Tomato chutney

Another day-today chutney recipe from my kitchen! Chutney being a major part of our breakfast and dinners I usually blog-hop for some new chutney recipes. May be its the same ingredients, but the proportion and addition of certain things  differs in every kitchen!  :)
Ingredients
Tomato(big)-2
Onion-1
Garlic- 3 cloves
Red chillies-5 (adjust to your taste)
Pottu kdalai/ Daliya -1tablespoon
Tiny piece of tamarind
Salt
Oil

To temper
Oil
Musard seeds-1/2teaspoon
Urad dhal-1teaspoon
Red chilly-1
Few curry leaves
Method
Chop the onion-tomatoes-garlic.
Heat some oil in a skillet, add in the onions and garlic, fry till they turn slightly brown.
Add the tomato pieces-red chillies and tamarind, cook till the tomatoes become mushy.
Finally add in the pottu kadalai/ Dalia and put off the flame.

Grind it to a fine paste with little water once the mixture cools down completely. 

Heat some oil,  add the tempering ingredients one by one, and let them crackle. Pour it over the chutney and serve.

We had it kara paniyaram. 

Recipe Inspiration : Here

Gujarati Kadi & Kichdi

This is a quick and delicious meal, does not include lot of time, cutting, frying etc! :) Saw this recipe recently and I could not resist to try it. Gujarati  Kichdi is almost like South Indian ven pongal, but has some different spices. It pairs well with the kadi. To add some crunch to the meal, I prepared a simple cauliflower stir-fry. 

Ingredients for Kadi 

Sour Yogurt - 1/4cup

Besan/Chick pea flour/Kadala maavu -1teaspoon

Turmeric powder-1/8teaspoon

Chilli powder-1teaspoon

Chopped Ginger-1/2teaspoon

Sugar-1teaspoon

Salt-to taste

To temper

Ghee-1teaspoon

Mustard seeds-1/2teaspoon

Cumin Seeds-1/2teaspoon

Few curry leaves

Method

Combine the sour yogurt-chilli powder -turmeric powder-salt-sugar-ginger- besan in a bowl and mix it with a whisk. Add about a cup of water to it , mix it without lumps. 

Take the content in a pan, start heating it. 

Once the kadi starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5-6 minutes. 

Make the tempering in a small pan, add it to the kadi and its ready. 

Ingredients for Gujarati Kichdi 
Basmati rice-1/2cup
Split moong dal (with or without skin) -1/4cup
Pepper corns-5
Cumin seeds-1/2teaspoon
Cinnamon Stick-2" piece
Salt
Ghee
[You can add chopped ginger and green chillies as well. As I was not having them at hand, I didn't add]

Method
Wash and soak the rice and dal together for half an hour.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, and add the pepper corns, cumin seeds and cinnamon stick. Let them splutter. Then add the soaked rice and dal with enough salt. Add 21/4cups of water, close the cooker and cook for 2-3 whistles. Open the cooker after the pressure subsides, add little more ghee, mash the kichidi well.
Thats it,  healthy and delicious kichdi is ready to serve.

Enjoy it with Kadi and papad/chips or your choice of side dish. I prepared a quick and spicy cauliflower stir fry. To see the recipe, click here. 

Recipe Inspiration : Here

Vettu Cake

To be frank, I have never ever tasted a vettu cake! :) But back home the small tea shops and the road side snack shops used to sell a "sweet bond" kind of snack. We use to call it as "Kajoor"(if I am right!!;)) Kajoor will be of the same size and shape as potato bonda. It has a crunchy outer skin and a mild and fluffy inner side, has a long shell life if you store it in airtight box. In fact, it tastes better the next day. So when I saw this vettu cake recipe in some the Kerala blogger's sites, I was too tempted to try it. So here is my trial!
Ingredients
All purpose flour - 2cups (250grams)
Baking soda-1/2teaspoon
Salt-1/4teaspoon
Powdered Sugar-11/4cup (Decrease the sugar to 1 cup, if you are using normal sugar, powder it in a blender)
Large egg-1
Elaichi-3 (powder it)
Vanilla essence-1teaspoon
Water-1/4cup
Oil- to deep fry

Method
Sieve the flour, salt and baking soda together.
Break the egg, whisk it with sugar.
Add the flour, elaichi powder, vanilla essence, mix it with your fingers.
Start adding water slowly and knead into a soft smooth dough.

Wrap the dough in a clear wrap paper and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
Heat enough oil on medium low heat to deep fry the vettu cake.
Take an orange size ball from the dough, roll it into a log.
Cut the log into desired size pieces, separate the pieces, make a deep "+" shape cut in each of the cake, take care, do not cut too deep!

Deep fry the vettu cakes in oil. Take them out once they turn golden in colour.
Don't adjust the flame here and there, keep it uniform low medium heat.

Vettu cakes are ready to enjoy with a cup of black tea/ kattanchaayaa! :) You can store it in airtight container for 4-5 days.

Coming back to my "kajoor" dreams, vettu cake is not kajoor! Its slightly on the softer side and a little different texture...hmmm! If any body knows about "Kajoor/Sweet bonda" recipe, let me know friends. Otherwice..I will wait for my next trip to Coimbatore! :) 

Chettinadu style pakoda kuzhambu

I have already posted a Paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe long back. There are several methods of making this kuzhambu, you can steam the lentil balls and add it into the gravy, or directly add it in the gravy or deep fry the lentil balls and add it in the gravy. Either way it tastes so good! This recipe is inspired from this blog. :) 

Ingredients

For the pakoda 

Dried split yellow peas/Vadai paruppu-1/4cup

Red chilly-5(adjust to your taste)

Fennel seeds-1teaspoon

Chopped onion-3tablespoons

Chopped cilantro and curry leaves-few

Salt

Oil to deep fry 

For the Gravy

Tamarind juice-1/4cup

Chilly powder-11/2teaspoon

Coriander powder-11/2teaspoon

Turmeric powder-1/4teaspoon

Onion-1

Toamto-1

Green chilly-1

Coconut paste-2 tablespoons

Mustard seeds-1/2teaspoon

Bay leaf-1

Salt

Oil

Few curry leaves and cilantro -to garnish

Method

Wash and soak the yellow peas dal/vadai paruppu for 2 hours. Grind it along with red chillies-fennel seeds and enough salt.

Add in the chopped onion-cilantro,curry leaves, mix it well. 

Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry the pakodas. 

Once the oil is hot enough, pinch small pakodas and deep fry them. You should not cook the pakodas all the way till they turn golden brown, but take them out when they are 3/4th done.

 Look at the picture of pakodas for kuzhambu....and these ones below are regular pakodas. Hope you can see the color difference.

Now lets move on to the  gravy. Chop the onions and tomatoes into big chunks. Slit the green chilly. Heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, let them pop-up. 

Then add the bay leaf, followed by the curry leaves, onion-green chilly and tomato.  

Fry till the tomatoes become soft. Meanwhile, add in the chilli-turmeric and coriander powders with tamarind juice, mix it well and keep it ready.

Once the tomatoes in the gravy are soft and mushy, add in the tamarind juice. Add enough salt and let it boil.

After the gravy has boiled nicely, add in the deep fried pakodas, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Now add in the coconut paste, adjust the water level of the kuzhambu, and keep cooking on low heat for 5 more minutes.

Once the oil oozes out from the gravy, its all done. Put off the flame.

Serve the pakoda kuzhambu with white rice, and your favorite side dish and rasam.

  Here I have served it with spicy potato fry.

இனிய தமிழ்ப்புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்! - Happy Vishoo!

May this New Year Bring Happiness and Prosperity to Everyone!

"விஜய" ஆண்டு அனைவருக்கும் விஜயத்தைக் கொடுக்க வாழ்த்துக்கள்!

Paneer Burji/Paneer-Sweet Pepper Bhurji

Ingredients

Grated Paneer -1cup

Sweet peppers (or) Color capsicum - few

Onion-1

Green chilly-1

Tomato-1

Cumin seeds-1/2teaspoon

Chilli powder-1teaspoon

Coriander powder-1teaspoon

Cilantro- to garnish

Salt - to taste

Oil

Method

Grate the paneer and keep it aside.

Chop the onions-green chilly-tomato and sweet peppers. 

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Add in the ohio-green chilly and fry till onion becomes transparent.

Then add in the tomato n cook till it becomes soft. Add the chopped sweet peppers along with chili power, coriander power and salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. 

Add the grated paneer, mix it well, and continue cooking. 

Initially the bhurji may look like a lump, but keep sautéing on low medium heat till it becomes crumbly.

Finally add in the chopped cilantro and put off the flame. Delicious paneer burji is ready to serve.

Paneer bhurji goes well with rice and roti.

Black eyed peas-Potato curry

Ingredients
Black eyed peas - 1/4cup
Potato-1
Bay leaf-1
Onion-1
Tomato-1
Green chilly-1
Turmeric powder-1/4teaspoon
Chilly powder-11/2teaspoon
Coriander powder-1teaspon
Garam masala powder-1/2teaspoon
Cilantro- to garnish
Sugar-1/4teaspoon
Half & Half milk/ cream - 2 tablespoons
Salt
Oil

Method
Wash and soak the black eyed peas for 2 hours. Pressure cook the beans along with potato and bay leaf. Open the cooker, discard the bay leaf. Peel and cut the potato into big chunks and keep them aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onion-green chilly and fry till the onions become transparent. Then add the tomato and cook till it becomes mushy. Add in the chilly powder-turmeric powder-coriander powder, and sauté for a minute.

Now add the cooked beans and chopped potato chunks with enough salt, and the water used to cook the black eyed peas ( about a cup). Let it boil nicely, then add the sugar, half & half milk, reduce the heat to low. After a couple of minutes, add the garam masala powder, chopped cilantro and put off the flame.

Creamy and delicious black eyed peas -potato curry/ Lobia-potato curry is ready to serve. It goes well with roti. 

Poondu podi/Chutney powder with Garlic

Ingredients

Channa dal/ Kadalai paruppu -1/4cup

Urad dal/Ulutham paruppu -1/4cup

Garlic/Poondu - one bulb

Red chillies- 8 (adjust to your taste)

Hing/Asafoetida -1/4teaspoon

Jaggery/Vellam- a tiny piece

Salt

Method
Dry roast all the items (except garlic) separately. Take care not to burn any..

Let it cool completely. Add the red chillies-dal into a small jar of a mixer and grind it to a coarse powder. Then add in the salt, jaggery, and hing. Grind again for couple of minutes.

 

Meanwhile, peel and chop the garlic cloves. Now add them with the dals and give it a few pulses.

 

The outcome will be a sticky mass, spread it on a plate and let it dry for 2-3 hours. If you like the chutney powder to have a grainy structure, then you can store it in an airtight container.
Since we like the podi to be on the finer side, I powdered it again.

 

Store the podi in airtight container...

 

..and enjoy it with idli-dosa-oothappam.