Thavaladai

Thavaladai is an olden tamil dish that we relish very fondly. This can be made healthy if the oil is used moderately. This could form a wholesome meal without compromising on taste. Seems like in olden days it used to be prepared in metal pots called ‘thavalai’ on conventional stove that uses fire wood. They are cooked very slowly for a longer time to get a hard crust and soft inside portion which is the acme of this dish.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1.        Idly rice – 2 cups

2.        Tuvar dal – ¾ cup

3.        Bengal gram – 3 +1 tbsp

4.        Dried red chillies – 3

5.        Salt as per taste

6.        Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

7.        Asafoetida – ½ tsp

8.        Oil for tempering and roasting adai

9.        Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

10.   Urad dal -1 tbsp

11.   Curry leaves -1 sprig

12.   Onion – 1 cup finely chopped

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak together idly rice, tuvar dal and 3 tbsp of bengal gram for 2 hours. Grind them very coarsely into thick batter with red chillies, turmeric, asafoetida and salt and keep aside.

Step 2: Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds; add urad dal, bengal  gram, curry leaves , onion and fry till onion turns slightly brown. Add this seasoning to the batter and mix well.

Step 3: Now in the same kadai, drizzle a little oil and spoon a big ladle of batter into it; cover it with a lid and simmer the heat for 3 minutes.

Step 4: Check for golden brown crust and flip the adai, drizzle more oil if necessary and leave it uncovered for 2 minutes.

Step 5: Once done on both sides, serve the Thavaladai piping hot with chutney or grated jaggery.

TIPS:

* The batter can be prepared, refrigerated and tempered before preparing thavaladais to have the tempered dals crisp.

*The excess batter can be stored in fridge for next day’s use. My mom says people ferment it to get sour taste (After all in those days there was no fridge and they liked the way it tasted the next day, may be)

* I use appachatty for thavaladais and my mother-in-law dilutes it a bit and makes it in dosa tava like thick dosa.

Cowpeas Dal

I always wondered why are these called cowpeas; for those of you who do not know, the piece of info is that the leaves of this cowpea plant was popular as cattle fodder even before the consumption of its lentils by humans started which could possibly be a reason for the name. I've shared another basic recipe that I tried with the protein rich, fiber rich, calcium rich lentil, cowpeas .

Ingredients:

1. Cowpeas – 1 cup
2. Onion – 1 big
3. Tomato – 1 big
4. Ginger – 2 “
5. Garlic – 4 cloves
6. Green chillies – 2
7. Cumin – 1/3 spoon
8. Turmeric powder – ¼ spoon
9. Chilli powder – ¼ spoon
10. Salt
11. Oil
12. Cloves - 3
13. Bay leaf
14. Cinnamon
15. Coriander leaves
16. Lemon – ½

Method:

• Soak the cowpeas overnight and pressure cook with salt
• Grind onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chillies into smooth paste
• Heat oil in a pan and add cumin, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon to it
• Add the masala paste and sauté until raw smell goes and add turmeric, chilli powder to it
• Slightly mash the cooked cowpeas and mix well and switch of heat

• Squeeze half a lemon and garnish with coriander leaves before serving

Carrot Thuvaiyal

My mom used to prepare this carrot chutney that goes well with hot steamed rice and ghee, it is so heavenly to have this on fasting days when the only meal is the mid-day meal. I make this mostly to accompany idli/ dosa. It has a natural sweetness from carrot and the flavor of roasted carrot itself is so good. One of my friends had recently tried this and was happy that her kids who don't eat carrots just loved it.

Ingredients:

1. Carrot – 4
2. Tamarind – a marble size
3. Red chillies - 3
4. Salt as per taste
5. Oil - 1 tsp
    For tempering:
6. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
8. Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
9. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
10. Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Heat oil in a pan and sauté the peeled & sliced carrots until soft and keep aside

Step 2: Roast the red chillies in a same oil.

Step 3: Now put carrot, chillies, salt and tamarind into a mixer and grind coarsely using water.

Step 4: Temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves