Special Bonda

This dish is often prepared by mum. Its one of her own experiments and tastes delicious. Am yet to try it on my own.

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Little maida

Corn flour or arrowroot flour

Coconut gratings

Kismis-

Sugar- a pinch

Lemon juice1/2 tsp

Cashew optional,

Oil for frying

Method:

Boil Potatoes in a cooker with water. Mix grated coconut, kismis, salt,l juice, sugar, salt, a spoon full of maida or corn flour and make small balls and keep aside. Peel the potatoes when hot and mash it properly with salt(a liitle) turmeric powfer(optional) and few drops of lemon, and corn flour or arrowroot flour(very little) for binding. Take a ball of this flatten it, fill it with the coconut mix ball and roll it in dry corn or arrowroot flour and fry in hot oil till golden brown.

Serve hot with any khatta meetha chutny of your choice.

Rava Upma

This is one dish a girl in South India learns first. Supposedly included in some basic cooking that the girl is supposed to know :-) I am an exception. I have managed to learn to make good Upma after 7yrs of marriage, from my mother-in-law.

Ingredients:
Roasted Rava: 2 cups
Chopped carrots half cup
Chopped beans half cup
Onion: 2 no.s chopped
Ginger- ½ inch, finely chopped
Tomato: 2 medium sized chopped
Green chillies: 2-3 no.s
Water: 5 cups
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric: a pinch
Jeera & Mustard for seasoning
Curry leaves & Coriander leaves chopped

Method:
Heat oil in a kadai, add jeera & mustard. Let it splutter, then add green chillies, ginger, Curry leaves & Onion. Once the onion is cooked, add carrot. Let it cook for a while. Then add beans and let it cook. Add Tomato into this. Once all the vegetables are cooked, add turmeric & salt. To this mixture, add 5 cups of water. Once this comes to a boil, slowly start putting in the Roasted Rava/ sooji. Ensure that you are constantly stirring at the time of putting in the Rava. This is done to avoid any lump formation. Once 2 cups of Rava has gone in, mix well and cover the upma with a lid for about 5-10 mins on low flame, till the rava fluffs up/ is cooked. Once its cooked, garnish with Coriander leaves. Serve hot.