Thattai/Pappu Billa (Crispy Snack)

The thattai is an all-time favorite snack for all of us, especially my daughter, who is really fond of having them with the small onion thokku/pickle.  It has its place for sure in the diwali bakshanam and of course done any time of the year.  My mother-in-law taught me the techniques of doing this.  Indeed, we get a lot to learn from our elders and my mom-in-law is a cookaholic and loves cooking any time.  She makes these traditional snacks and her speciality is that they are not at all oily and have a longer shelf life (of course, nothing would be left long).

Ingredients:

Roasted Rice Flour - 4 cups

Roasted Gram (Pottukadalai/Pori Kadalai) Flour - 1 cup
  
Butter - 1 tbsp

Salt - As needed

Asafoetida powder (Perungayam) - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds (Jeeragam) - 1/2 tsp

Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Bengal Gram Dhal (Channa Dhal/Kadalai Paruppu) - 1 tsp

Green Gram Dhal (Moong Dhal/Paasi Paruppu/Payatham Paruppu) - 1 tsp

White Til (Ellu) - 1 tsp

Method:

1.  Soak the dhals in water for 30 minutes.  Then, drain the excess water and keep aside.

2.  Dry roast cumin and black pepper.  Cool and grind to a coarse powder.

3.  In a mixing bowl, add the dry roasted rice flour, roasted gram flour, salt, asafoetida, butter, cumin and black pepper powder, soaked bengal gram and green gram dhals, til and mix well until combined.

4.  Add water little by little and make a smooth and slightly stiff dough.  Keep this dough covered with moist cloth.

5.  Make even sized balls of gooseberry size and keep covered until use.

6.  Place the balls (a few at a time) on a clean towel and place a greased plastic sheet over the balls and press them with a flat based bowl or plate.

  7.  Leave them on the towel for about 5 to 10 minutes so that the extra moisture is absorbed.  Do not leave beyond 10 minutes.

8.  Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai.  Check the oil temperature by dropping a small piece of dough in the oil; if it rises immediately to the surface, the oil is ready for frying of the thattais.  Keep in medium flame.

9.  Using a ladle, remove them from towel and deep fry in hot oil a few at a time  until crisp and golden brown.

10.  Remove, drain excess oil in a colander or on paper towel/tissue.

11.  Repeat the same process for the rest of the dough.

12.  After it cools, store in airtight container.

The thattais are crispy and less oily and stay good for at least a week to 10 days if stored properly.

Notes:

After pressing the dough, you can prick with a fork here and there to avoid puffing up.

The thinner you press, the crispier they are but do not press so thin that they would not come out of the towel.

I did the easier and shortcut method of pressing the thattais. They can be pressed with your fingers one by one too on a plastic cover.

Coarsely crushed roasted peanuts can also be added to the dough.

Mini Quiche

The Mini Quiche is a savory egg custard with fillings of your choice according to availability of ingredients and mood.  This mini quiche serves best for breakfast, brunch, or anytime snack.  An easy to assemble and bake dish that you can sure give a try.

I tried making this mini quiche being a part of a group named Fondbites, Bake Along, through which we bake as per their weekly updates.  This helps me learn as well as explore into the baking world by far.

Mini Quiche is also called the frittata, and in this version, I have filled in with sauteed spring onions, capsicum, mushrooms, and garnished with cheese and coriander leaves.  The original version as per the group called for spinach to be added to the sauteed veggies but I couldn't find it at the nearest store and so have not used it but have added finely chopped coriander leaves.

Ingredients

Eggs - 4

Mushrooms (chopped) - 1 cup

Capsicum - 1 (chopped)

Spring Onions - 4 or 5 stalks

Grated Cheese - 3 tbsp

Coriander Leaves (chopped) - 2 to 3 tbsp

Crushed Black Pepper - 2 tbsp for the veggies and 1 tbsp for the eggs

Salt - To taste

Olive oil - 1 tbsp plus for greasing

Method

1. Chop vegetables and keep aside.

2.  In a kadai, add olive oil.  When hot, add the spring onions and saute for 1 minute.

3.  Now add chopped mushrooms and saute until half cooked and water starts releasing out.

4.  Then, add chopped capsicum and saute.

5.  Sprinkle pepper powder and salt and mix and switch off the flame.  The vegetables should be cooked only to 3/4th consistency and not cooked fully.  The vegetable filling is ready now.  Keep aside.

6.  In a bowl, add eggs, pepper, and salt and whisk until combined.

7.  Grease the silicon muffin moulds with oil and then fill the egg mixture to half level.

8.  Next, add the sauteed vegetables over the egg mixture until the muffin liner is full.

9.  Crown the filled muffin cups with grated cheese and chopped coriander leaves.

10.  Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degree centigrade for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

11.  Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, and serve.

Delicious Mini Quiche is ready.  These are good to serve for breakfast, brunch, or as a school snack.  A healthy, gluten-free, low-carbohydrate dish to relish.

It was stomach filling and lip smacking.

Notes

I used the button mushrooms.  You can add in any edible mushroom available for you.

As I could get only the regular green capsicum/bell pepper, I have used it.  To add in color, you can also use the red bell pepper or the yellow ones.

Use both the green and white portions of the spring onions.  You can saute the white portion first and then add in the green portion at the end of sauteing.

Any type of cheese, viz., pizza/mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese or even the cheese cubes can be used.

Use salt cautiously as cheese would contain some salt.

If you are using spinach, wash and chop a bunch of spinach and add after the capsicum is sauteed and fry for a few minutes.  This would make the quiche a healthier dish.

If silicon muffin moulds are not available, you can use paper liners too placed in metal muffin tray but make sure they are greased well with oil.

Sunflower oil can also be used instead of olive oil.