Ginger n Chilli Thattai

Thattai - an yummy southindian snack....Thought of giving it a hand as I never attempted this dish though my mother and aunts make them. As only sweet lovers are there here, i hardly make savouries except the festival days. So with the oncoming diwali, i thought why not give it a hand instead of the regular ribbon pakoda etc.

The thattais were given a ginger n green chilli flavour and they came out yummy as well as crispy though didn't get the perfect round shape. 

Thattai making becomes easy if you have things in hand and I was fortunate when I checked my stock that I had processed rice flour. In a Jiffy, i am into my kitchen, all eager to make the thattais.

This is what you will need :-

1. Processed Rice Flour - 1 cup
2. Besan (gram flour) - 1 tbsp
3. Soaked chana dal - 1 tbsp (if you are in a hurry, can use roasted groundnut instead)
4. White sesame seeds - 1 tsp
5. Ginger - 1" piece
6. Green chilli - 2 Nos.
7. Curry Leaves - 6 Nos.
8. Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
9. Ghee - 2 tsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Water to knead the dough
12. Oil for frying

Procedure :-

• If you are going to use chana dal, soak them for 2 hours. Drain and keep side.

• Grind Green Chillies, Ginger and Curry leaves into a coasrse form (without adding water)

• In a mixing bowl, add the Rice flour, Gram flour, Salt, Sesame seeds, ground paste, soaked chana dal / roasted groundnut, asafoetida powder, ghee. Mix well.

• Sprinkle water little by little and prepare a hard dough.

• Make small equal balls out of the dough

• You can flatten  it on a clean cloth or use a plastic sheet greased with little oil.

• Keep two tsp of water in a small plate and keep touching (just enough water) it to pat  and shape the thattais. But see to that the thattais are not dampened. Touch just enough water to pat the thattais. You can use oil as well for greasing your finger and shaping thattai. .

• Heat oil in a wok and put them one by one in a batch so that they don't curl but remain flat.

• Fry both sides till they turn crispy (This thattai will be pale golden in colour as we use rice flour) hence check the bubbles, if it fades, lift it in the spatula you will feel the crispy sound it makes.  

• Thattais are now perfect to drain. Remove them from oil and put on an absorbent paper.

• In a clean air tight container, put some paper on the base and arrange the thattais over it and store it..

• Yummy crispy flavourful thattai is ready!

Ivy Gourd Buttermilk / கோவை மோர்

Buttermilk is always an excellent body cooler and thirst quencher. Along with its good properties added the goodness of ivry gourd to make it a stomach cooler too.

Ivy Gourd (english), Tondli (Marathi), Kovai Kaai (Tamizh)

  

The plant as a whole is used for medicinal purposes in Indian Medicine. Ivy gourd is good in controlling sugar level, cures mouth ulcer, stomach ulcer when used in raw form. This humble vegetable which grows in abundance in the wild and on fences can also control heavy bleeding in woman during the monthly cycle. It also controls the intestinal worms.  

Let's get  into the Kovai Express! The preparation is very simple and easy. To make one serving you will need :-

1. Buttermilk - 1 Glass
2. Ivry Gourd - 4 Nos
3. Curry Leaves - 3 Nos
4. Black salt to taste 

• Wash and clean ivy gourd. chop into cubes.
• In a blender throw the cut cubes, curry leaves, black salt and little buttermilk and blend into a nice paste.
• Mix in remaining buttermilk and pour into a serving glass
• Black salt is good for medicinal purposes. You may use instead, normal table salt.
•  Yummy summer cooler - Ivy Gourd Buttermilk is ready to be relished! 

Round Ruffled Doily

This can be used as a hot pad, fruitbasket holder, flower pot holder etc.

Did this for a CAL in "Passionate About Crochet" Group and really enjoyed doing this. A trial and error method but finally able to make it.