Bitter gourd stir fry/pavakkiya thoran

Bitter gourd ….This vegetable is one I hate so much …..I, for one, strictly avoid this sidedish when I was very young. Amma used to push me stressing the health value of this gourd…I, sooner or later, gained the guts to finish the side dish by simply swallowing it…Some of my collegues-cum-friends dread eating this and I displayed my piece of knowledge to their amusement..by showing them how I finish off my portion…They acknowledged with their acclaims..”waah, waah”…Hopefully couple of ladies have imbibed my eating skills of bitter gourd…Not only for elder people…a tip for coming generations too…..

How to prepare this bitter sidedish:

Cut the bitter gourd into small piece and mix it with 3 tbsp of curd and a pinch of salt. Keep it aside for sometime. Then wash it off thoroughly. This technique I learnt it from my cook. It takes off most of the bitterness from it.

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Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 tsp urudh dhal seed, 1 tsp kadala paruppu (channa dhal seeds). Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, throw some 2-3 broken red chilly or slitted green chillies, 2 onions chopped, sprinkle some grated coconut and pinch of turmeric powder and sauté it until they are slightly golden.
Liberally add lots of curry leaves and stir fry.
Add the chopped bitter gourd and mix thoroughly. If required, sprinkle some water when it gets dried. Stir it often till it is done. Add salt to taste.

One can enjoy this poriyal/thoran with plain rice

Good for diabetic people......

Naadan Chicken fry

Clean ½ kg of chicken thoroughly and keep it aside. Allow the water to drain.

Mix 1 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp of turmeric powder, 1tbsp of chilly powder and 2 tbsp of coriander seed powder (malli) and 2 tbsp of chicken masala powder and make it into a uniform mix.

Apply this above mix to the already cleaned chicken pieces and set aside for ½ hour to marinate.

In a heavy bottom kadai, pour oil and allow it to heat. Then put these chicken pieces into the heated oil. Then simply turn the pieces to the other side so that it gets cooked uniformly throughout.

Voila, the crispy and cruncy chicken fry

Meen varuthathu/Plain Fish fry

Clean the fish thoroughly with lotsa of water. Then clean with 1 tbsp of salt and 1 tbsp of turmeric powder. Keep it aside for 5 mintues and once again wash the fish thoroughly with water. I use gallons and gallons of water to clean fish till the last dirt is removed.

Fish fry masala:

Mix 1 tbsp of turmeric powder, 2 tbsp of chilly powder, 3 tbsp of coriander seed powder (malli powder) and 1 ½ tbsp of salt. Mix these powder’s well.

How to prepare fish fry:

Apply this powder onto the cleaned fish all over. Keep aside for sometime to marinate.

In a frying pan, pour enough quantity of oil. Put these masala applied fish onto the hot oil. Simmer the burner otherwise the skin get charred and hard. Then after sometime, turn the fish to the other side. Remove once it is done.

It tastes yum with curd rice, plain rice. Enjoy…Meen varuthathu….

I just can't stop clicking these lovely, picturesque fish fries...yummy and delicious

Aloo Bread Sandwitch

Kids would love to have a grab….Try it….

To make stuffing for Aloo Bread Sandwitch:

Boil couple of big potatoes in a pressure cooker. Once done, peal off the skin and chop it into small pieces or one can mash it with hands and add little salt to taste. Keep it aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 tsp of urudh dhal seed and 1 tsp of kadala paruppu (channa dhal seeds). Sim the burner so that these dhal seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped and 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 slitted green chilly, lotsa of curry leaves and saute it till it becomes soft. Sprinke some salt to taste.

To the above seasoning, add chopped or mashed potatoes and mix thoroughly.

To make Aloo Bread Sandwitch:

Place the stuffing in between two bread slices. It could be plain sandwitch bread. I used atta bread.

Keep it inside the bread toaster.

And remove once it’s surface becomes slight brown.

Lemon Rice - A Yellow Rice

Here is how I prepare Lemon Rice…..My son’s favorite , the yellow rice……

To make Lemon Rice :

Take 2 cup of already cooked rice. To it , add salt to taste and lemon juice of 2 lemon. Mix it thoroughly and keep it aside.

Chop 2 onions and slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 broken dry red chillies, some curry leaves for seasoning. Can also add some groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, 1 tbsp of urudh seed, 1 tbsp of kadala paruppu (Channa Dhal seeds). Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped and saute it until they are slightly golden and soft. Add lots of curry leaves. Then add groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai and saute it till it is fried to golden brown.

Then add the rice to the above mix, and mix it well thoroughly (sim the burner).

Lemon Rice is ready!!!!!

Ragi Sevai Uppuma

A quick and easy one…..

To make Ragi Sevai uppuma:

Soak the Ragi Sevai in water for 2-3 minutes. Add salt to this water while soaking. Sieve it so that water drains off completely. Make sure the Ragi Sevai should not become more soggy. Keep it aside. After say 5 minutes, pressure cooker it for 5 minutes.

Chop 2 onions and slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly. Can also add some groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Some curry leaves for seasoning.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few uzhudu dhal seed, few kadala paruppu and groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped, slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly and fry it until they are done. Add curry leaves and stir fry.

Then add the cooked Ragi Sevai to the above mix, and mix it well thoroughly using fork(sim the burner)……..

Voila, Ragi Sevai uppuma!!!!!

Sambha Godhambhu Uppuma

A quick and easy one…..for breakfast or dinner.

To make Sambha Godhambhu (broken wheat) uppuma:

Chop 2 onions and slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 broken red chilly. Chop 1 carrot/ 10-15 beans. Can also add some groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Some curry leaves for seasoning.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, 1 tsp of urudh dhal seed, 1 tsp of kadala paruppu (channa dhal seeds) and groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped, slitted 2 green chilies, 2-3 broken red chilly and saute it until they become soft.

Add chopped vegetables (carrot and beans), curry leaves and stir fry. Then add 2 and ½ glass of water for every glass of Sambha Godhambhu. Allow the water to boil thoroughly.

Then add the sambha Ghodhambu to the above mix slowly. As you pour it in the boiling water, stir it continuously so that no lumps are formed and mix it thoroughly. Close it with a lid and simmer the burner. Let it cook for some 5- 10 mintues. Frequently, indulge by mixing it so that the bottom portion comes at the top and top portion goes at the bottom.

Voila, yummy sambha Ghodhambu uppuma!!!!!

Good for diabetic people…and for health conscious people…:D

Ragi Illa Adda

Let me post the Ragi Illa (banana leaf) Adda…

The stuffing goes into the adda:

To the grated coconut, add 1-2 tsp of sugar (according to your taste). Then add some powdered cloves to it and mix thoroughly. Instead of sugar, one can add grated jaggerry too.

How to prepare Ragi Adda:

Add some salt to water and pour it on the ragi powder and rice powder and mix it thoroughly so that it becomes a dough just like one prepare for chappathi. One can also add some jeeram seeds while doing the dough.

Take a ball of dough(tennis ball), and press it smoothly on a small piece of banana leaf ( 10 * 10 cm) to make it a layer covering the whole of the leaf.

Then spread the stuffing over this ragi + rice dough layer and fold the whole layer by half like a notebook fold.

Keep inside iddili cooker or the normal pressure cooker without whistle.

Allow it to cook for 10-15 mintues.

Godambhu (Wheat) Illa Adda

Let me post the Godambhu (Wheat) Illa (banana leaf) Adda…

The stuffing goes into the adda:

To the grated coconut, add 1-2 tsp of sugar (according to your taste). Then add some powdered cloves to it and mix thoroughly. Instead of sugar, one can add grated jaggerry too.


How to prepare Godambhu Adda:

Add some salt to water and pour it on the wheat/atta powder and mix it thoroughly so that it becomes a dough just like one prepare for chappathi. One can also add some jeeram seeds while doing the dough.

Take a ball of dough(tennis ball), and press it smoothly on a small piece of banana leaf ( 10 * 10 cm) to make it a layer covering the whole of the leaf.

Then spread the stuffing over this wheat dough layer and fold the whole layer by half like a notebook fold.

Keep inside iddili cooker or the normal pressure cooker without whistle.

Allow it to cook for 10-15 mintues.

Ari Illa Adda

First let me post the Ari (Rice) Illa (banana leaf) Adda…

First let us see the stuffing that goes into the adda:

To the grated coconut, add 1-2 tsp of sugar (according to your taste). Then add some powdered cloves to it and mix thoroughly. Instead of sugar, one can add grated jaggerry too.

How to prepare Ari Adda:

Boil some water, add some salt and pour it on the rice powder and mix it thoroughly so that it becomes a dough just like one prepare for chappathi. One can also add some jeeram seeds while doing the dough.

Take a ball of dough(tennis ball), and press it smoothly on a small piece of banana leaf ( 10 * 10 cm) to make it a layer covering the whole of the leaf.

Then spread the stuffing over this rice dough layer and fold the whole layer by half like a notebook fold.

Keep inside iddili cooker or the normal pressure cooker without whistle.

Allow it to cook for 10-15 mintues.

As you can see the photos, one can prepare illa Adda with Ragi and Wheat flour..will post those next

Javvarissi uppuma/ Sagoo uppuma/ sabudhana (Maharastrian Dish)

Here is something special that you can try for a breakfast or as evening tiffin.

Soak 1 cup of fine Javvarissi in water (water level should be ½ inches above the sagoo level overnight. In the morning, the Javvarissi would have become soggy. The javvarissi should be separate and soft.

Fry the ground nut ( required quantity) in a kadai and grind it coarsely in a food processor. To little bit of coarsely grinded ground nut powder, add 2-3 green chilly and grind it sprinkling little water. Mix the ground nut powder and the ground nut powder grinded with green chilies with the soaked sagoo.

Boil 1 potato and mash it with your hands. Mix it with the above mixing.

Pour 1 tsp oil in a kadai and when it becomes hot, splutter 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 tsp of jeerakam (fenugreek) seed, 1 tsp of urudh dhal seeds, add 1/2 cup finely chopped onions, some chopped cashnew nuts/ badam, 2-3 green chilly [cut lengthwise]. Sim the burner. Sauté it till light brown. Add lotsa of curry leaves and stir fry.

To the above, add the sagoo mix. Mix it well and cook until the sagoo becomes completely transparent.

Sprinkle some salt to taste and mix well.

Remove from fire, add juice of 1 lemon and mix well. Then add 3tsps grated coconut (optional) and mix well.

Brinjal puli kozhambu

How to make Brinjal puli kozhambu

Chop 5-7 brinjal’s lengthwise.

Soak tamarind ( a small lemon size) in water (depends on tanginess one wants) and keep it aside. Keep aside curry leaves for seasoning and some coriander leaves to give the aroma.

Grind 1 handful of grated coconut with 1 tsp jeerakam (fenugreek seeds) and 1-2 green chilies separately. (This step you can avoid. This will bring down the tangy taste down.)

Pour 1 tbsp oil in a kadai and when it becomes hot, splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, 2-3 broken dried red chilly, chopped 2 onions, chopped 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped brinjal pieces and slitted 2-3 green chilies and lots of curry leaves and sauté it until they are done.

Add 1 tsp of Kashmir chilly powder, 2 tsp of malli (Coriander seed) powder, salt to taste, 1 pinch of turmeric powder if one want more yellow color. Sauté it till the raw smell goes off.

To this add the soaked tamarind water. Mix it thoroughly and let it to boil.

Then add grinded coconut mix to this. (mentioned earlier, adding cocunut mix can be avoided if one does not want to add cocunut to the gravy)

Pour some more water to bring it to some watery consistency and cook till the brinjal is cooked.

Sprinkle some salt to taste.

Before you take out from the stove, sprinkle some asafetida powder and coriander leaves. Close with a lid so that the aroma does not leave.

Mango pacchadi

How to make Mango pacchadi

Take 2-3 handful of jaggery powder to required water and allow it to dissolve and keep it aside. You can sieve it….( stones comes as free with the jaggery…. ;-):-D )

Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 tsp urudh dhal seed, 1 tsp kadala paruppu (channa dhal seeds). Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, throw some 2-3 slitted red chilly or 1-2 broken green chilly sauté it until they are slightly golden.

Add some chopped mango pieces to the above and add the jaggery dissolved water to it. Allow it to cook.

Finally add few neem flower and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Bean’s thoran/poriyal

How to make Bean’s thoran/poriyal:

Chop the beans into small piece and cook it by sprinkling water frequently when water gets dried. Stir it often till it is done. Add salt to taste and pinch of turmeric powder.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 tsp urudh dhal seed, 1 tsp kadala paruppu (channa dhal seeds). Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, throw some 2-3 broken red chilly or slitted green chillies, 2 onions chopped, sprinkle some grated coconut and sauté it until they are slightly golden.

Liberally add lots of curry leaves and stir fry.

Add this seasoning to the above cooked beans.

One can enjoy this poriyal/thoran with plain rice or as dry side dish for Chapathi....Enjoy...

Elavan Morukuttan

How to make Morukuttan …..with Elavan …

Grind 2 handful of coconut with 1 tsp jeerakam (Fenugreek) separately and 2 green chilly.

Cook Elavan (White pumpkin chopped into small pieces) in sufficient water separately with a pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.

In a kadai, mix the grinded coconut paste with the cooked elavan and bring to boil.
Mix the Moru (buttermilk. beaten once in the mixy) to the above and make sure that the Moru doesn’t break. Meaning it should not be boiled. Just slight heating is enough.

Separately heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, 2-3 broken red chilly and saute it until they are done. Add lots of curry leaves and stir fry. Add this seasoning to the above mix.

Urunda Khozhambu

How to prepare Urunda Khozhambu

Soak 1 cup of kadalla paruppu (Channa Dhal) in water for ½ hour. Then grind the soaked kadalla paruppu with little salt and 1 tsp of somphu. Keep it aside.

In a kadai, pour 1 tsp oil and when it gets heated, splutter 1 tsp mustard seed,1 tsp urud dhal seed, 1 tsp channa dhal seed. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped, 2 tomatoes, slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 broken red chilly and add curry leaves saute it until they are done.

Add the tamarind ( a small lemon size) soaked water to the above mix…depends on the intensity of the tanginess one wants. Allow it to boil.

In the mean time, make small balls out of the grinded kadalla paruppu and put it inside the boiling gravy. Sim the burner and allow it to cook.

When the balls are done, throw liberally some coriander leaves. Close with a lid so that the aroma does not leave.

You could relish this lovely urundai's with plain rice or Chapathi or dosa too..........

I just can't resist stopping to click my lovely urundai's.......and yummy to taste too...........