Chili bajji

It is a tasty snack, also called chilli bajji, milakai bajji, milagai bajji, mirchi pakora, mirch pakoda or mirchi vada.

Ingredients:

• Green chilies (pachchai milakai / hari mirchi): 10
• Chickpea flour (gram flour / kadalaimavu / besan): 100gms
• Rice flour (arisi mavu / chaval ka atta): 1 tbsp
• Cumin seed powder (jeeragappodi / jeera powder): 1 tsp
• Red chili powder (vara milakai / lal mirchi / sabath mirch): 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder (manjal podi / haldi powder): 1/4 tsp
• Asafetida (perungayam / hing): 1 Pinch
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste.

Method:

• Mix everything (except the green chilies and oil)
• Prepare a thick batter using water.
• Cut the chilies lengthwise.
• Dip the chilies in the batter and deep fry in oil.
• Serve hot with or without chutney or sauce.
  

Venpongal (pongal)

• Wash 2 cups of raw rice (pacharisi) and ½ cup of husked green gram (pasipparuppu / moong wash).
• Add 6 cups of water, some fresh grated ginger (inji / adharak), salt and asafetida / asafoetida (perungayam / hing).
• Pressure cook for a duration of three whistles.
• Meanwhile fry some cashew nuts, one teaspoon of black pepper (milagu / Kala mirch / kali mirchi), one teaspoon of cumin seeds (Jeera, Jeeragam) and some curry leaves (kariveppilai / karipatha) in four tablespoon of ghee in a deep vessel using low heat.
• Mix well with cooked rice.
• Serve hot either with sambar or chutney or with both.