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.

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.

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.

Bindi Masala (I call it as Yummy masala ;) ) / Okra Masala / வெண்டைக்காய் மசாலா

Its my favourite recipe. Easy to prepare - Medium spicy - very tasty dish. Goes well with chappathi, Sambar rice or Plain rice. Kids may like it very much.

Ingredients:
1. Vendaikka / Bindi / Okra - 1/2 kg or 1 pack
2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1/2 tbs
4. Curry leaves - 5 nos
5. Big Onion - 1 no - chopped
6. Tomato - 1 - chopped
7. Garam masala - 2 tbs
8. Dhania / Coriander powder - 2 tbs
9. Red chili powder - 1 tbs
10. Salt to taste
11. Cashew nuts - 6 to 8 nos
12. Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 handful

Method:
1. Soak cashew nuts in warm water. Do this as a first step of preparing the dish.
2. Wash whole Okras, dry & cut them into small pieces. Usually i used to wash the vegetable and spread it on a newspaper overnight. If you are using a frozen okra pack, keep the washed vegetable in air for atleast 30 mins.
3. Heat 2 tbs oil in a non stick pan and saute the okra till the sticky liquid from it vanishes. Keep this aside. (you dont have to stir the vegetable continously for this. Once in every 5 mins gently stir).
4. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds + urad dal, Curry leaves and onion @ 30 sec interval. Cook till onion turns transparent. Now add chopped tomato and cook till its smashed. Now add sauted okra and add all powders + salt. Cook in medium flame for 10 mins.
5. Grind the soaked cashew nuts and grated coconut together into a fine paste. Add 2 tbs of water if required. Add this paste to okra and cook for 10 more mins.
Serve hot.

Spinach - scrambled egg masala

Medium spicy side dish, goes well with chappathi, Toasted Bread, Sambhar rice and plain rice. For those who dont like spinach dal, can try this one.

Ingredients:
1. Egg - 2 nos
2. Cooking oil - 2 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1/2 tbs
4. Saunf / Sombu - 1/4 tbs
5. Curry leaves - 4 nos
6. Onion - chopped - 1 handful
7. Tomato - chopped - 1/2 handful
8. Turmeric powder - pinch
9. Red chili powder - 1 tbs
10. Garam masala - 1 tbs
11. Salt to taste
12. Spinach - Washed and finely chopped (amount - as you wish)
13. Lemon juice - 1 tbs (optional)

Method:
1. Heat cooking oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, saunf, curry leaves, onion @ 30 sec interval in the same order. Saute the onion till its transparent. Now add the chopped spinach and saute well till the green smell goes off.
2. Once the spinach reduces 3/4th of its volume add chopped tomato and saute till its smashed. Now add 1/2 to 3/4 cup water, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala and cook till the gravy boils.
3. At this point break the eggs one by one and pour into the gravy. Add salt at this stage & stir well. In medium flame cook till the gravy thickens. Switch off the stove and sprinkle the lemon juice. Serve hot with chappathi or Bread Toast.

Note: - I have prepared this dish very thick. If you are planning to serve with plain rice add some more water and stop cooking when the dish is in gravy consistency.

Chilli chicken

Sorry for a long gap.
Chilli chicken - yummy chicken recipe of south india. Goes well with rasam rice, curd rice.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken meat (boneless is prefered) - 1/2 kg
2. Fresh lemon juice - 4 tbs
3. Oil for deep frying

For marination:

1. Turmeric powder - pinch
2. Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbs
3. Chilli powder - 2 tbs
4. Garam masala - 1 tbs
5.Maida / all purpose flour - 5 tbs
6. Thick curd - 4 tbs
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil - 1 tbs
9. Mint coriander paste - 1/2 tbs

For garnishing

1. Big brown onion - 1 (sliced into circles)
2. Chopped mint and coriander leaves
3. Lemon juice - 1/2 tbs

Method:

1. Wash well and cut the chicken meat into equal cubes. Press the chicken meat with hand and squeeze out the excess water. Immediately add fresh lemon juice to chicken and mix well so that lemon juice sticks around the chicken pieces. Keep this aside for 5 mins. Adding lemon juice makes the meat tender so that the marination penetrates well into the chicken.
2. Add together and mix well the ingredients mentioned below for marination. If the mix looks watery (becoz of loose curd) add one more tbs of maida. Now marinate the chicken in this mix for atleast 3 hours.
3. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying and drop the chicken pieces. Fry well in medium flame till the chicken is coated with a crispy layer. Store the fried chicken on a tissue paper to remove excess oil. Fry the remaining chicken in batches.
4. When the chicken is hot sprinkle the lemon juice and garnish with onion and coriander leaves.
Serve hot!!!

Peerkangai koottu (பீர்கங்காய் கூட்டு) / Luffa or Ridge gourd dal

Spiceless recipe. Goes well with sambhar rice / rasam rice / curd rice.
Easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1. Peerkangai / Ridge gourd - 1 no (if it is big).
2. Mung dal - roughly 1/2 handful
3. Cooking oil - 2 tbs
4. Mustard seeds + urad dal (whote lentil) - 1/2 tbs
5. Curry leaves - 4 nos
6. Big brown onion - 1/2 no (finely chopped)
7. Green chilies - 2 nos (slited)
8. Salt to taste
9. Asafoetida / Hing - pinch

Method:

1. Wash and cut the ridge gourd. Click here to see how to clean and cut the vegetable.
2. Wash the dal in a pan and add ridge gourd to it. Add water till the dal and vegetable gets immersed. Add salt and cook this in medium flame. Cook till the dal gets soften.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds + urad dal. Once it pops add curry leaves and hing. Add green chilli and onion. Cook till onion turns golden brown.
4. Add this to cooked vegetable + dal, mix well. Serve hot with rice.

Ennai kathrikaai (எண்ண கத்திரிக்காய்) / Stuffed brinjal curry

Very delicious dish. Can be served with hot white rice or sambhar rice.
My hubby hate brinjal whereas i like this vegetable. Tried 2 other recipes using brinjal to make him eat and finally this recipe grabbed his attention.

Ingredients:

1. Violet brinjal - 6 nos
2. Cooking oil - 3 tbs
3. Gingelly / Sesame oil - 3 tbs
4. Mustard seeds + urad dal (white lentil) - 1/2 tbs
5. Finely chopped onion - 2 tbs
6. Finely chopped tomato - 2 tbs
7. Curry leaves - 4 nos
8. Salt to taste

To grind

1. Big brown onion - 1/2 roughly chopped
2. Grated / shredded coconut - 3/4 cup
3. Red chilli (big & dried) - 5 nos (no other spice will be added to the dish, based on ur taste adjust the red chilli nos)
4. Ginger - 2 nos small
5. Garlic - 2 nos small
6. Peanut (dry roasted) - roughly 1 handful
7. Turmeric powder - pinch
8. Mint & cilantro - 1/2 handful (optional)
9. Sesame seeds - 1 1/2 tbs (if u dont have sesame seeds, can use sesame oil instead)
10. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbs sesame oil in a pan and saute the ingredients mentioned under to grind. Grind well the sauted ingredients into a fine paste. Keep this aside.
2. Wash and slit the brinjal at the centre (cut the brinjal from top like spliting it into 2 halfs but do not complete the cut. Stop at half inch above the bottom. Do similarly, perpendicular to the above cut) as shown below and stuff the brinjal with grinded paste.

3. Heat cooking oil + remaining sesame oil in a pan and add mustard seeds + urad daal + curry leaves. Once mustard seed pops add chopped onion and tomato. Cook till the tomato gets smashed.

4. Add 1 cup of water to the remaining grinded paste and add it to sauted tomato. Add little salt and wait till the gravy boils. Now place the stuffed brinjal inside it carefully and close the pan with a lid.

5. Cook the dish completely in medium flame. For every 2 mins open the lid and stir well without disturbing the brinjal. If required, sprinkle oil consiously.

6. Cook till oil seperates out. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Tip:- Place the cut brinjal inside water before stuffing.

Chilli Gobi / Cauliflower kootu / Spicy Cauliflower

Whenever i buy cauliflower i was trying a portion of it to prepare a spicy side dish. I tried many recipes but only this dish grabbed our attention a lot. Tastes good, easy to cook. Goes well with sambhar rice, curd rice and rasam rice.

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower - 1 - cut into small florets
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. Dries red chillies - 4 nos (roughly broke into small pieces)
7. Big brown onion - 1/2 finely chopped
8. Tomato - 1 finely chopped
9. Kadalai paruppu /Splited channa daal / Splited peas - roughly 1 handful (soaked in water for 30 mins)
10.Turmeric powder - pinch
11. Coriander powder - 1/2 tbs (optional)
12. Red chilli powder - 1 tbs
13. Salt to taste
14. Coriander leaves for dressing

Method:

1. Soak the cauliflower florets in hot water for 10 mins, drain the water completely and keep it aside.
2. 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. Add tomato and saute till its smashed. Drain water from soaked splited peas and add it to the tomato gravy, saute for a min. Add cauliflower, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well. Close the pan with a lid and cook the cauliflower in medium flame.
3. Remove the lid after 20 mins and check whether peas get cooked. Else stir and close the lid. Once peas is cooked sprinkle cilantro leaves and remove from flame.
Serve hot with rice.

Chicken 65

Chicken 65 mmmm :P mouth watering deep fried spicy chicken recipe of south india. All the NV peoples of india must have tried this dish once in their life time. Well it carries lot and lots of stories.... some say the dish is prepared from 65 days old chicken.... some say 65 no of days marinating... some say year of invention of this recipe is 1965... in olden days the recipe was made with 65 different spices, this is one another story... and the final story is, the dish was prepared first in a millitary canteen where the recipe number is 65.. uff.
Delicious dish of south india, easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

For marinating

1. Chicken meat (white meat or red meat or with bones or bonesless) - 1/2 kg
2. Red chili powder - 2 1/2 tbs
3. Lemon juice - 5 tbs
4. Salt to taste
5. Thick Curd / yogurt - 5 tbs
6. Cooking oil - 1 tbs
7. All purpose flour (to observe the excess water from chicken and yogurt)/ maida - 4 tbs

For seasoning

1. Cooking oil - 1 tbs
2. Cumin seeds / jeera - 1/2 tbs
3. Saunf - 1/2 tbs
4. Mustard seeds + urad daal (white lentil) - 1/2 tbs
5. Big brown Onion - 1/2 finely chopped
6. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbs
7. Chopped cilantro - one handful
8. Salt to taste

For frying

1. Cooking oil for deep frying chicken

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into cubes and wash & strain the water completely. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken pieces, mix well and keep it aside. After 1 min add all other ingredients mentioned below for marinating and mix well. Marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours.
2. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying and fry the marinated chicken in batches. Store the fried chicken on a tissue paper to remove the excess oil.
3. Heat oil in a pan for seasoning, and add all the ingredients mentioned below for seasoning one by one at 30 sec interval (for ginger - garlic paste saute for 1 min extra). Add the fried chicken to this seasoning and stir for a minute.
4. Serve hot with biriyani / curd rice. Can be served as a snack also.

Egg pepper masala

Tasty recipe, goes well with Chappathi, Naan, Curd rice, Biriyani....

Ingredients:

-to cook
1. Egg - 3 nos
2. Small onion (prefered) - 10 nos finely chopped (or) 1/2 big brown onion finely chopped
3. Salt and pepper - as required
4. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
5. Mustard seeds + urad daal (white lentil) - 1 tbs

- to grind
1. Grated coconut - 5 tbs
2. Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tbs
3. Saunf / sombhu - 1 tbs
4. Cilantro / Coriander leaves - 1/2 handful finely chopped
5. Garlic pods - 1 no
6. Green chili - 1 no

Method:

1. Boil the eggs seperately and keep it aside.
2. Grind everything under grind and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds + urad daal. Once it splatters add chopped onion and cook till it turns transparent.
4. Add the grinded paste + salt and saute well. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook. Stir consiously. At one stage the paste gets cooked well and oil separates out from it. At this stage add splited egg + pepper powder and stir for a minute. Remove from fire and serve hot.

Cabbage poriyal / Indian cabbage curry

Cabbage poriyal - The vegetable need not be cabbage, carrot or beetroot or spinach can be prepared in the same way. Easy to cook and a tasty dish.

Ingredients

1. Cabbage - 1/2 Kg finely chopped
2. Green chilli - 1 roughly chopped
3. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
4. Salt to taste
5. Mustard seeds + urad dal (white lentil) - 1/2 tbs
6. Brown onion - 1/2 finely chopped
7. Cooking oil - 3 tbs


Method:

1. Wash the cabbage and cook it on top of rice cooker (this saves lot of time) else cook in a separate pan with 1 cup of water for 10 mins.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds + urad dal. Once mustard seeds splatters add chopped green chilli and then onion. Cook till onion is transparent. Then add cooked cabbage + salt to it, saute well. After 10 mins sprinkle the grated coconut and remove from fire.

Tip:- Best side dish for sambar rice and a healthy food.

Chow chow kootu / Chayot dal

Chow chow kootu / Chayote dal - non spicy side dish apt for spicy rice varties and chappathi. Excellent combination with rasam rice.


Chayote is a commonly used vegetable in south india for preparing kootu. Sometimes used in sambhar also.


Ingredients:


1. Chow chow / Chayote - 2 nos
2. Bid brown onion - 1 (chopped)
3. Tomato - less than 1/2 (cubed)
4. Hing / Asafoetida - pinch
5. Mustard seeds + urad dal (white lentil) - 1 tbs
6. Curry leaves - 4 nos
7. Cooking oil - 2 tbs
8. Salt to taste
9. Green chili - 4 nos (sliced)
10. Pasi paruppu / Moong dal / Green gram - 1/2 cup or 1 handful (soak in 1 cup of water for 15 mins before start cooking)


Method


1. Wash the Chow chow / Chayote and peel off the skin. Cut at the centre (see pic) and remove the seed portion. Cut the vegetable in cube shapes.


2. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds + urad dal , curry leaves and hing. Once mustard seeds splatters add chopped onion, green chili and tomato together. Cook till onion is golden brown.
3. Strain the water completely from soaked moong dal. Add chow chow , moong dal and salt to sauted onion in the cooker and mix well. Level the mixture and pour one cup of water into the cooker. Close the lid and cook for 4 whistles. Serve hot.

Pattani thokku / Spicy coconut peas

Pattani thokku / Spicy coconut peas - Very very simple to cook. Excellent combination with sambhar rice /curd rice.

Ingredients:

1. Cooking oil - 2 tbs
2. Mustard seeds + urad dal (white lentil) - 1 tbs
3. Curry leaves (optional) - 4 nos
4. Pattani / Frozen peas - 1 1/2 cups (washed)
5. Salt to taste

-to grind
1. Garlic cloves - 2 nos
2. Cocunut - 10 small pieces or 1/2 cup grated coconut. (If u dont have coconut in stock, no issues. Increase the Jeera and Saunf proportions. 1 tbs extra than the measurements given below).
3. Red chili - 2 nos
4. Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tbs
5. Sombu / Saunf - 1 tbs

Method:

1. Grind well all the ingredients under to grind.

2. Heat oil a pan and add mustard seeds + urad dal, curry leaves.

3. Once the mustard seeds start splattering pour the grinded paste + 1 cup of water.

4. When the mix started boiling add the peas and salt. Mix well. Wait till all water gets evaporate, by that time peas will be cooked. Once the peas become dry, mix once again and remove from flame. Serve hot.

Paruppu keerai / Spinach dal

Spinach dal - Healthy combination , more suitable for kids and pregnant mothers. In bachelor's view its very simple to cook. It goes well with Sambhar rice / Chappathi.

Ingredients:

- to saute
1. Cooking oil - 2 tbs
2. Mustard seeds + urad dal (white lentil) - 1 tbs
3. Cumin seeds - 1 tbs
4. Hing / Asafoetida - pinch
5. Big brown onion - 1/2 (finely chopped)

- to cook
1. Spinach - 1 bunch (Remove debris if any, wash and strain for water in a filter. If the spinach leaves are very big, chopp it roughly after straining)
2. Tomato - 1/2 (cubbed)
3. Green chili - 1 no
4. Garlic cloves - 1 no
5. Tamarind pulp (small chickpea size) - 2 nos
6. Moong dal / Pasi paruppu - 1 handful

Method:

1. Wash the Moong dal in a pressure cooker and strain the water completely. Level the strained dal in the bottom of the cooker. The dal should be spreaded across the bottom of the cooker and nothing is sticking to the walls.
2. Above dall put spinach, cubbed tomato, green chili (no need to cut), garlic, tamarind pulp one above the other in the same order as mentioned. Spread 1/2 cup of water over this and close the cooker. Cook for 3-4 whistles.
3. One the pressure in the cooker goes off open the cover. Smash the cooked spinach with the hand mixer.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add everything under saute in 30 sec difference. Add it to the smashed spinach and serve hot.

Muttai poriyal / Egg bhurjee / Scrambled egg fry

Muttai poriyal / Egg bhurjee / Scrambled egg fry is a quick indian side dish goes well with rice. Usually I prepare this dish whenever I am bored of cooking vegetables.

Ingredients:

1. Egg - 4 nos
2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad daal (white lentil) - 1 tbs
4. Big brown onion - 1 no (finely chopped)
5. Green chili - 3 nos (finely chopped)
6. Salt to taste
7. Powdered black pepper - 1 tbs
8. Lemon - 1/2

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbs of cooking oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds + urad daal. After it splatters add chili and onion. Cook until onion is trasparent.
2. Add the eggs and beat it to blend with onions. Add salt at this stage and beat again. Consiously stir the mix for every 3 mins. After 15 mins sqeeze lemon (this is to avoid the offensive smell of the egg) and sprinkle the pepper powder & remove from fire. Serve hot.

Quick cauliflower stir fry / Cauliflower varuval

Cauliflower fry / varuval - This recipe is not too spicy. But we can adjust the seasoning based on the requirement. This recipe goes well with variety rices ( Lemon rice, curd rice, sambhar rice...). This requires very less cooking time.

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower - 1 no - washed and cut into bite sized
2. Mastard seeds + urad daal (white lentil) - 1 tbs
3. Garlic - 3 cloves (crushed roughly)
4. Curry leaves - 3 nos
5. Cilantro - 1/2 handful (washed and chopped)
6. Cooking oil - 2 tbs
7. Garam masala - 2 tbs
8. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat 5 cups water in a big vessel and bring it to boil. Switch off the stove and put all the cauliflower into it. After 15 mins strain water completely.
2. Heat 1 tbs of cooking oil in pan and add mustard seeds + urad daal. After 30 sec add curry leaves. Immediately add the crushed garlic. After 30 sec add the garam masala + salt together. Before the masala burns quickly add the cauliflower and mix thoroughly so that the masala gets coated around the cauliflower.
3. Add the remaining oil and cook slowly in medium flame. Stir consiously after every 10 mins. Add cilantros and remove from flame.
Serve hot with rice.

Vendaikai poriyal / Okra fry / Ladies finger fry

Vendaikai poriyal / Okra fry is a non-spicy indian side dish recipe.

General pattern of indian recipes - Usually the indian recipe combinations will be neutral + sour or spicy + neutral. This recipe is neutral and it goes well with all spicy or sour gravies.

Ingredients:

1. Cooking oil - 3 tbs

2. Mustard seeds + urad dal (white lentil) - 1/2 tbs

3. Onion - 1/2 (chopped)

4. Green chili - 1 (cutted straight)

5. Okra / ladys finger / vendaikai - 250 to 350 grams ( finely sliced. I have used frozen okra so not able to slice further)
6. Grates coconut - 1 cup

7. Curry leaves - 3 nos

8. Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan and add mustard seed + urad daal. Once it started splattering add curry leaves. Add green chili immediately after curry leaves. After 30 sec add chopped onion. Cook till it becomes transparent. Add okra (do not wash okra after slicing) and fry. Slowly add the remaining oil after every 5 mins.

2. Okra at the initial stage have a sticky gel around it. In due course of cooking the gel will disappear. This indiactes that its cooked. Stir fry the okra till that consistency. Do not close the pan for cooking okra !!!

3. Add salt and grated coconut 5 mins before removing from flame.

Serve hot with any spicy or sour combination.