one or other way in my meal. One such new trial is this chutney recipe which came out really well. Banana stem has many health benefits which i have mentioned in my Banana Stem Juice recipe earlier. It is good for kidney stones, to controls the blood pressure, reduces body heat and detoxify the body.

I have already shared many banana stem recipes in my page Vazhai pindi pachadi(Kerala style), Vazhai thandu moor kootu(Tamil style), Banana Stem Juice, Vazhai thandu Paruppu Kootu, Vazha pindi Thoran/ Poriyal.

INGREDIENTS: 
Oil- 1/2 teaspoon
Urad dhal- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
Dry red chillies- 5 (i used 10 very small chillies)
Tamarind- small piece
Ginger, choped- 1/4 inch
Asafetida- big pinch
Banana stem/ Vazhai thandu/ Vazha pindi, chopped- 3/4 cup
Coconut, grated- 1/4 cup
Salt- to taste

To temper:
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves- 1 strand

PROCEDURE:

• Cut the banana stem in to roundels and pull the fibre using your fingers. Then chop them and set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add half a teaspoon of oil and roast urad dhal, dry red chillies, tamarind together till the dhal starts to get golden colour.
•  Now add the ginger and asafetida and just cook for fifteen seconds and transfer into a plate and allow the mixture to cool.
• To do tempering, in the same pan heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds and add the curry leaves and turn off the flame.

• Once the mixture cools down add this along with chopped banana stem and grated coconut and pulse thrice to make a powder(to grind the urad dhal) then add some salt and water and grind to make a fine paste.

• Add the tempering and mix well and serve with Idli or dosa.
• You could prepare this same preparation as a thogayal/ Chammanthi without tempering to match with rice.

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Chenda Kappa with Kanthari Chammanthi

Kanthari Ulli Chammanthi is an easy dip prepared using a special variety of spicy chilli found predominantly in Kerala called Kanthari (or) Bird's eye chilli. This chammanthi is an awesome combination for 'Chenda Kappa Puzhukku'.'Chenda' is a Cylindrical Drum a musical instrument very popular in Kerala. The shape of the boiled kapppa resembles the shape so it is called 'Chenda Kappa'.

Kappa, Kanthari Chammanthi with Kattan Kappi (Black coffee) is a unbeatable combination. For every malayali, it is a traditional drool worthy combination. Just when I think about this combo I feel this urge to taste it immediately. Drooling right now....

Mom made this combo during the last day of my stay at home this vacation. As it was raining outside there was a power outage and my camera flash was also not working. I clicked some picture with the minimal available light as i didn't want to miss this combo as a yummy post in my blog.

INGREDIENTS:
For Chenda Kappa Puzhukku/ Boiled Tapioca:
Tapioca/ Cassava/ Yucca/ Kappa- 1 kg
Salt- 1 teaspoon
Water- as required

For Kanthari Chammanthi:
Kanthari Mulaku/ Bird's Eye Chillies/ Green chillies- 12 nos
Small/ Pearl Onion, cut- 15 nos
Salt- to taste
Coconut oil- 1-2 teaspoons (or )Yogurt- 1 tablespoon

PROCEDURE:
Chenda Kappa:

• Remove the outer brown skin with the inner pink (or) white thick layer by giving a long little deep cut from top to bottom of the tapioca.
• Then pull the peel using a knife and cut the kappa in to 3-4 inch round pieces. 
• Wash the kappa well three times to remove the clay sticking while peeling.
• In a deep wide pan take enough water to submerge the tapioca.

• Heat the water to rolling hot, now carefully drop the cleaned tapioca.
• Once it is half cooked add the salt and allow to cook further.
• Once the tapioca thoroughly cooked cover with a lid and drain the water or use collader to drain water.

• The tapioca should not be cooked till mushy. Soft to bite but it has to hold its shape.

Kanthari Chammanthi:

• Cut each pearl onion into four pieces, remove the birds eye chilli's stem and add some salt to taste.
• You could crush it slightly by blend once or twice in a blender (or) use a pestle and mortar to coarsely crush them. I don't like to take chances while crushing in pestle and mortar, as it will be too spicy, I prefer using blender jar.

• Once you coarsely crush them pour the coconut oil and mix with a spoon. If you do not like to add coconut oil use yogurt and blitz once or mix with spoon.
• Serve with steaming hot kappa and kattan kaapi.

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Choco-Nut Dosa

Choco-nut Dosa is crispy dosa  filled with Chocolate and nuts combination. I have shared many dosa varieties in my blog. I have earlier shared Nutella and banana dosa which is similar to this dosa. But varies in texture and also taste. This is crunchy and slightly gooey insdide with a crispy dosa, the nutella with banana one is totally gooey inside with a crispy outside. Both are kids friendly recipe and this one is healthier than nutella one as it has dark chocolate and nuts in it. You could serve this as a snack or dessert for kids. Even adults love this combo.

INGREDIENTS:
Dosa batter- 1 big ladle/dosa
Oil- 1/2 teaspoon/dosa
Chocolate pieces/ Chocolate chips(Dark/ milk)-2-3 tablespoons/dosa
Nuts, chopped/crushed(single/ assorted)- 2 tablespoons/dosa

PROCEDURE:

• Grease the dosa tawa and add a ladle full of dosa batter and spread to make concentric circles.
• Drizzle little oil over the dosa and cook till crispy.
• Keep the chocolate grated (you could use carrot grator)or small pieces of chocolate over the dosa and spread with the backside of the spoon.(I used milk chocolate chips initially once it melted spread on the dosa and sprinkled with grated dark chocolate)

• Sprinkle some nuts of choice. You could add some dry fruits like raisins too if you like.
• Roll the dosa tightly and cut them in a slanting manner.

• Serve with Chocolate sauce and some chocolate sprinkles if you like it more chocolaty.
• Note: Do not over cook after adding chocolate in dosa. The chocolate might dry and burn.

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Noodles Dosa

Noodles Dosa is a Dosa with a Indo Chinese noodle filling. This is so simple to make if you have the noodles and the sauce ready. You could use any noodle filling of your choice and any spicy chutney or sauce to spread on the dosa. It is a kid friendly dosa if it is prepared less spicy. Kids love to have this dosa like a dosa rolls. This is perfect for kids lunch box or a breakfast or an evening snack.

Nice twist for the regular dosa with a entirely different filling. You can check my other dosa recipes with different filling  Pav Bhaji Dosa, Paneer Masala Dosa, Mushroom Masala Dosa, Chicken Masala Dosa, Nutella Banana Dosa and Palak Paneer Dosa, Mysore Masala Dosa, Masala Dosa, Beetroot Masala Dosa and Broccoli Masala Dosa.

INGREDIENTS:

For Noodles Dosa:

Dosa Batter- 1 ladle/dosa

Oil- 1/2 teaspoon/dosa

Schezwan sauce- 1 tablespoon/dosa(Click on the link for the recipe)

Noodles filling(I used Vegetable Hakka Noodles)- 3 tablespoons/dosa(Click on the link for the recipe)

PROCEDURE:

• Heat the dosa tawa and grease it with oil and take a ladle full of batter and spread into concentric circles.
• Drizzle little oil on top and cook till crispy. Once the top i almost cooked spread the schezwan sauce using a spoon.

• Now keep the noodles on top and roll the dosa as you desired.
• You could tightly roll the dosa and cut them in a slanting manner and serve like a roll.
• Note: You could use any spicy chutney to spread on top of dosa.
• Here i have used vegetables Hakka Noodles. You could use any kind of Noodles preparation you like.

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Cauliflower Masala Dosa

Today i have come up with a healthy stuffing i.e Cauliflower Masala for Dosa. If you are bored of by eating the same potato stuffing for dosa it is a must try dish. Easy as well as tasty combo with crispy dosa. You will not require any chutney or sambar to pair with this masala dosa as it is spicy masala. A real treat for the vegetarians a nice variation for the regular masala dosa.

You could check my other dosa with different fillings such as Mysore Masala Dosa, Masala Dosa, Beetroot Masala Dosa, Broccoli Masala Dosa, Pav Bhaji Dosa, Paneer Masala Dosa, Mushroom Masala Dosa, Chicken Masala Dosa, Nutella Banana Dosa and Palak Paneer Dosa.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Cuisine: Tamil
Makes:6-8 Dosas

INGREDIENTS:
Cauliflower, chopped- 1 and 1/2 cups (half big head)
Onion, chopped- 1 and 1/2
Ginger Garlic, chopped/paste- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Tomato, chopped-2 small
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Chili powder- 1and 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves- 2 tablespoons
Oil- 3 teaspoons
Salt- to taste

To make Dosa:
Dosa batter- 1 ladle/dosa
Oil- 1/2 teaspoon/dosa
Cauliflower filling- 1 scoop

PROCEDURE:

• For this filling you could precook the cauliflower and add into the gravy or you could add as such and cook in the gravy till soft.
• Heat oil in a  pan and add the onion with a pinch of salt; cook till soft. Now add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell leaves.

• Add the chopped tomato and cook till soft and mushy. Add some salt to taste. 
• Add the masala powders turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder; mix well and cook for thirty seconds to relieve the raw masala smell. 

• Add some water and allow to boil well. Once the masala cooks and the oil starts to separate on top, add the cauliflower and mix well. Close with a lid and cook till the cauliflower cooks till soft. Open the lid and allow the gravye from the masala dries out and become thick gravy.
• Check for salt and sprinkle some coriander leaves and switch off the gas.

• To make cauliflower masala dosa, heat dosa tawa and grease with oil spread a ladle full of dosa batter into concentric circles.
• Drizzle little oil on top and cook till crispy.
• Keep 3 tablespoons of cauliflower masala and close the dosa as desired.

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Paneer Masala Dosa

I had earlier shared varied dosa recipes with yummy fillings, and today's turn is the Panner Dosa Recipe. Though I had planned to prepare panner masala dosa I wanted to taste it in a restaurant as a benchmark to compare with my preparation. We visited a popular vegetarian restaurant here and went on to order panner dosa, and I hate to spill it out, it does not taste good. The filling was just the panner with some sauteed onions and ghee. I was really disappointed about the texture aw well as the taste itself. Back home I decided to prepare the panner masala to suit my taste buds and it tasted just yum.

I was really happy that the result was satisfying. You could check my other dosa with different fillings such as Mysore Masala Dosa, Masala Dosa, Beetroot Masala Dosa, Broccoli Masala Dosa, Pav Bhaji Dosa, Mushroom Masala Dosa, Chicken Masala Dosa, Nutella Banana Dosa and Palak Paneer Dosa.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Cuisine: Tamil
Makes:6-8 Dosas

INGREDIENTS:
Paneer, crumbled (fresh/ frozen)- 1 and 1/2 cups
Onion, chopped- 1 and 1/2
Ginger Garlic, chopped/paste- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Tomato, chopped-2 small
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves- 2 tablespoons
Oil- 3 teaspoons
Salt- to taste

To make Dosa:
Dosa batter- 1 ladle/dosa
Oil- 1/2 teaspoon/dosa
Paneer filling- 1 scoop

PROCEDURE:

• Heat oil in a  pan and add the onion with a pinch of salt; cook till soft. Now add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell leaves.
• Add the chopped tomato and cook till soft and mushy. 

• Add the masala powders turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder; mix well and cook for thirty seconds to relieve the raw masala smell. Add some salt to taste.

• Now crumble the paneer and add in to the masala; mix well and cook for a minute till the paneer cooks so that the masala coats well. 
• Sprinkle some coriander leaves and mix well and switch off the gas.

• To make panner masala dosa, Heat the dosa tawa and grease it with little oil.  Add a ladle full of batter and spread the dosa to make concentric circles.

• Drizzle little oil on top and cook till it becomes crisp. Keep 2-3 tablespoons of filing at the centre of the dosa and fold the dosa as you desire.
• Note: You could add half a teaspoon of coriander powder if you wish with the masala.

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Poosanikai Moor Kuzhambu

Moor Kuzhambu is a buttermilk curry prepared as a pouring curry for rice. It is an easy to prepare tasty curry perfect for summer to reduce the heat. There are many variations are there in this mor kuzhambu plain moor kuzhambu and with veggies such as Vendaikkai moor kuzhambu, Vellarikkai moor kuzhambu, Ulundu Vadai Moor kuzhambu..etc.

Moor Kuzhambu is from Tamil Cuisine almost same as that of Kerala Moru Curry/ Pulissery. But the variation is in Tamil preparation they add thickening agents like chana dal or raw rice for the curry. But the taste is almost similar.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cuisine: Tamil
Serves:5
INGREDIENTS:
White pumpkin / Sambal Poosani- 1/2 small(1 and 1/2 cups)
Salt- to taste
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Yogurt/ Curd, beaten- 1 cup

To grind:
Coconut, grated- 1/4 cup, heaped
Green chilies-3-4
Roasted Chana dal/ Soaked chana dal- 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger-1/4 inch

To temper:
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chillies- 3
Curry leaves- 2 strands
Asafetida/hing- 1/4 teaspoon

PROCEDURE:

• Peel and cut the white pumpkin into medium sized pieces. Transfer the diced pumpkin with enough water to submerge; add some salt and cover with a lid and cook till soft.(Do not add more water which makes the curry watery or else u have to drain the nutritious water after cooking)

• In a blender jar add the grated coconut, green chillies, roasted chana dal, cumin seeds and ginger. Grind well to make a fine paste by adding little water while grinding.
• Add the ground paste with turmeric powder and mix well. Bring it to boil.

• Once the curry starts to boil beat the curd with a whisk or blend  using a blender jar if you have a tight lid.
• Add the beaten yogurt and mix well and immediately switch off the gas. Check for salt and add if required. Do not cook after adding the yogurt else the curry will starts to split.

• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds and then add the dry red chillies and curry leaves. Add the asafetida and switch off the gas.

• Add this tempering on top of the curry and mix well.

• Note: You could use roasted chana dal or soaked chana dal for this curry. Roasted chana dal saves the soaking time and could be made instantly. 
• Some people use a teaspoon of raw rice while grinding. I personally donot like the taste of the curry when i prepare with rice. so i advice you to add half a teaspoon if you are adding.

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