DIET KITCHEN

Another version of thandu soup inspired by chettinad style tomato soup recipe. Since thandu doesn't have any taste, d soup tastes more like tomato soup but it does have all the goodness of thandu.And much more colorful(beautiful orange color) & flavourful than the earlier version.

Vazhai thandu soup / Banana stem soup : version 2

Heat lil ghee in a pressure cooker. Add in 1" pattai, 1 krambu, 1 small yelkkai, 1 tsp sommbu. let brown.

Add green chilly, 1 s.onion chopped, 1 L. tomato. fry for 2 mins.

Add 10-12 round pieces of thandu,1 heaped tbsp yellow moong dhal, turmeric, salt & pepper pwd. mix

Add 500 ml water & cook for 3 whistles.

let it cool down a bit. reserve 4 pieces of thandu & then grind the rest of the soup mixture.

Pass thru a sieve.

Chop the reserved thandu & add to the soup. the soup should be watery(like clear soup). So add more water if req. Bring it to a boil n let simmmer for 2-3 mins.

Add chopped mint , mix & take off flame.

Serve hot.

Kugan & Selvi, pls give the VT soup 2 a try & let me know how u liked it...:)

this soup is interesting. i will try and let u know dev

Dev, tomorow going marketing.
Getting valathandu, soup making.
Picture coming in forum.
Thanks. Kugan98 :lol:


Thanks Dev, for all your efforts in posting the recipe
for valathandu soup.

ok Selvi...:)

:lol2:...K, ennachu ungalukku...recipea padichadhukke ippadina senju saapitaprom eppadi irupeengalo!!!...:lol:

next me planning to try thandu soup with lemongrass...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dev

K, I'm sooooo crazy abt chaats... :slurp: try it & kids might like it... chaats are so easy to prepare provided u've done some prep work already...

K, try the banana popsicle... it's so easy & looks so tempting... I'm posting the recipe here for easy reference... Thanks Anudivya for this easy recipe...

Banana Popsicles dipped in Chocolate and Nuts

Ingredients:

Bananas - 5 large
Dark/Semi-sweet chocolate - 1 cup
Fatfree Half and Half milk- 2 tbsp
Chopped Nuts (Almonds/Peanuts/Walnuts/Pistachios) - As needed

Hardware:
Skewers or Ice-cream sticks - 10 (break off sharp tip if using skewers)
Tray
Wax paper

Method:

Cut bananas in half, insert an ice-cream stick into each one. Lay it on a tray lined with wax paper and freeze for about 4-5 hours. I freeze them overnight. They need to be really cold and frozen before the next step.

Melt chocolate and milk over a double boiler, the top bowl should not touch the water below.

Keep stirring the chocolate till it becomes silky smooth.

Take the bananas right when you are going to make the dipping, not before that.

Dip or spread the chocolate onto the bananas and immediately sprinkle or roll in chopped nuts.

Lay it flat on a wax paper on a tray and freeze again for 3 hours or till the chocolate has hardened.

To store, you may store it in freezer bags once they are completely frozen.

Makes a great snack for kids and for the kid in you!

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:) thanks for this lovely recipe :) have two questions though.....

double boiler: will a milk cooker do?

can we use cocoa powder instead of chocolate?

Anou, unga 2 Qkumm en answer...
1. no idea
2.no idea

:lol:

lets wait for our experts to answer....:)

:lol: dev...

Another healthy restaurant style recipe from http://saffrontrail.blogspot.com/200...-in-gravy.html

I'm yet to try it... Thanks Nandita for the recipe... I'm posting the recipe here for easy reference.


Steamed vegetable manchurian

For the manchurian balls

1 loosely packed cup grated bottle gourd or zucchini
2 medium carrots, finely grated
2 cups finely grated or minced cabbage

Upto 1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp finely minced / grated ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, except flour.
Add flour gradually, while kneading, without using any water. The salt will drain out the water in the gourd. Add upto one cup flour until you get a soft pliable, non sticky dough.

2. Place 4-5 cups of water in the steamer, bring to a boil.

3. Make small balls - about over an inch diameter and arrange them on the oiled perforated vessel to be kept in the steamer. You could also use a bamboo steamer or idli maker.

4. Steam for 10-12 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the balls comes out clean.

While the balls are steaming, you can get the sauce ready.

For sauce:

2 fresh green / red chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
4-5 flakes of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp oil
1 green bell pepper or carrot, cut into strips
1 medium red onion, finely sliced
1 cup chopped spring onion greens
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp wheat flour dissolved in one cup water
1 cup water or vegetable stock

Directions to make sauce

1. In a large wok, heat a tbsp of vegetable oil. On high heat, saute the chillies, ginger and garlic for a few seconds.

2. Add the bell pepper, onions and half the spring onion greens, rapidly stir on high heat for 1-2 minutes, till somewhat cooked yet crunchy.

3. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper, stir well.

4. Pour into the wok the wheat flour-water mixture. Let this come to a boil and thicken.

5. Adjust the thickness of the sauce to your liking, using the remaining one cup water or stock.

6. Garnish with remaining spring onion greens, put in the steamed balls. Let this come to a simmer. Let the balls soak in the sauce for around 15 minutes before serving hot with rice or noodles.

We loved this dish. Steaming really did not take away anything from the dish, in fact we had more pleasure in eating knowing that our dinner was a whole bunch of healthy steamed and sauteed veggies.

Try it out and it is sure to surprise you, that something so healthy can be so yum :)

Anu, I am not an expert. Just to let you know what I know.

Anu, boil some water in a small pot.
Put your chocolate and milk in another container.
Hold the container that contains the chocolate and milk
over the boiling water. DO NOT TOUCH THE WATER
The steam from the boiling water will melt the chocolate.
Stir till the chocolate and milk becomes smooth and silky.
Do not stir for a very long time.


If you want to use cocoa powder, than you must use, condensed
milk and little butter, to get the thick silky smooth texture.

Sorry if any one thinks that I am wrong.
All are welcome to give their views.
Thanks. Kugan98