Broccoli Stir fry

Last fall, we set up a raised bed garden and started growing some winter vegetables, one of which is broccoli!! we had 6 plants and shared half of the broccoli sprouts with our `neighborhood squirrels. :D 

Ingredients

Broccoli (washed and chopped into small florets) - 11/2cup

Chopped onion - 3tablespoon 

Tomato - 1 (chopped) 

Garlic - 4 fat cloves (crushed) 

Green chilly -1

Masala powder - 11/2 teaspoon (Here Ive used Sakthi Vatha kuzhambu powder. You can use sambar powder or just chill powder according to your preference) 

Desiccated coconut -2 tablespoons 

Salt

Oil 

Cumin seeds -1teaspoon 

Pinch of Sugar 

Method 

Heat some oil in a wide pan. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle. 

Then add the chopped onion, green chilly and crushed garlic. 

Saute for a few minutes then add the chopped tomato. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft. Add the   broccoli florets, toss them well.

Now add the masala powder, salt and a big pinch of sugar. Sprinkle little water, close the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on high heat.
Open the pan, stir the veggie once, add the desiccated coconut and put off the pan.
Quick and delicious Broccoli stir fry is ready. Goes well with all rice items or with roti. 

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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.

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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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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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Vazhaikkai Podimas / Raw Plantain curry

Ingredients

Raw plantain / Vazhaikkai - 2 

Chopped onion -1/4cup

Green chilly - 4 (adjust to taste)

Few curry leaves

Desiccated coconut - 2tablespoons

Mustard seeds -1/2teaspoon

Ural dal -1 teaspoon

Channa dal -1 teaspoon 

Hing/Asafoetida - a generous pinch

Coconut oil -1 teaspoon

Oil - 1tablespoon

Salt 

Method

Boil the raw plantain/vazhaikkai in pressure cooker. Once it cools down, peel the skin and grate it. 

Heat cooking oil + coconut oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle.

Add the channa dal & urad dal, fry until they turn golden in color. Then add hing powder, let it sizzle then add the chopped onion, green chillies and curry leaves. 

Add enough salt and saute for few minutes. 

Add the grated plantain and mix it with the onion.

Once the plantain mixes up with the onion, add the grated coconut, give it a quick stir and put off the flame. 

Serve as an accompaniment as rice varieties. 

Note
You can use only coconut oil for tempering. :)

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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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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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Raw Plantain Masala/Vazhaikkai Masala Curry

Ingredients

Raw banana/ Plantain-2

Onion(chopped)-3tablespoon

Tomato-1

Green chilly-1

Few curry leaves

Bay leaf-1

Cinnamon stick- 2" 

Clove-1

Chilly powder-1teaspoon

Garam masala/Curry masala powder-1teaspoon

Turmeric powder-1/4teaspoon

Salt

Oil

To Grind

Coconut gratings- 3tablespoons

Fennel seeds-1/2teaspoon

Clove-1

Elaichi-1

Method

Peel and chop the banana into big chunks. Boil it in water with enough salt until its soft but not mushy. 

 Drain the excess water, keep it aside.
Grind the items to a thick paste with little water and keep it ready.

Heat oil in a wide pan, make the tempering with bay leaf, clove and cinnamon stick. Then add the chopped onion, tomato and green chilly. Fry until the tomatoes get cooked.

 Now add the masala powders, little salt (remember, we have added salt with the banana/plantain too). Give it a quick stir and add the cooked plantain pieces.

 Mix everything well, sprinkle little water and cook for a minute or two. Add the ground coconut paste.

 Keep sautéing on low flame. Cook until the raw smell of the coconut goes off and the masala coats on the veggie and the curry becomes almost dry.

Spicy and aromatic raw banana/plantain/vazhaikkai curry is ready to serve.

 Enjoy as a side dish with hot steaming rice -sambar-rasam and curd rice.
Recipe Surce : HERE

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Mushroom Stir-fry/ Kalaan Poriyal

This is a very quick & simple and delicious side dish with mushrooms. It goes well with rice dishes, but it will be great with roti's too! 

Ingredients

Mushrooms-200grams

Onion, chopped- 2tablespoons

Green chilly-1

Mustard seeds-1/2teaspoon

Turmeric powder-1/4teaspoon

Chilli powder-1/2teaspoon

Curry masala powder-3/4teaspoon

Cilantro- to garnish

Salt

Oil 

Method

Clean and slice the mushrooms.

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the chopped onion and green chilly, sauté till the onions become transparent.

Add the mushrooms and give a quick toss..

Add the turmeric, chilly and curry masala powders with enough salt.

Sprinkle little water, close the pan and cook on medium heat.

Open the pan after 5-6 minutes, and sauté until the curry turns out almost dry.

Add the chopped cilantro and enjoy!

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