Roomali Roti

This is avery famous North-Indian Roti, usually served with mayonnaise and grilled chicken. Very easily made at home with the restaurant perfection,folded like a kerchief and served warm with non-vegetarian/Vegetarian gravies or Tandoori chicken,chicken tikka etc. I followed the method from vah re vah chef and it came out perfect. My husband's all-time favorite.

This roti got its name from its handkerchief like appearance. Roomal means handkerchief in Hindi. This Roti is thin and very large in size than the normal chapattis.

Ingredients:
1. Maida/All Purpose Flour-1 Cup
2. Wheat Flour/Atta-1 Cup
3. Ghee
4. Rice flour, to dust in between the rotis
5. Salt,to taste

Preparation Method:
1. In a large bowl, take wheat flour,all-purpose flour and salt.
2. Mix them well and knead it into a big soft and elastic ball like roti dough by adding enough water. Do not add any oil/ghee at the end of kneading as we do for roti.
3. Now make 2 equal sized balls out of the dough and flatten each of them into the size of a poori or a large circular lid by dusting with all-purpose flour in between.
4. Now apply 1/4 tsp of ghee on to one side of both the circles and dust that side slightly with rice powder.
5. Now stick both of them together with the oiled-dusted side sticking to each other.
6. Now both of the circles become one to a thicker poori/circle.
7. Now flatten it into a very large roti which must be very very thin as a tissue/roomal/kerchief, by dusting with all purpose flour. Any one can easily do it into thin circles unlike normal roti.
8. Heat the roti thawa into super hot by keeping the flame high throughout.
9. Keep the roti over it and toast one side its three-forth done in high flame.
10. Now flip and toast the other side, do not turn them over and over again,flipping must be done only once. Keep that in mind and flip only when one side is almost done,you must not turn them over if you feel its not properly done.
11. Now switch off the flame and keep the roti onto a plate. Now you will be able to seperate the two layers by simply lifting one of the rotis that we had sticked together during the flattening process, the two different layers on the edge will be visible after toasting. Care must be taken while pulling off the two rotis, not to tear and it will be steam hot. Do separate the layers when its still hot or warm.
12. Fold them like handkerchiefs to form a triangular shape, the same way we used to keep our kerchief pinned with our name-plates during our nursery school days. Only the exposed portion will be toasted and the inside portions which stuck to each other will not be toasted but wil be cooked definitely as its paper thin, so don not worry about its appearance,the raw looking side willbe soft and cooked and never chewy or gooey.
13. Transfer them to a closed box/vessel or a casserole so that it becomes soft due to the steam inside.
14. Serve them after sometime warm with Indian curry gravies or dry recipes like chicken tikka, grilled chicken,tandoori chicken etc with a mayonnaise combo.

Badam Milk/Powdered-Almond Milk

A healthy summer drink with no artificial flavors, good for kids too.

Ingredients:
1. Milk Powder- 3 tbsp
2. Badam/Almonds- 6-7
3. Sugar- 2 tbsp
4. Cardamom-1
5. Saffron-a pinch
6. Milk- 1 Cup

Preparation Method:
1. Peel off the almond/badam skin. You can do this easily by soaking the almonds in water for 2 hours and then peel off the skin easily. Dry them without a trace of water, by tossing them onto a paper towel and keeping open for sometime.
2. Grate the badam using a grater and keep aside.
3. In a dry blender, take sugar, cardamom without its shell and grated almonds. When its finely powdered, add milk powder.
4. Blend it without any trace of water for a minute.When everything is finely powdered and mixed together,transfer them into a dry bowl. Mix in the saffron and keep aside. This can be kept in a closed air-tight box for months under room temperature.
5. Mix 2- 2 1/2 tbsps of almond powder into 1 cup of milk. Adjust sugar by adding sugar crystals if desired.
6. Serve cold.

Mango Shake

A soothing milk shake which has the richness of mango pulp and milk, easily made at home.

Ingredients:
1. Thick Mango pulp- 1 cup
Instant Mango pulp can be used or If it is Mango Season,I usually puree the mango by slicing and pureeing in a blender. Or You can juice instant mango juice which is a little thick without water content like Frooty mango pulp or Meera brand.

2. Sugar- 3 tbsp
3. Milk 1/2 cup
4. Vanilla Icecream(optional)- 1 scoop
5. Cardamom Powder(optional), to garnish

Preparation Method:
1. In a bowl mix together mango pulp, milk and sugar together.
2. Add the ice cream and mix.Do not let the ice cream melt completely.

3. Serve by garnishing with some cardamom powder on top.

Idiyappam/Sevai/Noolappam/Rice Noodles

Another breakfast item which is very common in South India, usually made with rice powder.

Ingredients:
1. Fine Rice Flour – 2 cups
I use Swad brand rice powder which is very fine in which nothing will be left over as particles while sieved. If you can get Idiappam podi that’ll be better. OR You can prepare the rice flour at home.Wash the rice(Pachari) well and soak in water for few hours. Drain well and allow it to dry under sun. Powder it to a fine powder and dry roast it in a wok without burning by continuously stirring them).
2. Water – approx 2 cups
3. Salt – as needed
4. Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
5. Oil – 1 tsp.


Preparation Method:
1. Boil 2 cups of water with enough salt.
2. Pour in the rice powder into it and mix well.
3. Knead it into a smooth dough.
4. When the dough cools down a bit which makes it handle wit hands, apply little oil over the dough and make a big ball out of it.

5. Put a small ball of dough into the idiyappam maker and turn the handle of the idiyappam maker on the idly moulds or idiyappam making perforated plates, which are greased with oil.
6. Add grated coconut on top of the idiyappam.
7. Steam the idly maker or idiyappam steamer for 8-10 minutes.
8. Serve warm with kadala curry, stew or any gravy dishes. Goes well as a breakfast as well as dinner.

I recently found a new idiyappam maker which doesnot involve any tedious job of idiyappam press or turning the handle which are a little time consuming as well as a hard job. Click on the link below to see instant idiyappam making. This is also available in North America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2MW0lOFwE

Kadala Curry/Black Chana Masala

So today two posts in a row, some breakfast ideas, which is very commonly made in almost all the kerala kitchen.

Ingredients:
1. Chick Pea/Bengal Gram/Black Channa/Black Kadala- 2 cups
2. Onion- 1/2,finely chopped
3. Oil- 1 tsp
4. Mustard seeds, to splutter
5. Dry Red chillies-1, split into three
6. Curry Leaves-1 sprig
7. Salt,to taste
8. Ground Coconut Paste/ Massolu- 2 tbsp
9. Eastern Meat Masala- 2 tsp
10. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Preparation Method:
1. Soak the chana in a bowl lot of water for 8-12 hours. Best to keep it soaked overnight. A lot of water must be poured into the bowl, since the chana doubles its size while it is soaked to keep it still immersed in water.
2. In a pressure cooker, add 6 cups of water for 2 cups of chana, 1 tbsp salt and the turmeric powder and cook.
3. When the steam starts coming from the cooker nozzle,keep the weight and simmer to medium flame and cook the chana for 45 minutes.
4.In a wok,heat oil, splutter mustard seeds,red chillies and curry leaves.
5. Saute onion to translucent.
6. Add the meat masala and coconut curry paste and saute for a minute.
7. Now add the chana with 1/2 cup of the stoke in which the chana was cooked.
8. Simmer and cook by keeping the lid for 10 minutes. Adjust salt if required.
9. Switch off the flame,garnish with curry leaves and serve hot with puttu,appam,parotta,roti,idiyappam,Dosa etc:

Deep Fried Puffed Wheat Bread/Poori

Ingredients:
1. Atta Flour- 2 cups
2. Salt- 1/2 tsp
3. Water,to knead the dough
4. Oil- 1 tsp
5. Oil,to deep fry the puris

Preparation Method:
1. Add the salt into the flour and Knead the dough well with enough water, the same way you make rotis.
2. Finally add the oil and knead well by pressing with hands and make a big ball and cover them with a damp cloth.Keep aside for 15 minutes.
3. Make very small balls out of the dough.
4. Flatten the bread into equal rounds with the rolling pin, do not make it too thin like you flatten the rotis,it will not puff up and will be very thick flat bread. It must a little thick but not too thick also.
5. Heat oil in a wok,when it is piping hot,slide in each rounds one-by-one and fry it each side for some seconds by turning both sides just once.
6. Strain it and keep them into a paper towel without overlapping, so that all the oil will get absorbed into the towel.
7. Serve immediately with any gravy dishes.It goes best with chole or the poori-masala which I will be posting soon. Do not let it cool, the puffiness will be gone and it will turn tasteless.