Masala Vada

 Masala Vada are also called as Dal Vada and is a good evening time snack served along with tea or coffee.  They are basically lentil fritters almost similar to the Mediterranean Falafels.

INGREDIENTS:

Channa dal-1 cup
Rice Flour-1 to 1.5 tbsp
Fennel Seeds- 4 tsp
Red Onion-1 small cubed
Green chilli- 1 big
Red chilli-1 no
Ginger-1/4 of an inch
Garlic- 2 pods
Cilantro- A handful, chopped
Curry leaves- 1 string, chopped
Salt- To taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Soak channa dal for 3-4 hours or overnight.
2. In a mixie, add green chilli, red chilli, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds and grind them into a paste. 
3. Now add the channa dal without any water to the mixie and grind coarsely.
4. Add chopped onions, cilantro, curry leaves, rice flour,salt to the ground mixture and mix well with hand.
5. In a pot with oil, deep fry vadas by making small balls and flattening out with hands in medium flame.
6. Serve with your favorite chutney or eat just like that. Yummy :)

Instant Oats Idly

We have been trying to eat healthy once in a while to catch up on the snacks and parties over the weekends and I have been trying to add quinoa, brown rice and now oats to our meals for a better nutrition. This Instant Oats Idly recipe is very healthy with vegetables, easy  and light and tasty. I can assure you that you will definitely like this. I would say that its a  healthier version of the Rava Idly.

INGREDIENTS:

Quaker brand Instant Oats- 2 cups
Rava(Cream of wheat) or Samba rava (Broken wheat)-1 cup
Yogurt or Buttermilk- 4 to 5 cups.
Grated Carrots- 2 -3 tbsp
Green chillies- 4 or 5 depending on your spice level
Ginger- Grated or cut into small pieces- 1/8 of an inch.
Cilantro-  A small handful cut finely
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Asafoetida or Hing- 2 puffs
Salt-To taste
Baking soda- 1/4 tsp
Cashewnuts- A handful

PROCEDURE:

1. In a pan, add the instant oats and fry them for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell is gone. Keep aside and allow to cool. Once it is cooled dowm , grind it into a fine powder.
2. Now in the same pan, add rava or broken wheat and fry for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell is gone and allow to cool.
3. Now add a little oil, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger pieces and cashew nuts and allow to cook. Turn off the stove and add the grated carrots and cilantro and mix well in the pan itself.
4. Now take these ingredients in step 3 and add to the toasted rava. Add the powdered instant oats. Add salt and baking soda. Now add buttermilk ( I prefer this since its creamy and easy). If you dont have buttermilk, then put the yogurt in a blender along with some water and blend to a creamy texture and add to the idly mixture.You can add water if the idly mixture sucks up all the liquid.
5. Allow the batter to sit for 15 to 30 mins. Pour in idly plates.
6. Serve with choice of your chutney. The picture shows tomato chutney and coconut with cilantro chutney. Enjoy.