AvarekaLu (flat bean/surti lilva) Saagu and Akki Rotti (Rice flour Chapati)

AvareKaLina Saagu (Surti lilva/ Flatbean Curry)
This simple tasty gravy is the hot favourite during winters. Saagu an usual accompaniment with regular chapatis, pooris this particular saagu goes very well with Rice flour rotis.

Ingredients:


Avarekalu  or Surti lilva/flat bean seeds  - about 1/4kg (Boiled with a pinch of salt and turmeric.
1 potato- Finely chopped (just to add to consistency, can be omitted)
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Jeera /cumin seeds
salt to taste 
Curry leaves  -  a sprig
1tst fresh cream (variation)


For grinding:
Green chillies -  2 (according to your taste)
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1tsp
Pinch of asafoetida
Grated coconut-11/2  cup
Onions- 2 large onions
Garlic pods - 6
Coriander leaves - 2 spoonful (chopped)
Ginger -  1 inch piece
Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste and keep aside.


Method:
Take  a quarter of the boiled AvarekaLu (surti lilva papdi) and grind it to a coarse paste. 


Heat the oil in a  thick bottomed pan. Add the mustard when it splutters add the cumin seeds and curry leaves . Add the cut potatoes and let it rest for a minute. Then add the ground paste and let it cook till the raw smell of garlic , ginger and onions leave the paste. There is a delicous aroma just when the gravy starts to cook, then add a little water and salt to taste.Add the ground AvarekaLu paste and the rest of the AvarekaLu and let it boil. Add some fresh cream (variation only).


Serve with roti, rice, chapati anything.
This AvarekaLu gravy is excellent with rice flour rotis. 


Akki Roti /Rice Flour Rotis


Having had this rotis innumerable times at my good friends place I finally decided to start making it right at my kitchen. This morning I browsed for it and found the perfect recipe here. Mine turned out great. The pictures in that site are best teachers..I write the recipe here too.
Ingredients:


 Fine rice Atta – 1 cup

 Water or milk – 1 cup

 Cooking oil – 2 Teaspoons

Salt – to taste

METHOD

Sieve rice atta in the atta siever with salt.

Place a wide bottomed bowl or a non-stick Kadai on the flame with 1 glass of water and add 2 teaspoons fresh cooking oil to it. When it starts boiling simmer the flame and add Rice atta slowly to it and keep stirring till it turns to the consistency of chapathi atta.

 Switch off the flame and keep it closed for about 5 minutes so that the vapors fall into the cooked atta and turns easier to knead and roll.

After a while pinch out the required quantity of atta, dust it in rice atta itself and roll it on a thick plastic sheet to the required thickness

Place a flat roti tawa on the flame and when heated place the roti on it. 

Just when when heated it looks a bit cooked flip it and just dry roast the other side as well.

Flip it the other side and press it with the the edges of the spatuls and it starts puffing. 

Transfer it into a serving plate and enjoy with any chutney, specially Avarekalu saagu in the season.

Onion chutney  goes great with this roti. 


ciao for now. 


Have a great weekend.

Eggless Sponge Cake

Got a chance to try something new after a long long time. Painting has taken a lot of time and trying something new in the kitchen took a back seat. My sister is here and she made this egg less sponge cake (using thick yogurt/curd) . Amazing part is that there is no trace or smell of the yogurt in it and it is as spongy as any cake. Please see the  recipe here  too. This is where we got it from it was Nita Mehtas which the blogger used too.

I somehow cannot still take the smell of raw egg kindly so the search for eggless recipes. Not that the end product will be exactly as the same as its counterpart with eggs in it. But they are different in their own way and tasty too.

This simple cake is great in taste and simple in method and can be made with the ingredients available in the house.

Ingredients:

Maida/All purpose flour – 1and half tea cup
Curd /thick plain yogurt – 1 cup
Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
Sugar          3/4 cup
Baking powder – 1 1/4 tsp
Cooking oil  – 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence  – 1 1/2 tsp

Method: 

Preheat the oven at 200 C for 10 minutes. Dissolve the Sugar in the curd completely. When it is completely done whisk it well with the baking powder and baking soda and let it froth a bit for a just about 5 minutes. Mix well till it gets frothy . Add cooking oil, vanilla essence and mix well again. Add the maida/all purpose flour slowly while whisking and blending it with the mixture to form a thick creamy batter. 

Grease a baking pan and dust the pan with a spoonful of dry flour, tap and turn the flour in the pan, so as to coat the pan with flour  and pour the batter evenly.

Bake in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 180 deg C and bake it for another 20 minutes

Check by pricking the toothpick in the center.If it comes out clean the cake is done. Let it cool for about 20 to 25 minutes. Delicious Vanilla cake is ready. 

 Enjoy this simple yet delicious cake with your tea or as dessert or just as cake...
Ciao and thanks to prabha for this recipe.