Sweet Potato Paratha / Sweet Potato Roti

I borrowed the idea for making these parathas from a good friend of mine. It is extremely simple to prepare and tastes wonderful with a lovely hint of sweetness mingling with the spices. And the best part - the mashed sweet potatoes in the dough help make very soft parathas.

Ammini Kozhakattai

There many different kinds of savory kozhakattais (rice flour based dumplings). Of the many, ammini kozhakattais are a tasty and cute variation. They are commonly prepared from left-over rice-flour dough that's used to make the traditional sweet and savory kozhakattais. The left-over dough is rolled into small balls, steamed, and flavored with different kinds of spice-mixes. I am sharing three most common ways to flavor them.

Poricha Kozhakattai / Fried Wheat Kozhakattai

On the event of Ganesh Chathurthi, everyone back home is abuzz with celebration and preparation of treats. Modhaks/Kozhakattais mark the festive air by lending the sweet aromas of jaggery and cardamom that mingle with the perfumed smells of incense and camphor. There are so many memories of sight and smell and touch. The bursts of colors in red, yellow, green, and lavender from the flowers, the carefully adorned clay idols, the crinkly paper umbrella stuck at the back, the prickly sprigs of wheat grass, the scatter of platters of freshly made kozkattais, vadai and paayasam, the tinkle of prayer bells chiming from the neighbors - are just some of the memories. 

Instead of the traditional kozhakattais made with rice flour, I present another common version prepared with wheat flour. It is much more straightforward, involves lesser time, and turns out really tasty (and yes, it is deep-fried! :)). But invoking the name of Ganesha, set aside that little bit of information :).

My mom often prepares this version, so it also happens to trigger more special memories for me.

Achari Paneer

[Achar = pickle]

Featuring in the endless array of paneer gravies is this unique curry that melds in the flavors of a typical Indian pickle. The whole spices that make up the body of pickles are roasted and ground to an aromatic powder. This is added to the curry to make it take on the flavors of a pickle. 

However, the recipe below is just my take on achari paneer. I took a short-cut. Instead of roasting and grinding the whole spices, I plopped in a few tablespoons of  pre-made pickle into the gravy. I am not taking credit for thinking of this short-cut, though :). I have heard many people adding lemon pickle, or most commonly, mango pickle, in any given curry to easily amplify the flavor by several notches. I also  frequently add avakkkai/mango pickle to regular dal-tadka to flavor it - an inherited preference. So, adding mango pickle to a panneer gravy was a natural hop, not a leap, in my thinking.

I also earn brownie points if I make up "new" paneer dishes.

Sabudana Vada / Tapioca Fritters

Sabudana Vadas are delicious deep-fried fritters made with tapioca, potatoes, and peanuts. When I mentioned to one of my friends that this is basically a double-carb deep-fried fest, she balked. It seems almost illegal to make, let alone consume, such decadent food these days. The calorie-police are all over the place :).

But, as I always say, that's why we have special indulgent days in the year in the form of birthdays, anniversaries, and festivals. So, set aside your guilt to try these out during an indulgent evening.

I added a few additional ingredients - onion, cloves, and cardamom - that are not commonly added to sabudana vadas. I couldn't help adding the essential ingredients that spice up masala vadas. But, not to worry, the cloves and cardamom do not overpower the vadas. They bring a subtle flavor and aroma that will intrigue your guests enough to wonder what the "secret" addition is.

Uppu Cheedai /Savory Seedai

Cheeda/Seedai are festive savory munchies commonly prepared during Gokulashtami (Lord Krishna's birthday) or on Diwali. It is a complement to sweet cheedais prepared with jaggery, rice flour, and cardamom.

The only word of caution while preparing savory cheedais is to exercise extra care while frying them. Cheedais are known to sometimes burst and splutter out of the hot oil because of trapped bubbles of air/moisture. So, drop the balls carefully into the oil and maintain a good distance away during the first minute of frying. Also, make sure to not neglect roasting and sieving the flours, because they are essential steps to make sure the flours are dry and smooth to minimize the risk of spluttering oil.

Rava Paayasam / Semolina Pudding

There are so many different kinds of paayasams (sweetened porridge/pudding). Of all the paayasams that can be made, this version with semolina/rava is one of the simplest and fastest, because rava cooks in no time!

Fenugreek-Cilantro-Mint Roti / Paratha

This is a small and flavorful variation of the regular methi paratha. I am not a huge fan of methi (fenugreek) because of its bitterness, but it's really good for you. So, just to change things up a little, I recently added a couple of other really flavorful herbs - coriander leaves and mint. They both (along with the spices added) flavor the paratha beautifully. The subtle aroma of mint works very well with the other flavors.