Salem Thattuvadai Set/Nippat Sandwich

Thattuvadai set is a most popular street food in Salem,Tamilnadu. Being a Salem girl/ Salemite, I used to have this snack at least once in a week before my marriage. Last week I went to my mom's place and bought few thattuvadai set for my family. I captured the making at that time and added a video here. I asked that anna about the chutney ingredients. He told the recipe roughly & he said this chutney stays good only for 3 hours. So make it fresh and serve.

Based on his recipe, I tried it on my own. It came out well. If you buy a packet of readymade thattu vadai , making this thattu vadai set would be very easy and quick. But I prepared everything by my own including thattu vadai. So I found it a bit time consuming. Finally I was very much satisfied with the outcome.

Salem Thattu Vadai Set Recipe

How to make Salem special thattu vadai set with video !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

FOR GREEN CHUTNEY Mint leaves - 1/2 cup Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup (optional,He told to use only mint leaves) Green chillies – 2 nos Tamarind – Small berry size OR use few drops of lime juice Salt & water – As needed. FOR RED CHUTNEY Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Tomato - 3 nos Big onion - 1 Red chilly – 5 nos Garlic cloves - 4 (optional, I used it) Salt – as needed Water – As required. Roasted gram – 1 tbsp (pottukadalai),optional FOR FILLING Finely chopped onions – as needed Grated carrot – as needed Grated beetroot - as needed ( i din't use as it was out of stock) Chopped coriander leaves – a handful Grated mango - as needed ( used during mango season) Lemon – 1/2 no

HOW TO MAKE  SALEM THATTU VADAI SET - METHOD

Saute the tomato, onion, red chilly adding salt in a tsp of oil. Grind it to a thick paste adding required water. Add pottukadalai/fried gram if you wish. You can also saute 4 garlic cloves along with tomato. Prepare the green chutney by grinding all the ingredients given under “ Green chutney” to a fine thick paste. Grate the onions, carrots, beetroot and chop coriander leaves. Mix well and set aside. Cut the lemon and keep it ready. Take 2 thatta vadai/Nippat for making one set. Apply red chutney on one side of thattai and green chutney to one side of other thattai. Keep little filling in between like a sandwich. Sprinkle lemon juice and close the sandwich. Serve immediately. I enjoyed it with coffee :) Enjoy !

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VEGETABLE MANCHURIAN RECIPE

I had an eye on this veg manchurian for a long time. I’ve tried Gobi & baby corn manchurian so many times but never tried this. Last weekend I prepared this along with fried rice and peas gravy. I followed Tarla dalal’s recipe. It was very nice. I’ll will post the fried rice & peas gravy soon. Now comes the vegetable manchurian,

Ingredients 

FOR THE BALLS

• Cabbage – 2 cups ( shredded finely)
• Carrot – 3 nos (grated )
• Onions – 1 no (finely chopped)
• Garlic flakes – 5 nos (finely chopped)
• Green chilly – 1 no (finely chopped )
• Ajino motto – 1/2 tsp
• Soya sauce – 1/4 tsp
• Maida – 5 tbsp
• Corn flour – 2.5 tbsp
• Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt & water –As needed.

FOR THE SAUCE :

• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Capsicum – 1 /2 no (finely chopped)
• Onion- 1 no (Finely chopped )
• Green chilly -  1 no (-do-)
• Garlic flakes -  5 nos (chopped )
• Ginger – 1 inch ( chopped )
• Corn flour – 1/2 tbsp ( dissolve in little water )
• Ajino motto – 1 /4 tsp
• Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
• Red chilly powder – 1 /2tsp
• Salt & water – as needed.

Spring onions /Coriander leaves & stem – to garnish
Method:

• Take all the ingredients mentioned under “ for the balls “ in a wide bowl .
• Mix everything well and add water for binding if necessary .Make a dough .
• Take lemon sized balls and deep fry in oil.Drain in an absorbent paper.
• In a kadai take some oil and add the onions , capsicum , chillies , ginger , garlic and saute well.
• Then add the red chilly powder , Ajino motto , soya sauce , tomato sauce and salt.Mix well and simmer for few mins.
• Lastly add the corn flour paste , a pinch of sugar and required water.
• Allow it to boil & thicken. Just before serving add the prepared veg balls in the sauce and bring to boil .
• Serve hot !!

Note :
If the sauce is too thick , add some water to thin down..

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ENNAI KATHIRIKKAI KULAMBU RECIPE - ENNAI KATHIRIKAI KUZHAMBU

In Tamil nadu, people make ennai kathirikkai kuzhambu in different ways. This is my MIL's version. Basically I am a big fan of brinjal recipes. My mom usually makes brinjal gravy for idli and stuffed  brinjal poriyal .

After my marriage, I learnt some more varieties of brinjal recipes from my MIL. One among them is Ennai kathirikkai kulambu. I love this gravy a lot. Sendhil who hates brinjal loves this gravy a lot as it has pepper. It looks like puli kuzhambu but tastes different. I think most of you have your own version. Here comes our way of making it. Do try this. You will love it for sure !

If you are looking for Ennai kathirikkai kulambu with lots of oil in Chettinad style, do refer this POST.

Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu Recipe

Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu Recipe - My mil's version, easy and flavourful gravy for rice

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Gravies

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Brinjal - medium sized (6 nos) Tamarind - Medium gooseberry size(little (more than small gooseberry size) Salt & water - as needed Cooking oil - 2 tbsp ( to saute brinjal) To roast and grind Oil - 1 tbsp Chana dal - 1 tbsp Urad dal - 1.5 tsp Red chillies - 2-3 nos Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Pepper corns - 2 tsp

METHOD

Wash and slit brinjal halfway into 4 pieces. Immerse in water till use to prevent color change. In a kadai, heat oil and roast pepper corns. When it starts to splutter, add the remaining ingredients except coconut. Roast till golden brown. Lastly add grated coconut,roast for few seconds and switch off the flame. Let them cool. Grind everything into a powder. In the same kadai, add 2 more tbsp of oil and add the slitted brinjal.Roast till it gets cooked. The skin of brinjal gets browned. It takes nearly 10 minutes.  Take the tamarind extract and add the roasted brinjal to it. Allow it to boil with the required salt & water. Cover and cook brinjal. After the brinjal is completely cooked, add the roasted powder and boil for some more time. Switch off the stove and serve hot. Enjoy this gravy by mixing in hot rice topped with ghee.

Note

Add more pepper corns and chillies based on your spice level. The quantity I have given gives medium spicy taste. Use Tamilnadu purple or voilet brinjal for more taste and flavour. Adding ghee is a must while eating. It helps to balance the heat of brinjal and peppercorns.

Serve with hot rice adding ghee !

Mix with hot rice topped with ghee. Tastes yummy 

Do check out my other brinjal recipes

• Ennai kathirikai Poriyal

• Brinjal podi curry

• Kathirikai poriyal

• Kathirikai kosumalli 

• Brinjal gotsu

• Sutta kathirikai chutney

• Brinjal sambar for idli
• Chettinad Ennai kathirikkai kulambu

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Very good recipes Tags: Brinjal recipes, Indian gravies, Gravies for rice

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MYSORE BONDA / ULUNDU BONDA

I think most of u can prepare bonda/bhaji very easily ..But for me, making bhaji and bonda  is always an achievement  . I suck in making these.So i am always afraid to try even with readymade bhaji/bonda mix..Yesterday I Prepared this  bonda for the first time.Usually i make only vada with urad dal . My MIL suggested me to try this bonda ..It came out excellent ..Thanks to my MIL , i learnt an yummy,easy snack .This gave me a confidence to try bhaji and bonda varieties soon ..

INGREDIENTS :

• Urad dal – 1/2 cup
• Green chilly – 1 no (optional )
• Pepper corns – 1 – 2 tsp (slightly crushed )
• Curry leaves – A few (chopped)
• Coconut pieces – 1 handful ( small in size)
• Coriander leaves – Few (chopped)

METHOD :

• Soak urad dal for 30 mins .Grind using very little water along with salt and green chilly.
• Now add the chopped coconut pieces , curry leaves ,coriander leaves and slightly crushed peppercorns..
• Mix well and make sure the batter is thick.If it is watery add little rice flour.
• Now heat the kadai with oil and fry these bondas in batches.

Serve hot !!

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Bitter Gourd Pitlai / Pavakkai Pitlai - Bitter gourd Recipes

I learnt this bitter gourd pitlai ( Pavakkai pitlai in Tamil) from my MIL. I love this pitlai a lot. I make this bitter gourd kuzhambu at least once in a week. My husband hates bitter gourd pieces but he eats this gravy alone.  This gravy tastes the best when mixed with plain rice topped with ghee. It tastes more like brahmin style arachuvitta sambar with the bitterness of pavakkai. Adding jaggery, sauting bitter gourd in oil before cooking or soaking bittergourd in curd for sometime helps to reduce the bitterness.But we like to have it as such as the bitter taste is healthy for stomach. Ok, lets see how to make bitter gourd pitlai /  pavakkai pitlai recipe below. For variations you can use brinjal / Kathirikai and make the same pitlai.

Bitter gourd pitlai recipe / Pavakkai pitlai

Bitter gourd pitlai recipe - Pavakkai pitlai for rice. 

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Kuzhambu

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Bitter gourd - 1 no ( medium sized) Moong dal - 1.5 tbsp Tamarind - A big gooseberry size Sambar powder – 1 tsp Salt & water – As required Grated coconut –2 tbsp Urad dal – 2 tsp Coriander seeds –3 tsp Red chilli - 1 no ( optional) Hing – 2 –3 pinches Jaggery – a small berry size Coriander leaves – a few to garnish. To temper Cooking oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - a few

METHOD

Soak the tamarind in water for 10 mins in hot water and extract the juice. To reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd, slice it thinly and saute in 1 tbsp of oil till it becomes dark green. You can also soak the bitter gourd pieces in sour curd or buttermilk for 15 minutes, squeeze it well and then add to tamarind extract for cooking. In a cooker vessel, take the tamarind juice, sliced bitter gourd pieces,moong dal, Sambar powder,salt & required water. Cook till one whistle. In the mean time , heat a kadai with a tsp of oil .Roast the coriander seeds , urad dal, red chilli (optional) with 2 pinches of hing. Grind the roasted items with grated coconut to make a coarse powder or paste adding water. Once the Bitter gourd is cooked , add the roasted , ground pitlai paste or powder and jaggery to it.Allow it to boil for sometime. Do the tempering and add to the gravy. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy mixing with plain rice and ghee. Enjoy !

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GINGER TEA RECIPE - INJI TEA - HOMEMADE GINGER TEA

I love ginger tea / inji tea a lot. Before marriage, when I was working I used to go with my friend  to a nearby canteen at least twice a day just to have this tea. It was a flavorful, mild and tasty tea. After this, I never had a tea similar to that taste. 

Last week when I was surfing the net I came across a ginger tea recipe which is a bit different from the usual one we make. I immediately tried it on the same evening. To my surprise, I found its taste similar to the one I had in canteen.. I was very much satisfied. 

Though ginger tea is not a special, unique recipe to share with,  I wanted to have this post in my blog. So here comes the inji tea recipe with a picture for you all.

Ingredients:

1 cup - 250ml

• Boiled Milk – 1 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup
• Tea powder – 1.5 tsp ( I used 3 roses tea powder)
• Ginger – 2 inches (crush a little)
• Cardamom – 1 no ( crush with skin, optional)
• Sugar – 1.5 – 2 tsp ( depends)

Method:

• In a wide mouthed bowl, add water and the crushed ginger & cardamom.
• Allow it to boil for 3 mins in low flame so that the ginger gets cooked in the water and gets a nice flavor.
• Then add the milk , sugar , tea powder. Allow it to boil for 2 mins in medium flame.
• Strain the tea sediments and enjoy !!

Serve hot with snacks !!

Note :The ginger should be well cooked before you add the milk and other ingredients. The essence of ginger would be well absorbed into the water..

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RIPE MANGO GRAVY | MAMBAZHA KUZHAMBU - MANGO KUZHAMBU

I learnt this mango kuzhambu from my MIL and  prepared this for the first time..I loved it a lot.. Its nothing but the usual vathal kuzhambu with ripe mango in it.. .U can try this with your own sambar powder or with red chilly powder & Dhania seeds powder in 1:2 ratio. Try it during this Mango season and enjoy !

Ingredients 

• Ripe mango – 1 no ( cut into 3 slices but mango should be whole.Hope you can understand from the above picture )
• Tamarind – Big gooseberry size
• Sambar powder –1 to 1.5 tbsp ( Based on your spice level)
• Salt & water – As needed.
• Rice flour - 1 tsp (Dilute in 1 tbsp water), Optional

To temper :

• Cooking oil – 1  tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 / 2 tsp
• Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Jeera / cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Toor dal – 1 tsp
• Small onion – 5 nos (finely chopped )
• Garlic flakes – 4 nos (finely chopped)
• Whole Garlic flakes – 10 nos
• Curry leaves – a few (chopped )

Method 

• Heat a kadai with oil and temper the items given above in the same order except whole garlic flakes.Keep it in low flame.
• Add the whole garlic flakes and saute till it changes golden brown.Nice aroma wafts around.
• Now add the tamarind extract, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt & required water.
• Let it boil for sometime..Then add the sliced whole mango and allow it to cook in the tamarind extract.
• Make sure there is enough water for the mango to cook. Cover with a lid for few minutes.
• After sometime check whether the mango is done by pressing the outer skin. It should be just soft. As we are using ripe mango, we don't have to cook for long time. 
• If the kuzhambu is watery, add 1 tsp of rice flour diluted with 1 tbsp water. Mix well and add to kuzhambu. Boil for a minute till slightly thick. 
• Switch off the flame . Pour a tbsp of sesame oil and few curry leaves on the gravy and don't mix it.This gives a special flavor to the vatral kuzhambu.
• Remove and serve hot with white rice and sesame oil.

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