Version of Vatha Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Dhania - 2 tsp
• Chana Dal - 1 tsp
• Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Raw rice - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 hand full
• Dry red chillies - 8-9
• Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 small piece
• Salt - As required

Method:

Dry roast the ingredients mentioned above, cool & powder. Mix the powder with tamarind water & keep aside. In a kadai, add 3 spoons of seasame oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves & asafoetida.

Once done, add tamarind mixture, turmeric, jaggery & salt to taste. Allow to boil well. This is the main base for any vatha kuzhambu.

You can also add any veggies, onion or garlic (Either cooked or sauted).

In a separate kadai, roast any vathals of your choice & add to the kuzhambu. Can make the main base of vatha kuzhambu in big quantity & can be stored in fridge for 1 month but you need to add little more oil.

Aaloo Chana Chat

Ingredients :

• Cooked boiled chana - 2 cups
• Boiled potatoes - 2 (chopped)
• Green chutney - 1/2 cup
• Sweet chutney - 1/2 cup
• Garlic chutney - 1 tsp (beaten)
• Curd - 1/2 cup (beaten)
• Onions - 2 (finely chopped)
• Chat masala - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sev - little
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Chopped tomatoes - 1
• Finely chopped raw mangoes - 1/4 cup
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Method :

Soak 1/2 cup of chana overnight.

Then boil the same in a cooker & wait for 5-6 whistles to come. Take 2 cups of boiled chana in a bowl. Add boiled potatoes, papdi, green chutney, sweet chutney & garlic chutney. Then add finely chopped onions, tomato, raw mango, chopped coriander leaves & curd. Mix everything well. Take a serving plate. Put one portion chana. Sprinkle a pinch of chat masala, salt, red chilli powder as required. Sprinkle sev on top. Finely drizzle some lemon juice if you prefer. Serve immediately.

Tomato Pulav (Mumbai Style)

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice - 1 glass (Soaked in water for 20 mins)
• Onion - 1 (chopped)
• Tomatoes - 3 (chopped)
• Ginger garlic powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Green peas - 2 tbsp
• Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
• Capsicum - 1 (sliced)
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Cashews - 6-7
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Pav Bhaji masala - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Butter - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - little (chopped)

Method :

First take one pressure pan, add oil & butter. When it becomes hot, add cumin seeds along with cashews. When it changes into golden colour, add soaked rice with little salt. Pour water till the rice gets covered. Then close the lid & pressure cook until 3 whistles comes. Keep it aside.

Then take one deep kadai / deep pan & add little oil, When the oil becomes hot, add chopped onion, ginger garlic paste & stir for 2-3 mins. Then add tomatoes along with salt & other masalas. Mix well. Then add tomato ketchup. Add sliced capsicum, green peas along with 1/4 cup of water. Cook for 5 mins more. When it becomes dry, add cooked rice & mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Your yummy Mumbai Style Tomato Pulav is ready to serve.

Kurma

Ingredients :

• Mix vegetables - 1 cup
•  [ carrot, beans, green peas, cauli flower and potato ]
• Roasted gram [ pottu kadalai ] - 1 tabsp
• Tomato - 1 [ chopped ]
• Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
• Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
• Cashew nuts - 5 to 6
• Fennel  seeds - 1 tsp [ sombu ]
• Bay leaf - 2
• Clove, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom - each 1
• Onion - 1 [ chopped ]
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tabsp.

Method :

Boil the vegetables adding salt and turmeric. Then in mixer  grind  cashew, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, to a fine paste. Then take one kadai,  add  bay  leaf  and other whole garam masala. Fry for a second,  add chopped  onion , ginger  garlic  paste  and  chopped  tomato.  Mix well,  then  add ground  paste  along  with dry  masalas.  Cook  well  till  raw  smell  goes. Then  add  boiled vegetables along  with  water  if  required. Allow to boil for 5 minutes more.  Your tasty kurma is ready.  Serve  with  roti  or puri.

Karnataka brahmin sambhar

Ingredients :

• Tuvar dal -  1/4 cup
• Tomatoes - 2 [ chopped ]
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Chopped vegetables [ raw red pumpkin ] - 1/2 cup
• Jaggery - 1 tbsp [ powdered ]
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required

Roast and grind  for masala :

• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Black gram [ urad dal ] - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 6 to 7
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Channa dal - 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Greated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
• Coconut oil - 2 tsp

[ for frying masala ingredients ]


Method :

In a pan add 1/2 tsp of oil & roast the ingredients except coconut & pottukadalai / fried gram till a fried aroma emanates.

Keep aside to cool to be ground later into a fine paste.

Meanwhile cook the tuvar dal with vegetable salt, tomatoes in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water or enough to cook the dal & vegetables. Add turmeric powder to this while cooking.

While the pressure cooker is on & the dal & vegetables are cooking, grind to a paste the roasted ingredients with coconut& the fried gram / pottukadalai to a smooth paste with little water & keep the ground paste aside.

Meanwhile in another vessel, extract the tamarind juice around 2 cups of little thin extract & add the jaggery piece to it & let it start boiling.

Within few minutes when the raw smell of tamarind disappears & jaggery ha completely melted in the liquid, add the pressure cooked dal & vegetables, add salt & let the whole mixture come to boil on medium flame.

Add the ground paste & stir again & keep to boil for few minutes. But do not boil too much after adding ground paste.

Prepare the seasoning for ready sambhar with coconut oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add the seasoning with red chillies & a pinch of asafoetida powder to sambhar.

Garnish with curry leaves & some chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Your tasty delicious udipi sambhar is ready to be served with idlis, sambhar or plain rice.

Home made Tandoori Masala

Ingredients :

• Coriander seeds - 1/2 cup
• Cumin seeds - 2 table spoon
• Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
• Cloves - 1 tsp
• Dry ginger powder - 2 tbsp
• Garlic powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Nutmeg powder - 2 tsp
• Kasturi methi - 2 tbsp
• Cardamom - 2 (big)
• Cinnamon stick - 1
• Mace (Javithri) - 4-5
• Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Amchur powder - 1 tsp
• Food color - 1/4 tsp (Red)
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - As per taste

Method :

Break the cinnamon stick into 2-3 parks & heat the pan on a medium flame. Add all the whole dry ingredients like coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, clove, broken cinnamon stick & mace. Then roast all the whole for 3-4 minutes in a low flame. Remove from the plate & cool it down completely. Once the same gets cool down, add into the mixer & grind into a fine powder. Serve twice & store it in an air-tight container.

You can use the spice mixture for any veggies, paneer, tofu etc.                                      

Afghanistan Paneer [ mugalai dish ]

Ingredients :

• Paneer - 300 gm [ cut in to squre pieces ]
• Green chillies - 4 to 5
• Salt - as required
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
• Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
• Melon seeds - 1 tbsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Dry ginger powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
• Fresh cream -  2 tbsp
• Grill stick - 2 to 3
• Coriander leaves - little
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp
• Butter - 2 tsp
• Chat masala - little
• Onion rings - few [ for garnishing ]

Marinate :

Grind cashew, poppy seeds, melon seeds and green chilli in a mixer to a smooth paste. Take a bowl, add the ground masala along with milk, cream, dry ginger powder, garam masala, pepper powder,   salt and mix well with out lumps. The batter should be like idli batter. Immerse the paneer in the batter for 1/2 an hour. The paneer should get coated completely with the batter. Then remove each piece and apply butter on that and grill till it becomes golden colour. [ You can use electric grill or tandoor or normal grill ie iron tawa ].  

I used Air Fryer and Iron tawa wherein:

1. I placed the (coated) paneer in the Air fryer (at 180 degrees Celsius) for around 10 mins;
2. After that I removed it from the Air fryer & kept the same in the iron tawa for 3-5 minutes so that oil doesn't gets consumed too much.
3. Remove from the tawa & garnish with onion rings & fresh coriander leaves.

Your dish is ready & serve the same as a Starter.