IndianSpicePotpourri

Navratna Kurma

2011-10-19T02:45:00.000-07:00

We invited a family friend who recently got married over for dinner. Since I'm at my mum's place for a while I really didn't have worry about the cooking. My help usually goes as far as deciding the menu :) Once I'm home I am mommy's little girl again with no responsibilities to worry about!! But this time I decided to contribute to the cooking for a change.
The reason this dish is called 'navratna' is because it has nav (nine) varieties of veggies. But it totally depends on what veggies you would want to add in. I only used 4 different vegetables so i suppose that would make my dish 'char-ratna' ! :p

Ingredients

2 tea cups of assorted and boiled vegetables ( peas, carrots, potatoes, french beans)
Grated paneer 200 gms
Puree of 3 tomatoes
2 onions, grated
Ginger & garlic paste, 2 tsp
Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
Red chilli powder, 2 tsp
Coriander powder, 2 tsp
Garam masala, 2 tsp
Cream 100 gms
1 cup milk
Oil 6 tbsp
Cashew nuts and raisins, a handful
Chopped coriander leaves, for garnish
Salt to taste

Procedure

Heat 1 tbsp of oil. When hot fry the cashew nuts and raisins until the nuts turn golden brown and the raisins puff up. Keep aside
Now add the rest of the oil. Fry onions and ginger-garlic paste till golden brown
Add the turmeric powder, Chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala and fry well for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes
Now add the tomato puree and dry fruits and fry till the oil leaves the sides
Next add milk and bring to a boil. Now simmer till the gravy thickens
Add the cream and mix well
Add paneer to the gravy
The vegetables go in next. Simmer for a few minutes
Garnish with the coriander leaves and some more cream

Happy cooking!

Tomato Curry

2011-10-19T02:12:00.000-07:00

This again is a very easy recipe to make. It's simple and tasty too. But most people would like this only as a side dish. I love it just as it is and don't feel the need for any other dish with it. This goes well with khichdi/rice and chapatti too.

Ingredients
2 tomatoes chopped
1 onion chopped
1 cup curd
2 green chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Procedure

Heat the oil in a pan
Temper the oil with mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies
When it has all crackled well enough, add the onions and tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes get slightly mashed
Turn off the flame
In another bowl whisk the curd and salt till smooth
Mix everything together and 'tomato curry' is ready to be served!

Happy cooking!

Bread Upma

2011-08-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is a good snack for breakfast. I remember i ate it for the first time on my first day at office. I was with a colleague and a little apprehensive of all the new job responsibilities. Then we went to the canteen for a tea break. I decided to try out the bread upma from the menu. I loved it! i couldn't believe you could make anything like this out of bread. The snack did me good, and I got back to work with renewed energy! :) Now I make it regularly for breakfast.

Ingredients

5-6 slices of bread (better it is is a day or two old)

1 onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

2 green chillies, chopped

3-4 curry leaves

A handful of roasted peanuts

1 tsp chilli powder ( need not be added, if you want it less spicy)

Chopped coriander for garnish

salt for taste

1 tbsp oil

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan
Add the onions and curry leaves, fry till it becomes soft
Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are cooked and mashed
Add the chilli powder and fry for a minute
Add the peanuts
Tear the bread slices with your hands in to bite sized pieces
Add this to the pan and fry nicely till the bread pieces are well coated
Garnish with coriander
You can also add about a tsp of sugar if you like
Happy Cooking!

Chocolate Mousse

2011-08-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

I was having an intense craving for something really chocolaty when I made this and it was only chocolate mousse that I decided would satisfy my craving! But for some reason all the stores in my area were out of fresh cream that day. So I had to wait two whole days before I could satisfy my (still undiminished) craving! :).By the end of it though I sure was satisfied!!

Ingredients

2 eggs

3 tsp gelatine in 1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups milk

7 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp cocoa

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

250 gms cream

Procedure

Mix gelatine in cold water in a small heavy, heavy bottomed pan. Leave aside for 5-7 minutes. Heat on a low flame to dissolve it. Do not let it boil. Keep aside
Separate eggs
Mix milk, sugar, cocoa and egg yolks in another heavy bottomed pan. Cook on a very slow fire, stirring continuously till custard coats the spoon
Remove from fire
Cool to room temperature. Add gelatine, stirring continuously
Chill in freezer till thick, but not set. Add 200 gms cream. Beat
Chill again till thick
Add stiffly beaten egg whites and essence
Pour into individual serving cups or a serving bowl
When set, whip 50 gms cream with 1 tbsp powdered sugar till soft peaks are formed. Chill the cream in an icing gun
Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and cocoa and decorate with whipped cream

Happy cooking!

Brinjal in Coconut Masala

2011-08-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

Baingan / brinjal is not everyone's favourite. Was'nt mine either. Until my friend from office brought this particular baingan dish for lunch. I thought it was really yummy. So of course I immediately took down the recipe and promptly made it for dinner the next day.

Ingredients

1/2 kg baby baingans/ brinjals

1/2 a cup of coconut, grated

1 small bowl of jaggery, grated

1/2 tsp asafoetida / hing

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

1 lemon sized ball of tamarind

3-4 curry leaves

2 tbsp oil

Procedure

Slice the brinjals in thin slices and put it into a bowl of water mixed with 1 tsp of salt
Soak the tamarind in a bowl of warm water
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan
When the the oil is hot, toss about the brinjal slices unil it is cooked, keep aside

To the same oil, add another tbsp of oil and add the mustard seeds

When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the hing and curry leaves
Next add the coconut, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and fry for 2-3 minutes
Squeeze out the tamarind pulp and add to the above mixture
Now add the brinjal slices and add a little water if required and cook for about 5 minutes Brinjal Sabzi is ready !

Happy cooking!

Corn Mushroom Baked Dish

2011-08-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

This makes a perfect side dish if you're holding a party at home. Goes well with toasted and buttered garlic bread. But if I'm not i the mood to make chapatti's then this is what I make for dinner and my husband simply loves it. Making the white sauce is the only tricky part. Once you get that right, nothing can possibly ruin your dish, because it's that simple to make.

You can also add sausages or fried salami and bacon bits if you fancy it.

Ingredients for white sauce

1 cup all purpose flour/maida

4-5 tbsp butter

1 - 1 1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper

To be fried in butter:

2 tbsp butter

1 cup sweet corn

1 cup mushroom, sliced

Garnish:

4 tbsp cheese, grated

Procedure

In a pan melt the butter slightly and add the flour
Fry nicely on a medium heat, till there is a nice aroma, and the flour changes colour slightly
Now turn off the heat and keep the pan aside
In another pan again melt the butter slightly and add the corn
Fry for about five minutes, then take out the corn
Next fry the mushrooms for another five minutes
By now the maida and butter mixture would have cooled down sufficiently
Add a little bit of milk and start blending it in nicely
Keep adding the milk gradually utill it forms a thick sauce
Make sure that you remove all lumps from the sauce
You can add more or less milk according the consistency of the sauce, which should slighty thick, but of free falling consistency
Now put it back on a low flame.
Add salt and pepper and stir it continuously for about five minutes (if the flame is too high, it will start forming into lumps)
Turn off the heat and add the corn and mushroom to the sauce
Now transfer the contents to a microwaveable container, grate some cheese over it and bake for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted

Serve hot with garlic bread

Happy cooking!

The photo did'nt turn out as well as expected, but I will update it as soon as I have a better picture :)

Mooli Parathas

2011-08-03T03:29:00.000-07:00

This is one dish that I am proud to say my mother-in-law thoroughly enjoyed. She being mainly a rice eating person, doesn't normally enjoy chapattis, but when she had my parathas she couldn't stop raving about it! :)

Mooli isn't something that you normally you use in cooking, so this is a great way to eat it.

In order to avoid the sharp pungent taste this vegetable has, you need to fry it well before making the parathas.

Ingredients

4-5 moolis, peeled and grated

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1-2 green chillies chopped

1" piece ginger, grated

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

3 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

salt to taste

For the dough

2 cups flour

water

salt

2 tsp oil

Procedure

Mix all the ingredients for the dough together, by adding the water gradually and kneading in to a soft dough.
It should be soft and yielding to the touch.
Cover and keep aside

Stuffing

Squeeze the water out of the grated radish
In a frying pan, heat one tbsp of oil
Add the cumin seeds
When the seeds start spluttering, add the green chillies and ginger
Next add the radish, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt
Fry nicely for about 5 minutes on a medium heat, till all the excess water has evaporated
Add the chopped coriander
Turn off the flame and allow the stuffing to cool
Now make equal size balls of dough
Roll out the dough slightly to about 3 inches in diameter
Put 2 tsp of stuffing and cover it, by wrapping the edges around \to form a small ball again
Now carefully roll it out, dust it with flour while doing so, so that the dough does not stick
Put it on a tawa which is on a medium heat. Drizzle it with some oil/ghee
Keep turning it over till it is well done on both sides

Mooli paratha is read to be served! You can serve it with a raita of your choice - vegetable raita, boondi raita, masala raita etc

Happy cooking!

Maharashtrian Beans Sabzi

2011-07-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is a really simple recipe, and is just right if you're not in the mood for anything too spicy.

250 grams french beans
1 large potato, chopped
1-2 green chillies, slit
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ajwain seeds
3-4 curry leaves
salt as per taste
1 tsp sugar

Procedure

Heat oil, temper rai
Add curry leaves and cumin seeds and saute
Add ajawain and saute
Next put in the haldi, beans, potatoes, sugar and salt
Cover and cook for 5 minutes

Serve with chapattis

Happy cooking!

Aloo Peas Curry

2011-07-21T01:33:00.000-07:00

Aloo Peas Curry

When you're all out of vegetables at home (which is always the case with me) you have to make do with the basic stuff lying around. So this is one of those recipes of mine. My mother-in-law sent me some jowar rotis that the cook had made, so all I had to was to make the sabzi!

Ingredients
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 green chillies, slit
salt to taste
fresh coriander, for garnish
2 tbsp oil

Procedure

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. When the oil is hot put in the cumin seeds
Once the seeds start to splutter, add in the onions. Fry till the onions are transculent
Add the ginger- garlic paste and fry
Now add the tomatoes and fry till its soft
Next put in the potatoes, peas, and all the masalas and fry for 1 minute
Pour about 1 glass of water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles or till the veggies are cooked
Now take off the lid, and if the curry is too watery, cook without the lid on for some more time.
Add salt and garnish with chopped coriander.

Pan Cake

2011-07-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

This was a snack my mom made for my sister and me when we came home from school. The lovely smell of pan cakes frying in the sauce pan was enough to hurry and change out of our uniforms and rush to the dining table. Now she makes it for breakfast, and even our lazy lump of a dog, Sheeba can't resist the smell,struggling out of her doggy slumber, she waits patiently with one paw held out, so that she's the one to eat the first pan cake. So here's the recipe for pan cakes from our pan cake crazy family! :)

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
vanilla essence

Beat together butter and eggs
Add the rest of the ingredient and whisk together to form a batter of dropping consistency
(you can add more or less milk to get the right consistency)
On a non stick pan melt one spoon of butter on a medium flame
Pour the batter out of a deep handled ladle and allow it to spread a little
Flip it over after about 2-3 minutes

Serve warm with honey

Mango Kalan

2011-07-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is another one of my favourite Kerala dishes. It is slightly sweet, so not everyone likes it. But with the mango season almost over thought i should make kalan one last time

Ingredients
2 ripe mangoes
1 cup beaten curd
half a coconut
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillies
1 small piece of jaggery (optional)
salt to taste
For the tadka:
2 dry red chillies
4-5 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of methi seeds

Procedure
Peel the mangoes and cut in to small pieces. You may put in the seed of the mango as well
Add turmeric powder and chilli powder. Add jaggery (optional)
Boil with 1 cup of water for about ten minutes.
In the mean time whisk the curd until smooth, keep aside
Grind together, the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds
Once the mangoes are well cooked, add in the coconut and curd and stir well. Add salt.
When the the mixture starts to boil, turn it off. Do not boil it for too long, as it may get watery, due to the water seperating from the curd.
Give a tadka in coconut oil

Serve hot with steamed rice and kerala papadam

Egg Fried Rice

2011-07-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I had no vegetables in my vegetable tray except for two very lonely looking bunches of spring onions. Then i noticed I also had eggs and decided on egg fried rice! Whew! I think the whole process of deciding what to make for a meal is more exhausting than the cooking itself. so here goes -
Ingredients
1 cup cooked long grained rice
4 eggs, beaten
2 bunches of spring onion, chopped
greens chopped seperately
3 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp pepper powder
salt tp taste
1 tbsp oil
Heat the oil in a pan
stir fry the onions
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for about a minute
Add green chillies, tomato sauce, pepper powderand fry for another minute
Now add the beaten eggs and scrambble it
Next add the rice and the sring onions greens and stir it up well
Egg fried rice is ready!
I did not make any gravy with the rice, but you could serve some manchurian gravy along with it.
I made an instant manchurian soup instead to go with my rice.
** you can also add a whole lot of veggies in to your fried rice like carrots, french beans, peas etc**

Happy cooking!

Palak Paneer

2011-07-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

This is a Tarla Dala recipe I tried out for lunch today. I like a lot of her recipes, simple and easy to make.This one is from the microwave food section. I find microwave cooking so much easier, rather than sweat over a hot stove, which is the case for most Indian recipes. So anyway, this particular dish involved minimal effort! :)
Turned out pretty good, and its one my husband's favourite dishes!
Ingredients
1 bunch palak, chopped
200gms paneer, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1" piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
2-3 tbsp cream
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Microwave the chopped spinach for about 4 minutes
Blend it to a smooth puree and keep aside
Combine the oil, chopped onion, ginger, green chillies and microwave on high for 2 minutes
Add the spinach puree, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt and microwave on high for 4 minutes
Next add the paneer and cream, mix it up well and microwave on high for 2 minutes
Palak paneer is ready.

Serve hot with chapattis

Happy cooking!

Bread Pakora

2011-07-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

This next dish can be served for breakfast or would make an ideal evening snack on a cold wet day.

Ingredients
10 slices of brown bread sliced half
2 cups besan/ gram flour
1 tsp hing/asafoetida
1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
2 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
Vegetable oil to fry

Mix together gram flour, asafoetida, ajwain,chilli powder and salt with some water to make a smooth lumpfree batter of dropping consistency.
Heat some oil in a pan
Dip the bread slices into the batter, such that it coats the bread on both sides evenly
Deep fry the slices untill golden brown
Serve hot with tomato ketchup
Happy cooking!

Dal

2011-07-05T01:38:00.000-07:00

It's raining heavily outside, and I got a sudden craving for some hot dal chawal so decided to make it for lunch today. Also the other reason being, sheer laziness to cook anything more complex :) It goes well with steamed rice or even chapatti's and some nice spicy mango pickle and papad yum!

Ingredients
1 cup toovar dal
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
4-5 curry leaves
coriander leaves for garnish
1 green chilli slit
salt to taste
1 tbsp ghee/refined oil

Method-
Pressure cook the dal until cooked
Heat some ghee in a pan, when hot throw in the cumin seeds and curry leaves
Add the chopped onions and fry for a minute
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another minute
Next add the tomatoes and fry well till the tomatoes are pulpy
Now add the turmeric powder and chilli power and salt and fry nicely till oil leaves its sides
Add this to the cooked dal and bring the whole thing to a boil
Add the garam masala and boil for a while
Put in the green chilli and garnish with coriander leaves

Serve hot with rice or chapattis

Egg Curry in coconut milk with Appam

2011-07-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Egg Curry in coconut milk with Appam

This is one of my all time favourites! Really quick and simple to make and delicious too

Egg Curry
2-3 Boiled eggs
1 large onion, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander/dhanya powder
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 cups coconut milk
3-4 curry leaves
2 green chillies, slit
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Method:
Heat the oil and fry the onions till pink in colour.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 1 minute
Add the curry leaves
Now add the tomatoes and fry on a medium till the tomatoes are cooked
Add the dry masalas-turmeric,red chilli, coriander and salt
Fry nicely, till the oil separates from the masala
Now add the coconut milk
next add the boiled eggs, you can either slice the egg in two or just make tiny slits on the egg
so that it can absorb the masalas better
Add the slit green chillies and boil for a minute or two
Serve with hot appams!

Now for the Appams-
I used the instant mix from 'Double Horse'. All you need to is follow the instructions by adding milk, water, sugar and a pinch of salt to the rice powder and allow it to ferment for an hour or two and you get lovely soft appams.
Pour the appam batter in a shallow non stick pan
Rotate the pan so as to spread the batter into a circle and cover with a lid till appam is cooked
Happy cooking!

Cupcakes topped with icing!

2011-01-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

Recently my mom got me these silicone cup cake holders and I bought a box cup cake decorators to go with it. Mainly because they looked so pretty, Pink and purple hearts, golden sprinles and stuff like that. So I have been dying to to try these out.
The cup cakes I made are plain vanilla cup cakes and I used chocolate and vanilla icing on the top.

Ingredients:
150 gms butter
150 gms casto sugar
175 gms self raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence

Procedure
Beat the eggs together with a fork till light and frothy
Add all the other ingredients and beat with an electric mixer for about
2-3 minutes
Now lightly butter the cake cups and pour in the batter
Bake in the oven/microwave till mixture has risen and firm to touch
Allow to cool completely before icing

Icing Recipe
Ingredients
150 gms butter
250 gms sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp hot water

Procedure
Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric beater
Then add in the essence and water. Beat untill smooth and creamy.

(for chocolate icing in place of vanilla essence add in 2 tbsp of cocoa powder.)

Sambar and Cabbage Thoran

2011-01-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

This next recipe is a traditional Kerela meal, that I made yesterday.
I really love the smell of onions being fried in coconut oil.. mmmm... makes me hungry instantly!
Anyway page with the sambar recipe in my cook book, has a whole lot of haldi stains on it, reminding me about the number of attempts made, to get to the achievement of perfect sambar. The first time, I forgot to put the weight on the cooker, which resulted in a haldi splattered kitchen (including my recipe book) :( The next time, it tasted more like a North Indian dal, and another time too much tamarind was used! But now i have finally mastered the art of making good sambar!
So here goes..
Sambar, Steamed rice, Cabbage Thoran and Pappadum

SAMBAR:
Ingredients
3/4th tea cup of toovar dal
1 large onion sliced/ or a handful of peeled baby onions(madras onions)
1 potato peeled and halved
1 tomato
2 small brinjals
1 drumstick
small ball of tamrind
1 tsp hing
1 tsp haldi
2 tsp sambar powder (brands: 777/ eastern sambar powder)
salt to taste

For the tadka:
1 tsp methi seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 dry red chilli
kadi patta

Procedure:
Put together the dal, onions, potatoes, brinjals, drumsticks and haldi with a little water and pressure cook with 2 whistles

In the mean while boil 1 cup of water, add the hing, tomato, tamarind. Boil it till the tomatoes are cooked

Add the contents of the pressure cooker to this now.

Next add the coconut mixed with sambar powder

Allow this mixture to bubble away for a few minutes before switching off the gas

Now for the tadka, heat about 1 tablespoon of cocnut oil in a pan, once the oil is hot, add the methi seeds, followed by mustard seeds, dry red chilli and kadi pata.
Add this crackling mixture to the sambar and serve hot with steamed rice.

Cabbage Thoran
1 small cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 large onion chooped
1/2 tsp haldi
salt to taste
1 tbsp coconut oil

Tadka
1/2 tbsp cocnut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 kadipatta
1 dry red chilli

Procedure
Once the oil is hot, put it the mustard seeds, kadi patta, dry red chilli, once it starts crackling, add in the onions.
Once the onions take on a translucent colour, add haldi
Next add the shredded cabbage.
Saute for about 10-15 mins
Add salt
Switch off the gas and garnish with the grated coconut
Serve hot

Happy cooking! :)

Jam Tart

2011-01-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

Thought I should start my first recipe blog on a sweet note :) So I decided to post a recipe for Jam Tart. Its one of those easy and quick desserts. I made it for a small dinner party i hosted sometime ago. It was a hit!!

Ingredients

For the base:

1 cup flour

4 tbsp butter

pinch of salt

For the top:

3/4 cup flour

2 tbsp jam (any flavor)

1 egg

1/2 cup castor sugar

4 tbsp butter

Baking powder

Vanilla essence

Procedure

Knead the ingredients for the base. Do not knead it too much, let it remain a little powdery

Spread the dough around a shallow microwave proof dish, and bake it, till it turns golden brown.
Take it out and allow it to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk together all the ingredients for the topping.
Once the base has cooled down a little, spread jam evenly on the base.
Pour the beaten mixture over the base
Pop it in to the microwave again, and bake
You can keep aside a little bit of the dough used to make the base, and use it to make a criss cross design, as shown in the picutre.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream

Happy cooking! :)