Poori with Aamras

While in college,the only time I properly ate food was during breakfast.Lunch was a quick bite and a cold drink,tea was gulped down hurriedly and dinner was had in front of tv or while on the phone.I guess those five years in College were the only times I troubled amma being a teen[almost out of teens,teen:)].Soon after I got married and even though I whipped up few stuff in my kitchen,I struggled with what-to-make-for-breakfast thoughts.Both amma and ma-in-law made varieties of food for breakfast day after day and all I could think of was making dosas or idlies of readymade batter:).

I’ve come a far route from those days and can think of many ideas even if I don’t have any leftover batter[home-made;)].

I first had Poori and Aamras at one of hubby’s cousins wedding.I was blown away with the yummy combination,something I’ve never had before.After a while,we cousins stopped having poori and had only bowlfuls of aamras.We almost felt dizzy afterwards,eating so much of it:).

Summers are the best times to try out such royal dishes for breakfast since mangoes are available in abundance.We couldn’t stop eating this yummilicious breakfast:).

Poori with Aamras


For making the Poori

Atta – 2-3 cups
Salt to taste
Water – as required to knead the dough[about 1 cup]

Oil – to deep fry

Method

Mix salt with atta,add water and make a firm dough.
Knead the dough for a few minutes till the surface becomes smooth.


Poori dough should be firmer than chapathi dough or else it will soak up too much oil.


Pinch off small balls of the dough,flatten with a rolling pin and deep fry them in hot oil,till they puff up and become golden brown.


Check out Indira’s and Shilpa’s Poori pictorial for more info.

For making the Aamras

Mango pulp – about 2 cups
Sugar – 2-3 tsp
Milk – ¾ cup
Saffron strands – 2-3

Crushed cardamom - seeds of 1 or 2

Method

Make a smooth puree of mango pulp,sugar and milk.

Add saffron,crushed cardamom and mix well.
The texture of the aamras should be such that it should fall in dollops when served.
Chill and serve with piping hot Pooris.

Make the most of this combo during the the Mango season;)

Sending this across to Divya for her Show me Your Breakfast event

&

To Srivalli for her Mango Mela.

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Palmiers~Little Hearts

Few years back,when my brother was doing his studies in MIT-Manipal,I used to look forward to his term-break trips back home.I knew that he would bring me stuff from a duty-paid shop nearby.Stuff like Kit-Kat[when it was not yet launched in India] and Little Heart biscuits were my favourites.I just couldn’t have enough of them.Soon after they were available everywhere and I lost interest in them.I think it had more to do with *my-brother-brought-it-for-me* stuff:)

My interest in Little heart biscuits grew further when I saw it in many blogs.Divya and Cham had made it with Puff pastry sheets making them more tempting for me.I had decided that those would be the first stuff I would try when I get puff pastry sheets.After a long delay,I made these.I had a few sheets leftover from the Veg Puffs and instead of re-storing it,I made these cutey little hearts which were gone the minute they came out of the oven.

I don’t think mine came anywhere near the real ones in terms of looks,but we loved the crispy and crunchy and mildly sweet home-made little hearts.My vanni tried it too and below is her little hearts;)

Little Hearts

Ingredients

Puff pastry - 1

Sugar - few tbsp

Method

Thaw the puff pastry according to the instructions given.

In a clean work surface,sprinkle some flour and sugar and keep the pastry sheet on top.

Sprinkle some more sugar on top and slightly roll it with a rolling pin.

Find the middle of the sheet and mark it with a knife.

Start rolling from either sides till both sides reach the middle.

Now the sheet will resemble a log,cut it into small ½ inch thick strips.

Place them in a greased baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes or till they become evenly brown.

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Aviyal ~ A medley of Vegetables!!

Few people talk fondly about their canteen/mess food.My cousin S actually looked forward to her canteen food,can you believe that??Her school had a canteen which served piping hot food.She used to rave about the bubbling in the pan Sambhar,full of flavour Aviyal,crispy papads,a bowl of curd and it's so hot you can’t even touch kind of rice.Every morning,even if she forgot to take her books,she diligently packed her plate inside her school bag[every one were required to carry their own plates to the canteen].

For my part,as clichéd as it may sound,my school /college canteen sucked big time.Of all the years I’ve spent in the campus[almost 17 years,starting from K.G till my graduation days]I must have gone to the canteen 2-3 times,that too when I was forced to accompany some friends.It was a convent run canteen and the fish-non-veg stink was too much for me to bear.I am not being judgemental here,I have no qualms in having food along with my non-veg friends,but its just that the smell from the canteen used to put me off.
 
It's funny how people think vegetarians only have one sambhar and one aviyal to eat and nothing else.Many feel that we are losing out on stuff because we don’t eat non-veg.

Ok,has it started to appear that I am on a rant mode-it wouldn’t be surprising if I told you that off late I’ve been showered with compliments like –I’ll run out of recipes for my ”only vegetarian blog”.So I thought I will post this life-saver dish for vegetarians;).Of course,Aparna’s post inspired me to dig out the photos of this dish from my drafts.You can read all about Aviyal’s origin and the stories associated with it here.

Aviyal ~ A medley of Vegetables!!

Usually,in Kerala,all Naadan-Homegrown vegetables are used for aviyal.Ash gourd/Coloured cucumber,Yam,Brinjal,Yardlong beans,Drumsticks,Raw banana,Snake gourd&Green chilly.All the vegetables are sliced lengthwise and are used in a descending order-more of ash gourd,little less yam,even little brinjal and so on.
 
Due to the unavailability of many of these vegetables,new ones like Carrots,Beans,Potatoes etc have been added to the aviyal.As they say-anything goes into the aviyal-the more the merrier!!


Ingredients
Mixed vegetables about 3-4 cups – I used ash gourd,pumpkins,carrots,beans,drumsticks and yam

Green chillies – 2-3,chopped lengthwise
Raw mango* – ½ of 1 small one-cut lengthwise


To be ground to a coarse paste


Grated coconut – ½ of one coconut
Haldi/turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Jeera – ½ tsp


Coconut oil – 3-4 tbsp
Curry leaves – 2-3 sprigs


Method
Chop the vegetables lengthwise[about the size of your small finger].Wash and keep aside.
 
Grind the grated coconut,haldi and jeera to a coarse paste without adding water,keep aside.
 
In a thick bottomed kadai/pan add the coconut oil and add all the vegetables into it.
Keep mixing till the oil coats the vegetables.
Add water-not much[about 1/2 cup should do]just enough to cover the vegetables and green chillies and cook the vegetables till soft.Take care not to overcook.
Add salt and the chopped raw mango to the cooked vegetables,mix well and then add the ground paste.
Spread the paste on top and cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
 
After 5 minutes,open the lid,mix everything.
Add a tbsp of coconut and fresh curry leaves.
Serve hot!!

*If raw mango is not available,you can use ½ a cup of curd/yogurt.


Aviyal is more of a side-dish than a gravy and the doneness is checked by the texture of the cooked vegetables coated with the ground coconut mix.

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