Baingan Ka Bharta - Smoked Eggplant Curry

Ingredients:
Eggplant - 1
Onion (finely chopped) - 2
Tomato (finely chopped)  - 2
Green chilli - 1 (finely chopped) - 1
Boiled Peas - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch chopped
Garlic - 5-6 cloves chopped
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Coriander leaves - to garnish

Method:
Brush eggplant with oil and roast it on a gas burner over medium heat.
Roast till all sides of eggplant gets roasted.
Cool the roasted eggplant and peel off the blackened flesh.
Mash the fleshy eggplant.
Heat oil in a pan, fry cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and green chillies one by one.
Add onions and fry till they are golden brown.
Add tomato and all spice powders and cook till oil comes out.
Add mashed eggplant and peas and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Kadhamba Kootu (Mix Veg kootu)

Ingredients:
Brinjal - 1
Potato - 1
Drumstick - 1
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Salt - to taste

Roast and grind:
Oil - 1 tsp
coconut scrap - 5 tsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp

For tempering:
oil/ghee - 3 tsp
Mustard,Urad -1/4 tsp
hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Cashews - 10

Method:
Chop all vegetables.
Roast all the items given under"Roast and grind" till golden brown and grind it coarsely with green chillies.
Pressure cook toor dal with 2.5 cups of water. When cooked, mash toor dal.
Add chopped vegetables, turmeric powder and salt to toor dal and cook.
When vegetables are cooked, add the ground paste and let it boil.
Switch off the stove when it thickens to a kootu consistency.
Do the tempering and pour over the kootu.
Kadhamba Kootu is ready!

Nellikkai Pachadi (Gooseberry Pachadi)

Ingredients:

Gooseberry(big) - 6
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Mustard, Cumin, Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly - 1
Curd - 100 ml
Coconut scrap - 5 tsp

For tempering:
oil - very little for tempering
Red chilli - 1
Mustard, urad, cumin - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Steam cook gooseberry. Remove seed and add salt to the fleshy part of gooseberry.
Fry mustard, cumin, methi and red chilli in very little oil and grind it along with gooseberry.
Add curd to the ground paste and keep aside.
Grind coconut to fine paste and add this to the mix.
Do tempering and pour it over the mix.
Tasty Nellikkai pachadi is ready to serve!

Gooseberry-Pome Raita

Ingredients:
Indian Gooseberry - 4
Pomegranate - half fruit
Beaten curd - 1 cup
Salt - to taste

Method:
Steam cook gooseberry for 5 minutes. Remove seed and chop into small pieces.
Mix salt, curd and pomegranate seeds with chopped gooseberry and let it sit for some time.
Gooseberry-Pome raita is ready.

Even those who hate the sour-bitter taste of gooseberry will find this delicious.

Both the fruits have numerous health benefits.This is a "Haemoglobin-friendly" raita :) Both Gooseberry and pomegranate helps increase blood count. Gooseberry's nutritional factor is such that it doesn't lose its nutritional value even after cooking and its Vitamin C content is 20 times more than that of a Orange.

Enjoy the 'Sweet-Salt-Sour' Raita!

Vazhaipoo Varuval / Plantain Flower Fry

Though the snap resembles some sort of non-veg recipe, it really isn't. It is the result of my first attempt of frying vazhaipoo/plantain flower. It really tasted good and was so crisp. It went good with today's keerai rice.

Ingredients:
Vazhaipoo - 1
Salt - to taste
Oil - for frying
Corn flour - 2 tsp
Spice powder - 1 tsp
(Coriander, pepper, cumin, Chilli)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Method:
Clean Vazhiapoo/Plantain flower.
Mix all the ingredients given above and make a paste.
Add the cleaned florets to the paste and mix well.
Leave it for few minutes and fry in oil.

Word of caution:
Make sure you drop the fried ones in tissue paper and then attack as the thirsty plantain flower drinks more oil :)

Paneer Peas Masala

Ingredients:

Peas - 1 1/2 cup

Paneer cubes - 1 pack

Cream - 1/2 cup (optional)

Onion - 1

Tomato - 2

Ginger garlic paste - 3 tsp

Butter/oil - 4 tsp

Mint / Coriander leaves - few

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Soak peas in water overnight. Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles.

Grind tomato and onion to a fine paste.

Heat oil/butter in a pan.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off.

Add tomato and onion paste and fry till oil comes out.

Add all spice powder and salt.

Add Coriander and Mint Leaves.

Add cooked peas and mix well. Add paneer and mix well.

Add 1 cup water and boil for 5 minutes.

Add cream (Optional).

Add pepper and mix well.

Garnish with corinader leaves.

Paneer Peas Masala is ready.

Gobi Peas Masala

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 2 cup florets

Peas - 1/2 cup

Cream - 1/2 cup (optional)

Tomato - 3

Ginger garlic paste - 3 tsp

Butter/oil - 4 tsp

Mint / Coriander leaves - few

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Boil Cauliflower florets and keep aside.

Grind tomato.

Heat oil/butter in a pan.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off.

Add tomato puree and fry till oil comes out.

Add all spice powder and salt.

Add Coriander and Mint Leaves.

Add cooked cauliflower, peas and mix well.

Add 1 cup water and boil for 5 minutes.

Add cream (Optional).

Add pepper and mix well.

Gobi Peas Masala is ready.

Carrot thuruval

Ingredients:
Carrot - 1/2 kg
Onion - 1
Salt - to taste
Red chillies - 2
Mustard, Urad - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Shredded coconut - 2-3 tsp

Method:
Grate carrot.
Heat oil, add mustard & urad, curry leaves, red chillies and sliced onion. Fry till onion is soft.
Add grated carrot and salt and cook tilll done.
Add shredded coconut and stir. Finish !!!

Kothsu (Brinjal, Pumpkin, Chow Chow, etc.,)

I use the same method for all Kothsu's... Take whatever vegetable you would like to have it for Kothsu. Pressure cook it with tomato, salt and water. Mash it and keep. In a separate pan, heat oil, add all that is needed for tempering, fry for few seconds and to that add the mashed vegetable and boil it till the raw smell goes off. Kothsu is ready.

Ingredients: 

Any vegetable (Brinjal, Pumpkin, Chow Chow,Surakkai, Podalangai, Peerkangai and the list goes on..) - 1/4 kg

Tomato - 2
Green chillies - 2
Red Chillies - 2
Mustard, Urad - 1tsp
Oil - 3 tsp

Hing - a pinch

Salt - as per taste

Onion - 1

Curry leaves - few

Method:

Pressure cook vegetable and tomato with salt and water. Mash it and keep.

Heat oil, add mustard, urad, slitted green chillies, red chillies, hing, curry leaves, chopped onion one by one and fry for few seconds.

Add the mashed brinjal and tomato and let it boil till the raw smell goes off.

That's it !!! Kothsu is ready ...

BRINJAL KOTHSU

Fry, Fry and Fry :)))

Take the vegetable you want to fry. Slice the vegetables. Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, lemon juice and ginger-garlic paste according to your taste.

Mix the paste well with the sliced vegetable. Keep it aside for five to ten minutes. Then fry in oil. For Yam fry, boil the vegetable with turmeric and water till its half done and then apply paste and fry.

                                                   POTATO and RAW BANANA FRY:

                                                                             GOBI FRY

YAM FRY (Senaikizhangu Fry)

For Yam fry, boil the vegetable with turmeric and water till its half done and then apply paste and fry.

Aloo Methi

Ingredients:

Potato - 1/4 kg
Vendhayakeerai(Methi) - 1 bunch
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1 inch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Butter - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

1.Clean and chop greens.
2.Peel potato and chop.
3.Heat oil in a pan. Fry cumin seed, ginger and green chillies.
4.Add potato and spice powders and fry till it is half cooked.
5.Then add greens and salt. Keep in sim and cook till it is done.
6.Finally, add 1 tsp butter and stir. Aloo methi is ready.

Murungaikeerai Poriyal

Ingredients:

Murungaikeerai - 1 bunch
Red chillies - 2
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 3 (Crushed)
Onion(Small) - 1
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste

Method:

Wash and clean murungaikeerai.
Heat oil. Add mustard seeds.
Add cumin seeds.
Add red chillies, crushed garlic and fry.
Add chopped onions and fry till soft.
Add the washed keerai.
Add salt(very little) and sprinkle water.
Keep in low flame and cook till done.

Vendaikkai Poriyal (Lady's Finger/Okra/Bhindi)

Ingredients:
Lady's finger - 1/4 kg
Onion - 1 sliced
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:
Wash lady's finger, cut off head and tail of lady's finger and chop.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves one by one.
Add onion and fry till soft.
Add chopped lady's finger, add salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder.
Add 1 tsp of lemon juice in order to avoid getting mushy lady's finger.
Keep in low flame. Fry till done.

Chow Chow kootu

Ingredients:

Chow Chow - 2
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 sliced
Green chillies - 2
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt - as per taste
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Boil moon dal adding salt, turmeric powder and water to it. Keep it aside.
Cut chow chow into small pieces.
Cut onions and green chillies.
Boil together chow chow, onions and green chillies with a cup of water.
Cook till chow chow is soft.
Then add cooked moong dal to the chow chow mixture.
Mix it well. Add salt to taste, chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix well.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, urad, cumin seeds, curry leaves and little onion.
Pour this to the chow chow mixture. Chow Chow kootu is ready.

Kathiri Mochai Poriyal

 

Ingredients:
Brinjal - 1/4 kg
Dried Mochai - 1/2 cup
Onion - 2
Tamarind - Gooseberry size
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp

To Grind:
Red Chillies - 3
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Bengal gram - 2 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Shredded coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Soak mochai overnight and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
2. Slice brinjal and onion length-wise
3. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water and extract tamarind juice
4. Heat 1 tsp of oil roast the ingredients to grind. Grind the mixture.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil, add mustard seed, urad dal, curry leaves. Fry one by one.
6. Add onion and fry till soft.
7. Add brinjal, turmeric powder and salt and fry brinjal in low flame.
8. When brinjal is cooked add cooked mochai, tamarind extract and the ground powder.
9. Mix well and cook till raw smell goes off.
10.Ready to serve.

Keerai Kadaisal

Ingredients:
Keerai - 2 bunch (Can be any keerai. I always do with Mulaikeerai)
Tomato - 1
Onion - 1
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Garlic cloves - 3
Tamarind paste - 1-2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and Red chillies. Fry for few seconds.
Add the cleaned keerai, sliced onion, sliced tomato, 2 garlic cloves and little salt.
Cook for sometime. When it is done, mash the keerai mixture with masher(mathu).
While mashing, add tamarind paste and crushed raw garlic clove(1).
In a separate pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds and onion. Fry for few seconds.
Add this to the keerai kadaisal. Keerai kadaisal is ready.

Baby Potato Fry

Ingredients:
************
Baby Potato - 20 to 25
Onion - 1 sliced
Mustard, Urad - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (as per taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Salt (as per taste)
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 4 tbsp

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes. Do not overcook the potatoes.
2. Peel the boiled potatoes , add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and set it aside for 1/2 to 1 hour.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, asafoetida powder and urad dhal fry till the mustard starts sputtering and the dhal is golden brown.
4. Add curry leaves and onions. Fry till the onion is soft.
5. Then add the potatoes and fry till it becomes golden brown in colour.