Tofu in Tomato Onion Gravy

This recipe is a close replica to our yummy paneer butter masala.

The recipe is quite simple and easy. Doesn’t take more than 30 min from scratch.

Preparation time: 5min
Cooling time: 5min
Cooking time: 10+10min

This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

1.Cashew nuts – 10
2.Water – 100ml (lukewarm)
3.Oil – 30ml (2 small tbsp)
4.Onions – 2 (medium sized) – Chopped
5.Green Chillies – 6 (adjust to taste) – Chopped
6.Tomatoes – 500gm (cut into chunks)
7.Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece (break into pieces)
8.Cloves – 5
9.Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
10.Salt – 1.5 tsp (adjust to taste)
11.Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
12.Paprika powder – ½ tsp
13.Semi-skimmed milk – 150ml
14.Tofu – 350gm (cubed)
15.Coriander – 1 tablespoon (chopped finely) – to garnish

Method:

1.Soak the cashew nuts in a 100ml of warm water.
2.Meanwhile heat a kadai and add 1 small tbsp of oil.
3.When the oil is heated up, add the chopped onions and green chillies.
4.Saute for 3-4 min until the onions turn transparent.
5.Now add the tomato chunks and cook for few min, until the tomatoes turn soft.
6.Turn off the heat and cool for 5min.
7.Take this mixture in a blender, add the soaked cashews along with the water and grind to a paste.
8.Clean the kadai and wipe off with a towel. Place it on the stove and add 1 small tbsp of oil.
9.When the oil is heated up, add cinnamon pieces, cloves, ginger garlic paste and roast until the raw smell leaves.
10.Now add the ground paste, salt, garam masala, paprika powder and milk, bring to boil.
11.Finally add the tofu cubes and cook for 2min and turn off the heat.
12.Garnish with chopped coriander

Serving Suggestion:

Serve hot with rotis/parathas/rice/Jeera rice.

Palak Paneer

This is one of my favourite items in the restaurant menu...I've tried it few times before, but could never make it to my satisfaction...few weeks back I tried this again, this time I've added some paprika and milk and the taste, texture, consistency was so good..I do not prefer to grind the palak to a paste, hence this looks a bit different from the one we get in hotels..Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients: (for 3 people)

1. Spinach - 3 cups (finely chopped)

2. Paneer cubes - 250gm

3. Onion - 1 (Sliced)

4. Tomatoes - 2 small (cut into chunks)

5. Green chillies - 6 (chopped)

6. Ginger garlic paste - 2tsp

7. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

8. Salt - as per taste

9. Paprika powder - 1/2 tsp

10. Cashew nuts - 1 table spoon (soaked in warm water for 5min)

11. Oil - 2 tbsp

12. Ghee - 2 tsp

13. Milk - 150ml

14. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch long (break into pieces)

15. Cloves - 4

Procedure:

1. Take a wide bottomed kadai and heat 1 tbsp of oil.

2. Add the cinnamon pieces, cloves and fry for 30 sec.

3. Now add the onions, green chillies and saute until the onions are transperent.

4. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes turn soft.

6. Turn off the heat and let this mixture cool.

7. Take this mixture in a blender. Add the soaked cashew nuts and grind to a smooth paste. Set this paste aside.

8. Now in a kadai (you can use the same original one) heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.

9. Add the chopped spinach and fry until the raw smell leaves (takes about 5min)

10. Now add the grinded paste to this roasted spinach.

11. Add salt, garam masala powder, paprika powder, milk and cook on medium for 5min. Add water if required.

12. Take 2 tsps of ghee in small kadai and heat it.

13. Fry the paneer cubes until golden brown.

14. Tranfer the paneer cubes into the gravy, mix well.

15. Cook on low for 2 more min and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with rotis/parathas.

Baby Corn - Aloo Mughlai Curry

I've made this dish following a Khaana Khazaana kind of program - Aha Emi Ruchi in Mana Telugu TV channel. Tasted so good with rotis, so can't wait anymore to post this here. Thanks to Vijaya Rao (the lady who shares these recipes)...Here goes the recipe (I've used baby corn instead of paneer)

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 2 (Peel cut into cubes)

2. Baby Corn - 400gm (I used canned babycorn)

3. Onion - 1 large (chopped)

4. Tomatoes - 2 (cut into chunks)

5. Green/Red long chillies - 4 (sliced length-wise)

6. Milk - One cup

7. Garam masala - 1 tsp

8. Salt - to taste

9. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

10. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch (break into tiny pieces)

11. Black Peppercorn - 10 (optional)

12. Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Take water in pan, add the potato cubes and boil for about 5min. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a wide bottomed kadai. Fry these boiled potato cubes for 5-6min until they turn to light brown in color. Remove the potato cubes and set aside.

3. In the same oil add the baby corn and fry for about 2-3min (you can skip this step). Remove from oil and set aside.

4. Now add the cumin seeds, cinnamon pieces, peppercorn. After 30sec add the onion and chilli pieces.

5. Saute until the onions turn transperent.

6. Now add the tomatoes, salt, garam masala powder and milk.

7. Cover and cook for 5min, till the tomatoes turn soft.

8. Remove the lid and add fried potatoes, baby corn and mix well.

9. Cook for another 2min and turn off the heat

10. Serve hot with Rotis/chapathis

Bell Pepper Kurma in Milk

Kurma in Milk....Errrrrr! Does this sound weird? Well, it's not weird in taste....Last week I was making drumstick curry with milk (mulakkayya palu koora). Drumsticks, Bottle gourds, Cucumbers taste good when cooked with milk..So I thought why not try other veggies....I'm in love with Bell Peppers now and hence I wanted to cook them this way...I make bell pepper/potato kurma with sour yogurt to go with Rotis and Parathas...For this recipe I used milk instead of yogurt.....It tasted so yumm...My milk mania had no leaps n bounds since then...I cooked mushrooms and eggs in milk and that turned out yummier...'ll post that recipe soon..

For the Bell Pepper Kurma here's the recipe,

Ingredients:

Bell peppers - 3 (wash n cut into chunks)

Potato - 1 (wash, peel and cut into cubes)

Onion - 1 (chopped)

Green chillies - 5 (chopped) - adjust to taste

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Turmeric - 1 pinch

Milk - 2 cups

Oil - 1 tbsp

Coriander - to garnish

Method:

1. Take water in a pan and add cubed potatoes. Add salt and a pinch of turmeric and bring to boil. Do not over boil. 5min on high would be sufficient. Drain the water and set the potato cubes aside.

2. Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan. Add the chopped onions, green chillies, ginger garlic paste and roast until the raw smells goes off.

3. Now add the bell pepper/capsicum chunks, sprinkle some water and cover the pan. Cook on medium for 5min. Capsicum starts turning soft.

4. Remove the lid, add salt, coriander powder, cumin powder. Mix well.

5. Add the boiled potato cubes, milk and cover the pan.

6. Cook on medium for 10min and turn off the heat when the gravy starts thickening.

7. Garnish with coriander and serve with Rotis.

Ridge gourd-Chana dal Curry : Beerakaya-senagapappu masala

We do not use Chana dal often in our curries when compared to toor dal and moong dal, except for the tempering/popu/tadka.....This Chana dal curry tastes so delicious and yummy...I learnt this from my mom...I do not know if this can be cooked with any other vegetable other than Ridge gourd...Other than the normal Ridge gourd chutney, Ridge gourd Dal with Toor Dal or Moong Dal and curry with mik, this is one more variety of Ridge gourd based curries...Ginger garlic paste and cumin powder adds a spicy masala flavour to this curry..

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd/Turai/Beerakaya - 1 medium sized (wash, and cut into 1 inch cubes)

Chana Dal - 1 cup (washed)

Onion - 1 (chopped)

Green chillies - 4-5 (chopped) - adjust to taste

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 1 (broken)

Curry leaves - 6-8

Method:

1. Take Chana Dal in a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water and cook for 3 whistles. Dal should be seperate and not to be mashed. Drain the water and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan, add the mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves.

3. When the seeds start spluttering add the onions, green chillies and ginger garlic paste.

4. Saute until the onions turn soft and transperent.

5. Now add the ridge gourd pieces, salt and cumin powder and 1/2 cup of water. Mix well.

6. Close the pan and allow to cook on medium flame for about 10min. The Ridge gourd pieces turn soft at this stage.

7. Stir in the Chana dal now, cover and cook for 5 min. Remove from heat.

Serve with Rice or Rotis.

Aloo Mutter in Coconut gravy

I came home craving for some Paneer based curry after seeing Cinnamon's Paneer Butter Masala....But then my hubby asked me for Aloo Korma.....So I postponed the paneer concept and decided to make Aloo Mutter....This curry is normally made with yogurt, tomatoes...today I tried it with coconut and khus-khus gravy..turned out so yummyyyyy and delicious..Hubby dear ended up licking his fingers...:D...

Here's the recipe,

Ingredients:

Potatoes/Aloo - 3 (washed, peeled and cut into cubes)

Green peas - 1 cup (boiled) - I used frozen peas

Onion - 1 (chopped)

Khus-Khus - 1 tbsp (soaked in hot water for 10min)

Desicated coconut - 2 tbsp

Coriander (dhania) powder - 1tsp

Cumin powder - 1tsp

Salt - as per taste

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Coriander - 1tbsp (chopped)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Take water in a saucepan and put the potato cubes in it. Boil for about 10min. Drain the water and keep the potatoes aside.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. Add the chopped onions and saute until the onions become transperent.

3. Now add the soaked khus-khus seeds and grated coconut. Saute for 2min.

4. Turn off heat and let it cool. Take this mixture in a blender and grind to a smooth paste adding water.

5. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the same kadai and add the ginger garlic paste. Roast for 2min.

6. Add the ground onion/coconut/khus-khus paste to the kadai and fry for 3-4min.

7. When the paste starts turning brown add the salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander(dhania) powder. Mix well.

8. Add 200ml of water and let the gravy come to boil.

9. Add the boiled potato cubes and green peas and stir well.

10. Cook for 2 min and turn off the heat.

11. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with Rotis.

Potato Onion Palya - Majjige Huli

I never tried out any other South Indian recipes (other than Andhra) till date. I made akki rotis and masala vada before, but they are often made in andhra kitchen too..So I was not very sure about their origins...when I came cross the RCI - Karnataka Event hosted by Asha this month, I decided to give a try in Karnataka cuisine seriously this time....I googled, googled n googled for days together and finally decided to try out these two dishes..the recipes were adopted from Payaswini's cookbook


Both the recipes turned out be successful and my hubby is happy to get back to his undergrad memories of tasting authentic karnataka recipes at his University hostel in Shimoga..He's still on his way emptying the plates...:D

Potato Onion Palya - Original Recipe is here

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 (boiled, peeled and cut into cubes)

Onions - 2 (chopped)

Green or Red chillies - 4 (chopped)

Oil - 1tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Chana Dal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 10

Turmeric powder - 1/4th tsp

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Grated coconut - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal and Chana dal.

2. When the seeds start to splutter, add the curry leaves, chillies, onions and turmeric.

3. Saute for 5min or until the onions turn transperent.

4. Add salt, grated coconut and mix well.

5. Finally add the cubed potatoes and cook for 3-4min.

6. Take off from heat and sprinkle the lemon juice on top.

Majjige Huli - Original Recipe is here

Ingredients:

Thick Buttermilk - 3 cups

Spinach - 3 cups (cleaned and chopped)

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

For Tempering

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 5-6

For masala

Chana Dal - 1/2 cup (soaked in hot water for 20min)

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4th tsp

Black pepper corns - 3-4

Green/Red chillies - 4 (chopped)

Ginger - 1 tsp (grated)

Turmeric powder - 1/4th tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Curry leaves - 8-10

Procedure:

1. Boil the spinach in water for abt 8-10 min and drain the water.

2. Take all the ingredients for masala and grind to a smooth paste using little water.

3. In a pan heat oil, add spinach saute for 2-3min, add salt and the ground masala paste, mix well.

4. Add a cup of water and bring to boil.

5. Remove from heat and add the buttermilk. Stir well.

6. Heat oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start to splutter add the curry leaves and remove from heat.

7. Add this seasoning to the Majjige Huli. Garnish with Majjiga mirapakayalu(optional)

Serve warm with Rice.

So this is my entry to RCI Karnataka Event hosted by Asha of Foodies Hope

Note: Majjige Huli can be prepared with cucumber or okra too. I used spinach instead.

Pappulusu..Moong Dal Lemon Soup

For those who are familiar with stories written in telugu with a village backdrop, the popular combo pappu charu - uppu chepa (Toor Dal Rasam and Fish fry) doesn't need any further explaination...This's a famous village dinner menu in Andhra Paradesh..In my hometown Nellore, Pappu charu is not made very often..Instead we make Pappulusu (Moong dal rasam with lemon flavour) and serve it with non-veg dry items...Fish is the most common mate to this Pappulsu...

So on one fine sunday mid-morning my hubby reminded me of this combo and hence I decided to cook that for lunch...I started making fish fry, but with my cooking skills all I could do is to transform fish fry to a gravy like fish curry..The saga of how this happened is another story...

But it's soulmate Moong Dal Rasam turned out to be a success. This's a very easy recipe..with the most common n simple ingredients...goes well with any dry curries...aloo fry, okra fry or any non-veg dry curry...Here goes the recipe for pappulusu,

Ingredients:

Moong Dal - 1 cup (dry roast them in an Iron Skillet until sligh brownish color, set aside to cool - you can even skip this step)

Onion - 1 small - sliced

Green chillies - 2 chopped

Garlic - 2 pods - crushed

Lemon juice - 1-2 table spoons (adjust)

Salt - as per taste (you can reduce the salt amount, since lemon flavour is already there)

For tadka or popu - Cumin seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal - 1/2 tsp each, curry leaves -10, dried red chillies - 2, oil - 2 tsp

Procedure:

1. In a pressure cooker take the roasted moong dal, onion slices, green chillies and crushed garlic.

2. Add 2 cups of water and cook until 3 whistles. When all the pressure is gone, open the cooker, mash tha dal and mix well.
3. Again turn on the flame and place the cooker. Add 1-1.5 cups of water.
4. When the rasam starts boiling add the salt and lemon juice. Turn off the flame.
5. Do the popu seperately in a small pan and add it to the moong dal rasam.





Serve hot with rice and any dry item.

Chilli Paneer - Indian cottage cheese cooked in Soy sauce

I prepared some Paneer a couple of weeks back for Palak Paneer and stored the left over paneer in the freezer and totally forgot abt it..I was cleaning up the refrigerator and found this paneer slab lying in the corner...so thought of preparing some paneer curry...I normally make palak paneer and paneer butter masala with paneer..This time I wanted to try a different curry...googled for paneer recipes and found the recipe for chilli paneer here...The recipe to make Paneer at home can be found here...

Turned out so delicious that I ended up without the necessity to clean the vessel or the plate :D..I made some changes to the original recipe..Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

Paneer - 250gm (cut into cubes)
Onion - 1 large (chopped finely)
Green chillies - 4-5 (chopped)
Grated Ginger - 1 tsp
Grated garlic - 1 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 3 tsp
Salt - to taste
Corn flour - 1 table spoon (you can use maida flour too)
Oil - 2 table spoons to roast


Procedure:

1. Dissolve the corn flour in 300ml of water and keep aside.
2. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the oil and fry the paneer cubes until slight brownish color.
3. Soak these fried paneer cubes in warm water for 10min and remove. Keep these aside (If you avoid this step, the paneer cubes in the curry become very hard)
4. Now to the same oil, add the grated ginger and garlic and fry for a min
5. Add the chopped green chillies and onions and fry until the onions turn transperent.
6. Now add the salt, black powder powder, soy sauce and mix well.
7. Add the water mixed with cornflour.
8. Cook for 2-3 min. At this stage the gravy starts thickening.
9. Now add the paneer pieces and cook on low for 5 min.
10. Garnish with coriander/sliced n deseeded green chillies/green onions


Serve hot with Rotis. I had them with methi rotis (they are just like the normal rotis with dried fenugreek leaves added to the wheat flour while mixing)

Cabbage Moong dal Fry

I haven't been cooking for the past 4 days..I made a huge pan of sambar on Sunday and 've been eating it with rice and omlet/crisps/papads for dinner...and junk for lunch @ work..so today while coming home I decided to cook something fresh..Came home opened my fridge and found a chunk of cabbage lying alone...It was looking so dull and dipressed..I felt as if it was asking me "Why did you leave me alone? Comeon...do something..'m sick of being cut and stored for days together"...hmmm...but then I don't cook cabbage alone...I hate the raw smell and the bland taste of cabbage...

My cabbage recipe index is cabbage-grated coconut stir fry, cabbage-potato curry, cabbage-spinach and last but not the least..cabbage-moong dal fry...I also make cabbage upma (substitute onions with chopped cabbage...idea adopted frm my friend Praveena who's a great devotee of Iskon)

No potatoes, no coconut and no spinach at home..So I had to make the dal fry...I tasted this recipe during a feast at one of our cousin's marriage...But it was mashed moong dal cooked with cabbage..that's cabbage pappu...My aunt alters this recipe and prepares a dry curry....

Hmmm....long introduction to a short recipe....for those moon dal lovers, here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 2 cups (chopped finely)

Moong dal - 1 cup

Onion - 1 (chopped)

Green chillies - 4 (chopped)

Ginger - 1 tsp (grated)

Garlic - 1 tsp (crushed)

Curry leaves - 8-10

Turmeric - 1/4th tsp

Salt - to taste

For tadka/popu - Cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal - 1 tsp each

Oil - 1 table spoon

Procedure:

1. Wash the moong dal. Boil water in a sauce pan and add this moong dal.Let it boil for 5min and then remove from heat and let it stand for about 10min. Drain the water and set the dal aside. The texture of the dal should be seperate.

2. Take the chopped cabbage in a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle some water and microwave on high for 5min.

3. Heat oil in a curry pan. Add the popu ingredients and the curry leaves.

4. When the seeds start spluttering, add the ginger and garlic pieces.

5. Fry for 30 sec and add the green chillies and onions. Saute till onions turn transperent.

6. Now add the turmeric powder, salt and mix well.

7. Add the boiled moong dal and roast for about 4-5min.

8. Finally add the microwaved cabbage, close the lid and simmer for 5min.

9. Remove from heat and serve.

This curry tastes well both with rice and rotis.

Bell Pepper - Potato Sticks Fry

I fell in love with these colorful Bell Peppers/Capsicum after I stepped out of India...They were not very frequently seen in the local market whilst I was a child...So I didn't taste them for many years...It's only in Hyderbad at my Uncle's house I tasted the capsicum curry for the first time...Attamma used to make capsicum curry mixed with peanuts powder...and they were only green bell peppers...



After I started my own cooking I tried these red/yellow/green peppers in many veggie curries...I love them in salads, chutneys, curries, frys, stuffed recipes...Especially when cooked together with potatoes I simply love that combination...I make this fry very often...not only a feast to the tummy, but with its colorful appearance it's a feast to our eyes too...Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

Bell Pepper - 2 (1 Green, 1 Red) - Cut intlo long chunks
Potatoes - 2 - washed,peeled and cut into long sticks
Red Onion - 1 - sliced
Green chillies - 3 - chopped
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1/4th teaspoon
Oil - 1 table spoon
For Tadka/popu - cumin, mustard, urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon each and red chillies - 2

Procedure:

1. In a saucepan bring water to boil. Add the turmeric powder to the water and some salt. Then add the potato sticks. Leave for 3-4min. Do not over boil the potatoes. Drain the water and keep the potato sticks aside.
2. Heat oil in a Pan and add the urad dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Add the red chillies too.
3. When the mustard seeds start to splutter add the green chillies and onions. Saute them till onions turn soft.
4. Now add the capsicum chunks, salt and mix well. Cook for abt 3-4min.
5. When the capsicum turns soft add the potato sticks and mix thoroughly. Cook for 3-4min and turn off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or chapathis.

Masala Vada...Left overs can be converted to a delicious curry

Masala Vada/Gaare...when you look at this name what do you think of? Well, before I tasted them, I used to imagine that they are normal Garelu with some masala paste added to them...But this recipe is like our Mysore Bonda with no Mysore in it...:D...It has no ingredients other than ginger to be called as Masala......then where did this name come from?????
I dunno....:(...Masala vada is a famous evening snack in Nellore, my hometown, which is very close to Tamilnadu...and this recipe has been adapted from TamilNadu cuisine(Source of info - Nellore VRC centre daggara mobile-canteen vala)...Just like the punugulu in Krishna Dt, Mirchi Bajji in Hyderabad, So is the Masala vada in Nellore...

Also from Sharmi's first post, I came to know its Tamil name - Parupu Vadai (Parupu is pappu I guess, since we make it with Chana dal pappu, it might have been named like that)..Sharmi, please if you happen to see this post let me know if I am wrong in interpreting its meaning...



Ok then..without much story telling I'll post the recipe..But haaa...I have one more thing to say...In Nellore you'll also find a recipe called Masala vadalu pulusu...these Masala vadalu cooked in tamarind sauce...My mom never made this, but I tasted it in many of my friends' houses...Left over masala vadalu can be used for this recipe...Ok now...end of introduction...

Ingredients:

Chana Dal - 2 cups (soak in hot water for 30min and drain)
Onion pieces - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 4 (chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)
Curry leaves - 6-8
Salt - as per taste
Oil - to fry

Procedure:

1. Grind the Chana dal to a semi-ground textured paste (do not add water, if at all it is difficult to grind, add little water)
2. Now add the onion pieces, chopped green chillies, ginger pieces, curry leaves and salt and grind for just 2-4sec. Do not grind them for long.
3. Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai. When oil is piping hot, reduce the flame to medium high
4. Make patties with the ground paste on your palm and drop them carefully in the oil.
5. Deep fry them and place on a tissue for the excess oil to be absorbed.

Serve hot/warm/cold however you like...crispy, tasty masala vadalu ready....:D.....you do not need any chutney with this...they taste well on their own...

The story doesn't end here. As I told you, the left overs can be used for a gravy curry...




Ingredients:

Masala vadalu - 6-8 (left overs)
Onion - 1 sliced
Tomato - 1 cut into chunks
Tamarind pulp - 1 table spoon
Water - 2 cups
Salt - as per taste
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

For tadka/popu,

Oil - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-8

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a wide pan, when the oil is hot add fenugreek, cumin and mustard seeds.
2. When the mustard seeds start to splutter add the curry leaves
3. Now add the onions and saute them till transperent
4. Add the turmeric powder and mix well
5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2min.
6. Add the salt and Red chilli powder and mix well.
7. Now add the tamarind paste and water and stir well.
8. Cook on medium flame until the gravy/sauce starts to boil.
9. Then add the masala vadalu and simmer for 3-5min.
10. Switch off and close the pan with a lid. Let the masala vadalu soak well (30min) and absorb the tamarind flavour before serving.



Serve warm with hot steamed rice.

Egg Cutlets with Pappu Charu (Toor dal rasam)

I lately realised that I'd completed my half century of posts..Time really flies...I never expected myself to be a regular blogger...

Well, for ppl who've gone thru my previous suthi post might be wondering why I blabbered a lot abt Eggs...becoz I made Egg cutlets on Friday...One of my favourite recipes with Eggs...They can be served as a starter or an accomplishment to a main meal...I also made Toor Dal Rasam (Pappu charu) which goes well with these cutlets....




Recipe For Egg Cutlet:




Ingredients:

For cutlet,
Eggs - 3
Milk - 50ml
Ginger/Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Onions - finely chopped - 1 table spoon
Green chillies - finely chopped - 1 Tsp (2 chillies)
Salt - 1/2 - 1 tsp (adjust)

For roasting,
Oil - 1 table spoon
Onions - 1- Sliced
Garam masala (or coriander/cumin powder) - 1 tsp


Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients for cutlet in a bowl thoroughly.

2. Steam cook this mixture in a pressure cooker until 3 whistles. You'll get a cake like structure. You'll have to cut into pieces. Alternately you can put this mixture in idli plates (greased) and cook them like normal Idlis.

3. Keep these cutlets aside.

4. In a pan heat oil and saute the onions till they turn transperent. Add the garam masala powder and mix well.

5. Place these cutlets in the pan and cook them for about 5 min. Make sure that both the sides get cooked well(switch off the stove when they start turning brown).


Recipe for Toor Dal Rasam (Pappu Charu):

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 1 cup (washed)
Onion - 1 sliced
Green Chillies - 3 sliced and cut
Tomatoes - 1 cut into chunks
Tamarind juice - Extract from one lemon sized ball of tamarind
Water - 3-4 cups

Procedure:

1. Take all the above ingrdients in a pressure cooker and cook until 3 whistles.

2. After the pressure is released open the lid and slightly mash the dal

3. Add salt and mix well.

4. Make the popu (tadka) - Heat a tsp oil in kadai and add cumin, mustard, urad dal (1/2 tsp each) , 2 dried red chillies and garlic flakes. Curry leaves can be added too.

5. Add this popu to the toor dal rasam.




Serve the egg cutlets and pappu charu with rice.

Bottle gourd in Butter milk (sorakaya majjiga pulusu)

Majjiga pulsu (onions/green chillies sauted in oil with tadka/spices soaked in buttermilk) is one of my favourite items. My dad and suman are fans as well. When I was staying in US, one of my batchmates who was from Karnataka used to prepare an item called Majjige Holli (I don't excatly remember the name) with butter milk and bottle gourd. It's similar to our traditional Majjiga pulsu. I altered her (friend in US) recipe according to my convinience. Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd pieces - 1 Cup

Butter milk - 2 cups

Onions - 1 (slice into small pieces)

Green chillis - 4 (chopped)

Garlic - 1 clove

Curry leaves - 8

Turmeric - 1/2 tspn

Salt - 2 tspn

Oil - 3 tspns

Popu/Tadka - Cumin/mustard/chana dal/urad dal - 1 tspn each ; Red chillis - 1 (tear into pieces)

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add the tadka/popu ingredients. Add garlic clove(cut into pieces) and curry leaves. Add green chillis, onions and saute them for a while. Add turmeric, mix well. After a few min add the bottle gourd pieces and salt. Cover the vessel with a lid and cook on low for 4-5 min. Bottle gourd can cook on its own mositure, so no need to add water at this stage. When the bottle gourd pieces turns soft add the butter milk and mix well. Swtich off the flame and let it stand for 20-30min. Serve warm with Rice.

Mixed Vegetable Korma in Home made Sauce

I prepare this recipe when we have sudden guests at home and I have bits and pieces of veggies in the fridge. It's a little lengthy process, but the taste comes out too good...Just because of the sauce I think...

Ingredients for Sauce:

Onions - 1 onion cut into small pieces

Coconut pieces - 1/2 cup (frm fresh coconut)

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece (cut into small pieces)

Garlic - 3 cloves

Almonds/cashews - 1 table spoon (roasted)

Coriander seeds - 1/2 tea spoon (roasted)

Red chillies - 2 (tear into pieces)

Salt - 1 tea spoon

Ghee/Oil - 2-3 tea spoons

Yogurt - 1 table spoon

Lemon Juice - 1 tea spoon (optional)

Preparation - Heat Ghee/Oil in a pan and add red chillie pieces, ginger, garlic pieces and then the onions..saute them for abt 3-4min. Take these into a blender. Add roasted corainder seeds, almonds/cashews, coconut pieces, salt and yogurt. Make a smooth paste (add littile water if required). Add lemon juice to this paste if you want to and mix well. Put it aside

Ingredients for Korma:

Sauce prepared by the above process - 1 large cup.

Onions - 2 (sliced into pieces)

Green chillies - 6 (cut/sliced into small pieces)

Vegetables - Of your choice (cauliflower florets boiled in water, Potato peeled and cut into cubes, Tomatoes cut into pieces, capsicum cut into small pieces, beans/carrots/peas also can be used)

Oil - 1 Table spoon

Salt - to taste

Method:

Heat Oil in a large pan, add onions and green chillies..Roast until onions are soft add all the vegetables and sauce. Add required amount of salt and mix well. Cover the pan and cook on medium flame for 10-12 minutes. Serve hot with Roti or Rice.

Note:

If you feel like the curry is not spicy enough, add garam masala powder at the end.

Chikkudukaya (Beans) curry

The only recipe I knew of these Beans is the normal fry. Whenever I make this fry recipe Suman complains...He doesn't like any vegetable from the Beans family. So today I wanted to try a different version. He loves gravy curries a lot so I decided to cook these beans in the gravy/sauce/powder. Now comes the question..What do I use to make this Powder? I opened my kitchen shelf and found peanuts and chanadal newly purchased....Couldn't even give a second thought..decided on them...and the curry came out very well...

Ingredients:

Peanuts - 1 table spoon

Chana Dal - 1 table spoon

Red Chillies - 4 or 5

Coriander seeds - 1 tea spoon

(Dry roast all the above ingredients and grind them into a fine powder)

Beans - 2 cups (cut into pieces and pressure cook them in water until 3 whistles and drain)

Onions - 1 large (Sliced into thin pieces)

For Popu/tampering - Jeera/Cumin - 1 tea spoon, Urad dal - 1 tea spoon, mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon, Curry leaves - 10

Oil - 3-4 tea spoons

Salt - as per taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add the popu ingredients. Once the popu is done add onions and saute them for about 5min. Then add salt and the ground spice powder. Mix well and add the beans, cover with a lid and cook on medium flame for abt 5-8 min. Serve hot with Rice.