Simple peanut chutney

Dedicating this post to all bachelor readers :)
Ingredients:
Fresh coconut - 1 cup
Ginger n garlic - each 1 piece (equal size)
Dry Roasted  peanuts - 1 handful
Dried red chillies - 4 nos
Fresh tamarind - 1 small piece
Salt to taste

Grind all the ingredients into fine paste - add very little water.Best combination for dosa / idli / variety rices...

Spicy dry mushroom curry

Mushroom is one of our favorite. Here comes a south indian style dry curry. Goes well with any variety rice, sambhar rice n curd rice.

Ingredients:

1. Mushroom - 250 gms - cut into small pieces

2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad daal (white lentil) - 1/2 tbs
4. Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tbs
5. Curry leaves - 4 nos
6. Dried red chillies - 4 nos (roughly broke into small pieces)
7. Big brown onion - 1/2 finely chopped
8. Kadalai paruppu /Splited channa daal / Splited peas - roughly 1 handful (soaked in water for 30 mins)
9.Turmeric powder - pinch
10. Coriander powder - 2 tbs (optional)
11. Red chilli powder - 1 tbs
12. Salt to taste
13. Coriander leaves for dressing

14. Grated fresh coconut - roughly one handful

Method:
1. Heat cooking oil in a pan, add mustard seeds + urad daal, once it splatters add cumin seeds, then curry leaves. After 10 sec add dried red chilli and saute for 30 sec. Now add chopped onion and cook till its transparent.

2. Drain water from soaked splited peas and add it to the onion, saute for a min. Add mushroom, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well. Close the pan with a lid and cook the mushroom in medium flame. No need to add water. Mushroom ll lose moisture n that would be enough. If the gravy is too dry add 1/2 cup of water.

3. Remove the lid after 10 mins and check whether peas get cooked. Else stir and close the lid. Once peas is cooked sprinkle cilantro leaves & grated coconut, mix well and remove from flame.
Serve hot with rice/ chappathi.

I am back....

I was busy in shifting my house from Bangalore to Brussels, Belgium on new assignment. I will be blogging regularly soon.

Thanks for all the readers.

Taking a small break :(

Due to some unavoidable personal reasons i am taking a small break from blogging. Will miss you all :( 

My first award !

I thank, Julie of Tasty treat, ChitraManoj of Share my recipe and Ammu mohan of Rasi's veg bites to pass these lovely awards to me. Being my first award i am excited to receive these awards. I take this opportunity to thank all my blogger freinds and readers, and for all ur valuable encouraging comments.

Though the rules to follow to claim & these awards says, pass these to 15 other blogger friends, unfortunately most of my blogger friends already received this set once or twice. I dont want to bore them again.
As a token of Appreciation & Thanks i would like to give this 'Interesting Blog(ger)' Award to my blogger friends listed below. Friends, Thanks a lot for ur support.

1. Mahi
2. ChitraManoj
3. Priya Mahadevan
4. Rajeswari Vijayanand
5. Angelin
6. Kurinji
7. Aruna manikandan
8. Julie
9. Suja
10. Divya
11. Nandini
12. Prathima Shivraj
13. Vardhini
14. Mahjabeen Arif
15. Radhika
16. Ammu mohan
17. Jay
18. Reva

Receivers, please pass this award to any number of your blogger friends.
Happy Blogging!

Tricolor kurma / Tricolor coconut gravy

 Simple vegetarian kurma. Goes well with hot rice and chappathis.

Ingredients:

1. Chopped carrot, peeled & chopped potato, green peas - each 1 cup
2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1 tbs
4. Curry leaves
5. Onion & tomato - each 1 finely chopped
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbs
7. Salt to taste
8. Edible coconut oil - 3 tbs

To grind:
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 4 nos
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tbs
Garlic pods - 3 nos

Method:

• Boil and cook veggies with enough water in a pressure cooker / a wide pan till they turn tender. Keep it aside.
• Heat cooking oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves.
• Add onion, tomato, turmeric powder + salt and saute till tomato is cooked.
• Now add the veggies and mix well. After 2 - 3 minutes add the ground paste and cook for 5 mins.
• Switchoff the stove n garnish with chopped cilantro & coconut oil.

Panakam / Indian energy drink

Ingredients:

Jaggery (powdered) - 1/4 cup

Tamarind paste - 1/2 tbs

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Dry ginger powder (sukku) - 1/4 tbs

Cardomom powder - 1/4 tbs

Edible camphor - pinch (optional)

Salt a pinch

Method:

Dissolve the powdered jaggery in 1/2 cup of water.

Add all the remaining ingredients to jaggery water + 1 1/2 cups of water.

Drain the drink thru a seive for any dust. Serve chilled.

Simple Healthy drink for the hot summer. I am submitting this to Kurinji kathambham healthy summer event.

Moong dal laddu / Moong dal sweet balls

Healthy recipe, suitable for kids.

Ingredients:

1. Moong dal - 1 cup
2. Roasted bengal gram  / dariya dal - 1/4 cup
3. Ghee - 1/4 cup
4. Boiled milk - 6 tbs
5. Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup (adjust according to ur taste. this measurement is medium sweet)
6. Cardomom powder - a pinch

Method:

• Dry roast moong dal in a clean pan. Once it cools down grind moong dal & roasted bengal gram into fine powder seperately. Seive them thoroughly and mix together. Keep this mix aside.
• Heat the ghee in a small pan, sprinkle the cardomom powder and switch off the stove immediately. Wait till the ghee cools down to medium heat.
• Take a big bowl - add dal powders, powdered sugar, pour the ghee and mix thoroughly. Quickly make small balls out of this mixture before the ghee completely cools down. If u cant do this, sprinkle the hot boiled milk and make the laddus.

Mirchi Bajji / long bell pepper fritters / மிளகாய் பஜ்ஜி

 

Simple spicy winter comfort food. I wont forget to pack this whenever we go for swimming / beach.

 

Ingredients:

1. Mirchi  / long bell pepper - 10 nos
2. Gram flour / Besan flour / Chickpea flour - 1 cup
3. Rice flour - 6 tbs (optional) Rice flour gives a crispy coating
4. Chilli powder - 2 tbs
5. Food color (orange) - 1/2 tbs (optional)
6. Hing /Asafoetida & baking powder - 2 pinch each
7. Salt to taste
8. Cooking oil for deep frying

 Method: 

• Wash the bell peppers & cut them lengthwise into 2 equal halfs. Remove the seeds and keep it aside. If u r planning to taste the seeds too (it will be spicy), dont remove the stem portion and make few small slits with a sharp knife on every bell pepper. Otherwise mirchi ll pop while frying.
• Prepare a smooth batter with ingredients 2 to 7 by slowly adding water.
• Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
• Dip the bell peppers one by one into the batter and gently drop from the sides of the pan for deep frying. Cook in medium flame, else the fritters ll get darken quick and the stuff inside may not be cooked. Once the bajji turns golden brown, serve hot with tomato ketch-up / fresh coconut chutney.

Chettinad Crab Masala / செட்டிநாடு நண்டு மசாலா

First time i am posting a seafood. Learnt this recipe from my mom. The way seafoods are being cooked in chettinad are very spicy and different. I would suggest this as a side dish for a bowl full of creamy curd rice.

Ingredients:

Crab - 1/2 kg
Cooking oil - 8 tbs
Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1 tbs
Fennel seeds / Saunf - 1/2 tbs
Curry leaves - few nos
Chopped onion - 3 nos
Chopped tomato - 3 nos
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Chicken masala (or) red chilli powder (or) garam masala - 1/2 tbs (choose the masala powder according to ur taste)
Salt
Chopped cilantro - 1 handful

To grind:

Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Pepper corns - 4 tbs
Fennel seeds - 1 tbs

Method:

• Clean the crab as u like. Some like to have the whole crab, some people like to broke crab into small portions. Wash well the crab in water 2 - 3 times.
• Grind into fine paste the ingredients mentioned under to grind and keep aside. Grind into fine paste the 3/4th  portion of chopped onion + all the tomato seperately.
• Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal + mustard seeds, fennel seeds, curry leaves @ 30 sec interval.
• Add remaining 1/4th portion of chopped onion and saute for a min.
• Add onion-tomato paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Now add the crab and mix well.
• After 2 mins add pepper-coconut paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt + 3 cups of water.
• Cook in medium flame till u get a tight gravy consistency.
• Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Paal payasam / Vermicelli milk gheer / பால் பாயாசம்

தமிழ் நண்பர்கள் அனைவருக்கும் இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்.

Today is Thamizh new year. The 'Vikruthi' year ends and 'Kara' year starts. I wish all the thamizh readers a very happy new year ahead.  Here comes the special recipes of new year. From the menu shown above the one is steel tumbler is new year chutney, then vermicelli milk gheer and the bottom one is urad dhal vadai.

1. New year chutney

Learnt this recipe from my ugadhi (ughadi is telugu new year) celebrating friends. This chutney is made from ingredients of 5 prime taste (sweet, salt, bitter, sour and umami). An indication that life is filled with diff experiences (tastes).

Ingredients:

Jaggery or sugar - 2 tbs (Sweet taste)

Tamarind extract - 1 tbs (Sour taste)

Finely chopped raw mango - 1 tbs (the skin of raw mango gives umami taste)

Crushed neem flower - 1/2 tbs (Bitter taste)

Salt - a pinch

Mix all the above ingredients in 1 cup of water. Stir till jaggery dissolves.

2. Vermicelli milk Gheer 

Ingredients:

Vermicelli - 2 cups

Milk - 4 cups

Sugar - 1/2 cup (we eat less sugar. adjust for ur taste)

Cashew nuts - 10 nos

Dry graphes - 10 nos

Ghee - 1 tbs

Method: 

1. Boil milk in a thick bottom vessel .
2. In the meantime, heat 3 cups of water in a vessel. Add vermicelli and bring them to boil & vermicelli gets cooked well. Drain water completly. We can cook vermicelli in milk also, but milk may curdle sometimes. Better cook them separately.
3. By this time milk may came to boil and reduced its quantity. Now add cooked vermicelli and cook for 5 mins in medium flame.
4. Add sugar and mix well. Do not cook for long after adding sugar.
5. Roast cashew nuts n dry graphes in 1 tbs of ghee and garnish. Serve hot / cold. 

3. Urad dhal vada.

Please refer my previous post Urad dhal vada.

Vendakka pulikari / Okra sour sauce (semi gravy)

This is a karaikudi special recipe. Will be of good combination with paruppu soup.

Ingredients:

Vendakka / Ladies finger - 1/4 kg (chopped into small pieces)

Cooking oil - 3 tbs

Big red onion - 1 (chopped)

Big tomato - 1 (chopped)

Tamarind juice / paste - 3 tbs

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbs

Coriander powder - 1 tbs

Red chilli powder - 2 tbs

Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro - 4 tbs

For seasoning:

Sesame oil - 3 tbs

Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1 tbs

Vendhayam / Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tbs

Curry leaves - 5 nos

Method:

• Heat cooking oil in a pan and stir fry the okra till the sticky liquid goes off. Keep it aside.
• Heat sesame oil in pan and add the ingredients mentioned under for seasoning @ 30 sec interval.
• Add chopped onion & saute till tranparent. Now add chopped tomato and saute till the juices oozes off.
• Add tamarind paste & all powders + salt + 3 cups of water. Bring them to boil and add sauted vendakka/ okra.
• Close the pan with lid and cook in medium flame. Stir consiously at regular intervals.
• Once the veggie is cooked and gravy turns to semi solid, sprinkle chopped cilantro & serve hot. 



Butter beans dry curry

One of my favorite veggie. Easy to cook and yummy to eat. My mom used to prepare an “avial” with this chunky lentil along with few soft vegetables. Yet to learn that recipe from my mom.

Learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law. She used bag me kgs of butter beans while we go back after our vacation as I like this veggie very much, thanks Athai.


Ingredients:

Butter beans (fresh) – 2 cups
Cooking oil – 4 tbs
Turmeric powder – ¼ tbs
Red chilli powder – 1 ½ tbs
Coriander powder – ½ tbs
Salt to taste
Fresh coconut paste – 2 tbs (optional)

Method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Wash and add the butter beans and stir fry for a min. Add all powders, salt, coconut paste + 1 cup of water (or water till the beans level). Cook for 3 whistles. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Hurray !! Lets celebrate..........

India won the world cup after 28 years !!!!!

Blossom from an Egg plant??? :)

One day i was cooking for a get-together. Kept the eggs for boil n went to give bath to my kid. I could see a new egg flower blossomed in my kitchen :)

Coconut rice with smashed potato curry

I would say that this is a deadly combination - the porous coconut rice with yummy mashed potato. My hubby thought me this combination (he he ... the recipe too :P). Thanks to him. Good lunch box recipe.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice -2 cups (use 10% less water than you normally do to cook the rice)

Gingelly oil - 4 tbs

Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1 tbs

Curry leaves -5nos

Broken channa dal - 2tbs

Hing - pinch

Dry red chillies -5nos

Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Salt

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan , add mustard seeds + urad dal, curry leaves, broken channa dal + hing, red chillies, grated coconut + salt in the same order @ 30 sec interval.

2. Saute the coconut for 30 sec and mix well with the cooked rice. Thats it !!

Note: dont smash the rice while mixing.

For Smashed potato curry

Ingredients:

1. Potatos (medium size) - 5 nos (Cook the potatos in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles and peel of the skin. Smash them little with hand/spoon so the pieces are large and chunky.)

2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs

3. Urad dal + mustard seeds - 1tbs

4. Curry leaves - 5 nos

5. Crushed garlic pods - 4 nos

6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbs

7. Red chilli powder - 1 tbs

8. Salt

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds + urad dal, curry leaves, crushed garlic pods in the same order @ 30 sec interval.

2. Add smashed potato, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and mix well.

3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of water to mix easily.

4. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note: This potato curry is a very good combination for Curd rice/ lemon rice/ tomato rice too.

FIL with sprouts - Simple spicy sprouted green moong dhal fry

Everytime i am getting excited like going to visit a new born baby whenever i unbundle the sprout knot, which i tied the previous day night. This looks wonderful ryt??? I cant belive that i made this.

Very Nutritious food for kids and expected mothers.

To make sprouts: Soak green moong dhal in plenty of water. After 12 hours drain the water completely and bundle the lentil in a clean cloth. Tie the knot with enough space on top so that the plant can breath. Place the bundle inside a big vessel to have the environment warm. Open the bundle after 12 hours now you can see the lovely sprouts.
If u r planning the dish for tmrw, soak dhal today morning, drain and bundle tonight. Sprouts will be ready tmrw morning !!!

Ingredients:
Sprouted green moong dhal - 1 1/2 cups
Cooking oil - - 1 tbs
Red chilli powder - 1 tbs
Salt to taste
Fresh grated coconut - 4 tbs

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add the sprouts. Stir fry for a min.
2. Add chilli powder and 1 cup of water and close the pan with lid for 15 mins. Cook in slow flame.
3. Add salt and grated coconut, mix well and serve hot.

Note:

Good combination for Rasam rice / Curd rice.

Can be served as a evening snacks also.

We can make sprouts from other lentils too like whole channa / Horse gram in the same method.

Happy Valentine's Day !!!

Quick tomato gravy / தக்காளி தொக்கு

I woke up late on one lazy morning and my hubby was hurrying up to work. I dont want to send him empty stomach (he hate cereals...) and quickly prepared this side dish for dosa. mmmm.... he was very happy and had one extra dosa! As usual very simple recipe.

Ingredients:
Cooking oil - 2 tbs
Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1/2 tbs
Curry leaves - 5 nos
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Ginger - small piece
Fresh coconut - 5 tbs
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Grind onion, tomato, ginger together into a fine paste and keep aside.
2. In a pan heat 2 tbs oil, add mustard seeds + urad, curry leaves and grinded paste @ 30 sec interval. Saute the tomato paste at medium flame (to set down the green smell).
3. In the meantime grind the fresh coconut to a fine paste. add this to tomato paste and stir for 30 sec.
4. Add salt + one cup of water & stir well.
5. Close the pan with a lid and let the gravy cook for 10 mins in medium flame.
6. Sprinkle chopped cilantro (optional) n serve hot with dosa/idli/chappathi.