Monday, March 24, 2014

Soya Chunks Fry | Meal Maker Dry Roast


Ingredients:
Soya Chunks 
2 Cups
Onions
2
Tomato
2
Green Chilly
2
Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp
Chilli Powder
1 tsp
Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp
Garam Masala 
1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp
Cinnamon 
1 stick
Cloves
5 cloves
Bay leaf
1
Oil
3 Tbsp
Salt
To taste
Coriander leaves
For garnish

Method:
  • Boil 3 cups of water in a pan along with a teaspoon of salt. 
  • Once the water has boiled, turn off the heat and add the soya chunks to the water. Let it soak for about 15 mins. 
  • Drain the soya chunks and wash it well with cold water and drain well again. 
  • Finely chop the onions and tomatoes. Slit the green chilies.
  • Heat oil in a pan, and temper with cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves. 
  • Add onion and green chilies to the pan and saute until golden brown. 
  • Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute.
  • Add the tomatoes and saute until mushy. Add salt as required
  • Add the drained soya chunks and 1/2 a cup of water to the pan. 
  • Add all the spice powders and mix well. 
  • Cook on medium heat until oil separates or until desired consistency is achieved. 
  • Serve hot with rice or roti. 

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Carrot Poriyal | Carrot fry with Coconut


 Ingredients: 
Carrots, large
6
Coconut, grated
¾ cup
Turmeric powder
¼ tsp
Chilli powder
1 tsp
Cumin seeds
1 tsp
Mustard seed
1 tsp
Urad dal
1 tsp
Curry leaves
1 sprig
salt
To taste


Method: 
  • Wash and chop the carrots into small pieces. 
  • Grind coarsely the coconut and jeera, adding 2 tbsp of water.
  • Heat oil in a wok, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the urad dal and curry leaves and fry for 30 secs. 
  • Add the chopped carrots and sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of water. Cover and cook the carrots, stirring them once in a while. 
  • When the carrots are almost cooked, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix well.  
  • Add the ground coconut mixture and cook 3-4 minutes or until it becomes dry. 
  • Serve hot with rice or roti. 


Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Masoor dal Sambar with Spinach | Keerai Sambar



Simple & healthy spinach sambar recipe for rice & idli, dosa.

Ingredients:
Masoor dal / Red lentils
1 cup
Spinach, finely chopped
1 cup
Onion, medium-sized
1
Tomato, medium-sized
2
Green chilies
2
Garlic
3 cloves
Turmeric powder
½ tsp
Red chili powder
1 tsp
Sambar powder
½ tsp
For seasoning
Mustard seeds
1 tsp
Cumin seeds
1 tsp
Curry leaves
A handful
Asafoetida
A pinch
Oil
3 tsp

Method:
  • Wash the masoor dal. Finely chop the spinach, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and green chilies.
  • Pressure cook the masoor dal along with turmeric and the chopped spinach, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and green chilies.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds, allow them to splutter. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida, fry for 30 seconds.
  • Add the cooked masoor dal mixture into the pan. Add red chili powder, sambar powder, and salt to the mixture along with ½ cup of water. Mix well.
  • Let the sambar boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
  • Serve hot with idli, dosa, or rice. 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Paruppu Keerai Kootu | Keerai Kootu Recipe





Ingredients:
Paruppu Keerai / Purslane leaves
1 Bunch
Shallots
5
Tomato
1
Green Chilli
2
Garlic
2 cloves
Cumin
1 tsp
Toor dal / Pigeon Pea
½ cup
Turmeric powder
¼ tsp
Salt
To taste
For Seasoning
Mustard seeds
Urad dal / black gram
Dried red chilli
Finely chopped Shallots
Curry leaves
Oil 
½ tsp
½ tsp
1
2
Handful
1 Tbsp

Method:
  • Wash the toor dal, add turmeric powder, water and pressure cook the dal and mash it.

  • Wash and remove the roots from the paruppu keerai then coarsely chop the keerai.  
  • Coarsely chop the shallots, tomatoes, garlic, and green chilies. 
  • In a pan, add the keerai, shallots, tomatoes, garlic, green chilies,  jeera, salt, and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook till the keerai is completely cooked. 

  • Once the keerai mixture is completely cooked, Let it cool and blend it coarsely in a blender.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add finely chopped shallots and let them brown slightly. Add mustard seed and allow them to splutter. Then, add urad dal, curry leaves and red chilies and fry for 30 seconds. 
  • Add the mashed dal and blended keerai mixture to the pan. Mix well and turn off the heat. 
  • Serve hot with rice or rotis. 

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Banana Kuzhi Paniyaram | Paniyaram Recipe | Banana Appam



Kuzhi paniyaram is a traditional Tamil snack cooked in a paniyaram pan. This recipe is of a sweet kuzhi paniyaram made with flour, banana, and jaggery. This is a really simple dish and makes a perfect evening snack. 

Ingredients:
  • Banana - 1 large
  • Wheat flour / All purpose flour - 1 cup
  • Powdered jaggery / Sugar - 3 Tbsp
  • Ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Cardamom - 2 pods
  • Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - 1 pinch
  • Oil - for frying
Method: 

Mash the bananas completely.

Powder the cardamom seeds.

Mix together the mashed banana, powdered jaggery, ginger powder, cardamom powder, baking powder, and salt.
 
Add the flour and water to the above mixture and make a thick batter. 

Heat the Kuzhi paniyaram pan and add 1/4 tsp of oil into each kuzhi / hole. 

Fill each hole with a tablespoon of batter (or 3/4th of each mold) and let it cook till golden brown. 

Flip with a fork and cook the other side also until it is golden brown. 

Healthy evening snack is ready!

Friday, February 28, 2014

Crispy Fried Chicken | Boneless Chicken 65 Recipe


Ingredients
  • Boneless Chicken - 500gms
  • Finely chopped onion - 3 tbsp
  • Chopped green chilies - 3 
  • Oil - 3 Tbsp 
  • Coriander Leaves - for garnishing 
  • To Marinate 
  • Egg - 1 
  • Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tbsp
  • Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Chili Powder - 1 tsp
  • Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - as per taste

Method

  • Combine all the ingredients listed under 'To Marinate'. Marinate the chicken in this mixture for at least 1/2 an hour.
  • Heat oil in a wok and saute the onion and green chilies till the onion turns translucent. 
  • Add the chicken to the wok and stir fry till the chicken is completely cooked. 
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve. 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Wheat flour Cookies | Nan Khatai Recipe




Here is a healthier take on the traditional wheat flour cookies...

Ingredients: 

  • Whole wheat flour / Atta - 1 1/4 Cups
  • Gram flour / Besan - 1/4 Cup
  • Sugar - 1/2 cup 
  • Cardamom / elachi - 2 pods
  • Ghee / Clarified Butter - 4 tablespoon
  • Sunflower oil - 3 to 4 tablespoons
  • Salt - 1 Pinch
Method:
  • Powder the sugar with cardamom and a pinch of salt. 
  • In a bowl, mix the powdered sugar along with wheat flour and gram flour. 
  • Add ghee and mix well. Add the sunflower oil little by little and make a smooth dough. 
  • Preparegooseberry sized balls of the dough and flatten them with your palm. 
  • Place them on a baking tray allowing enough space for them to expand. 
  • Bake the Nan Khatai in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 15-20 Minutes. 
  • Remove from the oven and place the Nan Khatai on a wire rack to cool. 







Sunday, February 23, 2014

Spicy Potato Fry in 10 Minutes | Urulai Kizhangu Poriyal

Potato fry



Simple potato fry recipe for rice. We can prepare this easy potato recipe in ten minutes.

Ingredients 

  • Medium-sized potatoes - 3 nos
  • Onion - 1 small
  • Green chilli - 1
  • Chili powder - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Asafoetida - 1 pinch
  • Salt - to taste 
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
  • Oil - 2 tbsp
  • Curry leaves - a handful 
  • Coriander leaves - few sprigs
Method
  • Dice the potatoes to cubes of about 1 cm. 
  • Chop the onion and green chilli.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and urad dal
  • Let the mustard seeds splutter and then add curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry for 30 seconds. 
  • Add onion and green chilli.
  • Add the diced potatoes and add salt. Saute on high flame for about 3 mins. 
  • Add chili powder, turmeric powder and mix well.  
  • Cover the pan and cook on medium heat. Toss the potatoes occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pan. 
  • Once the potatoes are completely cooked, turn off the heat. 
  • Serve with rice and sambar. 
***

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Vivika Recipe | Sweet Idli Recipe




Vivika (Sweet idli) is a traditional recipe made in Tamil nadu. I have tasted vivika made by my mother and grandmother in my childhood but never came across one since. So, I decided to make them myself using the same recipe used by my mother. I have used jaggery in my recipe but we can also make vivika with palm sugar(karuppatti)

Ingredients Required:

Raw white rice - 1 cup
Boiled white Rice - 1/4 cup
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/2 tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Powdered jaggery - 200gms/as per taste
Shredded coconut - ½ cup
Cardamom - 3 nos
Dry ginger powder - 1 pinch
Baking soda - ½ tsp
Cashew - 10-15 nos (optional)
Ghee - 

Method:

1.Soak the raw white rice and the boiled white rice in water for 8 hrs.

2.Soak the urad dal and fenugreek in water for 8 hrs.

3.After the ingredients have soaked, drain the water.

4.Put the urad dal and fenugreek into the grinder add some water and grind for around 5 mins.

5.Now, add the soaked rice into the grinder and grind by adding water to form a smooth batter.

6.Grind the cooked rice in a mixer and add this along with the ingredients in the grinder. Grind for about 2 mins. Now, the batter is ready.

7.Mix salt into this batter and let the batter ferment for 8 hrs.

8.Before making idlis, add the baking soda, crushed jaggery, shredded coconut, powdered cardamom, ginger powder and broken cashews to the fermented batter and mix well.

9.Grease the idli mold with oil or ghee and pour the batter into the mold.

10.Steam the idlis in an idli cooker for approximately 8-10 mins.

11.Insert a toothpick or knife into the center of an idli and check if it comes out clean. If not, steam for a few more minutes.

12.Let the idlis cool for 2-3 minutes and then de-mold them with a spoon. 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Snake gourd Fry | Pudalangai Poriyal



This is an easy snake gourd recipe to make in ten minutes.

Ingredients:-

Snake gourd - 1 (400 gms)

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste.

For seasoning

Red chilies - 3

Oil - 3 teaspoons

Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 10

Asafoetida / hing -1 Pinch 

Method

Slice the snake gourd into thin pieces.

Take oil in a pan. Add the seasoning.

Add sliced snake gourd pieces, turmeric powder and salt.

Cover the pan and cook for 5 to 7 minutes in medium flame. No need to add water.

Add grated coconut. Fry for two more minutes and turn off the flame.

Simple and tasty snake gourd fry is ready!



Monday, January 20, 2014

Raw rice Recipe | Red rice Recipe



Raw rice delight is a traditional south Indian recipe. It is very tasty and is an easy no cooking recipe. This recipe is traditionally made using unpolished red rice but, we can make it with raw white rice also.

Ingredients:-

Raw rice -1 cup

Coconut grated - 1/2 cup

Sugar or grated Jaggery - 5 tbsp

Method:-

  • Soak the raw rice in water for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Drain the rice and grind it coarsely along with the coconut and sugar.
  • Make small balls of the mixture and serve in the evening.
                                                           ******

Rava Paniyaram | Instant Rava Appam with Jaggery

Quick teatime snack recipe which we can prepare in 15 to 20 minutes. For this recipe, we are using jaggery powder for sweetness. Instead of ...