Beetroot curry

Beetroot is rich source of nutrients and vitamins and very good for health especially for women and children. Here is a very simple and easy preparation with beetroot which is easy for kids to eat as we grate the beets instead of chopping.


Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 3 medium size
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves - 4 to 5
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Urud dhal - 1 tablespoon
Hing - a pinch
Red Chillies - 3 to 4
Salt- to taste
Coconut(shredded) - 2 tablespoon

Preparation:

1. Peel the skin from the beetroot and grate it finely.

2. Heat oil in a pan and when hot season with mustard seeds, urud dhal, hing, red chillies and curry leaves.

3. Now add the shredded beetroot, salt and sprinkle little water and close it with a lid.

4. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes in a medium flame occasionally sitrring.

5. When it is completely cooked, switch off the stove and add the grated coconut.

Beetroot curry is ready to be served with rotis/rice.You can just mix this to white rice to make beetroot rice. Alternatively, you can use chopped beetroot with the same preparation if you wish.

Plantain Fry

Here is a simple plantain fry recipe that goes very well with any rice.

Preparation Time: 30 min (excluding marination)

Ingredients:
Raw Green Plantain - 3
Tomato -1 medium size
Rice Flour - 2 tablespoon
Sambhar powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Preparation:
1. Peel the skin off the plantain and cut it into round shapes of 1/2 inch thickness.
2. Cook the cut pieces in boiling water with little salt in medium flame until the plantain is cooked completely and becomes soft. It takes around 20 minutes. You can take a piece and try to break it with your fingers.If it breaks easily, remove the pieces from water and transfer it to a dry bowl.
3. Add rice flour, sambhar powder, salt and squeeze the tomato to the cooked plaintain and mix it thoroughly without breaking the pieces.
4. Let the mixture aside for 30 minutes until to allow the spices mix with the plantain.
5. Now heat a thick bottomed deep fry pan and add oil to fry. When the oil is hot, add 4- 5 pieces (based on the volume of your pan) and fry them. Turn sides when it turns golden brown.

Crunchy, hot and spicy plantain fry is ready to eat. If you have extra pieces left, you can refrigerate overnight and fry it the next day.

Puli inji (Tangy Ginger sauce)

Puli Inji is a must serve in any festive occassion in Kerala. It is made as combination of the ingredients with variety of flavors and has a tangy, sweety taste. This dish always reminds me of my grandfather who loves very simple food. I remember the way he loves to have puli inji with Idlies and curd rice and I am a diehard fan of this dish prepared by my grandma .

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1. Ginger finely chopped - 1 cup
2. Green chillies - 3 finely chopped
3. Tamarind juice - 2 cups extracted from lemon sized tamarind
4. Jaggery - 1 cup
5. Salt - a pinch
6. Turmeric powder - a pinch
7. Oil - 1/2 tablespoon
8. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
9. Curry leaves - 7-8 finely chopped
10. Urud dhal - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and when hot add mustard seeds and when it splutters add urud dhal.
2. When urud dhal turns golden brown, add chopped gingers, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt and fry for 3- 4 minutes until you get a strong aroma of ginger.
3. Now add the tamarind juice and bring it to boil for next 5 minutes until the raw smell goes off.
4. Add the jaggery and cook in medium low flame as the sauce thickens. Stir at regular intervals for another 5 minutes.

Tangy and yummy puli inji is ready to eat. 

Spinach Chicken Curry

I cook chicken very rarely as we prefer to be vegetarian. This time we wanted to eat chicken but I was bored of the same kind of preparation and thought to try something different. Then I remembered I had got Spinach also from the grocery that day, so just wanted to try a green chicken with lot of spices. I wanted to make it a very simple dinner to enjoy the taste of chicken and this curry came out so yummy, and along with the simple rasam, it was heaven.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (Excluding the marination time)

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1.25 pounds
Curd - 3 tablespoon
Onion - 2 medium sized

G

reen chillies - 4 split vertically

Oil - 5 -6 tablespoon

For Paste:
Spinach leaves - 15
Pepper - 1 teaspoon
red chilly powder - 2 tablespoon
coriander powder - 2 tablespoon
cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

For Powder
Curry leaves - 6-7
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
pepper - 1/2 tablespoon

Preparation:

1. Cut chicken into medium cubes and wash it thoroughly and drain the water completely and puncture randomly with fork to help the marination get into the chicken as it soaks.
2. Make a fine paste with the ingredients mentioned to grind.
3. Marinate the chicken with the ground paste and curd for minimum 30 minutes.
4. Cut onions finely into thin pieces length wise.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add onions and fry until it turns transparent, add the green chillies and fry for another one minute.
6. Now add the marinated chicken and sprinkle handful of water and stir well .
7. Cook the chicken in medium flame for next 15-20 minutes and stir occasionally to cook evenly.
8. Meanwhile dry fry and make a coarse paste of the ingredients given for powder.
9. Sprinkle the powder over the chicken and mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Yummy yummy Spinach Chicken Curry is ready to heat. You can serve it hot with Rotis/Rice

Dhal Rasam

This is another simplest variety of rasam(our version of soup with lentils) made just with dhal water. This preparation doesnt require boiling of the ingredients.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Toor dhal water - 200 ml (made from 1/2 cup of toor dhal)
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Tamarind - Small gooseberry size
Rasam powder (equal amounts of pepper and cumin seeds ground to coarse powder)  - 1 tablespoon 
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - 3 
Coriander leaves - 3 -4 strings finely chopped
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Red chillies - 2 

Preparation:
1. In a bowl, smash the tomatoes and tamarind with your hands.
2. Add salt, rasam powder, curry leaves and coriander leaves and cover the bowl with a lid and keep aside.
3. Boil toor dhal in a pressure cooker with a pinch of turmeric powder.
4. When the pressure releases, drain the hot dhal water into the mixture prepared and close the lid.
5. Now heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan and when hot, add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add red chillies and a pinch of asafoetida and transfer this to the rasam and stir it well.

Hot and simple rasam is ready to serve. You can drink this as a soup or have it with rice.

Simple Potato Roast

Here is a very simple, yet tasty and inviting recipe with potatoes. If you are brought up in a typical tamil family, you should have been used to eating the potato fry/roast in one or the other form on all auspicious/festival days of the year. This is the simplest form of the potato fry that I was brought up with. One thing I like about this dish is, you dont deep fry the potatoes and cook them with very little oil. This dish gets crispiness on its outside with the rice flour and tomato used and remains so soft inside. Tomatoes gives little tangy flavor to the dish and it goes along with the spiceness of the chilly powder.

Preparation Time:  45 minutes

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 medium sized
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Rice Flour - 3 table spoons
Sambhar powder (you can use the ready made powder you get in Indian groceries) - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 5 tablespoons

Preparation:
1. Boil potatoes with skin, cool it, peel the skin and dice into small cubes.
2. Add sambhar powder, rice flour and salt to the potatoes.
3. Now smash the tomato with your hands over the potato and mix the ingredients well and blend it nicely.
4. Keep it aside for minimum 15 minutes. If you have larger amount, you can refrigerate for a day and roast and serve hot.
5. Take a deep pan and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes to the oil and roast it in medium flame for next 10 minutes.
6. As the potato turns golden brown, gently stir potatoes to turn sides and roast evenly.


Spicy and roasty potatoes are ready to eat. This can be eaten separtely as a starter or goes well with rotis and rice. This is a divine combination with curd rice.

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Macroni with Indian Spices

I am not a great fan of macronis, but my husband is. He always likes to taste it in a different flavor and so I decided to try my hands on macroni with a twist of Indian spices. I wanted to make it simple and easy and just used the basic ingredients of Indian cooking and married to Macroni. It came out very well and was ready in 30 minutes. And I realized I have too started liking it and the next time want to try it out with varied flavors.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Macroni - 100 gms
Vegetables - 1 cup finely chopped lengthwise
Red Chilly powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Garam Masala powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation:

1. Cook macroni in boiling water with little salt (to avoid stickiness) as per the directions in the packet. Drain the water and keep it aside.
2. Chop all vegetables finely lengthwise.
3. Heat oil in a pan and when hot add the vegetable and saute well. Since you have chopped the vegetables finely, do not add water and let it cook in the oil.
4. Close the lid and cook it in medium flame for another 5-7 miinutes and add salt to taste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and cook for another 4-5 minutes untill the raw smell goes off.
5. Now add the drained macroni and saute well.
6. Cook in low flame for next 5 minutes and stir occassionally.

Hot and spicy masala macroni is ready to eat.

Simple Chicken Fry

Here is a simple preparation of a spicy,hot chicken fry. This will be a very good combination for Rotis or any rice.


Preparation Time: 1 hour


Ingredients:
Chicken - 250 gms
Onion - 1 big size finely chopped
Curry leaves- 4- 5
Coriander leaves -for garnish
Oil - 3 tablespoon
For paste:
Curd - 3 tablespoons
Chilly powder - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - 2 tablespoon
Pepper - 1/2 tablespoon
Fennel Seeds - 1 tablespoon
Cumin Seeds - 1 tablespoon
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Preparation:
1. Make a wet paste with the ingredients mentioned for paste.
2. Marinate the chicken with the ground paste and set it aside for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pan and when hot add finely chopped onions and curry leaves.
4. When the onions turn golden brown, add the marinated chicken and cook in a medium flame closed with a lid. Stir occassionally and cook until chicken becomes soft and tender.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and spicy, hot chicken curry is ready to serve.

Egg Rice

It was almost 1 PM sunday afternoon and I was yet to prepare our lunch because of my hangover from previous night long pager calls. Both of us were very hungry and I wanted to prepare something real quick. I then realized I had nothing but eggs, potato and capsicum (of very smaller quantity) and decided to prepare egg rice. It came out real yummy and we had our lunch by 2 PM.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1. Egg - 4
2. Onion - 1 medium sized finely chopped
3. Vegetable - 1 cup(100gms) finely chopped
4. Rice - 200 gms
5. Salt - to taste
6. Pepper powder - 1 tablespoon
7. Oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation:

1. Boil rice and cook it until it is done 3/4th.

2. Heat oil in pan and add finely chopped onions and saute until it is transparent.

3. Add finely chopped vegetables and saute until they are cooked well. You can use any vegetable you prefer but make sure to chop them to cook it faster.

4. Break the eggs and whisk them with little turmeric powder.

5. Pour the eggs into the pan and add required salt and pepper powder and mix them thoroughly.

6. When it is almost done, add the cooked rice and mix it well and cook for next 5 minutes in a low flame.

Hot and quick egg rice is ready to serve. You can serve it with raitha or spicy kurma of your choice.

Tips:

1. You can also prepare this as a simple vegetable rice without eggs.

2. Use Basmathi rice for nice flavor.

Poli (With Channa Dhal/Jaggery)

Poli is a very famous sweet in souther india and also is known as Puran Poli in North. This is a festive season sweet made in almost all houses in TamilNadu and Andhra on their respective new year day. Preparation of this dish is a little time consuming process. I had been always enjoying this delicious sweet at my sweet home for all these years. This is the first time I tried my hands on this tamil new year (April 14,2010) and it turned out yummy!!! I also made the mixed dhal vada along with the sweet and took to office to celebrate the new year and all my colleagues liked it too! 

Ingredients:
1. Channa dhal - 150 gms
2. Jaggery (grated) - 100 gms
3. Maida Flour - 100 gms
4. Oil - 4 tablespoon
5. Salt - to taste
6. Ghee
7. Cardamom - 3
8. Turmeric powder - a pinch

Preparation:

To make the stuffing
1. Soak Channa dhal for 1 to 2 hours and pressure cook it with required water for 4 whistles.
2. After the pressure releases, drain the water from the dhal and grind it to a paste with grated jaggery and cardamom without water. This paste would be in a semi-solid consistency.
3. Heat a pan with strong base and add this paste to the pan. Cook and stir it ocassionally until the wetness goes off and the mixture comes to a solid consistency.
4. Now switch off the stove and bring the mixture to cool.

To make the outer layer

Mix the maida with little salt and turmeric powder. Add little water and knead the dough. Add required oil and knead it without lumps and until it becomes smooth. Once the dough is ready, spread little oil over the dough and keep it aside for atleast 30 minutes.

To make the Poli
In this preparation we need to use either fresh plantain leaves or plastic sheet. Wash it thoroughly in water and wipe it with a clean towel to dry.
It is good to have atleast two leaves/sheets to use alternatively. Wash your hands and get ready to make poli as the remaining preparation needs to be done by hands only.

1. Add 2 to 3 drops of oil in a plantain leaf/plastic sheet and spread it completely. This will help from not sticking the dough to the sheet when you transfer it to the tava.
2. Take a small portion of the kneaded maida dough and make it to a ball shape.
3. Place the ball shaped dough on the sheet and start spreading it with your fingers into a circle of even size.
4. Now make a small ball of the stuffing and place it in the dough and cover it completely with the dough around it.
5. Again spread it with your fingers into a circle of even size. Try to make it as thin as possible.
6. Now heat the tava and when it is hot enough slowly transfer the poli from the plaintain leaf/sheet to the tava without breaking it.
7. Spread 1 tablespoon of ghee around it and allow it to cook. Once it cooks, turn sides and cook it for another 1- 2 minutes.


Hot, tasty and sweety poli is ready to eat. 

Kothamalli Thokku

Ingredients:
1. Coriander Leaves - a bunch
2. Red chillies - 4 (vary according to your spice level)
3. Urud dhal - 3 tablespoon
4. Fenugreek Seeds - 2 teaspoon
5. Coriander seeds - 2 teaspoon
6. Asafoetida - a pinch  
7. Oil - 2 tablespoon
8. Mustard seeds - 2 teaspoon
9. Urud dhal - 1 tablespoon (for seasoning)
10. Salt - to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry urud dhal, red chillies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and asafoetida without over burning.
2. Then clean the coriander leaves with water and add it to the pan and fry well until the raw smell goes off.
3. Cool and grind it into coarse paste with required salt. 
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and season mustard seeds and when it splutters, add the ground paste and mix it well for 2 -3 minutes.
Spicy, tatsy kothamalli thokku is ready to eat. 
This is a very good combination for Idly/dosa and also with white rice.  


Tips:
1. You can add few curry leaves along with coriander to make it tastier.

Chole(Channa/Chick Peas) Briyani

This is a variation from the usual vegetable briyani.I wanted to try something new with Chickpeas and rice this time. 


Ingredients:
1. Chick peas - 1 cup
2. Rice - 2 cups
3. Onion - 3 medium sized
4. Tomatoes - 2 medium sized
5. Green chillies - 4 vertically split
6. Red chilly powder - 3/4 tablespoon
7. Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
8. Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
9. Cloves - 2
10. Cinnamon - 2 small sticks
11. Cardamom - 2
12. Bay leaves - 3 small pieces
13. Salt - to taste
14. Curd - 3 tablespoon
15. Ginger/garlic paste - 1/2 tablespoon
16. Mint leaves - 4
17. Oil - 4-5 tablespoon

Preparation:
1. Soak Chikpeas overnight
2. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas with little salt for 3 whistles. Meanwhile soak the rice in water.
3. When the pressure is released, strain the water and add ginger/garlic paste, curd,red chillies, coriander powder, garam masala and settle it down.
4. Now boil rice in a vessel with little salt and 2 drops of oil until the rice is cooked 3/4th and strain water.
5. In the meantime, finely chop the onions lengthwise and tomatoes in to fine pieces.
6. Heat oil in a pan and when hot, add the spices (cloves,cardamon,bayleaves) and when they splutter, add the onions and fry well.
7. Add green chillies, and mint leaves and cook well until the onions turn into golden brown.
8. Add chopped tomatoes and smash them and fry until the tomatoes are cooked fine.
9. Then add the chole masala and required amount of salt and sprinkle little water.
10. When this mixture is almost cooked, spread the drained rice over the chole mixture and close the vessel with a lid and cook for next 5 to 7 minutes until the rice is cooked completely.
11. Now mix the chole with rice without breaking rice.


Serve hot and spicy chole briyani with raitha/pappads. I also use some roasted cashews for extra crunchiness.