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!

Banana Chips (nendran kaai varathadu)

Crispy Chips always give you a good company whether you chat or watching your favourite programme in TV.  An all time favourite to one and all.

Made some crispy chips using raw banana (nendran variety) - big kela.

The speciaility of this chip is it is made using a special banana called 'nendran' (big kela), bright yellow in colour and fried in coconut oil which makes it even more attractive, flavourful & tasty which makes you crave for more, more and more...........

Ingredients :

1. Raw banana - 4 nos
2. Water - 1/4 cup
3. Salt - 1.5 tsp
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Oil for frying

Procedure :-

• Wash and pat dry the banana. Peel (preserve this as we can make a nice & yummy dry subzi / Thoran out of it)

• Dissolve Turmeric Powder and Salt in 1/4 cup water

• Make thin round slices using a chips grater. the pieces will stick to each other. separate them and keep 10 - 15 pieces ready for each batch to fry or you can put them in water, then drain, spread on a clean kitchen towel, let it dry and then fry them.

• Heat coconut oil (don;t take it to smoking point)

• spread kitchen towel or newspaper into a basin & keep ready

• Keep in medium flame & deep fry the grated bananas when they turn 1/2 crisp, sprinkle some turmeric water into it and fry till water evaporates completely & chips becomes crisp and put them over the kitchen towel for the excess oil to get absorbed into the towel.

• Yummy banana chips is ready! Store it in an air tight container by spreading a piece of paper at the bottom.

Now sit back, relax and enjoy the crispy chips that melts into your mouth :D

Ratio for making south indian savouries

Pacharisi Murukku (Savoury made using raw rice)

Raw Rice flour - 9 cups
Roasted urad dhal powder - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp
Hing powder as per requirement
Butter (ratio is for 1kg rice = 200 g butter)
water to knead the dough

1. Soak raw rice for 1/2 hr. Drain completely. Spread on a clean cloth and let it dry under a fan for 45 minutes. stir it frequently during the period. Then powder it nicely. Pass it through a sieve. This will help you filter any coarse partcile to prevent spluttering while frying.
2. Roast urad dhal and finely powder it.
3. In a wide container, put the butter and salt, rub it well till a nice foam form.
4. Add Rice flour and Urad flour, hing and sesame seeds mix well.
5. Heat oil in a kadai.
6. Adding water little by little (dough should not be too hard or too loose) knead a smooth dough. Divide them into equal portions.
7. To check the oil, put a tiny bit of prepared dough. If it immediately bubble & come on top it means the oil is ready for frying.
8. Put a portion of dough into the mould, press it over the hot oil in round shape. To check the crispiness & for storage tip, please refer Puzhunglarisi murukku recipe. Your yummy savoury is ready.

• This flour can be used for making kai murrukku too but instead of a press, it is shaped using fingers into small spiral coils and then frie. 
• Raw rice / pacharisi murukku consumes less oil compared to puzhungalirisi murukku.

Puzhungal Arisi murukku (savoury)

Puzhungal Arisi Murukku (This is a savoury)

Parboiled rice (idli rice) - 2 cups
Putana / chutney dhal    - 2 tbsp
Urad Dhal flour            - 1 tbsp
Hing powder & Salt as per requirement
Jeera                           - 2 tsp
Oil for frying (coconut oil gives best flavour ; you can also use refined sunflower oil)
Press with 3 holes mould plate

1. Soak rice for 2 hrs, drain and grind to a very nice paste adding little water*
2. Finely Powder Putana dhal
3. Roast urad dhal very lightly and make a fine powder
4. To the rice paste, Add putana flour, urad flour, Hing, Salt, Jeera and mix well. Heat a 1 tbsp oil and add this to the flour mixture.
5. In the meantime, pour oil in a thick bottomed pan / kadai and heat it.
6. Spread some absorbent paper / old news paper on a big plate (this is put the murukku after frying so that excess oil will be absorbed)
7. Now knead it to a smooth dough, divide them into equal portions.
8. take a portion of dough, put it inside the press.
9. To check whether the oil is ready for frying, put a small bit of the prepared dough. If it immediately bubbles & float, then the oil is ready for frying.
10. Press the flour directly over the heat oil.
11. fry till it is crisp and in light golden colour (to check the crispiness, the bubbles should decrease, lift the murukku in the laddle and toss it lightly. when you hear a heavy clear crispy sound, then the murukku is done). Place them on the spread paper.
12. Storing : put a clean paper inside (at the bottom of) an airtight container and store this savoury in it. Will stay crispy for long time.

*If the paste becomes little watery, tie it in a clean cloth and keep it aside for sometime. The cloth will absorb excess water.

• Adding hot oil to the dough will make it absorb less oil while frying and also gives crispiness. 
 

Murukku press with moulds

Ribbon pakkoda / flat long shaped

Manoharam (spikes)

Thenkuzhal / pipe shaped

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I made it the traditional way, moulded spirally using hands.