Food Art Gossip and More....

Radish sambhar/Mullangi Sambhar

2011-02-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

I love any type of sambhar and here is one of my favourites:Radish sambhar

Ingredients:
Tuvar Dal (Arhar,tuvaram paruppu,split pigeon pea lentil) : 3/4 cup(cooked with 4 cups water and 1/4 tsp of turmeric, in the pressure cooker till smashed, about 3 whistles)
Tamarind extract - about 1 cup from a lime sized ball soaked in warm water for half an hour
Radish - 1 medium, cut into thin discs

Sambhar Powder - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander(dhania)powder - 1 tsp
Onions - 1 medium sliced
Tomato - 1 medium chopped into 4-6 pieces
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup chopped

For tempering:
Mustard seeds (rai/kadugu) : 1 tsp
Urad dal :1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing): pinch
Curry leaves : 5-6 washed
Coriander leaves

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

How i made it:

1. Heat oil in a wok or kadai, add the mustard and wait till it splutters, then add the urad dal, the hing and when the urad turns brown, add the curry leaves.
2. Add the onions and saute till soft - 2-3 minutes, then add the radish and fry for another minute till its soft and then tamarind extract diluted with 250 -300ml water, bring to boil and let simmer covered for about 15 minutes.The raw smell of tamarind should fade away.
3. Add the tomatoes, sambar powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and let simmer for another 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the cooked tur dal till smooth; add to the simmering sambar and bring to boil. Simmer for another 5 minutes till the flavours come together, add the chopped coriander and remove from flame.

This can be had with idlys or dosas or just plain white rice :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Vaazhaipoo Vadai/Banana Flower vada

2011-02-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

I got vazhaipoo(Banana Flower from H-mart(Chinese market)) when i had been to Denver and decided to make vadai from it.It takes quite some time and patience but i finally got it!

Ingredients:

Banana flower:1
Bengal gram:1 cup
Onion (finely chopped):1
Green chilli:2
Ginger garlic crushed:2 tsp
Curry leaves:10-12
Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Cumin seeds:1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds:1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder:just a pinch or two
Asafoetida powder/hing:1/4tsp

Salt to taste
Oil (for deep frying):3 cups
Buttermilk (diluted):2 cups

How to make it:

To clean the banana flower:

1. Apply oil to both hand to avoid sticking.Take off the purple outer covering and remove the bunch of florets. Repeat the process until you reach the center.

2. Separate each flower from the bunch and remove the stamen(black bud). Chop the florets and soak them in buttermilk with a pinch of salt to avoid discoloration.

To make the vadai:

Soak Bengal gram for at least a couple of hours. (2-3 hours).Take a few pieces of dal and keep separately(not for grinding).
Then wash and drain the water completely with a paper towel, grind coarsely and mix chopped onion, green chillies, ginger garlic, curry leaves, coriander leaves, Asafoetida powder, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, chopped flowers (drain all water before adding to Dal,along with the ungrounded dal) with salt.
Mix everything to form a thick dough. Heat oil and deep fry them in batches. Drain excess oil and serve.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Rava/Suji Upma(Non traditional way)

2011-02-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

Rava upma or sooji upma has always been done one way at my house, the traditional way without onions or garlic or even the veggies . so i decided to make a non-traditional one .Here is how i made it.

Ingredients:

Coarse Suji/Sooji/Semolina – 1 cup
Oil – 1 tbsp +1 tsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal – 1 tsp
Raw Peanuts – 2 tbsp
Urad Dal – 1 tsp
Broken Cashews – 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chili – 1
Asafoetida – pinch
Curry Leaves – few
Green Chili – to taste, finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp, grated
Onions – 1 small, finely chopped
Peas & Carrots – 1/2 cup
Salt – to taste
Water – 1.5 cups
Yogurt – 1/2 cup, well-beaten
Cilantro – garnish, finely chopped

How i made it :

1. In a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat, pour in 1 tsp of Oil.
2. Add in the Suji/rava and roast till it starts to get a little golden color and emits a wonderful aroma.
3. It is very important to keep stirring and Suji tends to burn.
4. Once done, transfer the Suji to another bowl to stop the cooking process.
5. On medium heat, in a non-stick pan, pour in the 1 tbsp of Oil.
6. Allow it to heat up and then add in the Mustard Seeds.
7. Once they start popping, add in the Cumin Seeds, stir and add in Channa Dal & Peanuts.
8. Cook for 30 seconds and add in Urad Dal and the Broken Cashews and allow them to turn light golden in color.
9. Add in the Dry Red Chili, Turmeric Powder and Asafoetida. Mix.
10. Add in Green Chili, Curry Leaves, Onions and Peas & Carrots.
11. Saute until the Onions till they are cooked but not browned .
12. Also, add in salt at this time.
13. Meanwhile, mix the Yogurt with the Water. Pour into the pan. Keep mixing.
14. Add in Ginger and allow the liquid to come to a boil.
15. Once it comes to a boil, lower heat and add in the Suji little at a time.
16. Mix really well and make sure there are no dry lumps/spots of Suji.
17. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
18. Open the lid and mix and fluff up the Upma.
19. Turn the flame off, cover and allow it to rest for another 5 minutes.
20. Open and serve with Cilantro as garnish (lime juice optional).

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Jeera/cumin Rasam

2011-02-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

I made parupu Thogayal/Tuar dal dip and it goes really well with Jeera Rasam.So here is my recipe for Jeera Rasam/ seera saathumudhu

Ingredients:
To grind:
Tuar dal:1 tbsp
Jeera/cumin:1 tbsp
coriander seeds:1/2 tbsp
peppercorns/Milagu:5-6
Tomato:1 small piece(a small cut piece optional)
Curry leaves:5-6
For Rasam:
tuar dal-1 tsp(boiled,optional)
Tamarind :1 tsp(paste) or a small lemon size
Turmeric:1 tsp
Asafoetida/hing:1tsp
For Tempering:
ghee/oil
curry leaves
mustard seeds

How to make it:

Soak the 'To grind' ingredients for about 10 minutes and grind them together with water into a coarse paste.
Next, Boil tamarind paste in a cup of water along with turmeric,hing,curry leaves till the raw smell fades away.
Pour in the ground paste and let it boil for a few minutes and add two cups of water along with salt and boiled tuar dal.
Sputter some mustard seeds and curry leaves and pour it on top of the Rasam.

Have it along with rice and parupu thogayal/dip It will be amazing!

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Tuar Dal Dip/Parupu Thogayal

2011-02-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

Today i decided to make some parupu Thogayal/tuar dal dip . It was very simple to make and very tasty.
It goes really well with Jeera Rasam and Milagu/Pepper Kuzhambu.

Ingredients:
Tuar dal :1 cup
Red Chillies:4-5 (depending on your spice level)
Garlic-3 cloves(optional)
Asafoetida/Hing/Perungayam:2 spoons
salt to taste
oil for roasting

How to make it:

Fry dal with red chillies,garlic and hing with little oil till golden brown.
Cool down and grind it to a coarse paste with salt and water to a paste consistency

Thats it enjoy with Rasam and Pepper Kuzhambu :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Channa Masala/Chole

2011-02-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

Channa Masala/Chole:

The other day i decided to make some chole/Channa without the Channa masala from MDH or any other ready made chole masalas and it came out just fine.I took help online(show me the curry and Manjula's kitchen).Here is how i made it.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas/Channa:1 cup
onions-1 red
garlic:2-3 cloves
ginger : a small piece
tomatoes:2-3 or tomato paste available in the market half a small can
tea bags :2 (optional)
garam masala- 2 tbs
bay leaves:2
cinnamon stick:1 piece
cardamom:2-3
cloves-4-5
coriander seeds/dhania: 1/2 tsp
jeera/cumin:2 tsp
black peppercorns: 3-4
dry red chillies-1 small

How i made the Channa masala:

First, in oil i fried coriander seeds ,jeera ,cloves cardamom,cinnamon stick,black peppercorn and the red chilli and after it cooled down , put it in a mixie and powdered it(u can also make it into a paste by adding some water) and kept it aside.
Next in a pan or kadai i heated oil and fried the onions ginger and garlic and after it cools down ground it to a fine paste.
Meanwhile , in a pressure cooker i added 1 cup Channa(chick peas) (soaked overnight) along with 2 tea bags.( Tea bags give a dark color to the Channa and will not affect the taste of the Channa masala, even i was skeptical at first and tried it out... came out just fine.If u want u can reduce the number of tea bags to just one.) and pressure cooked it till 3 whistles .
Next in the kadai i heated some oil and put the bay leaves after which i put in the tomato paste/puree (or just give the tomatoes a go in the blender) and fry it till the raw smell fades away.(another tip is make sure the oil separates from the tomato paste)
Next add in the onion paste and mix it together nicely,putting in some garam masala and the home made Channa masala..
Add in the Channa/chickpea(along with the pressure cooked water,little by little) and mix everything thoroughly,adding salt. Make sure the masala is just right . If it becomes too spicy we can add in a little sugar so that the taste is enhanced.
Close and cook till the water evaporates,making sure to give it a stir once in a while.add more water if needed.

Serve Hot garnished with raw onions and coriander leaves and our Channa masala is ready to eat !!!

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Chinese Today?!

2011-02-14T13:30:00.001-08:00

Schezwuan Noodles:

So , it was a lovely Friday night dinner at home and i decided to make Chinese (not the take out kind) :) and wanted to try something different too .. i did a lot of research on the internet and decided that i would go for Schezwuan Noodles. S likes Noodles and i like anything which is spicy .. so here goes

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
Red Chillies :10-12
White vinegar :2 tbsp(optional)
soy sauce-1 tsp
Garlic:5-6 cloves
Ginger: a small piece
tomato puree or tomatoes : 2-3

For the Noodles:
Udon Noodles(or any kind)- 1 packet
yellow bell peppers- half
Green bell peppers- half
Red Onion- 1
Garlic- 2 -3 cloves
green chillies-1 (optional)
baby corn- 1 cup(optional)
Carrots-1,cut in long pieces
cabbage-quarter piece shredded
soy sauce-2 tsp

How i made it:
To make the sauce:

Put the red chillies in water and a tbsp of white vinegar for about an hour.
Remove the seeds from the chillies and grind it to a fine paste.
Now in a pan, heat oil and add the ginger,garlic and cook it till the raw smell goes away.
Next add the tomato puree/Tomatoes (made into a puree with a mixie) and cook till the the tomato thickens in consistency.
Next add the red chilli paste to this and cook till the raw smell goes away(about 5-8 minutes)
At last,, add a little bit of white vinegar and soy sauce (according to taste, a tsp should do) cook for 2 minutes till the sauce consistency is obtained

We can store this sauce for a week and it can be used to make Schezwuan fried rice and also can be added whenever we require red chillies.

To make the Noodles:

Cook the Noodles with a pinch of salt and oil, as per instruction given. Remember that the noodles should always go into boiling water and run it through cold water so that it doesn't become sticky.
Next in a big wok or a pan add a little bit of oil and fry the ginger,garlic,onions till golden on a med-high flame.
After this add the carrots, Bel peppers, cabbage, baby corn one by one leaving a 10-20 sec gap in between.
Make sure the veggies are not cooked too tender, add the Schezwuan sauce and the rest of soy sauce and white vinegar(a tsp each).
Add the noodles( if they are too lengthy cut them up randomly using kitchen sheers,after they are cooked) and toss till the veggies,sauce and noodles are mixed together.

Serve Hot ! :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

payperpost

2011-02-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

This is the sentence paperpost asked me to create so that they can verify my blog

an anodyne makes you feel good

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

YoCurd !

2011-02-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Usa has taught me many things .... and one among them is how to make thick curd.
I know this seems quite funny as we might think wats there in making simple curd.. just add the curd culture to milk but no! thats not it.!Let me demystify the making of curd !Ha!

First of all you need curd culture(normal ,plain thick curd) for it. Ask your neighbours ,friends or if you cant get it anywhere get it from the stores.. no other go...

Next heat up a litre of milk in the microwave for about 5 minutes and cool it down completely

After this add 2 spoons of curd culture and nicely mix it with the milk making sure its completely dissolved in the mixture.Cover it with reynolds wrap or some foil.

preheat oven to about 350 deg F and switch it off..

Make sure the temperature is bearable inside the oven.(like how it is in india on a normal day :) )

Keep the curd inside the oven and Lo! thats all... it has to set for overnight to 24 hours completely depending on the area in which we are(like how cold it is).. am in Denver so it takes me 24 hours
during winter time .

Also we can wrap the curd vessel with a heavy towel just so that it retains the warmth for it to set.

Thats it :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

spinach pasta...

2011-02-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

we decided to have something different for dinner and thought about Italian .. My Husband and i both like pasta and i like pasta with white sauce much better than the tomato base...So here goes my trial with pasta ...Its a very simple and sumptuous dinner :)

Ingredients:
Penne pasta- 2 cups
baby spinach- just a bunch
mushrooms-1cup
parmesan cheese- grated 2-3 tbsps
butter-quarter or a small piece(just for frying)
jeera(cumin)-1tspn
oregano-1tspn
black pepper-1tspn
red crushed peppers-1 tspn

How i made it:

First I boiled the pasta in water witha pinch of salt and oil.(Add the pasta in boiling water and take it out when it is 3/4th cooked ,'Al-Dente' )
Next in a pan i fried the mushrooms in a little bit of butter,along with cumin seeds,black pepper and then added the spinach and sauted it till its cooked.
After this i added the parmesan cheese and cooked it for two minutes till the cheese melts.
Lastly i added the pasta and sauted it till the whole mixture comes together.

Red crushed peppers can be added if you need a little spice in the pasta.
Its very easy to make and heavenly because of the cheese and mushrooms.Have fun making it :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

Beetroot fried rice!

2011-02-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

I had times when i loved beetroot .. used to live on it everyday.. and there were other times when i hated it....

But Times changed... i came to like Beetroot as any other Indian veggie cause here in US i try to explore all possible varieties of vegetables and the ways to cook it.

So i decided to try and make Beetroot Fried rice.
Ingredients:
Beetroot : 2
Onions:1 big yellow
Basmati rice-1 cup
garlic:2-3 cloves
ginger-a small piece
green chillies-1 or 2
For the masala:
bay leaves:1
cinnamon stick-1
cardamom-3
cloves-3
somf-1tsp
jeera-1tsp
Garam masala-2 tsp
pulav masala-(optional) 1tsp

How i Made it:

First i soaked the Basmati rice for about 10 mins and pressured cooked it with 1 and half cups water and left it to cool .Meanwhile i grated the beetroot finely.
Next in a wok or big kadai (deep bottom vessel) i added some oil /ghee and fried the masalas except the garam masala,take care not to over fry the masalas or we can fry it seperately and then add it later .After this i Added the garlic, chillies,ginger and then the onions and fried till golden brown .
Next i added the beetroot and fried it till the raw smell went away and then added the garam masala.
Lastly add the rice(which should be completely cool and non-mushy) and saute it on a high flame till all the ingredients mix well.garnish with cilantro.

serve it hot with onion raita or just plain curd and it surely will be a hit among all.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

Keerai masiyal...

2011-02-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

You can make three types of keerai , keerai masial(normal one ), keerai kootu and keerai kuzhambu.Today i made keerai masiyal , a very easy to make but healthy recipe which is quite delicious .

Ingredients :
Keerai( baby spinach) -2 big bunches
onions-half a big yellow one
garlic-2 cloves
jeera(cumin)-2 tspn
sambhar powder-1tbsp
green chillis-2 to 3
coconut-2 tbsp((grated,optional)
For tempering
mustard seeds -1tspn

urad dal-1tspn

hing- a pinch

curry leaves

salt to taste

how i made it:

I put the frozen spinach in microwave for about 3 minutes(along with a little salt) till it became small in size(all the water drains off and the big bunch becomes very small) and cut it to smaller pieces.
In a kadai(deep bottom vessel) , i put a little bit ghee or oil and sputtered the mustard seeds and then added the urad Dal , hing,jeera(cumin) and curry leaves.
Then i added the garlic and green chillis and fried it for a minute, after which i added the onions.
After the onions turn golden brown i added the sambhar powder and then coconut(optional).
Last i added the keerai or spinach and fried it on a high flame for 5 minutes and added salt according to taste.

Serve it along with rice,sambhar or rasam along with a microwaved applam .. tatstes heavenly. :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

Paratha Power!

2011-02-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Last week we decided to ask two of our good friends to come over for lunch and i tried my hand at making the paratha :) , a north-Indian specialty.
My Chiti is a paratha expert and so i called her up for advice on how to make them , but as it turned out she had gone out shopping(duh!) and so i ended up asking her daughter , my cousin who is studying in new jersey.
so she briefed me on how her mum makes the paratha . I started with the very basic Aloo paratha . Here is how i made it :
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour-2 cups
Aloo-4
Onions-1 big yellow one or a red one
Green chillis-2
Garam masala
turmeric-just a pinch
red chilli powder-1tsp(optional)
Jeera-1tsp
sugar-1tsp
Coriander-a bunch (finely chopped)
salt
chaat masala -1tsp (Optional)
ghee
How i made it:

First i pressure cooked the potatoes till tender and grated them finely(This makes it easier and smoother while rolling out the dough)
Then i added the garam masala, salt ,sugar ,green chilli(finely chopped) ,Jeera ,onions,ghee/oil ,coriander and mixed it thoroughly.
Next i slowly added the flour and mixed it into a smooth dough adding hot water if necessary( since potatoes themselves let out water be careful adding extra water) and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.The tava should be hot for the parathas to cook so make sure the tava is really hot.
Next i made the dough into balls of equal size and rolled them out flat (not too flat!thick parathas are what we want!)
I put the parathas on the hot tava with a little butter on either side else the parathas will turn out rough .

Serve them hot with pickle,onion raita and cucumber by the side and its absolute heaven :)

Note:The parathas can be made with Aloo,methi leaves,paneer etc

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Football Aloo!

2011-02-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

It was Super Bowl day today and we had a small potluck at a friends place.And the team i supported won! Go Green Bay Packers!!!
We came to know of this potluck really late so i dint know what to do for so many people! About 12 people got together in the last minute.
So,I made Aloo mattar the readily available ingredients Aloo and peas :) It came out great ... Here is how i made it.

Ingredients:

Masalas:
Bay leaves-2
cinnamon sticks- 2
cloves-7-8
jeera-1 tbsp
somf-1tsp
cardamom-5
turmeric-1tsp
red chilli powder-1tsp
garam masala
kasoori methi(optional)

Main ingredients:

Aloo -4
peas-2 cups
tomato puree- 2 cups or tomatoes 4-5(grind to a puree form)
Onion-1 big yellow
garlic-3-4 cloves
ginger- a small piece
green chillies-2 (according to taste)
cashews-few(6-7)
Milk-1 cup

How i Made it:

First i fried the onions garlic and ginger in a pressure cooker till the onions are golden brown and cooled it down added the tomato puree and blend it in a mixer along with cashews and some milk
Next , in the same pressure cooker i fried the masalas together(except the garam masala) in ghee(makes it tastier)
then , i added the ground onion/tomato paste, the garam masala ,a little bit of anardhana powder and fried it again till the oil separated .
Next i added the potatoes and a little bit water,salt ,closed the lid and left a whistle for the potato to cook.
After the pressure goes down, i added the peas (microwaved) and at last the kasoori methi.Taste it and you are done.

It was simple, easy to make and awesome to eat :D

Note:The sabjis can be made with carrots /cauliflower or whatever veggies you like to add .

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Sweet Corn Tofu Masala

2011-01-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone , yesterdays dinner was just "fabulous" .. so S told me.
I was out of subjis to make for dinner to go with chapathi.I opened my refrigerator to find absolutely no vegetables :( even the ones i had , i wanted to make something else out of them for lunch the next day).So i had the usual tomatoes,onions, bell peppers and peas.I also opened the freezer to find tofu and sweet corn. And thats when i decided to do something with sweet corn and tofu for dinner.

I understood now that with the ingredients we have, it is up to us to creatively do the rest. So this is what i did yesterday night:"Sweet Corn Tofu Masala"

Ingredients:
Tofu - 12-15 cut to small rectangular pieces
Sweetcorn- 2 cups( i use the frozen one , just microwaved it in the bag )
Onions-1 (big)
Bell Peppers-1
Tomatoes- 2
peas-1/2 cup
green chillies-2-3 (according to our own spice degree)
garlic-2-3 cloves
ginger - small piece (optional)
Spices used:
bay leaves-1
cinnamon- 1 small stick
cloves-4 pieces
fennel seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
cardamom-3 pieces crushed(Optional some people dont like the taste of it)
cashew- 3-4 pieces
cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
paprika-1 teaspoon (optional just for the color and a little spice)
Garam masala- 3 teaspoons

How i made it:

In a pan i added oil and fried the spices bay leaves,cinnamon,cloves,fennel seeds,cardamom,cumin seeds and the cashew.
After the raw smell goes off from the spices, i added the green chillies and garlic and fried for about a minute in high flame.
Next, i added the onions and sautéd it till golden brown and then added the paprika which is optional.
After this, i added the bell peppers and when it is half cooked i added the tomatoes along with salt.
After frying the tomatoes, next i added the Garam masala which is also according to ones own taste.
Next came the Tofu which i added to the mixture and i let it absorb all the spices for about 2-3 minutes.
At last i added the sweet corn and peas as they needed to be cooked only for a little amount of time.

We can garnish it with coriander leaves if we want to. Everything lies in our own hands. We develop the taste of the dish according to our own mind set. This dish is a little sweet so we can add a little more spice to it if we want to.

Variations include the addition of mushrooms (yummy!) , cauliflower or even paneer instead of tofu.It all depends on the availability of the veggies and what we want to eat!!! :)

Just try it out.. am just a novice and not an expert.. suggestions are welcome to improve my cooking skills too.. :)

Zucchini Kootu without coconut

2011-01-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

My husband and i went to a place called Sunflower market , a place which has farmers fresh vegetables and fruits.We try to finish shopping there for the week but yeah we get so carried away with all the fresh veggies that we finish shopping stuff for 2-3 weeks.

So yes as i was saying , being new to the united states i dint know half the names of the veggies there.. so i took something that looked like cucumber and asked my hubby what it was.As it turned out its name was zucchini squash and was something like a cucumber but tastes a little different. So anyways i decided to get it.

Both my husband and i are sort of conscious about our health so we try to make healthy stuff for lunch and dinner. So what i did today was i tried to make a healthy Kootu out of it which is something of a mix of ingredients like dhal and spices. As i avoid adding coconut to my dishes as much as possible i decided to go ahead and do it without coconut.

It took me around 35 minutes for the whole process as i am pretty slow in doing this stuff.

Ingredients:-

Zucchini - 2 (chop it into small cubes)
Moong dhall - 1/2 cup (paasi parupu)
Toor dhall - 1/4 cup (Thuvaram parupu)
Big yellow onion-1/2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Channa Dhall - 1 tbsp
Urad dhall - 2 tsp(ulutham parupu)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp (for garnishing)
Curry leaves - few
cardamom-1 piece ground * optional, just for taste

How i made it :

First,i pressure cooked thoor dhal and moong dal with 2 cups water with a pinch of turmeric powder.

Next, i fried channa dhall, urad dhal, cumin seeds, red chillies and Asafoetida powder to golden brown in little oil and then let it to cool.After this , i put them in a mixie and made it to a fine paste.

In the meanwhile , in a little oil i put one piece of cardamom(optional) and fried the onion pieces for 5 minutes. Then i added the zucchini pieces ,a pinch of turmeric(manjal) and salt to taste. The Zucchini cooks fast so it lets out some water itself while cooking.

When it is half cooked,i added the ground paste and mixed it well for about 2 minutes.

Then i added the cooked dhal to this mixture and added some water to make it into a little watery consistency. we can adjust how we want the Kootu to be thick or watery depending on the amount of water we add.

The last step is to sputter the mustard seeds , then add urad dhal and some curry leaves to oil or ghee( ghee makes it so yummy but its a no-no for me when i have an option! with so much fried stuff in this recipe already its hard for me to diet :( ) and pour it on top of the Kootu.

Variations in this includes addition of sambhar powder ,coconut and coriander leaves.I think all kootus have the same recipe just the main ingredients may vary. Since i am a beginner , this is my perception of a Kootu.

Thanks all, let me know how it came out.

Fresh start....

2011-01-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone ...!

Am new to this type of blogging..but i wont be so new from now . Let me start with an introduction to myself and this blog. I am a desi girl living in the US of the A , happily married from last August (Yeah yeah am a fresher).

I came here on a H4 with my hubby so i cant work for now.. till then i am keeping myself occupied with things i like the most which are Food , art and Gossip in that order.

Let me tell you something about myself . I am an average Indian of this generation which means i know nothing about cooking , and a lot about cellphones latest movies , music and new trends.

My Mum used to try teaching me cooking but uh huh no use... :D well i thought it might be a problem once i come here to the states cause i might have to start cooking from the scratch.. but god has been so kind to me :) my Hubby dear cooks really well!!

But that still dint stop me from trying to learn cooking(duh! as if it would) so i started experimenting with food ... well i dint burn down the house but yeah i made a lot of mistakes.. and i am still making a lot too... oh! just now remembered.. Have to switch off the oven :D

This blog might be a mighty useful tool in helping me remember the start and keep track of my progress. Also my darling sis is such a newbie to cooking.. so i might post my recipes here so that she can "try" to start cooking.

I hope this also helps many others like me in the states who had everything back home(grandma, mum ,aunt or even a cook)to help..... but now only internet and their own skills to win the hearts and stomach of many.

I have art and gossip in this blog so that it doesn't get too boring for everyone.. i like to draw and paint... but i am a rookie in that too so developing my skills this way can help everyone along the way.