Chilly Cheese Toast

 Ingredients
Wheat Bread Slices -4
Cheese Slices /Grated Cheese -2 slices /1/4cup
Chopped Green chilly - 1tablespoon
Chilly flakes -1teaspoon
Butter- as needed.

Method
Spread the butter on one side of the Bread. Sprinkle the green chillies. Place a cheese slice on top.
Sprinkle some red chilly flakes on top of the cheese,  apply some butter on one side of the next bread slice and cover the cheese.
Heat a taw/griddle on low flame. Once its hot, add some butter/ghee on the taw and place the prepared sandwich and close the taw with lid.

Cook for 1 or 2 minutes on very low heat, open the lid, apply some more butter on the top bread slice, flip it over and cook for 1 more minute. Crispy, spicy, cheesy sandwich is ready. Repeat the same for another sandwich. Comes handy on busy weekday morning breakfast. :) 

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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

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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. 

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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. 

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Rava Upma / Uppuma

I have already posted Vegetable rava kichadi, long back. This one is the simple version with out any veggies and tastes good for a quick and simple breakfast or dinner. 

Ingredients

Rava - 1 cup

Water  -21/2 cups

Onion - 1/2 of an onion

Green chilly - 4 (adjust according to ur taste) 

Few curry leaves and cilantro

Desiccated coconut - 2teaspoons

Mustard seeds -1/2teaspoon 

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Hing/Asafoetida - a very generous pinch 

Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Salt

Oil 

Method 

Dry roast the rava until you get a nice aroma and keep it aside.  

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, let it pop up. Then add hing and cumin seeds. [Be careful, don't burn the hing or cumin seeds, if burnt, they give a bitter taste]

Add chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves. 

Saute the onions for few minutes, until they slightly change in color. Then add 2 and 1/2 cups of water. Add the coconut, salt and sugar. Let it boil nicely. 

Slowly add the rava, and keep mixing vigorously, with out any lumps. You may lower the flame while doing this. 

The upma will become slightly thick, at that point keep the flame low and close the pan with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Open the pan, add chopped cilantro mix it well and put off the flame. 

Quick and tasty uppuma is ready to serve. Enjoy it with pickle and sugar or with coconut chutney/sambar. Tastes good as such!! :) 

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Banana Chilly Curry / Malu Miris

I bought some banana peppers for making Milagai Bajji and had a few left. One of my  blogger friend, also my lovable Akka suggested this  Sri Lankan recipe. Its so quick and delicious. Give it a try! :) 

Ingredients

Banana peppers/ Bajji milagai - 6

Onion -1 

Garlic - 2 cloves

Few curry leaves

Chilli Flakes - 21/2 teaspoons (adjust to taste)

Turmeric powder - 1/8teaspoon

Tamarind paste - 1/2tablespoon (or) Thick tamarind water - 3tablespoons

Salt

Sugar -1/2teaspoon

Oil

Method

Wash, pat dry the chillies and slice them. 

Slice the onions thinly. 

Combine the chillies, onion, curry leaves and turmeric in a bowl.

Heat oil in a pan, add the chilli flakes and crushed garlic. 

Saute for 30 seconds, add the chillies -onion-curry leaves and turmeric. Add the thick tamarind extract too. 

Add enough salt and sugar, toss everything well. Close the pan with a lid and cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until the peppers are cooked.

Serve as a side dish for rice or roti. Personally this goes well with rice and plain dal. 

Recipe Source : HERE , As the author quotes, "///Banana chilli or pepper is called malu miris in Singhalese because ‘malu’ means cooking/side dish and ‘miris’ mean chilli, so it’s translates to the ‘cooking chilli’. ///" :)

 I have altered the recipe a little bit according to my convenience. :) 

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Cauliflower & Broccoli Stir fry

This curry can be made only with Cauliflower or the combination of broccoli and cauliflower. Either way, it tastes good. Perfect quick fix when you run out of tomatoes in hand and looking for some dish for roti or rice.

Ingredients

Cauliflower and broccoli florets - 11/2cups

Pepper powder- 1/2teaspoon

Fennel seed powder - 1/2 teaspoon 

Onion (chopped) -3 tablespoons

Desiccated coconut - 11/2 tablespoons

Green chilly -1

Few curry leaves

Mustard seeds - 1/2teaspoon

Channa dal & Urad dal - 1/2teaspoon each

Sugar - 1/2teaspoon (optional)

Salt

Oil 

To Grind 

Almonds -10

Small piece of ginger

2-3 cloves of garlic 

Method 

Soak the almonds in warm water for about an hour. Then peel the skin, and grind it as a fine paste with ginger and garlic. Keep it aside. 

Make the pepper powder and fennel seeds powder and keep it ready.

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. Let them pop up, add the channa dal and urad dal and fry until they turn golden in color. Add the chopped onion, slit green chilly and curry leaves. 

Saute for few minutes, until onion slightly changes in color. Now add the almond paste and cook until the raw smell goes off.

Add the veggies with pepper powder and fennel powder, salt. 

Sprinkle little water, close the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes in high flame.

Add the sugar (optional) and coconut, give it a quick stir and put off the flame. 

Delicious cauliflower and broccoli curry is ready. The veggie should be crunchy, so keep the flame in high and keep an eye. 

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Quick Radish Sambar

If you are looking for some quick fix in a hurry or tired to cook an elaborate lunch, here is the solution. This quick sambar will be handy and ready in 15-20 minutes. :) It goes well with rice as well as idli and dosa. 

Ingredients

Toor dal / Thuvaram paruppu - 1/4cup

Radish (peeled,sliced) -1/2cup 

Onion (sliced) - 3 tablespoons

Tomato (chopped0 -2 (medium size)

Small piece of tamarind 

Turmeric powder-1/4teaspoon

Sambar powder -2 teaspoons 

Salt 

Sugar -1/2teaspoon (or) a small piece of jaggery  [optional]

To temper

Oil 

Mustard seeds -1/2teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2teaspoon

Generous pinch of Hing/asafoetida

Red chilly -1

Few curry leaves & Cilantro

Method

Combine all the items in the ingredient list in a small pressure cooker. Add about a cup to 11/4cups of water. 

Here is another look..dal, veggie, onion, tomato, tamarind, turmeric powder and sambar powder, salt, sugar all in the cooker. :) 

Cook for one or 2 whistle in medium flame. Let the pressure suppress by itself. Make the tempering and pour it over the sambar and garnish with cilantro.

Tasty sambar is ready to go with rice.

If you want to serve it with tiffin items, increase the water quantity little bit. 

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Brinjal Stir-fry with Peanuts

Ingredients
Brinjal - 5
Chopped onion - 2tablespoons
Green chilly-1
Chilly powder-3/4teaspoon
Turmeric powder- 1/8teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1/2teaspoon
Urad dal -1/2teaspoon
Channa dal- 1/2teaspoon
Roasted Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
Grated coconut -1tablespoon
Salt
Oil

Method 
Slightly heat the roasted peanuts in a pan and let it cool.
Slice the brinjals and keep them immersed in water till use.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add the channa dal and urad dal, and fry until they turn golden in color.  Then add the chopped onion and green chilly, fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the brinjal slices along with chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt.  Sprinkle some water and close the pan with a lid. 

Meanwhile crush the peanuts in a mortar and pestle or mixie jar. 

Once the brinjal is cooked, add the peanut powder and coconut. Give it a quick mix and put off the flame.

Delicious peanut-brinjal stir fry is ready to serve. Goes well with rice and roti. 

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Chilli Egg Parotta

Ingredients

Frozen Parotta -2

Onion -1 (small)

Green chilly -1

Capsicum - 1

Tomato -1

Egg- 1

Ginger Garlic paste -1/2 teaspoon

Few curry leaves and cilantro 

Chilly powder -1/2teaspoon 

Coriander powder - 1/2teaspoon

Curry masala powder -1 teaspoon 

Maggi hot and sweet sauce - 3 teaspoons 

Salt

Oil 

Method 

1. Thaw the parotta and cook it as per the instructions on the pack. Let it cool down completely, then cut them into small pieces. I have used my kitchen scissors, you can tear them or cut them according to your convenience.  

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and toast the parotta pieces. 

2. Toast the parotta on low medium heat until it turns little crispy, keep it aside.

3. Cube the onion, tomato, capsicum ( its missing in the immediate photo below) pieces. Finely chop the green chilly. Heat ( should be high flame)another tablespoon of oil, add the  ginger garlic paste, fry for a minute, then add cubed onion and green chilly pieces.  

Then add the cubed tomato and capsicum pieces..sauté in high flame until the tomato pieces becomes soft, add the chilly powder, coriander powder and curry masala powder. 

4. Give a quick toss, let the masala get coated with all the veggies. Now add the toasted patotta pieces. 

5. Add in the egg. 

5. Mix and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the maggi hot and sweet sauce.

6. Finally add in the chopped cilantro and curry leaves, and put off the flame.

Yummy quick fix dinner is ready..Serve hot with raita.

Note

If you want an egg free version, follow the process up to step - 4 and then add the sauce, curry leaves and cilantro and serve as plain chilly parotta.

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Multigrain Dosai

Ingredients

Wheat flour -1/4cup

Ragi maavu/ Finger millet flour -1/2cup

Kambu maavu/ Bajri flour - 1/2cup

Idli maavu / Idli batter - 1 big ladle

Salt

Water

Oil

Method

Combine wheat flour, ragi flour, bajri flour and salt in a bowl.

 Add a ladle of idli batter..

 Add enough water and mix it like dosa batter without lumps

 Heat a griddle and make dosa. Sprinkle some oil around the dosa, and let it cook.

 Flip the dosa after a few seconds and cook the other side.

Healthy dosa is ready to serve. Serve hot with some tangy, spicy chutney. We had it with tomato chutney. 

Note 
This dosa can be made instantly, just mix  the flours and make dosa right away, how ever you can let it ferment overnight and make dosa too. Personally I prefer the later. :) 

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