MASALA DAHI RAITA | MASALA YOGURT RAITA RECIPE

I was really bored of making onion raita for stuffed parathas.When i was telling this to Sen , he immediately suggested me to try this simple masala raita as served in punjabi hotels..I googled some recipes, got an idea & tried it. We loved it a lot..Its a very simple & easy to make recipe..Do try this raita for a change and let me know how u liked it.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Fresh curd – 1 cup Roasted jeera powder – 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp (optional) Chat masala – 1/4 tsp Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp ( optional) Salt –As required

METHOD

In a bowl , take the curd & add the salt. Mix well. Just before serving mix in red chilli powder , chat masala, jeera powder . Garnish with coriander leaves.

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Onam Sadya Menu Recipes | Kerala Onam Lunch Dishes

I love to try other state recipes a lot apart from my usual Tamilnadu recipes .When it comes to regional cuisine , my first choice is for kerala food.My dad’s mom(my aachi) is from Nagercoil..As it is in kerala border , my aachi’s cooking was very similar to keralites .She makes many coconut based recipes like sodhi ,Avial, theeya curry etc..So right from my childhood, i grown up eating those foods. This may be the reason i have a love towards kerala food. But i have never thought i could make authentic kerala recipes in my kitchen. I must thank my Ex-neighbor Mrs. Prema for sharing all her yummy recipes & inspired me to cook them. Last year i posted onam sadya recipes for the first time from vanitha magazine with the help of her.I should say that was one of the hit posts in my blog.This year I couldn’t try vanitha recipes as she had changed her house ..I really miss her and her recipes very badly :(She was a caring and good friend of me..This time too,before cooking these recipes, i called her over phone to confirm the methods of making..

I must also thank all our malayali blogger friends because all these recipes are from their blogs . I googled the recipes , chose them based on the comments and tried it.I have given the source of each recipe under the title..Everything came out very well. I felt so happy when i made this platter..I referred Roshni’s blog for serving order. Hope i have served them in correct order ..Thank u Roshni .

I wanted to try the recipes which i din’t post in my last year’s onam sadya platter.So this year i tried paruppu curry , puli inji , Kerala sambar with freshly ground spices  (without coconut), Kerala tomato rasam , Puliserry , Olan , Avial( my mom’s recipe) , Cucumber kichadi , Vendakka pachadi , Beans mezhukkuppuratti , Cabbage thoran , Channa dal payasam  , Sharkara payasam & Naranga achar ( my mil’s pickle)..U may wonder by seeing the color of sharkara payasam ;).It has to get a brown shade .As my jaggery is colorless the syrup was very light in color.So i added a pinch of red color to it . I thought it will give a brown paagu effect to the payasam but unfortunately it became orange and also it became very thick like pudding .So friends please excuse.I’ll try to update the picture. But the taste was really great. :L)
I’ve given step by step pictures for all the recipes in a simplified manner. Hope it will be understandable and helpful :)

I wish all my friends a very happy and great onam celebration

KERALA SAMBAR(WITH FRESHLY GROUND SPICES)

Source – Amateurscookingdiary by chitz

INGREDIENTS Toor dal – 1/2 cup Pumpkin – 1/4 cup (cubed) Drumstick – 1 no Potato – 1 no Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp To roast n grind Oil – 1 tsp Dhania – 1.5 tbsp Urad dal – 1.5 tbsp Red chillies – 5-7 nos Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp Hing – 1/4 tsp Tamarind – Small lemon size To temper & saute Cooking oil – 2 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Red chilli – 1 no Big onion – 1 no Curry leaves – few Tomato – 1 no Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Salt n water – as needed Coriander leaves – few to garnish METHOD Pressure cook dal adding turmeric powder and a drop of oil.Mash it well and set aside.Take extract from the tamarind and set aside. In a pan , heat oil and roast all the ingredients given under “ to roast n grind”. Saute well without burning and switch off the flame.Make them to a paste and set aside. In a kadai , heat oil, temper mustard seeds, red chilli , curry leaves and saute the onions , tomatoes & curry leaves.Saute till tomato turns mushy.Add tamarind extract ,salt  and curry leave.Allow it to boil well ,add all the vegetable and boil the tamarind extract till the veggies cook well. After the veggies are cooked , add the mashed dal and spice powder. Mix well and boil for 5 minutes.sambar will thicken,add water if necessary . Garnish with coriander leaves. Line a bowl with banana leaf and pour the sambar. Close it with a lid.Serve with rice ! Any vegetables like yam ,carrot , pumpkin , drumstick , radish ,lady’s finger and ashgourd can be used in this sambar..

KERALA TOMATO RASAM

Source – Marias menu

INGREDIENTS Tomato – 2 (chopped or crushed) Tamarind  – Small gooseberry size Cooked dal water – 1/4 cup (optional) Black pepper corns –  1 tsp Red chillies – 4 Garlic – 6 cloves Jeera – 1/2 tsp Dhania – 1tsp Asafoetida– a pinch Salt & water – as needed Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves – 1-2 tbsp METHOD Fry the dry red chilli for a minute. Grind together fried red chilli, pepper corns, garlic, jeera and coriander seeds slightly coarse in texture  OR U can make it to a coarse paste as per the original recipe. Heat oil , fry ground masala for 2-3 mins. Add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook till tomatoes become soft. Add tamarind extract and salt. Mix well. Add 2 cups of water and coriander leaves. Let it boil, reduce the flame and simmer for 5-7 mins. Add a pinch of hing.Serve hot !

PULISSERY OR MORU CURRY

Source – Pachakam

INGREDIENTS Thick n sour Curd - 1 cup Grated coconut - 1/3 cup Green chillies – 4 nos Garlic pod - 1 no Cumin seeds -  1/2 tsp Small onion – 2 no Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp To temper Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds- 1/ tsp Curry leaves –few Roasted Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp Sugar – 1/4 tsp Salt - As reqd INGREDIENTS Grind together coconut, green chillies, garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, small onion and turmeric powder into a fine paste.Cook the ash gourd pieces separately.  Beat the curd by adding this paste, salt and sugar. After beating , the mixture should be of medium thick consistency.  Heat oil in a pan. Temper mustard seeds. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds along with fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and mix it well. Pour the curd mixture  and cooked ash gourd into the pan and keep it on a medium flame, stirring continuously, until it becomes warm.  NEVER ALLOW THE CURD MIXTURE TO BOIL. Remove it from fire and sprinkle roasted fenugreek powder over the Pulissery and mix it well. Serve hot with rice. U can also use cucumber , Mango & pumpkin

BEANS MUZHUKKUPURATTI

Source – Spicy chilli

INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 200ml French Beans-1 cup ( cut into 1cm length) To grind to coarse paste Small onions- 6 numbers Garlic – 3 cloves Chilli powder- 1 tsp Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp To season Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - 2 sprigs METHOD Chop the beans , add salt and pressure cook it in high flame for one whistle. ( This is for fast quicking & less oil consumption).Drain all the excess water.But make sure beans should be soft yet firm., It should not lose its shape. Coarsely grind the items given under “to grind” without adding water. In a pan , heat oil and temper mustard and curry leaves. Now add the beans and saute well in high flame for a minute to absorb all the moisture in them.. Now add the coarsely ground paste and saute them till the raw smell goes off. Do it in medium flame.Fry till the beans look dry and shiny..Remove n serve !

CABBAGE THORAN

Source – My neighbor

INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 200ml Cabbage - 1 cup Big Onion –2 nos Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional) To grind to a coarse paste Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Green chillies – 2 nos Jeera – 1/4 tsp To temper Coconut oil –2 tbsp Mustard seeds –1 tsp Red chillies – 1no Curry leaves - A few METHOD Grind coconut , green chillies and jeera to a coarse paste without adding water.Set aside.Chop the cabbage and onions ..Mix together the finely chopped cabbage, onions, and salt. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add pinched red chilli and curry leaves to it. Now add the ground mixture , saute for few minutes .Remove n serve !

OLAN

Source – Marias menu

INGREDIENTS Black-eyed beans /vanpayar / kaaramani – 1/4 cup Ash gourd -  2 cups, cut into cubes Green chilli – 3-4, slit lengthwise Water – as needed Thick coconut milk – 1/2 - 3/4 cup (adjust) Salt- as needed Curry leaves – few Coconut oil – 1 tbsp METHOD Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai and fry the beans till it starts to crackle.( This step is not in the original recipe . But i did it for additional flavor) Pressure cook the beans with 1 cup of water in low flame for two , three whistles.Drain the excess water & keep aside the cooked beans. The beans should not be over cooked and it should retain its shape. Cook together ash gourd, green chilli, salt and 1.5 cups  of water, till ash gourd becomes tender. Ash gourd also should not be overcooked and it should retain its shape. Add the cooked beans to the ash gourd and mix well. Add coconut milk and curry leaves. Cook on low flame for 5-7 mins. Remove from the fire and drizzle some coconut oil.The curry has a thick consistency. No need to soak the beans if u fry in oil. In the actual recipe , maria mentioned that it is not necessary to soak the beans even without frying..

VENDAKKA PACHADI

Source – My neighbor

INGREDIENTS Thinly chopped Lady’s finger – 1 cup Thick curd – 1 cup Green chilli – 2 nos(finely chopped) Salt – as needed Sugar – a pinch Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Curry leaves – few METHOD In a kadai , add oil , temper mustard seeds and curry leaves.Then add the finely chopped lady’s finger & green chillies and saute in high flame continuously .Add salt , sugar and saute till it is cooked well. Remove & add curd to it. Mix well and serve !

CUCUMBER KICHADI

INGREDIENTS Cucumber – 1 no Thick curd – 1 cup To grind Green Chillies  - 2 nos Grated coconut –1/4 cup To temper (optional) Mustard Seeds - ¼ teaspoon. Coconut       - ¼ tbsp Red Chillies- 1 pinched. Curry leaves   - few   METHOD Cut cucumber into small pieces and set aside. Grind coconut and green chillies to a smooth paste adding water.Mix this paste with cucumber.Temper mustard & other ingredients and add to the mixture. Lastly add the thick curd , mix well & serve immediately.

CHANA DAL PAYASAM

Source- Vanitha magazine

INGREDIENTS Chana dal – 1/4 cup Grated jaggery – 1/2 cup Grated coconut – 1 cup Salt – a pinch Cardamom – 2 nos powdered Ghee – 1 tbsp Roasted nuts – 2 tbsp METHOD In a mixie add  1/3 cup of water and take the first coconut milk.Set aside.Again add 3/4 cup of water and take the second milk.Keep aside. Pressure cook channa dal adding enough water for two,three whistles in low flame.Open and mash them well. I pulsed it in mixie. In a pan , melt jaggery , make syrup and strain the impurities.Add the mashed dal to the syrup . Add the second coconut milk and ghee & boil till it reduces to half.. Lastly add the first thick milk , cardamom powder and mix well. Boil in very low flame for 2 minutes and switch off the flame. Add the roasted nuts n serve !

SHARKARA PAYASAM

Source – Cheenachatti

INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 200ml Grated coconut –1 cup Raw rice – 1/4 cup Grated jaggery – 1/3 cup Ghee – 1 tbsp Cashew Nuts & raisins – few METHOD In a mixie , grind coconut adding 1 cup of water and take the first milk.Again add 1/2  - 3/4 cup of water and take the second milk. Set aside. In a pan , melt the jaggery , make syrup , strain impurities if any.Make jel like syrup.. Wash n soak raw rice for 20 minutes.Pressure cook it adding 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water.Rice should be cooked but it should not be mushy. Add the syrup to the cooked rice and boil well.Add the second coconut milk an boil for 5-7 mins in low flame. Lastly before switching off the flame, add the first coconut milk.Mix well. Add the roasted nuts.Serve ! This payasam tends to thicken soon. It will become spoonable.Add more milk to get a thin consistency.U can also add 2 tbsp of roasted coconut pieces if u wish.

Do check out my Onam sadya menu - 1 

Easy Chakka pradhaman recipe

Kerala Paal payasam recipe

HAPPY ONAM

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UGADI PACHADI,OBBATTU - UGADI RECIPES

I wish all my friends a very happy ugadi. Though we don’t celebrate this festival at home , i love ugadi pachadi and poli with coconut stuffing.. We tamilians celebrate Tamil new year which falls on 14th of this month.We prepare Mango pachadi and rice payasam along with other lunch recipes. My friends here and in Andhra celebrate this festival in a grand manner. I asked them about their lunch menu for ugadi and they gave me a big list .. But i thought of trying this famous ugadi pachadi and obbatu recipe among them. I got these recipes from my friend Megha.She said obattu and ugadi pachadi will be in their menu for sure..Other than this they prepare Mango rice / puliohara , Vada, sambar , Sundal ,chitranna ( Variety rice) and it goes on..  

I’ll start with ugadi pachadi. Its the easiest pachadi i’ve ever made. We too make mango pachadi on Tamil new year day but its a bit time consuming process. But this recipe needs no cooking. Its just a mixture of 6 tastes ie , sweet , salt , spice , sour, tangy and bitter.. I liked it very much .. Adjust the quantity of ingredients based on ur liking.

INGREDIENTS

Raw mango – 1/4 cup Grated jaggery – 3 tbsp Tamarind – Big gooseberry size or 2 tsp extract Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Crushed Neem flower – 1 tbsp (i used dried one, fresh would be fine) Coconut bits – 1 tbsp (optional) Water – as needed Salt – little

METHOD

Wash and chop the raw mango pieces finely.Soak tamarind in water and take the extract .. In a bowl , take the raw mango pieces  , tamarind extract , red chilli powder , grated jaggery , salt and mix well. Add little water to adjust the consistency based on ur liking.. Some like it to have it thick and some likes to be thin. Please add water accordingly.

OBBATU / BOLI / PURAN POLI/BOBATTU

Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu

Usually i make poli using the left over channa dal puran. Yesterday when i went for shopping i saw a newly opened stall for selling obbattu and other snacks for ugadi especially..I bought some to taste. It was very nice. The thing is they make obbattu in front of us and they serve it really hot. So i was able to see how they rolled , the consistency of dough , puran etc.With that help,i tried it. It was very tasty ..We loved it a lot.It came out soft and thin.Oil is the most important ingredient here. The more oil u add , the more tasty poli.. Use sesame oil / Gingely oil to get a nice taste.So no need to worry about adding more oil as it is is very good for health.Also the consistency of dough should be loose.. It should not be sticky, adding more oil make it non sticky. I have tried to give the quantity of water and oil what i used. Try and adjust if more quantity is needed.Keep the dough covered for 1 hour minimum which also helps to get soft poli. I used obbattu sheet to roll them. In india, u can get in all stores. It costs just 2 rs.. If u don’t get it , u can use either banana leaf or good quality polythene sheet. Grease it with oil and make the shape..

INGREDIENTS

Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu

For dough Maida / All purpose flour – 1 cup Gingely oil/Cooking oil – 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Water – 1/2 cup (little less , may be 1 tbsp) Salt – 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Cooking soda – a pinch (optional) For stuffing / Puran Grated coconut – 1 cup Grated jaggery – 3/4 – 1 cup Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp Water – Very little Poli / Obattu sheet  - 1 no ( cut into round shape) Ghee – 1 tbsp ( for greasing the poli , optional)

METHOD

Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu

In a wide bowl , take the flour , salt , turmeric powder , soda , oil and mix well.Add water and make a sticky dough. Then add 1 tbsp of oil over the dough and knead well for 5 minutes to make the dough non-sticky. Add one more tbsp of oil if necessary. Lastly add 3 tbsp of oil and cover the dough.Keep it covered for minimum of 2 hours to maximum 8 hours. The more time u keep the dough the more soft it would be.Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu Start making puran now. Grate coconut and jaggery.Grind the coconut in Mixie to make it a fine powder.In a non-stick pan , melt the jaggery adding little water just to cover it..Strain the impurities using a metal strainer if necessary. Again boil the syrup till it becomes frothy and raw smell of jaggery leaves it. It will take 5-8 mins in low flame.. Then add the grated coconut and mix well till it becomes thick. Switch off the flame and add the cardamom powder. Mix well and allow it to cool.. Now take the dough , knead well for 10 minutes. The dough should be loose , elastic and pliable. Add more oil if it sticks.. Take a small lemon sized ball of dough and equal sized ball of puran. Pat the dough to make a thick small circle and keep the puran in the middle. Bring all the corners to the middle and close the ball. Roll it well. Cut the obbattu sheet into round shape and grease it with oil.Place the ball and press it with ur hands to make it very thin. Press it to make it round as per the size of the sheet. Heat dosa tawa , drizzle little oil and put the obbattu along with the sheet and remove the sheet alone in a second . Cook the poli for few seconds , flip it and again cook for another few seconds. Make sure u don’t over cook it. It will be roasted and becomes like an papad…Cooking has to be done very fastly.. After removing from the tawa , grease it with ghee for additional taste and flavour..Enjoy !

Note : After it cools down , u can store them in a box for 2-3 days.

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PULI MILGAI RECIPE | PULI MILAGAI PACHADI

Yesterday my parents visited me after so many months. I had a great time with them.I was craving to eat my mom’s food for long time.So I told my mom to prepare this puli pachadi which is the best accompaniment for dal rice/paruppu sadam.Some people call this as Puli milagai thokku. I also had this by mixing in plain rice adding sesame oil.It tasted like puliodharai.I have tried this  as a side dish for ven pongal too. Lovely combination it is!!...When I was pregnant my mom had made this ‘n’ number of times for me as I wanted something tangy those days . Yesterday dal, pachadi ,rasam & tindora fry was our lunch. It was yummy .Thank u amma .This pachadi can be stored for 3-4 days when refrigerated. Lets see Puli Milagai preparation below.

INGREDIENTS

For 2-3 people

Tamarind – Big gooseberry size Green chillies – 3 –4 nos (increase if u want more spicy) Sambar onion – 10 nos ( chop finely) Hing/ asafetida – 2 generous pinches Salt & water – as needed To temper: Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves – a few

METHOD

Soak tamarind in water for 15 mins.Take the extract and set aside. Slit the green chillies and chop them into pieces.Chop the onions. In a kadai , heat oil and temper with mustard , urad dal , curry leaves. Now add the chopped onions and green chillies. Saute well and then add the tamarind extract. Add the required salt & hing. Let it boil for few mins. When it gets thicken, switch off the flame and transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy with dal rice !!

NOTE

As the green chillies absorb all the tanginess, we usually eat it along with onions .So i chopped them finely and used here. If u r making for kids , just slit the chillies , cook and remove while eating.. Please add more hing as it gives the flavour for this dish.

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ANDHRA THALI | ANDHRA LUNCH

Its been my long time wish to try other state foods.I really got bored of making our usual sambar, vathakulambu etc..So with my hubby’s acceptance and guidance i tried andhra thali as a first step .He had tasted andhra food in some restaurants like Nandini , Nagarjuna .So he told me the names of dishes they serve in the platter .I googled and found good recipes from some of the blogs. They came out very well. My hubby thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes i made. I too loved it. My daughter who is a fussy eater loved the food. I was very happy that my first attempt in andhra food was a big success. While cooking i found some ingredients ,they use commonly in almost all the recipes.They use Red chillies , Ginger & Garlic paste , Hing and ajwain. .I think these ingredients gives the aroma and spiciness in their food. My house was filled with nice aroma when i prepare all these dishes.People who love spicy foods must try andhra food. Ok,coming to the platter ..
In the above picture u can see Andhra Sambar , Tomato Rasam , Mamdikaya cauliflower pachadi , Ivygourd poriyal  ( Tindora curry) , Palakura pappu ..

PALAKURA PAPPU / DAL PALAK

My hubby told this recipe tasted exactly like the one he had in restaurants. Thanks a lot sailu’s food .

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Toor dal/red gram dal/kandi pappu – 2 handfuls or 1/4 cup Palakura/palak/spinach leaves –2 small bunches ( washed and finely chopped) Big onion – 1 no ( chopped) Turmeric powder -  a pinch Green chillies – 2-3 nos ( slit lengthwise) Ginger – 1/2 inch piece ( chopped) Thick Tamarind extract – a tsp ( soak berry sized tamarind and add the extract) Salt & water – as needed For seasoning (Use a tsp of ghee) Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/jeera – 1/2 tsp Urad dal- 1/2 tsp Garlic cloves, crushed – 3-4 Red chillies – 2 nos (pinched ) Curry leaves – few

METHOD

In a pressure cooker, place dal, washed and finely chopped palak leaves, onions, green chillies, ginger and turmeric powder. Add 1 to 2 cups of water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. Heat ghee in a kadai, add mustards seeds and after they start to dance , add cumin seeds, urad dal,  crushed garlic, pinched red chillies and curry leaves and fry for half a minute. Add this to the pressure cooked dal along with salt and combine. Add the tamarind extract and cook on slow to medium flame for 5-7 mts without lid or till you get the consistency of your choice.Add water if necessary Enjoy mixing with plain white rice and ghee !!

NOTE

1. For variations u can try sauting the onions , green chilles , palak leaves in little oil before pressure cooking with dal.
2. Always do the seasoning in the end.
3. If u want u can do the seasoning using oil and add little ghee on top of the dal.
4. Give a standing time of at least half an hour before serving for all the tastes to blend.

  ANDHRA SAMBAR

I got the following recipes from here. If u wanna try varieties of andhra thali,u must visit this blog to get a good idea. She has given a nice collection of recipes.Thanks Srinithya

INGREDIENTS

Carrot,potato – 1 no each Drumstick- 1 no Tomato  - 1 no (chopped) Big onion –1 no ( chopped) Toordal- 1/2 cup Gooseberry sized tamarind – soak in warm water. Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Madras sambar masala / any sambhar powder – 1 tsp Poppy seeds/gasalu-1 tsp Coconut dry / kobbari –2tsp Ginger garlic paste- 3/4 tsp Oil-2 tbsp To temper Mustard seeds -1 tsp Jeera / cumin seeds –1 tsp Hing -2 pinches Red chillies – 1 no ( pinched to two)

coriander leaves – to garnish.

METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal and the vegetables . Set aside. Dry roast poppy seeds, grated coconut and grind it to make a paste along with sambhar powder. keep aside. In a wide mouthed kadai , add oil and temper the mustard seeds , jeera , hing and turmeric. Add the G&G paste and saute well. Add the chopped onion and tomato pieces. Saute till tomato turns mushy.Add the tamarind extract and salt , few curry leaves.Allow it to boil for few mins. Now add the cooked dal and veggies along with ground poppy seeds paste. Boil for 10 mins in medium flame. Remove and add coriander leaves. Serve with hot , plain white rice adding little ghee !!

NOTE

1. The vegetables should not be over cooked.
2. As per the original recipe , madras sambar masala is used . But i used my home made sambar powder.
3. I also used red chillies while tempering and i tempered at the end.

MAMDIKAYA CAULIFLOWER PACHADI | RAW MANGO CAULIFLOWER PACHADI

Thought she has given varieties of pachadi in her blog , i chose this one just becoz of this  combination. I wanted to try this combo and as it sounded unique and different.I’ve got an yummy raw mango dish to add in my mango recipes list.

INGREDIENTS

Green Raw mango pieces  - 1no ( medium sized) Grated cauliflower florets -1/2 cup Garlic cloves – 5-6 nos ( chopped) Red chilli powder –2  tsp Roasted cumin fenugreek powder-1/8 tsp Turmeric-1/8 tsp Chopped garlic pods-3 tbsp Salt-to taste Water – As needed. To temper Oil-1 tbsp Mustard seeds-1 tsp Jeera – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves chopped – few Hing-2 pinches

METHOD

Peel the skin of raw mango and chop it finely.(Its better if u grate it ) Remove the cauliflower florets and add in boiling water along with little turmeric powder and salt. Remove and grate it. Set aside. Heat oil in a pan add mustard  , jeera , curry leaves and hing Add garlic and fry till brown.Now add veggies and fry for 2 seconds and close lid and cook till soft,stir in middle to avoid burning. Add little water if necessary. Add chilli  powder , turmeric powder and salt. Mix and cook for sometime. Serve with rice as a side dish !!

TINDORA TOMATO CURRY | IVYGOURD TOMATO STIR FRY

I have never used tindora in my cooking . So for a challenge i tried this curry . My husband who hates tindora  loved this a lot.

INGREDIENTS

Dondakaya/ivy guard chopped length wise-1 cup Chopped tomato –1 no Chopped big onion – 1no G&G paste – 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder- 2 tsp Salt-to taste Curry powder-2 tsp ( i used garam masala powder) Dry coconut powder-1tsp ( i used grated coconut) Turmeric-1/8 tsp Oil-3 tbsp To temper Mustard seeds-1 tsp Jeera  - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves- few Coriander leaves- few to garnish

METHOD

Pressure cook ivy guard pieces till done ,drain excess water and set aside. Fry the pieces in 1 tbsp of oil until crisp and set a side Heat oil in a pan and  temper all the above ingredients.Add onion  , ginger garlic paste and fry for 5 minutes till raw smell emanates. Then add tomatoes  and cook till soft. Add all the powders ,  salt and ivy guard pieces.Fry for 5 more minutes. Add coriander leaves and serve. It smells and tastes gr8 with rice as well as roti. !!

NOTE

1. I dint deep fry the tindora pieces instead  i shallow fried it for sometime and proceeded the recipe.
2. Make sure the tindora is not overcooked while pressure cooking.

TOMATO DAL  RASAM

I made slight changes in the actual recipe to suit my hubby’s taste. It tasted excellent and flavourful the next day. I reheated the rasam and used the same for two days

INGREDIENTS

Finely chopped tomatoes-3 nos Berry sized Tamarind Cooked tuvar dal -1/4 cup Ajwain/vamu /carom seeds/omam-1/2 tsp Hing-2 pinches Crushed garlic- 4 cloves salt-to taste Red chillies-2 nos Turmeric powder -2 pinches Black pepper powder – 1 tsp To temper Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Jeera – 1 tsp Curry leaves – few Coriander leaves – to garnish.

METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal with little turmeric powder till mushy and set aside. In a cooking bowl,  add water , tomatoes and tamarind. Cook till soft and reserve the boiled water . Grind the tomatoes and tamarind to make a paste. Crush ajwain with hands and set a side. Heat oil in a pan add cumin,mustard,hing,ajwain and dry chillies. Fry well and add garlic pieces.saute till golden brown. Now add mashed dal,tomato paste, water, crushed ajwain , pinched red chillies , salt and pepper powder. Boil for sometime . I added little sugar while boiling. Garnish with coriander Serve hot !!

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