Thai Green Curry…

So now that the first part of the festive season and a short break is over..here is something that i made for my family some time back…

Ingredients:

Diced Vegetables: 2-3 cups (carrots, capsicum, peas, cauliflower florets, babycorn, mushrooms etc)
Diced tofu: 1 /2 cup
Thai basil leaves: 5-6 nos
Coconut milk: 3-4 cups
Kaeng Thai green curry paste: 50 gms
Salt: according to taste
Method:

1. In a large sauce pan, simmer half the quantity of the coconut milk. Add all the vegetables to it (exclude the tofu) and cook…
2. Add required amount of thai green curry paste and salt to it and let it simmer for 10 more minutes or till the vegetables are cooked.
3. Add the balance amount of coconut milk, tofu and simmer for some more time…
4. Add the thai basil leaves and serve hot with cooked rice…

Suhiyan for Saraswati Pooja…

Saraswati pooja is celebrated on the 9th day of navaratri. Goddess saraswati is the presiding deity of the spoken word. Mounting on her swan, she plays on Kachchapi, her veena and is worshipped as the presiding deity of knowledge… To know a little more visit here …

This Saraswati pooja i made Suhiyan for neivedyam / prasadam…

Ingredients:

Filling

Grated Coconut: 1 cup
Jaggery: 3/4 th cup
Cardamom: 5-6 (powder the spice)

Cover

Urad dal: 1 cup
Salt: 2 pinches
Oil : 3-4 cups for frying

Method:

1. Soak the urad dal for 3-4 hours in water.
2. Grind the urad dal in a processor or mixie with salt. The consistency should be a little thinner than what we grind for ulundu vadai (urad dal vadai)
3. Powder the jaggery and set aside…
4. Heat a kadai, add little water (1-3 tsp) and add the jaggery to it. Dissolve the jaggery in the water.
5. Once the jaggery starts frothing add the coconut and keep stirring on slow flame…
6. Cook till all the water is absorbed and the mixture thickens (if the mixture is rolled in the palm of the hands, one should be able to make small balls out of it). Add cardamom powder and keep aside…
7. Make small balls of the coconut mixture.
8. Dip the coconut balls in the urad dal mixture and fry them in oil…

This is my entry for Vcuisine’s RCI-Tamil Festivals …

Aamchur wale aloo…

This is a very simple aloo sabzi and it goes very well with roti or parathas…

Ingredients:

Potatoes / aloo: 3 nos medium sized
Aamchur power / dry mango powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Salt : according to taste
Red chilli powder: according to taste
Corriander leaves: finely chopped for garnish
Oil: 1 tbsp
Jeera: 3 tsp

Method:

1. In this case, i have not peeled the skin of the aloo. Cut the aloo into long strips (1 inch length)
2. Heat oil in a kadai. add jeera and let it splutter.
3. Add turmeric powder, cut aloo and salt amd mix well..cook on low flame with lid closed…
4. When the aloo is almost done, add the red chilli powder and cook with lid open and roast the aloo…
5. Once the aloos are done, add the aamchur powder and mix well (though i  have said 2 tsp, one could add according to their own requirements)
6. Add lot of corriander leaves and mix well…
7. Serve hot with rotis or parathas…

Kuzha Puttu with Kadala Curry…

Kuzha puttu and kadala curry is traditionally had for breakfast in Kerala. The kuzha is a vessel in which puttu is made. The traditional kuzha was made up of two vessels, wherein the bottom portion (puttu kodam / puttu pot) has water in it to create the steam and the upper tall vessel had the puttu mixture (puttu maavu). Now a days the kuzha is available in such a way that it can be placed over a pressure cooker and the kuzha puttu can be made…

Ingredients:

Puttu
Puttu Maavu: 1 Cup ready made chemba (red rice) puttu maavu
Coconut: 1 cup
Salt to taste

Kadala curry
Kadala / small brown chickpeas: 2 cups
Coconut: 1 cup
onion: 1 nos finely sliced
Dhania seeds: 2 tsp
jeera: 2 tsp
Red chillies: 3-4 nos or according to taste
Oil: 2 tsp
salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak the kadala overnight in water.
2. Cook the soaked kadala with salt and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai and saute coconut, dhania seeds, jeera, onions. red chillies till the whole mixture is brown in colour.
4. Grind the sauteed coconut mixture to a coarse paste and set aside.
5. Heat oil in a kadai and add the kadala and the coconut paste and cook for 10-15 minutes on low flame…

 
(picture quality is not that great )

6. For the puttu, take 1 cup of the puttu maave (puttu powder) and add little salt to it and mix.
7. Wet the puttu maavu with water in such a way that the powder is still dry but when you close your fist, the maavu retains the shape of the fist… Now divide the maavu into two equal portions and set aside…
8. Take a pressure cooker, add water to it and heat it, once the water heated close the lid of the pressure cooker…
9. Take the kuzha and layer the bottom of the kuzha with little coconut.
10. Layer one portion of the puttu maavu, then add coconut on top of it..then layer the second portion of the maavu and add one more layer of coconut…
11. Once the steam comes out of the pressure cooked, close the lid of the kuzha and place the kuzha on top of the cooker (place it from where the steam is usually released)…
12. Steam the kuzha on the cooker for atleast 10 mins..
13. For removing the puttu: Remove the kuzha from on top of the cooker. Use the thin metal stick given with the kuza and push the puttu from the back of the vessel…
14. Serve hot with kadala curry

Scrambled egg in a tomato gravy…

This is D’s speciality. Loved having this with steamed rice and believe it or not as a side dish for curd rice too…

Ingredients:

Egg: 6 nos
Tomatoes:5-6 nos medium sized (pureed)
Onions: 2 nos finely chopped
Peas and sweet corn: 1 cup
Milk: 1 tbsp
Jeera: 2 tsp
Whole masalas: cinamon stick (1 inch), badi elaichi (1 nos), cloves (5-6),
Sakthi egg curry powder: 50 gm
Salt: according to taste
Ginger - garlic paste: 2 tsp
Corriander leaves: finely chopped for garnish.
oil: 2 + 3 tsp.
Ghee: 1 dollop

Method:

1. In a kadai, heat some oil and break open all the eggs one at a time and scramble them.
2. Add salt and once the eggs are nicely scrambled, add the milk and mix it nicely and cook on low flame for 1-2 mins so that the eggs are soft and fluffy. Once cooked set aside…
3. Take a kadai and heat oil in it…add ground whole masalas and jeera to it…
4. Add the chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste and saute till the onions turn pink in colour…
5. Add the pureed tomatoes, peas and corn and cook till the oil seperates from the corner of the vessel.
6. Now add the scrambled egg and the egg curry powder.
7. Close the kadai with a lid and let the curry simmer on a low flame for 20-25 minutes.
8. Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well…
9. Add a dollop of ghee and mix well…
10.  Serve hot with steamed rice…

Sabz chawal

This is a variety fo vegetable pulao which i made recently on a week day. Having less time in hand i had to make something which is a meal by itself and is also tasty…so here goes…

Ingredients:

Diced vegetables: 1-1.5 cups (carrots, peas, cauliflower etc)
Tomatoes: 5-6 nos
Onion: 2 nos (finely diced)
Masala powder: jeera, dhania, turmeric, red chilli: according to taste
Whole masalas: bay leaves, cinamon stickes, cloves, badi elaichi : all ground to make a powder : 3 -4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsp
oil: 1 tbsp
Basmati rice: 1-1.5 cups
corriander leaves: for garnish
salt: according to taste
Saffron: 2 pinches

Method:

1. Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 mins and cook it with the whole masala powder till each grain seperates. (While cooking one could also add 1-2 tsp of ghee, increases the flavour of the rice)
2. Once the rice is cooked remove the rice on a plate and let it cook and let the rice grains seperate.
3. Take a kadai and heat oil in it.
4. Add finely diced onions and ginger-garlic paste to it and saute till the onions turn little brown in colour.
5. Once the raw smell of the ginger - garlic paste is gone add, pureed tomatoes and let it cook till the oil seperates on the sides of the kadai..
6. Add the other diced vegetables and let it cook.
7. Once the vegetables are 80% cooked, add the masala powders and cook till the vegetables are well done.
8. Add the cooked rice, salt and mix well and cook under a very low flame with the lid closed so that all the flavour seeps in the rice…
9. Dissolve saffron in little luke warm milk and set aside for 15 minutes. Add the saffron milk to the rice and mix well…
10. Garnish with corriander leaves and serve with raita…

This is my entry to Sunita’s “Think spice-think saffron “…

Mutter ke Parathe

Bengalis usually make this as a puri variety, but i usually make it as a paratha to avoid the frying…

Ingredients:

Dough

Wheat: 1 portion
Maida: 1 portion
oil: 1 - 2 tsp
salt: according to taste

Filling:

Mutter / Peas: 1 cup
jeera: 1 tsp
saunf: 3 tsp
green chillies: according to taste
oil: 2-3 tsp
salt: according to taste

Method:

1. Prepare a dough with the ingredients mentioned above and set aside covered in a vessel for 30-40 minutes.
2. Take a kadai and heat oil in it.
3. Grind in a mixie or food processor the peas and green chillies.
4.Take a kadai and heat oil in it.
5. Add the jeera and saunf and let them crackle.
6. Add the ground peas to it and add the required amount of salt and mix well.
7. Cook the whole mixture till the mixture becomes dry. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
8. Make small, round balls from the dough and make chappatis of about 7-8 cms.
9. Place 1 -2 tsp of the peas filling in the middle of the chappati and make a ball again.
10. Make a chapatti out of this and cook them on flame in a tava.
11. Flip on both sides and cook. Add little oil on both sides to get a nice brown colour…
12. Serve hot with pickle or sabzi…

Vegetable Wontons…

This is something which i absolutely love and order this almost every time i go to a chinese restaurant…

Ingredients:

Dough:

Wheat: 1 portion
Maida: 1 portion
oil: 1 tsp
Salt: a little

Filling:

Finely sliced vegetables: 1 cup (cabbage, beans, carrot, capsicum)
Onions: 1 small (finely sliced)
Sauces: soy sauce, chilli sauce : according to taste
Ginger-Garlic paste: 1 tsp
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Aginomoto: a pinch
Salt: according to taste
Oil: 3-4 tsp for sauteing the vegetables and then more for frying…

Method:

1. Make a dough with the given ingredients and set aside in a vessel for around 30-35 minutes.
2. Take a kadai / wok and heat little oil, once the oil is hot add the onions and the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the onion are pink in colour and the paste loses the raw smell…
3. Add all the other finely sliced vegetables, salt, aginomoto and mix well.
4. Add the various sauces and saute (take care that the vegetables do not get completely cooked)
5. The filling should be dry, switch off the flame and add vinegar to it…set it aside in a seperate vessel…
6. Make small round balls of the dough and make chapattis of around 7-8 cms in diameter.
7. Take a 1-2 tsp of the filling and place it in the centre of the chapatti.
8.Fold the chapatti to make it into a semi-circular shape.
9. Seal the edges by pressing the dough at the sides.
10. Hold the edges and bring them in the front and join them to bring the shape in the picture (you could make then in any shpe you want to also )
11. Heat oil in a kadai / wok a for frying the wontons.
12. To check if the oil is hot enough, take a corriander leaf (long ones) and dip it in the oil and see (cover your hand with a towel so that oil does not hit your hand), if you hear crackling sound then the oil is hot… saw this in Travel & Living (Kylie Kwang does this)
13. Fry the wontons till brown and remove it on a tissue paper to drain out excess oil.
14. Serve hot with tomato sauce / chilli sauce…

Pav Bhaji…

This is Pav Bhaji with a difference, have made this in the microwave (most of the vegetable cooking), but the result was good…

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 2 nos medium sized
Tomatoes: 3-4 nos medium sized (chopped)
Onions: 1 nos medium size (Chopped)
Diced vegetables (beans, carrots, cauliflower, peas etc): 2 cups
Masalas: Red chilli powder, turmeric powder, dhania powder…
Pav Bhaji masala: 3-4 tsp
Salt according to taste
Cheese: 25-30 gms (grated)
Corriander leaves, finely diced onions: for garnish
Lemon: 1-2 nos

Method:

1. Prick the potatoes all around with fork and cook on High for 9-10 mins in the microwave and set aside.
2. Cook the rest of the diced vegetables in the microwave for 10 min on high

(use a lid which has vents or else do not close the microwave container with a lid whiile cooking)

3. Peel the potatoes and dice the cooked potatoes.
4. Take 50% of cooked potatoes and mash them with a ladle or with hand.
5. Take half quantity of the cooked diced vegetables and mash them in a mixer to a pulp and set aside.
6. Take oil in a kadai and heat it. Once the oil is hot add choppped onions and ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
7. Once the onions are cooked, add the chopped tomatoes and saute till the oil seperates from them.
8. Add the various masala powders and saute for some more time.
9. Add all the cooked vegetables (pulp and diced) and mix well.
10. Add salt, pav bhaji masala and let the whole thing simmer for some time.
11. Before serving, add chopped onions, grated cheese, lemon juice and garnish it with corriander leaves
12. Serve hot with toasted pav / bread…

Hare channe ka Kurma

A couple of days back i purchased frozen green chick peas and decided to create a preperation to eat with rotis… traditionally the green / dried dark brown chick peas have been used in south India for ‘chundal’ purposes..so this was something completely my experiment…

Ingredients:

Green chickpeas: 250 gms
Salt to taste
Tomato: 2 nos medium sized
Oil: 2 tsp
corriander leaves for garnish

Kurma mixture paste:
Grated Coconut: 200 gms
Onions: 1 nos med sized
Dhania seeds: 2 tsp
jeera: 2tsp
saunf / fennel seeds: 2 tsp
Red chillies: according to taste
salt to taste
oil: 2 tsp

Method:

1. Cook the green chick peas seperately in a kadai or microwave.
2. Take a kadai and heat oil and add the jeera, dhania seeds and saunf and saute …
3. Add the onions, red chillies, some salt and saute.
4. Once the onions are light brown in colour, add grated coconut and saute till the whole misture is medium brown in colour…
5. In the kadai, now add the cooked chick peas, turmeric powder, salt and cook for another 5 more minutes
6. Add finely diced tomatoes and let it simmer with a lid on top of the kadai till the tomatoes get cooked..(ensure that the tomatoes do not get squashed while turning the curry)
7. Garnish and serve with rotis…