Valar's Kitchen-Basics to begin

Mocha kottai kozhumbu/Val beans gravy

2013-02-06T19:31:00.000-06:00

Mocha kottai kozhumbu/Val beans gravy

Usually when you consider making mocha kottai kozhumbu the first thing which comes to your mind is tamarind, drum stick or brinjal and coconut milk. These are ingredients which we use for making the val beans or mocha kottai gravy. But I considered making this gravy with no such ingredients. This is a very simple gravy which goes well with plain rice, dosa or chapatti.

Ingredients:

1.       Val beans/Mocha kottai – 1 cup(soaked overnight)

2.       Red chilli powder – 5tsp

3.       Cumin powder – 1tbsp

4.       Onion – 1(medium sized and finely chopped)

5.       Oil – 3 tbsp

6.       Salt- to taste

7.       Water – 1 cup

Procedure:

1.       Pressure cook the mocha kottai with little salt for 2 to 3 whistles.

2.       In a pan dry roast red chilli powder and cumin powder for a minute and keep them aside.

3.       Heat oil in another pan and add oinions, cook them until they become transparent.

4.       Now add the dry roasted chili powder and cumin powder mixture, cook them until the raw smell goes off.

5.       Now add about a cup of water and allow them to boil, and then add the cooked mocha kottai and salt(according to your taste).

6.       Allow them to cook until the oil separates.

7.       Serve them hot with plain rice and appalam.

OATS KOZHUKATTAI

2013-01-30T20:57:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

1. Oats - 1/2 cup
2. water - 1/4 cup
3. Mustard seeds
4. Urad dhal - 1 tsp
5. Channa dhal - 1 tsp
6. Ginger - 1/2 piece grated
7. Green chilies - 5

8. Salt - to taste
9. Ghee or Oil - 3 tsp

Procedure:

1. Heat oil or ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, wait until they crackle.
2. Add urad dhal, channa dhal, green chillies chopped and ginger. Wait until they are cooked.
3. Now add oats and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle little water to bind the ingredients together. Once they are done turn off the heat.
4. when they are warm enough to handle hold them together like you make usual kozhukattai.
5. Now steam them for 2 minutes.
6. Serve them hot with chutney..

Bisibela Bath/ Sambar rice

2011-05-13T11:57:00.001-05:00

My long pending recipe for valars kitchen here it comes, sorry friends was not feeling well hence unable to update my recipes, hope you all enjoy this simple bisibela bath recipe.Sambar rice is one of the favorite recipe for most south Indains. When I feel lazy to cook I go for something which is simple, easy and fast to cook. One such recipe is Sambar rice/ Bisibela bath.

Ingredients:

Para Boiled rice or Ponni/Basmathi rice – 1 cup

Toor dal – ½ cup

Sambar powder – 2 tbsp

Bay leaves – 2

Cloves – 4

Cashew nut – 5-6nos

Mixed vegetables(your choice) – Carrot, beans, drumstick, green peas, radhish, potato(My choice of veggies) all cut in to chunks.

Tamarind paste - ½ cup

Asafoetida - ½ tsp

Ghee – 4 tbsp

Tomato - 1(chopped)

Pearl onions - 5-6 nos

Procedure:

Heat 1 tsp oil in pressure cooker. To that add bay leaves, cloves and sambar powder. Cook them for few seconds. Then add Ponni rice and toor dal. Measure 2 cups of water and add them to the pressure cooker. Also add ½ cup of tamarind pulp.
Pressure cook them for 2 whistles. Then open the pressure cooker you could find the sambar rice partially mashed.
Now add the mixed veggie, chopped tomato, pearl onions and pressure cook them for 2 more whistles so that the sambar rice is completely mashed and also the veggies are cooked.
Heat ghee is a separate pan and fry the cashews.
Finally add asafoetida powder to the sambar rice and also the ghee roasted cashew nuts. Mix them well.
Serve them hot with another 2 tbsp of ghee on top of them.

Egg Kozhumbu/Gravy

2011-04-11T08:50:00.001-05:00

I frequently make egg omelets at home but making a kozhumbu with egg for having them with rice is quiet rare. Egg Kozhumbu is an authentic recipe and goes well with boiled rice, dosa's and idlies. One of my favorite recipe with simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

Egg – 4(2 boiled,2 non-boiled ones)
Coconut milk – 1 ½ cups
Onions – 1 (Finely chopped)
Cumin powder – 2 tsp
chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan and to that add finely chopped onions. Let the onions fry till they turn golden brown in color.
Add cumin powder, chilli powder and salt to the sauteed onions and stir them uniformly.
Now add the coconut milk and cook them for 10 minutes until they boil.
Drop in the 2 boiled egg in to the gravy and break open other 2 eggs in to the gravy/Kozhumbu.
Now wait until the 2 two non-boiled eggs are completely cooked.
Turn off the stove and close the pan with lid and wait for 5 minutes before you serve them.
Serve them with boiled rice, dosa's and idlies..

Vazhaikka(Plantain) Varuval

2011-04-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Most of us love to eat fried food items, I have pen down one such recipe which ideally goes well with dal and rice as a yummy side dish. A very simple recipe with easily available ingredients at home.

Ingredients:

Plantain – 1(peeled and cut in to chunks)
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Ural dal – 2 tsp
Garlic pods – 3
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Curry leaves – 6nos.
Oil – 1 tbsp

Direction:

Heat oil in a pan and to that add mustards seeds. Wait until the seeds crackle and then add cumin seeds, curry leaves, ural dal and chopped garlic pod.
Saute them until they turn light brown in color.
Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt according to your taste.
Finally add the plantain and then mix them uniformly with the sauteed mixture.
Allow them to fry until they turn brown with smoky flavor.
Garnish them with curry leaves.
Serve it hot with dal rice.

Chow Chow More Kuzhambu

2011-04-05T20:55:00.000-05:00

I love cooking more kuzhambu as it is very simple to prepare. More kuzhambu can be prepared with any simple veggie available at home like pumpkin, chow chow or even with just more mollagai.. I have used chow chow in this recipe, hope you enjoy trying this recipe..

Ingredients:

chow chow – 1(peeled cut in to chunks)
Cumin seeds – 3 tsp
Coconut grated - ½ cup
Raw rice – 3 tsp
Toor dal – 3 tsp
Green chillies – 3 to 4
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 5-6 nos.
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Curd - ½ cup
Dried red chillies – 2(broken in to halves)
Oil – 1 tbsp
urad dal - 2tsp

Directions:

Boil water in a pan. To the boiling water add the turmeric powder and chunks of chow chow.
Close the lid and allow them to cook for 10-15 minutes. Do not strain the remaining water.
Grind coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies, raw rice and toor dal to a paste form adding little water.
Now add the paste to the cooked chow chow(do not strain boiled chow chow water add the paste in them with water).
Allow them to cook sometime,add salt according to the taste.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds wait until they crackle and then add red chillies,urad dal and curry leaves. Wait until they turn light brown in color.
Now transfer the sauteed mixture to the kuzhambu. Turn off the stove and finally add curd and mix them well.
Serve them hot with cooked rice!!

Tips:

Do not add curd when the kuzhambu is in stove as curd might get separated to liquid and whey due to heat...

Ven Pongal

2011-04-04T09:26:00.001-05:00

Weekends are meant to do things leisurely, hence I used to start my cooking late on weekends. Here is a quick recipe for your weekend breakfast. Ven pongal is a favorite dish for most vegetarians. It takes just 15-20 minutes to prepare them. Here goes the preparation.

Ingredients:

Raw rice – 1 cup
Moong dal – ½ cup
Cumin seeds – 4 tsp
Pepper – 4 tsp(whole pepper and not ground one)
Cashew nuts – 7nos.
Ghee – 3 tbsp
Curry leaves – 5-6(to garnish)
Salt – to taste

Direction:

Add rice and moong dal along with 3 cups of water and pressure cook them till you get 6 whistles.
Now open the cooker and see whether they are mashed completely.
Take a non-stick frying pan and add about 1 tbsp of ghee.
To the heated ghee add cumin seeds, pepper, cashewnuts and fry them till they turn golden brown in color.
Now transfer the sauteed mixture to the mashed rice and moong dal also add salt according to your taste.
Stir them uniformly and then add remaining 2 tbsp of ghee for extra flavor and taste.
Garnish them with curry leaves.
Serve them hot with chutney and sambar.

Awards

2011-04-02T08:28:00.001-05:00

HERE COMES SOME AWARDS

Friends Raksha and Kaveri Venkatesh remembered my budding blog and awarded me with these 4 awards. I take this oppurtunity to thank them for their lovely comments and frequent visit to my site. Both of them have a beautiful blogs with awesome collection of recipes.

I also take this opportunity to thank all my blogger friends for visiting my blog and encouraging me with their lovely comments.

I would love to share these wonderful awards to 10 of my Blogger friends, if you have already received these awards please pass them on to our other bloggers friends and keep them rolling.

1) Callmeasviju

2) Love2Cook

3) Swarnavalli suresh

4) Aruna Manikandan

5) Satya Chaitanya

6) Vidhya

7) Shirley

8) Eat Hearty

9) Nava-k

10) Reshmi Mahesh

Also Ammu Mohan shared the following awards to me which I would like to pass it to 10 of the blogger friends mentioned above and all others who visit my blog. Thanks a lot Ammu for being so kind!!!

Also I would like to give this following "Thank you Award" to both Kaveri Venkatesh and Raksha, please collect them..

Paneer/Tofu Mutter Masala

2011-04-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

Paneer or Indian Tofu are usually prepared by curdling heated milk with lemon juice. The separarted whey forms Paneer or Indian Tofu/Cheese. Paneer is as rich source of protein and is ideal for pure vegetarian diet. This gravy goes well with Indian breads(Roti's and Naan).

Ingredients:

1. Paneer – 1 cup(cubed)
2. Green Peas - ½ cup
3. Garam Masala powder – 3 tsp
4. Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
5. Onion – 2(chopped)
6. Tomato – 2(chopped)
7. Cinnamon stick – 1
8. Cardamom – 3
9. Cloves – 3
10. Cashewnuts – 4nos.
11. Butter – 1tbsp
12. Oil – 3 tbsp
13. Salt – to taste

Direction:

1. Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan, to that add cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and fry them then add onions, tomato and cashewnuts saute them until they turn light golden brown in color.
2. Now grind the sauteed mixture in to a paste form.
3. Heat oil in a non stick pan and now add the ground paste to it.
4. Allow them to cook for sometime and add Paneer/tofu, green peas, garam masala, chilli powder and salt.
5. Close the lid and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Transfer them in to bowl and add butter on them.
7. Serve them hot with Roti's.

Creamy And Lemony Shrimp Macaroni

2011-03-31T09:32:00.002-05:00

Pasta is one of my favorite Italian dish. Adding rich creamy flavor to pasta makes them more special. Shrimp on the other hand goes very well with pasta's, pepper gives a very good flavor to shrimps hence I have used pepper to marinate the shrimp in this recipe. A perfect candlelight dinner recipe..

Ingredients:

Shrimp - ½ lb

Macaroni – 1 ½ cups

Cheddar cheese – 1 cup grated

All purpose flour/Maida – 1 tbsp

Milk – 1 cup

Butter – 1 tbsp

Pepper – 4-5 tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil - 2tbsp

Direction:

Pasta(Macaroni) Preparation:

Boil water in a pan add about a tbsp of oil.
Now add the macaroni to the boiling water and also salt according to taste.
Allow the macaroni to cook for about 15- minutes.
Strain them and keep them aside in a big bowl.

Pasta sauce preparation:

Heat butter in a non-stick pan, add milk to it and allow them to boil. Lower the flame and add all purpose flour mix them well so that they dont form clumps.
Now add in the cheese and mix them well until the cheese melts to form a creamy sauce, to this add about 2 tsp of pepper and salt according to taste.

Shrimp Preparation:

Devein your shrimp and clean them properly.
Add the remaining oil, pepper and salt according to the taste and marinate the cleaned shrimp.
Place them in a baking sheet and keep it in oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Creamy and Lemony Shrimp Macaroni Preparation:

To the boiled and strained Macaroni placed in the large bowl add the prepared pasta sauce and the baked shrimp mix them uniformly.
Now Squeeze the lemon in to the creamy pasta mixture.
Add some grated cheese on top of them and keep them in oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes(optionally step).
Remove them out of the oven and serve them hot!!

2011-03-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

MY FIRST AWARD

Friend Sheena babu has been so sweet in recognizing my blog by passing "Sisterhood of the world bloggers award" to me. Sheena has a lovely blog with vast collection of recipes accompanied by wonderful photos!!!

Now I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my blogger friends for visiting my blog and supporting me with their lovely comments.

I would love to share this wonderful award to 10 of my Blogger friends.

Krithika Karthikeyan of Krithi's Kitchen

Rashmy of Ammaandbaby

aipi of US Masala

Ammu mohan of Rasi's Veg bites

Srav's of Sravs culinary concept

raksha Kamat of Raksha's kitchen

divya of divya's recipe

Two Friends of Adukalavishesham

Priya of Priya's Easy n tasty recipes

Priya Mahadevan of now serving

A Simple and Tangy Lemon Rice

2011-03-30T09:58:00.000-05:00

Last saturday I went for shopping to get some veggies, there I picked up 6 lemon for a dollar. As we all know lemon is a rich source of vitamin c. I picked up lemon to make some lemon rice which my husband loves to have with fried potatoes.

Ingredients:

Lemon – 2
Basmathi rice – 1 cup
Channa dal – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 2-3 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Ginger – 1 tsp(finely chopped)
Cashewnuts – 6nos.
Ground nuts - ¼ cup
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – 6nos.
Green chillies – 3(cut open vertically)
Salt – to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp

Direction:

Boil basmati rice and keep them aside in a big bowl/vessel.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan add mustard seeds and wait till they crackle then add ural dal, channa dal, cashewnuts, curry leaves, ginger, green chillies and ground nuts one by one.
Saute them until they get the golden brown color.
Now add turmeric powder and little amount of salt as there would salt which you have already added to rice while boiling them.
Tranfer the sauteed mixture from non-stick pan to the vessel containing boiled rice.
Squeeze 2 lemons in to the rice and now mix them uniformly until the rice gets the yellow color of the turmeric from the mixture and also the tangy flavor from squeezed lemon.
Serve them hot with fried potatoes!!!

Tips:

1. Always squeeze the lemon to the rice directly and not to the sauteed mixture as the essence of the lemon is lost while they are being cooked.

Pepper Fish Fry/Poricha Meen

2011-03-29T08:23:00.000-05:00

Adding Pepper to food is not just to enhance the flavor of the food item but to promote proper digestion. Cooking is not just about adding right amount of ingredients but its all about adding healthy ingredients. Pepper also reduces the amount of gas in our intestinal tracts so adding pepper to any food prevents stomach upset. I usually used only chilli powder to marinate the fish but in this recipe I thought pepper along with its health benefits could add good flavor to the dish.

Ingredients:

1. Fish – 1lb(cut in to big chunks)

2. Pepper – 1tbsp

3. Dried red chillies – 4-5nos.

4. Curry leaves – 5-6nos.

5. Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

6. Garlic – 4 pods

7. Lemon - ½

8. Oil – 5-6 tbsp

9. Salt – to taste

Direction:

Grind pepper, dried red chillies, curry leaves, cumin seeds and garlic pods with about 1 tbsp of water in to a thick paste form.
Now marinate the Fish with the ground paste, add salt according to your taste and squeeze half lemon on them, leave them aside for about 2-3 hours.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and shallow fry the fish on both the sides until they get a smoky flavor with a golden brown color.
Serve them hot!!

Tips:

Spicy food lovers reduce the amount of chilli powder in your food and start adding pepper to promote digestion of your food.
Garlic intake reduces the risk of heart diseases so try to add 1 or 2 pods of garlic to the food you cook.

Ladysfinger Poriyal/Okra Curry

2011-03-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

Here it goes a simple okra curry recipe as requested by one of my friend. Ladysfinger is one of my favorite veggie from my childhood, some facts really fascinates me about these okra's from my young age. My mom inorder to make me eat this veggies says okra is good for your memory power and I will score centum in mathematics if I eat these okrs's(ladysfinger's). I dont know whether the fact is true but from then on I started loving this okra's a lot..

Ingredients:

Okra's/Ladysfinger – 1lb(cut)

Onion – 1 (finely chopped)

Mustartd seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal split – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 5nos.

Sambar powder(this can be replaced with chilli powder) – 3-4tsp

Salt – to taste

Curd – 1 tsp

oil – 2 tbsp

Direction:

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add mustard seeds wait until they crackle. Then add urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves and onion fry them until they turn golden brown in color.
Now add sambar powder and salt according to your taste.
Add the cut okra's to the fried onions and a teaspoon of curd and fry them.
Serve it hot with lemon rice and Tamarind rice!!!

Tips:

Wash and dry the okra's before you cut them to avoid the gumminess(stickyness) of the okra.
Adding curd to the okra while cooking reduces that gumminess(stickyness) of it.
Adding cumin seeds to food is very good and reduces your body heat.

Authentic South Indian Fish Kozhumbu/Gravy

2011-03-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

Every sunday is very special for me as I try to explore different non-veg recipes. Authentic south Indian fish kuzhumbu/gravy is a spicy recipe which I would love to have with plain boiled rice. Fish is a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids and it is good for your skin too. Whenever it comes to non-veg all our taste buds longs for a spicy recipe so I have pen down my spicy fish kuzhumbu recipe.

Ingerdients:

Fish - 1 lb(I used Tilapia)

Onion - 2(Finely chopped)

Cumin seeds - 1 ½ tsp

Sesame seeds - 1 tsp

Garlic pods - 2

Pepper – 2 tsp

Gingely oil – 4 tbsp

Chilli powder – 4 tsp

Tamarind pulp – 1 cup(little thicker)

Salt – to taste

Curry leaves – to garnish

Direction:

Heat about 1tbsp of oil and add cumin seeds, sesame seeds, pepper, onions and garlic pods, allow them to fry till they get a light brown color.

Now grind the above mixture to a paste form.

Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick pan then add the ground paste and the tamarind pulp. Allow them to cook for sometime until they boil.

Add chilli powder and salt according to taste.

Now add chunks of fish and cook them till the froth in the kuzhumbu/gravy disappears and oil separates out from them.

Serve it hot with boiled rice!!

Aloo (Potato) Masala

2011-03-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

A healthy breakfast is always recommended for an active day. Potato a rich source of carbohydrate and an easy to digest food is very much ideal for morning breakfast. A simple easy to make recipe which goes well along with Dosa(Indian pan cake) and chappathi,puri(Indian bread).

Ingredients:

1.Potato – 2(boiled and partially mashed)
2.Onion – 1(chopped vertically)
3.Green chillies – 3(vertically cut open)
4.Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
5.Channa dal – 1 tsp
6.Urad dal split – 1 tsp
7.Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
8.Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
9.Ginger – small piece(finely chopped)
10.Salt – to taste
11.Curry leaves – to garnish

Direction:

1.Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add mustard seeds, wait until the seeds crackle. Then add urad dal, channa dal and cumin seeds, fry them till they turn golden brown.
2.Add onion, green chillies, ginger and saute them till onion get its golden brown color. To this add turmeric powder and salt according to taste.
3.Now add the boiled and partially mashed potatoes. Stir them uniformly till they get mixed up completely with the onions and chillies.
4.Add about ½ cup of water and allow them to cook for some 10-12 minutes until they become thick.
5.Transfer them to a bowl garnish them with curry leaves.
6.Serve it hot with Puri, Dosa(Indian pan cakes), Chappathi(Indian bread).

Aloo Paratha(Potato filled flat bread)

2011-03-25T12:11:00.000-05:00

Preparing dinner is something which I like very much as it would be a planned routine task. I keep thinking about that from afternoon itself so that I get some good ideas in mind and would love to try those for dinner. Aloo paratha is one such receipe ideal for dinner which can be served with just a cup of dahi(curd).

Ingredients:

1. Boiled potatoes - 2
2. Onion - 1(finely chopped)
3. Coriander leaves - Finely chopped)
4. Green chillies - 2(chopped)
5. Ginger - small piece(grated)
6. Garam masala - 1 tsp
7. chilli powder - 1 tsp
8. Salt - to taste
9. Butter - to taste
10. oil - to make bread(paratha)

Direction:

1. For the flat bread(to cover potatoes) make dough out of whole-wheat flour(atta) as you make for normal roti's
2. Filling/Stuffing preparation):Mash the boiled potatoes and add onion, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger, garam masala, chilli powder and salt, mix them uniformly.
3. Now divide the dough in to small balls and roll them between your hands uniformly so that there is no crack on them.
4. Flour your rolling board/surface and roll the ball to about 3-4" circle. Now add the filling in the middle of the circle and slightly lift the edges and close them to form closed pouch.
5. Roll them again between your hands to form circle and make sure the filling does not ooze out.
6. Now roll the filled ball in to a bigger circle dont worry if small amount of filling oozes form it.
7. Heat the pan with little oil and now trafer the rolled paratha in it. Do not flip them unless you find the bubble rising up. Once you find the bubble flip it to other side add little oil. Keep flipping them on both sides for every 25 secs until you get the golden brown color.
8. Serve them hot with curd, onion raita, pickles or any gravy.

Methi Malai(Cream) Mutter

2011-03-25T09:22:00.000-05:00

Every weekend I get fenugreek leaves to cook along with dal for the week to come. I love them eating with dal but at times I used to think what else can been done with fenugrek leaves to make something special. When I spoke to my North Indian friend over phone I was discussing about this and asked her what else can be done with this fenugreek leaves. She shared me the receipe for Methi malai mutter which I tried one fine evening for my Roti's. It was divine and had rich creamy taste.

Ingredients:

1. Methi leaves - 1 cup(finely chopped)
2. Green peas - 1 cup(boiled)
3. Cashewnuts - 1/4 cup
4. Green chillies - 4-5
5. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Cardamom - 2-3
7. Garlic - 2 pods
8. Butter - 4 tsp
9. Malai(fresh cream) - 2 tbsp
10. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
11. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
12. Salt - to taste

Direction:

1. Boil about 1 cup of water. To this add 2-3 tsp of salt and the chopped fenugreek leaves. Boil them for 10 minutes and the strain the fenugreek leaves.
2. Now grind cashews, cardamom, green chillies and garlic(optional) adding little water.
3. Heat butter in a pan and add cumin seeds, wait till they crackle to this add the ground paste of cashew and chillies. Add about 1 1/2 cups of water and stir them nicely.
4. Add turmeric powder, garam masala powder and also salt according to your taste. Now add the boiled methi leaves and stir them well so they get mixed up completely.
5. Finally add the boiled green peas and cook for few minutes till you get a creamy consistency.
6. Transfer them in to a bowl and add 2 tbsp of malai(cream) when the gravy is hot and serve with Indian breads(Roti's, Naan).

Masala Peanuts

2011-03-24T11:41:00.000-05:00

Spicy masala peanut is a great evening snack and everyone loves to enjoy this snack during a long chat with friends, family and relatives. A very simple receipe and I would love to enjoy having this masala peanut during a pleasant rainfall enjoying rain from my window.

Ingredients:

1. Peanuts - 1 cup
2. Besan(Kadalai maavu) - 1/4 cup
3. Chilli powder - 3-4tsp
4. Salt - to taste
5. Oil - to fry

Direction:

1. Mix Besan, chilli powder and salt in a bowl.
2. To this mixture add 3-4 tbsp of water(dont add too much of water please take care the paste is little thick and not too watery) and mix them uniformly to a paste consistency so they dont form clumps.
3. Now add about 1 cup of peanuts in to this mixture and saute them so that all the peanuts are fully covered by the paste.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add these peanut mixtures in batches to avoid them clumping towards each other, and fry them until they get their golden brown color.
5. Now its time to serve them hot!!!!

South Indian Rava(Suji) Paniyaram/Suji muffins

2011-03-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

Rava/Suji Paniyaram is a typical south Indian receipe which I learned from my mom. One fine evening I thought of making rava paniyaram for evening snack and checked out for three ingredients which will be always available at everyone's kitchen. A very simple and an ideal evening snack.

Ingredients:

1. Rava/Suji - 1 cup
2. Maida(All purpose flour) - 1 cup
3. Sugar - 1 cup
4. Oil - for frying

Direction:

1. Mix suji/rava, maida and sugar together uniformly.
2. Mix them evenly to avoid clumping of the maida.
3. Now add about 2-4 tsp of water and continue mixing until the sugar in the mixture melts giving it a consistency of batter or paste.
4. Heat oil in a pan, take a rounded tablespoon full of batter and slowly drop them in to the heated oil pan.
5. Allow them to cook in the oil both the sides until they get a golden color on them. Strain excess oil in a tissue.
6. Serve them hot.

P.S : The batter which has been prepared for this should be used very same day, if refigerated and used someother day or very next day you wont get the Paniyaram in a good form.

Virudhunagar Chettinad Chicken Kozhumbu/Gravy

2011-03-23T14:28:00.000-05:00

Chicken curry is very favourite dish for most non-vegetarians in Indian. Tender chicken with spicy pepper makes it more tangible dish of the south. Hence I thought of sharing the receipe for Virudhunagar chettinad chicken kozhumbu/gravy.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg(cut in to big chunks)
Small onion/Red pearl onion - 10 nos(chopped)
Cashew nuts - 6 nos
pepper - 1tbsp
cumin seeds - 4tsp
kuskus - 3tsp
cocunut milk - 1 1/2 cups
Dried red chillies - 4nos
butter - 1tbsp
oil - 4tbsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - to Garnish

Direction:
1. Grind cashewnuts, pepper, red chillies and kuskus to nice paste form.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add the finely chopped onions to it, wait until the onions turn brown.
3. Then add the chunks of chicken to it and a tablespoon of butter, pinch of salt according to the taste.
4. Now add the prepared paste and uniformly stir them so that the chicken mixes well with the paste.
5. Add about 1/2 cup of water and allow them to cook for 10 minutes with the lid closed.
6. Finally add coconut milk to it and cook them in a low flame for 20 minutes untill the curry becomes thick.
7. Garnish them with Curry leaves.
8. Serve it hot with plain boiled rice, idly or dosa.

Dal Makhani

2011-03-23T09:08:00.000-05:00

A spicy gravy for roti which has also got its own health benefits. Dal is a good source of Protein and is also rich in fiber. Ideal for a light dinner along with Indian breads(Roti or Naan).

Ingredients:

Whole urad dal(lenthil) - 1 cup
Kidney bean - 2tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
Onion - 1(Finely chopped)
Tomato puree(pulp) - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
butter - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Lemon - to taste
Coriander leaves - to garnish(chopped)

Direction:

1. Wash Urad dal and kidney bean and soak them ovenight.
2. Drain them and combine both dals with 2 cups of water along with pinch of salt and pressure cook them till the dals are masked or over cooked.
3. Mix them well till they are completely mashed.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and wait until they cracke down.
5. To this add the chopped onion and ginger garlic paste and saute them till the onions turn golden brown in color
6. Then add chilli powder, coriander powder and tomato puree with 1/2 cup water and allow them to cook for 5-10 minutes.
7. Mean time boil the milk in low flame and keep them ready.
8. Now add the smashed dal mixture and milk to the above mixture and allow them to cook for 10-15 minutes till the dal is thick and creamy.
9. Garnish them with coriander leaves.
10. Serve them hot with Indian breads(Naan, Roti).

Authentic Green Peas Curry

2011-03-22T16:25:00.000-05:00

The color of Green peas always attracts me, they are rich in carotenes and protein. It goes well with boiled rice and all different kind of Roti's. The blend of peas and cashewnut made this dish a more authentic dish. This is a very time saving recipe quick to make, a Perfect curry for dining.

Ingedients:

Green Peas - 1 1/2 cups
Onion - 1(finely chopped)
Coconut - 4 tablespoon(grated)
Cashewnuts - 6
Green chillies - 3
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 3 tablespoon
Water - 1 cup
Curry leaves - seasoning

Direction:

1. Grind coconut, green chillies and cashewnut together in to paste form.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait untill they pop then add finely chopped onions and wait until they turn light brown in color.
3. Add the ground paste to the fried onions mix them well and add about a cup of water.
4. Then add the green peas to the mixture and wait until the peas cooks out completely and the mixture thickens.
5. Transfer them to a dish and season it with fresh curry leaves.
5. Serve it hot with Roti's and boiled rice.

Brinjal Vatha Kuzhambu/Gravy

2011-03-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

Deciding what to cook for the day drives me crazy. I opened my refrigerator and stood in front of it for quiet sometime deciding what to cook finally Egg plant/brinjal drew my attention. So I decided to make a gravy/Kozhumbu with brinjal. Brinjal vatha kuzhambu is an authentic south Indian gravy which I learned from my Grandmom after marriage.

Ingredients:

Brinjal - 4(Cut in to chunks)
Onion large - 1(finely chopped)
Tamatind pulp - 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Channa dhal - 1 teaspoon
cumin seeds - 1teaspoon
fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - seasoning
Asfoetida - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 4 tablespoon

Direction:

1. Heat the oil in Pan(Kadai), add mustard seeds and wait until they pop out. Then add channa dhal, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds 1:1/2:1 ratio and fry them.
2. To this mixture add chopped onion and fry them till they turn golden brown in color.
3. Then add a teaspoon of chilli powder, cumin powder and 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder. Stir them well so that all curry powder mixes well with them onion. Then add brinjal and mix them together.
4. To this finally add the tamarind pulp and allow them to boil untill the brinjal cooks completely and becomes thick to a gravy form.
5. Finally add salt to taste and a pinch of Asfoetida powder.
6. Transfer them in to a vessel and season them with curry leaves.
7. Serve them hot with boiled rice.

Radish and Potato curry

2011-03-21T22:46:00.000-05:00

Classic Radish potato curry is a blend of 2 different veggies which goes well with all different kind of Roti's. Radish is a good source of vitamin c and calcium, helps in the reduction of cholesterol and blood pressure. Potato on the other hand is good source of carbohydrate and an easy to digest food, reading about the health benefits of both the veggie I decided to prepare a curry with both the veggies.

Ingredients:

Radish - 2(Peeled and cut in to chunks)
Potato - 1(Peeled cut in to chunks)
Onions - 2(finely chopped)
Tomato - 1(finely chopped)
Garlic - 1 teasppon(finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - finely chopped(to garnish)
Lemon - to sqeeze
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 4 tablespoon
Water - 1/2 cup

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add a teaspoon of mustard seeds once they crackle add a teaspoon of cumin seeds, garlic and fry them till it turns brown.
2. Add the finely chopped onions and fry them till they get a golden brown color, then add chopped tomato fry them till it loses all its water content.
3. Now you can add in a teaspoon of chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt according to your taste. To this sauted mixture add the potato and radish and give them a uniform stir so that they mix well with the spices and cooks evenly.
4. Add 1/2 cup of water and close the pan with the lid and wait until they cook and all water eveporates giving it a thick consistency with the potato being mashed well.
5. Transfer the preparation in to the serving bowl and squeeze lemon for taste and garnish them with coriander leaves.
6. Serve them hot with Roti's.