Traditional South Indian Recipes From the Kitchen of Chitra Balachander

south Indian recipes

Today, on women's day, I have decided to come up with a page dedicated to our dearest Chitra Balachander. The name itself says the lady is from south India. But there is more to this name than her south Indian identity. CB di is brimming with talent, passion, and commitment. 

She is a strong headed woman, who does what she thinks is right. But she has a heart worth gold, who cares for everyone.

Let's all salute her women spirit and womanhood and take a lesson from her life and passion for food and cooking that keeps her going and kicking.

Travel with me to her south Indian kitchen and see how a homemaker can turn into a real life hero.

Learn all authentic south Indian recipes from CB here.

How to make healthy waffle at home

homemade waffle recipe

Baby food: Pasta with semolina

Pasta Made for Aria.
Made the pasta from scratch. No salt. No all purpose flour. No
baking soda. No eggs.
Ingredients :
2 cup semolina flour
3/4th cup wheat flour
3/4th cup water.
Method:
Mix all the ingredients to make a dough. It shouldn't be too sticky. Wrap it in a cling wrap for 10 to 15 mins. Let it rest. Cut into strips and cook on boiling water.
Note : it cooks way faster than store bought pasta.
Sauce:
1 ripe tomato
Very little finely chopped onions
Pepper
Garam masala
Oregano
Little oil
Lemon juice
Method :
Chop half tomato into fine dices and pureed the rest of the tomato.
In a pan, added just a little bit of oil just enough to sauté the onions and tomatoes. Added the tomato puree once the onions and tomatoes are soft. Added the remaining ingredients and mixed the pasta. Squeezed very very little lemon In the end.

Coconut Burfi

coconut burfi

Coconut burfi
Ingredients
Fresh grated coconut 2 glass
Sugar 1.5 glass
Water 1 glass
Cashew nuts 10 number roughly chopped
Elachi powder 1 tea spoon
Ghee to grease the plate

Method

In a heavy bottom pan add water and sugar and boil it till u get a thick one string consistency.
Add grated coconut and elachi powder.
Keep on mixing in low flsme
Add cashew nuts
Mix it till the mixture starts leaving the pan and become like one big ball.
Immediately pour the mixture into the greased pan
Allow.it to come down to the room temperature.
Make pieces of your choice

KANJIPURAM IDLI, ONION AND DRUMSTICK SAMBAR, COCONUT AND CORIANDER CHUTNEY.

authentic kanjipuram idli

Ingreadients for Idli. ( Tobe soaked seperately and grinded)

Raw Rice 1 glass
Idli rice 1 glass
saboot urad dal without skin 1 cup
Methi seeds 2 tea spoon
salt as per taste.

for Tadka
Ghee 3 tea spoon
oil 1 tea spoon
Crushed pepper 10-12 numbers
green chillis finely chopped 3-4 numbers
jeera 1 tea spoon
mustard seeds 1/2 tea spoon
finely chopped or grated ginger 2 tea spoon
curry leaves finely chopped 2 tea spoon
coriander leaves finely chopped 2 tea spoon
channa dal 3 tea spoon
urad dal 2 tea spoon
hing 1/2 tea spoon

Method

grind the dal and methi seeds till fluffy. Take out in a vessel.
Grind the rice in rava texture. Not very smooth.
mix it along with the grinded dal and add salt as per taste and keep it covered for ferment for 6-8 hours depending upon the climate.

Before making idli make ready the tadka.
in a tadka pan add ghee and add all ingredients given under tadka . except coriander and curry leaves.
now add this tadka in the grinded and fermented mixture and mix well.

now with the help of idli vessel. make like normal idli and steam for 15 minutes in medium flame..
switch off the gas and wait for five minutes
take out the ready idlis and enjoy with sambar and chutrney

ingredients for sambar

tamarind paste 2 table spoon
drumsticks as per choise. i used 7 pieces finger size
small sambar onion 1/2 cup
sambar powder 1 tea spoon
salt as per taste
hing 1/4 spoon
cooked toor dal 1 cup
grated coconut 1/4 cup
mustard seeds 1/4 tea spoon
saboot red chilli 2 numbers
coriander seeds 2 tea spoon
channa dal 2 tea spoon
red chillis saboot bedigai for colour 4 numbers
red chilli saboot normal 2 numbers
coriander leaves for garnishing
oil 3 tea spoon
Method
in a vessel add tamarind paste, drumstick, salt,sambar powder and water and boil till the raw smell of the powder goes and the drumsticks are cooked
now in a small khadai add one tea spoon oil and add coriander seeds, both types of red chillis and channa dal and roast till its golden brown . allow it to cool down and once its cool add grated coconut and little water and make it into a smooth paste
again take 2 tea spoon of oil in a khadai and add mustard seeds, red chilli and sambar onion and saute till the onions are cooked. donot over cook it. switch off the gas and add hing.
keep it aside.
once the smell of the sambar powder is gone add boiled and mashed toor dal, grinded paste and the sauted onions and mix well.
allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes. but please keep on mixing or it will burn from bottom.
switch off the gas and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy with idli,

Ingridents for coconut chutney

fresh grated coconut 1/4 cup
corainder leaves less than 1/4 cup
green chillis 5 numbers
salt as per taste
chutney dal 2 tea spoon
lemon juice 1/2 tea spoon
Mustard seeds 1/4 tea spoon
hing 1/4 tea spoon
urad dal 1/2 tea spoon
red chilli saboot 1 number
oil 1 tea spoon

method
Grind the coconut, coriander leaves, chutney dal, salt and lemon with adding little water
in a tadka pan add oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, chilli and hing . add it into the grinded chutney.

homemade rasam recipe

Steamed Salty Modak

salty steamed modak recipe

Ingredients

For outer covering 

Rice flour 1 tumbler
Water 2.5 tumbler 
Oil 1 table spoon
Salt 1/4 tea spoon

Procedure
Heat water,salt,oil in a khadai with heavy bottom.
Wait till the water starts boiling 
Now keep the flame on low and add the rice flour little by little and stir without stopping 
Now keep on mixing till the dough become thick and start leaving the khadai.
The colour of the dough will change into light cream 
Now switch off the gas and keep the dough in the hot box till you prepare the stuffing 

ingredients for stuffing

Soaked urad dal 1/2 tumbler
grated coconut 1/4 cup
greenchillis 6-8
mustard seeds 1/2 tea spoon
oil 1 table spoon
curry leaves 8-10 finely chopped
hing 1/4 tea spoon
salt as per taste.

Procedure
Grind the chillis, salt and soaked urad dal into a rough paste
grease the idli plate and pour the grinded dal battter in the idli plate and steam it for 15-20 minutts
Now take out the steamed batter and allow it to cool down completely.
grate the steamed batter and keep it aside.
heat oil in the khadai and add mustard seeds, hing and grated steamed batter,mix well 
add grated coconut and currty leaves.
mix well and allow it to cool down completely

Procedure for stuffing and steaming 

Make lemon size l balls from the cooked dough 
Again make balls biggerr than the outer dough balls
Now apply little oil in hand and make a small cup or a flat covering from the dough
Keep the stuffing in the center 
Now cover it carefully and give the shape of modak and dont cover the modak. it should be kept open on the top reason being the urad dal have to be cooked 
Grease the idli plate and keep all the stuffed modak in the idli stand 
Now steam the stuffed modak for 12-15 minutes 
Switch off the gas.
Open after five minutes.
You will see modak with some shine and sweat like feeling 
Means your modaks are cooked 
Now enjoy when its cold

Sweet Modak Steamed Recipe

Ingredients

For outer covering 

Rice flour 1 tumbler(1 steel glass)
Water 2.5 tumbler (steel glass)
Oil 1 table spoon
Salt 1/4 tea spoon

Procedure
Heat water,salt,oil in a khadai with heavy bottom.
Wait till the water starts boiling 
Now keep the flame on low and add the rice flour little by little and stir without stopping 
Now keep on mixing till the dough become thick and start leaving the khadai.
The colour of the dough will change into light cream 
Now switch off the gas and keep the dough in the hot box till you prepare the stuffing 

Ingredients for sweet modak

Fresh grated coconut 1 cup
Jaggery broken into powder 1/2 cup
Elachai powder 1 tea spoon
Rice flour 2 tea spoon

Procedure

In a khadai add grated coconut and jaggery and mix well in low flame till the jaggwey melts
Now cook for 5-7 minutes till the raw smell of the jaggery goes.
Now add the rice flour and elachai powder and mix well.
Switch off the gas and allow the mixture to cool down completely 

Procedure for stuffing and steaming 

Make small balls from the cooked dough 
Again make small balls smaller than the outer dough balls
Now apply little oil in hand and make a small cup or a flat covering from the dough
Keep the stuffing in the center 
Now cover it carefully and give the shape of modak
Grease the idli plate and keep all the stuffed modak in the idli stand 
Now steam the stuffed modak for 12-15 minutes 
Switch off the gas.
Open after five minutes.
You will see modak with some shine and sweat like feeling 
Means your modaks are cooked 
Now enjoy when its cold