Amma magala kitchen: Khara Shankarpali

Another childhood favorite :) Not only do I enjoy these savoury crispies but love it when mom makes them as the whole house has this beautiful aroma :)
Here's mum's version of the savoury shankarpole. She does a sweet version of this as well but that's for some other time :)

Ingredients:

Plain flour / Maida: 3 cups
Whole wheat flour / Atta: 1 cup
Carum seeds / Ajwain seeds: 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera: 1/2 tbsp
Dry Red chili: 5
Butter: 1 tbsp
Water
Salt
Oil

Method:
1) Take 1 tbsp of plain flour and mix with butter for 5 minutes. Mom calls this saati. Don't know its english equivalent.
2) Add 2 tbsp oil (heated) along with rest of flour and mix for 2 to 3 minutes. The flour becomes crumbly.
3) Mix this with saati and knead for 2 to 3 minutes.
4) Dry roast Ajwain seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chili. Once cool, grind it into fine powder and mix with above.
5) Add water, 1/2 tbsp salt and knead it into a dough.
6) Make balls of the dough and roll it into a circle like chapathi. The thickness should be like that of a puri.
7) Cut it into diamond shape.
8) Heat oil on medium, and deep fry the Shankarpole until it turns golden brown. Remove and place it in a container lined with tissue paper.
9) Do the same with the remaining dough
10) Once cool, transfer it into an air tight container
DONE!!!

Amma Magala Kitchen: Onion Pakoda

Although I have been food blogging for over 4 years now, most of my recipes are inspired by friends or internet. Amma is easily my favorite cook and yet I did not know how to make her signature dishes as I hardly entered the kitchen when I was in India :) 

Now that amma is here, and I am on maternity leave, the time is ripe to learn some of her time tested delicious recipes that Nikki and I craved for. 

The next 3 to 4 months, I intend to get amma to make some of my childhood favorites and blog about it in the Amma Magala Kitchen Series :)

Onion pakoda is one of my favorite snacks. Although deep fried, it does not retain as much oil as a bonda would. Also, it stays fresh and crisp for days making it ideal for dinner parties where you are preparing a number of dishes and would like to get started a day or two earlier. 

Ingredients:

1 cup refined flour / maida

1/2 cup chickpea flour / besan

1/4 cup rice flour

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp ajwain powder

Pinch of asafoetida

1 onion: thinly sliced along length

2-3 curry leaves spring - finely chopped

1-2 tsp red chili powder

Salt

Oil 

Water

Method:

1. Mix all of the above ingredients (except oil, water and salt). Heat 2 tbsp oil and add it and mix once cool.

2, Mix ingredients to a thick paste with little water. Check for salt.

3. Heat oil for deep frying. Once hot enough, scoop out a teaspoon of batter and drop it into the oil. Depending on the size of the pan, you can drop in a few more pakodas.

4. Remove once the pakodas start to turn golden brown and place it on a paper towel. Repeat the same for remining batter

DONE!!!

Ragi Rava Dosa

Ingredients:

1 cup fine semolina
1 cup ragi flour
1/2 cup urad dal (black lentil) soaked for 1/2 an hour
Water
Salt
Oil

Method:
1) Grind the urad dal into a fine paste.
2) Add rava, ragi, 2 cups of water and mix. Add more water to thin the batter - consistency should be like butter milk. Check for salt
3) Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, pour a ladleful of batter at the centre and spread it into a circle. Add a few drops of oil. Fry for a minute.
4) Flip to the other side and fry for 10 seconds.
DONE!!!

Serve with chutney.

Congress kadlekai

Ingredients:

3 cups roasted peanuts (deskinned)
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/4 tsp amchur powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp salt
3 sprigs of curry leaves - finely chopped
2 tsp oil

Method:
1) Heat oil on low heat. Add curry leaves and fry for a minute.
2) Add all the powders, salt and mix. Add peanuts and mix.
3) Increase heat to medium and fry for a minute.
4) Remove from heat, wait for it to cool. Once cool, store it in an airtight container
DONE!!!

Tip: I used deskinned roasted peanuts to save on time. If you want to do it the traditional way, dry roast the peanuts, allow it to cool and rub it to separate the skin.

Carrot chutney

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

2 carrots - roughly chopped
1/2 onion - roughly chopped
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 cm ginger
1 green chili
1 tbsp chana dal + urad dal (optional)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp nigella (kalonji) seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 pepper corns
2 dry red chili
1/4 tsp tamarind concentrate
Salt
Water
Oil

Method:

1. Take a tbsp oil in a pan. Add chana and urad dal and fry until it changes colour. 
2. Add onion, coriander seeds, green chili, ginger, pepper corns and fry for 1 minute.
3. Add carrot and fry for 3 minutes. Take it off the heat. Cover and allow it to cool
4. Once cool, grind to a fine paste with turmeric powder and tamarind concentrate. Check for salt
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet. Add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter. Add dry red chili, nigella seeds. Put the tadka on the chutney and mix

DONE!!!

Peanut Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 dry red chili
1 green chili
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves (optional)
Pinch of asafoetida
Oil
Water

Method:
1. Take 1 tbsp of oil and fry peanuts, dry red chili, green chili. Keep aside to cool.
2. Once cool, grind it with coconut, tamarind and 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. Transfer to a bowl, check for salt.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet. Once hot, add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida. Pour the tadka onto the chutney and mix. Garnish with coriander leaves

DONE!!!

Neer dosa

Ingredients:

2 cups rice (soaked for at least 3 hours)
3/4 to 1 cup grated coconut
Water
Salt

Method:
1. Grind rice, coconut into a smooth thin batter. Consistency should be like butter milk. Check for salt.
2.  Heat a pan on medium. Once hot, take a ladleful of batter and spread in a zigzag motion. Note: You cannot spread this batter like normal dosa batter.
3. Once the top of the dosa looks cooked (15 seconds usually), flip it and cook for 5 seconds.
DONE!!!

Serve with a chutney of your choice.