Thursday 11 December 2014

Udipi Sambhar [Without dal] Easy way







Ingredients :

  • Tender carrots - 2 [ peel and cut into cubes ]
  • Small onions - 10 [ peeled ]
  • Chow- chow - 1 [ peeled and cut into cubes ]
  • Brinjal -  2 to 3 [ cut into cubes ]
  • Tomatoes - 2 [ chopped ]
  • Green chillies - 2 [ slit length wise ]
  • Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Jaggery -1 tbsp [ according to taste ]
  • Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Sambhar powder - 11/2 tsp
  • Curry leave - little
  • Coriander leaves - little

Grind together :

  • Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
  • Coriander seeds - 1tsp
  • Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Dry red chillies - 7 to 8 [ kashmiri ]
  • Curry leaves - 4 to 5
 [Grind all together in a mixer to smooth paste]


For seasoning :

  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Oil - 2 tsp
  • Dry red chillie - 1 [ broken ]

Method :

Take one pressure cooker. Add all cut vegetables, peeled onion, tomatoes, salt, turmeric, sambhar powder, jaggery , tamarind paste and ground masala along with required water. Mix well and close the cooker. Wait till 3 whistles to come. Remove from the gas. When it becomes cool, open the cooker. Fry seasoning in hot oil and pour on the sambhar. Garnish with curry leaves and fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with cooked rice, idlis and dosas. It tastes very nice.

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Geerana Rasam [Without dal] - Digestion Soup







Ingredients :

  • Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbsps
  • Raw mango - 1 big piece [ peel the skin and cut into small pieces ]
  • Wheat rawa [ lapsi ] - 1 tbsp
  • Black pepper - 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds [ jeera ] - 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Curry leaves - little

For seasoning :
  • Ghee - 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method :

Take one vessel, add 3 cups of water along with mango pieces and salt. Allow to boil till the mango
becomes very soft. In the mean time take one kadai, dry roast wheat rawa, pepper and cumin seeds till nice aroma comes. Make powder in mixer and keep aside. Soak coconut in hot water for 15 minutes, then squzee it and keep the milk aside. When the raw mango cooked nicely, mash it, add the masala powder, coconut milk and required water. Check the salt. Finely add seasoning. [Heat ghee in a vessel. When the ghee becomes hot, add cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.]  Pour to the rasam. Serve with hot steamed rice along with roasted curry.

Note:

You can also have this rasam after recovering from fever which will make us feel fresh.

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Italian Mixed Vegetable




Ingredients :

  • Capsicum - 3 [ cut into small pieces ]
  • Cauliflower - 1 small [ cut into small pieces ]
  • Green peas - 1/4 cup
  • Tomato - 3 to 4 [ chopped ]
  • Brinjal - 4 [ cut into small pieces ]
  • Carrot - 1 [ peal  and chopped ]
  • Onion - 2 to 3 [ chopped ]
  • Garlic flakes - 2 [ chopped]
  • Chillie flakes - 1/2 tsp
  • Bread slices - 3 to 4 [ cut into pieces ]
  • Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Oil - as required

Method :

Take one deep bottom kadai, add some oil. When it becomes hot, add onion, garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Then add other vegetables and mix well. Add salt, black pepper and fry till the vegetables becomes soft. Add some water while boiling. Finally, add chillie flakes and mix well. When the vegetable is completely done, garnish with bread slice pieces and serve. It tastes well with rotis and plain pulav.

Thursday 27 November 2014

Channa Dal Pradhaman





Ingredients :

  • Channa dal [ kadalai parupu ] - 1 cup [ roasted to a golden colour ]
  • Fresh coconut - 1 big [ or you can use ready made coconut milk also ]
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Jaggery  - 1 cup
  • Cardamom [ yalakkai ] - 6 to 7 [ powder ]
  • Coconut pieces - 2 tbsp [ fried in ghee ]
  • Cashew nuts - 10 to 12 [ fried in ghee ]
  • Ripe Plantain [Nenthra pazham / Kerala Banana] - 1 [ cut into small pieces ]

Method :

Grate the white portion of coconut, blend in a mixie and keep in a vessel. Add 1/2 cup of boiled water. Mix well and allow to cool. When it becomes cool, squeeze out the milk. Keep the 1st milk separately. In this way extract the milk 2 more times and keep each milk seperately. Roast channa dal in a frying pan in golden color and cook the dal along with chopped banana pieces in the third coconut milk first. When the dal gets half cooked, add the second milk and boil well. Add jaggery, sugar and mix well. Cook till it gets done. Add cardomom powder, fried coconut and cashewnut pieces in ghee. Finally add the first coconut milk and mix well. When one boil comes remove from the gas. Your yummy channa dal pradhaman is ready to serve.

This dish is served very commonly in most of the south indian functions.

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Cabbage Masala Avial





Ingredients :

  • Green fresh cabbage - 1/2 k.g. [ cut into length wise ] 
  • Green peas - 1/2 cup
  • Carrot - 1/4 k.g. [ cut into length wise ]
  • Onion - 3 [ peeled and cut into length wise ]
  • Fresh grated coconut - 1 1/2 cup
  • Green chillies - 2 to 3
  • Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
  • Coconut oil - 2 tbsps.
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Fresh thick curds - 1/2 cup
  • or u can use 1tbsp of raw mango
  • Curry leaves - little
  • Salt - as required

Method :

Take one deep bottom kadai. Add all vegetables along with 1/2 cup of water. Add salt and turmeric while boiling. Meantime grind coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies and raw mango in mixer to smooth paste. If you are not using mango add fresh curds to the paste. When the vegetables become soft add ground masala and mix well. Before removing add coconut oil, and garnish with curry leaves. Serve with rice, roti and tiffin item like side dish. It is very tasty and yummy.

Sunday 23 November 2014

Dahiwali Toovar Dal




Ingredients :

  • Toovar dal - 1/2 cup
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt as required
  • Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Chopped onions - 1/2 cup
  • Red chilli powder - 1tsp
  • Dhaniya jeera powder - 2 tsp
  • Bengal gram flour - 1 tsp [ mixed with 1/2 cup  water ]
  • Low fat curd - 1/2 cup [ whisked ]
  • Fresh chopped coriander leaves - little

Method :

Clean, wash and soak the toovar dal in water for 2 to 3 hours. Then drain and keep aside. Mix dal, turmeric, salt and 1 cup of  water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. After the pressure leaves, open the lid and whisk well and keep aside. Then heat a non- stick pan on a medium flame and when hot, ad the cumin seeds and dry roast for 30 seconds.Lower the flame,add the onions and  fry till thay turn light brown in colour. Sprinkle little water if the mixer starts burning. Then add cooked dal, chilli powder, dhaniya jeera powder, and mix well. Then add the besan paste and curds. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes more in low flame. Finely add chopped coriander leaves. Remove from the gas. Serve with roti, and steamed rice.

Note :

Low fat curds provide a tangy twist to toovar dal without adding much to the calorie count. This dal tastes amazing with steaming hot rice, relish with a subzi for a whole some meal.

Gobi 65




Ingredients :

  • Cauli flower - 1 small  [ cut in to big pieces ]
  • Fresh curds - 1/2 cup
  • Salt - as required
  • Red colour - 1drop
  • Red chilli powder - 1tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Bengal gram flour - 2 tbl.sps.
  • Baking powder - a pinch
  • Conflour - 2 tbl. sps.
  • Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Oil - enough to deep fry
  • Curry leaves - little

Method :

Soak the flower pieces in salted water for 10 to 15 minutes. Mean time mix  all masalas, bengal gram flour, baking powder, conflour in the curd, and keep side. Then remove the flower pieces from the salt water and soak in the curd. Leave for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan, add  the flower pieces to that. Fry in medium flame, till the flower is cooked completely, and become brown and crispy. Fry curry leaves in same oil and garnish on gobi 65. Your tasty Gobi 65 is ready to serve.