Masala idli fry is an easy, kids friendly recipe that can be made using leftover idli.We can prepare this idli fry with fresh mini idli too. It can be served as breakfast, dinner or as an evening snack for kids. Usually I make South Indian, Tamilnadu style masala idli fry. This time I prepared it in North Indian style adding Pav bhaji masala powder.Actually speaking, recipe of masala idli varies from place to place.It can also be prepared in a simple way adding garam masala powder or fennel powder.
As this is my first attempt in North Indian style, I followed this recipe from Spice up the curry & Red Chilly and tried for our breakfast. I adjusted the spice level as per my family’s taste. It came out really well. Sendhil & myself loved it a lot. I hope Raksha will like it too. If making for kids, you can try the same with deep fried idli pieces. This recipe is a great way to use the leftover idli. You can also add vegetables like finely chopped carrot, cooked peas along with capsicum to make this dish more healthy and colorful ! Now lets see how to make Indian style masala idli at home using leftover idli with step by step photos & video.
Heat oil in a kadai. Temper cumin seeds. Saute onion, ginger, garlic and tomato.
Add all the spice powders, salt and mix well.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the masala and boil for a minute.
Lastly add the idli cubes, mix gently to coat the masala.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle ghee & lemon juice if needed.Serve hot !
Masala idli recipe - How to make masala idli fry - Step by step pictures
Take the leftover idli and chop into big cubes. You can chop each idli into 8 or 9 pieces.Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, capsicum, garlic and ginger pieces. After onion becomes transparent,add tomato and saute for a minute.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pav bhaji masala powder, sugar and mix well. Saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add 1/4 cup of water and boil for 2 minutes till masala becomes semi dry.
Lastly add the idli cubes, mix gently without breaking.Coat the idli with masala. If masala has more water content, idli will break. So make sure masala is almost dry. Mix idli & cook for a minute.Switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, few tsp of ghee and sprinkle some lemon juice. Mix well and serve hot!
Mash few banana pieces and cook for 2 minutes in low flame. Switch off the flame, sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves if desired.I did not add it.Remove and serve with rice.
Note:
Adjust the quantity of pav bhaji masala powder as per your spice level.
Make sure the tomato masala mixture is semi dry before adding idli pieces.
Bajji, Bonda, Pakoda & Vada are the most popular tea time snacks recipes in India especially South India. Most of us make these crispy, deep fried delicacies during weekends or for guests as evening snacks. My friends in Tamil nadu buy Aachi or Sakthi bajji bonda mix powder regularly.But in my family, both MOM & MIL never buy store bought bajji bonda mix. They make it fresh whenever needed. Both follow the same proportion of besan flour and rice flour to make bajji batter / Bajji maavu.
By learning from them, I can make different types of crispy bajji recipes at home easily. Not me, anyone can make it perfect if you know the right proportion of ingredients & the consistency of batter. I never thought of making homemade bajji, bonda mix recipe until Raksha started to eat them during weekends or holidays very often. Whenever I ask her choice of evening snacks, her reply would be mostly onion bajji or homemade cake. I don’t make cakes thinking about the consumption of maida.
So I prepare onion/potato bajji or pakoda based on her wish. Sometimes I feel lazy to make it. So I started making bulk quantity of my own, homemade bajji, bonda mix and store in refrigerator for a month. It stays good even without refrigeration. I don’t add food color or cooking soda in the mix. I add them while making bajji only if needed. Lets see how to make bajji, bonda mix at home easily! If you have this mix in hand, you can make varieties of bajji, bonda or pakoda in just 5 minutes. I hope all the moms like me would find this post useful.
Red Chilli Powder – 1.5 to 2 tbsp (Adjust based on spice level)
Orange Red food color – 2 pinches ( optional)
Cumin seeds or ajwain/omam - 1.5 tsp
Cooking soda or baking soda – 1/2 tsp (optional, You can add a pinch of soda while making bajji.)
To make bajji, bonda or pakoda
Bajji, bonda mix – as needed
Vegetables like onion, potato, brinjal, raw banana
Water – as needed
Cooking soda or baking soda – a pinch ( If needed)
Cooking oil – to deep fry
HOW TO MAKE BAJJI BONDA MIX - METHOD
In a wide bowl, mix the besan flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, cumin seeds or ajwain, salt, food color ( if using) and mix well. If you want, you can sieve the flour, salt, chilli powder for uniform mixing and then add cumin seeds. Adding soda in the mix makes the bajji absorb more oil while frying. So I add baking soda just before making bajji.
To make bajji or bonda : Take the required quantity of bajji mix in a bowl. Add a pinch or dash of cooking soda if you have not added already. Mix well. Add water to make a slightly thick batter. If the batter is too thick, vegetables won’t get coated properly. If the batter is thin, bajji will have tails. So add water gradually. Dip the vegetable in the batter, deep fry till golden in color. Please refer my ONION BAJJI RECIPE &POTATO BONDA for more details.
To make onion pakoda : Take the required quantity of bajji mix in a wide bowl. Add thinly sliced onion and mix well. Rest for 5 minutes. Add water and make a thick paste. Onions should be coated well. Add some hot oil and make pakoda. I will try to make a detailed post soon. Check out my Millet flour onion pakoda if interested.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder as per your taste.
Adding Kashmiri chilli powder gives a nice color to the bajji. You don’t need to add food color too.
You can store this mix upto one month.
For masala flavor, you can add garam masala powder & ginger-garlic paste while making bajji.
Make this easy mix at home. Enjoy bajji, bonda anytime !
I have few snacks recipes using bread in my try list for long time. So I started with this bread roll recipe and thought of trying them one by one to share in my blog. This potato stuffed bread roll recipe is a yummy, kids friendly snack with their 2 favorite major ingredients – Potato and bread. Recently I tasted this bread rolls in a simple birthday party conducted in my neighbor’s house.It was a snack party.So she had served this bread roll with tomato sauce/ketchup,a cake slice, store bought potato chips and a glass of store bought drink. Bread roll was crispy outside and soft inside. When I asked about the recipe, she gave a gist about it. After getting the idea from her, I watched a chicken bread roll video in YouTube to find out how to make it crispy. I tried it last week for Raksha and her friends. I made some lemon popsicle too. All of them loved it. Myself and Sendhil stopped with one as its deep fried. I guess these aloo bread rolls can be baked as well. Friends, Do try this easy, kids friendly evening snack & party snack – Indian style Stuffed bread roll at home and enjoy. Lets see how to make bread roll recipe with step by step photos and video.
Instant chakli recipe / Simple murukku recipe with step by step and video. This Karnataka style easy and simple murukku recipe (Chakli in Kannada) using store bought rice flour and besan flour was in my to do list for long time. Recently I got a pack of bull driven cold pressed (Chekku ennai) sesame oil, groundnut oil and coconut oil from Gramiyum – An online store. Product & packaging was too good and its professional too. If you are looking for original cold pressed oils, you can buy them online from Gramiyum. They also have organic honey, natural nuts at a reasonable price.
My MIL usually says snacks fried in groundnut oil is more flavorful. So I thought of making this easy, Karnataka style chakli/ murukku by frying in cold pressed groundnut oil ( Kadalai ennai).This instant chakli recipe which I had bookmarked years ago from Savi ruchi blog came to my mind. Its an easy, instant chakli recipe made with easily available ingredients. It came out very well with the awesome flavor of groundnut oil. I have tasted this Chakkuli/Chakri ( My friends tell this way) in my friends place. All my friends here make it during Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali and Gokulashtami festivals.
Basically I love this Karnataka style chakli a lot and got the recipe for homemade chakli powder from my friend Priya. I will share that recipe later. This chakli is made with rice flour and besan flour. Its prepared without butter or ghee. Hot oil is used to bring crunchiness. So it doesn’t have a melt in mouth texture just like butter chakli but tastes crispy and crunchy. It tastes the best with full flavor by the next day. We enjoy this chakli with our evening tea/ chai.
As its summer vacation in India, Kids must be nagging you for some evening snacks. Do try this easy chakli recipe at home for your kids!They will like it. Please excuse me for the non uniform shapes. I am not so good or patient enough in pressing
murukku. But my MIL says everything comes by practice. So this year, I am planning to try more murukku
recipes. Hope I can make perfect swirls in future.
Lets see how to make Karnataka style Instant chakli recipe with step by step pictures and VIDEO.
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( I used Kashmiri chilli powder)
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp (I used black. You can use white too)
Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Hot cooking oil - 3 tbsp
Water - As needed
Salt - As required
Cooking oil or Groundnut oil - To deep fry
HOW TO MAKE CHAKLI - METHOD
In a wide bowl, sieve the rice flour + besan flour.To the sieved flour, add salt, red chilli powder, sesame seeds and hing.
Heat cooking oil and add it to the flour. Mix with a spoon till oil spreads well in the flour.
Add water gradually and make a smooth dough.Make the dough slightly sticky. If the dough is too hard, chakli will break while pressing. Cover the dough with a wet cloth till use. Besan flour in the dough absorbs more water and dough becomes thick over time. So if the chakli breaks while pressing, sprinkle little water to the dough and try again. You will get it right. Sprinkle water whenever needed.
Take the chakli maker with star mould, fill with the dough. Press it on a butter paper or cotton cloth. Make shapes. Cover it till use else dough will become dry and murukku breaks while frying.
Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry the chakli. When the oil is heated, drop a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is right.
Drop 2-3 chakli for one batch. Keep the flame medium. Do not touch the chakli for one minute. Let it cook in the hot oil. Then flip it and cook the other side. Keep the flame medium. Cook the chakli till 90% of bubbles cease and becomes golden. Remove in a tissue paper. Repeat the same & fry all the chakli. Store in an air tight box after it cools down completely. Tastes best the next day ! Enjoy !
Note
Besan absorbs all water in the dough. So you may need to add sprinkle more water whenever needed while pressing.
Do not reduce the quantity of hot oil else chakli may turn hard.
Make sure oil temperature is right else murukku absorbs more oil.
Try this easy, instant chakli for your kids and family’'. They will love it !
Elai Vadam / Exhibition appalam – Rice papad / Arisi appalam made in banana leaf ( Vazhai ilai) was in my try list for the past few years. Whenever my fellow bloggers post this elai vadam recipe, I get tempted to try but I never got the confidence to try on my own. Recently my MIL prepared this ilai vadam using idli rice after watching Revathy Shanmugam mam’s cookery show in Jaya TV. Last week when she came to Bangalore, she brought some vadam to taste. She said its a time consuming process but the end result is worthy.Its taste reminded Delhi appalam we get in exhibition.We had this rice papad sprinkled with red chilli powder and we loved it very much.
My MIL told me the tradition behind this appalam making process.On those days, people in Tamilnadu villages used to make this rice vadam using Vadham ilai or Poovarasan ilai. This vadam is usually given for ladies after delivery ( Postpartum diet) as urad dal papad creates gas problem.This vadam is roasted in direct fire ( Sutta appalam) instead of deep frying in oil as deep frying makes it difficult to digest.The best thing about this vadam is it dries up quickly even under the shade. It takes one to two days to get ready based on the weather in your place. Overnight drying under the fan would be enough. I felt this vadam is ideal for places where there is lack of sunlight.
With the help of my MIL, I prepared this easy arisi appalam in Bangalore using raw rice. This vadam can be prepared with raw rice, idli rice or both in equal quantity. If you make it with raw rice, vadam comes out super light, airy and crispy whereas vadam made with idli rice comes out crunchy and very flavorful like store bought arisi appalam but slightly dense in texture.
In that case, you can add little sago( javvarisi) to bring the light texture. As I have thatte idli stand, this vadam process was completed within one hour. If you don’t have this plate it may take more time. You can buy thatte idli stand or elai vadam stand in the market if you are really interested to try this one. Now lets see how to make elai vadam recipe with step by step pictures and VIDEO !
Water - As needed (I used 1/2 cup for grinding, 3/4 cup for mixing)
HOW TO MAKE ILAI VADAM / RICE APPALAM - METHOD
Wash and soak the raw rice in enough water for 2 hours. Drain the excess soaked water completely and grind the rice coarsely without adding water. Then wipe the sides and add 1/2 cup water, required salt. Grind to smooth paste like maida. Please note there should not be any grits in the batter. It should be completely smooth. So grind patiently for long time. I used my Indian mixie for grinding the batter and it took 5 minutes. Grind in two batches.
Remove the batter in a bowl.Add cumin seeds. The consistency of batter should be slightly thinner than dosa batter.
Now take a banana leaf and spread the leaf inside the plate according to its shape.Add 1/2 ladle of batter and swirl the plate. Batter spreads all over the plate. If you don’t have banana leaf, just spread the batter directly in the plate & swirl/rotate it.It also works but its difficult to peel once its cooked. If you have 3 plate or 6 plate ilai vadam stand, follow the same and spread the batter in all the plates.
Heat water in an idli pot. When the water comes to roll boil, place the idli plate. Let it steam for 5 minutes. The color of batter changes to pale white & transparent after cooking. Remove the leaf from the plate and let it become warm. Peel the cooked vadam and spread in a cotton cloth( Dhoti) or in a polythene sheet. Do not put in newspaper. It will stick with it.
Let it dry in balcony or under the sun for one day. If you don’t have this option, dry it under the fan wind. When it dries up, it shrinks in size & changes in color slightly. After one day drying, it would have dried up to 75%. During night, keep it under the fan. If its crispy all over, its ready. If its soft in the middle, it needs more time to dry. So the next day, keep it under the sun & repeat the same till its completely moisture free. Store it in a box & use it for months. Stays good even for an year if prepared properly.
Heat required oil in a kadai to deep fry. Break the vadam into half & deep fry in oil. Flip & cook both the sides. Remove & drain in a tissue. Sprinkle red chilli powder on top & serve as an evening snack or with any variety rice !
Enjoy !
Note
The consistency of batter is very important. Do not make it too watery or thick.
You can make this vadam with idli rice instead of raw rice.
Steaming takes maximum 5 minutes.
Try to peel the vadam after its cooled down.
If the vadam turns golden brown after frying, it may be due to the quality of rice. In that case, you can try adding few drops of lemon juice in the batter and make it next time.
Enjoy this crispy, yummy arisi appalam with rice or as an evening snack !
Pazham pori @ Ethakka appam – Kerala special Nendram pazham bajji ( Ripe banana fritters in English) was in my try list for years. Crispy and hot Pazham pori with tea/Chai is one of the most popular and classic combo in Kerala. People love to have this pazham pori with hot tea as an evening snack. I have tasted this bajji only once in Bangalore - Ernakulum intercity express train pantry car. I loved it very much and I decided to blog this recipe at that instance. But I couldn’t find nendram pazham/etha pazham in my area.
Recently I got few ripen nendram pazham from my neighbor. My neighbors from Kerala used to buy this nendram pazham regularly and feed their toddlers for breakfast as it has lots of health benefits. As soon as I got the ripen banana, this pazham pori recipe flashed in my mind. I browsed for few recipes and videos to make a crispy pazham pori just like the ones I tasted in train. I came across many pazham pori recipes with eggs, besan flour and even with wheat flour. But I wanted to try the traditional, authentic ones with Maida and rice flour.
Finally I got this recipe from my neighbor and tried it for our evening snacks. This sweet bajji is of my kind. I loved it a lot more than Raksha & Sendhil. We are planning to visit Kerala during this summer vacation. I have a big list of dishes to taste in Kerala hotels. This pazham pori is also one among them. I will try to update this post and share a picture in my Instagram feed from Kerala tea shop. Now lets see how to make Kerala special Pazham pori recipe with step by step pictures and video !
Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam
Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam - Kerala Nendram Pazham Bajji Recipe
Sugar – 1 to 2 tbsp ( based on the sweetness of banana)
Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
Cooking Soda – a pinch (optional)
Jeera / Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Crushed Cardamom seeds – 1 no ( optional)
Water – 1 cup ( approx)
Cooking oil or coconut oil - to deep fry
HOW TO MAKE PAZHAM PORI - METHOD
Take the ripen banana and peel the skin. Cut into long, thin or thick strips as you wish. Set aside. Taste a small piece of banana to know the sweetness. Mine looked over ripen and black as u see in the picture. But It was mildly sweet. So I had to add more sugar in the batter. The quantity of sugar in the batter depends on the sweetness of banana.
In a wide bowl,take the maida, rice flour, sugar, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, cardamom powder and a small pinch of cooking soda. Adding soda is optional. Mix well.
Add water little by little and make a smooth, lump free batter. Batter should not be too thin or too thick. Its consistency should be like bajji batter.It should fall like a thin ribbon. Batter should coat the banana well. So make it accordingly. Please watch the video for reference. I used approx 1 to 1.25 cups of water.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated ,drop a pinch of batter to check oil temperature. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is just right.
Now take one banana strip and coat well on both the sides in the batter. Drop in hot oil. Deep fry 2-3 pazham pori for one batch. Flip & Cook in medium flame on fry both the sides till golden. Remove in a tissue paper. Serve hot to enjoy its best taste.Tea with pazham pori is a classic combo in Kerala. You too give a try and enjoy !
Note
Rice flour is not used in many recipes. But I added it to make crispy pazham pori.
Cardamom powder is also optional. If you want the flavor of banana to be dominant, skip it.
Adjust the quantity of sugar based on the sweetness of banana.
Adding cooking soda is optional. If you don’t add pazham pori looks flat and thin. But mine looked slightly bulgy because of soda. Its your choice of how you want it.
Try this Kerala special snack – Pazham pori at home for your tea time and enjoy !!
As this is my first attempt in North Indian style, I followed this recipe from Spice up the curry & Red Chilly and tried for our breakfast. I adjusted the spice level as per my family’s taste. It came out really well. Sendhil & myself loved it a lot. I hope Raksha will like it too. If making for kids, you can try the same with deep fried idli pieces. This recipe is a great way to use the leftover idli. You can also add vegetables like finely chopped carrot, cooked peas along with capsicum to make this dish more healthy and colorful ! Now lets see how to make Indian style masala idli at home using leftover idli with step by step photos & video.
Homemade Bajji, Bonda, Pakoda mix 
. This potato stuffed bread roll recipe is a yummy, kids friendly snack with their 2 favorite major ingredients – Potato and bread. Recently I tasted this bread rolls in a simple birthday party conducted in my neighbor’s house.It was a snack party.So she had served this bread roll with tomato sauce/ketchup,a cake slice, store bought potato chips and a glass of store bought drink. Bread roll was crispy outside and soft inside. When I asked about the recipe, she gave a gist about it. After getting the idea from her, I watched a chicken bread roll video in YouTube to find out how to make it crispy. I tried it last week for Raksha and her friends. I made some lemon popsicle too. All of them loved it
. Myself and Sendhil stopped with one as its deep fried
. I guess these aloo bread rolls can be baked as well. Friends, Do try this easy, kids friendly evening snack & party snack – Indian style Stuffed bread roll at home and enjoy. Lets see how to make bread roll recipe with step by step photos and video. 
