Kondakadala kuttan/curry

Ingredients:
• Kondakadalla – 2 cup
• Onions – 1
• Tomato - 2
• 1 tbsp – mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp- cooking oil
• green chilly/ dry red chilli – 1-2 slitted
• 1 pinch of turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp of malli powder
• ½ tbsp of chilli powder
• Coconut – ½ portion
• 1 tbsp jeerakham seeds
• Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Soak the kondakaddalla seeds in water overnight ( 8 hours). Wash it thoroughly with fresh water the next day and pressure cooker it with a pinch of salt.

Grind the grated coconut with jeerakham and 1 green chilli.

In a kadai, pour some cooking oil and splutter some mustard seeds, kadala paruppu, jeerakham, urud dhal seeds. When it becomes golden brown, add chopped onions, slitted green chillies and lotsa of curry leaves and stir fry it till it becomes light brown. To this, add a pinch of turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder, malli powder and sauté it till the raw smell is gone. To this add the cooked kondakaddalla and coconut paste. Add some water to make it in a gravy form and allow it to boil. Add salt to taste.


Enjoy the curry with plain rice/Ari Puttu/Ragi Puttu.

Besibellabath/Sambhar rice

This mixed rice is something I dread when I was a little child. It was really spicy then.

Now I love to have a big serving of it in one sitting..such a yummy fab delicious dish…with lotsa of veggies in it…nice and glossy…

Ingredients:

1. Vegetables – Drumstick, brinjal, carrot, cauliflower, potato, long beans, green peas (1 of each)
2. finely chopped onions - 2
3. finely chopped tomatoes – 2
4. Soaked rice – 2 cup
5. Sambhar paruppu – 1 cup
6. Asafodiea powder – ½ tbsp
7. malli (coriander ) seeds – 1 tbsp
8. jeerakham seeds – 1 tbsp
9. dry red chilli – 1-2
10. turmeric powder – a pinch
11. salt to taste
12. 1 handful of grated coconut/coppara

Method of preparation:

1. Soak the rice and sambhar paruppu (already washed) in 7 cup of water for 10-15 mintues
2. in a kadai, fry deeply the grated coconut/coppara, coriander seeds,red dry chilli, jeerakham seeds, Asafodiea powder, 1-2 pearl onions, 1 strand of curry leaves with little oil.
3. Grind the above mix and keep it aside
4. in a deep bottom kadai, pour some oil and fry the chopped vegetables mentioned above with little salt and pinch of turmeric powder.
5. Add the ground paste to the above fried vegetables and just cook for 5 minutes
6. Now in a pressure cooker, mix the soaked rice and sambhar paruppu with the water to the above mix and cook it till 3 whistles.

It should come out like a nice, over cooked rice….something like sticky sticky consistency.


Mix the whole stuff well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Adjust the salt after tasting it.

Enjoy with pappadam/pappad, mixture, potato chips.....

Egg burji/Egg podimas

Any recipe which can be prepared in a minute or two is one and only egg burji.

Mix 2-3 egg, finely chopped onions, salt to taste, curry leaves, 2 pinch of turmeric powder (optional), 1-2 chopped green chilli and 1 tbsp pepper powder in a big bowl very well.

In a heated tawa, pour the above mix and stir it with a spatula continuously till the egg is done.

Avarakkaya (Flattened beans) poriyal/thoran

Here is another vegetable side dish to be prepared for lunch/dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of mustard seeds
• cooking oil – 1 tbsp
• 1 tbsp – uzhundhu dhal seeds
• 1 tbsp – kadala paruppu
• chopped Avarakkaya (Flattened beans)
• salt to taste
• 2 pinch of turmeric powder
• curry leaves
• 1 – finely chopped onion
• 1- finely chopped tomatoes
• 1-2 green chillies slited
• 1-2 dry red chilli

Method of preparation:

• Mix well all the chopped Avarakkaya, finely chopped onions and tomatoes, green chilli, turmeric powder, salt, to taste, curry leaves in a big bowl.
• In a heavy bottom pan, pour out some cooking oil and throw the above mixed stuff.
• Sprinkle some water over the veggies and close it with a lid and allow it to cook. Frequently, give it a stir.
For seasoning:
• In another pan, heat little cooking oil and splutter the mustard seeds, urud dhal seeds, kadala paruppu, dry broken red chilli, curry leaves and fry it till it changes to light brown color.
• Pour out the seasoning to the cooked veggies and mix it well.

Kovakkaya poriyal/thoran

To talk about this kovakkaya (I don't know what this is called in English), I've never seen this one till I came to Chennai 9 (at the age of 23 or so)!!! It was initially hard for me to digest the fact that people cook whatever they say it is a vegetable...

Some say that this veggie is good for people suffering from hypertension..Not sure about this..

so lets get rocking here once again...with the ingredients.....

Ingredients:

1. 1 tbsp of mustard seeds
2. cooking oil – 1 tbsp
3. 1 tbsp – uzhundhu dhal seeds
4. 1 tbsp – kadala paruppu
5. chopped kovakkaya
6. salt to taste
7. 2 pinch of turmeric powder
8. curry leaves
9. 1 – finely chopped onion
10. 1- finely chopped tomatoes
11. 1-2 green chillies slited
12. 1-2 dry red chilli

Method of preparation:

1. In a heavy bottom pan, heat the cooking oil and splutter the mustard seeds, urud dhal seeds, kadala paruppu, dry broken red chilli and fry it till it changes to light brown color.
2. To this add the finely chopped onions and tomatoes and mix and continue to fry it till it becomes nice and glossy and soggy.
3. To this, add green chilli, turmeric powder, salt to taste and later the chopped kovakkaya and mix it well.
4. Sprinkle some water over the veggies and close it with a lid and allow it to cook. Frequently, give it a stir.


The veg now become glossy, soggy and yum to taste.

Red capsicum thoran/poriyal

I got a pack of green capsicum from market. I forgot about it. It was hiding itself from me..LOL...and after a week or so, i was wondering why my DH has got red capsicum from the market....I was scratching my head when i get to realise what is the reality..My green capsicum has ripened!!!..Before it changes to some other color, i thought i do something about it and ended up doing a side dish with it...ROFL...

The result was more picturesque..with red, rose and green.....


Ingredients:

1. Chopped Red capsicum - a pack (3-4)
2. Chopped onions - 1
3. Chopped tomatoes - 1
4. slit green chillies - 1/2
5. Curry leaves
6. Mustard seeds, jeeram seeds, urudhu dal seeds, kadala paruppu for seasoning

Method of preparation:

1. In a kadai, splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, 1 tbsp uzhudu dhal seed, 1 tbsp of kadala paruppu.

2. Add chopped onions , chopped tomatoes, slitted green chilies and fry it until they are done/ soggy.

3. Add curry leaves and stir fry, a pinch of turmeric powder, 1/2 tbsp of chilli powder and mix it well.

4. Add the chopped capsicum to it and saute it too. Sprinkle some water and close the lid and allow it to cook for some time. Occasionally, give a stir.

5. When it is done 3/4th, add 1/2 tbsp of garam masala and mix it well and allow it to cook.

You can enjoy this side dish with chappathi, plain hot rice.

Chappathi and Dhal curry - A fabulous couple

Most of the time, our family dinner comprises of Chappathi and a gravy to go with it and of course, some other dry vegetarian side dish.

But chappathi always goes yum with Dhal...If you go to any parts of North India, you get this combo in any restuarant, home, dhabba....

My husband loves it..He is happy when this couple is prepared for any time of the day/ any course for that matter..So easy to make and simply uncomplicated.."why complicate life?"...that is my motto....

OK !! Enough of rattling and back to business...

Ingredients:

1. 2 cup of dhal (Sambhar paruppu)
2. 1-2 slit green chilli
3. mustard seeds, jeeram seeds for seasoning
4. salt to taste
5. 1/2 tbsp of turmeric powder
6. lots of curry leaves
7. corainder leaves for seasoning
8. Ghee
9. 1- chopped tomato
10. onions - 1 cup

Method of preparation of dhal gravy:

1. Cook the dhal in the pressure cooker till 2-3 whistles.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, add chopped onions and tomatoes, slit 2 green chilies and fry it until they are done.
3. Add curry leaves and stir fry.
4. Add turmeric powder to this and throw in the cooked dhal and add salt to our requirement.
5. Mix well and when it gets boiled, add 1/2 tbsp of ghee (optional)
6. Remove from the stove and garnish with coriander leaves

Emh!!! the aroma fills the stomach too.....

Chappathi:

1. To one cup of wheat flour, add little by little water (add 1 tbsp of milk too and a pinch of salt - though optional) and knead to a not-so-tough consistency. It should not be sticky nor watery.
2. Take a small ball out of the dough.
3. Sprinkle some dry wheat flour on the slab, press down this small ball and flatten it using a chappathi roller to a thin sheet.
4. In a preheated tawa, greese some oil/ghee (optional). Slip this thin sheet on to the top and allow it to cook for 1/2 minute. Then turn over and cook the other side for another 1/2 minute. Toss around and press at various places so that it bulges out.

Nice and hot chappathi is ready..


So C'mon lets grab the chappathi and enjoy with dhal.

Mixed vegetable fried rice - A fusion

It's a fusion between mixed vegetable rice and fried rice..It is my own receipe so beware...LOL..I think it is a confusion, rather...throwed in all the items that i got in my hand and there we go once again...

Ingredients:
1. 1 chopped carrot
2. 2 chopped onions
3. few beans
4. ginger and garlic - small pieces
5. somphu, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, badam – few of each
6. turmeric powder – ½ tbsp
7. chilli powder – ½ tbsp
8. garam masala powder – 1 tbsp
9. cooking oil - 1 tbsp
10. soaked 1 cup of rice for ½ hour

Method of preparation:

In a heavy bottom kadai, heat 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil and splutter some somphu seeds. After that add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, badam and fry it till fragrant.
Add chopped ginger pieces and garlic pieces/ ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell leaves.
Add all the chopped onions and fry it till it becomes brown color.
Add all the chopped veggies to it and sauté it.
Add chilli powder/gram masala powder and lotsa of curry leaves and turmeric powder and salt to taste and mix it well and allow it to cook for sometime.
Now add the soaked rice with 2 glass of water and mix the whole contents well and pressure cook it till 3 whistles.



Garnish it with coriander leaves (if available)…

It came out very well. It looked colorful and tasted yum...

Plain Muringhakkayi (Drumstick) Sambhar

Sambhar is prepared atleast 2-3 times a week in my kitchen..for idli, dosa....
Easy to make and goes with every course of the day...LOL...


Gravy preparation:

Cook the sambhar paruppu (say 1 cup) in a pressure cooker with required water.
Cut drumstick into pieces of ½ inch length. To the cooked sambhar paruppu add the chopped drumstick, chopped onions, 2 ripe tomatoes chopped , 2 green chilies slitted, and some curry leaves. Allow the vegetables to be cooked. Add the tamarind ( a small lemon size) soaked water. (depends on how much tanginess one wants). Let it to boil. After sometime, add 1 tbsp of Kashmir chilly powder, 2 tbsp of malli (Coriander seed) powder, 1 tbsp of ready-made Sāmbhar powder, salt to taste, 1 pinch of turmeric powder and mix it thoroughly and let it boil. 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.

(photo taken before seasoning and granishing)

For seasoning
In the kadai, pour some oil and when it gets hot, splutter some mustard seeds, some jeerakam seeds, 1-2 dry broken red chilly. Also add some more curry leaves.

Add the seasoning to the above gravy


One can enjoy aromatic sambhar with Chappathi, Plain white rice, Idli, Hot Dosa…

Tomato rice

How to make tomato rice:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
few urud dhal seeds
few kadala paruppu seeds
1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
4-5 ripe tomatoes chopped
1-2 onions
coriander leaves
curry leaves
jeeram seeds

soaked rice - 2 cups (1/2 hour)


Method of preparation:

In a kadai, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil and splutter some mustard seeds, add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and sauté it till fragrant. Add the ginger garlic paste to this and sauté it till the raw smell leaves. Add chopped onions, curry leaves and salt to taste and let it get fried till light golden brown.
Add chopped tomatoes to this and let it cook till it becomes soggy and fragrant. Add 1 tbsp of chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and mix it well.
Garnish it with corriander leaves. Then add the 2 cup of soaked rice to this and 4 cup of water and mix it well and pressure cook it till 3 whistles.

Cheera thoran/ keerai poriyal

How to make cheera thoran/keerai poriyal:

Chop/cut the cheera/keerai/leafy green plant into small piece. Wash well with water before chopping. If possible, after chopping too. Cook it by sprinkling water when water gets dried. Add salt to taste and pinch of turmeric powder. Stir it often till it is done.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few uzhudu dhal seed, few kadala paruppu. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2-3 red chilly or green chilly, 2 onions chopped and fry it until they are slightly golden. Add curry leaves and stir fry. Add this seasoning to the above cooked cheera/keerai/leafy green plant.

Enjoy it with curd rice...

Mixed vegetable rice

When i came back from office, i found that the rice which had been cooked for lunch remained untouched. I decided to make a quick vegetable rice. This is one way by which i can forcefully make my children eat all the veggie's...

I used microwave for this.

Here is how i made:

Ingredients
1. 2 chopped carrot
2. 2 chopped onions
3. few beans
4. 1 chopped potatoes
5. 1 chopped capisicum
6. ginger and garlic - small pieces
7. somphu, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves - little
8. cooking oil - 1 tbsp

Method of preparation:

1. Steam the already cooked rice with a pressure cooker/ outside to make it hot.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, pour some oil and put the onions, somphu, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and cook it for 2 - 3 minutes. stir the contents in between.

3. Added the chopped vegetables, salt to taste, 1/2 tbsp of gram masala powder. Mix it well and cook for 6-7 minutes.

4. I transferred the whole content to a mudpot and also added the already warmed rice to it and mix the whole content and cook for another 5-6 minutes.


It came out very well. It looked colorful and tasted yum...



My daughter tasted and said "Emh...Delicious"..and my children finished the whole plate...Not bad....

Tomato Rasam

Remember i was telling that one of my DH's classmate visited us and I prepared katti sambhar, Tomato rasam and wheat seva payasam.

Here is how i prepared tomato rasam:

Ingredients:

1. Jeerakam seeds - 1 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
3. curry leaves for seasoning, coriander leaves for garnishing
4. Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
5. turmeric powder - little
6. tamarind - little
7. 2 chopped tomatoes
8. Resam powder - 1 tbsp
9. Asefodia - little
10. fenugreek - little
11. Chilli powder/pepper powder - 1/2 tbsp

Method of preparation:

1. Take 2 cup of plain water. In that squeeze the tomatoes with hand. Add turmeric powder, salt to taste, the soaked tamarind water/1 tbsp of ready made tamarind puree, chili powder/pepper powder.

2. In a heavy bottom kadai, pour some cooking oil and when it is heated, splutter some mustard seeds, jeerakam seeds, few fenugreek seeds, asefodia (small piece), 2-3dry chilli. Add lotsa of curry leaves too. Then add the water liquid mentioned above to this.

3. Allow it to boil. Add 1 tbsp of Readymade resam powder, some coriander leaves and mix it well. simmer for 1 minute. Then throw some asefodia powder in it and close it with a lid so that the aroma does not escape.

Emh!!! Resam is in the air...

Enjoy with plain white rice and pappad and pickle...

Katti Sambhar

How to make Katti Sambhar:

Cook Sāmbhar paruppu (say 1 ½ cup) in a pressure cooker with required water.
Cut drumstick into pieces of 1 ½ inch length. Cook drumstick in sufficient water separately with a pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.
Chop 2 onions, 2 ripe tomatoes and slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 broken red chilly. Some curry leaves and few coriander leaves to give the aroma for seasoning..
In the kadai, pour some oil and when it gets hot, splutter some mustard seeds, some jeerakam seeds. When it is done, Add chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilly, some curry leaves to the above mix. When it has become soggy, add 1 tbsp of Kashmir chilly powder, 2 tbsp of malli (Coriander seed) powder, 1 tbsp of ready-made Sāmbhar powder, salt to taste, 1 pinch of turmeric powder if one want more yellow color. Mix it thoroughly. When the raw smell of the powder is gone, add the cooked Sāmbhar paruppu and the cooked drumstick and mix it well. Add the tamarind ( a small lemon size) soaked water. (depends on how much tanginess one wants). Let it to boil. 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.

By katti , I mean the gray should come out with thick consistency. Not the usual watery sambhar…




One can enjoy this katti sambhar with Chappathi, Plain white rice, Idli, Hot Dosa

Vegetable biriyani - (using Microwave oven)

Remember I've been nattering about my new purchase for Deepavalli this year..The Microwave oven..I attended a session on Microwave cooking ..The first dish they showed is Vegetable biriyani...Here goes the ingredients and method of preparation:


Ingredients:

1. 1 chopped onion
2. Cooking oil
3. Cloves/cinnamon/Somphu/Bay leaves/Kasakasa seeds
4. Basmathi rice - 1 cup (soak it in water for 20 mintues). I used boiled rice instead.
5. Ginger garlic paste/chopped and crushed ones
6. 2 chopped carrot
7. 1 chopped potatoes
8. few green peas
9. few chopped beans
10. chilli powder - 1 tbsp
11. Salt - 1/2 tbsp
12. gram masala powder - 1 tbsp
13. turmeric powder - 2 pinch
14. 1 chopped tomatoes
15. curry leaves


Method of preparation:

1. In a microoven safe big bowl, add chopped onion and all Cloves/cinnamon/Somphu/Bay leaves/Kasakasa seeds and 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil and mix it well. Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes. In between, mix the contents. The onions will become golden brown in color.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes or till the raw smells of ginger and garlic is gone
3. add the chopped carrot,potato, green peas and chopped beans to the above. Mix it well and cook for 6 mintues
4. Then add chilli powder, salt to taste, gram masala and tumeric powder and cook for 2 more mintues
5. To this add tomato and curry leaves and cook for 2 more minutes
6. To this add the soaked rice and add 2 cup of water and cook it for 20 - 25 mintues. Add salt if required.

I used very little oil ..just 1 tbsp...and used boiled rice instead of basmati rice..So as the picture speaks for itself, it does not have much oil as one can see in the usual biriyani...Nevertheless, it was tasting delicious and the whole family loved it. My DH gave 90/100...Not bad ..My daughter and son loved it too...They cleaned their plate!!! Good feedback, is it not? ;-)

Emmh...yummy vegetable biriyani is ready!!!!

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!!!!!