Hyma's Flavours

Punjabi Rajma masala

2016-05-25T23:18:00.001-07:00

A dish that I have made several times to get that actual taste by trying and testing so many different recipes out on the net! However, I finally ended up learning the secret behind the taste of this dish from a friends cook who is from Punjab! Believe me, there are several recipes out there which all say but mostly the same about doing the onion tomato base for this! However, it's done differently by the home makers in Punjab I believe😀 so let's jump straight into the recipe

Ingredients

1 cup rajma

1 large onion

1 large tomato

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1-2 green chilies

1 tsp Punjabi garam masala

1/2 tsp chilli powder(optional)

1 tsp Kasturi methi

1 tbsp butter

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnish

Soaking time: 8 hrs

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 40 mins( incld boiling rajma)

Preparation

- Soak the rajma for 8 hrs or over night. The skin will begin to shrink and rajma becomes lighter in color as it soaks.

- in a pressure cooker, add the rajma, water to cover the rajma, salt and pressure cook for 6 whistles and simmer for 5 mins. Roughly about 20 mins should do.

- allow the steam to escape, drain the rajma and "store the water in which the rajma cooked!" Do not discard this water.

- meanwhile, chop the onion, tomatoes and green chilies. Keep little onion aside for later.

- sauté the chilies and onions in a tsp of oil, then add the tomatoes and little bit of salt.if u are using fresh ginger and garlic , sauté them along with the onions.

- allow this to cool. Upon cooling, grind this (along with the ginger garlic paste) into a smooth paste.

- in a pan, heat the butter, once melted, sauté the little bit of onion and add the ground paste and allow to cook until the fat separates.To this add the chilli powder while the paste is cooking.

- now add the cooked rajma and mix with the masala.

- as per the required consistency slowly add the stored water while stirring to check the needed consistency.

- add the garam masala and crush the Kasturi methi between your palms and sprinkle on top.

- bring it to a boil a remove from heat.

- garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Pulav, jeera rice or roti!

Notes:

- remember to store the water in which the rajma gets cooked. This water brings color to the dish.

- also the rajma is cooked with salt and the water also has salt. So, if you add additional salt, be careful not to get it too salty!

- adjust spice levels as per your taste.

Watermelon lemon basil slush(tini)

2016-05-12T10:29:00.001-07:00

Summer is here and so are the fresh greens and summer fruits. What better way to beat the heat and enjoy the sun than to make juices, mock tails and cocktails with the fresh produce. Fresh basil were being sold at the local farmers market for a dollar a bunch and it will be pure sin to let go of it..lol

So, had been buying them and trying out on pasta and soup and realized they r good with drinks too. Found this amazingly simple slush recipe with lemon and basil and to give it a kick I cranked it up with a bit of vodka and made it a cocktail in the end.

Adding the alcohol is purely optional. The slush is super yumm without the spirit too.

Ingredients

4 cups chopped watermelon cubes

1/2 cup roughly chopped basil

1/4cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 lemon or 1tbsp of lemon juice

120ml or lesser vodka(optional)

Prep time: 3 hrs Slush time: 5 mins

Preparation:

- chop the watermelon into cubes and freeze them on a plate for 2-3 hrs minimum

- in a saucepan combine the sugar and water and boil until the sugar dissolves.

- switch off heat and add the roughly chopped basil into the sugar syrup and let it cool down for an hour

- when the melons are frozen, add half of them into a blender along with required sugar syrup( as per sweet liking), lemon juice and pulse.

- now blend in the remaining melons and pulse a little

- serve them in glasses with a sprig of basil on top

- if you prefer to make it a cocktail, add vodka along with the lemon and sugar syrup in the blender and there is your watermelon slushtini;-)

- if adding vodka, you might need more sugar syrup

Pudhina (Mint) thogaiyal

2016-03-22T08:58:00.001-07:00

Once a way the kitchen needs to smell of exotic herbs that bring a healthy and fresh aroma to the stale masala flavour in the air. In everyday Indian cooking the use of green leafy herbs cannot be discounted. So many health benefits and so detoxing too.

Pudhina or mint is one such herb which is so full of benefits. After a heavy meal day, pudhina infused lime water can do wonders to your intestines. Regular use of this herb helps to keep us healthy enough to keep binging on junk😀

Below is one of my favorite pudhina recipe which takes about 15 minutes to prepare and is super tasty with hot rice and ghee...yummm

Ingredients:

-1 bunch of pudhina leaves

- 2-3 dry red chilies

- a small pinch of tamarind soaked in warm water

- 1 tsp oil

- 1 tbsp Urad dhal

- 1/2 cup of shredded or sliced coconut

- a pinch of hing or asafoetida

- salt to taste

Prep time: 15 mins Grind time: 5 mins

Preparation:

- Soak the tamarind in a bit of warm water and set aside

- In a kadai, heat 1 tsp oil, add the Urad dhal, red chilies and roast until the dhal turns red.

- Now add the hing, washed and drained pudhina leaves and salt.

- Fry it for a minute or two until the leaves come together.

- Switch of the heat and add the coconut and stir them together and set aside on a plate to let it cool.

- Once this cools, grind in a mixie/ blender along with the soaked tamarind.

- Remove on to a serving bowl and serve with rice, dosa or idli.

Notes:

- Additionally, you can temper urad and channa dhal in a bit of oil and add after the pudhina has been made to a paste. This will give extra crunch when eaten with rice.

Egg masala

2016-03-22T00:30:00.001-07:00

Busy toddler days keeping me away from my blog. Each passing year with my lil one brings in more and more adorable surprises each day! She loves boiled eggs is what I believed until one morning she just refused to touch them😀 so, I had this carton full of eggs getting wasted as it was just there not being used up. That is when I decided, the best way to use it, is to make egg gravy! But my previous attempts with the recipe were not so satisfying. That is when friends come to rescue isn't it?! I got this quick and easy recipe from a friend and it turned out super yumm. So, go ahead and try got urself...

Ingredients:

5-6 boiled eggs

1 medium onion

1 small tomato

1-2 green chilly

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp dhania powder (coriander)

1/4 tsp jeera powder (cumin)

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

For tempering

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp saunf

Curry leaves

For garnish

1/2 cup fresh coconut milk

Coriander leaves

Prep Time: 20 mins Cook time: 15 mins

Preparation

- Boil the eggs by giving them one whistle in pressure cooker. This is faster and cooks perfect.

- Meanwhile cut the veggies into slices, prepare coconut milk and keep aside.

- In a kadai, heat the oil and temper the jeera and saunf seeds.

- To this add a sprig of curry leaves, green chilies and ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute.

- Now add the onions and wait for them to fry well. When onion is well sautéed add the tomatoes and all the masala powders and salt.

- Cook for 3-4 minutes until all the raw smell of the powders leave.

- If the gravy is too dry add 1/2 cup water and add the coconut milk(first milk).

- To this add the peeled eggs cut in half.

- Bring it all to a boil and garnish with coriander leaves.

- Serve with roti or rice as per your choice😀

Notes:

- Adjust spice levels as per your taste buds.

- You may use all the eggs with the yolksor you could discard yolks from some of the eggs. Depends on how calorie conscious one is😊

Sweet potato / sakaraivalli kizhanghu curry...non fry method

2015-11-07T03:01:00.001-08:00

Sweet potato as any other variety in the family is so versatile and tasty however cooked. This can be plain boiled and eaten or mixed with masala or fried or made into sambar...the uses are endless. Most of the recipes I come across are about frying the veggie up like a roasted curry. Am wondering why the variation to the sweet potato curry is not so popular. The below is a very common way we cook this veggie in our families and it's super healthy, tasty and quick to make.

All you need to do is boil the potato, grind masala and mix them together...simple isn't it?!😀

Prep time: 20 mins.

Cook time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

1 medium size sweet potato or 2 small

3-4 red chilies (vary as per ur preference)

1-1/2 tbsp channa dal

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tbsp urad dal

2 tsp oil to fry

A pinch of asofoetida

Salt to taste

A sprig of curry leaves

Preparation:

- Boil the sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker to two whistles. A fork or toothpick should pass thru the veggie clean.

- while waiting for the veggie to cook and pressure to yield in the cooker fry up for the masala and grind them into a powder.

- in 1 tsp of oil, first add channa dal, after 30 secs add urad dal, once they begin to get golden add the coriander seeds and red chilli and in the end switch off heat and add the asofoetida powder.

- let this cool down before you grind it into a coarse powder

- when you are able to open the cooker, drain the water and peel the skin of the potatoes. Mash them lightly with a spoon to make small pieces. Need not be symmetrical.

- in a kadai, heat 1 tsp oil, splutter little mustard, 1 tsp urad dal, curry leaves and then add the potatoes in.

- on this add the masala you just freshly ground, add salt as necessary.

- mix them all up and remove and serve hot with rice.

Notes:

- if adding asofoetida as crystals, you can fry them up in the beginning and keep aside. If using powder, add towards end of frying masala or directly while doing tadka. Reason being, if fried a lot it can turn bitter.

- I did not have coriander seeds, so added coriander powder directly to curry.

- this curry can be mixed with hot rice and a tsp of ghee and served with papad or mor khuzhambu( a.k.a kadi or majjige huli or majjiga pulisu).

- this can be eaten as a side for rasam or curd rice too.

Small Jar for a US Blender

2015-11-04T11:39:00.001-08:00

So you know from the title this is not a recipe post. I couldn't stop myself from publishing this cool find and such an easy peasy solution to my everyday cooking needs. Am sure there are many of you like me out there trying to find an alternate to having an Indian mixie in the American soil. Bingo! Here you go...this is your solution 😊

While I began my search for a good blender that I can use for regular batters like dosa, idli or the likes and also for grinding small quantities of chutney or masala, I always hit a dead end with the US blenders as not many came with a small jar option. The ones that came did not have great reviews or were steeply priced. One of these searches on the World Wide Web led me to this incredible find where I could use the 300ml "Ball" or "Mason" glass jars in the regular blender base and use for grinding small quantities. So, I went ahead and bought myself a 14 speed Oster blender and a couple of mason jars along! Believe me it's the perfect solution. You do not have to spend on an Indian mixie and waste your time cleaning too. Most of the US blenders are dishwasher safe and so is the small glass jars...what more can you ask...

1) To the base of the blender, attach or screw the mason jar

2) In the blender base fit the small jar as shown blelow in step 3...

3) Your perfect solution

Note: use only glass jar for grinding. Any other metal or plastic is not advised.

Suiyan

2015-10-30T14:21:00.001-07:00

A recipe that I searched on net and couldn't find any hint of this delicacy in any site. Not sure if I searched the right name or may be its in another name on the web. This is a sweet usually offered as a neivedyam during festivals.

During the navarathri that just went by, I learnt and made it for the first time and it turned out delicious. It's very simple and easy to make.

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

For batter

1/2 cup raw rice

1/2 cup urad dhal

A pinch of salt

For filling:

4 tbsp grated jaggery

1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4tsp ellaichi powder

Water to dissolve the jaggery

Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

- Wash and soak the rice and dhal together for 3 hours.

- Grind the above into a thick batter adding little salt to taste. Should be lose enough to coat the filling well. Do not add water like you would for idli or dosa batter. Should be of thicker consistency than that.

- In a kadai, add the jaggery and pour little water to cover the jaggery. Wait for the jaggery to dissolve well and come to a boil.

- now add the coconut and the elaichi powder and cook until they come together.

- Add ghee and switch off heat. Let the filling cool to make them into dumplings.

- Once oil is heated, make small dumplings of the filling, dip in the batter and add to oil for frying.

- Remove from oil when golden brown.

- Tasty suiyan is ready to serve😀

Pav Bhajji

2014-11-03T23:37:00.001-08:00

Goodmorning friends! Today, I plan to use her morning nap time to post this incredibly simple yet loaded with taste chat:-) One of Mumbai's favourite road side eat, now equally popular among Chennai-ites too. Once I finish posting this long pending recipe, I can start ground work on the next road side chat;-) Keep watching the space for what is to come!

Who will not love a spicy treat on monsoon evenings. So, here I have been ticking off all my wish list items and I hope to try more before my maternity leave comes to an end...off to the recipe

Ingredients:

For masala:

- 2 chopped onions
- 2 chopped tomatoes
- 100 gms finely chopped beans
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 capsicum finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 green chillies
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp pav bhajji masala
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- Coriander leaves for garnish
- Salt to taste

For chutney:

Refer Chilly Garlic Chutney

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins

Preparation:

- Chop all veggies finely and keep aside for use
- Pressure cook beans, carrot and potaties adding little salt for taste
- Heat the butter in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
- Now add the onions and saute till they turn translucent. Now, add the finely chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste or grated ginger and garlic.

- Once the ginger and garlic cook well, add the capsicum and saute for 2 minutes.
- Now add the tomatoes and let them all come together.
- Once the tomatoes are blended well, add the pav bhajji masala, turmeric powder and salt and allow to cook for 5 mins on low flame.

- Meanwhile, open the pressure pan and mash the potatoes and other veggies smoothly with a hand blender or a buttermilk churner.Do not throw the water in which the veggies were boiled.

- Add these to the masala in the pan and mix well. If you find the masala too thick, add the water from the boiled veggies.
- Let the masala cook for 5 minutes on low flame for all the flavours to infuse together.

- Sprinkle with lots of finely cut coriander leaves.
- Now, the masala is ready!

Serving:

- Pav buns are available in stores.
- Smear both the insides of the pav with the garlic chutney. The picture below does not have the chutney spread.
- Heat a flat pan and add 2 tsp of butter. Now place the pav with the chutney smeared side down.
- Turn the pav and toast on both sides.
- Serve hot pavs, with above masala and side of a lemon piece and some fresh and finely chopped onions:-)

Garlic Chilly paste

2014-11-03T21:19:00.003-08:00

In continuation of my Chutney series, here is yet another simple to make and and easy to stire chutney which is used in pav bhajji to give it that awesome original taste and spiciness. Without much ado, I go straight to the simple and cute recipe...Will update pics very soon dearies

Ingredients:

- 12-15 whole dried kashmiri chillies
- 10-12 pods of garlic

Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 5 mins

Preparation:

- The prep time is so long because of the soaking time for the chillies.
- Soak the chillies in warm water for one hour.
- Roughly chop the garlic and set aside.
- Once chillies are soaked, drain the water and blend the garlic and chillies together in a blender.
- Use as required and store remaining in an air tight container in the fridge,

Yet another simple chutney done:-)

Sukha Lehsun ki Chutney or Dry Garlic Chutney

2014-11-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...ok, now, this is like writing an exam. First I have very little time at my disposal and second I realise, am not fully organised to complete the exam on time;-) Was writing the post of Pav bhajji and realised, I had to give the recipe for garlic chutney without which the pav recipe is not complete:-) Now, thought, I will anyways publish all of the required chutneys which comes in handy for any chat or bhajji. And unfortunately, I had not taken any pics of any the chutney but promise to update the posts with pics very soon as I need to restock my fridge with it.

This is such a simple and easy to make chutney and comes in handy for many chat items.So, go ahead, make a bunch and put it in your fridge in an air tight container. You can use it for atleast 3 months. Does'nt go waste. Remember to use kashmiri chilly powder for this chutney. This gives the vibrant colour to your dishes and also, the spiciness is not too high.....How to make

Ingredients:

- 20 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp kashmiri chilly powder
- 1/4 cup grated coconut (kopra)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt to taste

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 5 mins

Preparation:

- Pound the garlic in a mortar-pestle and blend in a mixie till smooth
- Transfer to a container and mix all the above ingredients well with the garlic
- Store in air tight container and refrigerate and use as and when required.

Ain't that easy peasy and super simple:-)

Egg Burgi / Egg Sramble

2014-11-03T01:27:00.000-08:00

Yet another on my to do list that I have been wanting to post. Simple and quick egg scramble for the rush hour breakfast or a side for roti or a quick starter for a cocktail party...this is a versatile dish that can go along as a dish by itself or as an accompaniment to any other meal.

Cutting down on any long talks, I go straight to the recipe. This was made in less than 10 mins so had no time for pictures step by step.

Ingredients

- 4 eggs
- 2 or 3 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tomato finely chopped
- a sprig of coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin powder(jeera)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tbsp oil

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 5 mins

Preparation:

- Break the eggs on to a mixing bowl( I use only whites for diet reasons) and beat the eggs well to blend them.
- In a pan, heat the oil and once hot, add the onions and green chillies and saute till onion begins to be translucent.
- Now, add the tomatoes and give it a stir while adding salt, pepper, cumin and coriander powder.
- Once the raw smell of the powders disappear whisk in the beaten eggs into the pan and keep stirring the mixture.
- In a minute the eggs will get scrambled along with the masala and your dish is ready to serve.
- Garnish with the corainder before serving.

Quick Masala Peanuts - Party Starters

2014-11-03T01:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, now I have some very precious 30 minutes to post this long pending cocktail starters. My lil one is sleeping and she will be up like a clock in 30 mins...So, I hope to be able to complete the post in this space of time left:-)

The below peanut masala is very simple and one that I prepared in a jiffy while we had a sudden party at home. I was being challenged on what I can bring up on table quickly and thats how this was born right out of the shelfs.

Ingredients

- 100gm Roasted unsalted peanuts (skin peeled)
- 1 small onion finley cut
- 1 small tomato finely cut
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder( or as per taste)
- finely chopped coriander
- Salt to taste

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 5 mins

Preparation:

- Heat oil in a pan and add the finely chopped onions
- As the onions begin to get translucent, add the tomatoes and give it a stir
- Add salt and pepper and mix everything well
- Now add the peanuts, stir and leave for a minute
- Transfer to the serving dish and sprinkle coriander on top.

Notes: Do not saute the onion and tomato a lot as they lose the crispiness.
- Can add green chillies if you prefer.

Mashed Potato Fritter

2014-09-23T01:25:00.002-07:00

Yet again, in an attempt to be more regular with my blog, am beginning to publish recipes that have been waiting to be posted. Joining the group Chef at large in FB has really rekindled my enthusiasm to be an active blogger and that prompted me to post this very interesting, low oil, potato fritters that I made a couple of weeks back.

This fritter was inspired by a Beirut blog I follow. Many of the Lebanese and Beirut recipes are customisable to Indian taste and this potato fritter is one such inspired version from the following link mashed potato fritter. Off to the recipe...

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:
2-3 potatoes
1 small onion
1/2 cup green peas
2 green chillies
sprig of curry leaves
1/2tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala or red chilli powder
dash of turmeric for colour
Salt to taste

Preparation:

- Peel the potatoes and boil them along with the green peas and set aside for cooling.

- Meanwhile, dice the onions, chillies and get the other ingredients ready.

- Mash the potatoes and mix in the other ingredients along and make small balls of the same and keep aside.

- Heat a non stick panniyaram pan or a cast iron pan/skillet.

- Add little oil in each of the portions and once the skillet is hot, place one ball of potato in each and flatten with a spoon.

- Fry on both sides and remove on serving dish.

- Enjoy the fritters with any side of your choice:-)

Note: Variations to this can be done using eggs, cheese, paneer or other vegetables of your choice.

Kovakkai / Ivy gourd / Tindora / Dondakaya Thuvaiyal

2014-01-14T07:38:00.000-08:00

Why so many names?! ha ha...true...I just wanted to find the english name of the vegetable I know of only in Tamil and found some other translations too:-) and I knew my friends from other states also use this vegetable quite commonly. So, I hope this recipe is of interest to more audience than just one. I learnt this dish very recently from the wife of my apartments watchman! Every morning when I set off to work, I would never be able to miss the aromas wafting from her kitchen and on one such morning is when I learnt this recipe :-)

Ingredients:
- 200 gms kovakkai / ivy gourd
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 tbsp urad dhal
- 2 red chillies
- 2 green chillies
- 2 cloves garlic
- small piece of ginger
- a hint of asafoetida
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp oil

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins

Preparation:

- Cut the vegetables into thin slices.

- In a tsp of oil roast the urad dhal, red chillies, green chillies, garlic, ginger and asafoetida and keep seperate.

- Heat the remaining oil, and fry the sliced vegetables for 15-20 mins , adding salt, until the vegetable is cooked well.
- Allow the vegetable to cool. On cooling, grind the vegetable, adding the roasted ingredients as above.
- Kovakkai thuvaiyal ready to be eaten with idli, dosa or mixed with hot rice and ghee and eaten with a pappad :-)

Sweet lime salad- quick & easy dessert

2014-01-11T01:19:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous new year :-) A quick and simple fruit dessert to finish off the day. This is so refreshing and can be made with any fruits of your choice. Sweet lime is usually had as a fresh juice by most however, since childhood I have always eaten it as a fresh fruit. When I told this to my hubby he was quite taken back and tried it for the very first time....and....he simply loved it. So, now, the fruit has become a regular after dinner. Now, being december, its raining oranges of all flavours in the market. While I was looking for different ways to savor this fruit...I happened to think of this simple way to relish the fruit...

Ingredients:
- 1or 2 sweet lime
- 1 orange
- 4-5 almond nuts
- 1/2 tbsp honey

Prep time: 10 mins

Preparation:

- Peel the sweet lime off its green skin. Now, with a smooth peeler, remove the white layer of skin on the fruits.
- Now, make round slices of the fruits and arrange them on a bowl or plate.
- Slice the almonds into small pieces and spread it on the sliced sweetlime and drizzle the honey over the fruit.
- Add colour to the salad by arranging the orange pulps by the corners.

- You can use strawberries or grapes too to add some more color and flavour to the dessert:-)

Tawa Idli

2013-04-01T01:05:00.000-07:00

Had made Kancheepuram idli's recently for dinner. Had got so excited with the texture of the idlis and ended up making so many more idlis than can be eaten..:-) So, they became Tawa idli's the next morning for breakfast;-) It was raining idlis from dinner until breakfast that in the end, I had to stop making idli batter for the next 10 days:-)

Tawa idlis are the best way to use up left over idli's and will always be an instant hit and you will be surprised there is no more left over. I have earlier uploaded a different version of this Tawa idli, which is more South Indian....Idli Upma while this is more a North Indian version!

Try making any of these versions and enjoy the flavours of the left over idlis....

Ingredients:

- 8-10 left over kancheepuram idlis or normal idlis
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato finely chopped
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 2-3 green chillies
- 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp gingely oil or cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp channa dhal
- 1 tsp urad dhal
- few curry leaves or coriander leaves

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins

Preparation:

- Cut the left over idlis into bite sized cubes.

- In a tawa, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the channa dhal, urad dhal and curry leaves and fry them till the dhals turn golden brown.
- Add the onions, green chillies and fry until they turn translucent. Now, add the green peas and tomatoes. To this, add salt, turmeric and chilly powder.
- Fry these until the raw smell of the chilly powder leaves and the green peas is cooked well. This may take 5-7 minutes.
- When the masala is cooked, add the cut idlis and mix up well such that the masala gets coated over the cooked idlis.

- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any sauce or chutney.

Note: Pls note, idlis already have salt. So, add only salt necessary for the masala to cook.

Potato Sagu

2013-01-14T23:42:00.000-08:00

Potatoes are all time favorites for most of us and a dish with potatoes can never go wrong....and even if by chance it messes up, it can still not taste bad:-) So much for my love of potatoes...the most versatile veggie that can be cooked easy and tasty! So, here is a recipe with the lovely dovely potatoes which is quick and easy to make and can go well with roti or dosa! Choice is yours!!!

Ingredients:

- 4 or 5 medium potatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh/frozen green peas
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt to taste
- Masala paste

For grinding masala paste:

- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tbsp roasted gram (pottu kadalai / bhuna channa)
- 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp khus khus
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 2 green chilly (optional)

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins

Preparation:

- Boil the tomatoes until the skin breaks. Let it cool, peel the skin and then puree the tomatoes and set aside.

- Pressure cook the potatoes along with the green peas. Drain the potatoes and peas of water and peel the skin off the potatoes on cooling and mash them.

- Grind all the ingredients given above under "masala paste" with 1/4 cup of water.

- In a broad pan/kadai, heat the oil. Add the fennel seeds and once it splutters, add the masala paste.

- To this, add the turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt and cook the paste until you don't get the raw smell of the masala.
- Once the masala is cooked, add the tomato puree, mashed potatoes and boiled peas and cook together for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt if needed.

- If the gravy thickens after adding the potatoes, add little water to adjust the consistency of the gravy and bring it to a boil.

- Transfer on to a serving dish and garnish with fresh coriander leaves! Potato sagu is ready to eat with your favourite roti or dosa!

Capsicum-Peas Pulav

2012-12-23T06:23:00.000-08:00

Come December and begins the season of Music, Dance, Drama in Chennai! Its that beautiful 2 months of the year from Dec to Jan when the city is abuzz with music concerts and dance performances all across the city halls. Some of the best talents in classical music & dance are noticed and come to the limelight every year. What an opportunity for young talented and aspiring artists from all across the globe! So glad to be a Chennai-ite for the sheer opportunities it presents in the field of music & art!

Ok, before you all think am writing a blog on Art of singing and dancing let me quickly u-turn to the Art of cooking:-) Well, come December...is not only the season for ears and eyes but also for the tummy with some of the winter veggies going cheap on the wallet and huge in the market. Time to stock up on green peas and all the bean variety that fill the market in abundance during these couple of months.

I have been dishing out a lot of peas recipes this month and want to share with you all the best of the lot so you too can relish along with me...the first of the lot is the hot and mildly spicy peas pulav which is light and delicious and so quick to make too:-) Try it and let me know your comments...

Ingredients:

- 1 cup basmati rice washed and soaked
- 1 cup fresh green pea (frozen is ok too)
- 1 cup thinly diced capsicum
- 1 medium onion thinly diced
- 1 tbsp of grated garlic and ginger
- 1 tbsp of ghee (clarified unsalted butte)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
- 2 -3 green chilies slit across (adjust to taste)
- 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 inch cinnamon
- few cashes for seasoning (optional)
- salt to taste

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins

Preparation:

- Wash and soak the basmati rice in water and set aside while you get the veggies ready.

- Dice the onions, capsicum and green chilies. Grate 1/2 inch of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic.

- Wash the green peas and keep all the veggies ready.

- In a pressure pan heat the ghee. Once ghee is hot, add the fennel seeds and as they splutter, add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cashews.

- When the cashews turn lightly golden, add the green chilies, ginger garlic and saute, later, after about a minute add the onions and saute until it turns translucent.

- Now add the green peas and capsicum and salt to taste and saute for a couple of minutes.

- Drain the soaked basmati rice off the water and then, add to the veggies in the pressure pan and toss everything together for a couple of minutes.

- Now, add one and half cup water, close the pressure pan and cook on high for 7-8 minutes and on low flame for 2 mins and remove from heat.

- Allow steam to escape before releasing the pressure off the cooker.

- The measure of water is the same even if you are cooking in a rice cooker. Quick and tasty capsicum peas pulav is ready to serve:-)

Methi Veg mixed rice with Left over Rice!

2012-12-03T22:43:00.001-08:00

Had not posted any recipe under the left over section for a long time. Though I try and make the best with the left overs...they are usually done too quickly to remember to be clicked for blog post. This too was one such recipe which I started clicking mid way through the making!

There was enough rice left over from lunch and I did not want to carry it over to the next day. Usually the best way to get this done with is to make a tasty...never can say no...'bagalabath' or curd rice with garnish. However, this time I tried a mixed veggie rice for a change and I turned out quite good.

Off to the making.....If you do not want to try with left over rice, you can use freshly cooked basmati rice too..

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice
1 cup methi leaves(fenugreek)
1 onion
1 medium potato
1 small carrot(shredded)
1 small capsicum
1 small tomato
6-8 long beans
3-4 green chillies
2-3 cashews
2 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds(saunf)
1 piece cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp ghee(clarified butter) or cooking oil
Salt to taste

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins

Preparation:

Cut the veggies into thin long slices. You can use any veggies of your choice.I like to shred the carrots as it addsa rich colour to the food.
In a wide pan, heat the oil and add the bay leaf, fennel seeds, cloves,cinnamon and once they splutter add the green chillies and onion.

Saute for a couple of mins and add the other veggies, except methi, tomato and carrots.

Add salt to taste and when these veggies are well cooked, add the methi, tomato and carrots and give them a good toss for 3 to 4 mins.

Then, add the rice and mix with the veggies. Quick and easy methi veg rice is ready to serve with your favourite raitha or chips!

Note:
- If pre-cooked rice, heat it and loosen a bit before adding to the veggies. If you add cold rice..it will tend to get sticky.
- You can make this freshly cooked basmati rice too!

Mint-Coriander Green Pulav - with simple and easy flavours!

2012-11-26T08:37:00.001-08:00

Hi Friends....its been a really long time since I have been away from blogosphere and must say I have been terribly missing it here but for want of time. As I have said many time before in my posts...I really

admire the bloggers who manage to blog regularly despite juggling between home, kids, work and all the

odd chores....wonder how they manage everything so beautifully...it speaks so much about all of your passion and commitment towards what you are doing....with such inspiring people around me and the motivation from my friends and well wishers am sure I will never want to stop blogging even if I am a little irregular at the moment....

After many months I walked into the kitchen with my camera and cutlery for this post. Listing below the steps to make this super simple and delicious mint/coriander pulav.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of slit veggies ( beans, potato, carrot, capsicum, onion)

- 1 cup Basmati rice washed and soaked for 20 mins

- 1 pinch cup or 1/2 measuring cup Mint leaves

- 1 pinch cup or 1/2 measuring cup Coriander leaves

- 1 pinch cup or 1/2 measuring cup green peas
- 5-6 nos small onions
- 3 nos green chilly or to taste
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 tsp saunf

- 1 tsp of mixed spices( ur choice)

- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp clarified butter(ghee) or oil
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- few cashews(optional)
- Salt as desired

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins

Preparation:

- Wash and soak the basmati rice and set aside while you get the veggies and the masala ready.

- Cut the onion, capsicum, carrot, potato and beans into thin long slice.

- Sort and clean the mint and coriander leaves and wash them well to clean off any sediments.

- Grind the small onions, ginger, garlic, green chilly and the mint-coriander leaves into a paste adding a couple of tbsp of water as necessary.

- If you like the spices to be biet size you can add them directly or if you do not like to chew on the masala, you could grind them with the masala paste.

- Heat the oil in a pan, add the bay leaf, saunf and the cashews. Later add the onions and saute for 2 mins.

- Now add the ground paste and the green peas and saute until the paste is dry of all the water and comes together with the oil.

- To this add the slit veggies and little salt and mix everything together and saute for 2 - 3 mins. Set this aside.

- In the same pan, heat the ghee, drain the rice of water and add to the pan. Saute the rice for a couple of minutes and add the veggies to it and mix everything together.

- Now, add this into a pressure cooker or a rice cooker.

- Add 1 and 1/2 cups or 1 and 3/4 cup water just so you have a little extra water for the veggies to cook.

- Add salt as desired and pressure cook for 8 minutes on high and 2 minutes on low flame.

- Allow the steam to escape and serve hot with onion raitha for the side!

Nartham-pazham Rasam / Lemon Rasam

2012-04-16T04:50:00.001-07:00

Amidst my crazy work schedule, I should say I am managing pretty well! Have been taking a lot of weekend breaks to nearby cities from Chennai and managing to get the much needed unwinding time:-) Ofcourse that keeps me off my blog though. Have been waiting to upload some recipes for quite sometime but for want of time they had been left to hybernate. I am beginning to write this recipe in the hope of publishing one this week. Have chosen a simple yet very tasty rasam (South Indian soup) which can be eaten with rice or taken as a soup too...choice is yours.....

Rasam has a special place in most South Indian cuisines and makes for the lightest part of any meal. Among Tambrahms (Tamil Brahmins) there is a practice of making rasam in "eeya chombu" a vessel made of Tin and its alloys. The rasam made in this vessel has a different taste to the one made in an ordinary steel vessel. For more information about this vessel and its composition read the article(link) published in The Hindu recently http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3001718.ece

Though, one needs to bear in mind a few things before setting out to use this vessel. This has a melting point of 200 deg C. So, for some reason if you plan to be away from the kitchen while letting your rasam come to a boil, be sure there is enough liquid in the vessel and the flame is on low. Otherwise, you have a very strong chance of melting the vessel down:-) I can say this because I learnt to use this vessel the melting way....lol! But if you still manage to melt the vessel...don't worry...collect the melted and remaining portion of the vessel and go to your nearby Bazaar. Any vessel merchant would gladly buy the melted vessel and be willing to give you a new one in exchange! Its an expensive metal and fetches value any which way:-)

OK, now off to the recipe....

Ingredients:

- 1 jaathi naartham-pazham(used in this recipe) or 1 lemon
- 1 tsp whole black pepper
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp sambhar powder(optional)
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 green chilly
- 1 small tomato
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 cup boiled toor dhal
- Salt to taste

Temper and Garnish:

- 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- few curry leaves
- freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins

Preparation:

- In the "eeya chombu", add 2 cups water, slit green chilly, sambhar powder, salt, turmeric, cut tomato and boil all on low flame for 7 to 10 minutes until the tomatoes cook and you loose the raw smell of the sambhar powder .

- Now, mash the boiled dhal with 1 cup of water and add it to the boiling solution on the stove top. To this add the powdered cumin seeds and black pepper.

- Now bring this whole solution to a boil until you see the corners frothing. After adding the dhal, the rasam should not boil too much. It should be switched off the moment it comes together frothing from the corners.

- After switching off the heat, add the nartham pazham juice or lemon juice. If you add while on heat, the rasam will turn bitter. So, add only after removing from heat.

- Heat ghee and temper the mustard seeds and curry leaves until they splutter and add on top of the rasam. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

- Tasty and fresh rasam is ready to be served with rice or taken as a hot soup!

Foot note:

- If you are not using sambhar powder, you could add more pepper or one more green chilly for extra spice.

Home made Potato Chips....Ready to use anytime!

2012-03-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Summer holidays to me spark in mind, lush green fields, a river or stream flowing across, pump sets that gush out water in full force into the fields and kids drenching themselves in that fresh cold water, a country home full of kids running helter skelter, a huge swing in the middle of the larger than life living room, a home filled with all possible summer fruits in abundance, pickles, all kind of sun dried fryms in the backyard waiting to be fried in oil, sheds with cows and calves and fresh milk, Children covered with mud and dust from head to toe completely tanned by the grace of Sun, Grandparents waiting to pamper these kids who are already immensely let loose....and I can go on and on and on....

Kids these days hardly know how a Village looks or feels like! Infact, I was taken by surprise when I heard that some of my close friends have themselves never lived or experienced village life. I have reason to feel proud that I had been fortunate to know the country life in India and experience the love and gratitude of the people who live there.

Now, how does the above story relate to this post?!Well, thinking of summer holidays I was reminded of all the fun things I did as a kid and while discussing with a colleague en-route to work, I learnt from her this super simple potato chips that she enjoyed making as a kid during summer hols! So, all the Urban Mom's out there, am sure you are busy rolling up your sleeves to keep your kids engaged in the holidays! So, why not get your kids to do some fun thing with their favourite veggie the potato....and make them feel good about themselves. Am sure they will enjoy this immensely....though this job is'nt all that messy it still is fun to be out in the sun, waiting to get the potatoes off the terrace into the oil and snack heartily on them while watching their fav cartoon!

Don't go laughing at my ingredients list but truly this is all you need!

Ingredients:

- 1 kg big potatoes
- 1 tsp oil
- a big pot of boiling water
- Salt to taste
- 5 to 6 slit green chillies(optional)
- 2 large white clothes:-)
- ample space with ample sunlight (preferably backyard or terrace)!

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 4 mins Dry time: 8 hours

Preparation:

- Peel the potatoes and wash them.

- Slice them into big round pieces using a chips slicer/shredder.

- While you finish slicing a half potato, turn it over to the other side to slice the rest. Makes the job easier and faster and safer for your hands!

- Boil a large pot of water, add slit chillies, salt and 1 tsp oil( helps to keep the slices seperate).

- Add the potatoes and boil them exactly for 3 mins( not more than 3 minutes)
- If you feel the potatoes are still too raw, switch off the heat and leave them in the hot water for 1 more minute.

- Drain them immediately on to a strainer.

- In your terrace or backyard, where you have enough direct sunlight, spread a white cloth and place stones on all corners to prevent the cloth from flying/folding.
- Now, spread the slices of potatoes next to each other.

- Since the potatoes might start flying around when they begin to dry up, it is best to cover them over with another white cloth!

- This way you can also prevent the potatoes form being picked by birds!

- When they are let to dry for 7 to 8 hours, voila...you have sun dried potatoes, that can be stored in a box and fried whenever you need a quick snack!

- On frying them, you can spice them up with some salt(if needed) , chilly powder or pepper or any other flavour your family likes!

Foot note:

- Do not boil the potatoes too long. They would get cooked and would be difficult to handle.
- Spread them out as soon as you drain them. If you let them stay in the strainer for too long, they could get cooked up in the heat.
- Instead of using slit chillies you can grind them and add into the water. I found, the spiciness from slit chillies did not get into the potatoes.
- Be very careful with your fingers and palms while slicing the potatoes! You can use wavy slicers to create shapes on the potatoes too.

Jeera Rice / Cumin Rice

2012-03-11T01:38:00.000-08:00

Continuing the healthy food series, here is the recipe for Jeera(Cumin) rice. This is such a simple and wholesome meal in itself when eaten with a side of Dhal and pappad. Last week happened to be a bad tummy week for many at home. So, decided to make some simple food this weekend to help everyone jump back to routine. This is so healthy that your tummy will thank you enough for re-hauling it:-)

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
- 1 tsp black pepper (whole)
- 1 or 2 dry red chillies
- 4 to 5 cashews (optional)
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- salt to taste

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 20 mins

Preparation:

- Wash and soak the basmati rice in water for 15 minutes.

- In a pressure pan, heat the ghee. Once the ghee is hot, add jeera, black pepper, red chillies, cashews and curry leaves and saute for half a minute.

- Now, drain the basmati rice of excess water and add to the pressure pan. Mix the rice well with the ghee and other spices and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add 2 and 1/4 cup of water and salt to your taste and pressure cook the rice.

- Allow steam to escape completely before opening the pan.

- Serve hot jeera rice with your favourite dhal or any side of your choice:-)!

Foot note:

- The proportion of water for basmati rice is 1 cup rice is to 1 1/2 cups water.
- I usually pressure cook for 3 whistles. But you can cook as you would normally do for any pulav or biriyani.

Sending the recipe to"Herbs & Spices" event at Erivum Puliyum hosted by Julie

Raddish Leaf Curry

2012-03-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

I have been looking forward to this weekend so much and am so glad its here! Work is usually very hectic during the first two weeks of the month that I usually do not get time to enter into the kitchen except to make my breakfast....well, that again is not an elaborate affair...its just plain oats cooked in milk...lol! So, after such hectic weeks of work I so wanted to unwind cooking some really healthy and quick food.

Although I have been claiming to be on a diet (which I am truly)....there have been few days in the past weeks where I had gone over board and indulged into some fried food a couple of times. Well, when you are on a diet regime(as long as its not for some Pageant:-))...I would suggest you give it up on a few occasions just so that you don't starve too much for junk and start eating loads of them on one fine day.

So, today when I ended up cooking, I took this vow to make it really simple and healthy and ended up making this super simple curry from Raddish leaves which was done in under 15 mins!!!

Ingredients:

- 1 bunch raddish leaves
- 1 small onion
- 1 green chilly
- 1 red chilly
- 1 tbsp coconut
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic (optional)
- salt to taste

Source: My Friends Cook:-)!

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins

Preparation:

- Wash the raddish leaves well, ensure there is no sand and drain.
- Chop the onions, garlic and the leaves finely.

- Dry grind the coconut and green chilly together. Just about a pulse in your blender or mixie would do.
- In a wide pan, heat the oil and let the mustard and cumin seeds splutter. Now add the red chilly and fry for a few seconds.

- Add the finely chopped onions and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes until they turn translucent.

- Now add the raddish leaves and salt and mix well. The leaves will begin to shrink and let out some water.
- Cook covered for 5 to 7 minutes while stirring in between every 2 minutes.

- When the leaves are cooked add the coconut chilly mix and switch off the heat. Mix in the coconut well and transfer to your serving dish!

- Raddish leaf curry is ready in a jiffy! This is a good accompaniment to rice and roti as well!

Foot note:

- The leaf tastes a little bitter, so adding coconut helps to enhance the taste.
- Adjust the spice level according to the quantity of the leaf.

Paneer Mutter Masala

2012-02-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

I started off making Paneer Butter Masala and it eventually also turned out into Paneer Mutter Masala as I added some peas to the dish! You can take the below recipe as either one of them or a blend of both. All in all it turned out to be delicious and we had to scrape the bowl for more. I had always wondered how the dishes in the restaurants get that rich colour and flavour and to my surprise this dish turned out exactly the way it is presented in the restaurants!

Ingredients:

- 200 gms cubed paneer
- 2 medium tomatoes pureed
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 1 tbsp green peas
- 1 tbsp fresh cream (preferable)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 2 green chillies slit
- 1 cup milk
- Salt as required

Masala:

- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp tomato sauce
- 1 tsp red chilly powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder

Source: Sharmis Passions

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 mins

Preparation:

- Heat 1 tbsp butter in a flat pan and shallow fry the paneer cubes. Drain the panner on a paper towel.

- In the same pan, add 1/2 tbsp of butter and fry the ginger, garlic, green chillies and onions and fry for 2 minutes. Later add the green peas and fry for a couple of minutes.

- Now add the tomato puree or store bought tomato paste, tomato sauce and fry for a further 2 to 3 minutes.

- Meanwhile mix all the ingredients given under "Masala" above with 1/2 cup of milk. Add this milk to the pan slowly to prevent the milk from curdling.

- Bring the mix to a boil and if it is thick add 1/2 cup of water and allow to boil for 7 to 10 minutes on medium flame.
- Now, when the gravy thickens add the rest of the milk slowly and add salt as needed. Let this come to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

- Now, add the paneer and let the paneer cook in the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp butter and coriander leaves for garnish.

- Serve hot with Jeera rice or Roti!

Foot note:

- If you are using cream, make the dish in 1tbsp of butter and use 1/2 cup milk for mixing the masala. Replace the other 1/2 cup of milk with the cream.