Paneer Capsicum Do Pyaza - Holiday Special! :)

Ingredients

Paneer (cubed) - 11/2cup 

Half & Half - 1/2cup 

Capsicum -1 

Onion -2

Green chilly -2

Tomato -3

Ginger garlic paste - 2teaspoons 

Cumin seeds -1teaspoon 

Chilli powder -2teaspoons

Coriander powder -2teaspoons

Turmeric powder -1/4teaspoon

Kasoori Methi -1teaspoon 

Butter - 1teaspoon 

Oil 

Salt

Water 

Method 

Finely chop one of the 2 onions. 

Chop another onion and capsicum into big chunks and keep it separate. 

Finely chop the green chillies and tomatoes too.  

Heat  oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle.
Now add the finely chopped onion. Sauté for few minutes and add ginger garlic paste..saute until the raw smell is gone.

Add the finely chopped tomatoes with enough salt and keep cooking. 

Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy, add the chilly - coriander and turmeric powders. 

Mix it well and add the capsicum and onion chunks in the masala. 

Saute on medium heat for few minutes, adding a teaspoon of butter. 

Now add about a cup of water and let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

 Reduce the heat to low and add the half & half mil.
Once the milk is mixed with the masala add the cubed paneer.
Let the curry cook for few more minutes in low heat and put off the stove, garnish with Kasoori methi and serve.

Goes well with roti/phulka/ pulao/Jeera rice and Biriyani items. 

Note 

The dish was cooked  and clicked by my dear hubby..I just did the typing and enjoyed the curry with hot roties..of course! ;) :D :) Holiday Special! 

Beans Paruppu Usili

Ingredients

Beans - 11/4 cup (washed,  edges trimmed and chopped into desired shape) 

Channa dal - 1/4cup 

Red chillies - 3 (adjust to taste)

Asafetida /hing - 1/4teaspoon 

Salt 

To temper

Oil 

Mustard seeds - 1/2teaspoon

Ural dal - 1teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4teaspoon 

Method

Soak the channa dal for at least 11/2 hours. 

Wash, trim the edges of the beans, cut them into desired shape. (I am bored of regular cutting, so tried some different shape! :))

Microwave the beans with enough water and salt for 6-7 minutes, stopping the microwave few time, and mixing the veggie. Once beans are cooked, filter the excess water and keep it aside. 

Now take the soaked dal, red chillies, hing and salt (just enough for the dal) and grind it into a coarse paste. 

Transfer the dal paste into a greased microwavable dish, flatten it. Microwave it for 4-5 minutes or until the dal is well cooked. (alternatively, you can steam the dal paste in idli pot too)

Once the dal paste cools down, put it into a mixer and pulse it.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, let them pop up. Then add the urad dal, fry until it turns golden in color. Add the curry leaves and turmeric powder.

Now add the pulsed cooked dal mixture and stir it.

Add the cooked beans to the dal after few minutes and mix it gently.

Cook on medium flame until the dal mixture and the veggie gets combined. Check for the salt and put off the flame.

Yummy beans paruppu usili is ready to serve. Goes well with mor kuzhambu/ vat kuzhambu etc.

Seppankizhangu Fry / Arbi Fry

Ingredients

Seppankizhangu / Arbi - 6  

Garlic - 8cloves

Few curry leaves

Mustard seeds - 1/2teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/8teaspoon

Chilly powder - 11/2teaspoons

Salt

Oil 

Method

Wash and cook the seppankizhangu / arbi root in a steamer or pressure cooker. Take care not to cook it mushy. The root should be soft but should not be mushy. 

Let it cool, peel the skin and chop them into big chunks. 

 Heat oil in a wide pan, add the mustard seeds. Let them pop up, then add the cooked and chopped seppankizhangu/ arbi.

Toss it well and cook for 4-5 minutes. Don't use any spoon to mix, just gently toss the pan so that the kizhangu gets roasted on all sides evenly.

Meanwhile, take your garlic and crush them with mortar and pestle.

Once the arbi is nicely roasted, add the turmeric - chilly powders, enough salt, curry leaves and crushed garlic.

 Reduce the heat and toss it nicely so that the raw smell of the spices and garlic are gone. Sprinkle little more oil during the process if you like. :)

 Quick and spicy arbi fry is ready to serve...goes well as a side dish with rice varieties.

Vendaikkai Morkuzhambu / Okra in Yogurt gravy

Ingredients
Vendaikkai/ Okra / Ladies finger - 6
Sour Buttermilk - 1 cup
Turmeric powder -1/8teaspoon
Few curry leaves
Mustard seeds -1/2teaspoon
To grind
Coconut - 1/4cup
Cumin seeds -1teaspoon
Coriander seeds-  1/2teaspoon
Ginger - small piece
Green chillies -2 (adjust to spice level)

Method
Wash, pat dry and cut the vendaikkai/okra into 2 inch pieces.
Heat little oil in a pan, sauté the vendaikkai until the sliminess is gone and its half cooked, keep it aside.

Take the items given under "To grind" in a small mixie jar, add little water and make it into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, let them pop-up. Then add the curry leaves, the ground paste.. add 1/4 cup of water, turmeric powder and enough salt. let it boil.

In the mean time, keep the buttermilk ready. As I have used yogurt here, I added little water to the yogurt and pulsed it in mixie. 

Now, reduce the heat to low, add the beaten buttermilk to the coconut gravy. Mix it gently until you see nice froth forming up. 

Add the sautéed  vendaikkai/ okra and switch off the flame. Let the kuzhambu sit for 10-15 minutes and serve as an accompaniment of white rice and some spicy vegetable curry. I had it with seppankizhangu / Arbi fry. 

Paruppu Podi

I always keep idli pedi / Gun powder ready..though chutneys are prepared, my better half loves these podi's. This podi is little different from the one I usually make. This one tastes good with hot rice and ghee as well as idli-dosa too. 

Ingredients 

Thoor Dal / Thuvaram paruppu - 1/4cup

Channa Dal / Kadalai paruppu - 1/4cup

Urad Dal / Ulunthu paruppu - 1/2 tablespoon

White Sesame seeds / Ellu - 1/2 tablespoon 

Pepper corn -1/2 teaspoon 

Red chilly -2

Hing/ Perungayam - 1/4teaspoon 

Method 

Dry roast the dals one by one until they turn golden in color and nice aroma comes. Do it patiently on low medium heat, taking care not to burn the dals. 

Similarly roast the sesame seeds, pepper corns-red chili and let everything cool down.

Grind them coarsely adding enough salt, hing and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Store it in airtight container. Serve as a side dish with gingelly oil or ghee to idli-dosa-rice.

Recipe Source : HERE

Peerkkangai poriyal - Karnataka style / Heerekayi Palya / Ridge gourd stir-fry, Karnataka style

Ingredients

Peerkkangai - 1 (peeled and chopped , about a cup) 

Mustard seeds - 1/2teas[ppm 

Turmeric powder -1/8teaspoon 

Curry leaves - few

Salt 

Oil

To dry roast

Cumin seeds -1/2 teaspoon 

Red chilly -1

Bydagi chilly -1

Coconut - 3 tablespoons grated 

Method

Dry roast the chillies and cumin seeds, let it cool. 

Heat oil in  a pan, add the mustard seeds and let them pop-up. 

Add curry leaves, turmeric powder followed by the chopped ridge gourd pieces. 

Sprinkle little water and let it cook.

Meanwhile, grind the coconut along with roasted cumin seeds and chillies.
Add it to the veggie when is almost done.
Give it a stir and cook until the the masala blends with the veggie and put off the flame.
Quick and yummy Heerekayi palya / Peerkkangai poriyal is ready to serve. It goes well with roti and rice varieties.
Recipe Source - HERE

Mashed Moong dal & Thoor dal / Pachaipayaru & Paruppu Kadaisal

Ingredients

Thor dal/ Thuvaram paruppu -1/8 cup

Moong dal/ Pachai payaru - 1/8cup

Garlic - 4cloves

Onion, chopped-4tablespoons

Tomato, chopped -1

Green chilly, chopped - 2  

Few curry leaves and cilantro

Coriander seeds - 1teaspoon

Cumin seeds -1 teaspoon

Sambar powder -1/2teaspoon 

Turmeric powder - 1/8teaspoon

Salt 

Sugar - 1/4teaspoon

Oil 

Method

In a small pressure cooker, heat oil. 

Add the coriander and cumin seeds, let them splutter.

Now add the chopped onion, green chilly, garlic and curry leaves.

Saute for a minute, and add the chopped tomato. Give it a quick stir. 

Add the sambar powder, turmeric powder and the thor dal - moong dal.

 Add about 11/4cup of water with enough salt and sugar (if adding).

 Close the pressure cooker and cook for 5 whistles in medium flame. Open the cooker once the pressure subsides.

Add the chopped coriander leaves, and mash the dal nicely with a masher.

 Protein rich and flavorful dal is ready to serve. It tastes best with piping hot rice with some ghee.

You can accompany the rice and dal with any spicy stir-fried vegetable or Papad - mor milagi (curd chilly) or even with pickle. 

Ladies finger Stir-fry / Vendaikkai Fry

Ingredients

Vendaikkai/ Ladies finger - 15 or 20

Sliced onion - 3 tablespoons 

Ginger  - a small piece

Garlic - 4 cloves

Green chilly -1

Few curry leaves

Chilli powder - 1teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1teaspoon

Salt

Oil 

Method 

Wash, pat dry and trim the edges of the ladies finger/vendaikkai. 

Cut them into small pieces. 

Heat oil in a pan, add the sliced garlic, green chilly and ginger pieces. 

Then add the ladies finger pieces and keep sautéing. 

Vendaikkai/ Ladies finger cooks quickly..so once its 3/4th cooked (will take about 5-6 minutes in medium heat..keep an eye, toss it occasionally), add the sliced onion, curry leaves and spice powders along with salt.

 Keep frying until the raw smell of the spices and onion are gone.

 Quick and delicious vendaikkai fry is ready to serve.

Goes well with rice varieties, can pair it with roti too. 

Vatha kuzhambu

Ingredients

Dry Vegetables like turkey berry, bitter gourd, drumstick flesh & cluster beans /Vathal - 1/2cup 

Onion -1

Curry leaves - 1 sprig 

Tomato -2

Thick tamarind paste - 1/4cup 

Vathakuzhambu masala powder -11/2tablespoon 

Turmeric powder -1/4teaspoon

Gingelly oil - 3tablespoons

Sugar/ Jaggery -  1 teaspoon or a little piece 

To grind into a fine paste 

Coconut - 1/4cup 

Method

Chop the onion. Grind the coconut with little water to a fine paste. 

Crush the tomatoes with Tamarind water and keep it ready. 

Gather all the vathals. You can use either one of them too. As I had all these, I added everything. :) 

Heat generous amount of gingelly oil/Nallennai in a pan. Once its hot, add the vathals and fry them.

Then add the chopped onion and curry leaves, fry until the onions turn little pink. 

Now add the tamarind & tomato mixture and let it boil nicely. 

Add the coconut paste and enough salt after the raw smell of tamarind-tomato juice has gone. (Be careful while adding salt, as vathals may have salt in them.) 

Adjust the water level and let the kuzhambu boil on medium heat. 

Add the sugar when the oil floats on top of the kuzhambu and switch off the stove.

Serve the kuzhambu with hot steaming rice and some vegetable & dal stir fry. Here we had it with cabbage and moong dal curry and rasam.