Katrikai Poondu Puli Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Pearl Onions  or Shallots - 7
Tomato - 1
Brinjal - 2
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Tamarind extract - 2 cups
Garlic pods - 4
Green chilli - 1 (slit)
Mustard
Salt
Oil

For Masala:(To be roasted and grinded)

Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 2 tsp
Red chillies - 5 (long ones)

Grinded masala powder:

Method:

Chop tomatoes and brinjals. Keep pearl onions ready. Take a pan.Add oil, once hot add mustard. Wait till it splutters and then add small onions, Saute for a while.Then add brinjal,tomatoes and garlic pods. Saute for 2 minutes. Pour the tamarind extract.Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Let it boil for about 5 minutes or so. Then add the masala that we have already roasted and grinded little coarsely.Mix well devoid of lumps. Pour 2 cups of water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Keep mixing in between with a ladle.Switch off.

Moong Veggies Magic

This side dish is a nutrient rich one as it contains the goodness of Moong dal, vegetables and also Garbanzo beans a.k.a Chana. This dish contains an interesting combination of these important ingredients and the spice powders are added to make it more palatable! Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1 cup

Chana or Garbanzo beans - 1/4 cup

Carrot - 1

Peas - 1 cup

Potato - 1 (medium)

Green chilli - 2 (small)

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Chana masala powder - 1tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Chat masala - 1/2 tsp

Dry mango powder  - a pinch

Salt

Oil

Method:

Soak Garbanzo beans in hot water for about 30 minutes. Steam in pressure cooker along with moong dal upto 5 whistles. Chop carrot in vertical lengths. Chop potato into small cubes. Keep fresh peas ready. Take a pan. Add the vegetables, green chillies along with sufficient water. Close lid and cook until near soft consistency. Add steamed moong dal and garbanzo beans. Along with this add all the spice powders, including turmeric powder and salt. Close lid for some time and until it reaches semi thick consistency. Switch off. Serve hot.

Mixed Capsicum Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

Green, yellow and Red Capsicums - 1 cup(all together)

Mushrooms - 3/4 cup

Onion - 1 medium size

Tomato - 1 big

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Green chillies - 2

Kasoori methi

Cream - 1 tbsp. (optional)

Cloves - 2

Cardamom - 1

Cinnamon - 1

For Masala - to be roasted and grinded

Coriander seeds - 11/2 tsp

Red chillies - 2

Black pepper corns - 3

Jeera - 1 tsp


Method:

First dry roast and grind all those ingredients mentioned for preparing masala powder. Chop all the vegetables. Grind tomato for tomato puree. Grind cut ginger and garlic and keep the paste ready.

Take a pan. Pour 2 tsp of oil. once hot add chopped onions cinnamon and cloves.Saute well.Transfer to a plate. Add mushrooms and saute well and wait until it oozes out water and dries out. Now add the chopped capsicums, onion, ginger garlic paste and green chillies.add  required oil. Mix well. Leave for 2 minutes and then add the tomato puree. Add salt and grinded masala at this stage. Close lid and wait until layer of oil forms at the top. Switch off. crush 1/2 tsp of kasoori methi

You can add a dollop of cream for additional taste.

White Kidney Beans Palak Gravy

Ingredients:

White kidney beans (steamed) - 2 cups

Palak (chopped) - 2 cups

Tomato - 1 medium

Onion (optional) - 1 small

Turmeric powder - 1tsp

Chilli powder - 1tsp

Pepper - a pinch

Rice flour mixed with water

Salt

Oil.

Method:

Wash the white kidney beans and soak in boiling water for 30 minutes before steaming it for 4-5  whistles. Wash and chop palak leaves as well. Take a tawa. Keep it on stove and once warm pour 3 tsp of oil. Then add chopped onion, tomato. saute well. Add steamed white beans and chopped palak. Pour little water, say 1/2 cup. Add turmeric, chilli powder and pepper. Add salt. mix well and let the mixture boil for few minutes.

You may add rice flour mixed with water if you want the gravy to be thick or leave it as it is.

Idi Sambar

Ingredients:


Brinjal - 1

Pearl onions/Shallots - 4 or 5

Tamarind extract - 11/2 cups (need not be thick)

Steamed tur dal

Turmeric powder

Curry leaves

Mustard

Salt

Oil

The following to be dry roasted and grinded using little water

Raw rice - 2 tsp

Coriander seeds - 1tsp

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Black pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Red Chillies - 2

Toor dal - 11/2 tsp


Method:

First dry roast and grind the ingredients given and keep the masala ready.Take a heavy bottomed vessel. Pour oil and once it becomes hot add the vegetables. Saute them for 2 minutes and add the tamarind extract, turmeric powder. Let it boil till the raw flavour goes off. Add the masala, salt and stir well. Let the mixture boil for some time. Add the steamed toor dal and let it simmer for few minutes. You can season this dish using mustard and curry leaves or just mustard.

Idi Sambar is ready to be served. This goes well with plain steamed rice or as a side dish for dosa or idli.

Gooseberry Chutney

Goose berry or Nellikai, i would say is one among the gifts of nature as it is packed with several benefits.So several techniques to incorporate it in our food regimen is a good thing to make our people consume it and benefit from the goodness that this wonderful fruit so bestows. There are various well known recipes from gooseberry such as Nellaikai rice, pickle etc....and adding to this list is Gooseberry chutney.Please do try this and savor its goodness!

Ingredients:

Goose berries : 5- 6

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Curry leaves - few

Chana dal - 1tsp

Tur dal - 1tsp

Hing - a pinch

Red chillies - 1

Oil

Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a tawa and add chana dal, urad dal, hing, red chillies.Once it turns brown set aside. Add chopped gooseberries (discard the seed), onion and tomato. add curry leaves too. saute well and once tomato turns mushy switch off. let it cool and then grind with the dal.

Nutrient rich goose berry chutney is ready to be had with hot plain rice/curd rice.

Bottle Gourd Kofta

This is one of the many north indian side dishes which you will relish with poori or Chapathi..this you can have with the gravy or you can just prepare the koftas or have it hot like a tea time snack..The koftas and the gravy altogether took me 45 minutes to prepare but trust me all that standing for that long was worth it and you will definitely agree with me after trying this one!

Ingredients for the KOFTAS:

Bottle Gourd - 1
Rice Flour - 1 tsp
Besan Flour - 11/2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Onion - 1
Baking soda - a pinch
Coriander leaves
Salt
Oil for frying
(you may add green chillies also)

Method:

You have to first peel the skin of the bottle gourd and remove the seeds.Grate the white portion or you can remove it and then grind it using mixie.Then take a bowl and add the shredded bottle gourd and add all the ingredients required for making Kofta.

Knead it into a thick dough and fry them in oil and set aside.

Ingredients for GRAVY:

Onion - 1
Tomato - 2
Ginger - 1 small piece
Garlic pods - 2
Cashew - 4 (should be soaked in hot water for 10 mins)

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp

Fresh yogurt
Cream
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt

Method for GRAVY:

Chop onions and tomatoes.
Take a sauce pan and heat 2 tbsp of oil and add chopped onion, and once it turns translucent add tomatoes followed by ginger, garlic. add salt to this mixture. saute well.

Let it cool and grind it along with cashews.

Then heat a pan pour this grinded paste and add turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala. mix well. SALT NOT REQUIRED. Then once it boils switch off the stove and add fresh yogurt and cream.

Your Bottle gourd kofta is ready to be served with chapati/poori/fried rice/ pulav..or just have it just like that!

Panzania

This dish called Panzania is made of a type of pasta called Fusili and it is not just plain pasta but also tomato and spinach flavoured ones. Comes in the combination of green, red and white,looks very appetizing. I have made this using vegetables and spice powders in a mild level.Now that simply elevated the taste to a totally different level and i must say you will lap it up! Let us look into the ingredients that i used to make Panzania.

Ingredients:

Spring Onion  - 2

Tomato - 1/2

Baby Corn - 2

Green Capsicum - 3/4

(All the vegetables to be finely chopped)

Chilli powder - - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Pepper - a pinch

Lemon juice - 2 drops

Flavored pasta - 2 cups

Water - 3 1/2 cups

Olive oil - 3 tsp

Salt

Method:

Take boiling water. Soak the pasta in it until soft. Then drain the water and set aside the pasta. Chop the vegetables. Take a pan. Pour olive oil. Add the chopped vegetables. Saute for a while before mixing it with the spice powders, namely, Chilli powder, Garam masala and pepper. Add the pasta along with salt. Toss gently. Just before switching off mix few drops of lemon juice. 

Fig Peas Gravy

The member of Mulberry family, fig, comes with plenty of benefits. Available in the form of fruit as well as dried it is packed with nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, potassium and chlorine.Ever wondered how you could otherwise savor the benefits of this item that is richly loaded with..well...what not! Go through the recipe below.

Ingredients:

Onion – 2
Tomato – 2
Steamed peas – 1 cup
Jeera – 1 tsp
bay leaf – 2
Salt

For grinding:

Figs (dried) – 8
Green chillies – 3
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
Curd – 1 cup

Method:

All the items in the ‘For grinding’ section to be grinded to a smooth paste.Set aside. Chop onions and tomatoes roughly. Take a vessel. fill it with water and boil it. Then  add the chopped vegetables and wait for 5 minutes before grinding them to a paste.

Take a tawa, Add oil. Once hot add Jeera and bay leaves. Let it splutter. Then add the onion tomato paste. Let it cook until oil starts leaving sides. Add steamed peas along with our fig paste. Add salt.Mix well. Let it cook in medium flame for 10 minutes. Stir in between.

Anjeer muttur or Fig Peas gravy is ready!

Palak Potato Patties

This is one of the interesting ways to  convert the seemingly innocent palak into a delicious evening snack coupled with piping hot coffee or tea. Palak is one green leafy item that famously sits on our dining table in the form of soups/gravies. This Palak Potato Patties is a delicious snack item and equally healthy too! Coupled with potatoes (you can add peas too) and easily available ingredients, this is very easy to do and quite a lip smacking thing that will leave you craving for more.



Ingredients:

Palak - 2 cups
Potato - 2
Ginger green chilli paste - 11/4 tsp
Besan flour - 11/2 tbsp
Aamchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil for frying


Method:

Chop palak and immerse them in hot water for 10 minutes. Pulse it or mash it. Green chillies and ginger should be made into a paste. Pressure cook the potatoes. Peel the skin. Mash them. Mix palak, potato and ginger green chilli paste together along with rest of the ingredients.

Take a tawa. Smear it with oil. Take a small portion of the dough and flatten them on your palm. Then place it on the tawa. Keep the flame near to medium.Toss it to the other side once one side turns mild brown. Repeat this procedure for rest of the patties.

Serve yummy Palak Potato Patties with tomato ketchup.

Coconut Phirni

For all coconut lovers out there this Coconut Phirni is just for you. If you desire to bring in couple of derivatives of coconut namely coconut flesh, grated coconut, coconut water this is just it! This dessert is a fusion of two recipes which i read sometime back. So i can call it my innovation!:-)) For its richness in taste and the ingredients that go into it this will add on to the jocundity of any special occasion.

Ingredients:

Milk -  1 litre
Grated coconut - 3 tsp
Coconut flesh - 1 cup (blended)
Coconut water - 11/4cup
Condensed milk - 150 - 170 grams
Sugar - 4 tsps
Rice powder - 2 tsps
Saffron - few strands (soaked in milk) and few strands for garnishing as well.
Pistachios/almonds - few pieces

Method:

Mix rice powder in few tsp of milk or water and keep ready.

Boil Milk. Let it simmer and bring it to 3/4 of its original quantity. Maintain the flame in simmering position.

Blend coconut flesh and keep ready.

Now to the milk add coconut flesh,coconut water and grated coconut. Mix thoroughly.

 After a gap of 10 minutes add sugar, condensed milk and rice powder.

Then after a gap of 7 to 10 minutes add the milk with soaked saffron strands.

Keep stirring it for another 7 minutes or so. Once it starts nearing thickening stage switch off. Transfer to a bowl.Then garnish with saffron and pistachios or almonds.

Serve chilled.

Oats Rusk 'Shahi Tukra'

The very old and mouth watering sweet from Hyderabad is no doubt a much sought after delicacy since time immemorial. I have attempted to give a healthy twist to this royal treat by incorporating the porridge element using oats,where along with milk the oats porridge is also used for rabadi and rusk has taken the place of bread. When there are lot of rusks at home and you are not sure what to do you can refer to my 'Oats Rusk Shahi Tukra' to give a different taste and form...am  sure the rusks will be delighted and so will you!

Lovely to see,Lovely to taste and it is Lovely to make too..a healthy twist to this Royal dessert..so you don't you try?



Ingredients:

Milk - 1 litre
Powdered oats - 1 cup
White Rusks -10
Sugar - 1 3/4 cups
Ghee - 3 to 4 tsps
Cardamom - 1 tsp
Saffron
Pistachios
Almonds

Method:

Keep the rusks ready. We have to roast the rusks in ghee.Take a tawa. Take few tsps of ghee and spread it on the tawa. Take few rusks, say about 5, and place it on the ghee and toss it and turn it until it turns slight brown on both sides. Repeat this process for the remaining rusks and set it aside.

Prepare sugar syrup by boiling water (3/4) and adding sugar (1 cup). Add cardamom powder and saffron strands. Immerse the ghee roasted rusks in the sugar syrup.

Powder oats in mixie before making porridge.Take powdered oats in a vessel . Add water and mix it well. keep it on stove and keep stirring until it becomes thick. Switch off. Boil milk. Bring it to 3/4 its original quantity. Maintain the flame in simmering position. Add this oats porridge. Stir well. Add  3/4 cup sugar and stir well. Once it blends well and reaches semi thick consistency switch off. Take a plate. Take the rusks from the sugar syrup and place it on the plate, one next to another. Take the 'rabdi' and pour it on the rusks. It should coat the rusks pretty well.  Garnish with pistachios,almonds and saffron strands.Let it set for sometime.Allow it to cool and then DIVE IN!!!!

Brown Bread Kichdi

Brown bread or white bread, Which is more nutritious? It is said that when it comes to food stuff the more colorful and dark it appears the more nutritious it is for us. Having said that there is no reason to debate as to which one is more nutritious...it is obviously brown bread. Brown bread kichdi is made of brown bread and lot of vegetables and well..adding more nutrition to nutrition..So you see there is no reason for you to not try this..So all you health conscious folks out there let me take you straight to the recipe..

Ingredients:

Brown bread slices - 6

Carrot - 1

Peas - 1/4 cup

Cauliflower - 1/4 cup

Green chillies - 1

Garam masala - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Oil

Salt

Method:

Cut the edges of the bread and chop them into small pieces. You can even do this by hand. Chop Carrot. Slit green chillies. Immerse the florets in boiling water with slight pinch of turmeric and salt. After about 5 minutes drain the water and set the florets aside.

Take a pan. Add oil.Once warm. Add the vegetables one by one along with green chillies. Saute. Add brown bread pieces. Mix for a while. Add the spice powders. Add salt. Mix everything together. Switch off and serve hot.

Mixed Capsicum Rice

Capsicum or Bell pepper as it also known comes in different colours, green, yellow, orange and red. and they not only come in different colours, they come with benefits aplenty!

'The various coloured capsicums all come from the same plant, but differ in their level of maturity. Most capsicums turn red on ripening, but there are also yellow, orange. As the fruit ripens, it loses some of the sharpness of green capsicums and becomes sweeter and more nutritious. The bright pigments in capsicums are not only beautiful, they’re part of the reason these fine vegetables are so good for you. Each pigment is an important phytochemical that helps protect cells from damage'

Source : http://www.harrisfarm.com.au/blogs/guides/15819812-know-your-capsicums.

So that is the whole lot of good stuff about these colourful capsicums. Having said that wouldn't it be interesting to incorporate all the goodness in one dish? That is what Mixed Capsicum Rice is all about. It is easy to prepare,serves as a perfect lunch box item,and nutritious too.....


Ingredients:


Steamed Rice - 2 cups
Yellow, Orange and Red capsicum - Chopped finely- 1 full cup (together)
Onion - 1
Red chillies - 11/2
Turmeic powder
Mustard
Oil
Salt


Method:

Take a pan. Add oil.Once hot add mustard. Let it splutter.Add chopped onion and red chillies. Saute well before adding the chopped capsicums. You can add slight oil at this stage. Then goes turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Switch off. Mix it with rice.

You can have it with any vegetable as side dish or best just with curd. 

Enjoy and stay healthy!

Black-eyed peas Tomato Masala

Ingredients:

Steamed black eyed peas - 11/2 cups
Tomato - 2
Green chillies - 2
chilli powder
Coriander powder
Turmeric powder
Aamchur powder
Garam masala
Corn flour
Salt
Ghee

Method:

Soak black eyed peas in boiling water for about an hour and pressure cook for 2 or 3 whistles. Chop tomatoes. Slit the green chillies into half. Take a pan. Pour 3 - 4tsp of oil. Add tomatoes and green chillies. Saute well till the tomatoes cook well. U may add salt at this stage. Then add all the spice powders. Mix well. Add the steamed black eyed peas and mix thoroughly. Simmer for few minutes. Take half a tsp of corn flour and dilute with water. Let that go into the cooking peas. Mix well. Switch off.Add ghee if you wish. Garnish with coriander leaves.