Mochai [Fresh Green beans] Kuzhambu

Ingredients :

• Fresh green beans [Field beans] - 250 gms
• Potato - 2 [Cut into dices]
• Small onions [Sambhar venkayam] - 10
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Red tomato - 1 [Big cut into pieces]
• Cashewnuts - 4 to 5
• Dhania powder - 1 sp
• Red chillie powder - 2 sp
• Tamarind paste - 1 sp
• Oil - 2 tbl sp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 sp
• Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece
• Cloves - 2
• Coriander leaves - Little [Finely chopped]
• Fresh grated coconut - 2 sp.

For Grinding Masala :

Take onion, green chillie, coconut, cashewnuts, tomato, dhania powder, red chillie powder, tamarind paste to gether in mixer.


Method :

First take one kadai and  boil green beans and  potato adding salt, turmeric powder with enough water. Then take one pressure pan pour oil to that, add cinnamon, clove, cumin seeds when it splutters, add grained masala and fry for 3 mins in lower flame. Then add the boiled green beans to that and close the pressure pan and wait for 2 whistles to come. Remove from the gas. After the pressure goes open the lid and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with steamed rice, roti etc. 

Ragada Pattice

Ingredients :

• White dry peas [vellai pattani] - 1/2 kg
• Potato - 2
• Green chillies - 2 to 3 [chopped]
• Onion - 3 [finely chopped]
• Jaggery - 1 small lemon size
• Boonthi - Little
• Sev - Little
• [Thin yellow colour, which is used to sprinkle in Bhel/Sev Puri also]
• Turmeric powder  - 1/2 sp
• tamarind paste - 1/2 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Amchur powder - 1/2 sp
• Red chillie powder - 1 1/2 sp
• Fresh chopped coriander leaves - Little.

Method :

Soak the peas during previous night. Then add salt, turmeric powder, potatoes and pressure cook till 3 whistle comes. After the pressure leaves open the cooker, add red chillie powder, amchur powder, tamarind paste, jaggery, chopped green chillie, 1/2 portion of chopped onion and mix well. Again close the cooker and wait for 1 whistle to come. Then simmer it for 15 mins. Then remove from the fire. Wait for 10 mins,open it and garnish with remaining onion and chopped coriander leaves. Before serving, garnish with sev, boonthi, sweet chutney, green chutney. 


                                                                    Pattice

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 1/2 kg
• Salt - As per taste
• Red chillie powder - 2 sp
• Cumin seeds - 1 sp
• Chat masala powder - 1/2 sp
• Oil - As required
• Chopped coriander leaves - Little
• Tomatoes 1 [Cut into small pieces].

Method :

Boil and peel and mash potatoes. Add salt, chat masala powder, red chillie powder, cumin seeds, coriander leaves, mix well and make a thick dough. Make small vadas [Like cutlet] with this dough. Press with your palm to make into 1 inch thickness approx. Place it over a greased tava 4 or 5 at a time. Pour / spread oil all over and turn the other side. When it is golden on both sides remove from heat.

How to serve :

Keep three of these patties on a serving plate. Pour ragada on the top of patties, add sweet, and  green chutneys, chopped onion, pieces of tomatos, sprinkle sev, boonthi and coriander leaves.

Nawabi Paneer Curry

Ingredients :

• Paneer or Cottage Cheese - 200 gms
• Boiled green peas - 1 cup
• Garlic - 3 flakes
• Chopped cashewnuts - 2 tbl sps
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
• Onion - 1 big [Chopped]
• Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 4 tbl sp
• Green chillies - 4 to 5 [Chopped]
• Beaten curd - 3 tbl sps
• Beaten cream - 4 tbl sps
• Salt - As per taste.

Grind together :

• Cumin seeds - 1/2 sp
• Cloves - 3
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
• Cardamoms - 4
• Chillie powder - 1 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup.

Method :

Cut paneer into cubes and deep fry. Soak cashewnuts in boiling water for an hour. Heat ghee and fry onions till brown, add ginger garlic paste, grained masala and fry well. Add green chillies, coconut extract, curds, cashewnuts, paneer, salt, and simmer for 10 mins. Add beaten cream and bring to boil. Serve hot with kulcha, roti.

Variation :

Instead of paneer, use cubes of potatoes and green peas, or mixed vegetables.

Note : After deep frying paneer, immerse it in warm water till required. [This helps the paneer to be soft.].

Kulcha [Plain]

Ingredients:

• Maida - 4 cups [Heaped]
• Dry yeast - 2 tsps
• Oil - 2 tsps
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Luke warm water - Enough to mix the dough.

Method :

Dissolve yeast in half of warm water and keep in a warm place for 10 to 15 mins. Then mix salt and oil with flour. Pour dissolved yeast mixture and gather dough with finger tips, using more warm water for mixing the dough. Close with a wet muslin cloth and allow the dough to double in its volume. [nearly 3 to 4 hours] Then make even sized balls and roll into thick round chappathi using maida for dredging. Roll with a rolling bin into thick 1/4 inch inch thickness circle. Then pull one end to make it tear top shape. Apply water on top of the kulcha and turn over to hot pan so that water applied part sticks to the pan. Close the lid and allow to puff up in a medium flame. Turn the pan upside down and cook the other side on direct flame till top turns light golden colour. Serve hot with little butter applied on top.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, and fried seasame seeds.

Note : Do not use non-stick pan for this. An aluminium pan with handle is necessary. [Pan should not be deep.].

Pineapple Kuzhambu [Karnataka]

Ingredients :

• Pine apple - 1/2 cup [Cut into dices]
• Turmeric powder -  1/2 sp
• Red chillie powder - 1 sp
• Coriander powder -  1/2 sp
• Cumin [jeera] powder - 1/2 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Tamarind paste - 1 sp
• Jaggery - 1 small lemon size.

To Roast :

• Dry red chillies - 6 to 7
• Methi seeds - 1/2 sp
• Urad dal - 1 handful
• Toovar dal - 3/4 sp
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup.

[Fry all these ingredients till it turns into golden brown. On the same kadai, put the coconut and fry for 3 mins and grind to a smooth paste in mixer.]

For Seasoning :

Coconut oil - 2 sp
Mustard seeds - 1 sp
Red chillie - 1 [Broken].

Method :

Take one big deep bottom kadai and pour 2 to 3 glasses of water. Put pineapple pieces, salt, turmeric powder, red chillie powder, tamarind paste, jaggery, dhania jeera powder. Allow to boil for 15 mins in low flame till the pineapple becomes soft. Then add the grained masala adding little water and boil for 5 mins more. When the kuzhambu gets ready remove from the gas. Take one small pan, add 2 spoons of coconut oil heat it and add mustard seeds, red chillie 1 [broken] and add it to the kuzhambu. Garnish with curry leaves.

Bessi Belauhuli [Karnataka spl]

Ingredients :

• Raw rice - 2 cups [Good quality]
• Tuvar dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind - Small lemon size
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Ghee - 4 tbl sp
• Peanuts - 1 hand full [Fried in ghee]
• Cashewnuts - 10 [ Halved and fried in ghee].

Roast Lightly and Powder :

• Cinnamon - 1 piece
• Cardamom - 4
• Cloves - 3 to 4.

Vegetables :

• Cauliflower - 1 cup [Flowerettes]
• Peas - 1/2 cup [Shelled]
• French beans - 1/2 cup [Cut into 1 inch length]
• Carrot - 1/2 cup [Cut into 1/2 inch length]
• Potato - 1/2 cup [Peeled and cut into same size]
• Brinjal - 1/2 cup [Washed and cut into long big pieces]
• Drumstick - 2 [Cut into 1/2 inch lenth piece].

Fry in oil and powder :

• Oil - 2 tsp
• Channa dal - 2 tbl spn [Fry till golden]
• Urad dal - 1 tbl sp [Fry till golden]
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbl sp
• Red chillies - 6 to 8
• Methi seeds - 1 /2 sp
• Grated copra - 1 cup.

For Seasoning :

Ghee - 4 tbl sp
Mustard seeds - 1 sp
Red chillies - 2  [Halved]
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 sp
Curry leaves - Little
Onion - 3 [Peeled and  cut into thin strips]
Tomatoes 3 [Chopped into fine pieces]
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup.

Method :

Wash both rice and tuvar dal together and pressure cook. Cook the vegetables in the extracted tamarind pulp adding turmeric powder, salt, and 1/4 sp asafoetida powder and cook till vegetables are tendered. Then add the fried and powdered masala and simmer for 5 mins. Heat 4 tbl sp ghee in kadai add mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, red chillies and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutters, add onion and fry till light brown, add tomato pieces and saute for a while. Add the cooked vegetable mixture, cooked rice dal and mix well. Add roasted and powdered gram masala towards the end stirring from the bottom of the pan.Add more ghee for taste and preference. Garnish with coriander leaves and fried peanuts, cashewnuts. Transfer to a bowl and serve hot with desired things.

Dhariwala [Sabji ]

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 1/4 kg
• Peas 1/4 kg [Shelled]
• Tomatoes - 3 medium sized.

Grind together : 

• Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
• onions - 2 [Big]
• Garlic - 2 to 3 flakes
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
• Red chillie powder - 2 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Sugar - 1/2 sp
• Gram masala powder - 1/4 sp.

For Seasoning :

• Ghee or oil - 2 tbl sp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 sp.

Method :

Cook peas and potatoes. Mash the potatoes. Boil water in a pan. Put the whole tomatoes in it and keep aside for few mins. Then peel the skin and grind tomatoes to smooth paste. Grind the masala using very little water or without water. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan, season with cumin seeds and fry the ground masala in medium flame, till the ghee separates from it. Add the tomato puree and bring it to a boil. Now add mashed potatoes and peas. Pour enough water and boil for a few minutes. Remove from the fire, garnish with cut coriander leaves. Serve hot with puris or chappathis.

Variation :

Whole green gram and any leafy vegetable can be substituted in place of peas and potatoes. Soak green gram 6 to 7 hrs before, cook with keerai [leafy vegetable or palak] and do as per recipe. Omit coriander leaves if keerai is used.