Vella seedai

Seedai is a traditional snack in Tamilnadu cuisine made during Janmashtami or krishna jayanthi festival. When i first came across this recipe , i was in a dilemma to prepare this or not, but when i saw detailed step by step description from a blog, i thought i will give it a try and its a hit :) I have heard about disastrous stories of seedai bursting, so i kind of stayed away for them for some time but my urge to try new dishes dint stop me, so i ended up making them successfully and posting it here, go through 'things that need to be taken care of while making' at the end of the post .

They taste amazing. Do give it a try.

Preparation time : 40 mins

Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients :

Rice flour : 1 cup 

Urad da flour : 2 tsp

Unsalted butter : 1 1/2 Tbsp

Grated coconut : 1Tbsp

Jaggery (grated) : 3/4 cup 

Water : 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds : 2 tsp

Oil : to deep fry 

Method :

Take a bowl add jaggery and water to it and let it soak for 5 mins.

Now take that in a pan and heat it until it comes to a boil.

Strain this and set aside.

Take rice flour, urad dal flour in a dry pan and roast for 2 mins or so.

Take this in a sifter and sieve well.

To this flour add in butter, sesame seeds, coconut and mix well.

Add in jaggery water little by little and make a dough.

Take small portions from the mix and shape it into a small ball.

Set aside for 30 mins so it dries up.

Heat oil for deep frying, drop the seedai in oil and fry till it gets light color.
Now reduce the flame to medium and fry till dark.
Drain them onto a paper towel and let them cool down.
Store them in an air tight container.
Enjoy your dish :)

Why Does Seedai Burst? TIPS TO AVOID THEM :
Things that need to be taken care of while making :

If the rice and urad dhal flour are not grinded and sieved well they will end up having small grains inbetween which will cause the seedai to burst. So make sure both the flours are sieved well and are very fine. Sifting and roasting flours is very important. It takes the moisture from them, so don't leave that step.

You should use soft butter which is at room temperature for this recipe.

Pricking holes on all seedai will help to release the air trapped inside the seedai when you are making balls, this will avoid the seedai from bursting.

Do not roll the balls tight, do them as smooth and gentle as possible. If you roll it tight then air bubbles might get trapped inside making them to burst. Also dont expect to get perfect rounds just pinch roll 

Drying the seedai for 30 mins, will dry it out and remove any moisture from it . This will prevent them from bursting.

Roasting Coconut helps to remove the moisture from it and will prevent it from bursting.

Wheat thins

Preparation time : 30 mins + 40 mins
Makes : 13 dozen

Ingredients :

Whole wheat flour : 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces)
Sugar : 1 1/2 Tbsp
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Paprika : 1/4 tsp
Butter : 4 Tbsp , 1/2 stick
Water : 1/4 cup
Vanilla : 1/4 tsp
Additional salt for topping (optional)

Method :

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and paprika in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix it in thoroughly, using your fingers, a pastry blender, a mixer or a food processor. Combine the water and vanilla, and add it to the flour mixture, mixing until smooth

Pre heat the oven to 400˚F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces; keep the other pieces covered while you work with one at a time. Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin and roll the piece of dough into a large rectangle, which should be at least 12 inches square when trimmed. Keep your pin and the surface of your dough evenly floured. Flip the dough frequently to keep it from sticking, but too much flour will make it difficult to roll. Keep rolling until the dough is as thin as you can get it without tearing, at least 1/16 inch thick. Trim the dough to even the edges and use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the piece into squares approximately 1 1/2 inches wide. Transfer the squares to a prepared baking sheet; you can crowd them together, as they don’t expand while baking. Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt, if desired. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Save the scraps under plastic wrap and re roll them all at once just one time.

Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. If some of the thinner crackers brown too quickly, remove them and return the remaining crackers to the oven to finish baking. These crackers bake quickly, so watch them closely – even 30 seconds can turn them from golden brown to toast! Remove the crackers from the oven and cool on the pan or on a plate; they cool quickly.
These crackers will stay crisp for several days, but are best stored in airtight containers.
Enjoy your crackers :)
Thank you , do post your comments !!!

Uppu Seedai (or) Cheedai

Uppu Seedai is a delicious crispy snack made special for Gokulashtami. 

When i first came across this recipe , i was in a dilemma to prepare this or not, but when i saw detailed step by step description from a blog, i thought i will give it a try and its a hit :)

A new risky recipe learnt just for blogs sake and to share it with you all and am sure this is going to be my keeper. I have given few tips in my notes section to avoid bursting, hope this helps!

Preparation time : 20 mins + 30 mins

Serves : 3

Recipe source : Yummy tummy

Ingredients :

Raw Rice : 1.5 cups
Urad dhal : 2 tbsp
Coconut grated : 2 Tbsp (run the grated coconut in a blender once)
Butter(at room temperature) : 3 Tbsp
Sesame seeds : 1 Tbsp

Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing : 1/4 tsp
Water : a little more than 1/2 cup
Salt : to taste
Oil : as required to deep fry fry


For making with readymade flours

Rice flour(fine variety) : 1 cup
Urad Dal Flour : 1 tbsp
Butter : 2 tbsp

Coconut grated : 2 Tbsp (run the grated coconut in a blender once)
Butter(at room temperature) : 3 Tbsp
Sesame seeds : 1 Tbsp

Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing : 1/4 tsp
Water : a little more than 1/2 cup

Salt : as required
Oil : as required to fry

I personally tried the recipe with flours only.

Method :

First rinse raw rice twice, and soak it in water for 2 hrs. Then spread the raw rice in a soft towel to absorb the excess water, Leave it aside for 30mins.Then grind it to a fine powder.

Sieve the flour. Add the remaining coarse powder to grind in next batch and grind it again and then sieve it. The powder should be very fine.Roast the flour till you see steam coming out from the flour,Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile dry roast urad dal to golden brown.

Grind it to a fine powder and sieve it.Roast the flour till nice aroma rises and set aside to cool.

(If you are using the second set of ingredients(readymade ones) then sieve it well,roast it , and let them cool)

Now mix both the rice and urad dhal flour and sieve it once more .

Now your flour for making seedai is ready.

Take the coconut into a kadai and roast them for a min.

Sifting and roasting flours and coconut is very important. It takes the moisture from them.

 In a mixing bowl, add the flour mixture with butter(melt it), sesame seeds, cumin seeds,roasted coconut, hing and salt and rub well with your fingers.

You should use soft butter which is at room temparature for this.

Add water slowly and mix well to form a soft pliable dough.

Then roll small balls a round bigger than peas and arrange it in a clean cloth.

Do not attempt to make bigger balls, for proper cooking inside make small balls a slightly bigger than peas

Roll the balls very smooth but gently not tight so that no splits are shown outside.

Don't roll them tightly just pinch, roll them once and put it on the dry cloth or newspaper. 

(When rolling the seedai, roll gently into round balls. If you roll it tightly then when frying it will burst.)

Let it sit for 30mins.

Drying the seedai for 30 mins is important, this takes the moisture from seedai and prevent it from bursting.

Prick a single hole in each ball with a toothpick or pin if you want to more cautious.

Heat oil for deep frying. First to check for any bursting, drop few balls in oil and step away. Come back after 3 to 4 mins. it will be golden. If there is no bursting then continue.

Add the seedai balls in batches.

Keep the flame in medium and fry till golden, stirring in between then drain it in a kitchen towel or tissue paper. 

If your flame is high then your seedais will not cook evenly and will have brown shades here and there, the browning and cooking will not be even.

Don't be tempted to take it in lighter shade then the inside would not have been cooked - my first batch was like that so I made sure to fry the rest till golden and they were crispy and perfect.

If you get small bubbles and if your seedai is looking dry on the outside then butter is not enough, so measure and follow the quantity as mentioned above.

Why Does Seedai Burst? TIPS TO AVOID THEM :

If the rice and urad dhal flour are not grinded and sieved well they will end up having small grains inbetween which will cause the seedai to burst. So make sure both the flours are sieved well and are very fine.

Pricking holes on all seedai will help to release the air trapped inside the seedai when you are making balls, this will avoid the seedai from bursting.

Do not roll the balls tight, do them as smooth and gentle as possible. If you roll it tight then air bubbles might get trapped inside making them to burst. Also dont expect to get perfect rounds just pinch roll 

Drying the seedai for 30 mins, will dry it out and remove any moisture from it . This will prevent them from bursting.

Roasting Coconut helps to remove the moisture from it and will prevent it from bursting.

Baked chakkili (Or) murukku (Or) No oil Chakli

Preparation time : 45 mins

Makes : 30 

Ingredients :

Rice flour : 1 cup

Curd : 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds : 2 tsp

Chili powder : 1 tsp

Asafotida or Hing : pinch

Salt : to taste

Oil : 1 tsp

Method :

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and knead into a semi soft dough using enough water.

(Adding one Tbsp of oil instead of 1 tsp in this recipe reduces cooking time to 25 minutes and also makes the chakli a little softer)

Put the mixture into a chakli press and press out round swirls of the dough onto a greased baking tray, working closely from the centre to the outside to the swirls approximately 2" diameter. 

You will get about 30 chaklis.

Bake these chaklis in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for 30 to 35 minutes.
(Don't tempt to keep them for more time in oven , if you bake them more they will become hard)

Cool and Store them in an air tight container.

Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Spinach chips

Preparation time : 8 to 10 mins
Makes : 11/2 cup or so

Ingredients :

Fresh spinach : 2 cups (choose the big, healthy-looking leaves)
Extra virgin olive oil : few drop
Italian Blend Seasoning : 1/2 tsp or so
Salt : to taste

Method :

Preheat oven to 325 F.
Place spinach in a large bowl.
Add a few drops of olive oil and mix with your hands until each leaf is lightly coated in oil. Be careful not to use too much oil or the spinach will not crisp up in the oven.

(careful not to use too much olive oil. Only a few drops. Spinach will shrink A LOT in the oven so don't be alarmed. )
Sprinkle the spinach with Italian herb seasoning and salt.
Taste one of the leaves to make sure you are using enough seasoning. (you won't need a lot of seasoning)
Arrange the spinach in a single layer (don't let them overlap) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly oil nonstick foil.
Bake for 8 minutes. Watch them carefully after the 8 minute mark if they are not done.
Let sit on the baking sheet for about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from baking sheet.

Enjoy your dish :)

Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Poha chivda

I went to my friends house for a tea party and she made this as one of the items, i so loved it and i asked her for the recipe and here goes her recipe and believe me this tastes excellent......

Give it a try and lemme know... (I used brown rice flakes hence the color ... you can use which ever you want but make sure it is thin version )

Preparation time : 10 mins
Makes : 1 1/4 cup

Ingredients :

Thin poha (Rice flakes) : 1 cup
Peanuts : 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Fennal seeds : 1/4 tsp
Poppy seeds : 1/4 tsp
Coriander seeds : 1/4 tsp
Chopped green chili : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : 20
Turmeric powder : 1/8 tsp
Salt : 1/2 tsp or to taste
Sugar : 1/4 to 1/2 tsp or to taste
Amchoor powder : 1/4 tsp

Method :

Take thin poha in microwave safe bowl and microwave it till crisp and keep them aside.
Fry peanuts in oil and keep them aside.
In a small pan , add oil, cumin seeds, fennal seeds, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, chopped green chilis, curry leaves and turmeric powder.
Put that tadka into crisp poha.
Add fried peanuts.
Add salt, sugar and amchoor powder.
Chivda is ready to serve.
If you want to store it, store in an air tight container and you can keep it for up to 2 - 3 months.
Enjoy it with hot tea.
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Masala peanuts no oil

I made these couple of weeks ego, when my friends are coming home , i just wanna make some thing too good and that should be done  in no time and here is the out come. They all liked it a lot .

Give a try .... the best thing about this recipe is you just fallow the measurements , you will get the best masala peanuts

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Makes : one cup

Ingredients :

Peanuts : 1 cup
Besan : 1/3 cup
Salt : 3/4 tsp
Red chili powder : 1/2 tsp
Garam masala : 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder : 1/2 tsp
Baking soda : 2 pinches
Hing : pinch
Water : 2 to 3 Tbsp
Oil : 1 Tbsp (optional)

Chat masala : 1/2 tsp

Method :

Take a big bowl add besan, salt , chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, amchoor powder, baking soda and hing.

Mix everything well.

Take peanuts in a bowl, add water till they immerse ( we are not going to soak them, we are just making wet)

and soon strain all the water.

Add those water coated peanuts to the besan mixture.

This besan coats all penuts very well coz they are in water for few seconds.

Now add 2 Tbsp of water and mix everything.

(See all powder should stick to peanuts , adjust adding water accordingly)

Add oil to this now and mix well.

Now transfer this mixture onto a microwave safe plate and keep it in microwave in high level for 4 minutes.

Now take the tray out of the microwave.

Separate the sticky peanuts and spread them.

Now we will microwave them again for one more minute.

If you find them less crispy then microwave them again for one minute.

Sprinkle chat masala on masala peanuts and mix well.

And your masala peanuts are ready to serve.

If you want to store them, store in an air tight container after they are cooled off fully and you can use them for up to 2 to 3 months.

Enjoy your dish :)

Thank you , do post your comments !!!

Gavvalu or Shells

In my childhood my mom and my grand mom used to prepare this on summer holidays and we used to have them. (Even now they will prepare of coarse. Give these a try and i am sure you gonna like.

Preparation time : 30 min
Makes : 2 cups or so

Ingredients :

All purpose flour (or) Maida : 1 cup
Ghee or hot oil : 2 Tbsp
Salt : to taste
Chili powder : to taste
Water : As needed
Sesame seeds : 2 Tbsp
Cumin seeds : 2 Tbsp

Method :

Take a bowl pour maida into it , add ghee and mix it very well.
(Till all ghee incorporated into the flour very well)

Now add salt, chili powder, sesame seeds, cumin seeds.

( I used seema mirchi karam, you can even use normal chili powder)
Now add water to make dough, the dough should not be too hard or too soft.

Knead the dough , make it like rope and cut into small pieces.

If you have gavva press (gavvala balla) then roll the dough away from you, on it to make shell shape.

If you don't have one like that you can even use a fork.
Take a fork turn back side, then take one piece of dough into hand and press at the back side of the fork and remove it from opposite direction , repeat the same way for all the dough.

Keep the shells aside.
(When i first made these , while keeping them aside they all stuck to each other and again formed like a dough :( , so if possible make them fast or roll one batch while they are frying, roll 2nd set of dough into shells, when i made 2nd time i made like this and they came out really good)
Take a pan , add oil heat it while you are making shells.
When oil is hot add shells to the oil and deep fry till light golden brown color , fry in a medium flame for about 5 minutes or so..
Take them onto a paper towel to catch excess oil.

Yummy yummy gavvalu are ready to eat. 

Enjoy your dish :)

Thank you, do post your comments !!!

aloo bujia

Preparation time : one hour

Makes : 3 to 4 cups

Ingredients :

Potaotes : 250 grams 

Gram flour : 150 grams ( one cup)

Salt : 1 1.4 tsp or to taste

Black pepper : 1 tsp

Cinnamon : small piece 

Clove : 8

Coriander seeds : 1Tbsp

Cumin seeds : 1tsp

Red chili 's : 2

Dry mango powder ( Amchur powder ) : 1/4 tsp

Ginger powder : 1/8t tsp

Nutmeg powder : 1/8 tsp

Citric acid or (nimma vuppu) : 1/8 tsp

Asafotida powder : pinch

Turmeric powder : 1/8 tso

Oil : For deep frying 

Method :

Wash and steam cook the potatoes.

After first whistle, cook the potatoes on low flame for 10 minutes.

When the pressure pan cools down, remove the cooked potatoes and allow them to cool for a while.

Peel the boiled potatoes and grate them using a grater.

Grating avoid lumps in the boiled potatoes.

To prepare aloo bhujia we need to use a spice powder.

Dry roast black pepper , cinnamon, clove, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chili for a bit.

Make the spice powder using a grinder, also add citric acid while grinding.

Make a fine powder.

Add dry mango powder, nutmeg powder, ginger powder.

Mix everything and keep this spice powder aside.

Heat a pan and put oil for deep frying aloo bhujia.

While oil is getting hot prepare the dough.

Take a mixing bowl and add gram flour or besan, turmeric powder, salt, asafotida and freshly made spice powder.

Mix everything well and add grated potatoes.

Mix well to form dough.

No need to add any amount of water as the moisture in boiled potatoes would be sufficient to make the dough.

Scrape the sticky mixture in between using a spoon and make the dough.

Use any sev press or sev maker and make aloo bhujia.

Wet palm with water and take a portion of the dough and form into cylindrical shape.

Fill the dough into the cylindrical mould and close the lid.

When the oil is hot enough start making aloo bhujia.

Hold the mould in your hand and press the dough right into the oil.

While pressing the dough, turn your hand so that the sev takes a spiral shape.

Fry the aloo bhujia on medium flame till one side is slightly crisp.

Then turn with a ladle and fry on high flame till the other side turns crisp.

Remove the fried aloo bhujia from oil using a slotted ladle and place it on the paper napkin to soak excess oil.

Repeat the process till entire dough is used up.

Cool the bhujia to room temperature. Take them into a bowl and crush slightly.

Store this aloo bhujia in air tight containers and serve them as a snack.

Yummy yummy aloo bhujia is ready to serve.

Enjoy your dish as a snack or as an accomplishment with chat :)

Thank you, do post your comments !!!