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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Moong Sprouts Kurma

Updating my blog after a reasonable time! Shifting the house and other personal works kept me away and happy to be back on track! Today I am sharing healthy and delicious sprouts kurma! 

Ingredients 

Moong Sprouts -1/4cup

One small potato

Half of an onion 

Green chilly -1 

Tomato -2

Ginger-garlic paste - 2teaspoons

Bay leaf -1

Cinnamon - 2" piece 

Curry masala powder-1tablespoon

Chilly powder-1/2teaspoon

Sugar-1/2teaspoon

Salt

Oil

To grind

Coconut -2tablespoons

Cashew-5

Elaichi-1

Fennel seeds -1/2teaspoon

Method 

Take the moong sprouts and cubed potato in a pan. Add enough water and cook until both of them are   cooked. They should be soft but not mushy. 

Heat oil in a pan, add the cinnamon and bay leaf. Sauté it for a few seconds and add sliced onion & green chilly. Fry for a minute, add the freshly crushed ginger and garlic. Sauté until onion turns slight pink color. Then add the tomatoes, cook until they become soft. Add the curry powder, chilly powder and half a cup of water. Let it boil nicely.

Now add the cooked sprouts and potato, add water if needed and let it cook for few more minutes.

Meanwhile make a paste of the items to be grind. 

Add the coconut paste to the kurma and enough salt, sugar & water. Let it boiler 6-7 minutes on medium heat. 

Reduce the heat to low and simmer the kurma until the oil floats on the top.

Protein packed delicious kurma is ready to serve. Tastes grate with chapatti as well as rice dishes.

Recipe Inspiration : HERE

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Maida Burfi/ Maida Cake

Ingredients
Maida / All purpose flour -1/2cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup (adjust to sweet, up to 1 cup)
Ghee - 1/4cup
Food color - few drops
Tutty fruity - 1/8 cup (optional)
Elaichi -2

Method
Heat the ghee and roast the maida. You will get nice aroma and the color of the flour should not change it.
Add a cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of water and start heating.
Once the sugar syrup reaches one string consistency, remove it from stove. Immediately add the roasted maida, food color, tutty fruity and elaichi powder and start mixing.
Keep on mixing it(off the stove), until the flour+sugar syrup reaches halwa consistency.
It will be like liquid, but when cooling it slowly becomes a nonsticky halwa.
By then pour it on a greased plate and level it with a greased spatula.

 Here I have added 3 drops of green food color and red color tutty fruity. Once it cools down completely, remove it from the plate and cut it into desired shape.

This is the recipe from Rak's kitchen. I just followed her recipe. You can check here for step by step pictures and a video.  I felt the sweetness was little more for our palate. Next time  I will reduce it to 3/4 cup. :) 

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Diwali Sweets & Snacks 2015

 Hope everyone had a nice Diwali. Here are the sweets and snacks I prepared this year.

 Maida cake/burfi

 Dry gulaab jamoon

Murukku

Mixture

Click on the names to get the recipes..Will post the sweet recipes soon. 

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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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Lauki ki Sabzi/ Bottlegourd Curry / Suraikkai Curry

Ingredients

Suraikkai/Lauki/Bottlegourd -1 (small, approximately 11/2cups, chopped)

Onion (chopped) - 3 tablespoons

Green chilly-1

Tomato - 1

Turmeric powder -1/8 teaspoon

Chilly powder - 11/2 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon 

Hing/Asafoetida - a generous pinch

Lemon juice - from half of a lemon

Cilantro - to garnish 

Method

Wash and cube the suraikkai/lauki into big chunks.

Heat oil in a small pressure cooker, add the onions. Sauté until it becomes pink, then add the cumin seeds and hing. Let them splutter.

Add the turmeric powder, chilly powder and coriander powder, fry without burning them.

Add the chopped tomato and keep cooking until it becomes soft.

Now add the veggie, give it a quick stir..

Add required salt and half teaspoon of sugar (optional)..

Add about 1/2 cup of water, close the cooker and cook for a whistle.

Let the pressure settle down, open the cooker add chopped cilantro.

Squeeze the lemon juice and serve warm with roti or rice.

It goes well with idli & dosai too!

Recipe Source : HERE

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Thengappoo Rotti / Coconut-Wheat Bread

This dish is a Srilankan dish, which I came to know from my friends. The addition of coconut makes this roti tastier. This can be prepared with all purpose flour/Maida, also. Usually it is served with "Idicha sambal" which is dry coconut chutney, shall post it soon. 

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour -11/2cups

Grated coconut-1/4 cup(can increase more for taste)

Chopped onion-1/2cup(can increase or decrease according to taste)

Green chilly-2(finely chopped)

Few curry leaves

Salt

Water

Method

Combine chopped onion, green chilly, curry leaves(which i haven't used here) in a wide bowl.

Add the whole wheat flour and enough salt.

Mix everything well, sprinkle little water at a time and start kneading.  Knead it into a stiff pliable dough and let it rest for at least one hour. (more time won't hurt)

Make small balls out of the dough. Use dry flour as needed..

Roll them into thin disks as we do for roti's.

Heat a griddle and cook the roti..sprinkle oil and let it cook for a few seconds.

Flip it over, sprinkle more oil and cook on low heat.

When the roti turns golden on both sides

Serve hot with pickle and yogurt.

Note
Add the water carefully as the onions we add in the dough tends to leave water. I have used dry flour to roll the roti's, but traditionally they are patted with hand, with dipping the hands in water often. I will try that method soon and update the recipe here.
Also, be generous with the oil and cook the roti's in low medium heat. Cooking on low heat with lots of oil enhances the taste. 

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