Vendakkai/Okra Fry

We usually make vendakkai masala or curry . My Mother used to make vendakkai fry sometimes. This recipe is quite different from the usual ones we make and I love to have it with Rice and sambar. Try it folks and I bet you will love this too..

Ingredients

Vendakkai/okra- 300 gms(see to that they are yound and tender)
Onion- 1 sliced thinly
Chilli powder- 1 tsp or acc to taste
Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves- 1 or 2 sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method

Wash and dry the okra in paper towels(make sure it is dried well). Cut into medium rounds.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry till they are brown. Finally when you are done frying the okra pieces fry the onions till dark brown. Off the stove and fry the curry leaves. Add the fried onions and curryleaves to the fried okra. Add salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder and toss well so that it is well mixed. It can be called as okra chips too.
Serve with rice and Sambar or Tomato rasam.

Bisibelebath

Bisibelebath/ Sambar sadham requires lot of patience.. .Though I like this a lot, I feel lazy to do this often, as it needs chopping, roasting , grinding and lots of work.The only relief is you dont need to prepare any vegetable curry with this .. It goes well with raitha and chips. Last week when I saw bisibelehuli anna in Nanditha's blog, I wanted to make it and so here is what I made..

Ingredients

Raw Rice- 2 cups
Thoor dal- 1 cup
Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
Asafoetida- ¼ tsp
Peas- ½ cup
Shallots- ½ cup
Tomatoes-2 cut finely
Carrot -1 chopped into small pieces
Beans- 10 chopped finely
Potatoes-1 chopped into small pieces
Drumsticks- 1 cut into 3” pieces
Brinjal – 1 cut into cubes.
Chowchow- ¼ cup cut into cubes
Garlic- 6 cloves
Green chillies- 3
These are the main veggies. U can add any vegetable u want to this except beets and bittergourd.The more the vegetables the better the taste. I added bottlegourd too with this.
Sambar powder- 1 tsp(optional. As I use very little red chilies ,I add this for better colour.I use sakthi masala)
Tamarind – 1 small lemon sized.
Salt to taste
Ghee- 5 tsp
Coriander leaves- 3 tsp chopped

To roast and grind

Channa dal- 2 tsp
Thoor Dal – 1 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Coriander seeds- 3 tsp
Jeera- 1 ½ tsp
Pepper- ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds- ½ tsp
Saunf/Aniseeds- ½ tsp
Curry leaves- a few
Red chillies- 3( the one I have is very spicy so I add little) or acc to taste
Cinnamon- 2 one inch pieces
Cloves- 5
Coconut- 3 to 4 tsp

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add all the spices except coconut and fry for 2 minutes. Then add coconut finally and fry for a minute. Cool it and grind it to a fine paste by adding water.

For seasoning

Oil- 3 tsp
Mustard seeds- ½ tps
Broken urad dal- ¼ tsp
Fenugreek seeds- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves- a few

Method

Pressure cook the dal with turmeric powder and asafetida and set aside. Soak the tamarind in water and squeeze the juice.
In a cooker or big vessel, add 10 cups of water(1:5 ratio) . when it boils add the rice and the vegetables(from peas to green chillies). When the rice is ¾ th cooked. Add the dal and salt.mix properly and add the ground paste , tamarind juice, sambarpowder and ghee. Partly Cover and cook for a few minutes in reduced flame.Heat oil in another pan and add the seasonings one by one. Now add this to the rice. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with raita and papad/chips and ghee on top.
This bisi bela bhath should be in a slightly semisolid consistency than the normal rice.

check out Shynee's, Deepz's and Sangeetha's and sudhav 's Bisibelabath.

Tomato Rasam

This is a very simple , and easy to make rasam.Sometimes when I feel lazy I prepare this Rasam. I read this recipe somewhere in the internet, a couple of months before, and tried it . We loved it so much that it has become one of our regular menu now.
Try this out and you will love this too …



Ingredients

Tomatoes-( red ripe ) 4 medium sized
Coriander leaves- 3 tsp finely chopped
Sambar powder- ¾ tsp or acc to ur taste.( I use sakthi masala)
Tamarind juice- 3 tsp
Pepper powder- ¼ tsp
Jeera powder- ¼ tsp
Garlic- 4 cloves mashed.
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Salt to taste

For seasoning

Mustard seeds- few
Jeera- ¼ tsp
Red chilli- 1
Asafoetida- a pinch
Curry leaves- a few
Oil – 2tsp

Method

In a pan add the tomatoes and fry for sometime till they turn mushy add the coriander leaves , sambar powder, salt, pepper, jeera ,turmeric powders and garlic.Fry for a minute and add a cup of water( I make this medium thick and if you want thin, you can add a 1/2 cup more water too, according to your taste.) to this and let it boil. Now add the tamarind juice to it. Heat oil in another pan and add the seasonings one by one. Add this to the rasam. Serve hot with rice.

There are lots of varieties rasam. Shaheen of Malabar spices had asked me to link the different varieties of rasam.. Check out these interesting rasams..

melting pot Rasam by Saffron Hut
Menu today has posted 4 to 5 varieties of rasam recipes in her Index.
Pomegranate rasam by Saffrontrail
Mysore Rasam by Mika
Black eyed beans Rasam by Chandrika
Kollu Rasam by Indosungod
Pepper Rasam by Priya Bhaskaran
Tomato Rasam by Sumitha
Paruppu Urundai Rasam by Krithika

Kovakkai/Tindora masala

I had never tasted kovakkai before marriage. After marriage I found many of my friends cook this vegetable and when I happen to taste it I liked it too. Once when we went to a friend's house for dinner , she had cooked this curry.It was different with peanuts and I couldn't find out it was kovakkai. I got the recipe from her and whenever I buy this vegetable I cook this way.. ..


Ingredients

Kovakkai- 3 cups (cut lengthwise )
Onions- 1 large chopped finely
Green chilli-1 chopped finely
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Coriander powder- 2 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp or acc to taste
Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
Cloves- 3 or 4
Salt to taste
Oil- 4 to 5 tsp
Coriander leaves- 2 tsp chopped finely
For seasoning
Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Jeera- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - few
Peanuts- 3 tsp



Method

Heat oil in a pan add the seasoning items. Add the chopped onion and green chilli and fry till the onions become transparent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears. Now add the kovakkai pieces and fry for some time. Add the turmeric, coriander and chilli powders. Crush or powder the cloves and add it to the masala. Add little water , simmer the flame and close it with a lid. Cook till the vegetable becomes tender and oil seperates. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

Check out sudha's version of tindora Here.

Five things to eat before you die!

I have been tagged again and this time it was Asha’s turn to tag me.Thanks Asha. This is the Five things you've eaten and think that everyone should eat at least once before they die meme started by Traveller’s lunch box.
Though I have a long list of favourites , I will just give 5 of them and here’s it…

Shree Mithai’s Boondhi ladoo- Shree Mithai is a famous mithai shop in Chennai. Their sweets are so divine and I just love most of them (kaju rolls and moti pak are my other favourites). Whenever anyone of u gets a chance to visit Chennai do visit this shop..
http://www.shreemithai.com/

My Mom's chicken curry-- This is one of my favourite from my mom's cooking. It is a very simple recipe but a very tasty one. I will post this sometime later and Iam waiting to taste this again next month when I visit my mom.

Sugarcane juice and grilled corn in marina beach- Iam basically from chennai and we used to go to marina beach frequently. I just love the sugarcane juice and i never forget to have it whenever i go to the beach. U can see many corn vendors roasting the corn- on- the cob, in the beach. walking along the shore with a corn in ur hand is sure a pleasant experience.

Chicken lettuce wraps- P.F. Chang's China Bistro is a wonderfully casual restaurant with great food and excellent service. The Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps (quickly cooked spiced chicken with cool lettuce cups) is a signature dish, which is served with a very tasty sauce. This lettuce wraps are so tasty that I feel like having it whenever we pass that way.
http://www.pfchangs.com/

Cheese cakes- These cheese cakes are yummmmmmy and beyond delicious. I had tasted this cheese cake after coming to NJ and had become an instant fan of this.

I wish to tag Sudha of My Samayal and Karthi kannan of Kitchenmate..

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

I was thinking of trying a recipe with pumpkin for From My Rasoi hosted by meeta. I tried for the pumpkins but I could n’t find any in the local stores or markets last week. So I went in for canned pumpkins.

Some History and facts about pumpkin( which I collected from the net)

References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was changed by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin."
Pumpkins are 90 percent water. Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A. Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites. Native Americans flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats.
Pumpkin Seed is an herbal medicine used for bladder irritation, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), problems with urinating, and kidney stones.
DID YOU KNOW:
A pumpkin is really a squash?
It is! It's a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.
That pumpkins are grown all over the world?
Six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins including Alaska! Antarctica is the only continent that they won't grow in.
That the "pumpkin capital" of the world is Morton, Illinois?
This self proclaimed pumpkin capital is where you'll find the home of the Libby corporation's pumpkin industry.

I have baked cakes and muffins from the ready to do mixes which is available in the grocery stores. But I haven’t tried home made regular cakes or muffins.This is my first try of baking a muffin.. I was thinking to do that for a long time…So now I searched for pumpkin muffin recipes. The one which was simple and the one which I liked was this. I was happy with the result except that sugar was a bit less . I added ¾ cup acc to the recipe but 1 cup would be perfect.
I made 2 alterations to the original recipe. The original recipe had 1 tsp baking powder+ ½ tsp of baking soda and ¾ cup of milk. But as I didn’t have baking soda with me I added 2 tsp of baking powder itself. I wanted to add buttermilk and so I added ½ cup of buttermilk and ¼ cup milk. The muffins turned out great and I loved the raisins in it.
This is my entry to Meeta’s From My Rasoi and Nanditha’s weekend Breakfast Blogging.

Ingredients

Pumpkin(pureed) fresh or canned- 1 cup
All purpose flour- 1 ½ cups
Sugar- 1 cup
Butter- ¼ cup
Eggs-2
Salt- 1/8 tsp
Milk- ¼ cup
Buttermilk- ½ cup
Baking powder-1 ½ tsp
Baking soda- ½ tsp
Raisins- ½ cup
Vanilla essence-1/2 tsp

Method

Pre heat the oven to 400 F. Grease the muffin pan with oil.
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl till they are mixed well. Then add the eggs one by one and beat them well.
Sift flour, baking soda , baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Fold in gently. Then add the pumpkin puree, milk and buttermilk and fold in gently again. Add the raisins and vanilla.

Fill in the muffin pan 2/3 full and bake in for 12 to 14 minutes or until it turns golden brown.(U can check it by inserting a sharp knife. When the knife comes out clean the muffins are done).Remove from the oven and let them cool a few minutes in the pan before removing.

Avial

Avial is a famous dish in Kerala. There are many ways of making this avial but this is the one I make which I found somewhere in the net. I liked this dish mainly because of the variety of vegetables in it.

Ingredients

Drumstick- 5 pieces of 3” slit into half
Yam(senai kizhangu)- 1 small piece
Beans- 8
Carrot- 1 medium sized
Brinjal- 2 small
Raw banana- 1
Potato- 1
Curry leaves- a few
Curd- ½ cup
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Coconut oil- 3 tsp

To grind

Coconut- 4 to 5 tsp
Cumin seeds- ½ tsp
Green chillies- 3 or acc to taste
Pepper- ¼ tsp

Method

Cut yam ,carrots, beans, brinjal , raw banana and potato of same length- 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces.
In a kadai add ½ cup of water and add a few curry leaves and drumsticks. Close with a lid and cook for 2 mins. Add all the other vegetables, turmeric powder and salt. Cook in a medium flame till the vegetables are cooked ,without adding much water.
Add the ground paste and cook for 2 minutes. Beat the curd well and then add it.
Finally add coconut oil and a few curry leaves and mix it.
Avial is ready and serve it with hot rice.

Note

U can add many other vegetables like pumpkin, snake gourd, cucumbers, peas, raw mango etc… acc to ur taste.

Carrot Kheer

This is one of my favourite recipes. It is a easy and quick to make recipe.. a rich and healthy one too. The kheer turns out to a wonderful yellow colour, that u can make believe anyone it is badam kheer. I have made this for parties and all my friends love it. I hope u will love this too.



Ingredients

Carrot- 1 large cut into thin rounds
Cashews- 8 to 10
Almond essence- ¼ tsp
Almonds or cashews chopped into tiny bits- 3 tsp
Milk-3 cups
Sugar- ½ cup or according to taste.

Method

Pressure cook the carrots and cashews upto 3 whistles.
When cool grind to a fine paste.


Add sugar to milk and stir it well till it dissolves(u don’t need to heat it up ,can just add to cold milk itself ). Now add the ground paste too. Mix well and add the chopped nuts and essence.
Serve chilled.

Tips

U can add saffron soaked in milk.
U can add cardomom powder instead of almond essence
U can add milk more or less according to the thickness u want.

Meme...About Me and Me and Me only

I was Tagged By Sudha of My samayal..Thanks Sudha.

I am thinking about : My trip to India next month

I said : "Not so close to tv"...I say this more often to my little daughter

I want to : Do things my own way , caring less of what others think of me

I wish : I could Go back to the college days. It was so much fun, carefree days without any worries or big responsibilities.

I regret : I regret shouting at my daughter when I am angry.

I hear : 'Pinky dinky doo', a programme in 'Noggin' , my daughters favourite tv channel.

I am : I do believe Iam a good wife and mother.

I dance : Not very good

I sing : Sometimes in bath and sometimes when I drive

I cry : I cry when Iam alone..on my pillows.

I am not : A person who goes early to bed or gets up early in the morning..(got to change this..)

I am with my hands: I have painted and did some hand works before but out of touch
now. At present only browsing, cooking , cleaning up etc...

I write : My things to do list, shopping list and my blog

I confuse : I get confused sometimes when taking a tough decision

I need : I need people around me... I dont like to be alone

I tag: I tag Revathi of En Ulagam , Asha of Foodie's Hope and Lera of Myriad Tastes

Gobi 65

Gobi 65 is a dry curry . I love to have this as a evening snack. U can have this with chappathis if u like.. Its easy to make and this doesn’t take much time to do if u have all the ingredients. Try it out and let me know.. Non vegetarians can try try it out with chicken..

Ingredients

Cauliflower-1
Cornflour-3 tbsp
Capsicum- 1 small cut into thin strips
Onion- 1 cut into thin strips
Tomato sauce- 1 ½ tsp
Soya sauce- 1 tsp
Ajinimotto- a pinch
Chilli sauce(optional) – ½ tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Salt to taste.
Oil



Method

Clean the cauliflower and cut into small florets. Soak it in hot water for 5 minutes.
Drain the cauliflower florets and add corn flour,salt and chilli powder to it. Do not add water to it. Just fold in with ur hands. If needed just sprinkle very little water.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the florets till golden brown . set aside.
Add 2 tsp of oil in another pan and saute the onions and green pepper strips for 2 to 3 mins till the onions are transparent. Remove from fire and set aside.
In the same pan add 1 tsp of oil and add add the sauces and ajinimotto. Immediately add the cauliflower florets and saute for 2 minutes in a slow flame. Then add the onion ,greenpepper strips. .. remove from flame.. gobhi 65 is ready to eat.

This is my entry to this week's by Bachelor Cooking

Kadalai Kuzhambu

Chickpeas are good source of protein. So I make it a point to include it in our diet more often. I learnt this from one of my friends and this has become our favourite kuzhambu now.U can try this with any other payaru instead of chick peas.

Ingredients

Channa(chick peas)- ¾ cup
Onions- 2 (if large or 3 if medium) chopped finely
Tomatoes- 1 ½ chopped finely
Green chilli-1 slit into two
Oil- 4 tsp
Tamarind- small lime size
Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves- a few
Fenugreek- ¼ tsp
Salt to

To grind

Coconut- 4 tsp
Pearl onions- 5
Jeera- ½ tsp
Pepper- ¼ tsp
Tomato – ½
Chilli powder- ½ tsp
Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
Sambar powder- ½ tsp

Grind all this to a very fine paste.

Indredients ground to a fine paste
Method

Soak the channa overnight. Pressure cook that and keep it aside. soak the tamarind in water and squeeze the juice out of it. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add curry leaves,fenugreek seeds, onions and green chilli. Saute for some time till the onions become transparent and then add the cut tomatoes. Saute for some time till the tomatoes become mushy and then add the ground paste.
Add the channa , tamarind water and salt to taste. Add 1 cup of water to it. Cover it partly with a lid and keep in a medium flame. Remove from fire when oil floats on top.
Serve hot with rice .

Note: If u are in a hurry u can straight away do it in the pressure cooker itself. In that case u dont need to pressure cook the channa seperately.

Stuffed Brinjal Curry

Many of you would know this famous dish from Andhra and I learnt it from one of my Telugu friends, a couple of years ago. She had made it for a party and I loved it so much that I asked her the recipe at once, and tried it the very next week. It was a big hit in our family and its now my husband’s favourite. Even though this recipe has been blogged by many others, I would like to add mine too.Try it out and let me know about it.

Ingredients

Violet brinjals-10 (choose fresh and small ones)
Tomatoes-2 finely chopped
Onions-3 finely chopped
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Green chilli- 1 chopped finely
Oil- 6 tsp
Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Jeera- ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
Coriander leaves- finely chopped 2 tsp

To grind

Peanuts-6 tsp dry roasted
Sesame seeds-6 tsp dry roasted
Coconut grated- 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Garam masala- 1tsp
Salt to taste

Method

Wash the brinjals , do not remove the stem , and slit them vertically and horizontally like a plus sign(starting from the opposite end of the stem) without breaking them into halves.

Grind the ingredients to a fine paste. Acc to my friend's recipe the ingredients must be powdered. But as I did not have a good mixie with me when I first tried this ,I had to grind them to a paste. It turned out well and so I always try it out this way. If u want ,u can try it out in powdered form. Stuff the paste into the brinjal slits.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and jeera. When the mustard pops add the onions and green chillies. Saute for some time and then add the brinjals and the remaining paste. Fry for some time and add the chopped tomatoes ,turmeric powder, chilli powder,salt and ½ cup of water. Close with a lid , simmer the flame and keep stirring every 5 minutes, gently without smashing the brinjals.

This takes a long time ( almost 30 to 40 minutes) to cook. Remove from heat when brinjals are tender and when oil floats on top. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice.