The Bachelor Cook

Ulunthu Vadai / Bonda

2012-07-22T22:05:00.002-07:00

Mj's Message : If you are able to put hole in middle of this batter its Vadai or its bonda... That is the life

Ingredients

Ulunthu / urad dal - 1 cup
10 Small Onions or 1 Big Onions
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chillies - 4
Pepper corns - 1tbl spn
Salt for taste
Oil - 100gm to 200 gm

Batter Making

Soak the Ulunthu or urad dal for 10 to 20mins in water (after washing)
Filter the water out of the soaked Urad dal and grind in Grinder or Mixer
While grinding make sure that the batter is gives the consistency of tooth paste
So just sprankle water on it

Mixing

Chop the small onions finely, add to the batter
Chop the green chillies add to the batter
Chop the Ginger finely add to the batter
Add Salt to your taste
Add the pepper corn
Mix well with hand

Cooking

Heat the pan , with oil, make sure oil is well heated (don't insert your finger and test, just add a drop of batter to test the oil's heat)

Take small amount of batter and make ball, flat it, if possible make a hole in the hand. Put in the hot oil(take care of your hand)

Make sure it is fried to golden color , then take it out.... Served best with Cocunut Chutney

Final Product

You can call it as Vadai or Bonda.... But this is a bachelor Cook :)

Update 1 :

Add rice flour, if its watery as Sunan told, more the water it will consume more oil

Update 2 :

Actually this was fried by my முதன்மை இணை இயக்குனர் , Mr. Esakki Muthu

Bread Masala

2012-04-05T10:48:00.003-07:00

Warning : This is not Bread Upma. This is a new type Bread Masala

Prep Time: 10Mins
Cooking Time: 15mins

Main Ingredient

Wheat Bread - 10 Loaves
Green Chilies – 2
Ginger – 1 inch
Onions – 2
Tomato – 1
Water – ½ cup (the cup used in electric rice cooker)
Chili Powder – ½ tea spoon
Turmeric powder -1/4 tea spoon
Coriander powder – ¼ tea spoon
Lemon Juice – ½ tea spoon
Coriander / Cilantro leaves - chopped

Tempering / Thali Ingredient

Jeera – 1 pinch
Urdhal – ½ table spoon
Channa Dhal – ½ table spoon
Curry Leaves - 4 to 5

Method

Take a Pan and pour one table spoon of oil

Once the oil is hot, add the jeera

Then add the urdhal ,after that channa dhal and curry leaves

Once the dhals become mild golden brown, put the onions,

Fry until the onions edges become golden brown (more the onions fry, more the taste)

Slit the 2 chilies vertically and put in the pan

Chop the Ginger finely and put in the pan (Don’t use Ginger paste, if its homemade then use else better not)

Sauté the content for a 2 mins

Chop the tomato and add to the mix and sauté , don’t make the tomato become pulpy

Now add the Tumeric powder, chilli powder and Coriander powder or use the home made masala powder.

Add the half cup of water

Saute the mixture until the raw smell of masala is gone or for 2 to 3 mins

Then add sliced bread (you can cut the edges, if you want).

The bread will absorb all the water, Mix it well so that all the bread gets the masala coating.

Allow it for 2 mins and then add the half tea spoon of lemon juice, mix it well

Now switch off the stove and add the chopped Coriander / Cilantro leaves , Just mix once and leave it covered for some time.

Eat when it is hot………… Lemon makes it tangy and the spices makes you addicted.

Try this and give your feedback

Puliyotharai / Tamarind Rice

2012-03-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Living in USA brought the Cook inside this foodie…. Yes I cook my own food l

Eggs Kept in the Picture for decoration purpose only

Preparation Time : 5 Mins

Cooking Time : 15 Mins

Ingredients

1 Lemon Size Tamarind or 2 1/2 Table Spoon Tamarind Paste
Pinch of Mustard seed
1 tablespoon – Channa Dhall
1 table spoon – split or whole white Urad dal
7 Red Chilies
3 pinch Asafetida powder
Curry leaves
Salt for taste
1 hand full of Raw Ground Nuts

1 tea spoon of Turmeric

Gingerly Oil, enhance its taste, if you don’t have use normal oil (edible Oil)

Method

Cook 1 1/2 cup of rice separately

Put the lemon size tamarind in 2 cups of water (use the same cup used to put rice)

Take a Pan, Put Gingerly oil (as much to cover the full pan). Fry the Ground nuts, once it come Golden brown keep it aside,

Use the same oil, put the mustard seed. Wait till the mustard seeds burst

Put the curry leaves, Put the Channa Dhal, Urad dal, and fry till its golden brown

Put the Red chilies and fry

Put the 3 pinch Asafetida powder and fry

After 2 mins , take the tamarind water and pour in the pan and add salt and turmeric powder

Keep the stove in low or sim and allow it to boil.

The consistency is it should boil in such a way that it should come like paste.

Just put the boiled rice and mix it well with the fried Ground Nuts.

I bet you will love this guys

Simple Vathakulumbu

2012-03-23T10:26:00.004-07:00

Simple Vathakulumbu is basically a Spicy Tamarind water based or thick paste based item. People who avoid Garlic and Onion this will be a perfect dish.

It is so easy , if you make it once this can be kept for 3 to 4 days, no need to keep inside fridge also (condition apply for people in USA only, in INDIA keep in fridge)

Preparation Time : 5mins : Cooking Time : 25mins (may vary from electric to Gas Stove)

Ingredients
*********************************************************

1 pinch – Mustard Seed

2 Pinch – Methi / Fenugreek /Vendhyam Seed

1 pinch – Jeera / Cumin

Curry Leaves

1 table spoon – Channa Dal

3 Pinch of asafetida

2 Table Spoon of Tamarind Paste or Big Lemon size tamarind soaked in 1 cup of water for 20mins

4.5 Table Spoon of MTR Sambar Powder(or any sambar powder)

1 pinch Vellam / Jaggery

1 – Big Onion (finely chopped) - Optional

5 – Small Onion(outer cover peeled) – Optional

1 tablespoon Sundaikai Vathal or Mana thakali Vathaal (dry vegitables) or Brinjal or drumstick or Ladies Finger

Method
*********************************************************

Take a pan and pour oil (preferably Gingerly Oil), make sure the whole pan is covered with oil, put more oil for Vathakulumbu
After the oil is hot (Don’t ever put your finger and test, whether the oil is hot or not).

Put 1 pinch mustard seed; wait till the all the mustard seeds burst. Then add 2 pinch methi, 1 pinch jeera and curry leaves, sauté it.

Once everything become golden brown add the Sundaikai Vathal or Mana thakali Vathaal and fry and put chopped big onion and peeled small onion sauté them.

Tips: Add some little salt and sauté onions will fry sooner.

Once the onions are fried add the 3.5 table spoon Sambar powder over the onion and fry (add some more oil, if you feel it’s too dry). If the sambar powder is not so spicy add 1 tea spoon of chilli powder.

After the raw smell of Sambar powder reduces add 4.5 cups of water(ratio is one cup water for one table spoon of sambar powder) and boil for 1 minute and then add the 2 table spoon of tamarind paste and mix well(if you are using real tamarind then add 3.5 cup of water and 1 cup of tamarind water) and put salt as per your taste.

Add the 3 pinch of asafetida mix well and keep the stove in simmer and allow it to boil, do not cover the pan with lid let the water goes off and it will make a kind of thick gravy.

Once the Vathakulumbu comes to boiling range put the 1 pinch of jaggery and boil. Once the vathakulumbu pan produce more boil (lot of water bubbles will come up) then remove from stove.

Vathakulumbu is ready.

Preferred Side Dish : Appalam, Rice Vathal or Curd

Andhra Dal

2012-03-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

This one is Damn Quick and suits well for Rice, Dosa and Chapati too

Ingredients

1/2 - Toor Dal
1 - Onion Sliced
1 - Tomato
2 - Pods of Garlic
2 - Green Chili
3 - Pinch of asafetida powder or Hing
1/2 - tea spoon Turmeric
Salt to taste

Tempering

Mustard
Jeera
Curry Leaves
2 - Dry Red chilies
1 table spoon Ghee
1 table Spoon Oil

Pre - Prep

Cut Onions
Cut tomatoes
Slit Green Chili vertically

Cooking

Take a Pressure cooker

Put the washed Toor Dal in pressure cooker
Pour 2 1/2 cups of water in pressure cooker
Put chopped onions, tomatoes in the pressure cooker
Put green chilies, put asafetida powder in the pressure cooker
Put some salt & garlic pods in the pressure cooker
Pressure cook the same for 4 to 6 whistle depending upon your cooker

Take a wok or pan
Put ghee + oil
Put Mustard
Put jeera after mustard is busted
Put dry red chilies
Put curry leaves
After tempering, pour the pressure cooked ingredient from cooker to pan or wok
Now is the important step
Add the turmeric and allow the dal to boil

Keep the After 5 to 6 mins for sim, the dish is ready

Image Source :
Andhra Chef.com

i forgot to take a snap of it

Paneer Pulav

2012-03-20T14:38:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

10 to 15 small cubes of Paneer
2 - Table spoon of Oil
1 - Cup Basmati Rice or Biryani Rice
1 - Onion
1 - Tomato
2 - Green Chilies
1/4 cup Frozen Peas
1/2 - table spoon Garam Masala
1 table Spoon - Ginger garlic Paste or (finely chopped Ginger & Garlic)
1 table spoon - Chopped coriander leaves
1 table spoon - Mint Leaves
3 to 4 Table spoon - Curd or Yogurt
Salt to taste

Pre - Prep

Wash the rice and soak in water (min 10mins)
Finely Chop the Onion
Finely Chop the Tomato
Slit the green chilies vertically into two
Chop the mint and coriander leaves

Picture Time

Cooking

Heat the pan or pressure cooker.
Sauté the chopped Onion till golden brown
Put the ginger Garlic Paste sauté for 2 mins
Put chopped tomato sauté nicely for 2 to 3 mins
Put the green chili
Put the mint leaves & Coriander Leaves, sauté them finely for 3 to 4 mins
Put the curd, Mix and sauté for another 3 mins
Add the frozen peas & Paneer and sauté for 2 mins
Add the Garam Masala and cook for 1 min
Put the rice and pour 2 cups of water.
Put Salt for your taste; make sure the salt is little bit higher than the normal, since after cooking it will become normal
If it’s a pan then just cover it until all the water is dried up, if it’s a pressure cooker then keep it for 2 to 3 whistle (whistle varies from model to model)

Over All Time : 20 Mins
Cooking Time : 10 Mins

Paneer Pulav is ready