Spicy Chapati

Spicy  Chapati – It’s best with dal / korma / curd / pickle …

Makes: 8 – 10 chapatis

Please use same measuring cup to measure wholewheat and water.

Ingredients

1 cup / 200 ml wholewheat (atta) Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity

1 tablespoon besan (gram flour)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ cup  chopped  coriander leaves (or a mix of mint and coriander)

¼ cup + 3 tablespoon  water (use as needed)

6 – 8 teaspoon ghee / oil

 Method

In a wide bowl, mix all the ingredients except the water and oil.

Add the water little at a time (first start with ¼ cup water and later adjust with 1 – 3 tablespoon water) and make a soft dough like chapatti dough.  Cover and keep aside for half an hour. Divide the dough into 8 - 10 equal portions / balls.

Roll out into thin chapatis of 6 - inch diameter with the help of a dry flour.

Place a non - stick frying pan / griddle / tawa on heat. Place a rolled chapati on the frying pan / tawa and cook for few seconds until little bubbles appear. Turn over and cook for 1/2 minute or until brown specks appear. Cook each side for 1/2 minute and remove from tawa. Apply little oil / ghee on both sides of the  chapati and stack them on top of each other. Serve with any gravy dishes or  green chutney or pickle.

How to make Hung Curd?

Hung Curd – It’s used for the preparation of  Tandoori dishes (as a thick marinade) / Phirni / Shrikhand …

Makes: 200 – 225 ml or 1 cup from 3 cups curd

Method

Tie fresh 500 ml curd in a clean muslin cloth  tightly. Hang it for draining water ( liquid from curd ) for 3 hours, with a bowl underneath to  catch the whey. Scoop out the drained yogurt from the muslin cloth and transfer into another container.   Nestle Dahi or other leading brand won't take much time. Hung curd will be ready within half an hour.

Spicy Puris / Ajwain Puris

Here's the recipe link of Spicy Puris / Ajwain Puris

Tamil Style Aappam / Appam

Tamil style Aappam / appam   - A popular breakfast dish in Tamil Nadu, goes well with any spicy curry / korma / coconut milk / sugar of your choice. This type of aappam available @ Nala's appa kadai, Chennai and also this recipe totally different from Kerala palappam / appam !!!

Makes : 12 - 13

Ingredients

2 cups raw rice (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

1 tablespoon  urad dal

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi / uluva)

3 cups water (to soak dal & rice)

2 tablespoon cooked and cooled rice

200 ml medium thick coconut milk (homemade or Maggi instant coconut milk. If using  Maggi instant coconut milk, mix 25 g  instant coconut milk powder with 200 ml water. Make a smooth solution)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 sachet (5 g) Eno fruit salt (readily available @ supermarkets & medical stores. It’s an antacid. Good for digestion too)

Method

Wash and soak urad dal, fenugreek seeds & rice in 3 cups of water for 4 hours. Drain out water and make a smooth paste in a mixer. Add 1/4 cup water and 2 tablespoon cooled and cooked rice  when  making the paste. It should be a medium thick paste. Do not add more water during grinding. Final stage of  this recipe required 1 cup coconut milk.

Transfer the batter to another big container / vessel and add salt. Mix well. Cover  and keep aside to ferment for 7 - 8 hours or overnight.

Next day or after fermentation, add sugar,  Eno fruit salt and coconut milk. Stir continuously for 2 - 3 minutes. Once you add Eno fruit, prepare aappam immeditely (within half an hour). Do not keep aappam batter too long. Then golden brown lace won’t form.

Final preparation:

Tip- Do not refrigerate aappam batter during fermenting. Aappachatti is used to make Aappam (or one can use normal dosa pan / dosa tawa).

1, Heat non stick appachatty.

2, Grease the appachatty with little oil.

3, Pour one and half  ladleful of aappam batter into the aappachatty.

4, Lift the pan (from the stove) and slightly twist around to spread the batter in the pan to make circular shape .

5, Close aappachatty with a lid and cook on low heat till the edges are golden brown. When the Aappam is ready the edges resemble crisp lace and centre soft. Traditionally this is eaten with korma / spicy curries / coconut milk/ sugar .