New Year Greetings!

Let the Flowers of Happiness Bloom in the Garden of Life!

Wish You All A Very Happy & Healthy 2013!

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Rasam

 

This is one of the easy and quickest rasam recipe without using Rasam powder. We enjoyed delicious Vada-Pav at a friend's place recently. Her Mom asked for the rasam recipe without rasam powder. Gald to share one of the day today South Indian recipe..this recipe is for you Aunty! :)

Ingredients

Tomato-2

Tamarind - small piece

Whole pepper corns-1teaspoon

Cumin seeds -1teaspoon 

Garlic-1clove

Sugar-1/4teaspoon

Salt

To temper 

Oil

Mustard seeds-1/2teaspoon

Red chilly-1

Few curry leaves & Cilantro

Hing(asafoetida) - 1/8teaspoon

Method

Wash and cut the tomatoes into big chunks.

Take them with tamarind and  a half cup of water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it for 4-5 minutes. (time may vary according to the microwave)

Let it cool completely and mash it nicely, and  take out only the juice.

Roast the cumin seeds and pepper corns on low heat for couple of minutes. Once they cool down, crush them along with a clove of garlic and keep it aside.

Heat a teaspoon of oil, make the tempering with mustard seeds,curry leaves,red chilly and hing.

 

Add the tomato-tamarind juice, add enough salt and let it cook for a few minutes. Rasam will start frothing, by then add the crushed pepper-cumin and garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Put off the flame and add chopped cilantro. 

Quick and delicious rasam is ready! Serve with white rice or as a soup. 

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Peernkangai Chutney/Ridged Gourd Chutney

Ingredients
Peerkangai / Ridged gourd -1(small)
Channa dal-1tablespoon
Garlic-3cloves
Chopped Onion-3tablespoons
Red chilli -7(adjust to your taste)
Small piece of tamarind
Salt
Oil
To temper
Oil
Mustard seeds-1/2teaspoon
Urad dal-1/2teaspoon
Few curry leaves

Method
Peel the skin of the peerkangai (ridged gourd) and cut it into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan, add the channa dal. Fry it till it becomes golden in colour, then add in the red chillies and onion, garlic & tamarind.
Fry till the onions become transparent, add the peerkangai (ridged gourd) and fry for 4-5minutes. (The veggie should be cooked) 
Let it cool.
Once cooled down completely, grind it with enough salt.( no water required for grinding) 
Heat little oil, make the tempering with mustard seeds-urad dal-curry leaves(which I didn't have by then) n pour it on the chutney.
Lightly sweet n delicious chutney is ready to serve with dosa/idli/white rice. 

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Spring Onion Paratha

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour/ Aata - 11/2cups

Chopped spring onion -1/4cup

Ajwain - 1 teaspoon

Green Chilly -1 (chopped)

Olive Oil - 1tablespoon

Salt 

Water-3/4cup

Method

Combine all the ingredients except water in a bowl.  Mix everything well with fingers and make the flour into crumbles.

Mix water little by little and make it into a soft dough. Coat it with oil and keep it in an airtight container for 15-20 minutes.

Make lemon sized balls out of the dough. Roll a ball into a circle, brush some olive oil, sprinkle some dry flour, fold as shown below.

You will get square shape parathas by folding this. This is just an option, you can do as normal roti/paratha as you always do. When I was googling, saw the recipe here, n this square shape really attracted me and followed the same. :)

Heat a griddle and cook the parathas by applying olive oil on both sides. Flaky and soft spring onion-ajwain paratha's are ready to serve. Enjoy it with your choice of Kurma/pickle/curd.

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Bottlegourd - Peanut Koottu

Ingredients
Tender Bottle-gourd -1
Roasted Peanut -1/4cup
Red chillies - 5 (adjust to your taste)
Salt

Method
Dry roast the peanuts and red chillies on low heat for a minute or two. This helps to grind them coarsely. Use mortar and pestle (or pulse it in a mixie jar) and make it into coarse powder.

Wash and chop the bottle gourd into small pieces. Add them in a pan, sprinkle a tablespoon of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Bottle gourd will release some water, so stir it in between and take care the veggie is not getting burnt.

Once the veggie is cooked, add the peanut-redchilli powder, mix it well. Tasty and delicious stir-fry without a drop of oil is ready! Enjoy it with rice or roti.

Recipe Source : Here

 ~~~

Sending this recipe to Bachelor's Feast event happening at Jaleelaa akkaa's Samaiyal attakaasam

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Kashmiri Pulao

This is a very mild and colourful pulao. It looks very pretty with the pomegranate, of course a party friendly dish. Serve this pulao with some spicy gravies like these.

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 1cup
Milk - 1/2cup
Water -1 cup
Few raisins, cashew and almonds
Pomegranate seeds - 2 tablespoons
Onion-1
Green chilly-1
Frozen Green peas - 1/4cup 
Bay leaf-2
Cloves-2
Elaichi-1
Grated Ginger & garlic- 2teaspoons
Few Cinnamon Stick pieces
Ghee - 1teaspoon
Oil-1tablespoon
Salt

Method
Wash and soak the rice for half an hour.
Chop the onion into fine pieces. Slit the green chilly.
Coarsely chop the almonds and cashews.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pressure cooker. Add the whole garam masala and let them splutter. Then add in the nuts and raisin. Fry them and add the grated ginger-garlic, followed by onion and green chilly pieces.
Sauté till the onions become transparent, then add the green peas with enough salt.

Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the soaked rice(after draining all the water).

Add 1/2 cup of milk and a cup of water..

Close the pressure cooker, cook on medium heat for 7 minutes and put off the flame. Open the cooker once the pressure has gone completely and add the ghee and pomegranate.

Fluff the rice gently, and serve hot with your choice of gravy..

We had it with the quick brinjal gravy posted earlier. :)

Recipe Inspiration : Here

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Quick n Easy Brinjal Gravy

I never cook vegetables (other than potato and raw banana) in pressure cooker. But have seen many of my friends use pressure cooker to make vegetable curries. Just tried it with brinjals, the gravy turned out to be delicious and definitely its a keeper. Whenever you are running out of time or not feeling like cooking an elaborate curry, you can try this!


Ingredients
Brinjals - 6
Onion-1
Few curry leaves and Cilantro
Toamto-2
Sugar - 1/2teaspoon
Salt
Oil
To grind
Grated Coconut-3tablespoons
Red chilly-7 (adjust to your taste)
Roasted peanuts - 2 teaspoons
Sesame seeds - 1teaspoon
Small piece of Tamarind

Method
Grind the things given under "to grind" to a nice paste with little water.
Chop the onions and tomatoes into fine pieces.
Wash and cut the brinjals ( Make slits on the veggie, take care not to split them)
Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a small pressure cooker.
Add the onions, curry leaves and saute till they become transparent, then add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
Now add the brinjals, give a quick stir, add the masala paste with enough salt.
Add 1/2cup of water, sugar and close the pressure cooker. Let it cook just for one whistle.

 

Open the cooker, garnish with cilantro and gravy is ready to indulge! It goes well with plain rice/biriyani/pulao/roti...what not?! ;)

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Moong dal Dosai / Pachai payaru dosai / Pesarattu

Ingredients
Whole moong dal - 1 cup
Idli rice / Boiled rice -1cup
Cilantro leaves- 1 small bunch
Ginger - 2" piece
Salt

Method
Wash and soak the rice n moong dal together for 1 or 2 hours.
Grind into a coarse batter.
Finally add in the cilantro-green chilly-ginger, and grind it.
Add enough salt.
We can make dosa immediately after grinding this batter.

 

Serve along with your choice of chutney/ sambar.

Recipe Source : Here

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