Vegetable Kuruma

I often have chappathis for dinner. The curry varies according to the mood. I make enough for breakfast too since I make sure that the whole family leaves the house only after breakfast.

Last night I  made vegetable kuruma and since my family loves eggs, I added eggs too.

Vegetable Kuruma

Ingredients

1. Mix of vegetable (Potatoe, Peas, Carrot, Beans) - 1 and 1/2 cup cut into cubes

To grind

2. 3/4 cup of grated coconut slightly roasted
3. Coriander powder - 2 Tbspn
4. Chilly Powder - 1 Tspn
5. Fenugreek Powder - 1/2 Tspn
6. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tspn
7. Ginger - 1 inch piece
8. Garlic - 3 cloves
9. Garam Masala - 1 Tspn

10. Onion - 1 medium sliced
11. Green Chilly - 2 Nos.
12. Boiled egg ( optional)

Method

Saute the Onion and green chilly in 2 Tbspn of oil. Once the onion has been sauted wll, add the vegetables and mix well. Pour the ground masala. Add enough salt and let it cook. Before switching off the gas, put a few leaves of curry leaves and conriande rleaves. Close the lid and let the flavour steep in. Enjoy!

Lemon pickle made easy

In my kitchen everything has to be easy. It is such recipes that catch my interest. A working mother cannot spend her entire time in the kitchen. But I have devised ways to reduce time and still churn out most dishes.

Lemon Pickle

Ingredients:

Lemon---2 numbers
Red chilly powder---3 Tbspn
Asafotida---1 Tspn
Fenugreek powder---1 Tspn
Salt----2 Tnspn
oil---1 Tbspn

Method:

Wash and cut the lemon in to small pieces. Dessed the lemon.  Add all the other ingredients to it. Mix well and cover it.  Keep it in the pressure cooker and cook it for 3 sounds.Take it out.
Heat the oil. Pour the oil over the lemon and mix well.
Pickle is ready.

If you have more time, you can splutter mustard seeds and fry some small onions and curry leaves too.

Easy Sambar

Sambar experts may wonder what is not so easy about sambar! This Sambar is quicker and tasty too. The trick lies in using the pressure cooker to cook the dal and the vegetables. For this you would need the tougher looking vegetables or the ones which needs more cooking. My MIL swears that sambar cooked thus tastes different. She uses the pressure cooker only to cook the dal. But I find no difference in the taste so when she was here in Kuwait I refrained from doing it my way :). MIL is no lover of sambar but I have to admit that she is an expert. Anyway let me stop rambling and finish this task.

The following were my choice of vegetable this time.

The green chilly may give some of you a heart burn so choose accordingly but since this small vegetable is a power house of Vitamin C don't avoid it. Hence sambar is actually a very healthy soup and is enough to eat a plate full of rice.We had it with fried fish.

Chilli peppers have amazingly high levels of vitamins andminerals. 

Just 100 g provides (in % of Recommended daily allowance)
240% of vitamin-C (Ascorbic acid),
39% of vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine),
32% of vitamin A,
13% of iron,
14% of copper,
7% of potassium,   but no cholesterol.

Easy Sambar

Ingredients

1. Choice of vegetables cubed - 2 cups
 2. Green chillies - as per your taste (but a minimum of 4)

3. Masoor Dal - 1/2 Cup
4. Channa Dal - 2 Tbspn
Feel free to add more kinds of dal while reducing the masoor dal. It will only add to the taste.
5. Coriander Powder - 3 Tbspn
6. Chilly Powder - 1 Tbspn
5. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tspn
6. Fenugreek Powder - 1/2 Tspn
7. Asofetida Powder - 1/4 Tspn

8. A small piece of tamarind if the tomato does is not sour enough
9. Coriander leaves - a bunch
10. Small onions - 3 Nos.
11. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
12. Curry leaves - a few

Method

Pour 3 cups of water and put the chopped vegetables along with the turmeric powder and salt. One can add a teaspoon of oil so that it does not boil over. Wait for 3-4 whistles and let it cool. Microwave the rest of the powders for 40 seconds to let the flavours out.

Once the pressure cooker has cooled down and it is safe to open, drop the powders and let it boil for a few minutes. Now add a sprig of chopped coriander leaves.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Wait for it to splutter. Add the chopped onion and curry leaves. Brown it and pour it over the sambar.

 Voila.. your sambar is ready!

Colourful and nutritious Sandwich

Sandwich

Ingredients

1. Carrot - 1
2. Beetroot -1
3. Garlic - 2 cloves
4. Onion - 1 medium
5. Mint and coriander leaves - a handful
6. Curd - 1 or 2 Tbspn
7. Mayonnaise - 2 Tbspn
8. Boiled egg - 2
9. Pepper - 1/2 tspn

Method

Boil or pressure cook the carrot and beetroot. When it cools down, grind it along with the rest of the ingredients (1-6).  More curd can be added if needed.

Test for salt.

Mash the boiled egg along with the mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper.

Spread the vegetable mix on the bread first and later the egg mix.

If the bread or the bun is toasted on one side it would be better, else the sandwich may get soggy.

Enjoy!

Instant Lentil Dosa

There are days when you want to eat dosai but you forget to make the dosa mix. It is for such days that this lentil dosai mix comes to the rescue. Not only is it tasty and healthy but it is also quick.

Lentil Dosa

Ingredients

1. Raw rice - 1 cup
2. Urad Dal - 1/3 cup
3. Channa Dal - 2 Tbspn
4. Moong Dal - 2 Tbspn
5. Masoor Dal - 2 Tbspn
6. Tur Dal - 2 Tbspn
7. Red chilly - 2 nos.
8. Small onions - 3 Nos.

Method

Soak the rice, dal and chilly for about 2 hours. Grind this along with the small onions. You can make the dosa straight away or wait until you are ready.

Healthy Lentil Idili

This morning I made idili for breakfast. Since I had cooked Sambar the previous night I did not have to spend time on it. Thought I shall trace the origin of Idili and as usual Wikepedia has something to tell.

Idli (and the process of steaming) was known in India by as early as 700 CE. The process of steaming was influenced from Indonesia subsequently between 800-1200 CE, giving rise to the modern day Idli.^[1] Earliest mention of the term 'Idli' occurs in the Kannada writing of Shivakotiacharya in 920 A.D, and it seems to have started as a dish made only of fermented black lentil.

Idili has changed a lot from it's original version. These days idili is made with rava, oats and even vegetables. Since it is always steamed, it is one of the healthiest breakfast dish.

The idili I made today has a combination of lentils and is full of protein. As you know, proteins are essential nutrients for the human body^. They are one of the building blocks of body tissue, and can also serve as a fuel source. Growing up children can have this healthy version of idily any day.

Lentil Idili

Ingredients:

3 cups of rice powder or 2 cups of rice (Raw rice)

Urad Dal - 1/2 cup
Masoor dal - 2 Tbspn
Channa dal - 2 Tbspn
Mung dal - 2 Tbspn
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tspn

Grind the rice and dals separately. Mix it well and leave it to fement overnight. Add enough salt. Steam the idili in idili cooker the next morning for a healthy breakfast.

Idili dough tips:

1. For normal idili the ratio of rice to urad dal is 3:1 or 4:1; both works.

2. One should grind the urad dal well while it is better not to grind the rice to the same level. Else the idili will stick.

3. During winter it is difficult to make the dough ferment. You can save a spoon or two of the old dough to be added to the fresh dough. It will act like "yeast". Even the fenugreek will help in the fermentation. One can also immerse a peeled onion in the centre of the dough to quicken the fermentation. Or even grind an onion along with the rest.
4. This tip could be well known but a novice may have never heard it. Always stir the Idli/Dosai mix before each ladle is taken from the mix. This will ensure that you get a good mix of urad dal and rice since urad dal being light will settle on top. Even then it is always best to make idli with a fresh batter and use any remaining batter for Dosai since your mixing may never ensure an even distribution.

Kubboos Upuma

Kubboos is  a staple food here in Gulf and the state has heavily subsidised this product. One can get a packet of kuboos for 50 fils. Kubboos can be powdered and made into puttu and also Upuma.

Kubboos Upuma for 4 persons

Ingredients:

Kubboos - 4 Nos.
Onion - 1 chopped into small pieces
Green Chillies - 2 Nos.
Ginger  - 2 Tbsp chopped finely
Grated coconut - 2 Tbsp











For tadka:

Heat 2 tbsp of Coconut Oil and splutter 1/2 tsp of mustard.

Add 1 tbsp each Urad and Channa dal let it brown.

After tadka:

Add chopped Onion ( if small oinions the better), ginger + Green Chilly. Fry it for a while. Add curry leaves too.

Add 2 tbsp of grated coconut.

Now add the kubboss which has been powdered in the mixer.

Saute it for a while and add 3 tbspn of water. Saute again. Add a sprig of coriander leaves.
Enjoy!

Note: The powdered Kubboos can also be used to make Kubboos Puttu. Just add enough coconut and steam it as usual.

Chicken Kolhapuri

Copied from http://saltandspice.org/2010/10/20/kolhapuri-chicken/

I have tried many ways to cook chicken and some times I run out of ideas and that is when I came across this reciep.  We have all heard of the famous Kolhapuri chappal and likewise even this curry must have it's origin from Kolhapur town in Maharashtra state. The coconut helps to thicken the gravy and the various spice blend well into the curry making it good as a side dish for rice, chappati's, nan etc.

 
Ingredients
Chicken – 1 kg cut into small pieces
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Curd – 1 cup
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp
Bay leaf – 1
Lime juice – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves – 3 tbsp chopped

For Kolhapuri Masala
Oil – 2 tbsp
Cardamom – 2
Cloves – 5

Cinnamon – 2″ piece
Onion – 1 sliced
Ginger – 2″ piece chopped
Garlic – 4 big chopped
Peppercorns – 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder – 3 tsp
Tomato – 1 chopped

Method
Marinate the chicken pieces with curd, turmeric powder and salt.  Refrigerate for an hour.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and add the whole spices.  Add the onions and fry till they turn light brown in color.  Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.  Then add grated coconut and peppercorns.  Fry for a minute on a medium flame and add the spice powders.  After a minute add the chopped tomato and fry for about 5 minutes.  Allow the mixture to cool.  Grind it to a fine paste adding enough water.  Heat oil in a kadai and add the bay leaf and the marinated chicken pieces.  Add the Kolhapuri masala paste and mix well.  Cook covered on a medium flame till done.  Stir in between.  When the gravy is thick, add lime juice.  Mix well and switch off the flame.  Garnish with coriander leaves.  Serve lip-smacking ‘Kolhapuri Chicken’ with Nan, Paratha or Rice.  Enjoy!