Rasa Bonda/Vada

Rasa Bonda/Vada hails from Southern part of India. Vada is actually prepared both in toor dhal and Urad dhal. Today i am giving you the recipe of Bonda's made of Urad dhal. Ok you will wonder why i am mentioning Vada/Bonda. Vada's are supposed to be in donuts shape with a hole in the middle. Bonda are circular without any hole. I am trying to get the donut shape right. This time i dint get it so made bonda's. So its a Rasa Bonda recipe... Shape does'nt matter its the taste that matters a lot... he he... :)

Bonda's or vada's can be had as such but when we add it with curds and rasam it enhances the taste. Now i remember the Ratatouille movie where the rat explains how it tastes when we eat two things together.. Ok and one more reason why vada's are soaked is in early days old people who dont have teeth cant eat all these tasty food. so if it is soaked in rasam or curd it will be easy for the elders to chew. i remember my grandpa who used to eat murukku soaked in rasam.. Miss you thatha...

INGREDIENTS

For the Bonda/Vada
Urad Dal - 1cup
Rice - 2tbsp
Salt - 2tsp
Pepper- 1tsp
Oil- to fry

For the Rasam
Tomato - 1
Tamarind Juice- 1/2 cup (if paste take 1tbsp)
Rasam Powder - 2tbsp
Turmeric Powder-1tsp
Jeera and Pepper -2tsp(Freshly ground)
Hing - for flavor
Salt to taste
Coriander - 1tbsp (chopped Finely)
Ghee - 1tbsp for seasoning
Curry leaves - few
Mustard and Jeera- each 1tsp for seasoning


METHOD

1. Soak the Urad dal and Rice seperately for 3hrs. Grind it into a fine paste seperately without adding much water. The batter must be thick. Add some salt and crushed pepper and set the batter aside.
2. Heat Oil in the frying pan and make the Bondas. to get the round shape u have pinch the batter into the oil.
3. Put the Bondas in Hot Rasam and serve it hot.. Perfect snack on cold and windy evening

Now for the Rasam recipe.... Guess all South Indians make rasam almost everyday.. So it should be easy but still i will go ahead and give the recipe for those who dont know ....

1. In a vessel take the tamarind extract approx 1/2 cup then add chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder, salt and Rasam powder and let it boil.
2. The tamarind water must reduce in quantity then add some more water if you want you can add toor dhal also.
3. Add the powdered jeera and pepper adjust the salt according to taste. Add some hing as well.
4. Let it boil really well. then prepare the seasoning in ghee with mustard, jeera and curry leaves.
5. Now the rasam is ready. It goes well with rice and ofcourse now with Bondas i made.... he he...Eat your hot and spicy Rasa bonda
   

Gobi/Cauliflower Manchurian

My all time favourite..... recently i had this at an indian restaurant here on my cousin's son b'day party.... wow it was fabulous.... After researching in many blogs for this recipe i put everything togeather to get my taste right....

INGREDIENTS

For chilli gobi/cauliflower

Cauliflower - 1 head (florets seperated medium sized)
Oil for frying
For the batter
Rice flour - 3/4 cup
All Purpose flour-1/4 cup (u can take corn flour along with this but both mixed to get 1/4 cup)
Red chilli Powder - 1tbsp
Garam Masala powder-1tbsp
Coriander pwdr-1/2tbsp
Salt to taste
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tbsp


For the manchurian

Onions- 1/2 (sliced thin length wise)
Green Pepper - 1/2 (sliced thin length wise)
Garlic - 1tbsp (chopped finely)
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Soy Sauce - 2tbsp
Salt
Spring Onion- 2tbsp (chopped Finely)

METHOD

1. In a mixing bowl, prepare the batter with the given ingredients.
2. In a microwave safe bowl place the cauliflower florets along with some water and microwave for 1 min.
3. Now In a frying pan heat the oil. Once the oil is hot dip the cauliflower in the batter and fry them.
4. Your chilli gobi is ready...
5. You can simply serve it like this with some chopped onions and squeeze some lemon juice garnish with chopped spring onions.

Now for the Manchurian

1. Skip the 5th step in the above and continue with the manchurian. Heat the pan add a lil oil, throw in the onions and green pepper and saute for a couple of mins
2. Now add the red chilli powder and soy sauce and little salt.
3. Finally add the fried florets into this and give it a stir and leave in low flame for few mins
4. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.

Mexican Rice Bol

Whenever we plan to eat outside one of the option is Chipotle' bcoz u get vegetarian burrito rice bol there.... i used to drool over it so much..... Always wanted to try it at home and finally it happened yesterday..... hey not bad it came very close to chipotle' rice bol ... i was so happy that i ate most of it.. he he ... It is not time consuming u can prepare this in no time if you have all the required ingredients in your pantry.....

INGREDIENTS

Cooked Rice - 1 cup
Baked Black Beans - 1cup (use the canned ones)
Salsa - 1/2 cup (i used medium salsa)
Green Pepper - 1/4cup (cut length wise)
Onions-1/4cup (cut length wise)
Lettuce-1/4cup (cut length wise) i used cabbage instead
Cilantro- 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Sour cream - 1/2 cup (Optional but it adds to the taste)
Cheese - 1/2 cup (grated)

METHOD

1. Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp olive oil and saute the onions. keep the flame in high and then add the pepper and lettuce one after the other and saute for a couple of mins and switch of the fire.
2. Its all about layering the ingredients now. So take your microwave safe bowl. First add the rice, then top it with the beans
3. Now add the sauted veggies and add the salsa on top of the veggies.
4. Top it with sour cream and cheese and micro wave this for 45 sec.
5. Garnish with Cilantro and serve it for your loved ones.

PS. When you layer the above in a tortilla u have your vegetarian burrito..... :) This picture shows the layering clearly