Sambar

Sambar has a whole lot of recipes and since this blog caters to the newbie's in the kitchen, I have posted the most easy recipe for sambar. This is not the traditional sambar, It's a newbiee's delight.

Ingredients

Toor Dhal - 3/4 cup

Vegetables - carrot, beans, brinjal (1cup)

Tomato - 2

Onion - 1

Garlic - 4 pods

Sambar Powder - 2tsp

Green Chilli - 2

Tamarind pulp - 1tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4tsp

Salt

Oil

Garnish

Mustard - 1tsp

Curry Leaves - 8

Red Chilli - 4

Cooking Method

Pressure cook washed toor dal with chopped onions. tomatoes, garlic, slit green chillies, sambar powder, Turmeric powder and asafoetida along with 1tsp of oil.

 (Cook for 3 whistles)

Cook the vegetables with salt and turmeric.

Add cooked vegetables to the dal mixture, mix in salt and tamarind pulp. Bring it to boil.

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard and curry leaves, followed by red chilli. Add this tadka to the sambar.

Serve hot with idli, dosa or rice.

TIP : For added flavour garnish using ghee.

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serves : 3

Sweet Potato Ladoo

Like i mentioned earlier my mom used to make a variety a evening snacks, This is one such dish i used to look forward too, I made this yesterday and it was a hit :)

Ingredients

Sweet Potato - 1/4 kg

Coconut - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 2tsp

Ghee - 1tsp (Optional)

Elachi - 1 (Crushed)

Raisins - To garnish

Cooking Method

Wash sweet potatoes and cut into big chunks. Pressure cook till soft.

Peel and set aside.

Heat a non-stick kadai, add sugar with 2tsp water. Once the sugar melts, add cooked sweet potato along with coconut and ghee.

Mash it well till it blends well. Add elachi powder Blend it for 2 minutes. Take it off stove.

Make small ladoos along with few raisins.

Note : Add sugar only if sweet potatoes are not sweet enough.

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Makes 6 Ladoos

Rava Ladoo

Rava Ladoo is a yummy indian dessert. It is a very simple dish so if you are running out of time on a festive morning or unexpected guest, this recipe will come handy.

Ingredients

Rava - 2cups

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Raisins - 15

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 2tsp

Milk - 10tsp

Salt - a pinch

Cooking Method

Heat ghee, Add rava and fry it on slow flame till you get a nice aroma and till rava changes it colour slightly.

Set rava aside.

In the same kadai, add coconut and fry till the moisture is evaporated. Add sugar to the coconut and switch off the stove, cover the kadai and set it aside for 10 minutes.

Add rava to the coconut sugar mixture, fry for a minute. Mix in salt.

Remove the mixture from stove, tranfer it to a wide plate.

Heat milk, Sprinkle milk on the rava mixure and shape it with a couple of raisans.

Note : The shelf life of this ladoo is very less as it has coconut and milk. Keep it refrigerated.

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves : Makes 15 Ladoo's

Idli Upma

South Indian mothers are experts when it comes to using left overs. They can turn leftover rice into tamarind rice, lemon rice or even lovely vathal. Idli upma is one such dish which can be made with leftover idli's. This is a very easy evening snack.

Ingredients

Idli - 6

Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Green chilli - 2

Ginger - 1"

Peanuts - 2tsp

Chana dal - 1tsp

Mustard -1tsp

Curry Leaves - 6

Coriander - To Garnish

Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp

Oil

salt

Cooking Method

Grind the idli's in the mixie into a soft powder, You can also mash it with your hands. I used mixie to get a uniform texture.

Heat oil, add mustard, peanuts and chana dal, fry on slow flame.

Add curry leaves, green chillies, ginger and Onions.

Fry till onions turn translucent, add turmeric powder, fry for few seconds.

Add idli powder, Mix well and add salt.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chutney or sugar.

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serves : 3

Palak Paneer

Palak paneer is a Punjabi dish with a lot of health benefits. Palak has a high nutrition value. It has a coling effect on the body. Palak has a high percentage of Iron and Vitamin A. Apart from these health benefits, this is a very tasty green. The creamy and rich blend of spices makes palak paneer a favourite in our house.

Ingredients
Palak - 1 bundle (500gms)
Paneer - 300gms
Onion - 1
Tomato - 2
Ginger - 2"
Garlic - 4-5(Big pods)
Chilli Powder - 1tsp
Corinder Powder - 1tsp
Jeera Powder - 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
Garam Masala - 1tsp
Salt
Whipped cream - 1/4 Cup (Optional)

Cooking Method

Step 1 : Palak Puree
Bring water to boil in a large pan, Once water starts to boil rapidly, Add the cleaned palak into it.
Cook for 5-10 minutes. Remove palak from water. Once palak cools down, Grind it into a smooth paste.

Step 2
Finely chop onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.
Grind all of the above into a smooth paste along with Jeera powder.

Step 3
Heat oil in a kadai, once the oil turns warm, switch off the stove and add chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Switch on the stove again and add the above ground masala, Fry till the tomato mixture because half the original quantity (This has to be cooked covered and on slow flame).
Add salt and palak puree. Cook covered till palak blends with masala.

Cut paneer pieces into small cubes. Add paneer into the palak mixture cover and cook for a minute.

Finally blend in the whipped cream for a rich taste.

Serve with ghee smeared rotis.

Cooking time : 25 minutes
Serves : 4

Chena Kizhangu fry (Elephant foot yam)

Elephant foot yam is usually used in Avial. A side dish made from the blend of 6-7 vegetables in a coconut based gravy. Sometimes i make this yam fry which is crisp and yummy. This can be served as a starter or even as a side dish.

This yam gives a itchy sensation when cut with bare hands. The best way to cut this vegetable is to ensure your hands and the knife your using is dry as when you touch the water the itching starts. Once your done with cutting it, you can wash your hands in tamarind water.

Ingredients

Elephant foot Yam - 250gms

Tamarind water - 3tsp

Chilli Powder - 11/2tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2tsp

Jeera powder - 1tsp

Salt

Oil - to deep fry

Cooking Method

Cut yam into length wise.

In a mixing bowl add all the spice powders and salt. Mix well.

Add yam pieces into the masala bowl, shake the bowl well so that yam is coated with the spice powder.

Sprinkle tamarind water, and mix well. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the yam pieces on slow flame.

Note : You dont have to add water to the spices as yam tends to give out some moisture and the tamarind water will do the work.

Cooking Time : 15 minutes (Excluding marinations time)

Serves : 2

Poricha Katharika (Deep fried brinjal)

There are few vegetables I pick almost on every other visit to the market and brinjal is one of them. There are a million ways to cook this humble vegetable, Brinjal fry is one of the regulars in the kitchen. Poricha Kathrika goes very well with curd rice or even with rice and dal.

Ingredients

Big Brinjal - 1

Chilli Powder - 2tsp

Coriander Powder - 2tsp

Jeera Powder - 1tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2tsp

Lime juice/ vinegar - 3tsp

Salt

Cooking Method

Mix all spice powders with salt and vinegar along with some water to make it into a smooth paste.

Cut the brinjal into thin slices.

Apply the masala on the slices. Leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in pan and semi-deep fry the slices till crisp and done.

Note : You can use the masala powder of stuffed brinjal or Fish fry masala to apply on the slices.

Cooking Time : 15 min (Excluding marination time)

Serves : 3-4

         

Puri

Puri was one of my favourite breakfast in my childhood. I liked everything oil fried :) Especially crisp fried puri with Palya... I can easily finish 4-5 puri's with no hassle :) This is also a newbie's delight coz it can never go wrong.

Ingredients

Ashirwad Atta - 2 cups
Water - 2 cups approx
Salt
Oil - 1tsp

Method
Mix atta with water salt and oil. Knead it into a smooth dough.
Knead for 5-10 minutes. Set aside for half an hour.
Take small balls. Roll it into small puri's.
Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil is piping hot, Drop in the rolled dough and keep pressing it into the oil to get a puffed up puri.

Pumkin - Karamani Kuttu

Looks like PUMKIN is the vegetable of the month, almost all the blogs I follow have some or the other pumkin dishes, from pastries to soups this vegetable can fit in anywhere. I got 1kg of pumkin on the other day as I was expecting some guest and i thought of cooking Pumkin Halwa, however the guest didn turn up and I was left with 2 big chunks of yellow pumkin in the fridge. I made Pumkin chilli fry on the other day and now it was time for this curry.

Ingredients

Yellow Pumkin - 350gms (Cubed)

Karamani - 1 cup (Soaked for 4 hours)

Onion - 1 (Finely chopped)

Tomato - 1 (Finely chopped)

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1tsp

Mustard - 1tsp

Red Chilli - 2nos

Coconut Oil

Salt

Grind

Coconut - 1/2cup

Jeera - 1tsp

Red Chilli - 4 (As per taste)

Cooking Method

Grind coconut, jeera and red chilli into a smooth paste.

Pressure cook karamani.

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard and red chilli. Once a nice aroma comes in.

Add onion, once its turns translucent, add tomatoes, once tomatoes mash into a pulp.

Add the coconut masala, fry till the oil seperates from the masala.

Add pumkin, Cook till pumkin turns soft.Add salt and mix well.

Finally add cooked karamani, Mix well and bring the entire mixture to boil.

Garnish with a tsp of coconut oil. Serve with Chapathi's or rice.

Cooking Time : 30 min

Serves : 4

Chicken Pepper Steak with Mashed Potatoes

Saurday are the most laziest day in the week, I wake up late and stare at the newspaper for an hour, then realize its time for breakfast...oh no actually lunch :) Yes..! Its the time in between Breakfast n Lunch which is commonly known as brunch......! Half the time i am racking my brains for a good healthy filling brunch,  This saturday was cold.... and i snuggled to get some extra sleep result of which is less time to cook.

If you are a bangalorean there is no way you would have missed the STEAK at ONLY PLACE. My sister n me can talk for hours about the taste and the quality of the meat there. The meat is always perfectly cooked with the right spices and served with mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables (Bull eye, upon request). Since my entire family was a fan of this dish i wanted to cook this for them,

This weekend it was STEAK time in our home. (This is my entry to this month's Monthy Mingle with the theme BRUNCH)

STEAK

Chicken Breast - 2 (I used chicken with bones)

Mustard - 1tsp

Pepper - 3tsp

Jeera - 1tsp

Soya Sauce - 6tsp (As per taste)

Tomato Sauce - 6tsp

Garlic - 6 (Finely chopped)

Onion - 1 (Finely chopped)

Butter

Salt

Cooking Method

Make a fine powder of mustard, pepper and jeera. Marinate chicken with this powder, salt, soya sauce and tomato sauce. Marinate this mixture in fridge, preferably overnight.

In a cooker pan, melt butter, add garlic, saute it for a minute, Add chopped onions, fry till it turns translucent. Add the marinated chicken along with half a cup of water. Close the cooker, cook for 1 whistle.

Open the cooker, remove the contents on a pan, Boil it till the sauce reduces to half the quantity.

Note : You can use mutton or red meat instead of chicken, Cook for 3 whistles.

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serves : 2

Mashed Potatoes

Ingrediants

Potatoes - 3 (Cooked and chopped)

Garlic - 3 (Finely minced)

Milk - 5tsp

Butter

Salt

Method

Mash the potaoes along with the butter, milk, salt and garlic.

Note : Change the flavours as per your taste.

SERVING SUGGESTION

In a large plate, place the steak along with boiled vegetables. Arrange the mashed potatoes in the side.

Make a bulls eye and place it in the center. Serve along with toasted brown bread.

A PERFECT BRUNCH

Thread Murukku

The Days are getting really cold..... The nights even colder... and we are practically living on coffee, coffee and more coffee.... These are not the authentic murukku nor is it the Om podi... Its some crisp crunchy spicy murukku that can finish in half an hour. (I meant cooking and eating !;)

Ingredients

Besan Flour - 1cup

Rice Flour - 1/2cup

Chilli Powder - 1tsp (As per your taste, I made it spicy)

Asafoetida - 1/4tsp

Garam Masala - 1tsp

Salt

Cooking Method

Mix all the ingrediants in a mixing bowl along with water. Make it like chapathi dough but softer.

Heat oil in a Kadai. Take some dough in the murukku press use the one with small holes.

When oil is piping hot, reduce the flame and press the dough directly into the oil.

Fry till crisp.

Eat it hot with a cup of coffee ;)

Cooking time : 20 min

Makes : 1 dhaba

Serves : 3

Roast Potatoes

This week the queen of farmer's market was baby potatoes... there were heaps of them and i just walked past them as i didn have any specific recipe for them... then i remembered eating in a hotels buffet, roasted potatoes as starters... I wanted to recreate this in my kitchen and I picked up some of these little beauites and it indeed was a big hit. Its a easy and an extremely delicious dish.

Ingredients

Baby Potatoes - 1/2 kg

Chilli Powder - 1tsp

Coriander Powder - 1tsp

Jeera Powder - 1tsp

Turmeric - 1/4tsp

Salt

Oil or ghee

Cooking Method

Peel the potatoes and poke it with a fork in atleast 2-3 places.

Heat kadai, add oil, Once the oil warms a bit. Switch off the stove.

Add all the spice powders with salt. Add the potatoes, toss it well.

Cover and cook on slow flame till potatoes are well cooked.

Roast well till done.

Serve as a starter.

Note : Use ghee instead of oil to enhance the flavour and taste.

Cooking Time : 20min

Serves : 3-4

Coconut - Coriander Chutney

This Chutney is filled with a lot of flavour. Its simplicity is the reason for it being a favourite among a lot of South Indians.

Ingredients
Coconut - 1 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
Green Chilli - 4
Jeera - 1tsp
Garlic - 4 pods
Salt

Tadka
Mustard - 1/2tsp
Urad dal - 1/2tsp
Red Chilli - 3 (Broken)
Curry Leaves - 8

Method
Grind all the ingredients with salt into a smooth paste.

Heat oil, Add mustard, Once it crackles, Add urad dal and red chilli.
Finally add curry leaves.

Add this tadka to the chutney and close immediately to seal the aroma.

Serve it with Dosa or Idli

Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 3

Methi Chicken

This is a creamy tangy tasty chicken.

Ingredients
Chicken - 1/2kg
Methi Leaves - 1/4 cup (Finely chopped)
Onion - 1 (Small, thinly sliced)
Clove - 3
Cinnamon - 1"
Oil

Marinate
Chicken
Yoghurt - 3tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2tsp
Chilli Powder - 11/2tsp
Jeera Powder - 1tsp
Garam Masala - 1tsp
Salt
Marinate for 1 hr

Grind to paste
Onion - 1 (Big)
Tomato - 2 (Medium)

Cooking Method
Heat oil in a kadai. Add clove and cinnamon, Once clove splutters.
Add sliced onions, fry till translucent. Add methi leaves and fry for a minute.
Add onion tomato paste. fry till oil seperates from the paste.
Add the marinated chicken along with 1 cup of water.
Cook covered on slow flame.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Cooking Time : 20 min (Excluding marination time)
Serves : 3

Chicken Fry

I can never get tired of eating chicken... This is a dish which i learnt from my periamma.. the most easy and healthy form of chicken.

Ingredients
Chicken - 1/2 kg (Cut into small pieces)
Jeera Powder - 2tsp
Chilli Powder - 11/2tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2tsp
Salt
Curry Leaves
Oil

Cooking Method
In a mixing bowl, add chicken with all the spice powders along with salt and ginger garlic paste.
Keep it in the fridge covered for 3-4hrs

In a non-stick kadai, add chicken mixture with half a glass of water.
Let this cook covered on slow flame for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid, Cook on high flame let all the liquid evaporate.
Once chicken is dry. Add curry leaves and 5 - 6 tsp of oil in the sides.
Fry till crisp.

Juicy, crunchy and healthy chicken is ready to serve.

Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 2

Vendakkai Puli Kolumbu (Lady's fnger in tamarind curry)

My Periamma makes very tasty puli kolumbu. The tangy spicy flavour of it is something worth taking about for days. Although what i make is no where close to the taste she makes. This time around it turned out very tasty..... I have made my own variations to this curry.

Ingredients

Lady's Finger / Brinjal / Drumstick / Small Onions - 1 Cup of any one vegetable

Onion - 1 (Small, Finely chopped)

Garlic - 2 Pods (Finely sliced)

Tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup

Mustard - 1tsp

Methi Seeds- 1/2tsp

Curry Leaves

Oil

Salt

Masala

Coconut - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1 (Fnely chopped)

Tomato - 2 (finely chopped)

Ginger - 1" (Finely chopped)

Garlic - 8 pods (Finely chopped)

Turmeric - 1/4tsp

Chilli Powder - 11/2tsp

Coriander Powder - 2tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4tsp

Jeera - 1tsp

Cooking Method

Heat kadai, add coconut, roast till nice aroma comes.

Add all the masala ingrediants from tomato till jeera one by one at intervals.

Once the raw smell goes, cool the mixture.

Grind it into a smooth paste. Set this masala aside.

Heat oil, add chopped lady's finger, Saute till the slimyness goes and set it aside.

In the same oil, Add mustard and methi seeds followed by curry leaves.

Add garlic and onions, Fry till onions turn translucent.

Add the ground masala and salt. Fry on slow flame until oil comes out.

Add tamarind pulp. Bring the entire mixture to boil for 3-4 minutes.

Add sauted lady's finger, Cook till lady's finger is done.

Serve with hot rice or Idli/Dosa

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves : 4

Pumkin chilli fry

Pumkin is a very versatile vegetable. It can be cooked in many ways. The dishes i make are Pumkin and karamani, Pumkin halwa, Pumkin with coconut... Oh actually the list goes on :)

Since i have made all these dishes many times, today i thought i should create something else, Thus came this yummy dish. This is a sweet n spicy dish.

Will post the other versions of pumkin soon.

Ingredients

Yellow Pumkin - 500 gms (Peeled and chopped into bite size pieces)

Whole dry red chilli - 7 Broken into small pieces

Cumin - 1tsp

Mustard - 1/2tsp

Curry Leaves - 8 (Finely chopped)

Oil

Salt

Cooking Method

Heat oil, add mustard and cumin, Once it crackles, Add chilli pieces and curry leaves.

Add pumkin pieces and salt.

Cook covered on slow flame, till pumkin turns soft.

Garnish with fresh curry leaves.

Cooking Time : 20 Minutes

Serves : 2

Katharikai Poriyal (Brinjal fry)

When we were kids grandmom used to plant brinjal and the yield from them was always in BIG quantities. My mom makes this poriyal which goes very well with rice and with chapathi's.  The brinjal we buy from the market is no where close to the ones we used to grow in our homes.

This dish is one of my childhood favourites. The blended taste of brinjal and onions is truely a treat to the tastebuds.

Ingrediants

Brinjal - 1/2 kg (Thin and long slices)

Onions - 3 (Thin and long slices)

Curry Leaves - 5

Chilli Powder - 1tsp

Coriander Powder - 1tsp

Jeera Powder - 1/2tsp

Mustard

Salt

Oil

Cooking Method

Heat oil, add mustard, Once mustard splutters, add onions.

Fry onions till they turn translucent, add all spice powders and salt.

Fry for a minute. Add Brinjal and curry leaves.

Fry on low flame till brinjal turns soft.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Cooking time : 20 Minutes

Serves : 2 - 3

Mushroom Rice

I come up with these different rices which make my life easy in the mornings. They are easy to make and very tasty too.

Ingrediants

Cooked Rice - 2 Cups

Button Mushroom - 7 (Finely Chopped)

Onion - 2 (Finely chopped)

Chilli Powder - 1tsp

Jeera Powder - 1/2tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2tsp

Clove - 2

Cinnamon - 1"

Coriander Leaves

Oil

Salt

Cooking Method

Heat oil, add clove, cinnamon. Once they crackle, add onions.

Fry till they turn translucent, add all spice powder and salt. Fry for a minute

Add mushroom. Saute well.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Once mushroom is cooked, Mix in cooked rice and chopped coriander.

Mix well and serve.

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Serves : 2

Prawn Masala

Ingrediants
Prawn - 1/2 kg (Cleaned)
Onion - 2 (Finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 (Finely chopped)
Cinnamon -1"
Clove - 2
Chilli Powder - 11/2tsp
Turmeric - 1/2tsp
Oil

Grind
Ginger - 2"
Garlic - 6 pods
Clove - 5
Cinnamon - 1"
Elachi - 1 small
Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Cooking Method
Heat Oil, Add clove n cinnamon, Once they splutter, Add onions.
Fry onions till they turn translucent, Add tomatoes and the ground masala. Fry for 2 minutes.
Add chilli powder and turmeric. Cook on slow flame.
Once the oil seperates from the masala add prawn cover and cook for 5 -7 minutes.

Garnish with fresh curry leaves.

Cooking Method : 20 minutes
Serves : 2-3

Green gram curry

Ingrediants
Green Gram - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (Finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 (Finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 11/2tsp
Jeera Powder - 1tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4tsp
Mustard
Curry Leaves
Salt
Oil

Cooking Method
Soak green gram for 4-5hrs or overnight. Pressure cook green gram till soft and mashy.
Heat oil, add mustard, curry leaves followed by onions. Fry till onion is well cooked.
Add tomatoes and all the spice powders other than asafoetida and salt.
Fry till tomatoes are mashy and oil leaves the masala.
Add cooked green gram and asafoetida.
Bring the gravy to boil. Adjust the consistency with water.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or chapathi


Serves : 4
Cooking Time : 30 Minutes.

Egg chutney

his has been one of my favourite dishes from my childhood.

Every time i prepare this dish my memories goes back to the days when i used to return hungry and tired from school and happily eat chapathi with egg chutney.

Ingrediants
Eggs - 3 (Boiled and cut into eight small pieces)
Tomato - 3 (Medium, finely chopped)
Onions - 2 (Medium, finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2tsp
Chilli Powder - 1tsp
Coriander Powder - 11/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp
Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 6 (finely chopped)
Mustard
Oil
Salt

Cooking Method
Heat oil, add mustard, once it crackles, add curry leaves.
Add onions, saute till it turns translucent. add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes.
Add all the spice powder along with salt.
Fry till tomatoes are mashed and the spices blend with the tomato.
Add Little water if you feel the curry is too thick.
Bring the entire mixture to boil. Add eggs.
Mix well and cover and cook for 1 minute.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapathi or rice n dal.

Cooking Time : 20 minutes
Serves : 2-3