April 15, 2009

Chana Dal-Dill Fritters with spicy Dal Dip, Vegan Tofu Pad Thai, Green Tea Cooler with Lemon,Ginger and Honey, Mango Frozen Yogurt

Hope you all had a wonderful long relaxing weekend, Vishu and New Year's celebrations yesterday as well! :)
We had sunny days last weekend and some rain too here at NC. We decided to drive to Chapel Hill U, walked around the campus and the the dormitory just to get feel of the college my girl is going to move in at the end of August. Campus was serene, lush green and quiet, loved it. Then we went to a Indian restaurant called "Kandas", (name of a God (Skanda/Muruga?) in Tamilnadu as the waiter told me, when I asked him how to pronounce it and the meaning of Kandas as I never heard of that name before, food was authentic and very tasty!) for lunch buffet and caught up with the new "Fast and Furious" movie.
Since we were there, we visited "little India" in a nearby city and shopped a lot for, YES, Indian snacks and Mangoes!! We stopped for dinner at a Udupi restaurant (What else but for Mysore Masale dose!!:D) and drove back to reality again! ;D

Menu this week:
Chana dal fritters with dal dip for starter/appetizer, Vegan Tofu Pad Thai for main course served with Green Tea (Hara Masala Chai? :D) cooler and Mango frozen Yogurt for dessert. Sounds good, huh? Let's get on with it without chatting too much, shall we? :)

Chana dal and Dill Vadas with spicy Dal dip/Rasam:

Chana dal is called Bengal gram in English, they look similar to yellow split peas but different. Chana dal is split peas of Garbanzo or chick peas, usually from the smaller and reddish chickpeas. You can see the picture of Chana dal here.
Spicy Chana dal vadas mixed with aromatic Dill leaves are a classic Karnataka fritters, made often during Monsoon season and festival days or for evening snack with coffee in South India. They make a great starter/appetizer for any lunch or dinner party or cocktail parties. I have already posted the recipe but these new photos are taken when I made these again recently. Enjoy.

Recipe for Chana dal and Dill vadas or Fritters is here in this post.
Recipe for spicy dal dip in the vadas is here in this post,
or serve vadas soaked in the thinner version of dal, Masoor dal Rasam/Red lentils dip.
or you can also serve these Vadas with green Coconut and Mint Chutney.
or make these vadas into round bite sized small balls, fry and stick few colorful toothpicks to serve as cocktail party appetizers with Ketchup like
the Hush Puppies you see in this post.

Closer look at Dal and Dill vadas:


Hope you try.......

Vegan Tofu Pad Thai:
Pad Thai is probably the most popular of all the dishes from Thailand, cooked often with Shrimps or Seafood. Sweet, spicy and tangy taste with Fish sauce is typical of Thai cooking. Tamarind sauce gives this a authentic flavor of Thai.
Since this dish is supposed to Vegan for the event, I have added Tofu, skipped all the Fish sauce, eggs etc but have given you the option of adding in the (parenthesis), so you can add them and make it more authentic. This Pad Thai recipe is mostly adapted from this video with my own changes to make it Vegan. My kids LOVED the taste even without Shrimps, Fish sauce and Eggs!

Sweet and spicy Tamarind Sauce:

To make the sauce:
Boil 2 cups water mixed with 2 tbsp thick Tamarind paste,(I used Laxmi brand "Concentrated Natural Tam paste" which has a reddish color) 1/4 cup Jaggery (or brown sugar), 1/2 tsp or more red Chilli flakes, (add 2 tsp fish sauce now if you want), 1/4 tsp salt until thick/pourable sauce consistency and adjust the spices.
You can also Microwave this mixture for about 10mins. Be careful not to burn the sauce. Once it reduces to 1/3rd from the original 2 cups, MW for 1 min at a time, stir often and check for the pouring consistency and keep aside to use in the noodles and use as much as you need with the noodles.

To make Pad Thai:

Noodles first:
Heat 1/4th pan of water until very hot, add 1 pack of Asian flat rice noodles about 2-3 cups dry Noodles and soak for 6-10 mins and drain and keep aside. You can add some Sesame oil and mix well to keep the noodles from sticking to each other.
Pad thai:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a Wok, fry 3 tbsp minced onion, 2 minced garlic, stir for 2 mins.
2. Add 1 cup Tofu, diced to 1"cubes, fry until slightly golden on the edges. (Optional to add 2 eggs, stir fry, then add 1/4 cup grated Turnips, 10-15 shrimps to this now)
3. Add Noodles, 2 tbsp of water, pinch of salt, mix well. Add 6 tbsp Tamarind sauce, mix 1 cup bean sprouts, 1 cup Garlic chives or green onions, , 2 tsp Sesame oil, 2 tbsp minced Cilantro, cook for a min. When done, sprinkle 4tbsp roasted and crushed Peanuts on top, mix.
4. Serve delicious Pad Thai with thinly sliced lettuce, Tomato, Chives or green onion, grated carrots, cucumber and a lemon slice on the side.

Green Tea cooler with Ginger, Honey and Lemon:
I love Green tea. Unlike our Indian masala Chai, we don't need to add milk at all to green tea, made just with water. I made southern style Iced Tea with Green tea with Indian style fresh ginger and added fresh Lemon juice, Honey, Mint to taste. Not only it tastes and feels like a cool breeze hits you on the face a hot day and Green Tea is good for you too!!

You need: Serves two.
1. Boil 3 cups of water with 1/2" crushed fresh Ginger for 2 mins, take off the heat and add 3 bags of Green Tea leaves. Let it seep for 5 mins or so to get as much dark tea as you like. Take out the tea bags, strain the liquid to take out the ginger solids and cool the Green tea.
2. Stir in 1 tbsp or more freshly squeezed Lemon juice, 1-2 tbsp of honey and taste to adjust the sweet and Tang of the Tea and serve in tall glasses with ice cubes and crushed Mint leaves to garnish. Ahhh....! Refreshing!!

Mango Frozen Yogurt:

Who doesn't like Mangoes? Specially frozen Yogurt made with fresh mangoes is fabulous. I had 2 Spanish Mangoes which are not as sweet as Indian Mangoes. If you have canned Indian Mango pulp, you can use 2 cups of that here, color will be darker and tastes yummier than you see here in the photo. Making frozen Yogurt is very easy, like eating frozen Mango Lassi with more sugar added than Lassi of course. I did have a nice peak of frozen Mango on top the frozen Yogurt in there but it melted out by the time I took this photo in a warm room! :P

To make Mango Frozen Yogurt:
1. Add 3 cups chopped fresh Mango cubes or 2 cups canned Mango pulp, 1/4 cup (or more or less to your taste) sugar or use powdered sugar to make it faster and easier to blend, 1 tsp Lemon juice and 1 cup plain Yogurt (make sure it's very thick and creamy) to a blender and blend until you get a very smooth mix without any lumps.
2. Strain this if you are using fresh Mangoes. Then pour this in to Gallon size freezer bag and freeze this for about 3 hours. If it's very solidly frozen, you can't squeeze out or scoop the Yogurt. Let it thaw a bit ti serve.
3. Take it out, press the Mango yogurt to see if it's semi solid and smooth, not very hard and icy. Cut a small hole in the corner of bag or put a "star" icing nozzle even before filling the bag with Mango mix and squeeze out the frozen Yogurt into a bowl or scoop with Ice cream scooper and serve immediately with a slice of Mango to garnish.
4. You can sprinkle some crushed pistachios on top before serving if you wish for little crunch. Enjoy! :)

Logos, hosts and the events list:


Chana Dal-Dill Fritters with spicy dal dip, goes to Cococooks who is guest hosting "MLLA-10th helping", an event which is started by Susan.
Vegan Tofu Pad Thai, goes to Priya's "It's a Vegan World-Thai", an event started by Vaishali.
Green Tea with Ginger, Honey and Lemon, goes to AnuSriram's event "Refreshing drinks for Summer".
Mango Frozen Yogurt, goes to Aquadaze who is guest hosting "My favorite things-Frozen desserts" an event started by Bindiya.
Green Tea cooler and Mango Frozen Yogurt, both go to Mahimaa's "15 Minute cooking" event.

***************************************************************************************************************
Movies I watched and liked:

Doubt:
I LOVE Meryl Streep! I don't care which film she is in, I just love that woman's talent. She is such a fabulous actress, so convincing in every role she plays. She didn't disappoint me in this film either.
She plays a nun who runs a Catholic school and suspects that one of the male teachers is getting too close to a student and even without any concrete proof, she tries to prevent the "ultimate sin" believing that Father Flynn is taking advantage of a troubled boy's circumstances. He protests and says he is innocent. When she finally succeeds in getting that teacher out of that school, she is in turmoil because she doubts herself that may be she made a mistake! Loved the film personally, may not appeal to everybody.

Fast and Furious: (New)
Non-stop action and I bet every husband and son on this Earth would flip for this film! :D
We had some time to kill last weekend between lunch and dinner, so we decided to go and watch this movie, loved it. Although usually, I don't go to movie theater to watch Fast and Furiuos movies, I am glad we watched this on the big screen. Great thriller and action movie.

Mary, Queen of Scots:
After I saw the movie "The other Boleyn Girl" about Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth I, I got interested in reading about the history of England. Mary, Queen of Scotland is the grand daughter of Henry VIII who ends up imprisoned and beheaded in the end for plotting against(falsely accused) her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England.
I borrowed this DVD from the library and watched both of them, loved them. I adore costume dramas and historic theatrical movies like these! Beautiful and talented Vanessa Redgrave, who plays Mary won an Oscar for this movie!
If you want read the books about English history, best books are written by Alison Weir. I have few and ordered a few more to read when we are on vacation in June.

That's all this week, see you all later! :)

163 comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Wow everything looks gorgeous, am craving for pad thai, urs makes me hungry, while the green tea cooler asking me to finish now, shall i;)...mango frozen yogurt looks so creamy n delicious....Awesome Post:)

A journey called Life said...

Hello Ashaji.. nice spread once again (i think i ought to stop saying this, as one post is better than the other.. sort of like a default).. am trying those fritters tomorrow.. thanks for all the yumm stuff u write about :)

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh Wow its a real treat/feast to all the senses....Masala Vada is my favourite.....Mango yogurt perfect for the season...Going to try tea cooler soon.....Hmm nice to know that you had forseen the collge your girl is going to...Hmm so sweet....

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

Those fritters and dip look great Asha! Thanks for the film reviews, I love Meryl Streep too.

Gita Jaishankar said...

Everything does sound so good Asha :) I can imagine the aroma of the dill vadas, sounds so tasty. The whole array looks so inviting as usual!

Vishali said...

wow Asha....love all of them. What a nice Spicy Dal dip for the Fritters, Mango Frozen Yogurt looks yum will try it.

sra said...

I tried a tinned green tea drink in Singapore - didn't like it. And it was G R E E E E E N!

Sumy Sunil said...

I'm melting here seeing your mango frozen yogurt ..yummy...pictures as usual great...

Vegan Tofu..is colorful and spectacular....

Happy Vishu to you too...and your family...

SJ said...

Everything you have posted today is my favourite- pad thai, vade, mango yogurt even Meryl Streep. Delish!

FH said...

Thanks for all your comments girls, I appreciate it! :)

sra, I don't like the Green Tea leaves either, very powerful and slightly bitter too. I love the milder Green Tea bags though, you can control how dark you want the tea! :)

Bindiya said...

Asha What a feast!I too made some similiar stuff last week,pics are simply gorgeous, loved the vegan pad thai.

Sakshi said...

I am gonna make that frozen mango yoghurt as there is kinda surplus stock of mango puree in my pantry. I had gone to the Indian store in search of Jackfruit seeds and Mangoes and failure to get them ended in me picking up things furiously (like 6 tins of mango puree as if the things was on the verge of extinction).
I am falling in love with wednesday's for sure bcoz u manage to put up such a great post every time. The fritters look heavenly and I love to read your movie reviews too...I love costume dramas too...anything with layers of dresses will do for me!! Happy Vishu and Ugadi to u and family...

Raks said...

I was planning to make channa dal vada today,urs looks nic ewith nice twist of dill!
Looks like a summer treat at ur blog!! Mouthwatering!

suvi said...

so from where do I begin? awesome spread as always!
the vadas look very nice and scrummy, i personally love dill so can't wait to try this one.

Vegan pad thai...well, I think I am finally going to succumb to influence from the blogosphere - bought some just today!

i love mangoes, that yogurt is yummy! Thanks so much for sharing it with the event!

Raaga said...

I just got my week's supply of mangoes... this is so tempting :)

everything looks delish as always... love the green tea cooler.

VIDYA VENKY said...

lovely asha,
was jus waiting for ur post this week..

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

I too made frozen mango yogurt yday... I liked the spicy sauce and pad thai looks mouthwatering... About the movies yup Fast and Furious was good but I kinda feel the sequels dont satisfy the expectation or atleast not upto what the first movie's grade...

Bhawna said...

Happy Wednesday Ashaji, every wednesday my day starts with ur post and my cup of tea. Both makes me feel good and happy. Channa dal fritters looks crunchy and yummy. Pad thai and tea makes me hungry and to end it with creamy mango frozen yogurt is divine. Yum..

Trupti said...

hello asha, everything looks yummy. Love the addition of dill in fritters. Mango yogurt looks mouthwatering. I can have that bowl any time of the day

FH said...

Sakshi, try looking for a Vietnamese store locally. That's where you get canned raw and ripe Jack Fruit and sometimes you get JF seeds too. That's where I go to buy these! :)

Sara said...

Everything looks so good! I love pad thai, it's one of my favorite things to eat.

Sakshi said...

U kidding me?? We have a Vietnamese store much nearer than the Indian one and I never thought of dropping there...ignorance can be a curse and wastage of gas at times...sigh!! This weekend will slip in there without telling my hubby or he will think I am going nuts in search of those seeds..
Thanks for the lovely info...

gtyuk said...

nice weekend, miss that masala dosai too :) "DORMITORY" reminds me of my hostel, happy memories blooming out!! hope your daughter is going to enjoy, while working hard ofcourse :)


masala vadais look perfect, one of the favorite snacks of my papa, he likes them very very hot;

the pad thai looks absolutely delicious, yummm, though I'd have preferred that with some shrimps, greedy me :)

I love sipping green tea throughout the day (in between and after meals), adding ginger ,honey and lemon juice to it must be kinda royal green tea :)!

never mind if it's melting (Mango Yoghurt), that's what is making me mouthwater, no place for dieting whenever I come here, tempting as usual.

EC said...

We made urad vadas yest for new year..Green tea looks great..

FH said...

Akal, cold weather makes me fry more, no diet here! :D
Yes, Shrimps in Pad Thai is perfect, had to make this one Vegan for the event. Kids love Shrimp Pad Thai! :)

Anonymous said...

everything looks delicious as always.wish i could have some of those fritters.

shalini

Parita said...

Wow everything just looks delicious, I loved the chana dal wadas and mango frozen yogurt...makes me feel hungry :) Love the way your present your posts, too good :)

Chutneytales said...

Everything looks so good.The Dal-dill fritters sounds great and looks crispy!The pad-thai is very inviting..Green tea cooler looks very refreshing..but i don't like green tea.I can try yours :)
Mango frozen yogurt is YUM.I enjoyed your post completely :)

Beyond Curries said...

I have never heard about the freezer bag technique. That's really cool Asha!

I watched Seven Pounds last week and both my husband and myself liked it. Even though you had briefed, knowing the story did not kill the thrill. But my husband was sort of confused and was asking why he was going here and there. Will Smith really is a good actor. I still enjoy the reruns of Fresh Prince of BelAir and he has come a long way from that.

I have a long list of movies to watch. Since we are in the process of moving I'm totally busy.

Yes Anoop did great yesterday. I'm sure he would get some record deal even if he doesn't become the next AI.

Lakshmi said...

everything looks so tasty and yumm Ashakka. I loved frozen yogurt, got to make some soon.

Pooja said...

Wow all the dishes are looking lovely and delicious..Crispy vadas..Healthy green tea..Mouthwatering mango yogurt..

Soma said...

Vadas are looking crunchy & very tempting esp with that spicy rasam.I don't deep fry that often, & i am slurping looking at that:-)

That pad thai looks extremely professional!! I bet everyone enjoyed!

Ah ha!! mango yogurt!!..waiting for the heat to peak for this & also the tea.

Sharmila said...

But I love your chats! and your posts provide food for both the soul and the tummy. :-)
Gorgeous spread Asha! I'd give anything right now for that spicy dal. :-)

Laavanya said...

Breathtaking dishes yet again... yes... kandha is another way of addressing Lord Muruga in tamil. Weekend sounds great. Pad thai looks fabulous and that green tea with ginger, lemon & honey- can't wait to try that. I just add warm water and drink. Can never say no to paruppu vadas and they are great when dunked in rasam.

Vikis Kitchen said...

Again a feast to my eyes and thoughts for brain. Lovely post. Nice info on channa dhal . I too thought differently:) Vadai and dip looks yummy. Green tea is always my best choice by 10 Am. After seeing ur iced tea, I m going to try it right now. Mango with yogurt too impressed me a lot. Story of doubt is wonderful , everyone makes mistakes in assumption. Nice theme.History of England / surrounding nations is always interesting. Have to go through those links u gave.
Happy week ahead and a wonderful New year.

Deepa Hari said...

Wow Asha...one more delicious treat from u....love the pad thai, vadas....Mango frozen yogurt is cool and perfect for this summer...Good job.

FH said...

Laavanya, thank you so much for clarifying the Kandha name.
I was scratching my head about it for a day, not realizing it's another name Lord Muruga/Subramanya as we call him in Kannada. Even went Googling for quite a while, still didn't give me certain answer but guessed it's probably Skanda! :D

kalpana said...

Vegan pad thai looks delectable! i have never tried vadas with dill..That must give nice flavor to to the fritters.When i clicked on the recipe for the spicy dal dip, gorgegous urad dhal vada welcomed me....oh my god...i need some vada...droolinggg :)

Priya said...

Lovely spread as always Asha, I wish I could have a bite of each! Thank you for the wonderful entry :-)

I love Meryl Streep too, she lives through her characters in the movies, and is also extremely versatile! Haven't seen Doubt' yet though.

Suparna said...

Hi Asha,
First of all a salute to ur spirit of friendliness and encouragement!
I'm so glad u visit me regularly and leave such encouraging and warm comments.
Chana Dal fritters...masal vade alwa ;) aiyo I lovvvvvvvvvve it completely! it tastes damn good with anything, can never get tired of this one.
Thai dish looks superbly prepared and well presented!
Green tea cooler tumba superagide! healthwise also.Thanks for the recipe.
Frozen dessert bagge yen matadodu Ashaawre! I am stumped by this dessert! strawberry madde...illi bandu mango yogurt nodde so adannu madbeku ansatte ;)
Wow! nice movies u've watched, short and decider reviews!
BTW Marley and me noddvi...I was sobbing and sobbing in the end! good one though! Hindi sikadre AA dekhe zarra nodi! it's kinda nice :)
Have a great weekend!
TC

indosungod said...

Can anybody say no to Masala Vadai. Most states celebrate new years on 14th I guess, Tamils,Malayalis,Punjabis, Bengalis. I have a serious weakness for Pad Thai, while visiting Thai restaurants almost always end up ordering pad thai. The Vegan version looks sinful as well.

Anjali Koli said...

Wow loved the mango frozen desert I love mango shrikhand too. The green tea is my style and love sipping on it in the summers. The You have a good day.

Smita said...

Awesome Asha! I have been meaning to try out pad thai at home for a while now but never got to it. This recipe is so easy to try at home!:) Do you think lemongrass can be added to pad thai? I am getting lemongrass at the local farmers market but dont know what to make with it.

I also like that boleyn movie....Doubt sounds interesting too and I love Meryl Streep:)

Cham said...

I feel the summer in ur post Asha! The frozen mango yogurt is stealing my heart! I already feel Trisha gonna miss all her mom food :) Hope she gonna visit u every weekend :)
Masala vada with dill is very different twist, I always buy dill and end up making almost nothing! Good one!

chef and her kitchen said...

Wow ..evrything is looking really gorgeous...Nice twist to the chana dal fritters...everything is looking yummy..loved the green tea cooler

Recipeswap said...

I'm drinking lots of Lipton green tea these days too.Everything looks fab......ok so great minds think alike huh?these vadas look better than mine....neat shape and all.
another thing is that I always leave out fish sauce in Thai and Chinese recipes.
Love the mango frozen yogurt.

FH said...

Haha! Neema, your tastes are similar to mine too. Love Lipton tea bags and I leave out the Fish sauce as well, got to love the smell to use it! :)

Jamie said...

Asha, what a post. When reading through your Pad Thai recipe, I realized that the part of my Pad Thai recipe that I liked the least was the fish sauce. Even though I used it sparingly, it has such a strong flavor. I will take your advice and try this tamarind sauce next time.

Green Tea Cooler looked super refreshing. Soon it will be warm up here and I can enjoy one!

Indhu said...

the channa dal vadas look yummy... very crispy and am tempted to flick them off the monitor :)
i love pad thai... lovely delicious spread :)

UjjU said...

Green Tea recipe looks so innovative. I've always tried it with lemon. Next time I'll try it your way, without honey or sugar. cuz I don't like Tea (other than Indian Tea) with sugar :) Thanks for sharin the recipe.

Pavani said...

I made your dill-sooji vadas and they were awesome, quick & delicious. Will try ur chana dal fritters w/ dill. I want to make frozen yogurt, by hubby cannot stand yogurt, I think I should try it out anyway for my son and I. Mango frozen yogurt looks yummy.
BTW.. I didn't watch doubt but always wanted to knw if the teacher is really guilty??? Could be spoiler, but I'll keep it a secret. :-)

Deepthi Shankar said...

those vadas look absolutely gorgeous & I love the use of dill .. Pad thai looks great as well. Iam totally in love with all sorts of tea & this one sound just great for summer

AnuSriram said...

Wow.. lovely spicy vadas asha.. Looks tempting! Green tea is my fav.. This one looks fabulous! Thanks for sending it to my event. Frozen yogurt looks yummy!

Le @HC said...

from the spread, vegan pad thai is intriguing to me as its hard to find it in restaurants without the smell of meat though they claim it to be vegan :). Fast and furious.. I though of missing that one.. May be i should give a peek sometime.

Archy said...

Nice spread of recipes Asha, specially refreshing on Mango yogurt and tea cooler !!
Never tried thai, looks so gud !! Shall try soon !!
Love Chattambade with dill in it looks so crispy an tasty !!
Enjoy Spring !!

Unknown said...

Dal vada and dal dip looks so mouthwatering.Y'day i too made pad thai love the falvors. Craving for some mangoes now seeing lots of recipes with mangoes.

anusharaji said...

luv the dill idea in fritters
its been a while since i had some fritters.......snow here
pad thai ummmmm
we watched fast n furious on release day. luved it

Vani said...

Dill aambodes look great! And the vegan pad thai too. SOunds like u had a nice "Indian day" out :)

FH said...

Jamie and HC,
I think it's the Fish sauce which spoils the taste and aroma of Pad Thai. It takes one to really LOVE Fish sauce to enjoy Pad Thai with it. I think without it, Thai or Chinese food will be fine, some may not call it authentic though!No win situation! :D

Pavani, Doubt movie doesn't really tell you whether he is guilty but Father sure does protest a bit too much! ;D
Also movie hints at his inappropriate behavior although he has believable explanation to everything. Nun also asks him why he is transferred 3 times in 3 yrs to different schools and he doesn't explain. The way he was smooth taking to the younger nun, Trisha was screaming "Pedophile" at the TV!! :D

FH said...

Vani, it took 2 days after the trip to recover from the driving, Indian food, Indian snacks and all! :D
We do visit little India just once in 6 mnts, so it's enjoyable.

glamah16 said...

What a beautiful meal. Thank you for the entry for MLLA.

Ashwini said...

First of all lovely and yummy spread.. Channa vada is our fav..especially with dill, we can never stop eating..
Love pad thai and green tea..Absolutely delicious.. Can take my eyes of that mango yogurt..delicious for this summer..

Vishali said...

Hey...Asha Wishing you and ur loved ones a very Happy New Year! forgot to wish u before yar ;).

Seems u had a nice time visiting the campus and little India..I am visiting India(bigger one) too in June ...Take care.

Kay said...

I finally got my ultra grinder out and made some brown rise dosa the other day, all the while thinking of you. Thanks for the kick in the behind. Thsi time, I'll make some masala vadas. LOVE them!

I read that Trish is getting some awards this weekend. Or was that last weekend? Congratulations!!! :)

Mango frozen yogurt!!! Hmmmm.. I'll give it a try next. We seem to get good mangoes here these days.

Nandinis food said...

Lord Muruga(n)'s other names-kanda(n), skanda, saravana(n)-hotel saravana bhavan :), kumaran, kadaban...I will leave you with these because I can't write 108 names!
Adding dill to channa dal could be a different taste. Never liked thai food with fish sauce. I like the idea of using sweet n spicy tamarind sauce. My family loves green tea but I never liked the taste. Mango yogurt..Slurrrrrrrrp!

FH said...

YAY! Kay, isn't that ULTRA useful? I love it, you still need Sumeet to grind chutney in small amount but love the ULTRA for dosas and idlis.
This coming Sunday at 3pm. She worked hard for it, would be fun! :)
I get Spanish mangoes which are sweet but very stringy, I use canned pulp most of the time.

FH said...

Usha, 108 names? Whoa! I never heard of the name Kandas before, now I do know, learn something everyday! :)

Shivapriya said...

Wow Asha complete veggie platter.

I wonder how did you manager to do all these. as usual tempting. I wish I was ur neighbor:)

Happy spring!!

Cilantro said...

I love the Fritters and Phad thai. I have had them with chicken and Tofu Phad thai is new to me.
Love the Green tea for the freshness....it is not spring yet in Seattle. It snowed two days back. I will make them when it gets warmer and who does`nt like mangoes.
Asha, you are lucky to have nice Indian restaurants around.

Priya Sriram said...

Hi Asha...
Absolutely delicious looking vadas and pad thai!! :)
I had never tried thai cuisine before coming to US, and when I did, just loved it completely.. :)
And your picture wants me to taste it again, (as I'm not patient enough to try new cuisines ;) )
Gorgeous pictures!! :)

Varsha Vipins said...

Gosh..u had a great day Akka..That would be my dream day..a grand indian buffet..movie..shopping n again Masala dosa for dinner..god..Lovely lovely..:)
I so loved your pics this time..better than all previous one..That closer look of Vada's are torturing u knw..:D..n pad thai looks fab from some exotic Thai kitchen..Mango yougurt is my dish n I'll try that soon..:)
Have a great week ahead Akka..:)
Hugs

sharada said...

hi,
you have made my wednesday's pleasant..nowdays i eagerly wait for your post...again a lovely spread..i am going to try the mango yogurt..Happy week ahead!

Anonymous said...

Wow Asha...everything looks so wonderful. Loved the additoin of dill in the vadas. The mango yoghurt looks like icecream :) I wanted to see Fast and Furious. Will watch it soon. Happy New Year to you.

bee said...

when you say thick tamarind paste for the tam sauce, do you mean the tam con in the jar or fresh pulp? i'd like to make this.

Sanghi said...

Mm yummy spread of delights.. All are perfect for the events. Fantastic clicks Asha..!!:) Do check the FIL Part2 roundup!!

mona said...

The Chana dal and Dill fritters with spicy hot rasam looks sooo mouth watering !!

prajusha said...

asha,
parippu vada looks crispy and pad thai looks so colorful.
mango yogurt is perfect for summer..nowadays it is so hot here and iam going to try this.

Purnima said...

Oh Man, late here! Loved ur pic of dal vadai n rasam!Oh my mouth's watering! That yogurt wt mango looks great! N my 3 yr old wd b thrilled wt u, he loves green tea but I make it simple..I mw a glass of water for a min, steep the tea bag for 5 mins(hv 3-4 flavors here!) add sugar, mix n give! He even licks away the last drop! :D
The thai dish looks inviting..never tried one myself! :) Tks for excerpts of movie! Got to begin someday! My weekend begins today..wd visit again on SUnday-my weekday! :) Hv a great weekend!

notyet100 said...

mmmm,...droolin lookin at pics,...specially chana dal fritters,...little india reminded me of little indi in singapore,..waitin for next post,..tk cre...

jayasree said...

Vada looks gorgeous. want to try the green tea. looks very refreshing. am drooling over the mango frozen yogurt. Liked the freezer bag method.

Jayashree said...

Asha, Kanda is the Tamil version of Skanda(another name for Lord Muruga). I guess the retaurant missed out the apostrophe...it should have been Kanda's....
Iam going to try making green tea your way. I have this huge dabba full of green tea from our visit to the nilgiris....I made it once....with no sugar....and hated it. Let me try it out with honey this time.

bird's eye view said...

Asha,

The recipes are, as always delicious. The dill-chana dal vadas look like aambode.

Big life change, eh, with your daughter moving out? Don;t even want to think that far ahead :(

PS. try jean plaidy if you;re interested in english history - she's fabulous

Namrata Kini said...

Your posts make my mouth water. I wish you were my neighbour.

FH said...

Thanks girls, just woke up and started the day! :)

Bee, I used Laxmi brand jarred "Natural concentrated Tam paste" which has a nice reddish color. You can also use Tam seedless pulp soaked in water too, but it has dark color,so Pad Thai looks dark. I prefer reddish Tam paste and I used jarred Tam paste for this Pad Thai! :)

Jaya, I think they skipped an Apostrophe for Kandas too, which confused me more!:D

Purnima, that;s great that he likes Green Tea, very healthy! My kids don't go near coffee or Tea of any kind!:D

BEV, will check her out too, thanks! :)

FH said...

HC, it's almost like Ice Cream, except you skip the egg and replace the heavy cream with thick yogurt. Lot less fat than Ice Cream too! :D

Lavanya Raj said...

Wish i should have stayed in Next Door of urs..IAM TOTALLY HOOKED HERE!

Nandini Vishwanath said...

Ayyo, nange vade beku. Miss it :(

And I've eaten at Udipi :D I ate like I had not eaten for 2 weeks when I went there and I've shopped at Little India also inspite of having a huge Indian store here in ATL :D

You should come here sometime to shop!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Wow, everything looks so scrumptious! These fritters and that pad thai are beautiful and really appetizing!

Cheers,

Rosa

Mojo said...

The green tea cooler sounds awesome! And thanks for the tip on Kanda -- I'll have to try it out. Udipi is always a favorite of mine too. (You should have told me you were coming!)

Headed to UNC-G tonight for a recital, but probably won't be staying much past then.

Meera said...

Bookmarked all the recipes. Loved it as usual.
Hey, Meryl streep is my favorite too. I just love all her movies. She is so talented and i wonder, how she masters different accents.

Anonymous said...

Asha,fritters make me upset..lots of memories there..hooohoo
Green tea looks awesome Asha..I love it..the click makes it worthier..
and the mango yogurt..my God,you are torturing me for sure !!

FH said...

N, we do visit Atlanta on the way to Orlando usually. Last time we stayed for a weekend and visited the Aquarium, loved it. Atlanta is little far away for us, we tend to drive to east more! :))

Thanks Rosa and Mojo. green Iced Tea is wonderful, hope you try.
Mojo, we just suddenly decided to go and visit Chapel Hill on a whim, didn't plan it before. Enjoy the concert! :)

Meera, she has a God given gift, not everybody can master everything. She is wonderful! :)

Thanks Ann, I need to stop frying now that it's getting warmer here! :D

A_and_N said...

btw I came back to ask where you found jalapeno flakes?

Ashwini said...

i loved ur tofu pad thai...

FH said...

N, I found it in the World Market, thinking of adding to Chaklis, must tatse great. See if you can find a World Market store there. It's not always available everywhere, quite a find for me! ;D

Thanks Ash, try it. It's yummy! :)

Bong Mom said...

Your post says spring is here. Green tea and yummy mango dessert :)

Did I tell you we loved your Thupka and it is going to be made more, only I made it a little more spicy with sambal olek and soy sauce etc.

FH said...

Thanks for trying Thukpa Sandeepa. I bought a bottle of sambal Olek too but scared to add in the dishes! :D I don't know how spicy it is but will try in Chinese dishes soon! :)

Madhavi said...

Hummmm everything looks just yummmm and dal vada oh i want to eat right now :))

Sophie said...

Everything from the pad thai to the cooler looks really tasty :).

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

yum yum.. do send them to my event! would love to see more from you.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

hey dear.. do send these. i have updated my blog.. now it says april 20th or earlier.

FH said...

Mahimaa, I will send these and one more on Monday. Enjoy 15minute yummies! :)

Uma said...

Wow, what a spread again! Love those crunchy vadas and masala chai! Nice pics.

Linda said...

Hi Asha dear -- so the baby girl is leaving the nest -- I know how you feel!! She's going to blossom even more than she already has at home, and you can be sure she's learned well from her mama just how to do so. We moms have the harder time ;) Wishing T all happiness when she makes the big move.

Your menu is awesome and I especially love the shot of green tea cooler with bamboo plant. I've been into Thai too lately -- got to get some posted soon :)

I'm off next week on vacation so might miss your next post... just in case you're planning it -- save the brinjal menu for when I get back, pls ;)

Unknown said...

thanks Asha for sending the recipes, i saw the email.

Kolors of life said...

Wow...nice dishes and pics Asha..i will make Mango Frozen Yogurt today as i have fresh mangoes with me

Viji said...

Adding dill to the fritters is a wise idea Asha. The frozen yoghurt is welcoming. Viji

FH said...

Linda, thank God we are only about 1hour and 15 mins away from U. She is happy, yeah we will miss her more!;D
I have a Brinjal post, I will hold on until you come back. Have a wonderful break, you deserve it. Hugs to you! :)

Enjoy Mahimma and K.
Viji, Dill vadas are very popular in Karnataka, famous street side snack as well around Rajajinagar! :)

Sia said...

Ashakka, now that's one healthy menu (and yeah, little indulgence of fritter is absolutely fine:). loved that green tea (masala hara chai:) and may be i'll make it for K if he behaves ;)
hwz Trisha finding her new uni? bet she must be exicited. and so many indian restaurants near her uni!!! wish we had atleast one decent s.Indian rest nearby!!!
i like Meryl Streep and costume dramas too. i am yet to watch Doubt and may be i will hire a DVD this weekend. since K was working during long easter hols we have taken a day off monday. so gonna enjoy this long weekend :) life's been too hectic for the past few weeks with the launch of BC and also work wise. so it will be a welcome break for both of us.
have a lovely weekend Ashakka.

Saritha said...

All the best for your daughter,may she comes out with flying colours.
Fritters looks great and i love green tea,but never added lemon and honey..

hv jn4 rnfvju hn fjmv nvtrngjv cftmgkivj mt said...

Thanks Asha. Simon was also a bit harsh with Anoop. The movers are coming today and the house is a mess. I think this weekend is going to be hectic.

lissie said...

a great feast to my eyes, asha! give me those vadas and the green tea cooler...oh what a satisfaction!!!

Malar Gandhi said...

Gorgeous presentation, lovely clicks...I adorre your write-ups. Nice twist to the regular masal vada, dill would have given nice aroma...i guess. Anything with mango, count me in! he he. Green tea refreshing and rich in antioxidants. Pad thai with tofu, yummm!:)

FH said...

Hi Sia, she is excited and can't wait.It's relatively nearby, so we will be visiting her often of course.
Great to see you. I know! Life suddenly got so busy here too. Weather is getting warmer,kids are home for Spring break, we are so busy planting and running around the town!:D
Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!:)

Thanks V and Lissie, enjoy! :)

Madhu, happy moving girl. I know, it takes time to adjust to the new home, take it easy tho', can be stressful.Hugs to you! :)

Malar, you can add Shrimps and eggs to Pad Thai too, will taste better. Have a great weekend! :)

chef and her kitchen said...

Thank you asha for ur lovely words..:)

ARUNA said...

My god, what a photography yaa...............its a gorgeous spread!!!Those fritters are looking sooo yummmm!!Mango yogurt....slurp...slurp....slurp!!! U rock Asha!

Gattina Cheung said...

Asha my sweet :):) these days I am experiencing Masala tea, but I personally like red (or usually called "black"??) tea. But what is orginal, green or red?
Besides, I added quite a lot of fennel seeds and caraway seeds, was I doing something wrong? Anyway, love your masala tea recipe (of your previous post).
Oh yes, this spicy dal dip is a must-try! BIIIIIIGGGGG thanks with a bear hug :)

FH said...

Thanks P and Aruna, enjoy the weekend!:)

Gattina, Indian Tea is always red or blackish, like Liptons or Assamese. Green Tea tastes very different from Indian Tea. Adding masala like ginger, cloves and cinnamon is great with Indian Tea, not so good with Green Tea.
You can add 1/4 tsp crushed Fennel to the tea pot but skip the Caraway, we don't usually add those. Enjoy the Tea, masala or not. Hugs! :)

Unknown said...

Every recipe on your space is lovely, looks delicious and mouthwatering.

I liked your text on the movies that you watched. I might be watching Fast and Furious 4 this week...As you liked Merryl Streep in the movie Doubt...thought you might like her "devilish" side in "The Devil Wears Prada".. If you haven't watched this one...grab a copy...this one is a fab...Thanks Akka...

ChrisB said...

I'm going to try the frozen mango yoghurt recipe.

I agree with you Meryl Streep is a good actress.

Priya Sriram said...

Hi Asha, I have shared an award with you in my blog.. Pls accept it :)

FH said...

Supriya, I did see that Prada movie long time ago, she is just fab in every movie I have seen of hers so far! :)

Thanks Chris and Priya, enjoy! :)

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Looks delicious ... so tempting

FH said...

Hi Mala, good to see you. Hope weather is little better there now girl! :)

Rajesh &Shankari said...

Good you went to see the campus,Iam sure that puts your mind at ease.

I have taught Pad thai in my class, if you dont want to add fish sauce to the sauce you are making, try adding vegetarian oyster sauce. The taste is phenomenal!

FH said...

Hi Shankari, campus is very nice and safe, so we are glad.
I will look for veg Oyster sauce, never heard of it. Interesting, thanks for the info!:)

Priya said...

You are awesome. Just within seconds of my post you checked out the recipe for chocolate nut squares. Those channa dal fritters are my favorites..And thanks for sharing pad thai recipe!

FH said...

HeHe! Priya, I was about get up and make dinner and your post popped up. Thought why not say something before I leave and glad I did. Enjoy Pad Thai, it was yummy! :)

Chitra said...

hello asha, as usual yummy collection of recipes.I dont find words to praise u.U are simply wonderful!!

TBC said...

The mango yogurt sounds good.
Doubt is on my must watch list.:)
Have a great weekend, Asha.

Unknown said...

wow subsige soppina masalvade hummm looks so crunchy and that mango frozen yogurt mmmmmmm mouthwatering every thing looks simply superb

Tina said...

I appreciate your interest in imbibing the taste and cuisines of India. I am a tamilian, married to a mallu, settled in Bangalore. I loved your karnataka, kerala and tamil nadu thalis. I am from a portugese-influenced part of Tamil Nadu called Tuticorin. The Dodol from Goa is made in Tuticorin also. Its darker in color and has a very short shelf life but the taste is yummy. Also, in Tuticorin we make Ghee Rice, which is an exact replica of Ceylon Yellow Coconut Milk Rice. Not to mention the similarity of Kerala's banana fritters with the Thai street food - banana dipped in coconut milk and dotted with sesame seeds and fried! The world is such a small place after all.

FH said...

Hi Tina, I appreciate your comment, thanks girl! :)
WOW! What a wonderful mixed culture influences you have, that is so great. Because of this RCI event, I am learning a lot too about India, try to make dishes as authentic as possible. Lack of so many native ingredients makes it tough but still I try my best. Wish you had a blog, we all could learn a lot from your cuisine too, Tuticorin sounds so interesting, never heard of it before!:))

Nandini Vishwanath said...

AA, I have tons of Rasam powder and I hardly use it. Want me to send some across?

kalpana said...

Hi asha, I have tagged and passed on two awards to you..check out my post :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Asha! I am here after a hiatus. Work pressure keeps me away from blogging. Liked the dishes: Chana fritters: I just love them. There is a Sagar Ratna chain of Restaurant in the neighborhood. We love going there and eating vadas ( Medu and Chana), along with Rasam, Idlis or Lemon rice. Chana with Dill is an interesting variation.

Fast and Furious: You are right about guys loving the movie. In fact a close relative's 17 yr old son smashed his dad's car in a metro flyover a few weeks ago while trying to drift with the song palying in the car. The car was badly damaged but he thankfully survived because of the air bags.

College for your daughter. It's good you have been able to find a good campus. My elder girl is now in 8th and we will also embark on similar journeys soon enough.

Green Tea: I just love it. Will try the new way soon. Cheers!

Dibs said...

Vadas are an all time favourite - soaked in rasam it becomes a real fancy dish! Loved the snap and flavour of green tea (and the feng shui bamboo too!)

Hey - I am reallly curious to know the recipe of your ajjis rasam powder with soooo many ingredients! I hope you know it and will post it some time!

FH said...

N, did I scare you that much girl? ;D
Yes, I would to if you have some to spare, will mail you later. Busy day today, Trisha is getting a medal for getting all A's, got to go to University later at 2pm! :)

Thanks Kalpana, will check out. Hugs! :)

Kulpreet, nice to you. Yeah, kids grow up so fast, can't believe I am sending one away already! :)
So sorry about that boy who had an accident, glad he is intact. They think they are immortal, don't they?!

Dibs, it's saaru pudi, complicated recipe with raw garlic and all, so I don't make it at all here. My mother used to get a package every year from my ajji and I used to get some too from her stah. But now a days, I make the easy ones here!:D

vidhas said...

lovley platter, love to have the feast. yet to try green tea cooler.mango frozen yogurt looks yummy.

Vibaas said...

What a yummy yummy spread! I'm drooling here :)

Madhu's cooking gallery said...

Awesome feast! Love the vadas and Pad thai dish!! all of them look super yumm!!

Sig said...

Hi Asha, a bit late, but here is to a wonderful new year :) We have an unusually warm day here and I can really use a green team cooler right about now :) Hope you had a great weekend!

Sanghi said...

Lovely display.. Do check my blog for ur award dear..!

Keshi said...

That grean-tea somehow is my fav here! :)

Keshi.

vandana rajesh said...

Wow this looks so good. I want to have a bite of the vadas and the mango dessert too seems to be calling out:)

Mona said...

Your chana Dal fritters are making me hungry :)

I love Tamarind chutney and also iced tea is my favorite!

Vandana said...

Definetely want to try the Pad Thai. Will Go shopping for it exclusively for the veggies. Congrats on your daughter starting her college. MY friend's daughter is also starting this year at Georgia Tech. My son has 2 more years... or rather I have 2 more years with my son and 5 more with my daughter :(
Vandana

FH said...

Enjoy your kids and spend more time with them Vandana, that's all we can do in the end. Time for them to take care of themselves as they grow and spread wings. Hugs to you! :)

Lavanya said...

amazing asha..your posts always intresting n new to me ..dill vada looks so yummy..mango frozen yougurt looks so creamy n delicious..i will give a try!!

MR said...

ur blog never disappoints me
love it
has a warm and fuzzy feel
will try the chana fritters

Prajusha said...

asha,
An award waiting for u at www.icookipost.com :)
chek i tout.

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

Wow Asha...thanks for the kind words.

N love the iced tea...I made my version a little different as my mom-in-law was fasting and I wanted to make for her too :)

krystyna said...

All your today's recipes are perfect for me. I have to be back.
GREAT JOB!
Thank you so much, Asha!

Seena said...

You know Asha, that vadas are my favourites,you really made me sad, no way to get one here... am feeling hungry(angry).. :)

Archana said...

Pad thai looks wonderful - had one at a thai restaurant over the weekend..the iced tea looks so refreshing...hope you tried the chutney and liked it too...

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Everything is so nice..good pictures too. tempting

FH said...

Thanks girls, appreciate all ypour comments and tips! :)

Arch, I did make your chutney today with Vaishali's Pesarattu as well, carrot addition looks wonderful in the chutney. Thanks for posting that, I will post the photos of both next week here with "Tried and Tasted" collage!:))

SJ said...

I do not mean to be imposing or anything but can you please post a authentic (no make it tasty) vegetable biryani? I searched your rice dishes found only alu biryani. I have a few biryani's J calls them pulao :( If you did post it already please let me know- I can then get my eyes checked up.

PS- Nandu called u aaunn...aaaunn....aaaunty!

FH said...

Here is a Hyderabadi Biryani I made RCI Andhra, see if you like it.

http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/2007/05/andhra-cuisine.html

I will kick her butt if N does but she calls me amma or akka rather than aunty because I told her I will adopt her! Hahhaha!!

Cynthia said...

That tamarind dip - my mouth is watering.

Since I'm in the mood for sweet things, I'll take the tea and frozen yogurt thank you :)

sowjanya said...

oh my my what a delicious feast was that asha. Loved all your dishes. I'm drooling over.

Anonymous said...

lemon honey drink is perfect for the hot days we are facing right now.

Susan said...

Took me forever to figure out that chana dal are special, small chickpeas - never knew what to make of them when I first saw them split. They are now one of my very favorite legumes.

Yummy fritters, Asha. Been on bit of a break lately, but can see you are operating on the usual full head of steam. ; }