Adai parboiled rice

Ingredients:
3 cups parboiled rice
1/2 cup split urad dal with skin
1/2 cup toor dal
1/4 cup channa dal
Green chiles to taste
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida powder (also called hing or perungayam)
Water as needed
Sesame oil as needed (also called til ka tel or nalla ennai) you can use any oil or ghee

Preparation:  Soak rice for at least 8 hours or overnight.  Grind with green chillies, curry leaves and water.  Grind to a coarse batter.

Soak the dals together one hour before grinding.  Grind to a coarse batter.

Mix the ground rice and dals together.  Add salt, asafoetida and mix it thoroughly into the batter.  The batter is now ready to make adais.

To make the adais.  Heat a griddle on medium heat and wait for it to warm up.  Grease the surface of the griddle with some oil.  For best results use the Indian variety sesame oil.

When the griddle is hot, take a few scoops of batter and with a spoon spread it evenly around the surface of the griddle making a round shape.  Spread a few drops of oil around the edge and a few in the middle.  Wait for the adai to cook.  When the edges start to loosen turn it over and let it cook on the other side.  Apply a few drops of oil to the other side.  When you see it turning brown on both sides the adai it ready to come out and to be served.

The batter will last for 4 to 5 days if kept in the refrigerator.  As the batter gets older it becomes more sour, making it more tasty.

Serves 6.

You can serve adais for snack, breakfast or appetiser.  This is a very filling dish.  If you are serving it for appetiser make the adais smaller.  Serve adais with chutney, pachadi or avial.  Sweet chutneys go really well.

Sweet Potato and Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:
1 lbs sweet potato (469 gm)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon orange and lemon zest combined
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup frozen blueberry
1 10" pie crust

Preparation:  Cook the sweet potato in water until they are soft inside.  Let it cool to room temperature and peel it and discard the peel, mash the inside.

To a bowl with the mashed sweet potato add milk, brown sugar, oil, corn starch, orange and lemon zest, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, salt and vanilla, mix all of the ingredients and make a smooth paste which is lump free.

To a 10" pie crust line the bottom with the frozen blueberry, distribute the filling evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit or 177 celsius for 1 hour.  Adjust the cooking time to your own oven.

Serve topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Nei Appam

Watch in you tube here: http://youtu.be/DV9DC4wwhfo

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
3/4 cup jaggery you can adjust this more or less according to taste (jaggery is also called gud or vellum)
1/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup sliced coconut bits
1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
ghee or clarified butter as needed
water as needed

Preparation:  Heat a pan on medium heat with 1/4 cup of water add the jaggery and cook until the jaggery has melted.  Turn the heat off and let it cool to room temperature.  Sometimes the jaggery has small stones in it, in that case you will have to strain it through a clean cloth.

After the jaggery has cooled to room temperature add the rice powder and mix, add the mashed banana and mix add water as needed to make a flowing batter which is lump free.  Add the coconut bits and crushed cardamom seeds mix.  Keep it aside.

Heat a paniyaram pan on medium heat.  Add about 1/2 a teaspoon of ghee into the moulds and let the pan warm up.  When the pan is warm, fill the moulds with the prepared batter reduce the heat to low and let it cook until the sides loosen.  When the sides loosen turn it around and let it cook on the other side.  Check to see if it is cooked by inserting a skewer in the middle, if it comes out clean it is cooked and is ready to come out.

This dish originates from Kerala.  This is one of the dishes that is prepared to celebrate Karthigai Deepam.  

Ridge Gourd, Turai or Peerkangai Thogayal or Chutney

Ingredients to prepare ridge gourd:
2 1/2 cup ridge gourd peeled (350 gm)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 salt

Ingredients for grinding:
1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon urad dal
1 tablespoon channa dal
4 red chilies or to taste
a pinch of asafoetida
a few curry leaves (or use cilantro leaves or dhania leaves)
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
a small piece of jaggery (1/2 teaspoon)

Seasoning Ingredients:
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dal



Preparation:  Wash and discard the skin of the ridge gourd.  Chop the ridge gourd flesh into smaller bits.  Heat a pan with one tablespoon of oil add the chopped ridge gourd and cook until the water contained in it has evaporated.  Keep it aside.

Prepare the dal for grinding:
To a pan on medium heat with one teaspoon of oil add urad dal, channa dal and red chilies and saute until the dals have turned brown and a wonderful aroma is given out.  Turn the heat off add a pinch of asafoetida and curry leaves mix and let it cool.

When it is cool grind it to a powder.  After the dal has been ground to it add the cooked ridge gourd, grated coconut, tamarind, salt and a piece of jaggery and grind the mixture to a smooth paste.

To Season:
Heat a pan with 1 teaspoon of oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal and whole red chili.  When the mustard seeds pop add it to the thogayal and serve.

Serves 2.  Serve as a side with rice or chapati.  It can also be served with dosa, idli or rice.  It can be used as a chutney.

This is my mother's recipe my brother remembered it and passed it on to me.  It used to be so delicious when she made it.