For active and growing school kids

A ripe plantain sliced, shallow fried in "ghee" and lightly dusted with sugar and cardamom powder is a wonderful afternoon snack for active young children, especially just after a long day at school. It is calorie dense and easy to eat. If you have loved these as child, it is probably difficult to resist them later on too.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking time: 20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

1. Ripe plantain (nendrapazhum variety) - 4 (or 1 per child)
2. "Ghee" or clarified butter for shallow frying
3. Sugar - 2 to 3 teaspoons
4. Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

1. Peel and cut each plantain in two in the middle. Slice each piece again to get 4 slices from each fruit.
2. In a frying pan, heat 4 tablespoons of "ghee".
3. Lay some plantain slices in the hot ghee and fry on medium flame. Turn over when the top is golden. Add more "ghee", if required.
4. When the slices are a golden brown on each side, place them side by side in a dish that has a cover.
5. Sprinkle the sugar and cardamom powder and cover the dish.
6. Open after about 20 minutes, when the sugar has mostly melted and run down the slices.
7. Serve warm.

Tips

"Nendrapazham" is a variety of ripe plantain available in Kerala.

As soon as you place the limp fried plantains in the dish cover it, as this helps create a warm atmosphere where the sugar melts a bit to seem like honey.

Cardamom powder is optional. This may be omitted or replaced by any other spice powder such as cinnamon, if you like. (Cardamom powder may be made by crushing a few cardamom pods and separating out the fibrous covering.)

"Ghee" or clarified butter is very good for growing kids. It is recommended that "ghee" made from milk is used and not hydrogenated oil.

Tea-time surprise

Tea time surprise

Often, when there is just a cup or two of "dosa" or "idli" batter remaining in the refrigerator, I like to use it up  to make a savoury snack. This recipe is very simple and a change from the usual tea-time snacks. Just add a few condiments to the batter and fry up in a special frying pan and we have nice, spongy, golden brown fried dumplings for tea. These dumplings are even better with fresh fermented dosa/idli batter. I do not know of   any name for this snack, so I call it the tea-time surprise.

"Dosa" or "idli" batter is fermented ground rice and black gram paste, so there is a lot of air naturally present in it. These bubbles create a nice spongy texture and this is what works for "dosa"s or "idli"s or this tea-time surprise! The fresher the fermented batter, more the chances of a softer and spongier dumpling. This is how I make this snack.

Makes 10 to 15 dumplings
Preparation and cooking time : 10 to 15 minutes
  
Ingredients

1. Fermented "idli" or "dosa" batter (a day or two old) - 2 cups
2. Grated or very finely chopped ginger - 1/2 teaspoon
3. Shallots chopped - 1 teapoon
4. Green chillies chopped very fine - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Coconut finely julienned - 1 teaspoon
6. Curry leaves (chopped fine) - 3 or 4 leaves
7. Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Farina or "rava" or "sooji" or semolina - 1 tablespoon
9. Salt to taste
10. Oil for deep frying
11. Soda-bicarb - a pinch
12. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Method

1. Add the farina and salt and stir well.

2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, green chillies, coconut juliennes, ginger and chopped curry leaves. The mustard seeds need to pop, the green chillies, coconut pieces, ginger and curry leaves need only to wilt. Take off fire and cool for one minute. Add to the batter.

3. Take the dumpling frying-pan or "unniappam chatti" and heat. Fill each depression with oil.

4. While the oil is getting hot, add the soda-bicarb to the batter (if the batter is a day or two old) and stir very well. Adjust the seasoning.

5. Pour a spoonful of batter reaching upto 3/4 of each depression in the frying-pan. The oil will froth up somewhat and the batter will swell. After all the depressions are filled, lower the flame to medium and cook for about a minute. Turn each dumpling within its depression so that the tops also get cooked. After each dumpling is a nice golden brown, remove carefully from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

6. Serve hot, either plain or with some chutney or tomato sauce.

Leena's brand new unniappachatti (top facing)

Leena's brand new unniappachatti (bottom facing)

Tea time surprise frying in a chatti

Tips

The dumpling frying-pan or "unniappam chatti" is commonly used  to cook  sweet uniappams. This utensil is found in most Kerala homes.

If I am using freshly fermented batter then I do not add the soda-bicarb, as the batter is already quite thick with tiny bubbles. (Soda bicarb may be added to old batter only, as it will not be as airy as freshly fermented batter.)

Farina gives the dumplings a nice grainy texture.

A little urad dal and/or chana dal may be added in the tempering in step 2, for a more nutty flavour.

Crispy brinjal rounds

Brinjal or aubergine, a vegetable that is available all year round, comes in different sizes, shapes and colors. This vegetable is found in most cuisines. This is a mild flavoured vegetable which takes on the flavours of the other ingredients in the dish. Here, I have a recipe for fried brinjal that has more shape and texture than usual.  Often, fried brinjal rounds are limp and get torn in parts, when they are done.  I like to add some rice powder to the marinade or coating, so that the fried rounds hold their shape and are crisp on the outside.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking : 20 to 30 minutes
 Ingredients

1. Brinjal  - 1/4 kg
2. Salt to taste
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
4. Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon or according to taste
5. Rice powder (either fine or coarse) - 3 tablespoon
6. Oil - for deep frying

Method

1. Wash and cut each brinjal into 1/4 " thick rounds. Soak in water to prevent discolouration.

2. In a large, dry platter, mix together items 2, 3, 4 and 5 without any water. It should be totally dry.

3. Drain and wipe the brinjal rounds. Coat the brinjal rounds with the dry mix on both sides.

4. Let the brinjal rounds marinate for about 5 to 8 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, place a few rounds in it. Deep fry just few pieces at a time. The oil should not be crowded.

6. Turn the pieces and cook till they are a golden brown and crispy.

7. Remove from oil and drain on kitchen paper.

8. Serve piping hot.

Tips

These fries retain crispiness for a short while only, so I like to make them very close to meal times.

Marination time should not exceed 10 minutes, as brinjal releases water and it is likely to become less crisp on frying.

If the slices are too large, they can be halved or even quartered before marination.

Goes very well with typical South Indian meal combinations.

I like to use "appam" rice powder or "puttu" rice powder if I run out of fine rice flour. "Appam" and "puttu" are made from coarse rice powder. Coarse rice powder gives a nice crunch to the brinjal rounds. Else any fine rice powder will do.