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.

Paneer Rice

Sorry folks! I was not able to post anything for almost a month as I was a bit busy with a few other things... Here is a simple recipe of paneer rice which I hope you would love to try.

Ingredients

Fried paneer cubes- 1 pack

curd-3/4 cup

Basmathi rice-2 1/2 cups

turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

chilli powder- 11/2 tsp or acc to taste

coriander powder- 2 tsp

kasoori methi- 1tsp

ginger garlic paste- 1 to 1 1/2 tsp

garam masala- 1/4 tsp

Onions- 2 medium, sliced

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

mint leaves- a few chopped finely

salt to taste

yellow/orange food color- a pinch(optional)

For seasoning

oil- 2 tbsp

butter - 2 tbsp

bayleaves- a few

cinnamon- 1 stick

cloves- 2

cardomom- 1

star anise-2

saunf-1/4 tsp

Method

Soak the basmathi rice in water for 10 minutes.

In a bowl add curd , chilli powder, turmeric powder, corainder powder, kasoori methi, ginger garlic paste, salt and garam masala powder. whisk well , add the paneer pieces to it and keep aside for 2 hours.

Drain the water from the rice add 2 tsp of oil and microwave it for 2 - 3 minutes.

Heat butter + remaining oil in a pan and add cinnamon, cloves, cardomom, star anise, saunf,bayleaves and sliced onions. Fry for a some time till the onions turn transparent and then add the paneer with the curd. Fry for a couple of minutes in medium flame till the oil seperates and then add the chopped coriander and mint leaves. remove from fire.

Add rice and water in the ricecooker in the ratio of 1: 1 3/4 and add the prepared paneer masala to it. cook till done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita.

note

You can deepfry onions and cashews till golden brown and garnish on top.

Masal Vadai

Ingredients

Channa dal- 1 cup

red chillies- 2-3 or acc to taste

saunf- 1/2 tsp

hing- a pinch

onions- 1 chopped finely

curryleaves- a few,chopped finely

coriander leaves - a few chopped finely

oil for deep frying

salt to taste

Method

Soak channa dal in water for 2 hours. Grind dal along with red chillies, saunf , hing and salt to a very coarse paste.

Add chopped onions,curry leaves and coraiander leaves to the paste and mix well. Make small balls and flatten it with ur palm.

Heat oil and deep fry the vadais. Serve hot with or without coconut chutney.

Note:

You can use yellow split peas instead of chana dal. By using this dal the vadais turn out to be more crispy.

Methi Paratha and Capsicum Carrot Raita

Methi Paratha

Ingredients

Methi leaves- 1 small bunch

wheat flour- 2 cups

cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

ajwain-1/4 tsp

besan- 2 tbsp

yogurt- 2 tbsp

turmeric powder-little

chilli powder-1/2 tsp

ginger garlic paste-1/2 tsp(optional)

garam masala- a pinch

salt to taste

oil

Method

Clean the leaves well and chop finely. Add all the ingredients except oil and using water knead well to form a dough. keep aside for 1/2 an hour to 1 hour.

Make golf sized balls out of it and roll it into parathas.

Cook until brown spots appear on both sides adding oil to the sides.

Capscicum and carrot raita

Ingredients

capsicum- 1 small chopped very finely

carrot -1 small chopped very finely(or grated)

green chilli- 1 chopped finely

yogurt- 1 cup

oil-1 tsp

turmeric powder- a pinch

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

curry leaves- a few

coriander leaves - a few chopped

salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds,green chilli and curry leaves. Then add the carrot pieces (add it first if u have chopped and add it last if u have grated) , fry for a minute and then add the capsicum pieces. Fry for 1 or 2 minutes , add salt and turmeric powder and remove from fire. Add whipped yogurt when cooled and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with methi paratha.

Uthappam

Ingredients

For Batter

Idli rice- 4 cups

Urad dal(whole)-1 cup

fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp

salt to taste

For Uthappam

Red onions- 2 chopped finely

tomatoes- 1 chopped finely

green chillie-1 chopped finely

ginger- a small piece chopped finely

coriander leaves - a few chopped finely

Method

Wash and soak the rice and and dal+fenugreek seperately for 4 hrs. Grind the dal first into a smooth paste by adding water little by little. Then grind the rice seperately into a fine paste. Mix the dal and the rice paste together , add salt and keep aside for 8 hrs or more, till the batter is fermented well. This is the basic dosa batter.

U can make uthappam with this basic dosa batter. But uthappams will taste best when the batter becomes a bit sour , that is after 2 or 3 days. So usually i make uthappams with the left over dosa batter.

Heat tava and spread little oil on it. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread the batter into a thick pancake with the ladle. Add little of the chopped veggies and drizzle a tsp of oil on the sides. When it is cooked on one side, carefully turn over and cook for a couple of minutes.

Serve hot with idli podi or any chutney.

Stir Fried Vegetable Noodles

Ingredients

Asian noodles- 1 pack

olive oil/or any oil of ur choice- 2 tbsps

soy sauce- 1-2 tsp

vinegar- 1 tsp

salt and pepper powder - acc to ur choice

garlic- 2 cloves finely chopped

onion- 1 small chopped into thin slices

carrot - 1 medium julienned

snow peas- 1/2 cup

green pepper-1 small julienned

yellow or red pepper- 1/2 small julienned

zucchini- 1/4 cup julienned

broccoli- 1/4 cup chopped into small florets

Method

Cook the noodles as per the package instructions.

Heat oil in a pan and add chopped garlic and onions. Saute for some time till the onions become transparent and then add the julienned vegetables. Stir fry in high flame for a few minutes. The vegetables should only be half cooked and should remain crisp . Now add the soy sauce, salt, pepper and vinegar. Then finally add the cooked noodles and mix it well . Noodles stir fry is ready to serve.

Ragda Patties

Ingredients

For Patties

Large potatoes-3

Bread slices-2(optional)

salt to taste

coriander leaves- a few chopped finely

turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

oil- a few tsps

For Ragda

Whole yellow peas(soaked overnight)- 1 cup

onion-1 chopped finely

turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

coriander powder- 3/4 tsp

cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

green chilli-3-4

ginger and garlic- 1" pieces

For serving

Ingredients for Date chutney

Dates- 6

Extract form small lime sized tamarind

jaggery-2-3 tsp

chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

cumin powder-1/2 tsp

Ingredients for green chutney

mint leaves- 1/2 cup chopped finely

coriander leaves- 1 cup chopped finely

green chillies-6

lemon juice- 2 tsp

cumin- 1/4 tsp

rock salt-a pinch

Thin sev

finely chopped onion, tomato and corainder leaves- little

Method

Pressure cook the potaotes, peel the skin, mash well and add salt and turmeric powder. Wet the bread slices in water, squeeze it and add to the potatoes. mix everything well and make small patties. Heat little oil in a tawa and shallow fry the patties until golden brown on both sides. patties are ready

Heat oil in a pan/pressure pan and add the finely chopped onions. grind green chilli+ginger+garlic to a coarse paste and saute it along with onions. Add the soaked peas, all the powders and cook till they are soft and mushy. ragda is ready now.

soak the dates in hot water or boil it in water for 2 minutes. Grind the dates to a fine paste and add all the other ingredients in a pan and bring to boil. When the mixture becomes thick ,date chutney is ready

Grind all the ingredients together for the green chutney.

For serving, place one or two patties in a plate, pour a ladleful of ragda on top of it, add little of date and green chutneys, sprinkle sev on top and garnish with chopped onion, tomato and coriander bits.

Black bean salad

I rarely make salads, though I know that they are very healthy. One of my friend had invited us for the thanksgiving dinner last year and this salad was one among the menu. I loved this salad as it was very attractive to see and it tasted great. I have made this thrice after having it in her house. Would really love to share it with u all.

Ingredients

Black bean- 1 cup

cucumber-1 small, chopped finely

onion- 1 small, chopped finely

tomato- 1 small, chopped finely

mango-1 big slice, chopped finely

coriander leaves- a few , chopped finely

green chillies-1 chopped finely

salt to taste

pepper powder- little

Method

Soak the black bean (if using fresh ones) overnight and cook till done (be careful not to overcook it). U can use the canned beans too and its very easy to make this salad with canned beans.

Add all the chopped veggies to the black bean and toss it up with salt and pepper. squeeze lemon juice and serve.

U can increase or decrease the amount of veggies as per ur taste. U can use any variety of beans to make this salad and add veggies such as carrots ,coconut,peas , boiled peanuts etc according to ur taste.

Ulli Theeyal

'Ulli' means onion in malayalam and 'Theeyal' means burnt food. The coconut should be fried well until brown in this dish. Theeyal is almost similar to Tamilnadu's kaara kuzhambu. We don't fry the coconut for kaara kuzhambu and we add vegetables like brinjal and drumsticks to it.
This is my contribution to the RCI: Kerala hosted by Jyothsna of Currybazaar and JFI:Onions hosted by Radhika of Radhi's Kitchen.

Ingredients

pearl onions- 30 -35 peeled and sliced
coconut- 1/2 cup
tomato- 1 small
coriander seeds- 2 tsp
cumin seeds- 1 tsp
chilli powder- 1 to 1 1/2 tsp or acc to taste
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
tamarind- lemon sized
oil-2 tbsp
salt to taste
For seasoning
mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
split bengal gram- 1/4 tsp
curry leaves- a few
red chilli -1
methi seeds- slightly less than 1/4 tsp

Method

Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice out of it.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add coriander seeds, cumin, 10 - 15 onions and coconut one by one and fry for a couple of minutes.
When cooled add this along with turmeric powder, chilli powder , tomato and grind to a fine paste.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add the seasonings one by one.Then add the rest of the sliced pearl/sambar onions and fry till it turns transparent.
Now add the ground paste and the tamarind juice. Add 1 cup of water to it and when it boils simmer the flame and close partly with a lid. Keep on flame for 15 to 20 minutes till the gravy thickens and oil seperates.
Serve hot with rice.

Note
U can add coriander powder and cumin powder too instead of seeds.
U can add brinjals and bittergourd instead of onions.
Check Anita's Ulli theeyal too.