Coriander Rice

Got this simple but wonderful recipe from my friend Jayanthi. Perfect for lunchbox.

Ingredients

Rice( basmati/sona masoori)- 2 cups

coriander leaves- 1 bunch

green chillies- 4 or acc to taste

coconut (grated)- 1 1/2 tbsp

onion- 1 large chopped into thin slices

salt to taste

For seasoning

oil- 2 tbsp or acc to taste

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

channa dal- 1 tsp

jeera-1/2 tsp

red chillies-2

ginger- a small pice chopped finely

curryleaves- a few

asafoetida- little

Method

Cut the stems from the coriander bunch, wash well and chop them roughly .

Grind coriander leaves, coconut and green chillies to coarse paste.

Cook rice seperately.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, channa dal, jeera, red chillies, asafoetida, ginger and curry leaves.

Add onion slices and saute until it turns transparent. Then add the ground paste and salt. Fry for some time till the raw smell disappears.

Add cooked rice to it and serve hot with raita.

Note:

U can add green peas or lima beans in the coriander rice.

Banana bread

Ingredients

Wheat flour- 1 cup

All purpose flour- 1 cup

butter-1/2 cup

sugar-1 cup

baking powder- 1 tsp

baking soda-1 tsp

bananas (well ripened)-3

walnuts -1/2 cup chopped

eggs-2

salt-1/4 tsp
Vanilla essence-1/2 tsp
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature.
Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time to the butter, sugar mixture and beat well.
Mash the bananas seperately and add vanilla essence and sour cream to it .
In another bowl ,sift together the wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ones and fold in the chopped walnuts. Mix gently and pour the batter in the greased loaf pans.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
note:
I have used equal amts of wheat and all purpose flour. You can use wheat flour alone if u are health conscious or make it the regular way with all purpose flour only.

Mixed vegetable chutney

I got this recipe from my friend Radha. It tastes great with Idly and dosa. Goes well with rice too.

Ingredients

onion-1

Zuchini-1

capsicum- 1

Red pepper- 1/2

carrot-1

brinjal -1 medium sized or 2 small

urad dal-1 tbsp

channa dal- 1 tbsp

salt to taste

red chillies- 5 or acc to taste

tamarind - a small piece

oil- 2bsp

coriander leaves- a few

curry leaves - a few

Method

chop all the vegetables into cubes.

Heat oil in a pan and add channa dal, urad dal, curryleaves. When the dals become golden brown add the chopped onions. Saute for a couple of minutes till it becomes transparent and then add all of the veggies along with tamarind and chillies.

Saute for some time till the veggies soften. Add the coriander leaves finally and remove from fire .

Grind them when cool and serve with idly or dosa.

Gobi Manchurian -dry

Ingredients

For deep frying

cauliflower-1 , cut into small florets

allpurpose flour/ maida-6 tbsp

cornstarch-4 tbsp

chilli powder- 1 tsp or to taste

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

For the sauce

oil-1 1/2 tbsp

yellow onion(medium size)-1 chopped finely

green onions- 1 bunch,chopped (the base white part and top green part seperately)

ginger- a small piece, chopped finely

green chilli- 1 chopped finely

garlic- 5 cloves, chopped finely

corn starch-1 tbsp

chilli sauce-1-2 tsp acc to taste

tomato sauce-1tbsp or to taste

soy sauce-1 tbsp or to taste

salt to taste

Method

Mix all purpose flour/maida ,cornstarch ,chilli powder and salt in a bowl and a little water to make a thick paste (bhajji consistency).

Wash cauliflower florets and add it to the paste. mix it well so that the florets are coated well with the paste.

Deep fry the florets in oil and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and the base part of the green onions. fry for some time and add the chopped ginger , garlic and green chilli pieces.Add salt to taste.

Saute for a minute and add the chilli sauce, tomato sauce and soysauce.

Mix the cornflour with water and add it the mixture.Simmer the flame and when the sauce thickens add the deep fried cauliflower florets.

Mix well so that the florets are covered well with the sauce. sprinkle the chopped green part of the spring onions and serve hot.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

All purpose flour- 2 1/2 cups

sugar- 1 or 1 1/4 cup

baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
baking soda- 1 tsp
salt- 1/8 tsp

blueberries(fresh or frozen)- 1 1/2 cups

butter- 1/4 cup

eggs- 2

oil- 1/4 cup

milk- 3/4 cup

yogurt- 1/4 cup

vanilla essence- 1 - 2 tsp

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease the muffin tray.

Powder the sugar and sift it along with flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Bring the butter to room temperature and whisk it well . Add eggs to it and whisk again. Add oil, milk , yogurt, and vanilla essence to it and whisk everything well. You can use the hand mixer at low level too.

Toss the blueberries with a tbsp of flour ( so that the bluberries do not sink at the bottom of the muffins) and set aside.

Mix the flour mixture to the wet mixture with a rubber spatula. Do not whisk or beat the mixture at this stage as the muffins would turn out harder. Just mix them gently and fold in the blueberries. Be careful not to squish them.

Fill in the batter to the greased muffin pan until 3/4 th .

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

Cool them in wire racks.

note

I used 1 cup of sugar ,but felt the sweet content was less and so next time i would surely go for 1 1/4 cups.

Ven Pongal

Ingredients

Rice- 1 cup

split/yellow moong dal- 1/2 cup

cashews-a few broken into small pieces or halved

cumin-seeds- 1tsp

pepper- 1 tsp

green chillies- 1slited

ginger - a small piece chopped finely

asafoetida- a couple of pinches

curry leaves- a few

salt to taste

oil-1tbsp

ghee- 1 tbsp

Method

Dry roast the dal lightly for a couple of minutes till a nice aroma comes and set aside. Be careful not to turn it brown.

Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker and when hot add the cashews,pepper, cumin, ginger,green chilli ,curry leaves and asafoetida. Keep in a low flame and make sure nothing gets burnt.

Add the dal and the washed rice to it and then add 4 cups of water . Check salt and pressure cook it. ( As we add more water for this , most of the time the water overflows . To avoid this I follow this method: partly cover with a lid, turn on high flame and let it boil. After some time when the rice , dal and water are in even consistency ,close with a lid. When steam comes add weight and simmer for 15 minutes.)

When the steam subsides completely,open the cooker and mix it well so that it gets mashed lightly.

Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.

Note

You can pressure cook the dal and rice and then do the seasonings finally too.

Vegetable Upma

Ingredients

rava- 2 cups

onion- 1 chopped finely

tomato- 1 chopped finely

green chillies-2 slitted

ginger- 1 small piece chopped finely

carrot-1 chopped finely

beans- 6-8 chopped finely

peas- 1/2 cup

capsicum-1/4 chopped finely

potato-1 chopped finely

cooked channa- 1/4 cup

turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp or less

chilli powder- 1/4 tsp or acc to taste

garam masala powder- 1/4 tsp

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

salt to taste

Seasonings

oil- 2 to 3 tbsp

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

split urad dal- 1/4 tsp

channa dal- 1/2 tsp

cashews halved- 5

asafoetida- little

curry leaves- a few

Method

Dry roast the rava in a heavy bottomed pan for a couple of minutes till the raw smell disappears.

Transfer the rava in a different plate and keep aside.

Heat oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds, cashews, channa dal, urad dal, curry leaves and asafoetida one by one.

When the cashews turn golden brown , add the chopped onions, green chillies and ginger. Then add the chopped tomatoes, fry for some time and then add all the chopped veggies .

Saute for sometime and add salt, turmeric, chilli , garam masala powders and 1/2 cup of water to it.

Simmer the flame and close the pan with a lid .When all the veggies are cooked, add 2 cups of water and the roasted rava (1:1 ratio). Mix well and close with the lid for a minute. Upma is ready now... serve hot with chutney or pickle.

Bombay Sweet Toast

Sorry for not posting for a long time... Will try to post atleast a few recipes in a month.

This is a very simple , yet tasty recipe...loved to share with you all.

Ingredients

Round Rusks- 10

milk- 2 cup

sugar-3 tbsp or to taste

ghee- 1/4 cup or to taste

Method

Boil the milk in a wide vessel. Add sugar to it and mix well.

Dip the rusks one by one for a couple of seconds and keep seperately in a plate.

Heat the tava and arrange 3 to 4 rusks in it. Melt ghee and add it liberally to the sides and the centre. Flip it over add little ghee and cook till golden brown on both sides.

Serve hot for an evening snack. Kids will love it!!!

Bell pepper (capsicum) Rice

Ingredients

Basmathi/Raw rice- 2 cups

1/2 of each green, yellow , red and orange bellpeppers

or

green bellpepper-2 small ,cut into thin slices

onion-1 cut into thin strips

ginger-a small piece chopped finely

Turmeric powder- 1 0r 2 pinch

salt to taste

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

To Grind

copra (dry coconut)-2 tsp

red chilli- 1

coriander seeds- 1 tsp

channa dal-1 tsp

urad dal- 1tsp

cinnamon- a small piece

cloves-2

saunf- 1/4 tsp

slightly dry roast the dals alone and grind all this into a coarse powder.

To Season

oil- 2tbsp

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

chana dal- 1/4 tsp

peanuts- a few

cashews - a few

curry leaves- a few

Method

Cook rice and set aside to cool down.

Heat oil in a pan and add all the items for seasoning. when the cashews and peanuts turn golden brown add chopped onions and ginger . Fry for sometime and when the onions become transparent add the sliced bellpeppers.

Fry for a couple of minutes in high heat and add the ground masala , salt and turmeric powder.

Fry till the oil comes out on top and then add the cooked Rice.

Mix well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chips and raita.

note

Sometimes instead of dry roasting the dals , I add a tsp of idli podi and it sure enhances the taste.

Adai Dosa

It's been a long time since my last post... I went to India for a few weeks , had been busy with other things for the past three months, and now Iam ready to start posting . Adai dosai is a popular tiffin in Tamilnadu and I hope You all like this simple yet tasty recipe.

Ingredients

Raw rice-1/2 cup

Boiled rice or Idly rice- 1/2 cup

channa dal - 1/2 cup

toor dal- 1/4 cup

urad dal- 1/4 cup

red chillies- 4 to 5 or acc to taste

onion-1 chopped finely ( u can use sambar onions too)

curry leaves- a few chopped finely

coconut- 2 tsps grated(optional)

asafoetida- a pinch

salt - to taste

garlic-1 small clove (optional)

Method

Wash and soak the rice and dals for 2 to 3 hours.

Grind it along with salt, asafoetida, coconut ,red chillies and salt into a coarse paste by adding little water.The batter should not be thin and should be thicker than the dosa batter.Add the onions and curry leaves to the batter and mix it well.

Heat the tava, pour a ladleful of the batter and spread it thick.Drizzle some oil on the sides and flip over when it is golden brown.

Serve hot with coconut chutney or avial.

Note:

If you want the adai to be more crispy add 3/4-1 cupof channa dal and 1-2 tbsp each of toor and urad dal.

If you want the adai to be more healthy , you can add more dals like masore and moong dals too.

You can cut the coconut into teeth like pieces and add to the batter along with onions(instead of grinding).

Mysurpa & Ribbon Pakoda - Happy Diwali

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DIWALI !!!!

Sree Krishna Mysurpa is very famous in Tamilnadu. Unlike the traditional mysurepauk which is porous and a bit hard, this one is soft and melts in ur mouth. I searched for the recipe of mysurpa in the net and Jayashree Govindarajan's recipe attracted me. It was really surprising that this recipe turned out great and melted in my mouth almost like SKS mysurpa. I completely followed her recipe. She had written in tamil and so Iam giving her recipe in English. Thanks Jayashree for the wonderful recipe. I hope you guys would love to try it out sometime.

Ingredients

Gramflour- 1 cup

sugar- 2 1/2 cups

ghee- 2 1/2 cups

Method

Sift the gram flour in a fine seive and dry roast in a pan for 2-3 minutes.

Melt the ghee and keep it ready.

Heat the sugar and water(just add enough water to cover the sugar) in a thick bottomed kadai or a non stick pan for a couple of minutes, until the sugar dissolves completely.

Now add the gram flour slowly in small amounts stirring continuosly so that no lumps are formed. (use a wire whisk if lumps are formed)

When the gram flour starts to boil start adding the ghee little by little.(u can add all the ghee in 4-5 batches). Make sure the flame is simmered and it is important to stir continuously.

After you finish adding all the ghee, continue stirring for some time until the mixture thickens and forms one huge lump without sticking to the sides of the pan. The mixture at this stage will start to become slightly porous and will be in light golden colour.

Its the right time and so remove from fire and quickly pour it on a greased plate. press with a flat bottomed bowl or a spatula evenly. Cut into rectangles or any desired stage when hot.

note

Try making this with pure ghee. If u feel 2 1/2 cups is too much of ghee, you can reduce to 2 cups.

Ribbon Pakoda

Ingredients

Rice flour -4 cups
chutney dal(roasted chana dal/daliya)- 1 cup
Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
butter- 4 to 5 tsp
chillie powder-2 tsp or acc to taste
oil for deep frying

Method

Grind the chutneydal in the mixie and sieve it. Mix riceflour,dal powder, butter, chilli powder, salt, asafoetida and add enough water to make it into a soft dough. Heat oil in a pan and squeeze the dough from the murukku press(place the mould/plate used for ribbon pakoda) into big circles. Deep fry the pakodas , drain it in paper towel and store in airtight containers when cooled.

Happy to send these recipes to

JFI: Festival treats hosted by Srivalli
Sunday Snacks: Fry it hosted by SnackoRama
Yummy Festival Feasts hosted by Pallavi
Festive Food: Diwali hosted by Priti

Tomato Rice

This is a simple but very tasty recipe from my friend Shakthi. Earlier,I prepare tomato rice in a different way, But after tasting it in her house I liked it a lot and now I prepare tomato rice only by this method. I love the simplicity and the mild flavors in this dish.

Ingredients

Rice(sonamasoori/basmathi) - 2 cups

onion-1 big chopped into thin slices

tomatoes -2 (medium or big)chopped finely

green chillies- 2 slitted

ginger- 1 small piece finely chopped

garlic-cloves finely chopped

or

ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp

turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

chilli powder- 3/4 - 1 tsp or acc to taste

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

mint leaves- a few chopped finely

salt to taste

For seasoning

oil- 2 tbsp

cinnamon- 1 small piece(optional)

cloves- 2( optional)

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

split urad dal- 1/4 tsp

curry leaves- a few

saunf- 1/4 tsp

jeera- 1/4 tsp

method

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds, split urad dal, jeera, saunf ,(cinnamon,cloves) and curry leaves.

Add the chopped onion ,ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry till the onions turn transparent. (If you are adding ginger garlic paste add it now and fry for a couple of minutes.)

Now add the chopped tomatoes ,salt and turmeric powder.

Fry till the tomatoes become mushy. Add chilli powder and the chopped coriander and mint leaves.

Fry for a minute and then add the washed rice. mix well and add 3 1/2 cups of water. Check salt and pressure cook for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with papad /chips/raita.

Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients

Paneer- 1 pack

Onions- 2 medium

Tomatoes-3 big

Ginger garlic paste- 1 1/2 tsp

Cashews- 10 whole

Milk- 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder- 1 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Jeera powder- 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Everest kitchen king masala- 1/2 tsp

Kasoori methi - 1/4 tsp

Oil+ butter -3 tbsp (1:2)

Cinnamon- 1 small piece

Cloves- 2

Cardomom-1

Coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

Salt to taste

Method

Peel the onions and boil them in hot water for sometime until it becomes soft. When cooled ,grind it to a smooth paste. Blanch the tomatoes and puree them.

Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add cinnamon,cloves and cardomom. Add the ground onion paste and fry for some time. Then add the ginger, garlic paste and fry for some time.

Then add the tomato puree. fry till the oil seperates and then add turmeric, chilli, dhania and jeera powders.Grind the cashews into a fine paste and add to the masala.

Add the milk , cover with a lid and cook in a slow flame till the masalas are well cooked .

Chop the paneer into cubes or strips . Add this along with garam masala powder, kasoori methi,salt and kitchen king masala . cook for 5 - 10 minutes or till the oil comes on top.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with parathas/roti/naan.

Note:

You can grind the onions and tomatoes straightaway without cooking in water and blanching them too. But I do this because the onions would be cooked well and there will not be any raw smell. The gravy would be done quickly and the taste would be better too.

If u want more rich gravy u can add half and half or fresh cream instead of milk .

If u need more gravy for parties, u can grind 1-2 tsps of coconut along with cashews.

U can adjust the masalapowders and butter as per your taste.

U can fry the paneer in oil or use fried paneer and add them to the gravy too.

I thank easy crafts and Illatharasi for passing these awards to me( a couple of months before). Thanks guys!!

Back with Carrot Halwa

Ingredients

Carrots- 6 cups grated finely

sugar- 2 1/2 to 3 cups - acc to taste

milk- 3 cups

khoya- 1/2 cup or acc to taste ,crumbled

ghee- 3 tbsp

cashews- a few chopped finely

cardomom powder- 1 tsp

Method

Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and add the finely grated carrots and carrots. Saute for a couple of minutes and add milk. Partly cover with a lid and let the carrots get cooked in the milk.

Add the sugar and after it dissolves completely add the khoya and cardomom powder. Remove from heat when it becomes thick.

note:

Grate the carrots very finely so that the carrots would cook very quickly . If the grated carrots are not very fine then you may need to add some more milk.

You can adjust khoya, sugar and milk as per your taste.

Blogging break!!!

Coconut Rice (South Indian)

This is a very simple and easy to prepare dish. It is my entry to this month's AFAM hosted by Suganya of Tasty palettes.

Ingredients

Raw/Basmathi rice- 1 cup

coconut grated- 3/4 or 1 cup

oil- 1 tbsp

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Split urad dal- 1/2 tsp

channa dal- 1 tsp

curry leaves- 1 sprig

red chillies- 4

cashew nuts(optional)- a few

peanuts (optional)- a few

asafoetida-a pinch

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

salt to taste

Method

Cook rice until done. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, cashewnuts, peanuts, channa dal, urad dal,curry leaves, red chillies, asafoetida and then finally the coconut.Fry for a couple of minutes(the colour of the coconut should not turn brown while frying) and then add to the cooked rice.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

onion pakoda

Onion pakoda is one of the popular street side snacks in Tamilnadu. I have tried making these pakodas sometime back but it didn't come out well. It turned out to be very hard. My husband loves these pakodas and so when i came across them in Sumi's blog last week, I thought should give it a try. I completely followed her recipe(except that I added hot oil, coriander leaves and saunf) along with her tips .It really turned out nice and crispy... This recipe from Sumi's kitchen is my contribution to the MBP 'Street food ' started by 'coffee of spicecafe' and hosted by 'Sia of Monsoon spice'.

Its Completely Sumi's Recipe and Iam just posting it for my own records.

Ingredients

Gram flour/besan- 1 cup

rice flour- 1 cup

cooking soda- 1/4 tsp

red onions- 2 medium/large chopped into thin strips

green chillies- 2 chopped finely

garlic- 3 cloves- crushed

ginger- a small piece - crushed

cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

saunf- 1/4 tsp

chilli powder- 1 tsp

curry leaves- a few chopped

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

hot oil-3 tsp

oil for deep frying

salt to taste

Method

Take all the ingredients except oil, in a bowl and mix well with hands . Heat oil in a kadai and when hot add 3 tsp of that to the besan mixture. mix well and divide the mixture into 4 or 5 portions.Take one portion into a plate.Sprinkle very little water and then mix it slightly with your hand.Be careful not to sprinkle very little water as the mixture should not become soggy.

Take some mixture , press it with ur hands and drop it in hot oil. Take it out when they are slightly golden brown and drain the excess oil by placing it in a paper towel. continue with the other portions too. Serve hot with tea.

Store the rest in air tight container.

Sumi's tip:

If you add/sprinkle water to the whole batch, the flour will soak up the water and the pakodas will not be crispy.So always do it in small batches.

Stuffed masala kulchas

“Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.” Got another award and thanks Jayasree for passing this Award to me.

I would like to pass on this award to

Kribha and

sra

Stuffed masala kulcha was adapted from sanjeev kapoor's collection of recipes. Tried kulcha for the first time and it really turned out very soft . This is my contribution to Srivalli's Roti mela. Ingredients

For the Dough

maida- 3 cups

curd-1/4 cup

warm milk- 3/4 cup

yeast - 1 1/2 tsp

sugar- 1tsp

baking powder- 1/2 tsp

butter- 2 tbsps

salt - 1 tsp or acc to taste

oil

For the Filling

potatoes- 2 medium, boiled and grated
paneer-100 gms, grated

onion-1 chopped finely

green chillies- 2 chopped finely

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

lemon juice(optional)- little

salt to taste

Method

Mix yeast and sugar in lukewarm milk.Cover with a lid and keep aside for 1/2 an hour or until it becomes frothy.

Mix maida, baking powder and salt. Add butter and curds to it and mix well.

Now add the activated yeast mixture and make a soft dough. Leave it covered for 4 hours.

After 4 hrs the dough would have doubled in size. Add 1 tbsp of oil and knead it well for 10 minutes.

Mix all the ingredients for the filling.

Divide the dough into equal sized balls , Take one , roll it into a small circle and place 1 or 2 tsp of the filling in the center. Bring the edges together and seal them . Dust with flour and roll out into 1/2" thick parathas.

Place it on a heated tava and cook on both sides by brushing with a little oil.

Serve hot with chole , raita or any curry.

A Meme, An Award and Pav bhaji

A Meme
Jamie of Flavor Pantry has tagged me for the Top 10 pictures meme. Thanks Jamie and here are my Top ten pictures.
Rasmalai Veg Manchurian and Fried Rice

PaniyaramGobi 65Ragda pattiesVegetable cutlets

Appam ThattaiPin Wheel Sandwiches
Banana Blossom Curry

An Award

I got the Yummy blog award from Shri of Eminent life. Thanks shri for the Award.

"Yummy Blog award was first conceptualized by Roopa of Kitchen Treats. Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with the most yummy recipes/photos."

Rules for the ‘Yummy Blog’ award Receiver:

The person who receives the award should display the “Yummy Blog !” logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is “Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos”. The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have prepared/eaten.

My Favourite desserts are

1)Rasmalai

2)Badam halwa

3)cashew katli

4)mysorepa

5)Gulabjamoon

I would like to pass on this award to Sia of Monsoon spice as she has got lovely recipes and photos in her blog.

Pav Bhaji

Ingredients

potatoes-3

carrot- chopped 1 cup

peas- 1 cup

cauliflower- a few florets

capsicum- 1 chopped finely

onions-2 medium chopped finely

tomatoes-3 big chopped finely or ground to paste

ginger- 1 " piece

garlic- 3 cloves

green chilli-1

chilli powder- 1/2 tsp or acc to taste

pav bhaji masala- 2 tsp(I use everest brand)

adjust chilli powder and pav bhaji masala according to taste.

butter- 1 tbsp or acc to taste

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

lemon- 1/2

oil- 2 tbsp or slightly less

salt to taste

Pav buns or dinner rolls

Method

For Bhaji

Pressure cook potatoes, carrot , peas and cauliflower . Drain water and mash slightly.

grind ginger , garlic and green chilli into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and then add chopped onions. Fry till they become transparent and add ginger, garlic and green chilli paste. Fry for a couple of minutes and add the chopped or ground tomatoes. Fry till it becomes mushy and add the chopped capsicum pieces. Saute for sometime and then add the coarsely mashed vegetables.

Mix well and add the chilli powder and pavbhaji masala. sprinkle 1 tsp lemon juice(optional) and cook till oil comes on top.

Then finally add the butter and chopped coriander leaves.

For Pav

Slit open the buns and toast them with butter on both sides.

Serve with bhaji, lemon and onion wedges.

Senaikizhangu Kuzhambu ( A gravy with yam)

Ingredients

senaikizhangu (elephant yam)- chopped into cubes ,1 cup

onions- 2 chopped finely

oil-2tbsp

To grind

ginger- 1" piece

garlic- 3-4 cloves

green chilli-1

cashews-5

khuskhus- 3/4 tsp

coriander seeds- 2 tsp

cumin seeds-1 tsp

coconut(grated)- 3 tsp

turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

chilli powder- 1 tsp or acc to taste

garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

salt to taste

For garnishing

corainder and mint leaves- a few chopped finely

Method

Wash, peel the yam and chop it into cubes. (Elephant yam is not available in our area and so I buy it frozen, in which the vegetable has been already chopped into cubes). Grind all the above ingredients to a very fine paste by adding water.

Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onions( Using chopped sambar onions or shallots gives more taste). Fry for some time till the onions become transparent and add the ground masala and the vegetable. Saute for a minute and add 1 - 1 1/2 cups of water. simmer the flame and partly cover the pan with a lid. cook till the vegetable is cooked and the gravy becomes thick and oil comes on top . Garnish with very finely chopped coriander and mint leaves. Serve hot with rice.

note:

You can cook this using chicken , mutton or soya chunks(meal maker) too.