Parippu Vada

Happy New Year! It's almost the end of January and I didn't seem to get any time to update. Lame excuse, I know!!! Thought I'd start the year with a a very down to earth Malayalee snack "Parippu Vada".
Parippu vada is basically a Kerala style lentil fritter. A lot of you from Kerala remember this an evening snack. And if you have travelled by the Indian Railway who doesn't remember those station vendors with hot tea and vadas. One of the perks of travelling by train. This was my first attempt at this yummy snack. My mom had taught me the recipe when she spent the summer with us and I thought I'd give it a try today. Being so cold out, it's nice for the hubby to come home to some hot vadas!

Ingredients
Vada Parippu ( Yellow split peas)-2/3 cup
Onion-1/2 finely diced (Shallots would be a better choice, didn't have any on hand)
Dried red chilly-2 finely chopped
Ginger-1 tbsp finely diced
Curry leaves-5/6 thinly cut
Salt-as needed
Asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Oil-for frying

Directions
1.Wash and soak the lentils in just enough water to cover then and let it soak for about 2 hours.
2.Then drain all the water and place them in a grinder and grind (making sure not to add any water) and grind them in batches too.
3. To the mixture add the onion, ginger, dried chilly, curry leaves, salt and asafoetida.
4. Mix well with your hand, taste and form into thin patties.
5. Make sure they are not too thick in the center or else they'll be raw in the middle.
6. In small batches fry the vadas and enjoy warm.
Don't forget a nice hot masala chai to complete the experience. Happy Snacking!

Candied Pecans

Another sweet treat that I enjoy making around the Holidays is Candied Pecans. Another easy to make snack. This recipe uses basic ingredients,and the only time consuming part is baking them in the over for an hour.

Ingredients
Pecan halves-3 (6 oz) bags
Egg white-1
Water-2 tbsp
Vanilla extract-1 tsp
Sugar-1 cup
Salt-3/4 tsp
Ground Cinnamon-1/2 tsp
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Whisk the egg white and water till nice and frothy. To this add the vanilla extract and mix.
3. In a separate bowl mix together the sugar, salt and cinnamon.
4. Place the pecan halves in the egg white mixture and coat the pecans evenly.
5. Then coat the pecans with the sugar mixture.
6. Once coated, grease a baking sheet and place the pecan halves onto the sheet and bake for 1 hour making sure to stir them every 15 minutes.
7. Let them cool before storing.
Easy gift giving-Buy a Christmas themed coffee mug. Place some candied pecans in a treat bag tie with twist tie,decorate with ribbon and an ornament and you are ready!!!

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix

Every year around the holidays I like to make some munchies to share with family and friends. For Christmas I love making some Peppermint Bark and Sugar Coated Pecans(recipe to follow).This year I thought I'd look for an easy snack to put together for Thanksgiving too. I came across the "Thanksgiving Blessing Mix" online and found it be very meaningful, it is a reminder of this great nation's blessing. All you need to do is bag this snack which you can put together in 5 minutes into favor-sized gift bags. You can use them as favors for you Holiday party or just share them with your family and friends. You also attach the the Blessing Poem with ribbon/raffia to make it look festive. I found some Thanksgiving themed treat bags with twine from Walmart for $1.99 and ribbon from Michaels (Sale 3 for $0.50). I got the poem printed at Staples on heavy card stock.
Here is the link to the poem-
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/sites/default/files/image/pdf/gift_tags_blessings_mix_thanksgiving_cornucopia.pdf

Ingredients
Bugles-2 cups
Pretzels-2 cups
M&Ms-1 cup
Raisins-1 cup
Peanuts/Nuts-1 cup
Candy corn- 1 cup
Hershey Kisses-16

Directions
1.Mix all of them together except the hershey kiss.
2.Pour about 1/3-1/2 cup into each favor bag and before tying place a Hershey Kiss into each bag.
3.Print out the poem ,useing a hole punch, punch a hole on them and thread a ribbon through.
* I doubled the quantities to make 16 bags and the bags were half filled. I was a bit more lavish on the snack.

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix Poem

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.

Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.

Candy corn: Sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.

Nuts or seeds: Promise of a a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

Dried fruits: Harvest gifts of our bountiful land.

M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.

Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

That's it your favors are ready! A great snack to share this Holiday season.