Baby Potato Fry/Roast

Who doesn't like potatoes. This is one vegetable which anyone in the family would love to eat in any form, baked or boiled or fried. This is a quick and simple recipe which goes well with any rice. My favorite combo is with rasam and curd rice.

Ingredients

Baby Potatoes - 1/4 kg
Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
Coriander powder -1 tsp
Cumin/Jeera powder -1 tsp
Chilli powder -1/2 tsp
Salt and hing as required


To Temper
 
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Jeera/cumin seeds -1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Red Chillies - 2

Method

Pressure cook the baby potatoes for 2-3 whistles. Make sure they are soft but not mushy. Allow to cool, peel the skin and keep it in a wide bowl.

Add all the other ingredients (spice powders, salt and turmeric powder) to the potatoes and mix well. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. 

Heat oil in a pan, do the tempering and add the marinated potatoes. Cover and cook on low flame stirring every now and then until all the potatoes are roasted well. Yummy potato fry is ready to be enjoyed with any rice!!

Chilli Bread

Whole wheat breads are always a healthy option for a snack or breakfast. Making it colorful and look attractive is an easy way to make the kids finish the plate in just minutes. The first time I prepared this was for my lil one's snack time and I actually had bread upma in mind. But while preparing I just started experimenting and the end result was too good. VJ tasted it and he too liked it. Then I had to prepare this again for him :-) I am glad my sweethearts loved this new recipe. You can also prepare this the same way as you prepare Chilli Parotta, garnishing with the spring onions. Here I haven't used them. And now to the easy recipe!

Ingredients

Whole wheat bread - 4 slices, cut them into small cubes
Onion - 1, bigger one, thinly sliced
Tomatoes - 2, thinly sliced
Green chillies - 2, slit lengthwise
Garlic - 2, finely chopped
Tomato sauce - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp or as per taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 or 2 tsp
Mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Heat a pan, add one or two tsp of oil and the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Then add the curry leaves followed by green chilles and garlic. Saute and then add the sliced onions. Fry until onion turns translucent.
2. Then add the tomatoes and fry until it turns mushy. Then add the garam masala and tomato sauce and saute for a minute. 
3. Now add the cubed bread slices and salt and stir gently so that it gets well coated with the onion tomato mixture. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Mix again, turn off the stove, keep covered for 2 minutes. This helps the bread to turn soft and the flavor of the coriander leaves blends well with the bread mixture. Enjoy with plain curd or any Yogurt dip.

** You can also slice the green chillies into thin slices instead of slitting lengthwise, if you are serving for adults. This would increase the spice level.The sweetness of the bread along with onions, tomatoes and the green chillies would taste great.
** If you feel your bread is not soft enough just sprinkle few drops of water while adding the bread to the onion tomato mixture. Be sure you do not add more water, else your bread will be mushy.
** You can also drizzle few drops of lemon juice for a tangy flavor.

Yam Chops/Senaikizhangu Chops

The preparation method of Yam Chops is almost same as Chilli Parotta, except for chops we need to boil and fry the yam first before blending with the spices. Pressure cooking is the simplest way I feel for boiling the yam. Just cook for 3 whistles and it is ready. You can also boil it in a vessel separately if you don't like pressure cooking it. This goes well with rasam sadham or lemon rice or curd rice. You can find your own combination too!

Ingredients

Senaikizhangu - 1/4 kg
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon Stick - 1 small stick  
Onion - 1, thinly sliced
Tomato - 1, large size, chopped lengthwise  
Green Chillies - 1 or 2, slit lengthwise  
Curry leaves - 1 spring  
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp  
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp  
Pepper powder - 1 tsp  
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt, hing and turmeric powder as per taste
Oil for deep frying - 2 or 3 tbsp. You can fry the yams in batches, if you can't do them all at once
Oil for seasoning
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Remove the skin of the yam and wash it well. Cube it into small pieces. Transfer it to a vessel and add salt and turmeric powder. Add water and pressure cook for 3 whistles and turn off the stove. Once the pressure subsides, drain the water and set aside.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the yams until they become bit firm. This helps not to turn the yam mushy while mixing it with all the masalas and also gives a nice taste to the dish. You can also skip this step for time constraints or health reasons and still the yam chops will taste good. Drain it in a paper towel.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the fennel seeds. Once it starts spluttering add the cinnamon stick, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute and then add the sliced onions and fry until they turn transparent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.
4. Then add the tomatoes and all masala powders one by one, mix well and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and oil starts separating out of the mixture. 
5. Add the cooked yam and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Switch off the flame and keep covered for 2 minutes for the flavors to blend together. Enjoy with rice!

Yam Tawa Fry (Senaikizhangu Varuval)

Yam or Senaikizhangu is a fiber rich and low in fat vegetable. It also is said to have essential fatty acids which increases the good cholesterol level in the blood. The low glycemic index benefits people with diabetes, the cooling effect that it causes on the body suits people with hypertension. We can prepare a variety of dishes like kootu, poriyal, masiyal, roast etc. using yam. Yam at times may have an itchy feel, this can be removed by adding tamarind juice while cooking the yam. Now to the recipe!

Ingredients

Senaikizhangu/Elephant foot yam - 1/4 kg
Tamarind - 1 tbsp, extracted thick
Chilli powder -1 tsp
Sambar powder -1 tsp
Cumin powder -1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Kadalai mavu/besan/gram flour -1 tbsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt as per taste

Method

1. Peel the skin of the yam and wash well. Cut into thick slickes, it should not be too thin nor too thick. 
2. Heat water in a pan, add the tamarind extract, turmeric and salt. When the water starts boiling add in the sliced yam pieces. Cook until they are 3/4th done i.e when you insert a knife or skewer it should come out without breaking the yam. Remove from water and place it in a plate. 
3. Add the chilli powder, cumin powder, besan flour and hing to the cooked yam. Mix well so that it coats evenly. Sprinkle few drops of water if necessary. 
4. Heat a dosa pan, drizzle few drops of oil all over and arrange the masala coated yam in single layer. Cook in medium flame until golden brown. Flip it to the other side and cook in the same way. 
5. Repeat the same process for the remaining yam slices too. Serve as a side dish for sambar/rasam sadham.