Kovakkai fry
Ingredients: Kovakkai (Ivy gourd) : 250 g Red chili powder : 2 to 3 tbsp (according to your taste) Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp Salt to taste Oil : 5 tbsp Method: Chop the kovakkai to small round pieces In a bowl, mix chilly powder, salt and turmeric powder with water After half an hour, heat oil in a pan and add the vegetables Fry till it become soft and semi crispy Now remove from heat 🙂 Serve hot with Sambar/Rasam/ Curd...
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Morkuzhambu
Morkuzhambu (Yogurt and Spiced Coconut Curry) is a popular dish in Tamil Nadu and Kerala (South India). It plays an important role in the traditional wedding menu and festivals. It can be prepared quickly and easily. Vegetables such as okra, colocasia, chayote, squash, winter melon are generally used for making this dish. Cook the vegetable accordingly before adding it to the sauce. Yogurt or buttermilk can be used to make this dish. If you want it to be thick and creamy use yogurt (2% or whole milk). For a less fat version, use low fat butter milk or yogurt. This dish is served with cooked rice and papad or thogayal (chutney). Preparation time: 30 minutes. No. of servings: 6 Spice level: 2.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Plain yogurt – 4 cups Shredded coconut – 3/4 cup (preferred fresh or frozen)...
Read MoreVegetable pulao
Ingredients: Basmati rice – 2 cups Oil – 3 tbsp Chopped carrot -1/2 cup Chopped beans – 1/2 cup Peas – 1/4 cup Green chillies – 2 Chopped Onion – 1 cup Fennel seeds – 1 tsp Cloves – 3 Bay leaf – 1 Cinnamon stick – 1″ Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp Ghee – 2 tsp Salt to taste Method: Wash and soak basmati rice for 15 mins Heat oil in a pan and add coarsely ground cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf followed by whole fennel seeds Once they splutter, add the chillies, onions, ginger garlic paste and saute Now add the vegetables and toss for a few minutes Now drain the water from the rice and add it to the above mixture and combine well Transfer the contents to a pressure cooker, add 3 1/2 cups of...
Read MoreRaitha
Raitha or Pachadi is an Indian side dish. It is yogurt based and is served along with biryani, rice, vada, etc. There are different types of raitha. Today I am sharing a simple and tasty recipe from one of my aunt. You can serve this along with any biryani, pulao or type of rice. Here you go… Ingredients: Tomato – 3 Onion – 1 Chili powder – 1/4 tsp Oil – 2 tsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Coriander leaves – a few Curd – 2 to 3 cups Method: Chop onion and tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan, add onions and toss it till it becomes translucent. Add tomatoes and toss them with a little salt for 3 to 4 mins. Remove from heat. Take 2 to 3 cups of nice and smooth yogurt in a bowl. Add...
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Paal payasam
Paal Payasam is a delicious Indian dessert also known as Rice Kheer. It is a traditional dish made for special occasions and festival times. Rice is cooked in milk and reduced to a rich creamy texture. If you have less time to prepare this dish you can use condensed milk instead of sugar which takes only a few minutes to thicken. Preparation time: Ingredients: White Rice/Basmati rice – 1/4 cup Milk – 6 cups Sugar – 1/2 to 3/4 cup Broken cashew nuts – 1 tbsp Saffron – 5 to 6 strings Ghee or clarified butter – 2 tsp Method of preparation: Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a pressure cooker and add rice. Roast it for a few minutes until a nice aroma starts spreading. Rice should not change color. Add a cup of milk and pressure cook...
Read MoreKeerai Poricha Kuzhambu
Ingredients: Chopped spinach or frozen spinach – 1/2 lb Toor dal or Split pigeon peas – 1/2 cup Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Coconut – 3 tbsp Dry red chillies – 4 Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Channa dal – 1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Oil – 1 tsp For seasoning: Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Few curry leaves Dry red chili – 1 Oil – 1 tsp Method: Cook toor dal with one and half cup of water in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan. Toor dal has to be mashed. Add spinach to boiling water along with turmeric powder and let it cook for 8 minutes mins. In between, heat oil and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, channa dal, red chillies and...
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Pongal
Ven Pongal is a popular South Indian dish made with rice and moong dal (lentils) and seasoned with spices. It is generally made for morning breakfast or dinner and served with sambar and coconut chutney or the traditional kathirikkai gothsu (eggplant chutney). It is one of the must have and must try items in the restaurant menu. Pongal Vada is the best combination to serve. It is very simple and delicious dish to make for a party or get together. There is another version of pongal which is sweet and known as Sakkarai Pongal, which is offered to the Sun God on the day of Pongal festival along with ven pongal. Ven Pongal is made with lots of ghee or clarified butter which is delicious and good to have once in a while due to calorie constraints. For those who...
Read MoreCurry powder
Ingredients: Coriander seeds – 75 g Red chillies – 50 g Channa dal – 50 g Urad dal – 25 g Method: Dry roast the above ingredients and grind it coarsely. ***This can be used for preparing vegetable curries and fries. It adds taste as it is home...
Read MoreTomato puree
How to make tomato puree? Bring water to a boil in a big container over medium high heat. Add the required number of tomatoes to it. Make sure there is enough water. Let it boil for 5- 8 mins or till u can peel the skin off. Remove from stove and drain water. Peel the skin off and grind it to...
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Chayote Milagootal
Ingredients: Chayote – 1 Grated coconut – 1/2 cup Toor dal – 1 cup Oil – 2 tsp Red chillies – 3 Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp urad dal – 2 tsp Turmeric – 1/4 tsp Curry leaves – a few Salt to taste Method: Cut chayote into small pieces and pressure cook along with turmeric powder and curry leaves. Pressure cook toor dal in a separate container along with the vegetable. Fry cumin seeds, half of the urad dal and red chillies in hot oil and grind it along with coconut. Add this paste to cooked vegetables. Heat oil, add mustard seeds and once they pop add remaining urad dal and fry till golden brown. Add the vegetables to the above and allow them to boil. Grind the cooked toor dal to a...
Read MoreSambar powder
Preparation time: 30 mins Spice level: 4.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Red chillies – 125 g Coriander seeds – 300 g Channa dal -50 g Toor dal – 125 g Pepper – 50 g Cumin seeds – 50 g Turmeric – 75 g Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Method: Dry roast all the above ingredients separately for 2 mins and Let it cool. Grind it together to a fine powder. Store in an air tight...
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Vathakuzhambu
Vathakuzhambu is a South Indian delicacy prepared with tamarind extract, fresh vegetables and dried vathal. Vathal or vadagam are sun dried vegetables and condiments. Vegetables such as Manathakkali (known as black nightshade), Kothavaranga (cluster beans), Vendakkai (okra), Sundakkai (Turkey berry) are sun dried and stored in an air tight container. They have a long shelf life. Any of these can be used in this dish which gives you a nice aroma and taste. You can find these in the local stores in India or any Indian stores in the U.S. The blend of various spices brings a nice flavor to this dish. Vathakuzhambu and sutta appalam (roasted papad) along with paruppu thuvayal is the best combination to eat. I hope you try and enjoy this spicy gravy. Preparation time: 45 minutes No. of servings: 4 Spice level: 4 out of...
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