Banana Peppers/ Milagai Bhajji

Bhaji is a classic South Indian snack that is totally irresistible. My Mom makes this whenever we have guests and she makes it so perfect without any grease, even if you press it down with a news paper (oh , thats what we do to take the grease out of the bhaji...no power towels :)). Over the period of time I have learned that its the consistency of the batter that matters. It needs to be thick enough to coat the vegetable you are using, something like the idly batter. My all time favorite bhaji is with plantains(raw banana)..nothing can beat that, but today its gonna be  with banana peppers which is my hubby's favorite.

Ingredients:
Banana peppers 4 
1 cup Besan flour/Kadalai maavu
1/4 cup Rice flour
1/4 tsp hing powder/asoefotida
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt as required
2 tblsp Idli /dosa batter  (or) 1/4 tsp sodium bicarbonate.


Method:
Cut the banana peppers into thin long strips. Remove the seeds.
Heat the oil in deep sauce pan.
Make a thick batter by adding 1 and 1/2 cup water and all the powders together. 
Whisk it well to form a smooth batter.
Dip the peppers in the batter and fry in the oil till golden brown.
Serve it with Coconut chutney or with your favorite dipping sauce.

Note: If the batter is thin or watery, it absorbs more oil, so add more besan flour to make it thick.

Kadalaimaavu Paniyaram / Besan Kasuri Methi Paniyaram

Here's a quick and easy snack that can be made in about 20 mins. Since the non-stick paniyaram kal is used very little amount of oil goes into this, making it a healthy low fat snack. 

Ingredients:
1 cup Kadalai maavu /Besan
1/4 cup Rice flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Chilli powder/ chopped green chilllies
1 tblsp Kasuri Methi
1 cup thinly sliced Onions
1/2 tsp  hing/Asoefotida
11/2 cup water


Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well using a whisk for about 2 mins.
Then add the onions and mix well with about a cup  and half of water. 
The consistency should be slightly thicker than Idly batter. 
Allow the batter to rest for atleast 10 mins
Heat up the paniyaram pan or the appe pan  add 1/4 tsp of oil in each mould.
Add a tblsp full of the batter in each of the mould and cook covered for a minute in medium heat.
Remove the lid and flip the paniyarams gently to the other side.
Cook till golden brown.
Serve with any chutney or sauce.

Notes:
Resting the batter for atleast 10 mins results in soft and fluffy paniyarams.
You can increase or decrease the spice level as per your taste.
Baking soda is absolutely optional, the result is good even without using it.
If you don't have a paniyaram kal, use the same ingredients(except the baking powder) to make soft pakoda's deep fried in oil, comes out really good.