Foxtail Millet/Thinai Appam

Kaiththala NiRaikani Appamodu Avalpori...lines from a famous Thirupugazh song. Appam are among Lord Ganesha's favourite along with Modaks...Here's a recipe to try them with millets for a change.

THINAI / FOXTAIL MILLET APPE (APPAM/PADDU)

Ingredients:

Foxtail millet/Thinai (grains) - 1 cup (soaked for 2 hours)

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Wheat flour - 1/4 cup

Banana - 1, ripe

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Coconut, grated - 1/4 cup (optional)

Method:

1. Grind together all ingredients except coconut using about 1 tbsp water only if needed.

2. Transfer to a bowl and add grated coconut. Batter should be of dropping consistency. Add water if needed.

3. Heat an appe pan and add little oil. Drop ladleful batter into the appe cups. Let cook till golden brown on all sides.

Transfer to absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Serve immediately or store in an air tight jar.

                         

Dill Palak Vada

Dal vada is a popular snack down south. Many variations exist, in terms of lentils used, as also vegetables. This one uses Dill leaves or Soya leaves (Suva bhaji) that has amazing health benefits and our good old Spinach.

DILL-PALAK DAL VADA

Ingredients:
Chana dal - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Red chilies - 2
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chili - 1
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Dill leaves, chopped - 2 tbsps
Palak leaves, chopped - 2 tbsps
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp

Method :
1. Soak both dals together for 1 hour. Drain and keep aside.
2. To a blender jar, add the red + green chilies and ginger and give it a quick run.
3. Now add the dals, salt to taste and hing. Blend coarsely with very little water. Just a few quick turns of the mixer knob.
4. Transfer to a bowl and add the chopped greens. Check for salt.
5. Heat oil for frying on medium. Wet your palm, take a small portion and flatten it. Drop it into the oil and fry till golden brown. Best trick is to first fry till half done and re-fry till crisp just before serving.

Your Kitchen Robot

Is this an appliance? A machine? A gadget? Nope, Thermomix is a Kitchen Robot! A one stop assistant that's all you'll need..

The concept is simple - To simplify cooking and simplify life.
Thermomix TM5 is a premium product from the house of Vorwerk & Co., a company that was founded in 1883. Vorwerk is well-known for its premium appliances and household products across many countries.
Thermomix TM5 takes a bit of a learning curve, but once you have mastered it (which is fairly easy to do) you will thank your stars for it.

I was happy to be part of a demo arranged at their Bangalore office, called (aptly so!) the Pocket Kitchen. The premises is aesthetically designed with an open kitchen space, ample seating and a service center as well.

The appliance comes with, wait for it, Twelve in-built functions along with a weighing scale. So it takes care of:
1. Weighing
2. Timing
3. Sautéing
4. Melting
5. Steaming
6. Stirring
7. Emulsifying
8. Whipping
9. Chopping
10. Blending
11. Grinding, and
12. Kneading
Quite a handful isn't it?
The unit includes a Stainless Steel mixing bowl, a lid that mechanically closes once the function is selected, a simmering basket, the Varoma Steaming basket, butterfly whisk, spatula, measuring cup and the multi-purpose blade.

The front panel has an intuitive selection option that takes you sensibly and sequentially through the functions that you'll absolutely master after a few trials. The screen also doubles up as your recipe assistant. If you are using the appliance in Chip mode, you can simply read off the recipe steps at the touch of a button and cook as you go.
On that subject, you have the option to use Thermomix with a recipe chip that comes pre-fed with over 180 recipes and instructions thereof, or a recipe book, or the ever-growing online community on their facebook page.

I personally found the chip mode fascinating, especially when working with a new recipe and you will truly appreciate that guiding hand.
The best part about the Thermomix marketing campaign is that each unit is sold as part of a personal connect and after giving the potential customer a proper demo of the appliance, to help them understand that it ain't just another kitchen counter trophy!
The dishes that were demo-ed to us -
Pineapple Ice Cream, Pumpkin-potato soup, Risotto, Spaghetti in tomato sauce and Hummus. Just as an example; for the soup - from the chopping of the ginger, sauteing it, cooking the pumpkin, potato, shallots and then blending them - all of this happened in a single jar at a touch of a button at a fraction of the conventional time! How's that for efficiency?

 

In this day and age when efficiency, both in terms of time and space is valued, Thermomix comes as a culinary boon. Don't take my word for it, go ahead and book a demo today and see for yourself.
And yes, on a signing off note, you can be a part of the team too, join their recruitment campaign and win big! If you sell 6 machines in 3 months, you get the 7th one free of cost plus your commission.
Their address in Bangalore: 1st Floor, No. 105/90/1, Survey No. 9/1, Byatarayanapura Villlage, Bellary, Road,, OPP. GKVK Campus, Near Shell Petrol Pump, Yelahanka,, Hobli, Jakkuru Layout, Byatarayanapura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560092
[Or just enter Thermomix, Jakkur into your Google Map]
Website : http://thermomix.co.in/
Buying process : http://thermomix.co.in/en/how-to-get-it/purchase-process/

Dal Makhani

So much has been said about this recipe. It's a classic dish that almost everyone opts for from the menu. The true flavours come out if you are generous with the butter (hence "Makhani" i.e, Makhan like, buttery smooth).
I found many many versions for this dish so it was difficult to pinpoint any one authentic one. Only Shri KL Gujral would know it!! (I skipped the cream as I forgot to get some :( )
Here's the version I tried. Go ahead and enjoy it with rice or rotis.

DAL MAKHANI

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Black gram(sabut urad), soaked for 6-8 hrs
2 tbsps Kidney beans (Rajma), soaked for 6-8 hours
3-4 medium Tomatoes, chopped or pureed
2 medium Onions, chopped or ground to a paste
2 tbsps Clarified Butter (Ghee)
2 tbsps Ginger-Garlic paste
Chopped Fresh Coriander
1 tsp Coriander (Dhaniya) powder
1/2 tsp Cumin (Jeera) powder
1 tsp Red chili powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala(optional)
Salt to taste
For Tempering:
2 tbsps Ghee
1 tsp Red chilli powder
Method:
1. Pressure cook the lentils till well done.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, add onions and sauté till brown. Add Ginger-Garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes more.
3. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add salt, chili pwd, dhaniya and jeera powder + few coriander leaves. Stir well and let simmer on low for 5-6 minutes.
Optionally you can pressure cook again for 2 whistles so the spices mix well together.
5. For tempering, heat ghee, turn off flame and add the chili powder. Give it a quick stir and add to the cooked dal. Stir and check for seasoning.
Serve hot garnished with coriander.