Yes, I am talking about Chitra, or Chitz, as we all know her more, who blogs at her little space called "Indulge". And indulge she does make all of us do that, by gawking at the pictures that she posts. As of now, she has become a little slow in her blogging due to some important moves in her life, but we sincerely hope we will see you more in action in the near future.
What she bought for me was just the perfect snack to munch on with a cup of tea in hand, and the TV on... let me pass on the banter to Chitz, who will now be the guest of honour for the day! :)
I am Chitra who blogs at the humble space Indulge. By profession a software analyst, I am an ardent foodie who loves & enjoys my passion of cooking. To say the truth, I was a very picky eater till high school much to the dismay of my parents, who were excellent cooks & who loved to venture into different cuisines! After high school I really did change for good. I was bolder in attempting new food & that really brought out the foodie in me. Maybe it was coz I was mostly away from home & visiting my parents only during weekends, that I did really value & miss mom's varieties & dad's Sunday non veg specials! But little did I know that 10 years down the lane, I would be starting a food blog of my own, enjoying cooking & capturing pictures & hating washing the dishes ;)
'Indulge' actually happened when I was idle at home on a year sabbatical
after 5 years of analyzing & coordinating at a software firm! Working women
out there, you must know how frustrating that can be. My hubby suggested
to make use of the time & continuing with some software work online, but
few weeks of me, myself at the kitchen left me without a choice but
to start a food blog ;) And now I am all the more glad that I did.
I have learned so much more in cooking & baking &
presentation & photography since then. And have met lots of like
minded foodies like me, that always leaves me wonder that after all it's a
small world. So when Rafee asked me to do a guest post for her awesome
space, I was all the more elated & smiling like a small gal when I saw
her message in FB. I am very happy that I am doing my first guest post for
the wonderful sweetheart Rafee :)
Rafee is an amazing person! I have to
say person rather than blogger, coz blogging is just one aspect of her life
that she handles amazingly in addition to the other roles of a daughter, wife,
mother, home maker & a professional! In spite of her busy schedule she does
blog very frequently & never fails to express her two words of opinion
& encouragement to what her fellows have cooked & presented! And the
highlight is she replies to every comment at her space. Now that's the heights
of dedication & interaction for me. The intro for most of her posts would
be her experiences or small quotes which would really make you realize that she
is a warm human being who strives to be a better person with each passing day !
It's a pleasure to know you & be a fellow blogger, Rafee :) So I was very
anxious as to what I must cook for Rafee, especially when she left the choice
to me. After much debate (inside my head) and cooking two to three dishes I
finally settled for the 'Kerala mixture'.
Kerala mixture
Ingredients:
Besan Flour
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2 cups
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Red Chilly powder
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3 tsp
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Turmeric powder
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1 tsp
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Asafoetida
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3 tsp
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Peanuts with skin
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½ cup
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Channa Dal
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¼ cup (optional)
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Curry leaves
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4-5 sprigs
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Water
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As Needed
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Oil
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For deep frying
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Salt
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As Needed
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Method:
For Sev:
- In a bowl mix together 1 cup
besan flour, 1 tsp red chilly powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1
tsp asafoetida & salt. Add enough water & mix together to make a
soft yet firm dough. It should not be very watery, almost like the
chapathi dough.
- Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai
to deep fry. Make ready the string hopper/idiyappam mould with the
idiyappam disc (one with small holes) on. Fill the mould with the
dough
- Press the dough onto the hot
oil in circular motion. Do not overcrowd the kadai. Fry them until the
sizzling (shh) sound ceases. Turn over to the other side & fry again
till the sizzling ceases. Drain the excess oil onto a tissue paper &
cool completely. Continue the same process with the remaining dough
- Now crush the sev with your
hands into smaller length ones. Keep this aside
For Boondi:
- In the same bowl mix together 1
cup besan flour, 1 tsp red chilly powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder,
1 tsp asafoetida, salt & water
- For boondis, it should be in a
pourable batter like consistency. The batter should fall through a
perforated spoon at medium speed. If the batter is too thick or has lumps,
then it will not fall. If it is too thin then you will get bigger lumps
rather than small boondis
- In the same oil, hold a
perforated spoon about 1 to 1 ½ inches above the kadai. Pour the
batter onto the spoon & allow the batter to fall into the oil through
the holes of the spoon. Take care that the batter does not spill over the
edge of the spoon
- If the batter does not fall
through the holes, add little more water to the batter & make it
thinner. Do not hold the spoon very high as it may not give you round
boondis
- The boondis should just cover
the surface of the oil & should not be overcrowded. Fry them until the
sizzling sound ceases. Drain the excess oil onto a tissue paper &
cool completely. Continue the same process with the remaining dough. Keep
the boondis aside
The Rest:
- In the same oil, fry the channa
dal till it slightly changes color. Drain the excess oil onto a tissue
paper & keep aside
- Follow this by frying peanuts
& curry leaves. Peanuts & channa dal cook very fast. So take care
that they are not burnt
- Now dunk in all the fried items
together in a large bowl. Add enough salt and the remaining red chilly
powder & asafoetida. Mix well & when cooled completely store them
in a air tight container ! Stays good for 3-4 weeks :)
Rafee, hope Rasha, Azza
& the rest of you all enjoy them :D
Cheers,
Chitz
Thank you for making me drool all the way till I completed the post, Chitra! Chaayayum mixturum thinna anubhoothi - I feel like I have just had my little bowl of mixture and tea! She wanted me to select the pictures to go with this post, but then, all of them were so good that I squeezed them all here!!! Hehe...
Hope you all enjoyed this lovely post by my lovely guest... Have a blastful weekend! :)