Geetha's Kitchen

Make these delicious thick vegetable laden pancakes reminiscent of the Chinese egg fooyong or the Japanese Okonomiyaki when you have leftover Adai batter. The vegetable adai can fool one into thinking that it is okonomiyaki! Imagine that!! The leftover batter (kept at room temperature) ferments slightly the next day and has a wonderful tangy flavor and makes for delicious vegetable adais. My favorite veggie combo is: sprouted Mung Beans , shredded red cabbage and carrots, finely sliced onions and bell peppers. This particular combination of vegetables is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Serve with coconut or green chutney, raita , or any kind of hot Indian pickles. 4 Servings of 2 adai each Ingredients: 2 cups of Leftover Adai Batter 1/4 tsp Salt 1 sprig curry leaves, leaves finely sliced into ribbons 2 thin slices of ginger, finely chopped 1 hot green chili, seeds removed and chopped fine 2 cups shredded vegetables 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped A few...

This raita or pachadi is simple and delicious and is spiced simply with roasted cumin seeds. It is a cool and refreshing summertime recipe. Raitas are best eaten immediately but will keep up to 2 days. I like using the hot-house or Persian cucumbers for their mild taste for this dish; plus their skin is very tender so no need to peel - less time for meal prep! 6 Servings Ingredients: 2 Medium Cucumbers 1/2 small Red Onion(Optional) 1/2 cup cherry Tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped Cilantro leaves 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup Thick Yogurt 1 cup regular or low fat Sour Cream 1 Tbsp Whole Cumin Seeds, dry roasted and ground A little Ground Red Chili or Cayenne or Paprika for garnish Method: Wash and dry all the veggies. Peel the cucumbers if they are waxed or have tough skins. Cut in half and check the seeds; if they are tender and immature, go ahead and chop finely. If the seeds are mature, scoop them out before chopping. Finely chop the onions; halve the cherry tomatoes. Place all the ingredients in...

Our mothers, grandmas and aunts were very frugal but extremely creative to provide the family with delectable food while keeping wastage to a minimum. Kunukku was one such invention to incorporate leftover batter to make fabulous snacks similar to pakodas. If the batter is too thin, a little whole wheat flour (1 or 2 Tbsp at a time) may be stirred in; it should be as thick as pancake batter. A half cup of vegetables like finely chopped onions, cabbage or spinach may be added to the batter. Kunukkus are so delicious that one is known to prepare them on occasion from fresh batter also! Ingredients: 2 cups of Leftover Adai Batter 1 pinch of Salt 1 sprig curry leaves, leaves finely sliced into a chiffonade (fine ribbons) 2 thin slices of ginger, finely chopped 1 hot green chili, seeds removed and chopped fine Oil for deep frying Method: Mix the batter with salt, chili, curry leaves and ginger. Heat the oil until very hot but not smoking; a tiny dri...

If you have the Ragada and Vegetable Patties/Burgers prepared ahead of time, this popular dish based on one of Bombay's favorite street snacks goes together quickly. The chutneys can be home-made or purchased from an Indian market. You can set up all the ingredients for a buffet style meal and watch it all disappear in record time :-). Ingredients: Ragada Vegetable Patties/Burgers 1 Red Onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped Fresh Cilantro 1 cup Green Cilantro/Mint Chutney 1 cup Sweet and Sour Date/Tamarind Chutney Red Chili powder (cayenne) to sprinkle on top (Optional) Method: Make Ragada and the Vegetable Patties/Burgers ; keep them hot. Place one or two patties on a plate and spoon about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the Ragada over them. Drizzle with the chutneys according to taste and sprinkle the onions and cilantro over them. Serve immediately. Variations: Instead of Ragada, spoon Chole Pindi over the patties for what is known in some cities as "Chole Tikki". A dollop...

This is another household pet chutney/relish that is good to have on hand to do its magic on all kinds of snacks like Bajjis , Pakoda, Kunukku , and Ragada-Patties . It is quite easy to make and will store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks in an airtight jar or in the freezer for longer storage. Combined with the Green Chutney it makes a delicious salad dressing especially for chopped salads like Kale Bhel Salad . Ingredients: Tamarind pulp, the size of 1 golf ball Dates, a handful to equal the tamarind 1/2" piece Fresh Ginger 1/2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp Jaggery or Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Oil 1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Coriander Seeds 1 Dry Red Chili Method: Soak the Tamarind pulp in 1/2 cup of boiling water. When cool enough to handle, mash with your fingers to remove any seeds, fibers or shell pieces. Heat the oil in a small pan with the spices: cumin, coriander and chili until slightly browned and aromatic. Remove from heat and cool. ...

Mor Kuzhambu or Kootan is a South Indian classic stew of mild flavored vegetables in a yogurt sauce flavored with coconut and cumin seeds. It is another one of our family favorites from my childhood days. The 'zh' is only an approximation of a letter found only in the languages Tamil or Malayalam which is often substituted by 'l' as in Kolambu. To me the closest approximation for 'zh' sounds like the 'r' in mercy. Ripe or unripe plantain (a type of banana), Winter Melon (Elavan), Taro root - Arbi in Hindi -(Colocasia esculenta) or Chenai (a true yam), ripe or unripe Mangoes, Okra, Chayote squash, Cucumbers, Opo squash, etc are the traditional favorites for making Mor Kuzhambu. Potatoes, eggplants, zucchini, etc also can be used to make this kuzhambu. Choose your favorite vegetables. Note: The uncooked rice in the ground masala of coconut and spices is very important when cooking with yogurt as it provides the starch to keep the yogurt fr...