Vaanga samaikkalam

Fish fingers

2015-03-23T22:56:00.002-07:00

Ingredients

Seerfish/Sea bass/Barracuda - 1/2 kg deboned & sliced as fingers
Lemon - 1
Salt and Pepper
Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Maida - 2 tbsp
Cornflour - 2 tbsp
Egg - 1
Water - 1tsp
Oil - to fry.

Method.

Marinate the fish in lemon salt and pepper and refrigerate for 1/2 hour minimum.

Beat egg with 1 tsp water.

Mix flour and cornflour with lilittle pepper.

Toss the fish piece in the flour mix to make thin coat. Dipbthis flour coated fishnin egg andvtoss it in bread crumbs and coat evenly. Now fry the crumb coated fish.

Serve it with mayonnaise.

Note: the fishes that could be used are koduva, ooli, vanjaram or neimeen. If needed more spice mix 1/2 tsp chillinpowder and a pinch of salt in the bread crumbs.

Wheat and Jaggery Cake

2015-03-23T22:39:00.002-07:00

Ingredient

Wheat flour -1 1/2 cups
Baking Powder - 2tsp
Salt - 1tsp
Jaggery - 1 cup
Water - 250 ml
Vanila Essence - 1 tsp
Oil - 100ml

Method

Pre heat the oven at 180 degree.

Prepare a mould. Grease and dust.

Sieve atta, baking powder and salt twice or thrice.

Dissolve jaggery in measured water along with vanila essence and filter to remove dust and impurities off jaggery.

In a mixing bowl take the sieved flour make a well and pour the jaggery mix. Using a spoon gently, very gently mix the batter. Wen half done add in the waoil and mix very very gently.

pour it in a prepared mould. Bake at 180 degree for 30 min or untill the cake is done, untill the skewers come out clean.

Note: Need not use beaters. Must be very careful not to over mix, or doit hard since it is wheat flour. Be very very gentel. Can either use a spoon or a hand wisk. There may be few lumps, but that's absolutely okay. Can use normal cooking oil or even olive oil.

Rainbow Cookies

2015-02-26T08:11:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine had pistedvthis vdo from Eugenie Kitchen and asked me to try it. Had been waiting for a perfect day to try them. And it was really a miraclebthat my 1 1/2 year old boy slept for a longer time. So there i went in to the kitchen to make these. If in case u dont want to use egg, u can use ur regular butter cookie recipe. I had tried with that too.

Ingredients

Butter - 175gm
Powdered sugar - 155gm
Flour - 310gm
Egg yolk -3
Vanila eessence - 1tsp
salt - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Food colours
Egg white 1 + 1 tsp water for egg wash.

Method

Sieve baking powder and flour.

Bewat butter and sugar. Add vanila essence, salt and egg yolk and beat well.

Fold in flour and mix. Gently kneed with palm.

Cut into 3 portions. Wrap 1/3 with a foil and set aside.

cutvtge remaining 2/3 into 6 portion and color them. Wrap them and leave for 10 minutes.

Roll each color dough into rectangle trim the edges and refrigerate them to set.

stack the layers one over the other by brushing the egg wash between layers.

Take the desired cookie cutter mark the width of the cookie cutter and slice the slab. Now use the cookie cutter to cut out the shape. Refrigerate them to set.

Now stack those cut out cookies one over the othe with egg wash inbetween and form a lig.

cover it with rolled out white dough. Smooth it by rolling it. And refrigerate to set.

Apply egg wash over the log. Roll it over the sugar sprinkles and slice to cookies.

Preheat the oven at 200degree. Bake the cookies at 170 degree for 15min.

Rice casserole with vegetables topped with egg

2014-07-17T01:25:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup
Boiled Vegetables - 1 cup
Semolina sauce - 1 cup
Chopped onion - 1/2 cup
Minced garlic - 1 tbsp
Corn - 1/4 cup
Egg - 3
Milk - 1 cup
Cheese - 1/2 - 1 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
oil - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper - to taste

Semolina sauce

Semolina - 3 tbsp
Milk - 3 cups
Butter - 1 tbsp
Baking powder -1 tsp
Salt and pepper.

Method

To make the sauce:
Heat milk in a pan while it boils sprinkle rava and stir, when it thickens add a table spoon butter and turn off the heat. Once it cools down add salt pepper and baking soda.

To cook Rice:
I used basmathi rice. for 1 cup rice add 1 3/4 cup water, sat and pepper and 2 tablespoon oil. Pressure cook for 15 minutes on low flame without weight. The rice must just be cooked (say 3/4th done). I also added a dash of soy sauce for flavour.

For the Egg topping:
Beat the eggs and milk with salt and pepper. add in the shredded cheese.

For the Casserole:
Heat butter in a pan. saute the onions, garlic followed by corn and the cooked vegetables. Add salt and pepper. Stir this into the semolina sauce.

Stir in half the rice with the semolina sauce and vegetable mix.
Butter a baking dish and dust with rusk powder. Pour in the mix and level it. Add the layer of rice over it. pour the beaten egg mix over the layer of rice and bake at 220 degree for 30 minutes or untill the top layer of cheese turns brown.

koli rasam

2014-07-16T21:45:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Chicken stock - 4 cups
Small onions - 1 cup
Garlic - 1/4 cup
Tomato - 1
oil - 1 tbsp
Pepper - 2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 5 to 8
Salt to taste
Oil -1 tbsp
Jeera -1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Method:

Mince garlic, ginger and tomato. Grind pepper, red chilli and cumin seeds coarsely.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil. Season with mustard seeds, pepper, cumin seed, red chilli and curry leaves.

Saute the minced onion garlic and tomato. And the coarsely powdered spices. Once the onion is half cooked pour the chicken stock add turmeric powder. Adjust salt and pepper. Let it boil till the onion softens.
serve it piping hot with vathals and fried chicken.

Mutton Uppukary

2014-03-14T05:06:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Boneless meat - 250gm
Small onions - 1/2cup
Garlic - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - 15 to 20
Tamarind juice - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 laddle
Curry leaves
Mustard - 1 tsp
Anni seed - 1 tsp

Method:

Clean and cut the meat into small pieces.
Cut the onions and garlic to small pieces.
Heat oil in a thick bottom pan season with mustard, anniseed, curry leaves and halved dry red chillies.
Saute the onion an dgarlic well. Add the meat and cook well.
Close and cook stirring often.
When almost cooked add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and tamarind juice.
cook on low flame till dry.

Mushroom Gravy

2014-03-02T00:23:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

Mushroom - 1 pack
Onion - 1+1
Tomato - 1
Green Chillies - 2
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Roasted cashew - 5
Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee/Butter - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Cut 1 onion and saute in little oil. In a blender paste the sauteed onion, green chilli, tomato, red chilli powder,
coriander powder, turmeric powder, tomato ketchup, roasted cashew toa fine paste.
Chop the other onion. Clean and halve the mushroom.
In a kadai heat oil and ghee together season with bay leaf and saute the chopped onion till golden brown, add the masala paste and little water.
Allow it to boil and check for salt and spice.
Add the mushrooms and garam masala. Just bring to boil and turn off the stove.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chapathi/piping hot basmathi rice/pulao.

Vazhai poo Murungai keerai kootu

2014-02-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Vazhaipoo (Plantain flower) - 6 to 8 petals
Murungai keerai (drumstick leaves) - 2 handfull
Thoor dhal - 1/4 cup
Small onions - 10 to 12
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urudh dhal - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Shredded coconut - 3 tbsp

Method:

Clean, pick and chop the plantain flower. Toss in a tbspoon of oil.
Pressure cook the thoor dhal.
Heat oil in a pan add mustard, urudh dhal, red chillies, when seasonings are done add the sliced onions followed by drumstick leaves and saute well.
Wash the plantain flower and add it to the pan.
Add the water in which the dhal was cooked, close the pan and cook till the leaves and flower turns soft.
Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt. Let it boil. Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder.
When the raw smell of the spice powder turns off andd the cooked dhal shredded coconut and ghee.
Turn off the stove and mix well.
Serve with rice or chapathi.

Plakkai Kootu

2014-02-27T21:11:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

Plakkai - 250gm (1/2)
Small onions - 10 to 12
Thoor dhal - 1/4 cup
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 2 tsp

Method:

Deskin and chop the plakkai into small pieces.
Peel and slice the onions.
In a pressure pan put together the chopped plakkai pieces, onions, thoor dhal, chilli powder, turmeric powder and 2 to 3 cups of water. Close the pan and cook for 3 to 4 whistles.
Open the cooker and check if it is well cooked and let it boil. Add salt and allow it to cook for some time.
Add the shredded coconut, curry leaves and ghee. Rub the jeera between palm and add to it.
Serve with hot rice.

Note: To add more taste 1/2 cup of milk could be added.

Plakkai urulai chops

2014-02-27T20:54:00.002-08:00

Ingredients:

Plakkai (unripe Jackfruit) - 250 gm
Potato - 2
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Garlic - 4 to 6 clove
Chilli powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Asafoetida - 1/2 tspr
Red chilli - 2
Curry leaves - 1 string

To grind

Coconut - 1/4 cup
Aniseed - 2 tsp
Kasa kasa - 2 tsp

Method:

Deskin the plakkai. Cut them into an inch thick triangles. Cut the pitato into 1" thick pieces.

Cook the plakkai pieces in little water and salt.

Chop the onions and tomato. Crush the garlic and remove the peel.

In a pan heat oil season with mustard, urudh dhal red chillies, bay leaf, asafoetida and curry leaves.

Add the garlic, onion saute well. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook well. Now add chilli powder, turmeric powder.

Drain and add the plakkai pieces and potato pieces add 1/2 glass of water and salt. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.

Open the pan and let it boil/cook till all water is absorbed and oil starts to separate.

Add the ground coconut paste. Cook well.

Can be served with rice.

Note: Health conscious people can reduce the quantity of oil. plakkai takes a little longer time to cook and hence have asked to boil for 10 min and then pressure cook. Also the stickiness will go woth that boiled water hence i have asked ti drain and discard the water. Apply oil in fingers and palms and the knife balde while cutting the plakkai to avoid stickiness.

Nendrangai Chips

2014-01-10T01:33:00.002-08:00

Ingredients:

Nendram Bananas(unriped) - 1 kg
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - to fry

Method:

Slice the nendram bananas to thin slices. Dissolve salt and turmeric powder in a tablespoon water.
Heat oil in a kadai. Fry the banana slices. when they are 3/4th done add few drops to 1/2 tsp of the salt and turmeric mix to the kadai.
Repeat this for the next batch and as you do reduce the amount of the salt mix as the oil will retain saltiness of the previous batch.
Store in an airtight container.

Kandharappam

2013-11-05T02:41:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

Raw rice - 2 cup
Boiled rice (Idly rice) - 1 cup
Urudh Dhal - 1/2 cup
Coconut - 3/4 cup
Jaggery - 3 cups
Fenugreek seeds - 3 tsp
Cardamom - 2
Oil

Method

Soak rice and dhal together along with fenugreek seeds for 2 hours minimum.
Grind them by adding little water. After few minutes of grinding add the cardamom seeds and coconut. The batter should be the consistance of thick dosa batter or like that for Adai
When it is almost done add jaggery.
Leave it to ferment for 4 to 5 hours.
Heat oil in a kadai, beat the batter with a ladle and pour a ladle full into the hot oil.
when the ends start to brown slightly turn the paniyaram and cook for few seconds and drain out of the oil.

Note: Shred the jaggery and measure. Check for sweetness after making the first paniyaram, if you feel the sweetness is not enough add little honey (it gives good golden color) or few spoons of sugar. If the batter is too thick add a tablespoon of water. If the jaggery is high in quantity the paniyaram will brown fast and will not be cooked in the middle or it may just spread.
If the oil is too hot the paniyaram may go shapeless.
It must have the ends like that of a shore line called karai.
The paniyaram may spread in the kadai or it may go into crumbles if the ratio of urudh dhal is not proper or if too much jaggery is added or if its fermented for a longer time.

Shark Podimas

2013-10-23T03:41:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Shark - 200gm
Small onions - 1/2 cop
Garlic - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 2
Mustartd - 1 tsp
Urud dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Lemon - 1
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

Deskin the shark. Boil water with lemon juice, salt and turmeric powder drop the fish pieces.
The fish will be cooked in 3 minutes, drain and keep aside.
Slice the small onions and garlic.
Crumble the fish pieces with hands.
Heat oil in a kadai. Season with mustard, urud dhal, curry leaves and asafoetida. Saute the onions, garlic and green chillies. Add the turmeric powder and salt as per need. When the onion is cooked add the crumbled fish pieces.
Serve hot.

Prawn Thick Gravy

2013-10-23T03:23:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

Prawn - 250gm
Onion - 1+1
Tomato - 1
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind juice - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1"
Fresh cream - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 string
Coriander to garnish

Method:

Clean and wash the prawns.
Grind 1 onion. Chop the other onion and tomato.
Heat oil in a kadai, add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and curry leaves.
Fry the chopped onions followed by the onion paste and ginger garlic paste, when the raw smell evaporates add the chopped tomato and all spice powder and tamarind juice. Cook till oil separates.
Add the prawns and cook with a little water.
Simmer for few minutes transfer it to a bowl garnish with chopped coriander and top it with fresh cream.
Serve with naan, roti or rice.

Prawn Green Curry

2013-10-23T02:32:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Prawn - 250 gm
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1(small)
Green chilli - 3
Ginger garlic paste - 2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Method:

Clean and wash the prawns well.
Chop the onion very fine.
Puree the tomato along with the green chillies.
Heat oil in a kadai fry the onion, when done add the ginger garlic paste and then followed by the tomato pulp.
Cook well till oil separates, add turmeric powder and salt.
Add the prawns and cook with a little water if needed.
Mix in the chopped coriander simmer for a minute till the flavor of coriander blends in.
Turn off and garnish with fresh coriander and serve with Chapathi or rice.

Milagai thuvayal

2013-10-23T02:21:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Onion - 2
Tomato - 4
Garlic - 2 pods
Red Chillies - 8 to 10
Tamarind - little
salt - to taste

To Season

Oil - 1 table spoon
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urud dhal 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a string

Method:

Grind all the above said ingredients.

Heat oil in a kadai season it with mustard seed, urud dhal, curry leaves, asafoetida and pour the ground chutney in it and let it to boil till the raw smell goes.

Note: You can also boil it well until it losses out all the water content. this can be had with idly dosa and also chapathi. This can be stored in fridge for at least a weeks time and good to pack and take while travelling.

Mangai Inippu Pachadi

2013-10-23T02:08:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Raw Mango - 250gm
Jaggery - 200gm
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 2 strings

Method:

Peal the mango and cut into small cubes.
Heat oil in the thick bottomed pan and add the mustard, red chillies and curry leaves.
When the mustard splutters add the cut mangoes and cook them well, untill they are soft and slightly mushy.
When well cooked add the grated jaggery and simmer. Brink it to a boil and turn off the stove.
Can serve it with rice or can eat it simply.

Note: Add little water in the process of cooking mango, if it is a very raw and sour mango then it may not cook easily. Do not add jaggery before the mango is very well cooked.

Fish Kodampuli Curry

2013-10-23T01:55:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

Fish - 500gm
Small onions - 1 cup
Kodampuli - 3
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Fenugreek powder - a pinch
Mustard - 1 tsp
Coconut oil - 12 tbsp
Curry leaves - 3 strings
Salt to taste

Method:

In two cups of hot water drop the kodampuli and keep aside for 20 min atleast.
Clean the fish.
Peal the onions and crush them coarsely.
Heat oil in a kadai add the mustard and curry leaves, when the mustard sputters add the coarsely crushed onion, ginger paste and fry it well. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and fenugreek powder and fry till the raw smell goes and oil seperates.
Pour in the kodampuli water along with the puli pieces.
Add salt and bring it to a boil.
Now drop in the fish and simmer for few minutes for the fish to cook.
Garnish with fresh curry leaves and serve with rice and pappadam.

Note: the sourness of the tamarind will initially be less and improves as it soaks in the gravy. So soak it for a long time and if they are good size just 2 pieces will be enough. The gravy is not so thick, if needed a thick gravy then boil it a little longer untill it reaches the needed consistency and then deop in the fish. Fish needs just few minutes to cook.
Fenugreek powder when added more gives a bitter taste, so add just a pinch.

Shark Red Curry

2013-10-22T23:37:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Shark - 250gm
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Lemon - 1
Oil - 2 tb sp
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves to Garnish

For the Red curry

Kashmiri red chilli - 10
Garlic - 5 to 8 flakes
Ginger - 1" piece
Pepper - 1 tsp
Cumin - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind - a small marble sized ball

Method:

Skin the shark, wash, marinate with salt and lime juice and leave it aside.
Grind all the ingredients for the red curry to a fine paste.
Chop the onion and tomato.
Heat oil in a kadai, fry the onion when slightly browned add the tomatoes and cook well.
Add the red curry and cook till the oil comes out.
Add little water and the shark pieces, close the lid and cook well.
Garnish with chopped coriander.

Note:
Any fish usually gets cooked faster. cooking for a long time will harden the fish, especially in sharks get harden much. so just cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

Palak Paneer

2013-04-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Palak leaves - 1 bunch
paneer (Cottage cheese) - 200 gm
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 t sp
Green chilli - 4 to 6
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tb sp
Oil - 1 tb sp
Salt - to taste

Method

Wash and roughly chop the palak leaves. Blanch it with very little water. Run through cold water.
Puree a tomato and keep aside.
Finely chop an onion.
Run the palak leaves and green chillies in a blender to a smooth paste.
Cut the paneer into small cubes.
Heat oil and ghee in a kadai, add the cumin seeds followed by onion and ginger garlic paste.
Saute well till it is completely cooked. Add the tomato puree and cook till the oil comes out.
Add the palak and green chilli paste, when it boils add salt and paneer cubes.
If needed add little water simmer it for 5 min, sprinkle the garam masala powder and turn off the stove.
Serve it with chapathi or basmathi rice.

Note: Paneer will be as soft if you are just going to add it to the gravy. Some may suggest to shallow fry it in oil and then put it hot water before adding it to the gravy, but personally i feel the paneer if at all not taken out of oil at the right time it might be hardened on the edges and get rough. some may suggest just to drop the pieces in hot water (with salt) and add to the gravy, you may also try that if you like it. But what i have done is just add the paneer pieces.

Idly Upma

2013-04-22T22:31:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

Idly - 6 to 10
Small onions - 1/2 cup
Urudh dhal - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 2 string
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

In a bowl dissolve very little salt in 2 cups of water.
Peel and slice the small onions.
Slit the green chillies.
Immerse the idly in the salt water, Squeeze it between the palms and scramble it with fingers. Do the smae for all idly and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. season it with mustard and urudh dhal. Add curry leaves followed by onion and green chilli. Saute it till the onion is cooked. Now toss in the scrambled idly and mix well.
Turn off the stove and serve it with Idly podi/Sambar/Chutney.

TYPE 2

In this you can avoid the small onions.
Crush some pepper and cumin seeds coarsely in a blender.
Heat oil season with mustard urudh dhal and curry leaves add 2 dry red chilli and a spoon or two of crushed pepper and cumin seeds. Now toss in the scrambled idly and serve.

Fish in Coconut milk

2013-04-22T22:19:00.003-07:00

Ingredients:

Fish - 500 gm
Onion - 1
Ginger - 2"
Green chillies - 4 to 6
Garlic - 4 to 6
coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 2 pods
Cinnamon - 1 "
Fenugreek seed - 1 tsp
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Coconut milk (thick milk ) - 1 cup
Second milk - 1 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves

Method

Cut and clean the fish.
Slice the onion, garlic and ginger length wise. Slit the chillies
In a pan heat the coconut oil season it with spices (cardamom, cinnamon), fenugreek seeds, Curry leaves.
Add the onions and saute till light brown, Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies followed by coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Saute till the raw smell goes. Add the 2nd coconut milk. Drop the fish pieces and simmer it. Close and cook for 5 minutes. open and simmer it for another 5 mintues. Turn off the stove.
Add the thick coconut milk a dash of fresh curry leaves and coconut oil.
Serve with steaming white rice.

Note: do not cook for a long time in high flame as the coconut milk may curdle. Alos turn off the stove and then add the thick milk. You can use any choice of your fish, what i have used is Neimeen (Vanjaram in Tamil, Seer/King fish in English), i have also tried it with Aavoli (vavval in Tamil, Pomfret in English).

Kootu Kuzhambu

2013-04-22T21:55:00.002-07:00

This is a very simple and easy Kuzhambu. Its usually called kooti vaikkum kuzhambu, normally done at occasions like padaippu at chettinad house hold, of course at such times it is done with single vegetable either brinjal or plantain green. but here i have given a recipe involving all the available vegetable as it is called kootu kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

Brinjal - 2
Green Mango - 1/2
Plantain green - 1/2
potato - 1
Yellow pumpkin - 200gm
Drumstick - 1
Carrot - 1 small
Beans - 5 to 8
Cluster beans - 5 to 8
Snake gourd - 1/2
Small oions - 5 to 10
Garlic - 5 to 10
Tomato - 1
Tamarind - 1/2 the size of a lemon
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder - 3 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 2 to 3 strings
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ginglee oil - 2 tb sp

Method:

Make a solution of tamarind and salt.
Cut all the vegetables in chunks/cubes of 1' each.
Put all the vegetables together in a pan.
Add water just to immerse the vegetables.
Peel and halve the small onions. Crush the garlic and remove the skin. add onion and garlic to the vegetables.
Crush/rub the cumin and fennel seeds between the palm and add it to the vegetables. Add the split urudh dhal to the vegetable.
Cut the dry red chillies into to and add it to the same.
Smash the tomato with finger and add it.
Pour in the tamarind and salt solution to it. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, oil and top it with curry leaves.
Mix the contents well. Taste, adjest salt and spice.
Now turn on the stove and let it to boil.
Close it and cook till the gravy thickens, all vegetables are cooked soft and the oil starts to come out.
This is best served with piping hot white rice or with Idly and dosa.

Note: As i said before you can add vegetable of your choice single or a mix of many vegetables. avoid vegetables like ladys finger as this does not involve any sauteing or frying. Its very easy as there is not much cooking and stirring involved. Add all the ingredients one by one and at last put it on fire till the gravy thickens and reduces. It has a good shelf life too. Will be good for at least 3 to 5 days in fridge.
Will remain good kept at room temperature for a day but you may have to keep it warm. (heat it twice or so).

Peas Masala

2013-04-22T21:17:00.003-07:00

Ingredients:

Green Peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Tomato - 2
Ginger - 2 "
Green chilli - 1
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1
Salt - to taste

Method:

Wash the peas, boil it drain and keep aside.
In a blender make a paste of onion, tomato, ginger and green chillies.
In a kadai heat oil and ghee together add the bay leaf followed by the ground onion tomato paste. Saute it well till the water and raw smell evaporates. Add the chilli powder, salt and boiled peas also little water if requires.
Cook on a low flame till all the ingredients blend weel. Now add the garam masala and the chopped coriander leaves.
Top it with a knob of butter.
Serve it for chapathi, pulao or basmathi rice.

Note: people who are health conscious can avoid the butter and the ghee part. For a richer taste you can add one or two table spoon of fresh cream, in case there is no fresh cream you can also add thick milk 1/4 cup, this will change the consistency also will lessen the tinge of chilli powder.

Poori

2013-04-22T21:07:00.003-07:00

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Maida - 2 tbsp
Rava - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - to fry
Water

Method

In a bowl mix in the flour, maida, rava, sugar and salt. Add water and kneed it into a soft dough.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Make small balls of the dough and spread it into small pooris.
When the oil is hot enough slowly slide a poor.
Withe a perforated ladle turn it the other side after half minute and then when browns drain and take it out.
Serve with potato curry or channa or side dish of your choice.

Note: Rava and Maida are option. Adding a spoon of sugar will give a nice golden brown color to the poori.