Oven Roasted Peanuts | Varutha Kadala | Roasted Peanuts

My family and my extended family, we all like to munch on salted roasted peanuts.. Even the kids and toddlers too follow the trend :) Everyone loves to munch some good salted "kadala" or "kappalandi" or  "nilakadala" or "verkadalai" whatever name you call it ! I remember in my childhood days my mom and dad used to try to re-create the kappalandikaran's way of roasting peanuts by adding sand in the kadai and then heating them to an optimum temperature and then trying to roast the peanuts in them.. If I ask them about that, they will still reminisce them with more failure stories than success ones ; The idea was to re-create the perfectly roasted peanuts that we get from the road side vendors, but it's quite a feat to achieve at home without damaging your utensils. And in those days it was cheaper to buy the roasted peanuts from them than try to recreate at home...

But nowadays it is so costly to buy from them, have you noticed? You just get three fistfuls for 10 bucks. And every time you want to munch on peanuts you can't go searching for the kappalandi chetan right :D So I learnt to roast these peanuts very gracefully in a microwave from my Mil.. It's very easy and fuss free and you do not leave behind a spotted dirty looking kadai.. Cool right? And now the different microwave brands work differently.. Some heat up fast while some are slower, so take baby steps first and know your microwave lest you are left with bad looking burnt peanuts !

Soaking Time : 60 minutes

Cooking Time : 10-15 minutes

I Used:

Peanuts	-	As Needed
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Soak peanuts in salt water for 30-60 minutes. The water should be salty when you taste it. Hence taste and add salt accordingly. If salt is not sufficient, the roasted peanuts will not taste great

2. Once soaked. spread the peanuts on the microwave tray. Set your oven to microwave mode and power to max (in my case 900 W) and timer to 3 minutes

3. After 3 minutes, open the oven and quickly stir the peanuts with a spatula. This is to ensure that they get roasted evenly

4. Then again keep in 900 W for another 2 minutes. Again open and stir with a spatula. I continued like this for a total of 11 minutes and the peanuts were roasted. In my mil's microwave she keeps for 5 minutes twice or thrice till done. That oven doesn't heat too fast and hence she is able to keep for a longer time. So know your oven and test with smaller time during the first time. Then you will get the hang of it and can improvise 

5. And watch out for the burnt smell. If you get them, immediately switch off the oven and open the door and allow it to cool. And from next time keep for a lower time :)

Hope my tips are helpful and you could roast some good peanuts :) Let me know your comments and thoughts in the comments section !

Cheers,
Chitz

Vazhaipoo Poriyal | Vazhachundu Thoran | Banana Blossom Stir Fry - without Coconut

Banana Blossom stir fried with shallots & peanuts

There are certain veggies that we hate in childhood but turn close to heart when we grow up right? And when u relish on it now, you can always hear your amma saying 'How difficult was it to make her eat this one when she was young?' Isn't it?? Vazhapoo was one such veggie.. But to say the truth, I was a very picky eater when I was young, rather I had an aversion to food as such. Though you would never believe that if you see me munching & gobbling varieties of cuisines now ! 

Called by a wide variety of names as Vazhakoombu/Koombu/Kudappan/Chundu/Vazhapoo/Plantain or Banana Flower, this veggie is a very healthy & is a rich source of Vitamin E & antioxidants (now does that impress you?) And this dish you can say is yet another handiwork of my mom to make it even more healthier by avoiding coconut & substituting it with crushed peanuts. I would say that it retains the original flavor of the Vazhapoo which is usually shadowed by the addition of coconut & also the peanuts adds an extra crunch to the dish ! Even Deeps who is not a fan of this veggie would have a helping when the stir fry is prepared this way :)

The below picture goes to the Color me Purple (And Blue & Violet!) event of the "The Color Me Photography Challenge Series" - the brainchild of Priya !

Recipe Source: Ma
Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took:
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

I Used:

Banana Blossom/Vazhapoo	-	1 flower - about 2 cups after cleaning & chopping
Peanuts	-	3 tbsp
Shallots	-	4-6 no
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Oil	-	1 tbsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Clean vazhapoo & chop them finely. Then rinse them in water. Use a big strainer or colander to rinse them as it is more easier that way
2. In a pan mix the cleaned vazhapoo, red chilly powder & salt. Add enough water & cook until the vazhapoo is done
3. Coarsely grind the peanuts. You may just pulse it for 3-4 times
4. In another pan, heat oil. Splutter mustard
5. Then add shallots & saute till they turn golden in color. Now add the peanuts & saute well for a minute or so
6. Finally add the cooked vazhapoo & give a thorough mix 

Serve with rice & a gravy of your choice :)

Cheers,

Chitz

Pudina Verkadalai Chutney | Mint Chutney | Mint & Peanut Chutney

Roasted mint & peanut chutney with green chilly & garlic

Some of the very simple, hassle free recipes can be very powerful & add the extra zing to the other main dishes on the platter, right?? For instance pickle, I wouldn't say preparing them is hassle free, but it's very simple with minimal ingredients, but that adds life to the hot piping biriyanis na. And pappad, raita are some others in this genre which brings in an extra zest to the rich and elaborate dishes. In that line, is this chutney. Very healthy coz no coconut at all. My mom finds ways to avoid coconut & coconut milk, rather replace I should say !! Peanuts are the apt replacement for coconut in chutneys. Gives you the crunchy bite & a special aroma & an awesome taste. Pair this up with idly or dosa and you have the perfect sidekick. Or roll it over chappathi. I have it even with rice porridge. So shall we dive into the recipe?

The other chutney recipes that might interest you are 

Onion Tomato Kara Chutney

Easy Onion Chutney 

Pudina Chutney (without coconut) 

Mint Coconut Chutney
Red Coconut Chutney

Recipe from Ma

Yields : 1 cup (3-4 persons)

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

I Used:

Mint - A bunch (around 25-30 sprigs) Peanuts - 3 tbsp Green Chilly - 2 nos Garlic - 2 cloves Tamarind - a pinch Asafoetida - ¼ tp Salt - As Needed Oil - As Needed Mustard  - 1 tsp

The Way:

1. Pick the mint leaves from the sprigs, rinse them in water and keep aside
2. In a pan heat oil. Add the peanuts, green chillies, garlic, tamarind & asafoetida and roast them till they turn into a little golden color
3. Do not over-roast them. When done, keep aside
4. In the same pan roast the rinsed mint leaves. This may take about 30 seconds to a minute. The leaves will all shrink. Then remove the pan from flame
5. Grind together all the roasted ingredients except mint leaves. When the peanuts are half ground add the mint leaves and give the final blend
6. In a pan heat little oil. Splutter the mustard seeds and add it to the ground mint chutney

Cheers,

Chitz