Black eye peas gravy

I might have over 400 recipes in my blog, but still I have the question of what to cook today almost everyday. There might be a millions of recipes passing through our mind from television shows, Internet or book,  the questions is about ,do I have these ingredients in my pantry,will this recipe suit my family and above all is it easy to cook and how much time does it take.  It's not possible to spend hours and hours in the kitchen everyday.  On special occasions we might cook different recipes and lots of varieties to please our family, but on daily basis, I'm sure everybody will be looking for something easy to cook and less time consuming.

This is one such gravy or curry which can be cooked  in minutes.  Also if you prepare the base of the curry and store it in a refrigerator, you can use different beans,potatoes or mixed vegetables or even chicken or meat  with the same base.  Imagine you have the base of the gravy stored in the refrigerator, you wake up late in the morning and got 15 minutes to prepare your lunch box.  Take out this curry base, heat it up for 5 minutes, then add canned beans or cooked beans to the gravy,let it simmer for another 5 minutes.  Your quick curry is ready under 10 minutes,  now you have 5 more minutes to spare for other work.  That sounds good isn't ?

Coming to the recipe, as I already said different pulses,mixed vegetables or potatoes can be added to this gravy.  I prefer adding pulses and today's pulse is Black eye peas. Black eye peas are high in fibre. Since you get the best from the dried ones, I would prefer using the dried one rather than the canned ones.  It's also rich in potassium and iron.  These pulses are also a rich source of protein.  Particularly if you are following a vegetarian diet, it's good to include these pulses in the regular diet to keep up the protein level. Read more about black eye peas from here.  Let's see how to make this simple and easy gravy.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Dried black eye peas- 100 g
Onion- 1 large (roughly blended)
Tomato- 1 medium sized ( pureed)
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Curry powder or Channa masala powder-1 tsp
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon- 1/4 inch stick
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp ( finely chopped )
Lemon juice- juice of 1/2 a lemon
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak the dried black eye peas overnight or minimum 3-4 hours.  Pressure cook the soaked peas for upto 1 whistle.  Coarsely blend the onions in a blender and keep it separately.  Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan,  add cumin and cinnamon.  Add ginger garlic paste and coarsely ground  onions and saute well.  Once the raw smell goes and slightly brown in colour , add the pureed tomato.  Mix well and stir until you see oil on the sides. At this stage add all the spice powders and mix well.  Cover the pan and cook until oil floats on top.
If you would like to store in a refrigerator,  at this stage take it off from heat,  add the lemon juice, allow it to cool down completely and store it in a glass jar.  This can be kept upto a week in the refrigerator.
To continue with the recipe,  add the cooked peas,stir well.  Cover the pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste, chopped coriander and finally lemon juice.  Stir well and take it off from heat.  Serve it warm with breads, roti's or rice.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Paneer Mutter Masala

Paneer Mutter Masala is again something very special which we would like to order in a restaurant.  Every home cook will have their own version for this gravy with few minor changes.  When it comes to these restaurant special gravies like Butter Chicken, Paneer Makhani etc.
There is always one recipe which I totally depend on is,Varevah.  Almost everybody who watched  his video recipes will definitely start following his recipes.  His videos are always simple and easy to follow and interesting to watch too.  Needless to say his recipe never fails, no wonder he has got so many fans.

Whenever I had these gravies like paneer makhani or paneer mutter masala, I never thought it would be so easy for me to make at home.  Sometimes it makes you feel really good when you are able to recreate this restaurant menu at home.  With big thanks to Varevah for sharing this recipe, let's see how to make it.

Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Paneer- 100 gms ( diced in cubes )
Peas- 200 gms ( boiled )
Onion- 1 big sized chopped finely
Tomato- 2 medium sized chopped finely
Ginger garlic paste-1 tsp
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi-1 tsp
Cashew nut-4 nuts
Ketchup- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Cinnamonstick- 1/2 inch stick
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Cream-2 tsp ( optional )

Method:
Boil the peas and keep it separately.  Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and cinnamon stick.  After a minute,add ginger garlic paste, keep the heat in medium and stir well.  Now add the cashews and onions , stir well until they looks transparent.  To get the onions cooked quickly, you can add a little bit of salt. Now add the tomatoes and stir well.  Cover the pan and cook till the tomatoes get soft and mushy.  Now add kasurimethi,chilly powder and coriander powder to it.  Add some water , cover the pan and cook till it looks like gravy.  After few minutes,switch of the stove.  Blend the mixture in a blender until  it's pureed well.  Pour the ground mixture again in a pan and start cooking it in medium heat.  Now add the ketchup and salt to taste.  Add the diced paneer and cooked peas.  Cover the pan and let  it cook for a minute or two.  Finally add the garam masala and stir well.  Just before serving, you can drizzle some cream on top or just serve it without cream with naan or roti's.

Linking this recipe with Comfort Food 

 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Beans Poriyal

This time I'm not going to say, I'm back after a long time, held up with this or that and so on.  Since this has become my usual routine these days.  Anyways today I have come up with a very simple version of poriyal.
  In my earlier days of cooking, I consider even this poriyal as something special, for me poriyal used to be very simple stir fry, with only vegetables, salt and turmeric powder.  Poriyal has to meet  the purpose of intake of vegetables in your regular diet, that's it for me.  I never cared about adding any extra touch or flavours to it, which was more than enough for me and my husband.

  But when I cook for others, the poriyal has to meet a few criteria, like proper seasoning with dried chillies, curry leaves etc.. also it has have few extra additions like grated coconut, moong dhal etc.  I have seen so many people making so many different version of poriyal, each one is unique and delicious.  Sometimes I even used to think, why we shouldn't have cooking as simple as just steaming , roasting with less spices or without any spices.   Our great great ...  ancestors  lived with those food, they were happy and stayed much healthier as well.  When cooking got complicated with lots of innovative techniques, our taste buds also went complicated, seeking for more flavours, sometimes which may also lead into lots of problem like wastage of food in some star restaurants to meet their high quality or even some minor problems in family with flavours or varieties etc...  No no, please don't lead your thinking that is there any problem with my family, this is just general discussion about what happens around in most of the family.  Okey let's move on to our recipe now.

Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  15- 20 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Beans- 250 gm
Yellow split moong dhal- 1 tbsp
Fresh grated coconut- 1 tbsp
Onion- 1 small sized ( finely chopped )
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil or sunflower oil- 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Seasoning:
Dried red chilly- 2
Curry leaves- 5 to 6
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal- 1/4 tsp

Method:
Chop the beans finely and steam it in a steamer for 5 minutes.  This will help your beans stay in shape and colour when you are cooking.  Soak the moong dhal for about  30 minutes.  Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and urad dhal, once the seeds start spluttering, add dried chillies and curry leaves.  Stir for about a minute.  Now add the finely chopped onions ans saute well until it looks transparent.  Now add the grated coconut , moong dhal, turmeric and salt.  Stir it for about two to 3 minutes until coconut gets light brown in colour.  Finally add the beans and stir well.  Cover the kadai with a lid and cook it for further 5 minutes until the beans look cooked well.  Serve it warm with steamed plain rice, rasam and papad.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Vazhaipoo Usili for Blog Hop Wednesday

Phew! It's time for blog hopping again, I just can't believe how time flies.  I know almost everybody says this, how quick the time goes, even little kids at the age of 2 and 3 are saying, Oh! I'm busy, don't disturb me.  Whatever I talk to them, come back to me at some point .  Feel like so much to be done in very little time.

Anyways this week for blog hopping, I hopped over to Schmetterling Words.  I love her recipes and I was lucky to taste her food when we were in Germany.  This is a recipe which I have been waiting for a long time to try it from her blog.

Just a short explanation about this recipe,  Vazhaipoo is nothing but Banana flower.   Vazhaipoo Usili is made with banana flower and ground lentils with a blend of spices.  This can be served along with rice, rasam or dhal.  I found this recipe very delicious just like soft and crumbled lentil vadas.  Hope you enjoy making this recipe at home.

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Serves :  2 to 3

Ingredients:
Vazhaipoo/ Banana Flower- 1
Toor dhal- 1/2 cup
Dried red chillies- 4
Fennel seeds-  2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Curry leaves- 5 to 10 leaves
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Onion- 1 medium sized ( finely chopped )
Oil- 1/2 tbsp
Salt- To taste

Method:
Soak the toor dhal in water for 1 hour.  Then grind it into a coarse paste along with two red chillies and 1 tsp of fennel seeds.
Start preparing the banana flower,  peel the banana flower completely until you get a white part which is found inside.  Chop the top part like a stem.  Now chop the top part which contains small florets.  Chop finely the remaining  white part, and immerse it in a thin buttermilk to avoid discolouration. 
Mix the chopped  vazhaipoo , salt and  ground toor dhal.  Steam the mixture in a steamer or idli plates for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, dried red chillies, fennel and curry leaves.  Add the chopped onions and saute until it looks soft. Add turmeric  powder and mix it well.   Finally add the steamed mixture and keep stirring continously without sticking at the bottom.  Keep stirring for about 10 minutes until the mixture looks well cooked and dry.
Serve it warm along with steamed rice, rasam or dhal.

This recipe is linked with Blog Hop Wednesday, also sending it to Kerala Kitchen Event and ABC series: Bfor Banana

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Sprouts Sandwich for Blog Hop Wednesday

It's time to blog hop again, actually it was time to blog hop...  I should have posted this nearly two days back.  I have been so lame in blogging these days, I have to push my self to post something.  So here I'm posting late for Blog Hop Wednesday  by Radhika.

This week I have been paired with a wonderful blogger Nisha of  Nisha's Kitchen.  She has a wonderful collection of recipes, after battling between between few recipes, finally I made up mind with this Sprouts Sandwich.  This easy peasy rolls are ready in minutes if you have some ready made tortillas and sprouts on hands.  I tweaked the original recipe a tiny bit by using some ketchup to spread in the tortilla and skipped the sev part since I couldn't get some.  You can find the original recipe here.

To see how to make sprouts click here.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:  10 minutes
Makes 4 rolls

Ingredients:
Tortillas- 4
Moong Sprouts- 150 g
Onion- 1 chopped
Tomato- 1 chopped
Carrot- 1 medium sized grated
Chat masala- 1 tsp
Ketchup- 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 3 tsp

Method:
Heat oil in a pan,  add the chopped onion, tomato and saute for a minute or two.  Then add the grated carrot, sprouts, chat masala and salt. Quickly give it a stir and remove it from heat. Take a tortilla and heat it slightly in a pan, spread a thin layer of ketchup, place a spoonfull of filling in the middle.  Roll it tightly, cut into half and serve it immediately.

Note:
If you couldn't find tortillas, you can also use chappathi's.  Instead of ketchup you can use mayonnaise or any other spread which you favour.

This recipe is linked with Blog Hop Wednesdays, check out what our other Blog Hoppers have been doing this week. Also this recipe goes to Food Palette Series- rainbow colours and Life is Green.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Kumbakonam Kadappa ( Potatoes cooked in spicy lentil gravy)

It's time for us to Blog Hop again, this time my pair is Jayasri of Samayal Arai.  If you have look at my recipe index you can notice that there is only very limited recipes in vegetarian gravy, that's because I don't cook much vegetarian gravy. 
So now I'm in a mission to learn some new veg gravies, I quickly had a glance at Jayasri's gravy section. A lot got my attention but for now I made only one, it's Kumbakonam kadapa.   The name sounds interesting isn'it,  actually the name of recipe attracted me towards it and it's with potatoes, dhal and spices.  A wholesome and rich gravy.  A perfect accompaniment with chapathi's.  Now I have many recipes bookmarked  from Jayasri's blog, thanks to Blog Hop Wednesdays.  Do check Jayasri's blog for her yummy delights.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes
Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:
Potatoes- 4 to 5 ( medium sized chopped )
Moong dhal- 75 g
Onion- 1 finely chopped
Garlic pods- 3 to 4 chopped
Green Chilly- 2 sliced
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few spring
Coriander leaves- a few stalk
Oil- 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste

To Grind:
Grated fresh coconut-2 tbsp
Green chillies- 2
Garlic pods- 2
Roasted split gram dhal- 1/2 tbsp
Cinnamon stick- 1/2 inch
Coriander seeds- 3 tsp

Tempering:
Oil- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Method:
Grind all the ingredients to be ground.  Heat the oil in a kadai or pan, add the curry leaves and garlic.  When the garlic turns light brown, add the onion and saute well.  Once the onion turns transparent add the chopped potatoes, turmeric powder and mix it well.  Cover the pan and cook till the potatoes get cooked.
Meanwhile pressure cook the moong dhal for 3 to 4 whistles.  After the potatoes get cooked, add the cooked moong dhal, ground paste and salt.  Allow it to boil for about 10 minutes until the ground paste get incorporated with the gravy well. Finally add the lemon juice on top of  the gravy.
Heat oil in a separate pan, add the mustard seeds when it starts spluttering, add the cumin seeds.  Pour the tempering on top of the gravy.  Serve the gravy with chapathi or dosa.

This post is linked with Blog Hop Wednesdays.  

Also sending this to  Life is Green and Flavours of South India

 

 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mixed Vegetable Aviyal

This post is exclusively for Blog Hop Wednesday.  Blog Hop Wednesday is a  brand new exciting event started by Radhika of Tickling Palettes.  The concept behind this event is visting our fellow bloggers and trying out new recipes every week.  Radhika has moulded this event in a special manner like forming groups, and each week we choose one of the blogger to try out new recipes.  Hope you got it, if not that's ok, once you start following it, you'll surely get it.  If you are a blogger just jump into the blog hopping with us and have fun.

At this point we have a bunch of  wonderful bloggers and this week I have got Divya of Easy Cooking to cook from.  I know you don't need any introduction for Divya's Easy Cooking.  She is very popular with all her baked goodies and offcourse other recipes too.  I was so excited when I got Divya's blog for this week,  I  went through her blog so many times and a lot of recipes caught my eyes, she is such a wonderful blogger.  Finally I ended up in this aviyal from her blog.  Aviyal is nothing but a mix of vegetables cooked in mild coconut based sauce, a traditional recipe from Kerala . 

To be honest as a kid I used to hate this aviyal with all the vegetables in it, I used to pick only the raw mangoes and leave the rest in the plate.  It's just gone the opposite now, I'm loving this aviyal a lot now.  Do try this recipe, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, also don't forget to check our Blog Hop every alternative weeks.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Raw banana-1
Drumstick-1
Carrot-2 medium sized
Potato- 1 medium sized
Raw mango-1 small sized
Green Chilly-2
Curry leaves- 6 to 7 leaves
Coconut oil- 1/2 tbsp
Salt as required

To Grind:
Coconut- 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Method:
 Wash and slice all the vegetables lenghtways. For raw banana, carrot, potato and drumstick peel them before slicing it.  Heat oil in a kadai or pan.  Add all the washed and chopped vegetables , except raw mango. Stir well to coat in oil.  Cover the pan and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Meanwhile grind together coconut, turmeric and cumin seeds into coarse paste.  Add  the ground mixture along with green chillies, raw mango and salt to the vegetable mixture.  Add enough water to cover  the vegetables.  Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the vegetables are soft enough.  Finally heat oil in a separate kadai, add the curry leaves, stir for 1 minute.  Pour the hot oil on top of the cooked aviyal.
 This Aviyal goes well with plain rice with a combination of Spicy fish gravy and poppadums.

Note:
Instead of coconut oil you can also use sunflower oil or any other oil of your choice, but coconut oil gives a special touch to this aviyal.

This recipe is linked with Blog Hop Wednesdays.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Curried Pumpkin Soup

This is a bit of different soup to my usual ones.  I always go for English style of soup with just vegetables and stock .  This time I made with a combination of lentils and pumpkin with some mild spices.  I would have left just with lentil and pumpkin and made it like a Indian style sambhar,  but since I was looking for a rich smooth consistency, I pureed it after cooking .

The type of lentils which I have used is moongdhal.  In India Moongdhal is generally used for making dhal soup, kootu curry( dry curry), for porridge and also for halwas. Moongdhals are rich source of carbohydrates, fibre and protein. Moongdhal marries well with pumpkin, particularly when it is pureed, the consistency of the soup is perfect with crusty rolls and you'll love the flavours in it.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Pumpkin- 200 gms
Moong dhal- 100 gms
Onion- 1 medium sized roughly chopped
Potato- 1 medium sized( peeled and chopped)
Vegetable stock- 300 ml
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Garlic- 3 pods chopped
Coriander leaves or parsley- 3 stalk finely chopped
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt  and pepper to taste

Method:
Wash the moong dhal and add it to the pressure cooker along with peeled and chopped pumpkin, potatoes, onion, stock, half of coriander leaves and spices.  You can add more water if you want a thin consistency of the soup. Pressure cook it for upto 3 whistles.  Let it cool down for a while, then puree it in a blender.
In another heavy bottom pot or pan , add oil, finely chopped garlic then pureed mixture .  Add salt and pepper for taste.  Let it simmer for 5 minutes.  If the soup looks too thick , you can add some water to make it liquidy.  Add chopped coriander leaves on top and serve with crusty rolls.

This can be made easily with less techniques so I'm linking this with my own event Any One Can Cook and for Souper Sundays, also linking this to Treat To Eyes: Series 2 by Spice your senses

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Aaloo Paratha with Paneer Tikka Masala

After Idli and sambhar, if I have to say I enjoy a vegetarian dish it must be these soft aaloo parathas and any paneer dishes.  This is something which I regularly order in a restaurant.  From blogging I have learnt that this is favourite for many like me.  To be honest I enjoy these paneer recipes much more than chicken.
  Aaloo paratha recipe is somrthing which I prepare even in my earlier days of cooking, when I just started to cook.  It never goes wrong and one good thing about these parathas are they remain just as soft even after a long time, you don't have to reheat it again.  So this is perfect for dinner parties or even picnics.
   Paneer Tikka Masala, I learnt from Vahchef.  I know he must be a favourite chef for many foodies.  I enjoy watching his videos.   A good food picture will tempt the viewers, but to me his videos and the way he explains about the food, makes me to try it immediately.  His recipes are always reliable which is presented very interestingly.  I enjoy a lot watching his online recipe, do check it out.

Aaloo Parathas

Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes 10 to 12 parathas


Ingredients:
Wheat flour- 300 g
Yogurt- 3 tbsp
Ghee- 1 tbsp
Bicarbonate of soda- 1/4 tsp
Honey- 1/2 tbsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Water just enough to knead the dough
Oil for making the parathas
For filling:
Potatoes- 3 to 4 medium sized
Onion- 1 small sized finely chopped
Green chilly- 1 chopped
Coriander leaves- finely chopped 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center add the yogurt, honey and ghee.  Add water little by little to make it into a smooth dough.  Knead the dough in a floured work surface for 5 minutes, until the dough looks elastic.  Place the dough in a clean and oiled bowl.  Cover with a cling film  and let it rest for minimum 2 hours.

Prepare the filling:
Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes until it's soft enough to mash.  Peel the skin, mash the potatoes without any lumps.  Add the chopped onion, chilly, coriander leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Mix it well.

Prepare the parathas:
Divide the dough into 10 equal rounds and divide the potato filling into 10 equal rounds.  Roll the dough into 3 cm diameter.  Place the filling in the middle.  Close the dough and seal the edges.  Apply some flour to the work surface and roll it out into 8 cm diameter.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Heat a non stick tawa, when the tawa gets heated, place the parathas in the middle.  Cook it each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until it looks brown spots on top.  Apply ghee or oil while cooking.
Serve the parathas warm with veg or non veg curries.

Paneer Tikka Masala

Recipe Source: Varehvah
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Marination:
Paneer- 250 gms
Onion- 1 roughly chopped
Red pepper- 1/2 diced
Green pepper- 1/2 diced
Tomato -  1/2 tomato diced
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi- 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
Yogurt- 1/2 tbsp
Oil- 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste

For gravy:
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Onion- 1 medium sized finely chopped
Tomato- 1 medium sized pureed
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Flour- 2 tsp
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Coriander leaves- 2 stalk finely chopped
Note:
To make your own home made paneer click here

Method:
Dice the paneer into small cubes and marinate with all the marinade ingredients for 1 hour.
Take a grilling pan or normal pan, add all the marinated ingredients and cook until the paneer looks brown around the sides.
  Heat oil in a pan, add the  cumin seeds, finely chopped onion and ginger garlic paste.  Cook till the onion looks light brown in colour. Add the flour to the onion mixture and stir well.  Then add the tomato puree and keep stirring until it looks like one whole mass. Add water slowly to the mixture and thin the gravy.  Add the chilly and coriander powderand let it boil for 2 minutes, until the gravy looks thick.  Finally add the paneer and other grilled ingredients to the gravy and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with garam masala on top. Just before taking off from heat add the finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve the gravy warm with parathas or naan.


These two recipes goes to AWED- Indian Cuisine hosted by me , started by DK.  Paneer Tikka masla goes to Bookmarked recipes by Priya and Aipi.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Vegetable Cutlet / Patties

When I was a kid , I was very fuzzy with food.  I have to say my kids are better than me.  I hardly eat vegetables, fruits or even meat, you might be wondering what did I eat ?   Yes, that's a different  story.  As a fuzzy eating kid still I loved cutlets a lot, whether it's a veg or non veg.  Do you know why  I liked this a lot, since whenever I get cutlets, I also get ketchup as a dip.  There are times I used to think, without ketchup cutlets are tasteless, silly isn't.  Anyway not any more I think the same way and I'm not still that little fuzzy kid.

    This good old cutlet recipe is not too technical to make and it also includes very simple ingredients which will be available in almost any Indian kitchen.  These cutlets taste delicious just on it's own, or served with ketchup. You can enjoy these cutlets also as a burger with cheese melted on top.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Potatoes- 300 g( boiled and mashed)
Carrot- 1 medium sized finely chopped
Beans- 50 g finely chopped
Onion- 1 medium sized finely
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp
Curry powder- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 1 tbsp

For coating:
Egg- 1
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Bread crumbs- 200 g
Plain flour- 100 g
Oil for frying

Ingredients:
Boil and mash about 5 medium sized potatoes.  Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, then add ginger garlic paste and onion.  Fry it in medium heat until the onion looks transparent, do not let them burn.  Quickly add the carrot and beans mix it well.  Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are soft, this might take about 3 minutes.
  Add the spice powder and salt, mix it well.  Finally add the mashed potatoes and mix it well until the masala gets evenly coated.  Take it off from heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
  Meanwhile for coating beat the egg, turmeric and salt in a bowl.  Spread the flour and breadcrumbs in separate plates.  Take the vegetable mixture and form it into patties shape.  To get a perfect round shape, use a round cutter or a cup.  Form the patties and keep it in a separate plate.  Dip the patties one by one in the flour and dust the excess flour.  Then dip them one by one in egg and keep it in a plate.  Finally roll them in the breadcrumbs and keep it separately.  Spread them in a plate such that they don't touch other, cover with a cling film and put it in a refrigerator for minimum 2 hours.  This will help the patties firm a little and the shape will not be deformed when frying.
    Heat oil in a pan,  take the patties out from the refrigerator and fry them two to three at a time in medium heat.  Fry them on both sides until they look golden in colour.  The oil level in the pan should be such that, the patties get half immersed in the oil, so that they get evenly fried.
Serve hot with ketchup and salad.

Tips:
If you are a vegetarian you can also use gram flour mixed with water like a thick paste for coating instead of eggs.

This recipe goes to  Kid's Delight- Street food by Srivalli and Appetizer Recipes by Charitha, also linking this to Let's Do Brunch.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Peas and Mint Soup

The climate is getting a bit better here, sunny but still slightly cold.  I'm sure that everyone would love to have a warm bowl of soup on a cold evening.  Well actually this one we had for our lunch.  Very rarely we take soup and bread for lunch in home, being born and brought up in South India, I always love to have rice and spicy curry for lunch.  Yes atleast one meal of my day has to be rice, otherwise my engine doesn't run.
    This is a type of soup which I like to have any time of the day, even for breakfast.  The method of preparation for this soup is general English style soup but quite thinner than the normal English style soup.  According to my understanding English style of soup are made with vegetables, potato, stock and cream, which is then pureed in a blender.  The body of the soup is generally a thick consistency, which is perfect with a crusty bread rolls.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Green peas ( frozen thawed)- 450 g
Potato- 2 medium sized finely chopped
Onion- 1 medium sized  finely chopped
Garlic- 3 pods finely chopped
Vegetable stock- 500 ml
Fresh mint leaves- 2 stalk finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper- 1 tsp
Milk- 3 tbsp
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan, add chopped garlic, onion and potato sauté for 2 minutes .  Then add the chopped mint and saute for 1 minute.  Add the peas and stock.  Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Add milk, salt and pepper.  Take it off from heat.  Let it cool down for 5 to 10 minutes, then puree it in a liquidizer.
  Return the mixture to the pan again and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Take it off from heat, serve warm with crusty bread rolls.

This recipe goes to Souper Sundays and AWED-British hosted by Kaarasaram which was originally started by DK of Chef in You.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Greek Style Layered Dip

Probably last week I saw this recipe in Kevin's blog and the same week I tried it.  It's a very simple recipe with layers of hummus,tzatziki , chopped cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.  Hummus is a very popular middle eastern dip almost everybody will be familiar with this.  Hummus is made with a blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic.  This is generally used as a dip for pitta bread, you can also serve  with fresh cut vegetables.
Tzatziki is again a Greek dip, made with strained yogurt, cucumber and fresh mint leaves. Actually the idea of making a perfect tzatziki I got it from my friend Schmetterling words.  She said to get a perfect tzatziki we have to squeeze out juice from the cucumber completely and a thick greek style yogurt.  Right let's see the ingredients for the layered dip...


Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2


Ingredients:
For Hummus:
Dried chickpeas- 100 g
Tahini- 1 tbsp
Garlic- 2 cloves
Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
Olive oil- 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
For Tzatziki:
Greek yogurt- 150 ml
Cucumber- 1(10 cm size)
Garlic- 2 cloves
Fresh mint leaves- 2 stalk finely chopped
Salt to taste
For the layers:
Cucumber- 1 ( 10 cm size)
Tomato- 1 medium sized( chopped into cubes)
Feta cheese- 75 g
Black olives- 7 to 8 chopped

Method:
Prepare the hummus:
Soak the dried chickpeas in water for 1 whole night.  The next day  add enough water to the chickpeas until it's completely immersed and pressure cook for upto 4 whistles. Add the cooked chickpeas, tahini, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt to a food processor.  Grind it to a coarse paste. If it doesn't grind well add some more oil.  Take the hummus and keep it separately.

Prepare the Tzatziki:
Peel and grate the cucumber, press it through a sieve to squeeze out the juice from the cucumber completely. Grate the garlic and chop the mint leaves finely. Mix the yogurt, cucmber, mint, garlic and salt.

Note:
If you can't find Greek yogurt in your place.  Place the normal yogurt in muslin cloth and squeeze out the excess water.

Prepare the layers:
In a wide plate or bowl, first spread the hummus, then tzatziki.  And on top of that add the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.

Serve the dip immediately with tortillas or pitta bread.  If you are planning for a party.  Prepare the hummus and tzatziki earlier and put it in your refrigerator.  Just before serving prepare the layers and serve.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Vadacurry with Polenta Idli

Vada Curry

   Vada curry is a traditional South Indian dish which is normally served with idli's , dosas or appams.  Vada curry is usually an vegetarian dish made with lentil fritters which is crumbled and made into an thick spicy gravy. The  recipe which I have given here is with ground meat and lentils, you can also use the same recipe without any meat.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes+ soaking time for lentils
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
For vadai:
Ground meat- 200 g
Chana dhal- 100 g
Dried red chilly- 2
Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- 5 leaves
Coriander leaves- 1 stalk
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
For the gravy:
Onion- 1 big sized sliced finely
Tomato- 1 big sized chopped finely
Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Green chilly- 1
Mint Leaves- 1 stalk
Coriander leaves- 2 stalk
Coconut milk- 100 ml
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
For Seasoning:
Cinnamon Stick- 1/2 inch stick
Bay leaves- 1
Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 stalk

Method:
Prepare the vadai:
Soak the chana dhal in water for 2 hours.  Grind into a coarse paste along with dried chilly, fennel, curry leaves and coriander leaves.  Add the ground chana dhal along with ground meat, salt and garam masala, mix it well.
Heat oil in a kadai enough for deep frying.  Drop a small portion of mixture in the oil and check if it's hot enough for frying. If the mixture comes to the top sizzling, then the oil is ready to fry.
 Make small patties of the mixture.  Drop 2 to 3 at a time and deep fry until they look golden brown.
Prepare the gravy:
Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, when they start spluttering, add the seasoning ingredients one by one.  Then add the onion and ginger garlic paste, saute well.  Keep the heat in medium to low, cover the pan and cook until the onion looks completely soft and light brown in colour.  Now add the tomatoes, saute well, cover the pan and cook until the tomatoes go soft.
 Add chilli powder, coriander powder and mix well.  Then add half cup of water and cover the pan, cook in medium heat for 5 minutes.
  Crumble the vadas and add it to the gravy.  Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves and mix well.  Finally add the coconut milk, green chilly and salt to taste.  Let it cook for another 10 minutes until oil separates and floats on top.  Take it off from heat, sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves on top.  Serve warm with idli'd or dosas.

Polenta Idli

   Polenta is made from yellow or white corn meal, which looks very similar to semolina.  This is the exact same version of my usual instant idli's.  You can make plenty of variations to this simple idli like adding different vegetables, adding whole grains etc... Just play with a basic semolina idli recipe.  You can find all my different types of idli's here.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Makes about 25 idli's

Ingredients:
Polenta- 1 cup
Semolina- 1/2 cup
Bulgur wheat- 1/2 cup
Bicarbonate of soda- 3/4 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Yogurt- 2 cups
Seasoning:
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Urad dhal- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Green chilli- 1
Curry leaves- 1 stalk( leaves only chopped)
Coriander leaves- 2 stalk( finely chopped)
Blanched almonds- 5( chopped roughly)
Oil- 1/2 tbsp

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, when they start spluttering , add the remaining seasoning ingredients one by one except coriander leaves.  When the nuts turn slightly brown, turn f the heat, add polenta, semolina and bulgur, mix it well.  Add this mixture to the large bowl, add the bicarbonate of soda , salt and turmeric powder, mix it well.
  Then add the chopped coriander leaves and yogurt, mix it well. At this stage the mixture will be quite thick, add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water to make the batter similar to idli batter or semi thick batter consistency.  Grease the idli moulds, fill the moulds with batter and steam it for 5 to 7 minutes until they look fluffy and cooked.
Serve the idli's warm with vada curry or any sambhar or chutney of your choice.



This recipe goes to Twist the Traditional- Idli's by My Innovative Kitchen

reade more... Résuméabuiyad