THE CHEF and HER KITCHEN

We usually prefer parathas for dinner and I started preparing extra filling so that I can have the same for lunch the next day and also can make it into a post if possible. The idea is not bad right?? At last I am able to share few paratha recipes in my space.

The filling options for Parathas are very versatile ranging from regular vegetables, greens to dals and pulses or dairy products like paneer and tofu or soya granules, the options and flavors are endless. I usually prepare parathas at least once a week and each time I prepare a new filling variation so that we would not get bored of it. Dal fillings come handy if you do not have vegetables or you want to prepare something different from the usual vegetable parathas.There are few variations in dal parathas like one can use the whole dal while making paratha or the cooked dal mixed with the flour or a stuffing like the usual stuffed paratha. Today I am sharing a Stuffed Dal paratha version and would like to share the other versions some time later.

Dal based stuffed parathas are protein packed and hence can be served as a meal.I usually prepare fillings with various dals and pulses like moong dal, chana dal, rajma and chole. These dal stuffed parathas are very filling and hence a couple of them is enough for lunch or dinner.

If you are interested to check other paratha recipes - check them here.

Chana dal Paratha Recipe:

Yields 6-7 Parathas

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time: 45 mins + soaking time

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Parathas/Flat Breads - Main Course

Ingredients:

for dough:

1 1/2 cups Wheat flour

Salt to taste

2 tsp Oil

Water,to mix

for filling:

1 cup Chana dal,soaked for 3-4 hrs

1 medium Onion,finely chopped(optional)

3-4 Green chillies

3/4" Ginger

2 tbsp chopped Coriander

1 tsp Amchur(dried mango) powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

Wheat flour,for rolling

Ghee and Oil,to roast parathas

Method:

to make dough:

Mix in the salt with wheat flour and add 1 tsp oil and mix well.
Add little water(if needed) and knead it into a smooth and soft dough.The dough should be slightly softer than the regular chapati dough for parathas as it will not only make easy to stuff the filling it will help in easy and even rolling of parathas.
Apply oil on top of the dough and cover it and keep it aside for at least half an hour.

to make filling:

Wash and soak chand dal for 3-4 hrs.Drain the excess water and grind it along with green chillies and ginger to a coarse mixture in the whipper mode.Do not grind it to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a kadai(pan) and add chopped onions and fry until they turn translucent.
Add the ground chana dal mixture and fry for 7-8 mins until the raw smell disappears.In case if the chana dal mixture has become bit watery add 1 tbsp of chickpea flour to make the mixture dry.Make sure the mixture id slightly dry and cooked nicely.
Add amchur powder, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, salt and coriander powder and mix well and fry for 2-3 mins.Cool the mixture completely.Add chopped coriander leaves and mix.

to make paratha:

Pinch the dough and take a big size lemon sized dough and place the dough in your left hand palm.

Using your right hand fingers in the flour and try to make a cup shape(which can hold 3-4 tbsp filling) out of the dough by moving your fingers pressing with the thumb in the center.Take care that the edges should be slightly thinner and in the center it should be thick.

Fill the cup with 3-4 tbsp filling and seal the two sides of the dough(it would look like Karanji now) and gently press the corners to get a big round ball out of it.See the pictures for better idea.

If you stuff the filling in the dough in this way you will get evenly filled paratha and it also forms like pocket.If you find all the above process bit difficult,you can easily roll a 3" circle out of the dough and place the filling in the center and pleat the dough and seal it by gathering the dough around the edges.

Slightly flatten the dough(stuffed with filling) with hands and dip it in the wheat flour and gently roll it to a 6" disc of 1/2" thickness.You should not apply more pressure while rolling,so roll it gently.

Carefully place it on the hot tawa and fry it until you see bubbles on one side and flip the other side.
Apply oil/ghee generously and roast on the other side.
Fry the parathas on both sides until you get crisp brown patches on both sides.

Serve them piping hot with Aam ka Achar, Mirch ka Achaar, Mixed Vegetable Achar, curd or masala dahi and sliced onions.

Notes:

You can replace chana dal with moong dal and follow the same recipe.
You can even par boil chana dal until they turn soft but holds its shape and grind it and follow the same process.
Rajma can also be used to make parathas,in that case you need to pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles and cool it and grind to a coarse paste and follow the same process.

Sambar is the most popular south Indian accompaniment which pairs nicely with rice as well as the breakfast idli/dosa varieties. The preparation process of Sambar slightly differ for breakfast varieties and rice because of the combination of vegetables and also the sambar masala used in the recipe. A freshly ground Sambar masala is used in breakfast variety sambar where as we use Sambar powder with/without coconut in the sambar recipe which is paired with rice.

Few varieties of vegetables go well with Tiffin Sambar and few varieties go well with sambar variety for rice. This Brinjal sambar pairs nicely with breakfast varieties or rice. I like to prepare this sambar slightly thick and also with less tamarind in the recipe which makes it taste delicious to pair with idli or dosa.You can adapt the same process of preparation for preparing sambar with other vegetables like drumstick, brinjal, yellow cucumber,potato and radish. I have used Andhra style Sambar powder in this recipe which makes it suitable for both rice and breakfast varieties. The preparation process for Karnataka style sambar is slightly different because of the addition of ground paste with freshly roasted spices and fresh coconut, which I would post some time later.

Check out other Sambar recipes in my blog here - Gummadikaya(Red Pumpkin) Sambar and Mullangi(Radish) Sambar-with freshly made masala.

Brinjal Sambar Recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Side dish for Rice - Main Course

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor dal

5-6 small or 2 large Eggplants(Brinjals)

1 large Onion, diced or 7-8 Shallots

1 large Tomato, finely chopped

a small gooseberry size Tamarind

1/2 tsp grated Jaggery,optional

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tbsp. Andhra style Sambar powder

1 tbsp. chopped Coriander leaves

2 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

to temper:

2 tsp Ghee/Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1-2 Red chillies

a sprig of Curry leaves

a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

Wash and soak toor dal for 10 minutes in 1.5 cups of water. Add turmeric powder and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Once the pressure drops slightly mash the dal with a wooden ladle.
Cut Brinjal into four quarters or if you are using long variety ones cut them into 2" long pieces and split into four pieces. Immerse them in salted water for 10 mins.
Soak tamarind in water for some time and extract pulp from it and keep it ready.
Heat oil in a big kadai/pan and add diced onions and fry until they turn translucent. Add brinjal pieces and fry for 4-5 mins and then add chopped tomatoes and fry until they become pulpy.
Add 1 cup water roughly and boil it for 2-3 mins. Now add tamarind pulp, salt, sambar powder( mix it in 2 tbsp. water before adding to avoid forming lumps), jaggery and mix nicely and boil it until the raw smell of the sambar powder is gone and the vegetables are cooked nicely.
Add cooked and slightly mashed dal and add some more water if required. Boil it for 3-4 mins until the sambar thickens. Taste the sambar once and adjust the seasoning if needed. Sambar thickens slightly when it sits, so adjust the consistency according to your requirement. Add coriander leaves at the end.
Heat ghee/oil in a small tempering pan and crackle mustard seeds and add red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida and fry for half a minute and add the tempering to the sambar at the end and mix well.

Serve it hot with steamed Rice and fryums and a vegetable stir fry. You can even serve it with Idli/ Dosa.

Notes:

One can follow the same recipe and prepare sambar with various vegetables like Drumstick, Radish, Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet Pumpkin, Yellow Cucumber and Bottle gourd.
After you fry the vegetable pieces you can add tamarind pulp and pressure cook for 1 whistle if you want to make it quick.
Always add tempering at the end to retain the flavour of sambar and close it immediately.
I prefer to add ghee for tempering as it lends a nice flavour to sambar.

Technorati Tags: how to make sambar, south indian sambar recipe, brinjal sambar recipe, vankaya sambar, kathirikai sambar recipe, sambar recipe for breakfast varieties, south indian recipes

I always look for interestingBreakfast options as that is my favorite meal of the day.I cannot stick to the same dish every time as I get bored of it.I like to eat Idli but I do not prefer to eat it in the same form in a row for breakfast.I always try to prepare various options with it and make it more interesting.If you are someone like me, try this Vegetable Idli for a change instead of regular idli.It is a great way to sneak vegetables for your kids.

Also check out other interesting Idli varieties:

Vegetable Idli Recipe:

yields: 12 idlis

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins + cooling time

Cuisine: South Indian | Category : Breakfast

Ingredients:

3 cups Idli batter

12-15 Cashew nuts,split into two halves

1/4 tsp cooking soda

1 tbsp Ghee

for vegetable mixture:

1 medium Carrot,finely chopped

1/4 cup Cabbage,finely chopped

10-12 French Beans,finely chopped

1 small Capsicum,finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh/frozen Green Peas

2 tbsp grated fresh Coconut

1 medium Onion,finely chopped
2-3 tbsp chopped Coriander

a sprig of Curry leaves,chopped

2 tsp Green chilli paste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

to prepare Vegetable mixture:

Heat ghee in a kadai and add halved cashew nuts and fry them until light golden in color.Remove and keep them aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds and add finely chopped onions,curry leaves and saute until it is slight pink in color.Add green chilli paste to it and fry well.
Add chopped carrots,beans and green peas and fry well for 4-5 mins until they are slightly cooked.
Add chopped cabbage and capsicum and fry for another 2-3 mins.You don't need to make the vegatables really soft,if they are slightly crunchy its fine as we steam the batter they will get cooked nicely.
Add enough salt and mix well.
Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool a bit.
Add coriander,grated coconut to it and mix well.

to prepare Vegetable Idli:

Add fried vegetable mixture to the batter and mix well.
Add cooking soda to a ladle and mix it with a tsp of water and add this to the batter and mix it well,the batter becomes bit light.
Grease the idli plates with oil and place roasted cashew nuts and pour a ladle of idli batter until each impression is filled 3/4th.
Steam it in idli steamer or pressure cooker(with out whistle) for 10-12 mins.Let it rest for another 5 mins.
With a idli spoon cleanly remove the idlis.Dip the idli spoon in water in between which helps to remove the idlis easily from the plate.

Serve them hot with coconut chutney/Tomato-Onion Chutney/allam pachadi/sambar.

Notes:

You can use the same batter to make vegetable dosa.Make the dosas bit thick like uthappam and roast until crisp on one side.
Adding cooking soda is a must otherwise the idlis come out hard.So in order to get soft and fluffy idlis we should add cooking soda to the batter.
You can use idli batter either prepared with Idli rice or Idli rava to prepare these idlis.But I prefer to use the batter made up of Idli rice.

Technorati Tags: vegetable idli recipe, idli varieties, breakfast recipes, idli recipes for kids, kids tiffin box recipes, kids friendly recipes ,idli recipes, south indian breakfast varieties, how to make idli

'Pacchi Pulusu' in Telugu literally translates to 'Raw Stew'. We even call it as 'Pacchi Chaaru' or 'Pacchaaru'. It is a raw tamarind stew where the tangy taste of tamarind is balanced with spicy one from green chillies and sweetish tinge from jaggery. Finely chopped raw onions are added to it for extra crunch.This is the the usual method of preparing pacchi pulusu,but at my MIL's place they add roasted urad dal powder to it and it is called 'Minapa pindi Pachi Pulusu ' (Urad dal powder tamarind stew).The addition of urad dal powder not only adds thickness but also helps balances the taste of Pacchi Pulusu. It is though optional to add the tempering to the rasam.This is an ideal preparation if you are craving for something tangy to tickle your taste buds.You can check out another version of pacchi pulusu called 'Aratikaya(Raw Banana) Pacchi Pulusu' in my blog.

Pacchi Pulusu | Pacchi Chaaru | Raw Tamarind Rasam Recipe:
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 big lemon sized Tamarind
2-3 tbsp grated Jaggery
2 tbsp roasted Urad dal powder*(optional,see notes)
2-3 Green chillies
1 Onion,finely chopped
Salt to taste

to temper(optional):
1 tsp Oil/Ghee
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
a sprig of Curry leaves

Method:

Soak tamarind in water for 10-15 mins and extract the pulp and dilute the tamarind pulp with approx 1- 1 1/4 cups of water.
Add grated jaggery,urad dal powder(if using) and salt to it and mix and make sure that no lumps are formed.
Traditionally green chillies are squeezed directly with hand in the above mixture.This process might create some burning sensation in your palms,hence I usually use my mortar and pestle to crush the slit chillies a bit and add to the rasam.You do not need to grind the chillies to a paste,just crush it roughly and add.
Now mix everything well and taste the rasam at this point.Adjust the consistency of rasam and also the sweet,spicyness,tangyness and salt in it.The taste depends on individual taste buds and hence adjust it according to your taste buds.
Add finely chopped onion to it and mix well.The more the onions the better the taste is.
This step of tempering is optional but I do it sometimes.Heat oil/ghee in a small tempering pan and crackle mustard seeds and add curry leaves and fry them and add them to the rasam.
Let it stand for half an hour for the flavors blend well.If you wish you can serve immediately.

Serve it with hot rice and papad/fryums.This rasam would be at room temperature as we do not heat it.

*making urad dal flour:

Dry roast whole urad with skin(or white urad dal) over medium flame until you get nice aroma and well roasted ,it takes around 4-5 mins and let it cool and then powder them into a smooth powder.
This can be refrigerated 3-4 months and can be used to prepare Andhra famous sweet called 'Sunnunda' and this 'Pacchi pulusu'.

Notes:

Usually in regular 'Pacchi Pulusu' we do not add roasted urad dal powder.If I have the roasted urad dal powder in hand I usually add it otherwise it is optional.It adds the thickness as well as the taste to Pachhi Pulusu.
I have mentioned in the method about how to crush green chillies.So do not attempt doing it using your hands unless you are used to it.
This recipe depends on your taste buds and there are no actual measurements to make this rasam.You need the adjust the consistency,spicyness,tangyness,sweetness and salt according to your wish.

You can check out another version of pacchi pulusu called 'Aratikaya(Raw Banana) Pacchi Pulusu' in my blog here.

Technorati Tags: pacchi pulusu recipe, raw taamrind rasam, tamarind stew, minappindi pacchi pulusu, raw tamarind and onion stew, rasam varieties, chaaru recipes, side dish for rice, south indian rasam recipes

According to me, Arbi(Taro root) is one of the most tastiest vegetables and I prepare it almost every weekend as TH is also very fond of it. I make mostly dry preparations like arbi fry,arbi roast to pair with rice or as marinated dahi arbi roast or arbi ajwaini which pairs nicely with rotis.Arbi fry tastes best when it is deep fried and as I do not use much oil in my cooking I prefer to do it in my oven which not only saves my time but also consumes very less oil. I use my oven often in my cooking and it helps in preparing most of the vegetable fries - potatoes, ladies finger, raw banana, yam with very less oil.

Check out other fry recipes in my blog.

Arbi(Taro root) Roast | Chamadumpa Vepudu:

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 1hr(with cooling time)

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Stir fry|Curry

Ingredients:

250 gms Arbi(Taro root)

1 tbsp Rice flour

1 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Amchur powder(optional)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

to temper:

1 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 Red chillies,broken

a sprig of Curry leaves

1 tbsp Oil

Method:

Soak arbi in water for some time and rub it nicely to remove extra dirt and wash it properly in few changes of water.Pressure cook arbi with enough water for 1 whistle.Let them cool completely.Peel the skin and chop them into big chunks.
In a bowl add chopped taro root(arbi) and sprinkle rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, amchur powder, salt and oil to it and gently mix so that the spice mix coats all the pieces nicely.You can add more rice flour if you need and also adjust the seasonings according to your wish.
Now follow any of these 3 methods which I mentioned below.I followed the oven method which is healthy and less calorie version and also yields very crispy fry.

method1:

Line the baking tray with silver foil and arrange these slices in a single layer and sprinkle some oil over it and bake in oven at 160 deg for 20-25 mins.Keep an eye after 20 mins so that they will not get burnt.If the edges are crispy and changes its color means its done.Do not over bake them,they will become tough.

method2:

Deep fry them in oil until golden brown and crisp.

method3:

In a wide non-stick kadai heat 2 tbsp oil and arrange the taro root pieces in a single layer and let them fry for 12-15 mins until crisp.Give a stir in between so that they don't get burnt.
Heat the kadai and add 1 tbsp oil and heat it.
Add mustard seeds and let them crackle and then add urad dal,red chillies and curry leaves to it.
Add fried taro root chunks (prepared by following any of the three methods mentioned above) and fry them on medium-high flame for 2-3 mins.

Serve them hot with rice or as a side dish for sambar/rasam with rice.

Notes:

These kind of roasts/fry will loose their crispiness after a while,so its better to serve immediately.
In case you want to serve later you can roast them again in the same pan for 4-5 mins on medium flame to get the crispiness back at the time of serving.
You can follow the same process for potatoes,baby potatoes and Raw Bananas.
You can replace rice flour with besan(chickpea flour).
You can add sambar powder along with red chili powder in the recipe.
Do not cook for long as the taro root will get mushy.

Technorati Tags: arbi roast, taro root fry, how to make arbi roast, arbi recipes, arvi recipes, arbi sabzi, side dish for rice, crispy arbi roast, chamagadda fry, chamadumpa fry

I love Pulaos and Biryanis for the fact that they are one pot meal and can be prepared quickly,while few Biryani recipes are bit complicated and time consuming. I reserve the Dum Biryanis for occasions and always adopt a simple one pot pressure cooker method for daily basis. These kind of one pot dishes are ideal for lunch box or for a week end lunch.

I usually add soya chunks even to my vegetable pulaos but in moderate amounts. Soya chunks is also known as 'Nutrela' or 'Meal Maker'.Soya chunks has meaty texture and is a very good source of proteins for vegetarians, hence I include it in many of the gravies and pulaos on daily basis. As Soya chunks are bland in taste you need to spice it up a bit but they observe the flavours beautifully and make the dish delicious. We get soya chunks in two sizes and I prefer to use the mini soya chunks over the bigger ones. I follow more or less a similar recipe for most of my one pot biryanis and love the flavourful outcome all the time. Pair it with Onion-Tomato raita and papad and enjoy the delicious meal with your family.

Check out similar biryani/pulao recipes here - Veg Dum Biryani, Babycorn Pulao, Mint Pulav /Pudina Rice, Mixed Vegetable Pulav, Baby Potato Biriyani and Capsicum-Potato Pulav.

Soya Chunks Biryani Recipe:

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Pulao/Biryani - Main Course

Ingredients:

1 heaped cup Basmati rice

3/4 cup mini Soya Chunks

1/3 cup fresh/frozen Green peas

2 cups Coconut Milk(medium consistency,see notes)

1 large Onion,finely sliced

1 tsp Biryani Masala or 1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

few mint leaves

1 Bayleaf

1/2" Cinnamon

2 Cloves

1 Cardamom, slightly crushed

1 tsp Shahjeera(black Cumin seeds)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

to grind:

1 Tomato,chopped

2 Green chillies

1/4 cup Mint leaves

1/8 cup Coriander leaves

4-5 Garlic pods

3/4" Ginger,chopped

1/2" Cinnamon

2 Cloves

1 tsp Fennel seeds(saunf)

Method:

Grind all the ingredients mentioned under 'to grind' to a smooth paste and keep it aside.

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 10 mins.
Boil 2-3 cups of water in a vessel and add soya chunks and boil for 2-3 minutes or immerse in hot water for 7-8 mins.Drain them and drop them again in cold water and squeeze them and repeat the cold bath once again and squeeze them and keep aside.This process ensures to remove the raw smell from soya chunks.

Heat oil and ghee in a cooker and add bayleaf followed by shahjeera, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and fry for half a minute.

Add sliced onions and fry well until they turn pink color.
Add green peas and boiled and squeezed soya chunks and fry well for a minute.

Now add ground masala and fry well for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder or Garam masala(or biryani masala) and fry for a minute again.

Add soaked and drained basmati rice and fry for a minute until the moisture in the rice dries.Do not roast for long as the rice would break.

Add coconut milk to it, mint leaves and salt and bring it to a boil and cover it and pressure cook for 1 whistle and simmer it for 7-8 mins.Switch it off and let the pressure drops on its own.Fluff up the rice with a fork.

Serve it hot with Tomato-Onion raita and papad.

Notes:

If you use tinned Coconut milk which is of thick consistency you can dilute 1 cup of coconut milk with 1 cup of water to get 2 cups of thin coconut milk.You can even mix coconut milk powder in hot water to get the desired consistency as mentioned on the pack.
You can use water instead of coconut milk in the recipe. In that case I recommend you to add 2 tbsp beaten curd before adding water and fry slightly.
Along with soya chunks,you can add vegetables like carrots, beans, potatoes, cauliflower, capsicum and reduce the quantity of soya chunks in the recipe.

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Noodles and Pasta varieties are always a favourite among kids and adults.When it comes to main course in Chinese I would definitely opt noodles over fried rice but I absolutely enjoy both but my taste buds slightly incline towards noodles any day. Schezwan flavour complements noodles very well and is my favourite too. Usually for Hakka noodles a side dish like Manchurian gravy is more preferred but for Schezwan noodles you do not need any side dish to accompany it with as the noodles are already flavoured with the schezwan sauce and tastes nice on its own.

One can prepare schezwan sauce before and keep it ready. Once you have all the preparation work done you can toss the noodles in no time. I always love to watch how they toss in such high flames in restaurants, it adds a nice smoky flavour to the dishes.Chinese dishes tastes best when it is served piping hot and slightly spicy, one can adjust the amount of sauce according to the personal preferences.

If you are interested check out other Indo-Chinese recipes in my blog.

Schezwan Vegetable Noodles Recipe:

Serves 2

Prep time:15 mins | Cooking time:10 mins | Total time: 25 mins

Cuisine: Indo-Chinese | Category: Noodles - Main Course

Ingredients:

1 pack(200 gms) Vegetarian Hakka Noodles

1/3 cup Schezwan Sauce

1 Onion, finely sliced

1" Ginger, julienne into thin strips

3-4 Garlic pods, finely chopped

1/4 tsp freshly ground Black pepper/White pepper

1 tsp dark Soya sauce

1 tsp white Vinegar

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp Sesame oil

Salt to taste

Vegetables needed:

1 cup finely shredded Cabbage, length wise

1 big Carrot, julienne into thin strips

1 Capsicum, julienne into thin strips

12-15 French beans, thinly sliced lenth wise

6-8 Spring onions, whites-sliced thin;greens-finely chopped

Method:

Bring 7-8 cups of water to a boil in a pan and add salt and one tsp of sesame oil to it and add hakka noodles and cook according to the instructions. The noodles should hold its shape and firm to bite, this process should take 8-10 mins. Keep an eye at the end so that the noodles will not become soggy.
Drain the noodles in a colander and pour cold water over it and wash the starch completely from the cooked noodles, this helps in retaining non-sticky noodles.
Heat olive oil and sesame oil in a big wok over a high flame and then add ginger strips and chopped garlic and saute it well.
Add finely sliced onion, spring onion whites and shredded cabbage and fry in high flame.
Add julienne carrots, beans and fry well until they are half cooked. Take care that it would not loose the crunch of vegetables, they should be firm to bite.
Add capsicum strips to it and toss it again.
Add schezwan sauce, pepper powder, soya sauce, vinegar and fry for a minute. Add salt and do remember that the sauces already have some salt so do not add more salt.
Add cooked noodles and chopped spring onion greens and toss well until it is mixed properly and toss on high flame for 2-3 mins until the noodles are piping hot. Toss it continuously so that they would not stick to bottom.

Serve it hot with any manchurian gravy side dish or tomato sauce.

Notes:

The entire process of sauteing would be done under 8-10 mins, so be quick while sautéing the vegetables and noodles and also take care not to loose the crunchiness of vegetables.
You can use white pepper powder or black pepper powder and it is preferred to use freshly ground black pepper in the recipe.
Be liberal in using oil as it helps the noodles not to turn sticky and in Chinese cooking it is always advisable to use more oil.
I have used olive oil and sesame oil in the recipe as it gives a nice flavor to noodles.If you do not have olive oil in hand the best substitute for olive oil is sesame oil in Chinese cooking as sesame oil is primarily used in Chinese cooking as the oil itself has nutty flavor which enhances the taste of Chinese dishes.
In Chinese cooking ajinamoto(tasting salt) is added for extra taste,I do not use it in my cooking and hence not mentioned in the recipe. If you are using it, add 1/2 tsp of ajinamoto while adding salt and sauces to the wok.

Technorati Tags: schezwan veg noodles, chinese schezwan noodles, szechuan vegetable noodles, chinese schezwan veg noodles, indo - chinese recipes, mumbai street food, chinese schezwan veg hakka noodles

Babycorn Capsicum Curry is one of the most liked recipes in my blog and has got a very good feedback. In fact, it is even my favorite curry and my first choice when I have Babycorns at home.The crunch of baby corns is what I love the most and it adds a nice texture to any curry.I love preparing stir fries , pulaos, fritters and also this Korma. Baby corn Korma has become the latest favorite at my place. The aroma of the fresh spices, especially the cardamom and kasuri methi and the slight hint of sweetness from cashew nuts and coconut paste with the bite of crunchy baby corn pieces makes this dish extremely delicious. I bet the flavors lingers with you even after a while.

You pair with simple rotis or laccha parathas or jeera rice,it is absolutely a winning combo.I would vouch for this Baby corn Korma recipe as much as I love my Babycorn Capsicum Curry.Do give it a try once and I am sure you will like it.You can definitely make this for any party and just wait to receive the compliments.

Check out other Babycorn recipes in my blog.

Baby Corn Korma Recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time:15 mins | Cooking time: 25 mins | Total time:40 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Side Dish - Main Course

Ingredients:

12-15 Baby corns,each cut into 4 cylindrical pieces

1/2 cup fresh/frozen Green Peas

1 large Onion,finely chopped

2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

2-3 tbsp fresh Curd,nicely beaten

1 tsp Kasuri Methi

1 tbsp chopped Coriander

1/4 tsp Homemade Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

3/4 tsp Red chili powder

1 1/2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Salt to taste

Lemon wedges, to serve

to temper:

1 Bayleaf

2 Green cardamoms,crushed with a pestle

2-3 Cloves

1" Cinnamon

1 Green chili,slit

to Grind:

1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut

1 large Tomato,chopped

8-10 Cashewnuts

1 tbsp Corinader seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

5-6 black Pepper corns

3/4 tsp Fennel seeds(Saunf)

Method:

Par boil baby corns and green peas in hot water for 3-4 mins.Drain and keep them aside.
Meanwhile heat 1/2 tsp oil and add coriander seeds, cumin seeds and pepper corns and fry nicely.You can even dry roast them if you want.Remove them from the pan and let them cool.
Grind roasted coriander seeds, cumin seeds and pepper corns with raw fennel seeds to a coarse powder.
Add cashew nuts, grated fresh coconut and tomato and grind it to a smooth paste.If necessary add some water but make sure you grind it to a smooth paste.
In a wide non stick pan heat 2 tsp oil and add baby corn pieces and green peas and saute them for 4-5 mins until they turn slightly golden in color.
In another thick kadai/pan heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee and add a bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamoms(crush the cardamoms with a pestle before adding which is important to give the korma a nice flavor) and slit green chilli and fry for half a minute.
Add finely chopped onions and fry until they turn translucent.Now add ginger-garlic paste and fry well for a minute.
Add the ground masala paste and fry nicely for 3-4 mins until the raw smell goes away.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala and fry well for 2 mins.If the masala is completely dry add a tbsp of water and fry again, but do not let it burn.
Add roasted baby corn pieces and green peas and add enough water (roughly 1- 1.25 cups) to get your required consistency.
Also add salt, kasuri methi and curd(make sure you have beaten the curd nicely before adding) and mix it nicely.Simmer it and cook for 7-8 mins.Adjust the consistency of gravy by adding or reducing the water accordingly.
Switch off the flame.Add coriander at the end and mix well.You can add lemon juice now or serve the lemon wedges along with gravy.

Serve it hot with Rotis/Parathas/Naans/Jeera rice/Ghee rice.

Notes:

You can prepare the entire process in a pressure cooker.In that case follow the grinding process as mentioned above,but you don't need to par boil and roast the baby corn and green peas ahead.You can do the tempering and roasting the masala along with the spices in the pressure cooker as mentioned above and then add baby corn pieces and green peas and fry them for 2-3 mins and then add water along with salt, kasuri methi and beaten curds and pressure cook for 1 whistle.Once the pressure drops remove the lid and boil it again for 2-3 mins and add coriander and lemon juice after you switch it off.
This Korma tastes best when it is made spicy but you can adjust according to your wish by reducing the chili powder.Do remember we are adding pepper corns while grinding.
If you like you can add fried paneer pieces at the end to the korma.
Make sure you crush the green cardamom with a pestle before adding to the tempering.This adds a nice aroma to the korma.
Also do not forget to beat the curds well before adding,otherwise it will curdle.

Technorati Tags: baby corn recipes, side dish with baby corn, babycorn korma recipe, babycorn peas curry, babycorn kurma, side dish for rotis, easy babycorn recipes

We get very good and tender Cluster beans in Mumbai and hence it is again one routine vegetable which appears frequently at my place.Cluster beans take a bit of time to clean, chop and cook but it has good fiber content and hence I include it often.'Cluster beans' are called 'Gawar ki Phalli' in Hindi and 'Goruchikkudu' in Telugu.

I have posted a south Indian style Cluster beans curry(Goruchikkudu kura) earlier and today I am sharing a Maharasthrian version called - Gawarchi Bhaji which can be paired with rice or rotis.I usually pair cluster beans with potatoes as they make a nice combination with rotis. The addition of groundnut powder enhances the taste of the curry, do give this version a try next time.

Gawar ki Sabzi with Aloo | Cluster beans - Potato Curry Maharasthrian style:

Serves 2-3

Prep time:20 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time:50 mins

Cuisine:Maharashtrian-India | Category:Curry-Side dish

Ingredients:

250 gms tender Cluster beans

1 large Potato

1 Onion,chopped

2-3 tbsp roasted Groundnut powder

3/4 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala or 1 tsp Goda masala

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

3/4 tsp roasted Cumin powder

6-8 Curry leaves,chopped

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and wipe cluster beans and remove the ends and stings and pluck them into 1" pieces using hands.Steam it for 10 mins or 2 whistles in pressure cooker.You can skip steaming if you want to cook it directly.
Peel the potatoes and cut into thin fingers of 1" length.
Heat oil in a big thick kadai /pan and crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Add chopped onions and curry leaves and fry until they turn translucent.
Add potato fingers to it and fry for 2-3 mins.Sprinkle some water and cover it and cook for 5-7 mins until it is 3/4th cooked.(If you are cooking cluster beans directly add them along with potatoes and cook them together.You need to add required water to let it cook,so keep checking in between if it needs more water,sprinkle water in regular intervals so that the vegetables would not get burnt).Add steamed cluster beans and cook for another 3-4 mins until the potatoes are done.
Add all the spices and salt and mix nicely.Cover it and cook for 2-3 mins.
Switch off the flame and add roasted ground nuts powder and mix it.

Serve it hot with Roti/Phulka/Rice.

Notes:

You can avoid potatoes and prepare this only with cluster beans.
I like it to be a slightly dry version.If you want you can make it to a slight gravy by adding water and more ground nut powder and boil at the end.
You can prepare this curry in a pressure cooker by following the same process and pressure cook with little water for 1-2 whistles.Once the steam subsides,increase the flame and let the water evaporate if you prefer a dry version or serve as it is if you like gravy version
You can add grated coconut or dry coconut powder along with ground nut powder at the end.

Technorati Tags: gawar phali ki sabzi, gawar phali aur aloo ki sabzi, cluster beans curry, goruchikkudu recipes, cluster beans potato curry, side dish with cluster beans, side dish for rotis, matikkaya kura

Pasta is one of the easiest options I would look for when I am pressed for time or if I am lazy to cook something elaborate.I must say that I am lucky that DH prefers the simple kind of pastas like Aglio E Olio or a simple pesto based Pasta than the heavy sauce and cheese loaded pastas.Hence making pastas is easy for me. Infact I have also started preferring these simple yet flavorful pasta.

As I find Aglio E Olio bit dry for my liking, I usually serve it with grilled vegetables or eggplants.The soft and fleshy eggplants make a nice combination with the pasta and we started liking it and slowly I turned out the entire dish into a single one and that is how the Eggplant pasta started featuring at my place.

In case you are interested check out other Pasta recipes here -

Eggplant Pasta Recipe:

Serves 2

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:30 mins

Cuisine: Italian | Category: Pasta - Main Course

Ingredients:

2 cups Pasta(of any shape)

2-3 long thin Purple Eggplants

1 Onion,finely chopped

6-8 Garlic cloves,finely chopped

1/2 tsp Pepper powder,freshly ground

1/2 tsp Red chili flakes

1 tsp Mixed Italian Herbs

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Bring water to a boil with salt and add a tsp of olive oil in a big pot add pasta and cook for 8-10 mins until it is al dente or follow the instructions on your package.Drain the pasta and keep it aside.
Meanwhile chop eggplants into small cubes or cut them into thin 1" length pieces and drop them in salted water for 10 mins.This will remove the bitterness of eggplants and also would not let it turn black.Squeeze slightly the extra water and pat dry it.You can either grill them in oven with some olive oil and salt for 15-20 mins until done or saute it in olive oil in a pan until they are soft and cooked.
Heat olive oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic and fry until it turns slight red in color and then add chopped onions and fry well until they turn translucent and turn slight pink.
Add grilled or sauteed eggplant cubes/pieces and fry for 1-2 mins.
Add red chili flakes, mixed herbs, pepper powder and salt and fry for 1-2 mins.
Add cooked and drained pasta to it and mix well until the mixture coats the pasta.

Serve it hot and drizzle on top with Extra virgin olive oil and shaved Parmesan cheese.I served it with Garlic Bread and lemonade.

Notes:

You can use herbs of your choice like fresh basil or oregano in the recipe instead of mixed dried herbs.
If you like you can add Parmesan cheese into the pasta while it is on heat.
Chopped canned tomatoes or blanched,peeled and chopped tomatoes also can be added along with onions in the recipe.

Technorati Tags: eggplant pasta recipe, pasta recipes, simple pasta recipes, kid friendly pasta recipes, eggplant recipes, aubergine pasta recipe, aubergine recipes, italian pasta recipes, italian recipes

It is rare to have left over rice at my place and whenever it does, it is usually when guests come over and I end up making more rice than required. I am sure many of us do not prefer to reheat left over rice, instead we can convert it into a simple Rice variety which is more interesting to eat. Left over rice works like a charm to prepare Chinese Veg Fried Rice, Garlic Rice and this Simple Tempered Rice.But there are no hard and fast rules that one should prepare this rice from left over rice, you can even prepare it with freshly cooked rice,but make sure you have cooled down the rice before preparing this, otherwise it will become mushy.

In South, we prepare this tempered rice in a way similar to lemon rice but we use onions in the recipe which adds a nice taste to the rice.Tempered Rice can be called as 'Talimpu Annam' in Telugu and 'Chitranna' in Kannada,you can even call it simple Fried Rice.In Maharasthra,they prepare a similar version called Phodnicha Bhaat with few minor variations in tempering. One can improvise the recipe with the addition of vegetables to the recipe but I love it when it is made very simple with lot of onions. The crunch of onions and the tangyness because of the addition of lemon juice makes this rice extremely tasty.If you have left over rice,do give this simple rice recipe a try,I am sure you will love it.

Talimpu Annam | Phodnicha Bhaat Recipe:

Serves 2

Prep time:5 mins | Cooking time:10 mins | Total time:15 mins

Category:Indian | Cuisine:Rice - Main course/Breakfast

Ingredients:

3 cups Cooked Rice(left over rice)

2 medium Onions,finely chopped

1 big Lemon

3-4 Green chillies,slit

2 tbsp chopped Coriander

a sprig of Curry leaves

2-3 tbsp Groundnuts

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Chana dal (optional)

1 tsp Urad dal (optional)

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Salt to taste

2-3 tbsp Oil

Method:

Use left over rice for the recipe.In case if you are cooking the rice fresh,pressure cook rice(1 cup rice: 2 1/4 cups water) or how you cook your regular rice until it is soft and fluffy.The rice should be comparatively softer to eat and it should not be like how we do for pulav/biriyani. Cool the rice completely.
Squeeze the lemon and separate the seeds and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds and add ground nuts and fry over medium flame until they are golden brown.
Add chana dal, urad dal and green chilies and fry until they turn golden brown and green chillies wilt.
Add curry leaves and onions and fry until the onions turn pink in color.
Add turmeric powder and add the rice(left over or cooled rice) and salt and mix nicely and fry for 1-2 mins until the rice becomes hot.Switch off the flame.
Add squeezed lemon with out seeds and coriander to it and mix well.

Serve it hot with chips or fryums.

Notes:

In South India, we add urad dal and chana dal in the tempering. In Maharasthra, they do not add urad dal and chana dal for Phodnicha Bhaat and if you like you can add 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida in the tempering.
If you like garlic you can roughly chopped garlic in the tempering or 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste for a variation.
You can avoid ground nuts in the recipe and green peas can be used instead.

Technorati Tags: talimpu annam, phodnicha bhaat, how to use left over recipe, simple fried rice, onion lemon rice, onion fried rice, left over rice recipes, easy rice varieties

Usirikaya Pacchadi (Chutney) is a simple Pacchadi recipe which goes well with plain steamed rice or curd rice or few breakfast varieties like idli and dosa.It can be prepared in no time if we have the preserved Gooseberry chutney ready. I have already posted how to prepare the Niluva Usirikaya Pacchadi (preserved Gooseberry chutney) recipe.
We usually prepares two kinds of Usirikaya Pacchadi one with green chillies and the other with red chillies with minor variations.Today I am posting the chutney recipe with green chillies and I would post the other version sometime later. This chutney is quite tangy and also an easy accompaniment and tastes nice when mixed with hot rice and ghee.

Usirikaya Pacchadi with Green Chillies recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 5 mins | Total time: 15 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Accompaniments

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Niluva Usirikaaya(preserved gooseberry chutney)

3-4 Green chillies

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp Coriander leaves(optional)

1 medium Onion,finely chopped

Salt,as required

1/2 tsp Oil

to temper:

2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

5-6 Curry leaves

Method:

Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds and fry them until red in color and remove them aside.Add green chillies and fry for few seconds until they have blisters.
Grind niluva usirikaya(preserved gooseberry) with roasted fenugreek seeds, green chillies and coriander leaves to a smooth chutney.Now taste it and if you need to add salt then add required quantity to it and grind again.I like to keep the chutney slightly coarse,if you want you can grind it to a smooth chutney.
Add finely chopped onion and just grind in whipper mode for half a minute or you can mix it with chutney later.
In a small tempering pan heat oil and crackle mustard and cumin seeds and add curry leaves and fry them until they wilt and add this to the chutney.

Serve it with hot rice and ghee.

Notes:

You can mix chopped onion after you grind the chutney or add it while grinding.It is your wish.
You can even coriander leaves and garlic pods(slightly roasted) and grind with the chutney.
The addition of garlic pods is optional.I add it sometimes and skip it sometimes.
If you do not have preserved gooseberry chutney,use the fresh gooseberry and add turmeric powder and salt accordingly.Also slightly fry the gooseberry pieces to remove the raw smell from them.

Check out few Andhra Pacchadi varieties which goes with rice.

Technorati Tags: usirikaya pacchadi, amla chutney, gooseerry chutney recipe ,nellikai chutney, gooseberry recipes,amla recipes, andhra style pacchadi recipes, pacchadi varieties ,pacchadi for rice, chutney varieties for rice

Taro root (Arbi) is one of the most tastiest vegetables and we both are really fond of this vegetable. I usually prepare Arbi fry and Arbi Roast more often than the gravy versions. The preparation of arbi gravy is similar to any other gravy just that we need to fry the taro root well before adding to the gravy.If the taro root is not properly fried it would turn sticky in gravies. You can prepare this gravy for both rice and roti varieties.

Arbi Ka Salan | Arbi Sabzi:
Serves 2

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Side Dish- Main Course

Ingredients:

250 gms Arbi/Taro Root

2 medium Onions, roughly chopped

2 large Tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. chopped coriander
1 tbsp. Rice flour

1 tbsp. Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp Red Chili Powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Amchur Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

Salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp. Oil

Oil,to deep fry

Method:

Wash and boil Arbi until it is slightly soft for approx. 12-15 mins. You should be able to prick it easily with a fork. Cool it and peel the skin and cut into rounds of 1/2" thickness.
Add Rice flour, Salt and 1/2 tsp Red chili powder to it and mix it nicely. Deep fry the taro root pieces until it is slightly golden brown in color and remove them and keep aside. You can either do this process in oven (follow this post )if you want to avoid deep frying or slightly sauté the taro root pieces in a tbsp of oil until it is slightly crisp and remove them and keep aside.
Grind onions and tomatoes into a fine paste.
Heat oil in a kadai/pan and add cumin seeds and add ginger-garlic paste and fry well. Add ground onion-tomato paste and fry well until the oil leaves the edges.
Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, amchur powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cumin powder, salt and fry again for 1-2 mins.
Add fried arbi(taro root) pieces and fry for a minute and roughly add 1 - 1.5 cups of water and boil for 8-10 mins.
Garnish with coriander at the end.

Serve it hot with Roti/Phulka/Chapati/Rice.

Notes:

You can use any other vegetable like potato or yam or eggplant or Raw Banana and follow the same process.
You can use besan instead of rice flour in the above recipe.

Technorati Tags: arbi ka salan, taro root sabzi, north indian curry, arbi gravy, arbi masala, chamadumpa kura, gravies, gravy curries

My love for dosa never stops and I have already posted many dosa recipes in my blog.The options for Uthappam toppings are endless, one can use simply chopped vegetables to potato sabzi to top the uthappams.I have posted Chettinadu style Cauliflower Masala Dosa sometime back and I used similar masala to prepare this Cauliflower Uthappam,which imparts a nice flavor to uthappam.

Check out other must try Dosa recipes in my blog.

Cauliflower Uthappam Recipe:

Prep time:15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time : 45 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

for Uthappam Batter:

2 cups Raw rice(sona masuri or similar)

2 cups Idli Rice or Par boiled rice

1 cup whole white Urad dal

1/4 cup Toor dal

1/4 cup Chana dal

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
a pinch of cooking soda

Salt to taste

Oil/Ghee, to roast utappams

for Cauliflower Masala:

2 cups Cauliflower florets

1 big Onion,finely chopped

1 big Tomato,chopped

5-6 Garlic pods,peeled

1/2" Ginger,finely chopped

1 Green chilli,finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

1/2 tsp Rasam powder

1/2 tsp Sambar powder

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

a sprig of Curry leaves

2 Red chillies,broken

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Salt to taste

to grind:

2 tbsp fresh grated Coconut

2 tsp Poppy seeds,soaked in water

1/2 tsp Saunf

5-6 Pepper corns

Method:

to make dosa batter:

Wash and soak raw rice,idli rice(or par boiled rice), urad dal, toor dal, chana dal, fenugreek seeds together in water for 4-5 hrs.
Grind all the ingredients in the wet grinder to a fine batter by adding water at regular intervals.The batter should be like regular dosa batter consistency.
Add required amount of salt at the end of grinding and mix well.
Allow the batter to ferment for 12-14 hrs.

to make Cauliflower masala:

Clean and wash the cauliflower florets and soak them in salted hot water for 10-15 mins.Drain them and chop them finely.
Heat oil in a kadai/pan and crackle mustard seeds and add broken red chillies and curry leaves fry until they wilt.
Add garlic pods,chopped ginger and green chili and fry for a minute.Now add finely chopped onions and fry until they become translucent.
Add chopped cauliflower florets and fry well for 2-3 mins and add chopped tomatoes to it and fry for 3-4 mins.Cover it and cook until the tomatoes turns mushy and cauliflower is cooked.
Grind grated coconut with poppy seeds,pepper corns and saunf to a fine paste.Add little water if required for grinding.
Add rasam powder,sambar powder,red chili powder,turmeric powder and salt to the cauliflower mixture and mash it nicely with a masher.It is your choice to keep the texture how ever you want.I mashed it completely like a spread,if you want you keep it chunky too.
Add the ground coconut mixture to it and let it cook for 3-4 mins until the raw smell disappears.You should keep the consistency of this very thick as we will apply this inside the dosa.
Switch it off and let it come to room temperature.Add chopped coriander leaves to it and mix and keep it ready.

to make Uthappam:

The dosa batter should be at room temperature.Mix in a pinch of cooking soda and mix well.
Pour the batter(do not spread) of 6-7 inch size on a hot tawa and pour oil/ghee from the sides and cover with a lid and cook it on medium flame for a minute and remove the lid.
Apply 3-4 tbsp of cauliflower mixture all over the dosa(leaving an inch from sides) using the flat ladle and pour a tsp of oil/ghee over the mixture.
Increase the flame to high and cook until you can see the golden brown crust formation.
Now turn the dosa to the other side and fry for a minute.

Serve it hot right out from the pan with coconut chutney and Sambar.If you want you can sprinkle milagai podi or kaarapodi over the hot uthappams before serving.Check out other side dishes for Idli/dosa here.

cauliflower uthappa

Check out my Five taste Uthappam post for more topping ideas.

Technorati Tags: dosa recipes, uthappam recipes, utappam toppings, toppings for dosas, utappa recipes, cauliflower recipes, gobi recipes, cauliflower dosa, gobi dosa ,different dosa varieties, south indian breakfast recipes, breakfast recipes

I have mentioned earlier that Bitter gourd is a favorite vegetable at my In-laws place and TH is a big fan of this vegetable that I end up making karela fry very often.While TH does not bother about the bitterness of karela,I cannot take so much bitterness and hence in order to reduce the bitterness I boil the bittergourd in tamarind water and also add a bit of sugar which helps in caramelization of onions and lends a slight sweet taste to bitter gourd.This fry is a must try for all those bitter gourd lovers and also for those who do not prefer it much. Now off to the recipe.

Kakarakaya Ullipaya Vepudu | Karela Fry | Bittergourd Stir Fry:

Serves 2

Prep time:5 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:25 mins

Category:Indian | Cuisine:Side dish

Ingredients:

4-5 Bitter gourds

1 large Onion,finely chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Sugar,optional

2-3 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Optional ingredients to reduce bitterness:

2 tbsp Tamarind pulp

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Salt

Method:

Wash and wipe bitter gourds,slice them into thin rounds.Add some salt and turmeric powder to it and mix well,leave it aside for half an hour and squeeze the water from it and keep aside.
optional step: If you want to reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd you can alternatively boil them in tamarind water by following this procedure.Mix tamarind pulp with salt,turmeric and enough water and let it boil and add the bitter gourd pieces and cook until soft.Drain the pieces and let them cool.This process helps in removing the bitterness of bitter gourd.
Heat oil in a non stick pan and add bitter gourd slices and fry them on low flame for 8-10 mins until they turn sightly crisp.
Add finely chopped onions and fry for 3-4 mins.Add a tsp of sugar and fry for another 2 mins.The addition of sugar helps in caramelization of onions and lends a sweet taste to bitter gourd.
Add salt and chilli powder to it and fry for a minute.

Serve it hot with hot rice and ghee or as a side dish with sambar/rasam rice.

Notes:

You can add roasted sesame seed powder at the end, it adds nice taste to fry.
The addition of sugar is optional,but I recommend to use it.

Technorati Tags: south indian recipes, andhra recipes, stir fry ,karela recipes, bittergourd recipes, kakarakaya fry, easy side dishes

Sambar is the most popular south Indian accompaniment which pairs nicely with rice as well as the breakfast idli/dosa varieties.I love all sambar varieties and Drumstick Sambar tops my list among them as drumsticks lend a nice flavor to sambar. At my mom's place it is prepared with the addition of freshly ground spices with fresh coconut paste where as at my MIL's place it is prepared using Andhra style Sambar powder.I usually prefer my MIL's version as it is easy to make and also goes well with idli/dosa varieties.

Few varieties of vegetables like Drumstick,Brinjal,Radish and mixed vegetable go well with Tiffin Sambar and few varieties go well with sambar variety for rice. This Drusmtick sambar pairs nicely with breakfast varieties or rice.When I prepare Sambar to pair with idli or dosa, I usually prepare it slightly thick and also with less tamarind in the recipe which makes it taste more delicious.You can adapt the same process of preparation for preparing sambar with other vegetables like brinjal, brinjal, yellow cucumber,potato and radish. I have used Andhra style Sambar powder in this recipe which makes it suitable for both rice and breakfast varieties. The preparation process for Karnataka style sambar is slightly different because of the addition of ground paste with freshly roasted spices and fresh coconut, which I would post some time later.

Check out other Sambar recipes in my blog here -

Drumstick Sambar | Mulakkada Sambar Recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Side dish for Rice - Main Course

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor dal

2 long Drumsticks

1 Onion, diced

1 large Tomato, finely chopped

a small gooseberry size Tamarind

1/2 tsp grated Jaggery,optional

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tbsp. Andhra style Sambar powder

1 tbsp. chopped Coriander leaves

2 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

to temper:

2 tsp Ghee/Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

8-10 Shallots ,peeled

1-2 Red chillies

a sprig of Curry leaves

a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

Wash and soak toor dal for 10 minutes in 1.5 cups of water. Add turmeric powder and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Once the pressure drops slightly mash the dal with a wooden ladle.
Chop the corners of drumsticks and cut them into 2" pieces by removing the fibre in between with your hands.
Soak tamarind in water for some time and extract pulp from it and keep it ready.
Heat oil in a big kadai/pan and add diced onions and fry until they turn translucent. Add drumstick pieces and fry for 4-5 mins and then add chopped tomatoes and fry until they become pulpy.
Add 1 cup water roughly and boil it for 2-3 mins. Now add tamarind pulp, salt, sambar powder( mix it in 2 tbsp. water before adding to avoid forming lumps), jaggery and mix nicely and boil it until the raw smell of the sambar powder is gone and the vegetables are cooked nicely.
Add cooked and slightly mashed dal and add some more water if required. Boil it for 3-4 mins until the sambar thickens. Taste the sambar once and adjust the seasoning if needed. Sambar thickens slightly when it sits, so adjust the consistency according to your requirement. Add coriander leaves at the end.
Heat ghee/oil in a small tempering pan and crackle mustard seeds and add shallots and fry them until it turns transparent and then add red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida and fry for half a minute and add the tempering to the sambar at the end and mix well.

Serve it hot with steamed Rice and fryums and a vegetable stir fry. You can even serve it with Idli/ Dosa.

Notes:

One can follow the same recipe and prepare sambar with various vegetables like Brinjal, Radish, Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet Pumpkin, Yellow Cucumber and Bottle gourd.
After you fry the vegetable pieces you can add tamarind pulp and pressure cook for 1 whistle if you want to make it quick.
Always add tempering at the end to retain the flavour of sambar and close it immediately.
I prefer to add ghee for tempering as it lends a nice flavour to sambar.

Technorati Tags: how to make sambar, drumstick sambar, mulakkada sambar ,south indian style sambar, sambar for idli and dosa varieties ,sambar varieties, andhra sambar recipe south indian recipes, andhra recipes

Sri Krishna Janmashtami also known as Krishnashtami | Gokulashtami is on August 17th which is tommorow.I had plans to prepare few recipes for Janmashtami,but due to some personal reasons I could not post anything for this festival. I am posting my collection of Janmashtami recipes by updating with new recipes which would be useful for the festival preparations. Every region prepares different varieties for Krishna Jayanthi while many prepare only poha(atukulu) based items as it is the most favourite food of Lord Krishna. You can prepare various savoury snacks and sweets ahead of the festival and offer it as Naivedyam to Krishna and on the festival day you can prepare items like Atukula upma, Atukula Payasam, Gojju Avalakki, Kobbari Atukulu, Mosaru Avalakki or Atukula Dosa along with home made butter.

Spicy Seedai Chakli Thengolu

              Manugu Poolu                 Ribbon Pakoda                       Sago Murukku

Chekkalu/Thattai Garlic Kara Sev Poha Chiwda

         Karam Gavvalu              Spicy Sev(Karasev)               Ompodi/Plain Sev

Mixed Dal Vada Dahi Dal Vada Mosaru Avalakki

Coconut Avalakki Boorelu/Poornalu Garugu Holige

Ariselu(Adhirasam) Coconut Burfi Moong Dal Ladoo

7 Cups Cake Paneer Peda Paal Payasam

Sunni Undalu Karanji Kobbari Louse

Paal Kozhukattai Sooji ki Kheer Poha Kheer

Semiya Kesari Moong Dal Kheer Semiya Kheer

Carrot Kheer Sago Kheer Rice Chana Dal Kheer

Other Sweets varieties:

Paal Payasam - using stove top method
Paalada
Carrot-Beetroot Halwa using Condensed milk

Other Savories:

Poha options for Breakfast:

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As the festival season is here we are ending up preparing more variety of rice and sweet varieties at our place,I would try to post few sweet varieties too as it would be helpful to many this festival season.
Apart from the usual festival rice varieties like Lemon rice, Puliyogre we also prepare coconut rice very often.This is a very simple rice variety to prepare, if you have grated coconut in hand it hardly takes any time to prepare this rice variety.It is also a, easy lunch box option which needs minimal effort on those busy mornings.

Typically for South Indian rice varieties, we use either Sona masuri rice or equivalent varieties like Ponni or Surti Kolam etc based on the availability in that area.However I do not suggest Basmati rice for few south Indian recipes as it does not bring out the exact taste of rice.For south Indian rice varieties the rice needs to be soft and fluffy and should not have any fragrance and hence Basmati rice is not ideal for a few Rice based preparations.

Check out other Festive Rice Varieties in my blog here:

Coconut Rice | Kobbari Annam Recipe:
Serves 2

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:30 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Rice Varieties - Main Course

Ingredients:

1 cup Raw Rice (Sona masuri or equivalent)

1 1/2 cups grated fresh Coconut
2 tbsp chopped Coriander

8-10 Cashew nuts,slit into halves

2-3 Red chillies,broken
3-4 Green chillies,slit

8-10 Black Pepper corns,coarsely ground

juice of 1/2 Lemon(optional)

a sprig of Curry leaves

1 tbsp Chana dal

1 tsp Urad dal
1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Salt to taste

Method:

Cook Rice and spread it in a plate to let it cool down and make sure that the rice grains stay separate.You can use 2 1/4 cups of water for 1 cup of sona masuri and cook it in pressure cooker or rice cooker.

Heat oil and ghee in a deep kadai/pan and crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Add chana dal, urad dal and cashew nuts and fry until they turn slight golden in color.

Add green chillies,red chillies,curry leaves and freshly ground pepper powder and fry again for a minute.
Add grated fresh coconut and saute it lightly for half a minute or you can add directly to the rice.

Switch off the flame and add the tempering to the spread cooled rice.Add salt,coriander and lemon juice(if adding) to it and mix it nicely.Now taste it and adjust the seasoning according to your wish.

Serve it with Chips/Fryums and sliced Cucumber.
kobbari annam

Notes:

Use spicy variety red chillies and green chillies to give more spicyness to this rice as the coconut nullifies the spicyness slightly.Also use freshly ground coarse pepper corns,it is added for the flavor.
The amount of coconut added to this dish is left to your choice,more the coconut,more the rice tastes nice.
This rice tastes nice if it is prepared spicy.But you can prepare it according to your spice levels.
I mentioned lemon juice as optional but it balances the taste,so I recommend to use it.But add it accordingly to balance the flavors of rice.
You can even use left over rice to prepare this.
Do not use Basmati rice for this rice,use sona masuri or ponni or surti kolam or any equivalent variety to prepare this.
You can add garlic pods int he tempering which turns this to garlic rice, you can reduce coconut if you wish.

Technorati Tags: coconut rice, andhra recipes, rice varieties, festival rice recipes, festival recipes, no onion no garlic recipes, kobbari annam

Ganesh chaturthi is a very big festival for us and also it is the most favorite one for me as I have sweet memories associated with this festival.Right from the childhood I used to wait for this big festival as it was always fun to arrange the things for the festival and also indulge in one of my favorite sweet(kudumulu).

Every year on the day of festival morning I used to accompany my dad to bring the colorful Ganesh Idol and all the other necessary items for the festival.It was always fun to decorate the pooja room and arrange the idol and decorate with flowers and all and it was my fixed job every year while mom would be busy making prasadam and festival specials.Though the pooja process is bit lengthy it was really fun as this is the only festival where our entire family sit together and do pooja till the end with so much of attention.The menu for this festival is almost fixed every year due to the restrictions of the ingredients to be used and also they are apparently lord Ganesha's favorites.

Our usual menu on this festival includes Nooka Idli(not the regular idli rawa one) with coconut chutney for breakfast and of course kudumulu are served along with breakfast and the lunch menu varies with different vegetables,sundal,rasam,dal and also we make different lentil dumplings for this festival especially.

'Karida Kayi Kadubu' means 'Deep Fried Coconut Sweet Dumpling'; while the outer layer is crispy made up of all purpose flour or chiroti rava and the inner filling is sweetened coconut mixture.This recipe is very similar to the Karjikai(Karanji) sweet but the filling is different.In Karjikai the filling is made up of a mixture of fried gram,dry coconut,sugar and dry fruits,in Karida Kadubu the filling is made up of toor dal or chana dal or coconut sweetened with either jaggery or sugar.Today I am posting our family version of coconut Kadubu,Kadubu with coconut stuffing.It is very tasty and I just can't stop myself from eating more than one.

Check out other important recipes for Vinayaka Chavithi:

Steamed Kudumulu - with 3 fillings

Karida Bele Kadubu | Fried Modak

Bellam Kudumulu | Vella Ammini Kozhukattai

Paal Kozhukattai | Undralla Payasam

Puran Poli

For a complete list of various options for Ganesh Chaturthi menu, check out here.
coconut karjikai

Karida Kayi Kadubu | Coconut Kadubu | Fried Coconut Modak Recipe:

Yields12-14 pieces

Prep time:30 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time: 1 hr
Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Sweets/Festival Specials

Ingredients:
for outer layer:
1 cup Maida/All purpose flour
1/2 cup Chiroti Rava(fine rava)
a pinch of Salt
1 tbsp hot Oil

for stuffing:
1 cup grated Coconut
1 cup grated Jaggery
1/2 tsp Elaichi powder

Oil,for deep frying

Method:
for covering:

Mix maida,rava,salt and oil and add enough water to form a stiff dough.It should be stiffer than the regular chapati/poori dough.
Keep aside for 1/2 an hour and cover it with wet cloth.
Knead the dough well until it becomes soft and pliable.

for coconut stuffing:

In a kadai mix grated coconut and jaggery and cook it on a low-medium flame until the jaggery melts and coats the coconut and form a thick dry and sticky lumpy mixture.It takes 10-12 minutes and keep stirring it occasionally.If you want a soft textured kadubu,grind coconut with jaggery to a slight smooth paste and then cook on low flame.
Add cardamom powder to it and mix well and let the mixture cool completely and store it in air tight container.
You can make it on the previous day itself and store at room temperature which eases the process on the festival day.

for Kari kudumulu:

Clean and wipe the kadubu moulds nicely.If you don't have them you can still follow another process which I mentioned below.
Make small balls from the maida dough and roll it out to very thin chapatis of 4-5" diameter.

Meanwhile heat oil in a thick kadai over medium flame.
Put the rolled chapati on top of greased karjikaya mould.press it on the edges making sure it will sit on the mould properly.

Keep the oval flattened coconut stuffing in it and wet the edges slightly with water.

Close the mould to seal the kudumulu/modak and remove the extra dough pressed out of the edges.
Remove the kudumu/modak from the mould and keep them aside.

If you do not have karjikayi mould you can even take a sharp edged 3" steel lid and cut the chapati using it and then keep the filling inside and close it to the other side forming a half moon and take a fork and make the impressions around the corners or pinch the edges with your fingers or you can even pinch the edges and roll them inwards to form a beautiful pattern.See the image below for better understanding about how to shape them.

Drop 2-3 at one time slowly in to the oil and fry them on reduced flame(low-medium) till crisp and golden in color.Try to pour the hot oil from the sides using the slotted spoon on top of the kadubu which helps in puffing up nicely.

Drain them on a paper napkin.

Serve them hot/cold or at room temperature.They would be crispy if you serve them immediately.If they loose their crispness after sometime you can warm them in oven for 4-5 mins,they come out very crispy.

Variations:

You can even replace jaggery with sugar and follow the same recipe.
The outer layer can also be prepared with wheat flour,replace maida with wheat flour in the recipe.
You can use stuffings like toor dal/chana dal stuffing,sesame or groundnut filling instead of toor dal stuffing.
For a Vegan version avoid ghee in the stuffing.

Technorati Tags: kudumulu recipe, ganesh chaturthi recipes, vinayaka chavithi recipes, kobbari kudumulu, coconut karjikai, karida kayi kadubu, fried modak, festival recipes, sweets recipes

'Vinayaka Chavithi' also known as 'Ganesh Chaturthi' is on 29th August. It is my favourite festival from childhood and I always look forward to this festival as we celebrate it in a grand manner. In Karnataka this festival is called Gauri Ganesha where the previous day before Ganesh Chaturthi - is celebrated to worship the Goddess Gauri and we have a tradition to distribute the Vayanam(a set of items laid together) among the married ladies.I am reposting my recipe collection with few updated recipes so that it is helpful to plan the menu.

The menu differs from state to state. In Andhra, the menu would be like Undrallu, Bellam Kudumulu, Undralla Payasam, Chintapandu Pulihora, Medu Vada, Semiya Payasam or Sago Kheer along with sundal, stir fry, Pappu Chaaru etc. In Karnataka we prepare Holige for Gowri Habba and on Ganesh Chaturthi we prepare Kudumulu with various fillings or Karida(Fried) Kadubu, Idli with rice rava, Undralla Payasam, sundal, Kosambari, stir fry, Kandunta Majjiga Pulusu, rasam etc. Whereas in Maharasthra Modak or Puran Poli are prepared as main sweets and along with Varan Bhaat and other items on the menu.

I am compiling various set of recipes from all the regions so that it would be convenient to choose according to your preferences.