Mysore Rasam

Hi All,

I am posting this recipe after and long gap of time from blogging. Firstly, i thank all my followers and non-members commenting my posts and cheering my spirit!!! Its very hard to post recipes with my 1 1/2yr old kid, no jokes! she keeps me on my toes.....Hence, i am in Happy Parenting stage....!!

I have come with a tasty, soupy menu: Mysore Rasam



Ingredients:

Tamarind- goose berry sized
Tomato- 1big size
Thoor dal - 1tbspn
Hing- 1 small piece (gum base)
Coconut scrape- 1tbspn
Red chillies- 3nos
Black pepper seeds- 8-10nos
Cumin seeds- 1tbspn
Oil
Mustard
Coriander leaves
Coconut scrapes (for seasoning)

How to make:
1) With a little oil heated up in a pan, saute the thoor dal, pepper, cumin, coconut scrapes, red chillies and hing until golden brown
2) Powder them in mixer and keep aside.
3) Extract tamarind pulp and heat it until the raw smell goes off.
4) Chop the tomatoes into pieces and put it in the tamarind extract and allow to boil nicely.
5)Add a pinch of turmeric powder and sugar in the boiling state.
6) Add necessary salt and then put the ground powder to it.
7) Let this mixture comes to a boiling point and before it bubbles remove from the fire.
8) Season with spluttered mustard, coriander leaves, and sauteed coconut scrapes.

Mysore Rasam is ready!

Gobi Manchurian (DRY)

Last sunday i made Gobi Manchurian as a side dish for Fried rice. It came out very nice and hence sharing with you all...

Ingredients
Cauliflower florets- 1cup
Corn flour- 2tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 spoon
Tomato ketchup- 1tbsp
Dark Soy sauce- 1tbspn
Chopped onion - 1 big
Chopped ginger and garlic- 1 small cup
Ajinomoto (if preferred)- a small pinch
Spring onions - 2 bunches of leaflets
Green chillies - 3nos
Lime juice- 1tspn
Oil for frying
Salt

How to make:
1) Wash and cut cauliflower into florets and immerse them in boiling water for few minutes.
2) Prepare a batter with corn flour, ginger garlic paste, a pinch of salt, 1 spn lime juice.
3) Drain water from cauliflower and let it cool down.
4) Heat oil in a pan for deep frying and dip the florets into the batter and fry until golden brown
5) Strain the excess oil and meanwhile prepare the sauces. Heat 2 tbspn of oil in a pan and saute the onions, green chillies until half done then add chopped ginger and garlic. Let them be little crispy.
6)To that add tomato sauce and dark soy sauce, and add the fried fritters to the pan.
7) Spinkle some MSG (Ajinomoto), salt to taste and saute them well.
8) As a finishing touch, garnish with spring onions.

Serve hot with Fried Rice, Pulav etc.,

Venpongal

Venpongal !!
A popular breakfast dish of Tamilnadu. I am addicted to the taste of this pongal which was given as prasadams in many Perumal Temples during the month of Margazhi. Its divine to have his Hot, with an apt accompaniment, say, Ghotsu or Gojju. I tried many combination and finally got a successful outcome which tastes just like 'kovil pongal'. Hence I share with you all....

Ingredients:

Raw ponni rice- 1cup
Moong dal or Payatham paruppu- 1 fist full
Hing- a pinch
Peppercorns- 1 spoon
Jeera or Cumin- 2 tbsp
Salt
Ghee
Cashews
Curry leaves

How to make:
1) Wash rice and dal together.
2) Crush little bit of pepper and cumins coarsely.
3) Add 3 cups of water to 1 cup of rice and dal together.
4) In that, add ground powder, hing salt
5) Pressure cook for an extra time than cooking the rice.
6) After its done, mash well.
7) Heat ghee in a pan, fry cahews till golden brown and add the remaining pepper, cumin seeds.
8) Add curry leaves and mix well.

Tasty, Hot, lip smacking Pongal is ready for breakfast !!

Dry fruits Pilaf

This dish was pending in my list and one fine day i tried this and came out very nice!!
This pilaf i followed the Arabian style of cooking rice. In middle east i know people prefer rich food even for everyday menu. The blend of spices and ingrdients is very different from Indian cuisine. I tried this rice recipe and sharing this with you all.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice- 1cup
Dry fruits- 1 cup (mixture of Almonds, Raisins, Cashews, Pistachios)
Potatoes- 2 Sliced round
Saffron- 1 pinch
Ghee- 2tbspn
Salt

How to make:
1) Wash and cook basmati rice outside, in a pan.
2) Remove it once its half done, (Do not cook fully). Drain water and wash in cold running water.
3) Soak the saffron in water, or if u prefer can be soaked in rose water. (Not the coloured rose water)
4) In a pan, heat ghee and sautee the dry fruit till golden brown.
5) Peel a raw potato and cut it into round pieces.
6) In the same pan heat ghee and spread the potatoes as a bottom layer and sprinkle some salt.
7) Then put one layer of the rice covering well the potatoes, add salt to taste.
8) Then spread the nuts. Likewise, do layers of all these alternatively and pour a the saffron soaked water.
9) Cover and Dum these for 5mins. Check for rice if its done.
10) Take the rice portion seperately and mix well.
11) Serve the potatoes seperately.
12) A colourful, rich, tasty Pilaf is ready for serving !!

Carrot Thogaiyal

This one i tried with carrots because i had only that veg in stock. I had done vathakuzhambu and my husband wanted a thogaiyal. A this came up as an accompaniment.

Ingredients:
Carrots- diced, 1 cup
Urad dal- 2 tbspn
Redchillies- 4nos
Hing- a pinch
Coconut scrapes- 3tbspn

How to make:
1) In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil, and saute carrots well until the become tender.
2) To the same oil add urad dal and fry till its become golden brown.
3) Then add redchillies and then at last saute the coconut scrapes.
4) Allow them to cool and then grind them with little bit of hing, salt.

Here goes a simple and delicious thogaiyal !!

Coriander Rice- Kothamalli Sadam

This is one easy variety rice i prefer to make when lot of coriander is available. Nice menu to treat guests too...

Ingredients:
1) Coriander leaves- 1bunch
2) Basmati rice- 2cups
3) Green peas- 1/2 cup
4) Green chillies- 3nos
5) Ginger Garlic paste- 1tbsp
6) Potato-1nos
7) Onion- 1 big size
8) Salt to taste

How to make:
1) Pressure cook the rice until its half done.
2) Grind the coriander leaves, green chillies together.
3) Add oil to a pan and saute the ginger garlic paste, shredded onions and the ground paste until its all done.
4) Add boiled potatoes and green peas with this sauteed mixture and allow it to cook well.
5)Finally add rice, salt and mix well. Cover and cook until the rice and the masalas blend with each other.
6) Serve with onion raita!

Cornflakes Chat

This is an easy and tasty snack which i often tend to make. Its with cornflakes which is usually consumed with milk as a breakfast. This chat is yummy and a good substitute for Bhel Poori. Check out!



Ingredients:

Cornflakes

Chopped onions

Diced Tomatoes

Shredded Carrots

Boiled potatoes

Chat masala

Green Chutney

Sweet Chutney

Boondi (if desired)

Coriander chopped finely

How to make:

1) In a large bowl, throw in the onions, tomatoes, carrots and mash potatoes roughly.

2) Then add boondi, chutneys, cornflakes and chat masala.

3) Mix well all the ingrdients and garnish with chopped coriander and sev.

NOTE: This is to consumed immediately after mixing because, the juice from tomatoes makes the cornflakes soggy.

Pani Poori

I am crazy of chat items and fond of trying out them at home. If i go to a restaurant my first order would be a Chat item and my soul is then fulfilled...After long time i am trying some chats in my kitchen and luv this rain for setting up the mood..!!!

For making poori's

Ingredients:
1/4 cup maida
1 1/2 cups ravai or sooji
1 tbsp oil or ghee
salt to taste
water for kneading
oil for deep frying

For making Pani/ sauces:
Katta pani

Ingredients:
6-7 cups cold water
Cluster of pudina leaves and coriander leaves
1 green chilli
small piece ginger
1 tbsp amchur pwd/ Dry mango powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
pinch of black salt (optional)
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste

How to make:
1) Make a paste of mint leaves, green chilli and ginger and keep aside .
2) Take a vessel, add the cold water in it, followed by the green paste and combine well.
3) Add cumin pwd, chaat masala pwd, amchur pwd, black salt, salt to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves. 4) Chill in refrigerator till use.

Meeta Pani:

Ingredients:
Tamarind 1/2 cup (deseeded. You can also use tamarind paste)
Dates 3/4 cup (deseeded, also called “pitted dates”. Get them at desi or mediterranean store)
Gud / Jaggery/ Mollases (can use sugar instead) - 1 cup, add to taste
Red chilli powder
Cumin seeds

1) Boil 4-5 cups water. When water boils, add tamarind, dates and gud/sugar. Boil themfor 5 minutes.
2)  Let the mixture cool down slightly.Blend them in mixie.
3)  Strain this to get thick liquid.
4) Dry roast cumin seeds and let them crackle.
5) Add the strained mixture to this and add red chilly powder.

Broccoli Masala- Healing Foods Event

I am posting this recipe to 'Treat your Tongue'- Sayali's 'Healing Food Event'. Usually Broccoli is a rare vegetable in my kitchen and i made this masala dish long before and had posted in my blog previously.. Am re-posting this recipe in my blog for the event and sharing with my friends.

Ingredients:
100gms broccoli florets
1 cup mixed vegetables ( mashed potato, carrots cut into cubes, peas, corn)
3 slit green chillies
3 onions
1 inch sized ginger
1 unripen tomato
3 cloves
Half handful cashewnuts
1 tbspn curd
1 tbspn garam masala
1 tbspn red chilli powder
1 tbspn dhania powder
Coriander leaves
Fresh cream for garnishing
Salt for taste
Oil

How to make:

To grind:
Onions, green chillies, ginger, tomato, cashews to a smooth paste.

1) Boil all mentioned vegetables with li'll turmeric and a pinch of salt.
2) Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions.
3) Add the ground paste to the onions and garam masala, chilli powder, coriander powder.
4) Add boiled vegetables and mashed potato to it.
5) Add required salt, curd and let it cook for few minutes.
6) After it becomes a thick gravy remove from the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fresh cream.
This Broccoli Masala goes to Healing Foods Event- by Sayali and also to Siri's Corner

Vegetable Fritters or Bajji

Its raining and i wanted to make something hot, spicy to nibble. Bajji's is an apt snack in raining season!! Here goes........

Ingredients:
Besan or Kadalai Flour -1 cup
Rice or Arisi flour- 1/2 cup
Chilli powder- 1 spn
Hing- a pinch
Salt- to taste
Food colour- orange (a pinch)
Oil- for deep frying

Vegetables i used: Potatoes, Raw Banana, Baby corn, Carrots. All sliced thinly.

How to Make:
1) Mix all the above mentioned ingredients with water and mix well without lumps.
2) The batter should not be watery. should have the consistency of idly batter.
3) Dip the veges one by one in the batter inorder to coat the batter.
4) Deep fry in the oil and serve hot with pudina chutney or ketchup.

Yummy!!!

Kondakadalai Sundal

Ingredients:

Black kondakadalai or Channa- 1cup
Coconut Scrapes - 1 tbspn
Mustard Seeds- 1spn
Urad - 1spn
Oil- 1tbsp
Redchillies- 2nos
Salt- to taste

How to make:
1) Wash and soak the channa for 8 hrs. Pressure cook the channa with little salt and pinch of turmeric powder. Drain the water.
2) In a pan, heat oil and splutter some mustard seeds and fry urad dal, redchillies.
3) Then add channa to the pan and mix well.
4) Add coconut scrapes and salt to taste.

Note: If you want it to be spicy, coarsely grind coconut and greenchillies. OR, roast 1tsp dania, 1sp urad dal, redchillies 2nos. sesame seed 1/2spn in oil and powder it coarsely. This powder can be added to the sundal with little hing. Gives a different taste.

Onion Garlic Karakuzhambu

This is a chettinad style karakuzhambu and i make this for my husband whenever i travel. This can be stored more than 5days under refrigeration and ideal for rice, idly and dosas. I got this recipe from internet and i have excluded some ingredients to our liking.

Ingrdients:
Tamarind- lemon sized
Garlic Pods- 25gms
Small onions- 25gms
Coriander Powder- 1tbsp
Kumbhu powder- 1 tbsp
Redchilli powder- 1/2 tbsp
Mustard- 1tsp
redchiilies-1nos
Gingely Oil- 3tbsp

How to make:

1)Soak tamarind with hot water for about 1/2 hr and extract the pulp. Do not add extract watery.
2) In a pan, heat oil and saute the garlic and onion until its done and pour the tamarind pulp to it.
3) Once the raw smell is gone, add sambar powder, chilli powder and dhania powder.
4)Let the all cook until the tamarind pulp gives a thick consistency.
5)Add salt. Hheat oil and spluttur mustard seeds and fry the redchillies and add to the gravy.
6) Season with gingely oil and garnish with curry leaves.

Bittergourd Masala Rings

I am a great fan of bittergaurd, however, i am bored to eat this as an usual sidedish. I tried this in a different method which turned out well and even my husband, a bittergourd hater, liked it.

Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:
Bittergourd: 4nos.
Kadalai maav- 3tbspn
Rice flour- 2tbspn
Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste- 1spoon
Sesame seeds- 1 spoom
Salt- to taste
Oil- for deep frying

How to make:

1) Cut the bittergourd into rings and remove the seeds.
2) After washing, add water, a pinch of turmeric powder and boil it for 5mins till it becomes little soften.
3)Strain the water and wash in running cold water.
4) Add besan flour, rice flour, sesame seeds, salt, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, Sesame seeds and mix well and water to be sprinkled. Do not make it batter.
5) Keep it in refrigerator for 1/2 hr.
6) Heat oil in a pan, and deep fry the rings until it turns golden brown.

Note: The boiling and draining is done to reduce the bitterness. If one likes to have it bitter, can avoid this step.

It goes with rice, side snack with tomato ketchup etc.,

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

Tomatoes : 250gms
Basmati rice : 1 cup
Coconut milk : 1 cup
Ginger : 2” piece
Garlic : 4 pods
Green chillies : 2 or 3
Cloves : 2
Cinnamon : 1” stick
Bay leaves : 1 or 2
Dhania powder : 1 tbsp.
Chilli powder : 1 or 2 tsp (as per taste)
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Ghee or oil : 2 tbsp.
Cashew nuts : for garnishing.
Curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnishing.

How to make:

1)Blanch the tomatoes by dipping in boiling water and immediately dipping in cold water. Remove the skin and make a puree of the tomatoes.

2)Pepare coconut milk or use ready made coconut milk. Slit the green chillies.

3)Wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and fry the cashew nut to a golden brown color. Remove and keep aside for garnishing.   Into the same ghee, add the whole garam masalas (cloves, cinnamon and cardamom) and bay leaf. When they stop spluttering, add the slit green chillies and saute for a minute.  Add the tomato puree and coconut milk, ginger and garlic paste. As the tomato puree is quite thick it provides only half its measure of water for the rice to cook.  If quantity of coconut milk used is 1 cup and tomato puree is 1 cup, we need to add an additional half cup of water to the rice for cooking. Add the dhania powder, chilli powder (or the sambar powder), turmeric powder and salt. Close the pressure cooker and cook the rice with the weight valve on. When done, garnish with curry leaves, coriander leaves and cahsew nuts.

Aloo Peas Pulav

Ingredients:
Basmati rice- 2cup
Potato- 4nos
Green Peas- 1 small cup
Garlic&Ginger paste- 1tbsp
Bay leaves- 1
Red Chilli powder
Oil
Salt

To Powder
Cinamom-1 small piece
Cloves- 3nos
Cardamom-1nos
Fennel seeds- 1spoon

How to make:
1)Wash and soak the basmati rice for 10mins before the preparation.
2) Peel and dice the potatoes.
3) Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves, ginger&garlic paste and saute well.
4)Then add the potatoes and peas to it.
5)Add the masala powder and mix well.
6) Then add the basmati rice, salt and stir them well.
7) Add 3cups of water and pressure for 2whistles.
Serve with raita or any vegetable gravy.

Mor Appam or Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients:

Idly Rice- 3cups
Urad Dal- 1 cup
Rava- 1tbsp
Green Chillies- 4 chopped
Onions-  1big size, chopped
Mustard- 1sp
Urad dal- 1 sp
Channa dal- 1sp
Salt
Oil

How to make:
1) Soak rice for 1 hr and urad dal for 1/2 hr and grind like dosa batter and allow to ferment for a day.
2) The next day, for take one bowl of the batter and add rava, finely chopped onions, green chillies and salt.
3) Splutter some mustard seeds and add urad and channa dal and fry it until golden brown and add to the batter.
4)Add curry leaves to it.
5) Once the batter is ready, heat oil in appam karal or kal.
6) Pour in each cups and fry it until golden brown by tossing it both the sides.
7) A tasty evening snack which can be accompanied with a hot tomato chutney.

Chow Chow skin Thogaiyal



This is very tasty and healthy traditional thogaiyal made from the skin of chow chow or Chayote. The skin of chow chow has high fibres and shall be utilised for cooking without wasting!!!

Ingrdients:

Skin of Chayote - 1cup

Urad Dal - 2tbspn

Redchillies- 2nos.

Hing- a small piece

Coconut scrapes- 2 spoon

Tamarind - a small piece

Oil

Salt

How to make:

1)Heat oil in a pan and fry hing, Urad dal and redchillied one by one.

2)Then add the skin of chayote, tamarind, coconut scrapes.

3) Allow the roasted ingrdients to cool.

4) Add salt and grind the ingrdients to fine paste.

Suitable to mix with rice or as a side dish for any kuzhambu dish.



Idly Podi

Ingredients:

Urad Dal- 2 tbsp

Red Chillies-4 nos.

Hing- 1 small piece

Black Sesame- 1tsp

Oil

Salt

                            

How to make:

 1) Heat 1 spoon oil in a pan and roast the ingredients one by one until golden brown.

 2) Then grind them to coarse powder and add salt before powdering.
 3) Good combination for Idly, Dosai, Adai etc.

Tangy Tom' Pasta

Ingredients:

Tomato puree-1 cup
Butter -1tbspn
Extra virgin olive oil - 1tbspn
Parmesan Cheese - 1tspn
Garlic- 5pods
Onion- 1 medium size, diced
Chilli flakes
Dried Oregano and Herbs
Salt

To make tomato puree:

1) Blanch (immerse the tomatoes in boiling water until it becomes soft) 2 tomatoes and peel of the skin. scoop of the seeds inside and cut the flesh into small bits. 

2) Grind the tomatoes, Dried Oregano and herbs (readily available in supermarkets) garlic and olive oil into a smoot paste.

3) This Paste can be store for a week under refrigeration and can be used in making pasta, noodle or even as bread spread.

How to make Pasta:

1) You may buy the different shapes of pastas available in the market. Each one is known by a different name by its shaps, For eg, Sphagetti ( flat noodle shape), Fusilli ( Spiral or twisted shape) Penne (Tubes with ridges) Shells and Pipes etc.,
      I have made this dish with Fusili.

2) Boil water and add little salt and oil.Then add this fusili and allow it to cook till it becomes soft.
3) Strain the water and immediately wash with cold water. This will avoid the fusilis without breaking.
4) In a wok, add butter and saute the onions and some garlic.
5) Add fusilis and toss it well, then to it add the tomato puree, salt and chilli flakes.
6) Toss it well and slow cook for 5mins and garnish with parmesan cheese.

Paruppu Podi (Dhal powder)

I had been a great fan of Paruppu podi all times. I generally used to buy from the famous store 'Ambika Appalam Depot'whenever i go to chennai. This time i was running out of stock and tried to get here locally and failed. I browsed through the net and found from various websites the 'secret ingredients' of it. Here i present it with slight modifications.

Ingredients:

Pottu Kadalai (Dhalia)- 1/2 cup
Kadalai Paruppu (Channa Dal)- 1cup
Red chillies- 5nos.
Ghee- 1tbspn

How to make:
1) Heat ghee in a pan and roast kadalai paruppu and pottukadalai, one after the other in a low flame.
2) Add red chillies to it and roast.
3) Let it cool for sometime and grind it powder.
4) If u like, temper it with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
5) Optional- may also add garlic after roasting with other ingredients.