Sabudana (Javarisi) cutlet – Tapioca Sago Cutlets

The most difficult decision to make for me is “What to cook?” I have heard the same from a lot of my friends too. Especially when it comes to the after school snack, it’s even more difficult because you want something light and filling. And the kids want something yummy J

When I saw the event “Kid’s Delight–After School Snacks /Tiffin” in “Nivedhanams”,  I was very excited.The Kid's delight is an event series which was created by Valli of "Spicing your life". To learn more about the event "Click Here".  It’s such a wonderful event and I am looking forward for all the dishes and recipes. At the same time I wanted to send my “Sabudana Cutlet” to this event.

The main idea behind my blog is to make every day cooking easy and encourage everyone to eat more home cooked meals. That’s the reason I keep my recipes as simple as possible. This is one such recipe which is very easy to make and will sure be a hit. It makes a good party appetizer too.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Sabudana / Javarisi

2 medium sized potatoes

1 green chili

½ cup roasted peanuts

2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour (maida) or corn starch

2 tablespoon oil (for shallow frying)

½ teaspoon salt (or salt to taste)

Pinch of turmeric powder

Soak the sabudana (javarisi) for at least 6 hours. Then drain the water and keep the soaked sabudana aside.

Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Once they cool down peel the skin off and mash them. In a bowl add the mashed potatoes, soaked and drained sabudana, finely chopped green chilies, roasted peanuts, chopped mint leaves, chopped coriander leaves, salt and turmeric powder. Mix them well with your hands.

Make lemon sixed balls out of this mixture. Flatten them slightly with your palms and make them into patties. Take the maida or corn starch in a plate. Dip the patties slightly in the dry flour. So that the outer surface of the patties are slightly dusted with the dry maida or corn starch. This helps to hold the shape when they are cooking and also gives extra crispiness to the outer layer.

Heat the oil in a pan. When the oil is hot enough, shallow fry the patties without overcrowding the pan.

Cook them on a low flame by flipping them once until both the sides turn golden.

Enjoy them hot with ketchup or tamarind chutney.

-- Sang V

Milagu Vadas - Black Pepper vadas

Milagu  vadas are very popular prasadam for the Lord Hanuman. They make a garland of this pepper vada and offer it to the god by lots of devotes. Most of the temples in my place do this and there is so much demand to book this.

Before my marriage I used to live in a house that’s just opposite to a big Balaji/Perumal temple (my parents are still living there). We know all the priests there and they are kind of family friends for us. My mom used to book this pooja in the temple at least once in 6 months in India. So after the pooja, they will give you the vadas as prasadam. My husband loves this vada and we always remember to keep some vadas for him before my marriage.

After I moved here after my marriage, I wanted to do the same pooja in the hindu temple here. When I enquired about that in the temple they told me that we have to make the vadas and bring. They also told me that since the pepper vada’s are a little difficult to make, most of them bring garland made of methu vada without onion. So I was also scared to try them and followed their instruction and made the regular medhu vadas.

Then after some time I thought of trying out the traditional pepper vadas. So I got the recipe and made them for my next pooja in the temple. Everyone in the temple, who tasted the vada, was excited and surprised. I felt so happy when some of them even asked for the recipe and noted it down.

Since my husband loves it, I make them as a snack sometimes.  Even though it might look little complicated, all it needs is time and patience. It becomes easier with practice J

Recipe

Ingredients

Yields approximately 20

1 and ½ cup of Urad dal

1 tablespoon pepper

Approximately ½ teaspoon salt

(adjust the salt according to your taste, I just gave the measurement I use normally)

Oil for deep frying

Wash and soak the dal for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes drain the water and keep the dal aside for another 30 minutes.

Then grind the dal along with the pepper in a grinder or blender without adding any water. Just grind them for about 15 minutes so that they are coarse. Make sure that you don’t add more than 2 tablespoon of water while grinding, add even that 2 tablespoon of water only if it is absolutely needed.

The vada dough has to be really thick and coarse.

Heat the oil for frying in a pan. You can check the correct temperature of the oil by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil and make sure it rises and floats on the top immediately. Once the oil is ready add the salt to the batter and mix them well.

Take ziplog bag/banana leaf/washed wet cloth and grease them with oil. Now one small size of a lime of batter and flatten them into a thin disc using your fingers and make a hole in the center. Gently lift them and slip them into the hot oil.

Take them out of the oil when they are just half fried and keep them aside. Continue the same with the remaining of the batter and keep them all aside.

Now take 5 to 6 vadas (half fried) and fry them again in the oil until they turn golden brown in color. The pepper vadas are really crispy. You can store them in an air tight container for a week.

I am sending this dish to the "Flavor up with Spices #1 - A Monthly Event" hosted by Ammaji Kitchen.

Kara Sev - Spicy Sev

As I have already mentioned in my family we love everything when it is home made from scratch. The only reason I want to make my family eat as much as home cooked food is due to the simple ingredients used. You could see a long list of ingredients in the back of any store brought snack and I lose interest in buying them.

It’s always better to try and make snacks at home, because this way you know what you are eating.  Karasev is one such easy snack recipe which you can make in no time. You can make it as an appetizer for a party or as a tea time snack for the guests/family.

Karasev are traditionally made using a special Grater called Karasev Kattai. But since I don’t own one, I used the regular murukku press with the “Three Hole” plate as shown in the picture.

 

Recipe

Ingredients

 

1 cup Rice flour

(I used store brought)

1 cup of Gram flour /Besan

2 Teaspoon Clarified butter/Ghee

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

(substitute with pepper powder)

Oil for frying

 

Mix the rice flour, gram flour, salt, pepper and ghee together in a bowl. Add about 3/4^th to 1 cup of water little by little and make this into stiff dough. Now take the Murukku press and grease it with a little oil. This helps in the easy cleaning of the press.

Now take oil in a wide mouthed pan and heat them on medium flame.  Check the temperature of the oil by dropping a small piece of the dough. If they rise to the surface immediately then the oil is hot enough for frying. Now press the dough directly into the oil. Fry them until they turn golden and also stir them in between for uniform browning.  Once they are cooked remove them from the oil and drain them.

Cool them for some time before storing them in an air-tight container. Crunchy karasev is now ready and you could enjoy them for as long as two weeks and they stay fresh in an air tight container.

 

You could make them as a big batch during festival times and share it with your friends and family .

Okay !!!! now it’s the time for me to have a cup of hot tea and a bowl of Karasev J

-- Sang V