Thattais - A diwali special

Thattais are south indian snack varieties,which is prepared especially during festivals.I remember the days,where my mom used to prepare in in large batches and share it with friends and foes.This is my mom's recipe,which my friend Priya made me to remember,by giving her thattais.This is a spicy variety of thattai,which u wud never feel like eating just one.My H gave me 4 out of 5 immediately consuming it.(Yeah he will never ever give full mark to any dish.Thats his style.)Give it a try,u will love it.

Ingredients:
1.Rice flour               -          1 cup
2.Red chillies             -           6
3.Garlic cloves          -            6
4.Turmeric pwdr        -            a pinch
5.Chilli pwdr              -            1/4 tsp
6.Ghee                         -            1 1/2 tsp
7.salt                            -            to taste
8.Chana dal                  -             1/4 cup
9.Ground nut                 -             2 tbsp
10.hing                          -             a pinch

Method:
* Soak the chana dal for an hour.
* Grind the red chillies and garlic finely together.
* Brake down the fried ground nut into pieces.
* Take a mixing bowl,add rice flour,ghee,salt,hing,turmeric pwdr,red chilli pwdr,grinded red chilli & garlic,broken ground nut and soaked chana dal.
* Mix them well and form into a soft dough.Apply oil to the dough and keep it ready.
* Take a pan of oil and heat it well.
* Take a zip loc cover,apply oil to it.
* Pinch out a little dough and with ur greased hand, pat it on the ziploc cover into a thin thattai.The thickness shud not be too thin,as it will break easily.And it shud not be too thick,as it will become hard.
* Drop the thattai in hot oil and cook it for a minute or two.Or untill the thattai becomes golden brown.
* Flip the thattai and cook it again ,untill the bubble siezes out.
* Remove the thattais,strain it and store it in air tight containers.

Note:
The spice level can be altered to one's taste.Make sure the ghee shud be added only the specified level.If we add too much ghee,then there are chances for the thattai to become brittle.The oil for frying shud be really hot as we do it for appalams.

Aloo Bonda ( Potato Stuffed Dumplings)

Aloo bonda is a very famous street  food  in south india.I remember the rainy days, where we used to buy it from local teas shop.The taste can never match five star hotels.Me and my siblings will have a tug of war to have a big portion.Hmm I am missing chennai a lot....To compensate that, I started preparing everything at home.Today we had a guest and when I served him with this aloo bonda , he was totally surrendered to the taste.I was delighted .Wat gift can a cook get other than appreciations abt her cooking.....He made my day..

Ingredients:

For Stuffing:
1.Potatoes             -       2
2.Onion                 -       1/2
3.Green chillies    -        3
4.ginger                 -        1/2 inch
5.Curry leaves       -       1 spring
6.Cilantro

For Batter:
1.Besan flour          -       1 cup
2.Cooking soda       -       a pinch
3.Kesari Color        -       a pinch
4.Salt                       -       to taste

Method:
* Boil the potatoes and chop onion,ginger,green chillies finely.
* Take a pan,add oil , splutter with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
* Saute all the ingredients  under " Stuffing" ,except cilantro.
* Add cilantro at the last and mix it well.Keep the mixture in the fridge for half an hour.
* Divide the mixure into equal parts and roll them into small balls.
* Take a mixing bowl ,add all the ingredients under " for Batter" and form into a batter,by adding little water.
* The consistancy shud be like a bajji batter or it can be slightly thicker.
* Now dip the potato balls in the batter and deep fry them.
* Serve hot with ketch up.

Note:
We can aslo add rice flour to make the bondas crisper.

Murukku/Chakli

Diwali is nearing, and my mind started revolving around chennai.My mother wud have started preparing all snacks and sweets.We all will sit around the stove and look at those snacks getting ready.But we will never try untill it is offered to god.We all will got to sleep ,with greater hope and happiness the next day we are going to have.
Early morning we will get up and have ganga snanam ,wear new dress and run to the street and fire all crackers.I will be a decent spectator and with limited crackers.My sis will be the one who fires all big bombs.I love to watch all kids roaming and firing crackers in our streets.Hmm Those are memorable days.
Here I am going to giv u my MIL and mom's recipe of murukku.Its a very easy and quick recipe.Within half an hour u can finish this recipe.

 



Ingredients:
1.Rice Flour                       -   1 cup
2.Urad flour  (sieved)         -   1/ 4 cup
3.Cumin seeds                     -   1 tbsp
4.Butter                                -   1 tbsp
5.Hing                                  -   a pinch
6.Oil for frying

Method:
* Mix all the ingredients together , add little water and make a dough.Add salt to taste.
* Make sure that the dough is soft and non-sticky.



Soft murukku dough

* Take a muruku press and form small circles in the skimmer as shown.

Or we can use simple round mould in the murukkku press

Updated picture'

* We can also press the murukkus on a aluminium foil or Ziploc cover in batches and transform them in to the oil.
* Keep the stove on medium and fry murukkus untill the bubbles siezes out.
* Wipe off excess oil using a tissue and store it in a air tight container.
* It will be tasty and perfect one for Diwali.

 

Note:
All flours are available in any indian shop.But I fried urad dal , powdered in mixie and sieved.
If u dont have a siever,never mind, use ur steel tea filter.I used my tea filter.If u want a spicy murukku u can add chilli pwdr to the dough.
Chakli

Mirchi Bajji ( Milaga bajji)

I am a typical marina beach freak and wander there till it gets dark. The reason , yes ofcourse, the red staged shops where chillis are decorated as their borders and the aroma of mirchi bajji everywhere......
All residents of  Triplicane,Teynampet, Mylapore , Santhome would agree with me in this. ( Other part of chennai can also be included, i have taken the majority ).I dont remember the day I returned without having bajji there. The mirchis , which we get here ,will have no match in their spice level to those we get in marina. Today I went to indian grocery shop and this mirchi attracted well and it reminded me the days in marina. I just grabbed this oppurtunity to prepare this wonderful dish.

Ingredients:
1.Bajji mirchis                  -  4
2.Besan flour                     -  1 1/2 cup
3.Ginger                            -  1 inch
4.Garlic                             -  4 to 5 pods
5. Fennel seeds                  -  1 tbsp
6. Chilli pwdr                    -  1 tbsp
7. Orange color                  -  1 pinch
8.Baking soda                     -  1 pinch
9.Salt
10. Rice flour                    -  2 tbsp

Method:
* Wash and cut the chillies as shown.

* Grind the fennel seeds,ginger and garlic into a fine paste.
* This paste wud giv the bajji a unique aroma and taste , so dont skip this .
* Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
* Add water to it slowly and bring to a batter consistancy.
*Dip the mirchis as shown .

* Deep fry the bajjis in oil.

* Serve it with ketch up.