Nariyal Wale Fras Beans | French Beans with Coconut

French Beans were always a great seasonal favourite in Delhi. Fresh and tender beans would flood the markets in early winter. Sweet and crisp and known as Fras Beans they'd dominate the menu in a multitude of ways. Here I get beans all year round, the fresh ones too, as they come from all across the globe. I also grow them in my vegetable garden in the summer, and the yield is pretty good.

Masaledaar Appe | Spicy Mini Appams

Sometimes, when there is extra time on the hand, or we are expecting visitors, I like to make a snack for our evening tea!! Usually, it is something light and salty. At times, its a matter of using the leftovers!!!! Today, it was the latter - I had idli batter left over from the weekend. I decided to make spicy mini-appams using my aebleskiver or appe pan.

Patta Gobhi aur Nariyal Tarkari | Sautéed Cabbage with Coconut

Fresh local cabbage will soon be in the market. Our Farmer's Market carries an amazing array of vegetables and cabbage is amongst the best I have tasted. It has the perfect crispness, just the right crunch on the bite and a delicately sweet taste. I wait every year for farm fresh cabbage to make this simple cabbage stir-fry. The trick to this recipe is to cook the vegetable uncovered on a medium heat.

Indian Dosas with Kayi

Debyi from Healthy Vegan Kitchen was the host for the September 2009 Daring Cooks challenge. She decided on Indian Dosas from the refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal. Here is my version of the Dosas made very simply with a batter of rice and tamarind. The curry has potato, beans, peas, and fresh corn in a simple coconut-chili sauce.

Mini-Appams for Onam

I decided to make some appam for Onam this year. I had just bought a packet of double roasted rice flour to make Palappam or Vellaiappam!! Its the first time I saw it at my local desi store. I was really excited until I found that all the instructions for use were in Malyalam!!!! After much deliberation, I decided to experiment and here is the recipe I used to make some delicious Vellaiappam. To make sure the experiment would work, I made these a few days before Onam.

However, I had quite a bit of batter remaining, which I promptly refrigerated. I am happy to report that it did quite well under refrigeration. I could not do much cooking for the last few days, anyway, as I was completely out of action with my cut finger. This morning when I pulled the batter out, I was delighted to find it usable. I decided to go creative and make something different, and as it turned out, even more delicious with them. And so the Mini-Appams came into being. These turn out crispy on the outside and wonderfully spongy on the inside. They retain their ability to mop up any curry and have a great taste too. They are a treat on their own, and can be served as a heavy snack with chutney. But I think they will be perfect for a party where you have many guests - a sort of cross between an idli and an appam!!!!

For Appam Batter:2 cups rice flour
1 tsp yeast
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 cup coconut milk
Extra milk as needed

Method:

1. Warm the milk and water in a pan. Add sugar, dissolve. Then sprinkle the yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes or until you see it frothing.
2. Mix well, and add it with the coconut milk into the rice flour. Add extra milk if needed to get a dropping consistency.
3. Let the batter sit overnight in a warm place.
4. The batter will rise and become frothy and will be ready to use in the morning
5. Keep tuned for the Appam method in a following post!

For the Mini-Appams:
2 cups appam batter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, minced
1 tbsp cilantro, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
Oil, as needed
Salt to taste


Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients into the batter.
2. Heat the Uniappam pan. Pour a very small amount of oil into the cavaties.
3. Pour spoonfuls of batter till the rim.
4. Fry on medium heat.
5. Turn the mini-appams halfway through cooking.
6. When done, remove and place on a kitchen towel. This will help drain away any excess oil.
7. Serve hot with a curry of your choice.

These lovely Mini-Appams are my contrinution to Festival Food - Onam Celebrations, hosted this month by notyet100 of Asan Kahna. To read more about Onam and see the treat that's cooking in celebration for this colourful harvest festival, visit Asan Khana.







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