Green Gram (Whole Moong Dhal) Dosa / Pesarattu

I am a big dosa favourite and love to try different types. This green gram dosa is my mother’s recipe. Its real easy to make and very healthy protein rich item. This one is a regular at my house. Hope you like it too.


Ingredients :


Green Gram (Whole Moong Dhal) – 1 ½ cup
Rice - ¾ cup
Red chillies – 5
Cumin seeds – 1 ½ tbsp
Asofoetida - 1 tsp
Salt according to taste


Method :

Soak the green gram over night for 6 - 7 hours and rice for 3 - 4 hours. Wash the green gram and rice. Add both along with the other ingredients to the grinder and grind the mixture to a smooth paste. Add salt and mix well and leave it outside over night. You can start making the dosas in the morning for breakfast. Actually before making the dosa we can actually cut and add little green chillies, carrot, capsicum, curry leaves, cabbage, ginger and coriander leaves. But this is optional only, we can make the dosa plain as well. This dosa goes well with coconut chutney or tomato thokku.

Palak Roti

One of my friends at work use to bring Palak Roti regularly and I always thought I should try this. But the recipe she gave me had garlic. So I went hunting on the internet and landed on two different types. I kind of did a mix of both and landed on an awesome Palak Roti. Since I was kind of nervous as to how it’s going to taste I made only 10 numbers and after tasting it, me and my husband realized that it’s not going to be enough for us. Hope you enjoy this healthy recipe.

Ingredients


Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Bengal gram flour - 2 tbsp
Palak (Spinach) leaves - 1bunch
Ginger - 1 inch
Green chiliies - 2
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Carom seeds - 1/4 tsp
Few cilantro leaves
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - a little less than 1/4 tsp
Curd - 2 - 3 tbsp
Water to knead


Method

Wash the palak leaves well, boil in hot water for 2 mins and wash them with cold water. Grind all the above ingredients excluding the wheat flour and besan flour to a fine paste. While grinding the paste make sure you don’t add water, the water in the curd itself should be fine, else the dough will become very watery. Mix this mixture with the flour, add salt and make malleable dough. Roll out the rotis, fry on both sides with oil and apply little ghee. Serve hot with curd and pickle.

VenPongal / South Indian Khichri / Steamed rice with lentils

A popular breakfast/dinner option is the Ven Pongal. "Ven" means white. Mildly spiced (according taste preference) it is served with Coconut (White) Chutney and Sambhar. Pongal - Vadai - Sambhar is one of the commonly sought out combination at restaurants. No restaurant menu card in Tamil Nadu is completing without pongal. Each restaurant have their own way of preparation, the recipe below is the way most of the families in Tamil Nadu make pongal at home. Ven pongal is not only famous in restaurants, but it is very popular in many temples in south India. Pongal is commonly referred to savory pudding made with beautiful combination of lentils and rice tempered with spices and nuts sautéed in Hot Ghee. This is very easy to prepare and the taste is filling and yummy.
Here is the easy to cook and ready to serve recipe for you…:)

Ingredients For Pongal :

To go the Cooker

Raw rice / Sona Masoori rice – 1 cup
Split Moong Dal – ½ cup
Water – 4 (1/4 )cups
Hing – 2 pinch
Salt - As required

Seasoning
Ghee – 3 tablespoons
Cashew nuts – 10 to 15 broken
Ginger – 2 teaspoons finely minced
Curry leaves – One string
Whole pepper corns – 15 to 20
Cumin seeds – 3 teaspoon

Procedure:

Wash the rice and dal. Then measure water and mix the dal and rice. Add salt and hing powder. Now cook this mixture in rice cooker or in normal pressure cooker.
In a separate pan add ghee and let it heat. Followed by whole pepper corns then cumin seeds, ( you even crush the pepper & cumin seeds coarsely) when the cumin seeds turns light brown color add the minced ginger fry for few seconds then add cashew nuts, hing powder and let the cashews fry and finally add the curry leaves and let it splutter then remove from the heat and add it to the cooked pongal and mix it well.

Parangikai Arachu Vitta Sambar / Spicy Yellow pumpkin Lentil soup

Sambar is a famous and common dish in South India especially Tamil Nadu. Sambar is a vegetable stew with broth made of tamarind and toor dal. Each state in south India adopts typical variations in preparing sambar. Sambar can be made with an instant spice mix called sambar powder or the spice mix can be fresh ground. The sambar made with fresh ground spice mix is called arachuvitta sambar in. I learnt to make this sambar from my motherin-law  Mrs.Jayalakshmi Narasimhan who specialises in authentic tamil cusines.  Sambar can be made with different vegetables like brinjal, carrot, tomato, potato, beans, drumstick, pumpkin, chayote squash, bell pepper (capsicum), okra (lady's finger) and so on. In this recipe I used the yellow pumpkins.

Ingredients:
Toor dal- 1/2 cup
tamarind- small lemon sized
turmeric- 1/4 tsp
asafoetida- 2 pinch
chopped tomatoes-  1
Yellow pumpkin- 1 1/2 cup (chopped, big cubes)
salt to taste

To grind
corriander seeds- 1 1/2 tsp
red chillis -10
chenna dal- 1 tbsp
cyrry leaves- a string
shredded coconut- 4 tbsp
fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp

Seasoning
oil- 2 tsp
mustard seeds- 1 tsp
curry leaves- a string
asafoetida (hing)- 1 generous pinch

Method:

• Wash and cook the toor dal with the yellow pumpkin, turmeric and asafoetida.
• Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes to make an extract.
• Heat a wok and dry roast the ingredients to grind, on a medium flame until the chenna dal turns golden brown. Cool it and grind them into a smooth paste with 1/4 cup of water.
• Now boil the tamarind juice in a vessel with a cup water until its raw smell disappears and add the chopped tomatoes.
• Once the tomatoes become tender and cooked add the ground paste and salt.
• Mash the dal slightly( Make sure you dont mash the pumpkins) and add them to the boiling tamarind juice. 
• Allow them to boil for 10 mins and turn down the heat. Sambar is almost ready except for the seasoning.
• Heat some oil in a small wok, add mustard. When it cracks add asafoetida and curry leaves and season it on the sambar

Note: I made this sambar for rice and hence the consistency was little thick. In case if you want to use this same sambar as a side dish for dosas or idly add 1/2 cup of water and a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of crushed jaggery and boil them and garnish with cilantro leaves (coriander leaves). This would taste like the restaurant sambar.

Aloo Bonda / Potato Dumplings

 It was raining down from the skies; neither wasn’t pouring cats and dogs, it was a pleasant cold weather in the evening. So, thought of making some deep fried snacks. Today, I am coming with one of the famous dish Aloo bonda. Aloo Bonda's are balls of mashed lightly spiced potatoes dipped in chickpea flour and deep fried till golden brown. On a rainy evening this will taste heaven. Oh, it brings back many cherish memories. I remembered the rainy days in India; we used to buy it from the road side tea shops. Myself, my brother & sister used to have a tug of war to get more portion..

I wish there was someone to make this for me so I could enjoy them really hot…so hot that you’d have to huff and puff on them before you eat them and still manage to scald your tongue!

Ingredients
Potatoes - 4 ( boiled potatoes)
Green chilies – 1 or 2 finely chopped
Ginger – ½ tsp (grated)
Curry leaves – 1 string
Salt to taste
Asafetida -1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
Cilantro Leaves – 2 tbs finely chopped
oil -2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp

Other
Oil – as required, for deep-frying the bondas

For batter
Besan/Gram flour-1/4 cup
Rice Flour – 3 tbs
Salt to taste
Chili Powder -1/2tsp
Turmeric powder -1/4tsp
Asafetida -1/4 tsp
Baking soda – 2 pinch
Water – ½ cup

Method

In a bowl mix gram flour, Rice flour, turmeric, chili powder,asafetida,salt,Baking soda and water to make a thick batter..

Next, get the filling ready. Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds, when it pop add urad dal, asafetida, curry leaves, green chilies, ginger, turmeric & coriander powder. Stir well. Mash the pressure cooked potatoes and add them to the wok. Add salt, if you want, add coriander leaves also. When cool make the mixture into small balls.

Heat oil in the kada/wok, dip the balls one by one into the batter and deep fry them…Drain on paper towel..So the tasty potato bonda is ready to serve..Serve hot with chutneys or sauce ….

Vazhakkai Poriyal (Raw Banana Stir fry)

Raw banana commonly know as Vazhakka in Tamil Nadu, India is a good source of dietry fibre, pottasium, magnesium, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6. I usually make a simple stir fry with these raw bananas and not adding much spices. But I got bored with the routine recipe and tried to spice up the dish and the flavour was pretty good.

Ingredients:
Raw banana - 4
tomato (chopped)- 1
shredded coconut- 1 tbsp
ginger- 1"
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
corriander powder- 1 tsp
sambar powder- 1 tsp
chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds (jeera)- 1 tsp
asafoetida(hing)- 1 pinch
curry leaves- 1 string
oil- 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash and peel the raw banana. Cut them into cubes and put them in a dish with water and a pinch of turmeric to prevent them from turning black. Grind the shredded coconut with a piece of ginger without adding water. Boil water in a vessel and add the  turmeric powder. Strain the raw bananas and add them to the boiling water. Remove the raw bananas from the boiling water when they are half cooked. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the mustard cracks add asafoetida, curry leaves, chopped tomatoes and saute them until the tomatoes become tender. Add the ground mixture and saute them. Now drop in the half cooked raw bananas, corriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and sambar powder. Stir them so that the spice gets mixed evenly on the raw banana. Sprinkle some water and cover it with lid and allow it to cook for 10 minutes in low medium flame and turn down the heat. This makes a great combo with rice and Vathal Kuzhambu.

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun…. Oh my God! My mouth is already watering thinking of a hot gulab jamun with cold ice cream melting in my mouth.This is a classic sweet dish,dried milk dumplings,deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup makes a favorite subcontinent sweet.It is a perfect dessert for any occasion like wedding, birthday party, potluck or dinner.I used the Gulab jamun mix from the store.

Ingredients
Gulab Jamun Mix - 1 1/2 cup
Whipping cream - 4 tbs

For sugar syrup
Water – 2 cups
Sugar – 2 cups
Rose Essence – few drops, optional
Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
Saffron – few strands, optional
Oil – for deep frying

Method
Make the syrup in a pan by adding Water, Sugar, Rose Syrup, Cardamom Powder and Saffron. Put the pot on the flame and bring to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer.

In the Meanwhile, get the oil for deep-frying ready. Heat up the oil on low-to-medium heat.
For the dumplings,sieve the gulab jamun mix and add the whipping cream little by little. Slowly start mixing a make a dough.
Allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Make sure they are smooth and do not have any creases.Take each part and press in the palm and roll it into fine balls.
Drop the balls in the hot oil at medium flame and fry these balls until they turn golden brown color.Take them out into a paper towel.
Bring the syrup to another quick boil and drop in the dumplings.Turn off the flame and cover the Gulab Jamuns and let them soak in the syrup for an hour or more.

Yard Long Beans Lemon Rice

I tasted this recipe in the life member prasadam counter in Mayapur. Actually I am not a big fan of Lemon Rice but this one was out of the world. The lemon rice gets a unique taste because of the yard long beans. So I decided to try this at home and it did come out well. Moreover for office goers this is a real quick dish to prepare.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup
Lemon - 1
Yard Long Beans – 10-12
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Ground Nuts - a few(optional)
Green Chillies - 3.
Curry leaves – a few
Oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad Dhal – 1 tsp
Channa Dhal – 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Corriander leaves – a small bunch
Salt – as per taste

Method :
Wash and cook the rice in a pressure cooker.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and keep it.

Cut the yard long beans into 2cm size pieces.

Heat oil in a pan, add the beans and fry well till the beans becomes tender and soft.

Remove the beans from the oil and keep it separately.

Next in the same pan to the oil, add the mustard seeds and once they burst add the urad dhal and channa dhal. When they become golden brown add the green chillies, curry leaves and ground nuts and fry well.

Next add the fried beans, then add the asafoetida and the turmeric powder.

Next add the cooked rice, lemon juice and salt. Mix well.

We can also add little dry grapes and cashew if need along with the ground nuts and fry them.(This is optional) Garnish with coriander leaves and Serve Hot.

Amrakhand

I was browsing through for the Shrikhand recipe and landed on this one. Amrakhand is nothing but Aam plus Shrikhand where Aam means Mangoes and Shrikhand supposedly means Ambrosia of the Gods. Shrikhand is also the name for a traditional Maharashtrian dessert made from yogurt, nuts and saffron. So this version of Shrikhand which uses Mango as its central taste factor is termed as Amrakhand. In simplest western terminology you can call this Mango Smoothie. It came out very well and we loved it. One added advantage is that you can make this for ekadesi also.

Ingredients:
Curd - 400gms.
Sugar - 5- 6 tbsp
Cardamom - 3.
Few strands of Saffron
Milk – 1 tbsp
1 fresh mango, to make about 1 small cup mango pulp (you can use canned mango pulp too)
1-2 tbsp charoli nuts for garnish
few fresh slices of mangoes for garnish

Method:

Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours). Put into a bowl. Powder the sugar and cardamom and mix it with the curd. Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside. Beat well till sugar powder has fully dissolved into curd. In case the saffron strands have not dissolved completely, add them along with the milk to the mangoes. Make the pulp and add it to the curd mixture and Mix well. Empty into a glass serving bowl, top with the nuts and mango slices. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Cauliflower in tomato sauce (Ekadhasi recipe)

On the austerity of Ekadhasi - every time I think what to prepare differently .. I tried this cauliflower recipe for the buckwheat dosa it turned out really good. A combination of tomato with few ingredients transform this simple vegetable dish into a delight for the senses.

Ingredients

Cauliflower - 1 whole ( i used small size)
Tomatoes - 5-6
Green chili - 1
Ginger - 1 inch
Cashew nuts - 15 whole
cilantro - 2 tbs
water - 1/cup
salt - as required
oil
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - few strands

Method

In a blender add tomato ,green chili,ginger,cashew, cilantro and process it well. Make it into a smooth paste.
In a wok add oil ,cumin seeds once it started crackle add the curry leaves. Immediately pour the blended gravy in the wok and add water to it.let it boil for sometime. Once the raw smell of the tomato goes add the cauliflower florets in the tomato gravy and salt. let it boil till the cauliflower is cooked. Once the gravy thickens ,sprinkle cilantro and serve it with hot Dosa.

Cauliflower

Vegetable Dum Biriyani/ Spicy Vegetable Rice

I saw this recipe on a website and thought the person had made it really well. It looked yummy and tasted the same when made. It is definitely a time consuming process but worth every minute of it. Please try this out sometime. I am sure you will love it

The Rice:

§ 1 and half cup basmati rice

§ 2 green cardamoms

§ 2 black cardamoms

§ 2 cloves

§ 1 cinnamon of 1 inch

§ 1 bay leaf

§ 2 mace strands

§ 3 cups water

§ Salt

The Vegetable Gravy:

§ 1/2 medium sized cauliflower, florets removed

§ 1 medium sized carrot, diced

§ 1 medium sized potato, cubed

§ 1 cup of chopped french beans

§ 1/2 cup frozen/fresh peas

§ 1 green chili, slit

§ 2 tbsp julienned ginger

§ 2 green cardamom

§ 2 black cardamoms

§ 2 cloves

§ 1 cinnamon of 1 inch

§ 1 bay leaf

§ 2 mace strands

§ 1oo gms whisked curd

§ 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

§ 1/2 tsp red chili powder

§ 2 tbsp cashewnuts

§ 1 tbsp raisins

§ 2 tbsp almonds, blanched, peeled and sliced

§ 3 tbsp ghee

§ salt

Herbs and Spices for the assembling:

§ 1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

§ 1/2 cup mint leaves

§ 100 gms whisked curd

§ a few saffron strands

§ 1 tbsp milk

Method :

Cooking the Rice:

§ Pick and clean the rice in running water. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.

§ Now you can microwave or pressure cook the rice. You have to cook the rice till its 3/4th done. The rice should not be fully cooked but almost cooked.

§ In a pressure cooker or a microwave cooker, add the pre-soaked rice, all the spices mentioned above, salt. Cook till almost done.

For vegetable gravy:§ Heat ghee in the cooker or pan.
§ Add all whole garam masala: cardamoms, mace, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves. Fry the garam masala till they crackle. Add green chillies and Ginger.

 § Add the turmeric and red chili powder. Give the mixture a stir


 § Now add the vegetables and stir for a minute. Add curd, stir, add 3/4 cup water and salt. When the vegetables get cooked, add raisins and nuts.


Assembling the Biryani and slow cooking it on Dum:

§ Warm the milk. Add saffron to it. Let this saffron-milk mixture cool. Add the curd to this mixture and mix well.

§ In the same vessel with the cooked vegetables, sprinkle half each of saffron-flavored curd/yoghurt, mint and coriander leaves. Spread half the rice. Add the saffron curd mixture again, sprinkle rest of mint leaves, coriander leaves and spread remaining rice. Place moist cloth on top, cover the lid and seal the edges using kneaded wheat dough. Place the vessel on a tawa and slow cook for 20-25 minutes. Mix well before serving.


It is a big recipe and i apologize if the fonts and typing is not very good.

 Hope the recipe won't disappoint you.

Spicy Chole/ Spicy Chick Peas

This is a dish that i saw on tarla dalal's recipe index and tried it. It looked yummy on the net and tasted the same when made. Its simple to make and goes well with chappatis. And this was one of the jain recipes posted. I made this as it is. Do try this out sometime.

Ingredients:

Chick peas (chana) 2 cups

Bottle Gourd (Lauki) 1 cup

Cumin Seeds (jeera) 2 tsp

Bayleaf (tejpatta) 1

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Ginger

Chopped coriander

Milk 4 tbsp

Tomatoes 2 medium

Oil

Salt to taste

To be dry roasted and powdered

Cumin seeds (jeera) 2 tsp

Coriander seeds (dhania) 4 tsp

Dry red chillies 4

Cloves (laung) 4

Peppercorns 5

Cardamom 3

Cinnamon (dalchini) 2"

Pomegranate seeds (anardana) 3 tsp

Metohd:

1. Pressure cook chick peas with bottle gourd for 6-7 whistles and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in pan and add oil. Add cumin seeds and bayleaf to it.

3. As they crackle, add the ground masala powder, chilli powder, ginger, coriander leaves and salt.

4. Mix well and add boiled chick peas pumpkin along with the water.

5. Simmer and cook for some time.

6. Add milk, mix well, simmer and cook for some more time.

7. Once cooked, add sliced tomatoes, mix well and remove from flame.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves. You can even add some lime juice to it depending upon individual taste.

Gobi Manchurian/ Indo-Chinese Cauliflower fritters

Gobi Manchurian is a famous Indo-Chinese dish. They are Cauliflower Fritters in spicy Sauce. This dish can be either dry or wet based. Dry Gobi Manchurian can be served as starters or a wet one as a side dish for Rice. And I must say,this is the only dish I’ve tried umpteen times to get a satisfactory sign from my husband.I’ve followed many recipes,tried adding different ingredients and finally came out with a recipe that suits our taste.Try this absolutely delicious recipe!

Ingredients

To deep Fry and For the batter:

Cauliflower – 1 whole ( cut into medium size florets)
All-purpose Flour – 8 tbsp
Rice Flour- 3 tbsp
Corn Starch – 3 tbsp
Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder -1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Water – for the batter as required
Oil – for deep frying

For the sauce

Oil – 1tbsp for tempering
Bell pepper - 2 ( finely chopped)
Green Chilies – 2 cut diagonally
Tomato Sauce /Ketchup – 5 tbsp
Red Chili Sauce – 4 tbsp or to taste
Soy Sauce – 6 tsp
Vinegar – 4 tsp

Method

Prepare a batter with the given ingredinets adding necessary water.Batter should be made a little thick,otherwise it doesn’t coat well on the cauliflower florets.Heat oil in a big wok,dip each floret in the batter and gently put it into the oil.Do not overcrowd the wok while frying.Do it in 2 or 3 steps as needed.Fry it until it turns golden brown in color.Drain into a tissue paper and keep them aside and allow it to cool.

Heat Oil in a medium non-stick pan.Add bell pepper,green chilies and cook until bell peppers are slight brown. Add Ketchup and Red Chili Sauce and cook until Oil starts to separate from mixture. Add Soy Sauce and Vinegar and mix well.cook till the raw smell is turned into nice aroma from the sauces..Keep the sauce aside.

Finish frying all of the Cauliflower and add it to the pan with the sauce. Toss well to coat Cauliflower completely.

Suggestions :If you want to make it a gravy,add 1 tsp cornflour mixed in 1 cup luke warm water and simmer it for few minutes.

Home-made simple Potato chips

Potato Chips is a universal snack and its loved by people of all age group. This dish can be served as a appetizer, side dish or a snack. According to the traditional story the original potato chips was created in Saratoga Springs, New York, 1853. In the 20th century, potato chips spread beyond chef-cooked restaurant fare and began to be mass produced for home consumption. Potato chips are a predominant part of the snack food market in English-speaking countries and numerous other Western nations.
Now coming to my story, potato chips are my favourite and I was longing for a long time to make them at home. Yesterday was ekadhasi and in our tradition we fast from grains and beans on this particular day. So when I was thinking of making a nice snack without grains and beans, it suddenly stuck me why shouldn't I try to make some potato chips.I thought wow!!..thats a good idea. Although I had watched my mom making potato chips at home during my childhood day, I vaguely remembered the steps. So I googled and found how to make potato chips at home at videojug and was excited to experiment it. My experiments were fruitful.

Ingredients
Russet Potatoes- 2
Oil- 500 ml
salt for seasoning

Method:
Wash and peel the potatoes. Make thin even slices of the potatoes using a mandoline. If you don't have a mandoline, you could us a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to make thin slices. Pat them dry using a paper towel or line the slices in a cotton cloth and allow them to dry for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in deep pan. Drop the thin slices one by one and fry them on a low-medium heat. Use a slotted spoon to turn the potatoes slices frequently to make sure that the slices are cooked evenly. Once the potato starts turning brown and becomes crip, remove them from the oil using the slotted spoon and transfer it in to a plate with paper towel on it. Leave it for five to ten minutes and then season it with salt.

Thenga Thogayal/ Spicy Coconut lentil chutney

Thengai thogayal is a kind of chutney made with cocoonut and urad dal from Tamil Nadu(South India) cuisine. Coconut thogayal mixed with hot rice and ghee/ gingely oil along with roasted papad makes a great combination although this can be used as side dish for idlis and dosas. I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law. She is expert in making all south Indian dishes. The recipe is very simple and it just takes five minutes to get it done.
 Now lets take a look at the ingretients.

Ingredients:
Shreded coconut- 1 cup
Tamarind- a goose berry size
Urad dal- 1 tbsp
Hing- 1/4 tsp
Red chillies- 4 (adjust according to your spice level)
curry leaves- one string
salt to taste
oil- 1 tsp

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal, red chillies, hing and fry it until the urad dal turns golden brown. Add the shredded coconut and curry leaves and fry them for 1 minute. Transfer the contents to a blending jar and allow it to cool. Remove the seeds from tamarind and add them. Add the required amount of salt. Grind them into a coarse paste with 1/2 a cup of water. Make sure the paste is thick. Do not add too much of water.

Simple Vegetable Spaghetti

This awesome recipe is so simple to make and prepare. The ingredients used for this dish are only a few items and are very easy to get. When I started making Spaghetti with vegetables, I wasn’t sure if it would taste good. Surprisingly, this recipe tasted great and satisfied our taste buds.
I usually skip cheese while making Spaghetti to keep it light. Here is the recipe for a simple and healthy Vegetable Spaghetti. This is an excellent lunch/dinner. I'm yet to come up with more spaghetti recipes :-)

Ingredients

Spaghetti - 2 cups (Boiled)
Chinese snow peas - 1/2 cup
Tofu - 10 cubes
Bell Pepper - 2 ( used different colors)
Basil Leaves- 1/4 cup
cabbage - 1/2 cup
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
Chili Sauce - 2 tsp
oil

Method

Boil the Spaghetti, as per the instruction given on the cover.
In a wok add oil ,once it becomes hot add cabbage and fry it for 2 mins.
Followed by snow peas, bell pepper, Tofu ,toss it well. Then add the spaghetti , soy sauce, chilli sauce and mix well. Add the Basil leaves finally.
Mix well until all the sauces blend well with the spaghetti.
Serve hot..

Chettinad style Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu / Lentil Dumplings in Tangy Gravy

Chettinad is a region in southern Tamil Nadu, with Karaikudi as its capital. It is well know for its spicy culinary delicacies. Chettinad food, now is one of many reasons why people get to know about chettinad. Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu means lentil dumplings cooked in a gravy. This recipe has different versions. When I usually make this paruppu urndai kuzhambu I used to follow my mom's recipe. My huband motivated me to try the Chettinad style and briefed me what are the modifications that has to be made from my usual style. I tried and it came out really well.

Ingredient:
For the dumplings:
Chenna dal- 1cup
Toor dal- 1/4 cup
red chillies- 3
Green chillies- 1
hing- 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
curry leaves- 2 string
fennel seeds- 1 tsp

For gravy
Coconut(shredded)- 2 tbsp
Poppy seeds- 1 tsp
Ginger- 1 inch
sambar powder- 1 tbsp
red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
tamarind- small lemon sized
tomato- 1 (medium sized)
turmeric- 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
curry leaves- 1 string
mustard seeds- 1 tsp
cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp
fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp
hing- a generous pinch
oil- 1 tbsp

Method:
Making the dumplings:
Wash and soak the chenna dal and toor dal for 2 hours. Strain the dals and grind them coarsely along with red chilliies, curry leaves, green chillies without adding water. Add salt, hing and 1 tsp fennel seeds to the coarsely ground paste and mix well. Make small balls out of it and steam them in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes or until the dumplings are half cooked. Do not cook it fully or over cook the dumplings. This might prevent the dumplings to get fully soaked in the gravy.
Making Gravy
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for 10 minutres and make an extract. Finely chop the tomatoes. Grind the coconut, poppy seeds, ginger, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds into a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds. When the mustard crack add hing, curry leaves, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and saute them until the tomatoes become tender. Add the tamarind extract, ground paste, chilli powder, sambar powder, salt, 1 cup water and allow it to boil. Drop in the dumplings and cook in a medium to low flame for 15- 20 minutes. If the gravy is too thin then break two of the dumplings in the gravy and mix well to get the right consistency for the gravy. Serve hot with rice.

Healthy Sprout Salad Recipe

Salads are uniformly low in fat, full of vitamins and makes a perfect accompaniment to a variety of dishes. Sprout salad is a very refreshing and healthy salad. Dal when sprouted turn out to be sweeter and this combo goes well with any raw vegetables.
You can easily have it for breakfast and dinner, I can assure you it will keep you full and satisfied as it is quite tasty as well.

Ingredients

Mixed Sprouts - 2 cups
Carrot - 1 ( Cut them into small cubes)
Sweet Corn Kernels - 1/2cup ( Put it in hot water for 5 mins)
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Bell pepper - 1
Tomato - 1

Dressing
Lime Juice - 1 tbs
salt - Acc to taste
Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Method

Take the mixed Sprouts in a bowl , followed by chopped carrot.
De seed the tomato and bell pepper and chop them into small cubes. Add the same into the bowl.
Remove the kernels from the water .Filter the water and add it in the bowl .
Add the roasted peanuts.
Give a good mix by adding salt and pepper.
Finally pour the lemon Juice mix well and serve.

Baby Corn Potato Fry

This is my husband's favorite item and incidentally he is the one who invented this recipe. This is very easy to make with minimum ingredients. This goes well with roti,curd rice, rasam rice etc. I bet Baby Corn Potato Fry is a loved one by all working women as it is really easy to cook.At home during weekends when we need to go out the whole morning,I get up early and make just this fry and rice and offer it to Krishna. In that way when we are done with all the work we just rush home for curd rice and baby corn potatoe fry prasadam and not look for options to eat out. 

Ingredients:

Potato – 1 large
Baby Corn – 15 -20 pieces
Sambhar powder – 3 tsps
Salt – As per taste
Oil – 2–3 tbsps
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Urad Dhal – 1 tsp

Method:

1.Peal the potato skin and cut the potato and baby corn (Half finger length and a little thinner than what we cut for French Fries).

2.Add the cut baby corn to water and allow it to boil for 7-8 mins. Drain the water and keep it aside.

3.Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and wait till they burst and add the urad dhal.

4.Next add the cut potato and allow it to fry. Keep stirring and mixing the potato with the oil. Reduce the flame and allow the potato to fry. Keep stirring once in 5 mins to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

5.When you feel the potato is half fried add the baby corn and mix well.

6.When both are cooked three forth add the sambhar powder and salt. Mix well and allow it to fry.

7.When the ingredients have become roasted, stop the flame. The Baby Corn potato Fry is now ready. In case we don’t get baby corn we can substitute it with Gobi also.

Chettinad Tomato Rasam

My cousin sister made this rasam when I was there in Pollachi last weekend. I was bowled over by the taste and decided this is the first thing I am going to make for Krishna when I am back in Chennai. I managed to do it. By Krishna’s mercy it did come out well. We can actually kind of have this a different type of soup also. Here you go…

Ingredients
Tomato – 5
Red Chillies – 2-3
Corriander Seeds – 3 tsps
Jeera – 2 tsps
Pepper – ½ tsp
Thoor Dhal – 2 tsps
Curry leaves – a little
Asafoetida – a pinch
Coconut Milk – ½ glass
Oil for Frying
Mustard Seeds – a little
Urad Dhal – a little
Red Chillies – 1(For Frying)
Corriander Leaves – a small bunch

Method:

Add the thoor dhal to a pan and fry till the aroma comes and the dhal turns light golden brown. Allow it to cool.Next add the thoor dhal, red chillies, coriander seeds, jeera and pepper, make a powder and Keep it aside. Next boil the tomatoes and peel the skin and grind them to a puree. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and wait till they burst and add the urad dhal, red chilly, asafoetida and curry leaves. Next add the tomato puree, powdered mix, salt and add two glasses of water(You can add more water if you feel that consistency is thick) and allow it to boil till the raw smell leaves. Next add the coconut milk and allow it to cook for another 10 mins. Cut the coriander leaves and add it to the rasam. Spicy chettinad tomato rasam is ready.

Gatthe kee Sabji/ chickpea sticks in curd based gravy

This is a recipe that is made out of besan (chick pea flour) in a gravy of curd. It is mainly a marwaadi dish that i borrowed from a marwaadi friend. I tried it as this is my husbands favourite and is very simple and easy to make. It tastes good with roti and paranthas.

Ingredients:

BESAN (Chick pea flour) 1 cup

Oil 5-6 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Salt to taste

water (very little to make dough)

Curd 1 cup

Hing (Asafoetida) 1/4 tsp

Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp

Dhania (coriander) powder 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Method:

1. Make a dough of chick pea flour, 1 tsp chilli powder, salt with oil and very little water. Knead well and make long rolls (just like soup sticks).

2. Boil water in a vessel and dip these sticks and boil for 10-15 minutes. This is called gattha.

3. Take out the sticks and allow them to cool a little and cut them into small pieces.

4. Take a pan and heat 1-2 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.

Add 1tsp red chilli powder immediately followed by 1 cup curd and mix well.

5. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt and stir till the oil separates.

6. Add the boiled gatthas in to the gravy and cook for 3-4 minutes.

7. Add water if the gravy is too thick.

serve hot with rotis or paranthas

Sending this post for the "Holi Aye re" event Hosted by Vatsala of Show and Tell

Chettinad Masala

Chettinad Masala

This is a recipe i saw on some website (i dont really remember which one) and liked it. So i made a few modifications of my own and the outcome was good (i think so). Hence, i am sharing it here. Its simple to make and tastes yummy with hot paranthas, phulkas, and naan.

Ingredients:

For Chettinad Masala:

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

1 tsp dhania (coriander seeds)

1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)

2 whole dry red chillies

3 cardamom (elaichi)

1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

3 cloves (laung)

1" cinnamon (dalchini)

1 tbsp oil

Other Ingredients:

1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)

1 tbsp cashewnuts broken

ginger

6 cloves

3 tbsp oil

3 tomatoes (medium) blanched and grated

1/2 tsp turneric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

4-5 curry leaves

3 cups boiled mixed vegetables

1/2 cup coconut milk

salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak poppy seeds and cashews in little hot water for five minutes.

2. Roast the masala ingredients till the aroma arises and grind them to a fine paste along with poppy seeds and cashews and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, and grated tomotoes and add turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder and cook till tomatoes are well blended and oil begins to seperate.

4. Add ground masala paste to this tomato mixture, add curry leaves and saute for two minutes.

5. Add 1 cup water, boiled vegetables and cook covered for a few minutes till the grave thickens.

6. Finally add coconut milk, mix well, and simmer for two to three minutes.

serve hot with chappatis or phulkas.

Garbanzo beans patties

I’ve been looking for ways to get more protein in my diet. As a result, I’ve been making a lot of Lentils, Pulses and beans lately, and I’ve been learning so much about them. The recipe for today is an absolute delight 'coz its healthy and non deep fried.I finally got down to making it the other day and thought of sharing it here.

My recipe is slightly spiced and fragrant with the aromas of Asian Masala's. Below goes the recipe

Ingredients

1 Cup of chick pea/Garbanzo Beans ( Boiled & smashed)

Carrot - 4tbs ( grated)

Peas & Corn - 1/2 cup ( boiled)

Soy chunks - 15 nos chopped ( soak it for 15 mins in warm water, then squeeze the water)

Ginger - 1/2 tsp ( grated)

Chilli powder - 1tsp ( acc to spice)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder -1 tsp

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Madras Curry powder - 1 tsp

Nuts - 1/3 cup ( any nuts- toasted & chopped )

salt as per taste

Rice flour - 1/2 cup ( diluted in water - to dip )

Bread Crumbs - to roll

Method

Soak the beans in water for 4 - 5 hours . Boil the beans by using a pressure cooker.

Drain the water from the boiled beans and smash it with a ladle.

I used the frozen peas and corn added it in the boiled water for 5 mins. Drain the water and keep it aside

In a bowl , add the smashed beans,grated carrot,peas ,corn and soy chunks. Mix these ingredients by using hands then add ginger, all the powders , salt and the nuts. Give a good mix to this and make a smooth mixture.

Wash your hands and clean.Apply some oil on your palms. Take the above prepared mixture, and shape them into flat patties. Keep them aside on a plate. Continue preparing cutlet.

Take the Rice flour in bowl and dilute it in water. Put the bread crumbs in a plate.

Heat Tawa/Skillet and drizzle a little oil on it

Take the above prepared cutlet, roll in the Rice flour and coat well with the bread crumbs

Place on the Skillet once its hot. Allow the cutlet to get golden brown on the bottom side. Drizzle a little oil on the top side of the cutlet before flipping them over. Allow the other side to get brown as well. Take off the skillet and serve hot with some chutney or ketchup.

I use this as a burger, and add the veggies in between the buns as per choice. 

Tips

Test a small sample first to ensure that it's not spreading on the hot skillet. If it does, add some Rice flour to the mixture.

Mix the salt into the mixture when you are ready to make the cutlets. Salt always tend to make the vegetables 
sweat and then it will be difficult to form the cutlets.


Sending this recipe to "Only Original Recipe Event" hosted by Nivedita and Pari