Southindian Breakfast Tapioca Puttu Recipe (Tapioca Rice Cakes)

Puttu is a breakfast dish prepared across southindian. Puttu is also served for lunch and dinner with meat curry or a simple vegetable curry. During tapioca season from nov to march, one should never miss to prepare puttu. Freshly harvested tapioca is so tender and tasty it is easy to clean and grate. 

When buying tapioca only few points to be noted, tapioca should be white in and should not have dark spots inside the flesh. Skin mush be flaky, if there is pinkish peel it's even better the tuber is fresh.

In my basics video I've posted a detail video how to clean and prep the tapioca. do watch the video for more info...

How to prepare tapioca puttu video watch and learn 😊

Ingredients:

500 Grams Fresh Tapioca (Peeled and Washed)

300 Grams Rice Flour

300 to 450 Grams Freshly Grated Coconut

Salt as per taste

Banana Leaves 

Tooth Picks

To Serve: Sugar, Ghee, Banana

Method:

Wash, peel and grate the tapioca.

Add the grated tapioca to a bowl of water and allow to rest for few minutes.

Rub the tapioca with your fingers and wash off excess starch on the tapioca.

Repeat the process and rinse of excess starch from tapioca at least thrice.

Squeeze of excess moisture from tapioca and reserve in a colander.

Allow excess moisture from tapioca to drain, do not be hasty when following this step.

Once the tapioca is drained, add approx. 3 to 4 tbsp of grated tapioca  to a mixer grinder along with 2 tbsp of rice flour and pulse thrice to form a coarse powdery texture. 

Reserve the grated tapioca in a plate, follow and repeat the step and prepare an entire batch of tapioca flour.

Add 1 tbsp salt and mix till well incorporated in the tapioca.

Cut the banana leaf into equal squares.

Roll the banana leaf to form a cylinder shape and secure with a toothpick from unraveling.

 

Rest one end of the cylinder on a flat surface.

Start to layer with grated coconut and tapioca. Form three layers and gently press the layers.\

We can follow the same step and prepare puttu in a tumbler and place the moulded puttu to steam.

Heat a steamer with enough water to cook the puttu.

Place the prepared puttu in the steamer, cover and steam cook on low flame for 5 to 10 minutes on medium flame.

After 10 minutes touch and check if the puttu is firm and start serving it hot.

We can serve puttu with curry, or ghee and sugar and enjoy the fluffy and delicious puttu for breakfast 😊

Many people use puttu contraption to cook the puttu but I've focused and shown how we can use natural products like banana leaf or utensils which we already have like tumbler to mould and prepare the puttu without a puttu maker. Hope every with try this method 😌

Rose MO:MO Recipe (Prawn and Green Onion Stuffed Momos)

Sweet and Juicy prawn momo, delicately wrapped and formed into rose shapped….steam cooked and served with spicy chutney...is a perfect tea time snack or can be served as a starter.

Rose Momos Recipe Video In English

Rose Prawn MoMo Ingredients:

250 Grams Prawns (Finely Chopped or Coarse Mince)

200 Grams Spring Onion Finely Chopped

1/4 Cup Coriander  Finely Chopped

1/4 Cup Onion Finely Chopped

1 Inch Ginger Finely Chopped

10 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped

10 Green Chilies Finely Chopped

1 Tsp Soya Sauce

2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Ajinomoto (MSG)

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

Prawn Filling:

In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients mentioned for filling leaving out the salt. We can always add salt once we are preparing the momos. Cover the filling and refrigerated until use.

Momo Wraps Ingredients:

2 Cups Maida (All Purpose Flour)

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Tbsp Oil

1 1/2 Cup Luke Warm Water

Prepare the Dough and Wrappers:

In a mixing bowl combine all-purpose-flour, baking powder and salt, gradually add warm water in small batches and form a smooth dough. 

Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Add 3 tbsp oil and knead for further 10 more minutes.

Cover and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes once the dough has rested form large lime size roundel, exactly how we prepare roti,  dip the roundel in flour and roll to form a roti. 

Using a soup bowl or a round lid, cutout rounds and reserve on a plate, repeat this process and form as many cutouts as possible reserve on a plate and cover with damp cloth, making sure the cutouts don't form a crust.

Heat a wok with water and place the steam basket or place a steamer to cook the momos.

Start forming the momos, on a clean surface, off center and overlap the cutout circles 4 to 5 to make one rosette. 

Place the filling off center almost to one edge of the dough circle and fold in half.

With few drops of water seal the edges and start rolling the filled dough to form a flower shape.

Prepare 4 to 5 in a batch.  

Place the prepared momos in the steamer and cook for 10 minutes on high. We can create and prepare 3 to 4 batches with in 40 minutes. 

Plate the cooked momos with mayo, chutney and sprinkle with peri peri seasoning and enjoy!

These momos pair well with jasmine tea or apple tea. Serve the right condiments to enhance the flavor and taste...serve a generous portion of spring onion chutney and mayo or soya sauce with wasabi is also a good combo. 

Prawn Stuffed Mung Beans Vada Recipe

Crispy prawn stuffed vadai can be served as a tiffin item with chai or as a starter. 

Recipe Video Updated on Youtube English and Tamil Channels 😀

Ingredients:

Vadai Batter:

300 Grams Split Mung Beans (Moong Dal)

1/4 Roasted Bengal Gram Flour

8 Dried Red Chilies

5 Sprigs Curry Leaves 

10 Cloves Garlic 

1/4 Tsp Asafetida

1 Tbsp Salt

1. Wash the split mung beans thrice until the water runs clear. Add enough water to soak the mung beans allow to soak and double in volume.

2. Drain the soaked mung beans using a colander allowing excess moisture to drain and reserve.

3. Add small batches of mung beans to a mixer jar and grind to form a coarse paste. Sprinkle very little water to grind or don't at water at all for crispy Vada's.

4. Add peeled garlic, dried red chilies and curry leaves to the same mixer jar along with a batch of mung beans and grind in the same format.

Prawn Filling:

250 Grams Prawns

1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Onions

1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Spring Onions

1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Coriander 

2 Inch Ginger Finely Chopped 

10 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped 

1/2 Tbsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Soya Sauce 

1 Tsp Sugar

2 Tbsp Cooked Sesame Oil

Garnish:

Oil for Frying

Peri Peri Seasoning

Lime Wedges

Banana Leaves

5. In a mixing bowl combine prawns, spring onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic, onion and soya sauce for the filling. 

6. Just before filing the prawns in the Vada add salt and pinch of sugar mix well and start preparing Vada's.

7. Heat enough oil in wok for frying the Vada's on low to medium flame allow to reach temperature.

8. Add salt to the Vada batter and mix well.

9. Using a banana leaf flatten the mung bean to prepare even Vada. Take slightly larger roundel than a lime size Vada batter. wet your hands and gently flatten, fill the center with prawns and fold to batter in half. Gently press to seal all edges and start frying.

10. Gently drop the Vada one at time in hot oil and fry on low to medium flame. Flip the Vada's every minute and fry until golden in color.

11. Make sure to fry the Vada's on low to medium flame the prawns have to cook till well done.

12. Drain the fried Vada's from oil allow excess oil to drain on a tissue and serve hot with fried green chilies and lime wedges...Enjoy!

Beach Shack Shop Style Mackerel Fish Fry Recipe

Beach side shack shops across soutindian coast prepare the best mackerel fish fry. This delicious fish fry can be prepared two ways with a crispy rava coating or without a rawa coating...either ways this fish fry tastes yumm.

Mackerel Fish Fry Recipe Video on Vidyascooking Channel

Ingredients:

500 Grams Bangada / Mackerel Fish

1 Tbsp Deggi Mirchi Powder for Flavor and Color 

1 to 2 Tbsp Regular Chilly / Mirchi Powder For Spicy Taste

1 Tbsp Sambar Masala Powder (Any Brand I used Maiyas)

1 Tsp Turmeric Powder 

Salt as per taste

5 to 6 Tbsp Vinegar

Ground Nut Oil or Sunflower Oil for Frying

(Lime Wedges, Pepper Powder and Sambar Powder for Garnish)

Marinate:

Combine both the chilly powders, turmeric, sambar powder, salt and vinegar...form a smooth paste.

Wash the fish till all the blood and gut area is drained and cleaned.

Allow the fish to rest in a colander for excess water to drain.

Pat the fish dry with a paper towel, add to a mixing bowl.

Apply generous amount of marination all over the fish, inside the slit gut area and head also.

Cover the fish and allow to marinate for 30 minutes...for best results allow to marinate over night refrigerated.

Start Frying:

Heat a iron tawa with 4 tbsp groundnut oil and allow to smoke on low flame.

Once the tawa has heated and the oils starts to smoke, gently place the marinated fish on a time and fry 3 in a batch.

Every 2 minutes flip the fish and fry. Once the edges and the marination is crispy check if the fish is fork tender inside and remove from flame...Serve the fish right away.

It took us 10 minutes to cook a batch a fish on very low flame, we did not want the marination to burn.

Serve the fish as hot as possible...sprinkle some black pepper powder, sambar powder and chilly powder, and serve with lime wedges and enjoy!

This type of masala fish fry or tawa fish fry is famous across pondicherry, tamil nadu and karnataka.

Rava fish fry is equally tasty, crispy and juicy inside...perfect starter.

Ingredients:

Marinated Fish

1/2 Cup Semolina / Regular Upma Rava 

1 Egg

Sunflower Oil for frying

Garnish: Lime Wedges, Onion, Sambar Powder, Pepper Powder, Peri Peri Masala...

Fry Rava Fish:

Spread semolina on a plate to coat the fish.

Spread egg white on the fish we need to adjust salt and heat as per taste. A tsp of chilly powder, dash of salt and pepper can be added...rub this all over the fish allow to marinate till the oil is hot.

Add enough oil for frying in wok place on low to medium flame until the oil reaches temperature.

Roll the fish in semolina, shake of excess and gently slide the fish in oil, start frying on low flame.

Flip the fish every 2 minutes and fry on both sides till the fish is crispy. It took us 15 minutes to fry a batch of 2 fishes, we fry the fish on very low flame until it was well done.

Once the fish has fried drain excess oil and reserve on a paper towel for excess oil to drain.

Serve the fried fish with lime wedges, onion, aprinkle peri peri masala, sambar powder and chilly powder...Enjoy!

Fish Fry Recipes on Vidyascooking Channel

Green Mushroom 65 Recipe

Mushroom green 65 is packed with mint and garlic flavors, these fried mushrooms literally melt in your mouth. This dish pairs well with pulao, fried rice, naans and southindian meals.

Mushroom 65 Recipe Video

Green Mushroom 65 Ingredients:

500 Grams Button Mushrooms

1/4 Cup Mint

1/4 Cup Coriander

2 Whole Garlic Peeled (15 Cloves Garlic Separated and Crushed and reserve)

1 Inch Ginger

10 Green Chilies (5 Green Chilies Slit and Reserved)

1 Tbsp Coriander Powder

1/2 Tbsp Chilly Powder

1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1/4 Tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala / Kitchen King Masala

1/2 Tbsp Curry Powder

1/4 Tsp Chaat Masala

2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp Rice Flour

1/2 Tbsp Corn Flour

1/4 Tsp Green Food Color

1/4 Tsp Lime Juice

Salt as per taste

Oil for Frying

Prep Mushrooms:

Wash and air dry mushrooms.

We can spread the mushrooms on a towel and allow excess moisture to evaporate or until dry for 45 minutes.

Remove the hard stem and chop the mushroom in half or quarters as per your choice and reserve in a bowl.

Grind the Masala Paste:

In a mixer jar, add mint, coriander, chilies, ginger, garlic, spice powders, salt, ajinomoto grind to a smooth paste with a splash of water.

Marinate the Mushrooms:

Add the cleaned mushroom to a mixing bowl.

Add Masala paste and flour mix well.

Add curry leaves, slit green chilies, crushed garlic to the mushroom mix well and marinate for 15 minutes for best results allow to marinate for 1 hour.

Start Frying:

Once the mushrooms are marinated, add oil for frying in a wok place it on low flame.

Once the oil reaches temperature...adjust salt as per taste in the mushrooms and mix well. Gently drop a batch for few mushrooms in the oil along with the garlic, chilies and curry leaves and fry for few minutes on each side.

Flip and fry the mushrooms until crispy, drain from excess oil and follow the same step to fry the other batches...serve the mushrooms hot and Enjoy!

Chicken Pepper Masala

Across southindia there are different names for the same dish but kozhi sukka or kozhi milagu sukka is what we call it at home, we normally prepare this chicken sukka as side dish for biryani, rasam rice and southindian meals.

Recipe Video for Kozhi Milagu Sukka (Chicken Pepper Fry)

Chicken Milagu Sukka Ingredients:

500 Grams Chicken Curry Cut (with bones)

1 1/2 Cups Finely Chopped Onions

1 1/2 Cups Finely Chopped Tomatoes 

(I used 2 Bangalore/Roma tomatoes and 1 Natti/Farm Tomato in this recipe)

10 to 15 Garlic Cloves

1 1/2 Inch Ginger

6 Green Chilies

4 Dried Red Chilies

5 Sprigs Coriander Leaves Finely Chopped

5 Sprigs Mint Finely Chopped

3 Sprigs Curry Leaves

1 Tbsp Chilly Powder

1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

1 1/2 Tbsp Coriander Power

1 + 1 Inch Pieces Cinnamon

1 Black Cardamom

1/4 Tsp Sauf

1/4 Tsp Cumin

4 to 5 Cloves

4 Green Cardamom

1/2 Tsp Peppercorns

1 Star Anise

1 Small Piece Mace

1 Marati Moggu

Oil as required

Salt as per taste...

Prepare Milagu Masala:

Heat a wok with 2 tbsp oil on medium flame.

Reserve 1 inch cinnamon and 2 cloves to add later while preparing curry.

Add all the whole spices to the oil and allow to sputter.

Add ginger, garlic, half the amount of onion, half the amount of tomato, 2 dried red chilies, mint, half the amount coriander leaves, half the amount of curry leaves and fry all the ingredients until the raw flavor reduces and oil surfaces on the sides switch of the flame allow the fried ingredients to cool.

Drain the ingredients from oil and add it to a mixer jar and grind to form a paste we can use 1/4 cup water to grind the ingredients to a paste.

We will use the same oil which we fried the masala to prepare the curry.

Prepare Curry:

Heat the spice oil in a wok with 3 tbsp ghee on medium flame.

Add the cinnamon and cloves allow to sputter.

Add the reserved dried red chilies, curry leaves, coriander, onion, tomato, and green chilies.

Add the chicken to the onion masala, along with chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and fry till the raw flavor reduces. I fried all the ingredients for 10 minutes on low flame.

Add the masala paste and fry the chicken. Do not waste the masala paste in the mixer jar, add water and dilute it and transfer to the chicken we also need to add 1 cup water to cook the chicken.

Adjust salt as per taste, cover and cook the chicken until tender.

Add garam masala once the chicken has cooked and place on high flame for the gravy to reduce.

We can serve the chicken with gravy or semi dry gravy.

Once the moisture has evaporated from the gravy serve the chicken hot.

Garnish with curry leaves, mint , coriander and lime juice.

Serve this chicken pepper masala with biryani, southindian meals or naans...Enjoy!

 

Chicken Kizhi Parotta / Kozhi Potalam Parotta Recipe

Kizhi parotta or potlam parotta has been trending on instagram and facebook for months. I never got to taste this dish at a restaurant to recreate it, however prepared my own kizhi parotta out of curiosity and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

What does kizhi mean? Kizhi literally translates to tear in tamil and malayalam. In malayalam kizhi also means a herbal bundle used in body massages which is warm and soothing when applied on the body. Potalam means parcel in tamil and malayalam. 

This parotta can be served for brunch, it's a heavy dish. I liked the flavors from curry and plantain leaf, the parotta soaks up the gravy and gives it an ultimate taste.

Chicken Kizhi Parotta / Potalam Parotta Recipe Video on Vidyascooking Channel

Ingredients:

Marination:

750 Grams Chicken Curry Cut or Boneless

150 ML Yogurt

1 1/2 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste

1 Tsp Chilly Powder

1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 Tbsp Salt

1/2 Lime

3 Sprigs Curry Leaves

Curry:

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Ground Onion / Onion Paste

1/4 Tsp Peppercorns

1/4 Tsp Fennel Seeds

1/4 Tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste

1 Tsp Chilly Powder

1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 Tsp Coriander Powder

1 Tbsp Garam Masala or (Tandoori Masala / Curry Powder / Kitchen King Masala)

3 Sprigs Curry Leaves

3 Tbsp Coconut Oil

Salt as per taste

Plantain Parcel / Potalam / Kizhi

3 Plantain Leaves 

6 Kerala Parotta 

Thinly Sliced Onion, Tomato, Cpasicum

1 Tbsp Chaat Masala

1 Tbsp Pepper Powder 

1 Tbsp Cumin Powder 

Ghee as required 

Easy to Prepare Parotta Recipes on Vidyascooking Channel

Method:

Marinate the Chicken: Wash the chicken twice and reserve in a colander allowing excess moisture to drain.

Add yogurt, lime juice, ginger and garlic paste, chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and curry leaves to the chicken mix and  massage all the ingredients in the chicken till well incorporated.

cover and allow the chicken to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes before preparing curry.

Prepare the Chicken Curry: Heat a wok on medium flame, add coconut oil allow the oil to smoke.

Add the whole spices to the oil fennel, pepper and cumin allow to sputter for few seconds.

Add ground onion paste, curry leaves, ginger and garlic paste fry the onion till golden or until the oil separates.

Add the spice powders chilly, turmeric, garam masala and coriander powder and fry until the raw flavors reduce a bit.

Add the marinated chicken and fry in the masala. Add warm water stir and cover the chicken and cook until the chicken is tender.

If the curry is watery place the wok on high flame stir occasionally until the curry is thick to desired consistency. Reserve the curry until use.

Tip: if your using chicken with bones add slightly excess water to cook the chicken until tender. If your using boneless chicken add very less water depending on the curry or side dish your preparing. 

Always use only hot water to prepare curries the cooking process will not stop.

Prepare Chicken Parcel: Prepare the layer parottas ahead of time we can use a day old parottas for this recipe.

Heat a tawa on medium flame. Slightly remove the vein or stem from the banana leaf making sure the entire leaf is intact.

Place the leaf on the tawa and toast until the leaf is flexible. Remove the leaf from tawa and reserve.

Let the tawa be on low flame while the parcel is prepared. Add few drops ghee on the banana leaf, place the parotta, layer the parotta with gravy and chicken, add few slices of onion, tomato, and capsicum, sprinkle pepper powder, cumin powder and chaat masala. Repeat the process and prepare two to three layers of parotta. Gather all the edges and form a bundle shape. With gentle hands tie the bundle with a thread.

Add 1/4 cup water on the tawa with a tsp oil. Place on medium flame and place the banana bundle on the tawa. Cover the bundle with a lid and cook until the water has evaporated and the banana leaf is well roasted in the bottom.

We can occasionally turn and cook the bundle to all sides until well roasted. We can also bake this bundle in broil mode at 180 for 15 to 20 minutes, in convection microwave for 15 minutes.

Serve this banana bundle as hot as possible with raita, excess chicken curry and enjoy😉