Poori & Aloo Masala


Makes about 10 poories

Poori:

  • Take 1 cup of whole wheat flour in a bowl
  • Optional: Add 1/2tsp of sooji or fine rava. This helps the poori stay puffed up for a little more time. If you add more, this will harden the poori. So go easy on it.
  • Add little salt and about 1/4 cup of water and knead the dough to make a pliable dough
  • The dough must be little harder than what you make for chapathi
  • Coat the dough with 1tsp of oil and rest it for 20 to 30 mins
  • Make small balls and using a rolling pin roll them into small circles
  • Heat some oil in a sauce pan
  • Drop the rolled dough circles one at a time
  • Slowly press the frying dough with the back of a perforated laddle and give little circular motion
  • This will help the poori puff up like pillows
  • Quickly flip the poori to the other side and remove from heat
  • Each poori may take about 2 to 3 secs to be done
  • Serve hot with Aloo Masala

Aloo Masala:

  • Pressure cook 4 medium potatoes for 2 whistles
  • The potatoes must be well cooked but not mushy
  • In a pan heat 1 tsp of oil and season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dhal - 1/2 tsp each
  • Add little hing, little ginger, 5 green chillies slit lengthwise, a spring of curry leaves and saute for few seconds
  • Saute 1 large onion chopped lengthwise until translucent
  • Add little salt, 1 tsp of turmeric powder
  • Chop the boiled potatoes into small chunks and add them
  • Add a handfull of cilantro leaves
  • Optional: Add 1 handful of frozen peas and/or fried cashews
  • Add 3 tbsp of water and cook the masala for 5 to 7 mins
  • Simple yet delicious Aloo masala is ready to serve

Tomato Pulav


Makes about 6 servings
  • Wash and Soak 2 cups of rice in 2 cups of water for about 30 mins
  • In a hot non stick pan, pour 2tsp of oil and temper with 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, curry leaves, little fennel seeds
  • Add long slices of 1 medium size red onion and saute until light brown
  • Add a pinch of salt and 1Tbsp ginger garlic paste, 3 green chillies slit in the middle, 1/2tsp of turmeric powder and saute
  • Add 5 medium size tomatoes chopped lengthwise
  • Saute until oil oozes out
  • Optional: Add 1tsp of red chilly powder
  • Optional: Add little tamarind juice (about a goose berry size tamarind soaked and pulp extracted)
  • Optional: Add about 10 to 15 fried cashews/peanuts
  • Add a handful of cilantro leaves
  • Add 1.5 cups of water and adjust salt/spice per taste
  • Now add the soaked rice without draining
  • Mix well and cover and cook in medium flame
  • After about 10 mins, you can see craters in the pan. Now reduce the flame to the min possible and slow cook for another 10 mins
  • Garnish and serve with raita (curd flavored with raw onions, green chillies etc)

Masala Egg


Just a 5 min makeover will make the boring hardboiled eggs into a gorgeous gourmet. Offlate this is my son's favorite.
  • Hardboil 4 eggs for about 17 mins
  • Deshell and cut them in halves as shown above
  • Fine grind 3 pearl onions, 3 garlic cloves
  • To the paste, add 1/2tsp red chilly powder, 1/2tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp curry powder, 1/4tsp garam masala powder, turmeric powder, salt per taste. Mix them all well and set aside
  • In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and saute 4 finely chopped pearl onions, the ground paste and saute well in low flame
  • Optional: Saute a handful of leafy green cabbage (finely sliced)
  • Add 1/4 small tomato (finely chopped) (or 1tsp of tomato paste)
  • When it is well cooked, place the egg halves over the masala so that the yolks touch the bottom of the pan
  • Alternatively, you can chop the eggs into small chunks instead of halves like here
  • Leave them for 3 to 4 mins on low flame
  • Move the eggs carefully around the pan so the masala doesnt stick to the bottom from time to time
  • Slightly coat the egg whites with the masala using the spatula while it cooks
  • Remove the eggs and garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side

Sweet Pongal


Makes about 6 servings
  • Rice : Moong dhal: Water : Milk : Jaggery ratio is as follows:
  • 1 cup rice : 1/2 cup dhal : 4 cups water : 1/2 cup milk : 1.5 cups jaggery
  • Wash and Pressure cook rice and dhal for 6 whistles
  • Roast a little of cashews, raisins, pistas, any other nut, tiny cubes of coconut in little ghee and set aside
  • Powder a bit of sugar and 2 whole cardomoms and set aside
  • In a small mouthed pan, transfer the cooked rice and stir and mash in low flame
  • Add the milk and keep stirring until the milk is absorbed by the rice
  • Toss the nuts and rasins
  • Add the jaggery and stir until it melts and gives a smooth texture to the pongal
  • Add the cardomom powder for flavor
  • You may also add edible camphors (karkandu)
  • Lastly add teeny tiny bit of pepper poder & salt to enhance the taste
  • NOTE: the salt/pepper should be very very less that one could barely taste it.
  • The coconut bits will be a nice hidden treat in this dish

Kothavaranga Paruppu Usili


Makes about 3 servings
This is my dear husband's all time favorite. Given below is one of the many Usili recipes. For another variation please check my other post: Broccoli Paruppu Usili
  • Soak a little more than 1/4 cup of Chana dhal for 3 hrs in water
  • Grind the drained dhal with 1 green chilly, 1 red chilly, little salt, pinch of hing to a not so coarse - not so smooth paste
  • Chop the kothavarakai (cluster beans) into quarter inch pieces (about 2 cups) and cook them in very little water along with little salt.
  • While it cooks, steam the dhal paste in a idly vessel or steamer for about 10 mins
  • Break the steamed dhal into tiny chunks
  • In a pan heat 2 tsp of oil and season with 1tsp of mustard seeds and a bit of hing
  • When the seeds splutter, add the broken chunks of dhal and roast it on low flame for 2 to 3 mins
  • Add the cooked and drained beans and stir continuously for another 5 mins or so
  • Add one or two tsp of oil as and when needed
  • Delicious paruppu usili is ready
  • You can use other bean varieties too to make this usili
  • Serve with more kulambu or sambar

Avarakkai Poriyal


Makes about 4 servings
  • Use tender broad beans that has little or no seeds
  • Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and season it with 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1tsp of mustard seeds
  • Saute 15 finely chopped pearl onions
  • When the onions turn translucent, add the chopped avarakai (pattai avarai or broad beans)
  • Add little salt and 0.5tsp of turmeric powder
  • Saute the vegetable for 5 to 10 mins
  • Add 1 tsp of red chilly powder and stir well
  • Sprinkle water from time to time and saute the veges until cooked
  • It would take little longer to cook for this veg. So cover and cook with occasional stirring and water sprinkles to avoid charring
  • While it cooks, coarsely grind 3 tbsp of raw peeled peanuts
  • The peanuts should be very chunky
  • When the vege is almost done, add this chunky peanuts and stir well
  • Cook for another 5 mins with constant stirring
  • Serve hot or cold with white rice or curd rice or as a side to main course
  • You can use shredded coconut in lieu of peanuts

Rajma Masala


Makes about 4 servings
  • In a pan heat 3 tsp of oil and season with 1tsp of cumin seeds
  • When the seeds splutter, add 1 medium red onion finely chopped
  • Saute the onions with little salt until they turn light brown
  • Add 1tsp of garam masala powder and saute for another 2 mins
  • Add 3 big tomatoes finely chopped and saute all really well
  • Transfer the contents to a blender. Let it cool
  • Blend them all to a smooth mixtureYou can also use tomato puree or sauce. I used Ragu sauce. If using, while the sauteed onion is cooling off, in the same pan saute 1 cup of tomato paste (or Ragu pasta sauce) in low flame for about 8 mins and add the ground onion
  • Transfer the ground mixture to the pan and stir well
  • Add 1 green chilly chopped
  • Add 1.5tsp of coriander powder, 1tsp of red chilly powder
  • Add the canned redkidney beans (rajma)
  • You may also add cooked rajma with the rajma water (You have to soak the beans overnight and pressure cook)
  • Add 2 cups of water, 1tsp of fenugreek leaves powder (kasoori methi)
  • Cover & cook for 15 mins in medium flame with occasional stir
  • Optional: Add 1tsp of butter and simmer for another 2 mins
  • Garnish with cilantro paste
  • Serve hot with Chapati or Roti

Preserving Coconut Milk - Tips

.........
For most working families with limited time to cook, making fresh coconut milk from scratch from a whole coconut is too laborious a process, especially when it can be easily substituted with canned or bottled unsweetened coconut milk.
But the problem with using such canned products is the shelf life after opening is just few days. And with the increasing awareness of cholesterol, you dont want to chow down the whole can a week just because it would expire. Expiry of health outweighs expiry of this can afterall. ;)
I typically use just 1 tbsp of milk for certain recipes like Briyani or specific curries and I often go with cashews/yogurt in lieu of coconut milk. So my consumption is like 1 can twice a month or so.
It just occured to me that I can preserve this can of milk in an unique way.
Just fill out an ice cube tray with this milk and freeze it for a day. Then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag (zip loc). There it is for you to use as and when needed. Just toss in a cube or two when your recipe calls for 'the coconut milk'.
One noteworthy tip I could throw in here is: The cubes will melt as soon as you take them out of the freezer. So no need to thaw them before use. They are ever ready to jump into your hot pan.
The can will contain the cream of the milk at the top and watery at the bottom. While spooning into the tray, you may want to freeze the cream separately if you wish. I filled haf of each cube with the cream and half with the watery milk.

Basic Upma


Makes about 2 servings
This is a dish that is very basic in Indian cuisine. But it doesnt hurt to post the recipe. :) For starters this may be a good guide though.
  • In a pan heat 3 tsp of oil and season it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds
  • When the seeds crackle, add 1 tbsp of channa dhal, 1tsp of urid dhal, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 spring of curry leaves, very little hing
  • Add 3 small pieces of ginger (diced), 1 tbsp of raw peanuts (peeled) and/or 5 cashews broken into bits and roast them all without browning
  • Add 1 medium red onion finely chopped and saute until translucent. Do not brown them
  • Add 3 cups of water
  • Add 1tsp of salt. (You may adjust salt per taste - it must be slightly salty)
  • Stir well and let the water come to a boil. It may take about 4 mins or so
  • Add cilantro leaves to the pan
  • Now in one hand keep stirring the water in circular motion while you slow and steadily pour 3/4th cup of Upma Rava ( need not roast - you may roast beforehand if you wish)
  • The upma rava must be poured slowly like rain drizzling and you have to be continuously stirring to avoid lumps
  • Keep stirring the upma until most of the water evaporates
  • Add 1tsp of oil at the end and stir couple more times
  • Serve hot with chutney or sambar
  • Tips: Keep some hot water handy so if the water is not enough while you pour the rava in, you may add little by little. Same way keep some rava too handy if water is more. But the ratio given in this recipe is precise.

Mattar Paneer


Makes about 8 servings
Karthik's review: "More than Marvelous"
  • In a pan heat 1 tsp of oil and saute 6 cashews until lightly roasted
  • Add 1 and half big onion finely sliced and saute until they turn light brown
  • You may sprinkle very little salt as the onion is sauteed (Use very little as you will be adding a sauce that already has some salt in it)
  • Transfer the contents to a blender
  • When it cools down a bit, blend it into a smooth paste and set aside
  • In the same pan add 1 tsp of oil and add 1tsp of cumin seeds
  • When the seeds splutter add 1tbsp of ginger-garlic paste and saute well
  • Add 1.5 cups of Tomato sauce (I use Ragu chunky onion garlic pasta sauce) and saute until the raw smell goes away. The sauce may have salt so taste the gravy before adding any more salt
  • You can substitute the sauce with fresh Tomatoes (4 big ripe ones) finely chopped. If adding these, saute them along with the onions, ginger-garlic paste and blend everything together
  • Add the blended onion mixture to the tomato paste and stir well
  • Add a pinch of turmeric, 0.5tsp of chilly powder, 1tsp of coriander powder, 1tsp of cumin powder and mix well
  • Add 2.5 cups of water and cover and cook on low flame for about 15 mins
  • While the sauce gets cooked, shallow fry about 15 tofu cubes in little oil until the sides turn light brown
  • Use extra firm tofu for better taste
  • Traditionally Paneer is used, but I go with Tofu for obvious health concerns. I know, I know..I should have called this dish Mattar Tofu ;)
  • Add 1tsp of kasoori methi leaves (rub them to make a fine powder)
  • Stir well and cover and cook for another 5 mins
  • Add 2cups of frozen matar (peas) and the fried tofus to the sauce
  • Cover and cook for another 10 mins on very low flame
  • Optional: You can add 3 tbsp of cream to make it more richer and creamy & simmer for another 5 mins.( I dont) even without cream this recipe will yield a restaurant standard creamy gravy. :)
  • Mix carefully without breaking the tofu pieces and garnish with cilantro
  • Serve hot with Roti or Naan or Chapathi
  • You can also do a slight variation and do a Vegetable Gravy with the same base

Kathirikkai Milagu Poondu Kulambu


Makes about 5 servings
This is a slight variation from brinjal puli kulambu
  • Roast 1tsp of pepper in few drops of oil
  • Grind this pepper with 4 garlic pods to a coarse mixture
  • Coarse grind 1 big red onion separately
  • Coarse grind 2 big tomatoes separately
  • Quarter about 15 brinjals along with the stem
  • Saute the brinjals in 2tsp of oil until skin wilts
  • Add little salt as it is sauteed and set aside
  • Heat 2tsp of oil in a non stick pan
  • Temper the oil with 1tsp of mustard seeds, 1tsp of cumin seeds, 1 spring of curry leaves, 2 red chillies
  • Add 15 pearl onions and saute well
  • Add pepper-garlic mixture and saute well
  • Add Onion mixture and saute until onions turn light brown
  • Add Tomato mixture and saute until oil leaves
  • Add 1tsp of turmeric powder and little salt and 1tsp of dhania powder
  • Saute for couple of minutes
  • Toss the brinjals and stir once
  • Soak 1 lemon size tamarind in water and extract the pulp
  • Add the tamarind pulp, 1tbsp of jaggery and bring the gravy to a boil or until the raw smell vanishes
  • Add 1/2 cup of water, mix well
  • Cover and cook for 15 minutes on low flame
  • Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice

Puran Poli (Opattu)




Tamil asked for something special on the event of the 100th recipe. I know he likes puran poli so why not?!

To make the Puran:
  • Boil 1/2cup of chana dhal for about 30 mins in little water
  • Drain the water and air dry the boiled dhal
  • Shred 1/2cup of jaggery
  • Powder 2tbsp of sugar along with 3 cardamoms
  • Grind the dhal to a fine powder
  • In a pan mix all the above and heat for few mins until jaggery melts
  • You may add 1 tsp of water or so.
  • The mix must be wet enough to make balls as shown in pic.1
  • Make small balls out and set aside

To make the Outer Poli (the wrapper):

  • Mix 1/4 cup of Maida, 1/2tsp of rice flour, 1/2tsp of sooji (rava) , very little salt in a bowl
  • Add 1tsp of oil and 2tbsp of water and make a doft dough
  • Adjust water and flour to make the dough pliable
  • Make balls that are half the size of the puran balls as shown in pic:1

To make the Obattu:

  • Flatten the maida ball with your fingers (oil your palm and fingers) to a small circular disc as shown in pic:2
  • The center should be thinner than the edges
  • Place the puran ball at the center of this disc as in pic:3
  • Pull out the edges and wrap the puran as in pic:4
  • Pinch of the excess wrapper and make this into a ball as in pic:5
  • Now flatten the ball with your fingers slowly working the stuffing to spread evenly as in pic:6
  • Heat the pan and slightly roast them on both sides as you would do a pancake or a dosa
  • Repeat the steps for all the balls. You can cook 3 or 4 polis at a time

Aloo Gobi Mattar


Makes 5 servings
  • Coarse grind 2 green chillies and 1 medium red onion (note: it must be coarse)
  • Temper 2tsp of hot oil in the pan with 1tsp of cumin seeds
  • When seeds splutter, add 1tbsp of ginger garlic paste, a pinch of hing
  • Saute ginger garlic paste well and add the ground onion
  • When oil oozes, add 2 tbsp of tomato puree (I used puree from tomato soup.) or 1 tomato finely chopped
  • Saute all until oil leaves by the side
  • Add a pinch of turmeric powder and stir once
  • Make a concoction of 1/2 tsp chilly powder, 1/2tsp coriander powder, 1/4tsp of mango powder(optional) in 2tsp of water
  • Add the concoction, mix well and after a min add 1tsp of kasoori methi leaves (rub them to make a powder and add)
  • When the gravy is cooked (abt 5 mins or so) add the gobi(cauliflower) florets (1 big cauliflower), potato slices (1 medium potato) and 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  • Add salt per taste. Stir so the veges are well coated with the masala
  • If you want the dish to have a bit of gravy, add 1/2 cup of water (optional)
  • Cover and cook for 10 mins or until the veges are done and of desired consistency
  • Garnish with cilantro leaves and optionally some white pepper powder
  • Serve hot with Roti/Chapathi/Rice

ChoCho Kootu


roasted 1/4 cup moong dhal : 3 measure water
pressure cook
saute in oil and boil chocho with turmeric and salt
grind 6 coconut pieces + 1/2 green chilly+salt+turmeric
mash dhal. add dhal +paste to veg and cook for 3 min
season with red chilly and mustard

Brinjal baji


Makes about 3 servings
This is another simplest yet delicious recipe. Karthik's verdict: "Super Tasty"

  • Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and season with 1tsp mustard seeds, 1tsp cumin seeds, pinch of hing, 2 slit green chillies, curry leaves
  • Add 1 medium finely chopped Onion or about 10 pearl onions
  • Add salt per taste and saute the onions until they brown slightly
  • Add 6 chopped garlic pods and saute until translucent
  • Add 2 or 3 chinese eggplant (thin and long variety) that are minced into small cubes
  • Saute all until the egg plants go soft. Add a dash of turmeric powder
  • Mash up the veges with the back of the laddle as they cook
  • Add 1tsp of red chilly powder, 1.5tsp of coriander powder and stir well
  • Soak a gooseberry size tamarind and water and take the extract
  • Add the tamarind extract and let it cook for 2 mins
  • Add 1 cup of water and cook them all for 5 mins or until gravy thickens
  • I sometimes transfer the contents to a pressure cooker and cook  for 1 whistle
  • Both the stove top cooking or pressure cooking have their own unique taste and both methods result in delicious baji
  • Garnish with cilantro
  • Serve hot with Rice and Ghee/Oil

Pavakai Varuval


Makes about 3 servings
  • Scrape the sharp ridges of the gourd (about 5 or 6 gourds) gently with a knife (these are the parts that are more bitter .. so says my mom.. I just want to believe her. LOL)
  • Slice the gourd into thin circles (I always use the slicers that we use back in India)
  • In a wide pan, heat 3 tsp of oil and temper it with 1 tsp if mustard seeds, 1 spring of curry leaves
  • Toss the slices and saute on medium flame for 5 mins
  • Now add salt, 1 tsp of red chilly powder, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
  • Saute again till the slices loose most of the moisture (will take atleast 15 mins)
  • Avoid stirring too much as this will break the slices and also the slices may turn more bitter/soggy
  • When the vegetables do not smell raw and are not soggy spread the slices on the pan so each slice has its own 'real estate' :)
  • Let it cook for few mins on low-medium flame
  • Time to time flip the slices so both sides of each slice are well cooked
  • The slices are done when they are almost crispy (you can decide how crispy you want it. )
  • Towards the end, sprinkle 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of sugar and saute again. This will caramelize and give out a good taste/flavor to the dish
  • This dish goes well as a side with moru kulambu, rasam or curd or
  • You may even have it as a snack

Pavakai Puli Kulambu

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