Payaru koottaan/gravy

Ingredients:
• Payaru – 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 Payaru 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.

Idili uppuma

What do you do with the leftover idili that you would have prepared for breakfast/dinner? Don’t throw it off. Refrigerate it and it can be used to prepare yummy uppuma.



Here we go with the ingredients

1. Idillies
2. Onions – 1
3. 1 tbsp – mustard seeds
4. 1 tbsp- cooking oil
5. green chilly/ dry red chilli – 1-2 slitted
6. 1 pinch of turmeric powder
7. 1 tbsp jeerakham seeds
8. 2 tbsp idili podi/paruppu podi
9. Salt to taste
10. groundnuts

Method of preparation:


Powder the idillies with the hand. Make sure no lumps are formed.

In a kadai, pour some cooking oil and splutter some mustard seeds, kadala paruppu, jeerakham, urud dhal seeds and groundnuts. When it becomes golden brown, add chopped onions, broken dry red chillies and lotsa of curry leaves and stir fry it till it becomes light brown. To this, add a pinch of turmeric powder, idili podi and salt to taste. To this add the powdered idilli and mix it well and allow it to warm.


You may also add chopped beans and carrot to this.

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.

Beetroot thoran/poriyal

A nice dry sidedish to go with plain rice...


Ingredients:
• chopped pieces of beetroot
• Onions – 1
• 1 tbsp – mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp- cooking oil
. dry peanut - 10-15 pieces
• green chilly/ dry red chilli – 1-2 slitted
• 1 pinch of turmeric powder
• ½ tbsp of chilli powder
• Salt to taste

Method of preparation:



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, peanuts and lotsa of curry leaves and stir fry it till it becomes light brown. To this, add chopped pieces of beetroot and a pinch of turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder and mix it thoroughly and allow it to cook. Sprinkle little water if you feel it is dry and requires some more cooking.

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.....

Ven (No..Yellow) Pongal

Ven pongal is something special dish in Tamil nadu. One get this dish as a prasadam in many temple after the drashan. It tastes like ambrosia.

In my home, I prepare this for the breakfast mostly once in a week.

So let us go first with the ingredients:

1. Rice – 1 cup
2. Pongal paruppu/Seruparuppu/deskinned pasiparruppu – ¾ to 1 cup
3. salt to taste
4. ghee for seasoning
5. pepper seeds – 1 tbsp
6. jeerakam seeds – 1 tbsp
7. green chilli – 1-2 slitted
8. curry leaves

Method of preparation:

1. Mix the washed rice and pongal paruppu and add salt to taste and 1 pinch of turmeric powder (optional) to give a nice yellow colour and add 3 and ½ cup of water to it. Pressure cook it till 3 whistles.


For seasoning:
• In a pan, heat little ghee and splutter the pepper seeds, jeerakham seeds, dry broken red chilli/green chilli and curry leaves.

Pour out the seasoning to the cooked rice/pongal and mix it well.



Enjoy this with cocunut chutney and sambhar.

Kariveppalla/Curry leaf chutney

First to talk about the importance of curry leaves…it is rich in calcium…good for health…for hair growth etc etc….

My front yard has a big curry plant/tree…and once it is blooms, the whole front yard gets a spread of this plant…


Ingredients:

• 1 /2 tbsp of mustard seeds
• cooking oil – 1 tbsp
• 1 tbsp – uzhundhu dhal seeds
• 1 tbsp – kadala paruppu
• salt to taste
• 1 small piece of tamarind
• Handful of curry leaves
• 1 – finely chopped onion
• 1- finely chopped tomatoes
• 1-2 green chillies slited
• 1-2 dry red chilli

Method of preparation:

• In a heavy bottom pan, pour out some cooking oil and throw all the above ingredients and fry it till it becomes dry.
• Grind it very well with little water.

For seasoning:
• In a pan, heat little cooking oil and splutter the mustard seeds and dry broken red chilli

Pour out the seasoning to the above ground curry leaf paste and mix it well.



Enjoy this with hot hot idli, dosa...

If you mix it with plain rice, it becomes the kariveppalla rice..(another mixed rice)...

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.

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.

Dosa with cocunut chutney/lady's finger sambhar - Vendakhaiya sambar - Another couple

Any part of South Indian if you visit, the typical breakfast that one get in any house, restuarant or road side shop...(thattu kada...)...is the one and only plain dosa/dosa roast/ ghee roast/ triangle dosa ...it is comes in all variety and flavour (Dosa kept in the form of Pyramid ..it is folded into a cone shape ...my son loves the presentation)..........

Which reminds me of an instance which happened long way back...(Flash back)

We were in pondicherry to attend a friend's marriage and we reached pondicherry early evening after a long car travel from chennai and we were all exhausted and were waiting to grab something in the restuarant...as usual my DH ordered plain dosa for my DChildren. The server brought the dosa and placed it in front of my son. He studied the plate. And "Enda acchey, sambhar dosadey mozhil uzhalladu?...njaan plain dosa elley choichadu...sambhar venda acchey"...(Why daddy,why Sambhar is on the top of the dosa? I asked only for "PLAIN" dosa, i don't want sambhar)...The manager was observing this conversation....He called the server and questioned him "Avunga "PLAIN" dosa thaney kettangha...ne en sambhar pottu konduvanthey..poyi "PLAIN" dosa konduva "...(He asked only for plain dosa...why did you pour sambhar on top of it...go bring another plain dosa)..The server brought another plate of just "PLAIN" dosa......HAHAHA... We had a hearty laugh and he became the whole attraction in the restuarant....all the Servers stood around our table to have a peek at my son..What a brainy chap!!!!

So back to our ingredients section:

You can see the ingredients of cocunut chutney here


You can see how a podi dosa is made here. A plain dosa is one minus the podi (the powder that i had spread on top of the dosa).

For Lady's finger (Vendakhaiya) sambhar, you may follow the same procedure given here Only difference is replace mango slices and drumstick with lady's finger. If you still need the method, i'll try and post it seperately.

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...

Uzhundu vadai

Here is another one snack to be prepared on a rainy day and enjoy with a hot simmering cuppa of Tea..Emh..The uzhundu vada...

How to make this yum vada..here is the method of preparation:

soak 1 cup of uzhundu dhal (black gram) for minimum of 1 hour. Grind it with no water/little water.

To this dough, add chopped onion, green chilli, pepper seeds, salt to taste, curry leaves, a small piece of ginger chopped into fine granules. Also one can add little rava to get that crispiness.

Apply water on your palm and take a small amount of the above mix and press it and put a hole in the center and throw it gently into a kadai with simmering hot.

Allow it to fry deeply and gently turn it over to the other side. Once it has become golden brown and crispy, remove it from the kadai...and

there you go...the hot and crispy uzhundu vada..

One can enjoy with cocunut chutney.

Cocunut chutney

Ingredients :

1. 1/2 cup grated cocunut
2. 2-3 green chilli
3. onion -1
4. salt to taste

Grind all the ingredients mentioned above in a mixie with required water.

In a kadai, after the oil gets hot, splutter some mustard seeds, jeeram seeds, curry leaves, 2-3 broken dry red chilly. When done, pour it over the cocunut grind.

Voila, chutney ready.

Enjoy it with Idli, Dosa, Bajji, Uzhundu vada...

Molagha (Green pepper) bajji

During rainy season/ for that matter whenever there is a downpour, I would love to have a hot cuppa of Tea with Bajji/vada....and enjoy the rain with it...What an awesome idea !!!

So these few days Chennai has been experiencing some showers...and i prepared this for the family..Emh..they loved it and it disappeared the moment i filled the plates...


So ingredients:

1. Gram powder
2. chilli powder
3. food color (optional)
4. Salt to taste
5. aseofodia - a pinch
6. turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp

Mix all the ingredients and add little water to bring it into a thick consistency

Slice open the green pepper into two halves.

Smear or dip the sliced green pepper into the dough and put it in a kadai filled with hot oil. Allow it to deep fry and turn over to cook the other side.

Nice crispy and crunchy molagha bajji..Enjoy with cocunut chutney...

Butter biscuit - Microwave cooking

This is the first biscuit i have tried in my life..and of course, with my new microwave oven.

Ingredients:

1 cup of maida
1 tbsp of ragi powder
1/2 cup of butter
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 tbsp of vanilla essence
Curshed cashewnut/walnut/badam (optional)



(before baking)
Method of preparation:

Melt the butter in microwave mode for 1 minute.

Mix maida with melted butter and mix it well. Then add powdered sugar and mix it well with hand. Add the vanilla essence (or any essence you have at home). I felt that my butter addition was little bit more so i added 1 tbsp of ragi powder (optional). mix it well for sometime and keep it in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.

(Yummy cashewnut biscuit)
After taking from refrigerator, mix it well for somemore time and make it into small balls and press it down.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180DC. Keep these biscuits into the oven after you hear the beep. Increase the timing to 20 mintues.

Voila..yommy crunchy crispy biscuits.


I just embedded couple of cashewnuts and badam on top of the plain dough for decoration.



My children loved it. This was a surprise for my children....they were very hungry when they came back from school..and they finished off the plate after 2-3 grabs...

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…

Thaliccha idli

I grind for idli every weekend and it covers the breakfast and dinner for atleast 3 days. First day, it would be idli. Next day also idli..and the next few days the rest of the dough will be used for dosa...My son would say .."Enda ma, daily idli"...and DH would give me a sidelook with a sarcastic smile...So i thought let me try something different ..both in the looks and taste..and here we go with the ingredients:

1. Nicely chopped onions - 1
2. finely sieved carrot - 1
3. curry leaves
4. Dry chilli - 1-2
5. Idli dough

Method of preparation:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, 1 tbsp uzhudu dhal seed, 1 tbsp of kadala paruppu and few groundnuts and few pottu (chutney) kadalai (optional..but it taste well and children would like the bite of groundnut here and there). Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred.

Add chopped onions, 1-2 broken red chilly and fry it until they are done. Add curry leaves and stir fry.

Add the above mix into the Idli dough and mix it well.

Pour the above dough in the idli maker and steam it till it is done.

The idli will not only tastes divine but also gives a picturesque look.

So how is the new look????? LOL


Enjoy with some spicy tomato chutney/cocunut chutney...

Murunghiya Cheera Thoran/ Drumstick leaf poriyal

Cleaning and picking murunghiya cheera requires lots of time and patience. My whole family helps me out in picking these leaves from its stick, though the whole place gets messed up with its sticks and some leaves being spread the whole place. But the end of it, it is teamwork and lotsa of fun and of course, talking of its nutrition value, it is good and increases the heamoglobin content...

So lets plunge into the ingredients right away

1. cleaned murunghiya cheera
2. grated coconut (optional)
3. pearl onions - 1 cup
4. salt to taste
5. turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
6. green chillies 1-2 slited into half
7. red dry chilli - 1-2

Method of preparation:

1. In a kadai, pour 1 tbsp oil and splutter 1 tbsp mustard seed, 1 tbsp uzhudu dhal seed, 1 tbsp of kadala paruppu and few coursely grounded groundnuts (optional). Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred.

2.Add chopped pearl onions, slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly and saute it till the onions gets that beautiful golden color. Add curry leaves and stir fry.

3. Add the murunghiya leaves to it. Sprinkle salt to taste and turmeric powder and mix it well and close it with a lid. Frequently, using spatula, just mix it so that the bottom portion of the pan comes to the top.

4. When it becomes dark green color, taste a piece of the leaf and check whether it is cooked fully.

5. Sprinke some grated cocunut on the top and mix it well and close the lid and cook for 1-2 mintues more.

Soya chunk Masala curry

How to make soya chunk Masala curry:

Ingredients:

Soya chunk - 200 grams
4-5 ripe tomatoes chopped
1-2 onions
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
few cloves, cinnamon, somphu
1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
coriander leaves
curry leaves

Method of preparation:
Soak soya chunks in boiling water for 20- 30 mintues. Then drain the water and wash it with cold water. Then squeeze out the water from the chunks thoroughly and keep it aside.


In a kadai, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil and splutter some mustard seeds, add cloves, cinnamon, 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. To this add the soaked soya chunks and mix it well and cook till it is done.
Garnish it with corriander leaves.