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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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. 

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Multigrain Poori

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour/ Aatta - 1 cup 

Ragi flour - 1/2 cup

Bajra flour / Kambu maavu- 1/2 cup 

All purpose flour/ Maida maavu -1/2cup

Sugar -1teaspoon

Salt

Water

Oil - to deep fry

Method

Combine all the flours in a bowl. Add salt and sugar. Mix well. 

Add enough water to make a stiff and smooth dough.

Keep it closed for 10 minutes. Make small balls out of the dough.

Roll them into small disks with uniform thickness.

Heat oil to deep fry and fry the poori's.

Healthy and yummy poori's are ready to serve. 

Serve hot with potato kurma or any other kurma of your choice. Coconut chutney and potato masala is the best combination! :) 

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Mushroom Mattar

Ingredients

Mushroom - 200grams 

Frozen peas - 1/4cup

Onion - 1

Green chilly -1 

Ginger garlic paste - 11/2 teaspoon

Tomato - 2 

Chilly powder - 11/2teaspoon

Coriander powder - 11/2teaspoon 

Turmeric powder -1/4teaspoon

Kasoori methi - 1teaspoon 

Cashew - 6

Salt

Oil 

Sugar (optional) - 1/2teaspoon 

Method

Clean and slice the mushrooms.

Finely chop the onion & Tomato.

Crush the ginger & garlic and keep it ready. 

Cook the peas with little salt in a microwave oven for couple of minutes, drain the water and keep it aside.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a heavy bottom kadai. Add the mushrooms and sauté..after a few minutes sprinkle some salt and keep sautéing. Once they are 3/4th cooked, take them and keep it aside.

In the same kadai, add another tablespoon of oil and add the onions and green chilly. Add the crushed ginger & garlic after some time and cook until everything turns almost brown. 

Then add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.

Now add the chilly, coriander and turmeric powders. 

Keep cooking on medium flame, until the oil oozes out.

Meanwhile grind the cashews with little water to a fine paste and add it to the gravy. 

Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and continue cooking.

The masala will thicken and will become dry oozing out oil.
Now add about a cup to one and half cup of water and let the gravy boil nicely.

Add the cooked mushrooms and peas. 

Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add the crushed kasoori methi. 

Switch off the flame, spicy and creamy mushroom mattar is ready to serve. 

Goes well with roti and plain rice or with pulao's. 

Recipe Source : Here ( I tweaked the recipe here and there according to my convenience! :))  

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Mango Sambar / Mixed Vegetable sambar with Mango

Ingredients

Potato -1 

Carrot - 1

Tomato -1

Mango pieces - few [Here I have used only the mango seed. you can either use mango or this, according to your convenience.]

Tamarind juice - 3tablespoons (adjust with the sourness of the mango)

Sambar powder - 1tablespoon 

Salt

Sugar (optional) - 1/2teaspoon

To pressure cook

Thoor dal / Thuvaram paruppu - 1/4cup (50 grams) 

Tomato -1

Turmeric powder - 1/4teaspoon

Few drops of cooking oil 

To temper 

Oil - 2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds -1/2teaspoon

Cumin seeds -1/2teaspoon

Hing - a generous pinch 

Small onion/ Sambar onion -6 

Red chilly -1 

Few curry leaves 

Method 

Pressure cook the dal - tomato,turmeric powder, few drops of oil with enough water and keep it aside.

Add the chopped potato, carrot, tomato pieces in a pan, add the mango seed /(mango pieces) with  about half a cup of water and cook.

Once the vegetables are cooked add the cooked dal with them.

Add in the tamarind water, sambar powder, salt and sugar. 

Adjust the water and let it boil nicely.

Make the tempering separately with the list given under "to temper"..

...and pour it over the sambar. Switch off the flame.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with white rice, papad and some veggie. 

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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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Vegetable Sagu / Mixed vegetable sagu

"Sagu" is a new name to me..hailing from coimbatore, this Karnataka dish was totally new! I was looking forward to make this one day. Sometime back, I accidentally stopped into a Karnataka blog and browsed the recipes. This sagu - recipe caught my attention and tried it. Unfortunately I forgot the blog's URL! Fortunately I have clicked the stepwise pictures, so here comes the recipe. Slight variations to the regular mixed vegetable kurma, there you go..yet another new dish tried!! ;) :) 

Ingredients

Mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, peas & potato), chopped - 3/4cup

Onion -1

Tomato (big) -1

Green chilly-1

Few curry leaves & Cilantro

Turmeric powder -1/4teaspoon 

Mustard seeds -1/2teaspoon

Salt

Oil 

To Roast and grind

Cloves -2

Small piece of cinnamon stick

Elaichi -1

Star anise -1

Coriander seeds -1teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1teaspoon

Fresh coconut - 1/4cup  

Method

Dry roast the spices until you get nice aroma. Add fresh coconut and let it cool. Then make it into a fine paste by grinding it with little water. 

Slice the onion, green chilly and tomato.

Wash and cut the vegetables, keep them ready.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, let them pop. Then add sliced onions, green chilly and curry leaves. Sauté the onion for a minute or two, then add the chopped tomato.

Cook until the tomatoes become soft and mushy. 

Add the chopped vegetables, give it a quick stir.

Add about a cup of water, enough salt and cook. Add the masala paste after the veggies are cooked, adjust the water, let it boil on medium heat. 

After 6-8 minutes, the masala will get cooked with the vegetables and the oil will ooze out. 

Switch off the stove and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Mildly spicy and delicious mixed vegetable sagu is ready. It goes well with idli/dosa/poori and roti. Goes well with plain rice and pulao/biriyani 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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