Nimi's Culinary Ventures

Mini Aloo Bondas for the monsoon!

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | June 22, 2011 | By

21 comments

The rains have started pouring out here..June and July being the monsoon months in Munnar. I really hate goin out when there are showers in Munnar. Some hot chocolate for the kids and tea for us are the best opted drinks with snacks..
The recipe that I have shared here are the ones that comes out from my Mom’s diary of recipes.This spicy  Potato snack is one of my Monsoon favs!

Mini Aloo Bondas 


For the filling
4-5 potatoes pressure cooked and mashed
5-6 green chillies finely chopped
a small piece of ginger finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 large onions chopped
cilantro chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of asafoetida powder
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

For the batter
1 1/2 cup of gram flour
2 tbsp of rice flour
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Water
salt to taste

Oil for frying

Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan.Pop the mustard seeds and add the asafoetida powder and stir.Add in the chopped large onions,green chillies,ginger and garlic and saute till the onions turn translucent.Add in the turmeric powder,chilli powder and garam masala .Stir and add in the mashed potatoes.Mix well with the required amount of salt and chopped cilantro till well incorporated and keep it aside.Add in the lemon juice and mix.

While the filling cools, mix all the ingridients required for the batter in a bowl.Slowly pour in water to make a batter of thick consistency .Make lemon sized balls of the filling.Dip the balls in the batter and deep fry them in oil.
Your Potato balls are ready to be served with ketchup.! 🙂

Khara Biscuits for ICC!

Baking, cookies, Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | June 15, 2011 | By

12 comments

I’m so happy that Srivalli chose Khara biscuits of Iyengar bakery(Karnataka special) as this months ICC.If you are looking for something to munch of  with a hot cup of tea when its raining..this biscuit is perfect with the spice of chillies and the aroma of cilantro.The best part is that these cookies can be stored in airtight containers for about 4 days.

My husband was quite addicted to these biscuits..guess its bcz he craves masala biscuits…:)

Here’s the recipe
Iyengar bakery Khara biscuit


2 cups of all purpose flour
1/3 cup softened butter
5-6 green chilies chopped
4 tsp sugar
1tsp salt
coriander leaves/cilantro a few twigs chopped
2-3 tbsp yogurt(i used 4 tbsp yogurt)

Preheat oven to 160 degree
Prepare the baking tray with an aluminium foil sheet smeared by a few drops of vegetable oil/cooking spray.
Whisk the flour and salt together in a bowl.
In an other bowl beat the sugar and butter till creamy.Now add in the yogurt.
Mix in the flour(you will have to use your hands ) and incorporate well to make a dough.
Do not use too much of pressure.
Roll the dough into 1/4 inch thickness and cut out round shapes with a cookie cutter.
Line them in the prepared tray and bake for about 18-20 minutes.
If you want more crispier biscuits you can bake for a few for minutes.
Cool them on a wire rack and transfer into airtight containers.

Happy Munchhing..!

Rava-ulli vada and Kadalaparippu chammanthi..with a sip of tea!

Appetizers, Chutneys/ Pickles/Preserves, Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | June 7, 2011 | By

9 comments

Its quite some time since I  put up my posts frequently…its been quite a busy week for me with my kids.My younger one has got his attack of flu as it has started raining here.As every kid likes to play in the rain..hes up with his own pranks…:D
The recipe that I’m posting today is Semolina Onion Vada with Bengal gram chutney.I love hot n spicy fried  items when its cold and raining with a hot cup of tea!:P

Heres the recipe

Semolina Onion Vada
3 cups of roasted semolina
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
5 green chillies chopped
a small piece of ginger chopped
1/2 cup of small onions/shallots chopped
1/2 cup of coriander leaves chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup yogurt
1 cup water
salt to taste

oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients together so that it becomes a sticky dough.Make small balls of the mix ,flatten them to make thin discs with the palm of your hands(make sure to wet ur palms) and fry them out in hot oil till golden brown in colour.

Bengal gram Chutney
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup Bengal gram
3-4 dry red chillies
2 small onions
a small ball of tamarind
salt to taste

Grind all the above ingredients in a blender with required amount of water .
For seasoning
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies (broken)
5-6 curry leaves
2 tsp coconut oil

Heat a oil in a small pan and pop the mustard seeds.Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves to it and pour it over the chutney.

Serve the hot vadas with chutney!

Enjoy ur monsoon!:)


Chicken Donuts for snack time!

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Non-veg, Snacks | June 6, 2011 | By

11 comments

When the holidays wind up and kiddos are off to school the four ‘O’ clock menu gets up on the hit list.Feeding them with snacks at times really gets on my nerves…with a variety every day…:S
This recipe was one that I had written down sometime back..

Chicken Donuts

1/2 kg chicken minced
5-6 green chillies chopped
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup of all purpose flour
1tbsp pea flour
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup pudhina (mint leaves) chopped
1/8 cup curry leaves chopped
2 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 medium sized potatoes mashed
3 eggs(whisked)
salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients with the minced chicken to make a dough.Flatten the dough on a cutting board with fingers and cut out shapes with a donut cutter.Deep fry these chicken donuts in oil till golden brown.
Serve them hot with tomato ketchup..

Suruttai Poli the “sweet rolls ” for ICC!

Indian recipes, Snacks, Sweets, veg | March 17, 2011 | By

9 comments

It was after Srivalli’s post that I was quite poppin out this wonderful snack.Thanks to Nithya for choosing such a wonderful recipe.This simple yet yummy snack has been a big hit with the kiddos..
Heres the recipe  for this wonder snack..

SURUTTAI POLI

For the filling:
1 cup Roasted gram
1 cup sugar
20cashew nuts cut into small pieces
1tbsp grated coconut
1tsp cardamom powder
1tsp Ghee

Powder the roasted gram and sugar together either coarsely or to a fine powder.Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashew nuts till golden in colour and add in the coconut and turn off the heat.Mix it with the powdered gram-sugar mix in a bowl.

For making the poli/Appalam:
1 cup all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
oil for frying

In a bowl combine flour with salt and add in water to make a stiff  dough.Let it rest for 30 minutes.Pinch out small balls and roll them out into thin discs.Prick the rolled out discs with a fork so that they dont puff up while frying.Heat oil in a kadai and fry the discs before they turn colour.Be careful not to turn them crispy.On removing the poli from the oil spread the filling on to the poli and roll them tightly.These rolls are soft when they are hot ,but  they become crispy when they are allowed to cool.

MANOHARAM -the crispy jaggery balls!

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Snacks, Sweets, veg | September 15, 2010 | By

9 comments



These crispy balls although a bit time consuming are worth trying out because they are sweet ,crispy and worth drooling.This blogpost of mine goes to the ICC.

1 cup Moong dal
2 cups of raw rice
salt to taste
2tbsp ghee
oil for deep frying
1cup jaggery powdered




  • Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.Drain and let the rice dry for 30-40 minutes.Powder the rice finely.
  • Slightly heat and powder the moong dal into a fine powder.
  • Measure 2 cups of rice flour with 1 cup of moong dal flour and mix in  a bowl.Rub in the ghee so that it gets incorporated well.Add water and knead the flours to make a smooth dough.
  • Heat oil in a kadai.
  • Fill the idiyappam presser or potato ricer to press out the dough into the oil.In the idiyappam presser you can use the disc with 3 holes.
  • Fry out the murukku and place them on absorbent tissues to soak out the excess oil.
  • When cooled,break the murukkus into tiny bits.
  • In a pan pour some water and add the powdered jaggery.Bring it to boil so that the jaggery has been dissolved.Pass the jaggery syrup through a strainer to seperate the scum.
  • Bring this syrup again to boil till the syrurp thickens.Drop a few drops of the syrup into a cup of water and if the syrup can be easily rolled in to a ball,the consistency is correct.
  • Remove syrup from fire and add the bits of murukku briskly stirring to coat the jaggery evenly on the murukku bits,
  • When the heat is manageable grease your palms and roll the mix into small balls.

Manoharam is ready to be served! 









KARA SEVA the crispy noodles!

Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | July 15, 2010 | By

16 comments

I’m so excited with this post of mine coz this is my first post for the ICC!
Kara Seva reminds me of my college days at Coimbatore .I was a frequent visitor to the Sree Krishna Sweets and Nellai Lala Sweets shop.I used to check out the wide array of sweets..ahh those days seem like yesterday!
The recipe posted is not very spicy .If you want it spicier please increase the amount of chilli powder.

2 1/2 cups of Gram flour
1 cup rice flour
1/4tsp Chilli powder
1tsp coarsely powdered Black pepper
2 1/2 tsp Ghee
a pinch of Cooking Soda
salt to taste
2 pods of garlic crushed
Oil for frying

  • Sieve both gram flour and rice flour into a bowl.
  • Mix chilli powder,pepper powder,salt,crushed garlic ,ghee and cooking soda to make a paste.
  • Make a pit in the seived  gram rice flour and mix in the paste with your hands.
  • Adding water mix it into a dough form.
  • Heat oil in a kadai.
  • Take a portion of the dough and fill it in the idiyappam presser or potato ricer(Thank you Frank for your note!) . Select the disc having large holes for pressing it through an idiyappam presser.
  • Now press the mix into the oil and fry them out when they are golden and crispy.
  • When cooled store them in an airtight container.
  • Tea time is going to be crispier with these crispy noodles!

BANANA DUMPLINGS STEAMED IN COCOA LEAF

Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | May 8, 2010 | By

5 comments

            A snack with a hot mug of tea…is what most of us opt for when the clock ticks 4.The recipe that I am sharing here today is ada cooked in cocoa leaf.If you are quite familiar with Kerala recipes this is an other version of Chakka ada.


Cocoa leaves
2 cups of semolina
5-6 small ripe bananas
1 cup of melted jaggery
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder

  • Pour oil in a pan and fry the semolina lightly in 1tbsp ghee .Let it cool.
  • When the semolina cools, add the grated coconut,ginger powder and pour in the jaggery syrup mixing all the ingridients well to make a soft dough
  • Take a leaf and make a cone .Fill the dough in the cone and make a hole in its  centre.Now secure the filling with the leaf tip.Similarly make the cones out of the leaves and fill them.
  • Steam them for 15 minutes .
  • Open up the leaf and they are ready to be devoured.

POTATO VERMICELLI BALLS

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Snacks | May 4, 2010 | By

6 comments

It’s been a couple of days since I blogged.After Vishu celebrations I  was quite stuck up with a hectic schedule. I guess you all will find this snack refreshing..
4 medium sized potatoes
2 large onions finely cut in small pieces
3-4 green chillies diced
1/2 cup of vermicelli lightly crushed
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp yellow turmeric powder
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs scrambled
salt to taste
oil for frying
  • Boil the potatoes with 1/2  a teaspoon of turmeric powder and salt .Mash them well when they are well cooked. 
  • In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tbsp oil and  and  saute the onions with green chillies.Stir till the onions turn light brown.Add the mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs and mix well.
  • Add the chilli powder and the garam masala powder and stir well adding the bread crumbs before turning off the flame.
  • When the mix cools make lemon sized balls .Roll the balls in the vermicelli and deep fry them in oil.
  • Tomato ketchups go fine with these vermicelli balls.

WHEAT & SEMOLINA UNNIYAPPAMS

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | April 6, 2010 | By

No comments


This mouth watering snack very much worth trying..

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup semolina
1/2 cup chopped coconut pieces roasted in ghee
1/2 tsp black seaseme seeds
2-3 ripe bananas mashed
1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/4 kg jaggery
  • Heat the jaggery pieces in a pan with a little water and melt it.Strain the impurities and keep the syrup aside
  • Mix the wheat flour,semolina,mashed bananas,seaseme seeds,coconut pieces,baking soda,dry ginger powder,salt along with the jaggery syrup adding water to get a batter of dropping consistency
  • Pour and heat oil in an unniyappam pan .
  • Pour the batter into each of the depressions in the pan
  • Turn over the uniyappams with a fork so that all the parts are evenly golden brown in colour .

Hi! I am Nimi Sunilkumar…an award winning cookbook author /culinary demonstrator/freelance writer / food photographer/food blogger …spiced with the flavors of food..

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