Poha chivda / Aval mixture

Super thin poha - 3 cups

green chillies -2

curry leaves

mustard - 1 tbsp

peanuts - 10

cashews - 10

almonds - 10

dry grapes

turmeric

salt

• Take 3 cups of thin poha in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it for about 2 to 3 mins. Poha will be very crispy by now. Set it aside.
  
• Meanwhile pour 3 tsps of oil in a pan. When it is hot, add mustard.
  
• Let it popup. Now add finely cut green chillies and curry leaves.
  
• Saute it well. Now add peanuts, almonds, cashew and roast it well.
  
• Add dry grapes and saute it too. Add turmeric and salt. 
  
• Add the crispy poha and mix it well along with the other ingredients. Fry it for 1 or 2 mins and turn off the stove.
  
• When it cools down, you can store it in an air-tight container for 3 or 4 days too.
  
• Perfect for evening snack!

I am sending this entry to "  Meals on Wheels event  hosted by Lakshmi "

Sago vada

Ingredients-

Sago/Sabudana/ Javvarisi 1cup

boiled Potatoes - 2 big ones

rice flour - 2 tbsp

Red chilly powder- 2tsp

onion - 1 finely chopped

coriander and curry leaves

Salt

• Soak the sago for 3 hrs in water.
  
• Now add the boiled potatoes, mash it well and mix the sago, rice flour, red chilli powder, salt, coriander and curry leaves 
  
• Make small balls of it and flatten them.
  
• Deep fry them in hot oil until they are crisp and brown. 
  
• Serve hot with ketchup or some spicy chutney.
  

I am sending this entry to "Cooking for Kids Event- Potato" hosted by Deepa Hari

Vada sambhar

For Sambhar

Pearl onions/sambhar vengayam - 20 nos

Thoor dal - 2 cups

Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp

turmeric

asafoetida

Seasoning

Mustard - 1tsp

jeera - 1 tsp

red chilly - 1

curry leaves

List 1

Coriander seed - 1 tbsp

red chillies - 5

channa dal - 1 tsp

fenugreek - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

raw rice - 1/2 tsp

coconut - 2 tbsp

• Pressure cook thoor dal adding enough water and turmeric.
  
• Add a tsp of oil and fry the all ingredients, except the coconut in the list 1.
  
• Then, when it cools down grind it along with the coconut and set it aside.
  
• Deskin the pearl onions.
  
• Add 2 tsps of oil. Add mustard and when it pops up, add jeera, chilly and curry leaves.
  
• Now add the onions and saute it well. 
  
• When it is done add the tamarind pulp and let it boil.
  
• Now add turmeric, asafoetida and the grounded mixture and let it boil.
  
• Add the cooked dal and let it boil well. Since we are going to have it for vada, it can be watery.
  
• Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.
  

For vada

Urad dal – 1 cup

Green chillies – 2

Ginger - small piece

Curry leaves

Salt

• Soak urad dal for about 4 hours.
  
• Grind it by adding very little water.
  
• Take it out and mix it with chopped green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves and salt.
  
• Heat the kadai, when it is hot, add oil and then let it heat. Doing this way, the food absorbs less oil.
  
• Take a plastic sheet or banana leaf, wipe it with little water.
  
• Take a small portion of dough on the sheet. 
  
• Wet your fingers and slightly flatten the dough and put a hole in the middle. This ensures that the dough gets cooked completely in the center as well.
  
• Gently transfer the dough to the oil and deep fry till its golden brown.
  

Take of the excess oil using paper towel and transfer it to sambhar and let it soak for few mins. Garnish it with raw onions and coriander. Yummy and filling snack right?

The crisp and mild mannered vada, when married with the spicy sambhar gives birth to a culinary sensation that just explodes in your mouth! :-) ha ha..

I send this to Ashwini's Lentils mela event. 

I also send this to Garnishing Event by Food fanatic 

Cabbage onion pakoda

Besan/gram flour - 1 cup

rice flour - 1/4 cup

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

shredded cabbage and onion - 1 1/2 cups

coriander & curry leaves

salt

Mix all the flour along with red chilli powder and salt adding little water. Now mix the shredded cabbage and oinon, corriander and curry leaves. Heat the pan and when it is hot, add oil and when it gets heated, deep fry the pakodas. Yummy weekend snack!

Valzhappu vadai

Ingredients
Banana flower - 1
Channa dal - 1cup
red chillies - 2
onion - 1 (medium sized)
Jeera - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
salt, curry leaves, coriander leaves as required
Method

Remove the banana florets, clean it by removing the stamen. Take water in a bowl, add a tbsp of curd and mix it in the water. Now cut the florets and then put it in this water. 

Soak the channa dal for about 2 hrs along with red chillies.

Grid the dal along with the chillies without adding water.
Now to that batter add jeera, fennel seeds, onion, drain well the banana flower florets and add it too. Add salt, curry leaves, coriander leaves and mix it well.
Heat the kadai, then add oil and when it is hot, deep fry the vada's.
Note:
When I prepared this, the mix became little watery as I did not squeeze off the water from the florets, so when I deep fried the vada's, it did not bind and just spread away. To fix this I added gram flour to make the mix bind together. Also I adjusted the salt and added little chilli powder accordingly.