மிளகு வடை( Pepper Vada)

மிளகு வடை(Pepper Vada) is a very famous offering for Lord Anchaneya(Hanuman). This is one of my favorites and I wanted to try this recipe for a very long time. Today being Hanuman Jayanthi (in Andhra), and fortunately I had a day off from work, decided to prepare this vada and small pooja at home in the evening. Thanks to my mom(in-law) for this wonderful recipe. The vada came out so well and it was a surprise snack for my husband today :)

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1. Urad dhal - 100 gms
2. Rice - 2 tablespoon
3. Pepper - 10-12 (for medium spice)
4. Cumin Seeds - 1 tablespoon
5. Salt - to taste
6. Oil - for frying

Preparation:
1. Soak dhal and rice for not more than 10 minutes and then drain the water completely and set it aside for atleast 30 minutes to 1 hour until it becomes dry.
2. Grind dhal and rice along with Pepper, cumin and salt into a coarse thick mixture. Do Not add water.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan.Keep a wet cloth or thick plastic sheet( like ziploc cover) ready to make the vada.
4. Take a portion of the mixture (size of a medium goosberry) and spread it on the cloth/plastic sheeet and make it an even thin round and make a small hole in the center.
5. Drop it in the oil and cook in medium flame. Turn sides as it cooks and take it out when it becomes golden brown on both sides.

Crispy pepper vada is ready. This will stay nice for a longer time, so you can store it in an air tight container and consume for a week.

Makkan Peda (with Gulab Jamun Mix)

"Makkan Peda" also known as "Arcot Makkan Peda" is a very famous sweet in Arcot(my neighbour town in my homeplace) in Vellore district.  I still remember my childhood days where this sweet was very popular in one special shop named " Chairman Sweet Stall" in Arcot. Though now we started getting this sweet in many places in and around. Any guest to our house will definitely not miss this sweet as part of their lunch or dinner treat. At first look it would seem like 'Gulab Jamun' for most until they take a bite with those crunchy nuts. 

This sweet is generally made of sweetless kova (a milk product). I couldn't find kova anywhere here at my place and decided to give a try with the instant Gulab Jamun mix and it really came out yummy!!! 

Ingredients: (for 5 pieces)

1. MTR instant Gulab Jamun mix - Half packet

2. Cooking soda - a pinch

3. Milk - less than 1/4th of gulab jamum mix

4. Sugar - 3 cups

5. Dried nuts mixture - one cup. I used cashews, Almonds, Pistachio, dates, dry grapes. Do not miss to use pumpkin seeds if you can acquire some. It adds richness to the taste.

6. Oil - to fry

Preparation:


1. Mix the gulab jamun powder with cooking soda and milk and knead gently and make a soft dough without sticking and rest it for 5 - 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the dry nuts mixture by cutting the nuts into smaller pieces.
3. Now make soft round balls with the dough in hand and make a small hole and fill it with the nuts mixture, close the hole and roll it again and flatten it a bit
4. Now heat oil in a pan and fry the balls 1 or 2 at a time.
5. Most importantly, do not over heat oil. Keep it in a very low flame otherwise it will turn brown quickly but the inner part might not cook.
6. Cooking time for each piece should be 7 to 8 minutes and turn sides slowly for even cooking.
7. In another pan add sugar and equal amount of water and bring it to boil to make the sugar syrup.
8. Once the syrup thickens after boiling for 5 to 7 minutes, switch off.
9. When the peda pieces are cooked, drain the oil and drop into the sugar syrup. Sugar syrup should be hot.
10. Set it aside for 15 -20 minutes to soak it completely and dress it with dried nuts on top.
Delicious, mouth watering Makkan peda is ready to eat.


Tips:
1. When the peda soaks in syrup it will expand in size, so prepare enough syrup to serve.
2. To get the rich taste, use Kova instead of the gulab jamun mix

Download at : 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spice-taste-explore-indian/id383015533?mt=8

BitterGourd Fry

Bittergourd... I am sure it is one of the vegetable most of us would not like to eat. It is very recently I started eating and liking it as my husband loves to eat bittergourd. I made this fry a simple recipe that my mom and grand mom used to prepare.


Preparation Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:
Bittergourd -4
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tablespoon
Red chilly powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Preparation:
1. Chop bitter gourd into round pieces and remove the seeds.
2. Add turmeric powder and salt to the chopped pieces and set it aside for 30 minutes to one hour. This process is to remove the excessive bitterness.
3. After an hour or so, Squeeze the bitter gourd and drain the water complete out of it.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add the bitter gourd, red chilly powder, coriander powder and if required additional salt and start cooking in low flame.
5. Close the pan with a lid and occasionally check and saute it and do not let it burn.
6. When it turns crispy, we are done. This will take around 20 minutes to complete.

Plain Rasam

Plain rasam which we commonly call as வெட்டி ரசம் (or)கொட்டு ரசம்  is very simple and easy to prepare. Back in my childhood days, we used to have this rasam for dinner when we have a very heavy lunch especially over weekends. This is a very good food for easy digestion. 


Preparation Time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
Tamarind juice - small lemon size
Tomato - 1 
Garlic pods - 4- 5
Curry leaves - 5-6 
Coriander leaves - for garnish
Salt - to taste


Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Red chillies - 3 
Hing - ap inch
oil - 1 tablespoon
Alternatively you can use vadagam to season instead of mustard seeds for more flavor


To Powder:
Red chillies - 3
Pepper - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon

Preparation:
1. Coarsely powder the ingredients.
2. Extract two cups of juice from tamarind.
3. Add finely chopped tomatoes, coarsely crushed garlic pods, salt and the powder to the tamarind juice.
4. Heat a pan and add oil. When hot, add mustard seeds and when it splutters and red chillies and little hing.
5. Pour tamarind juice mixture in the pan and bring to boil. 
6. When it starts to boil, add a spoon of water and simmer the stove and continue to boil for just 2 more minutes and switch off the stove.
7. Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.


Hot, spicy and tasty rasam is ready. Coconut thogayal/pappads/potato curry is an awesome combination with the hot rasam rice.

Carrot Curry

A healthy, simple, tasty carrot curry preparation.


Preparation Time: 15 minutes


Ingredients:
Carrot - 6 (grated)
Green Chillies - 3 (split vertically)
Moong dhal - 2 tablespoons
Onion -1 medium sized 
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Urud dhal - 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - to taste

Preparation:
1. Grate the carrots, split the green chillies and finely chop the onions.
2. Cook the moong dhal to 3/4th in little water and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When hot season with Mustard seeds, urud dhal and asafoetida.
4. Add onions, green chillies and saute well. When it turns transparent add the grated carrot.
5. Add required salt and cook in medium flame for 5 minutes.
6. Grated carrot will cook very quickly and will be done in 5 minutes. 
7. Now add the cooked moong dhal and mix it and cook for another 2 minutes and the carrot curry is ready to eat.

Cabbage Curry (with Fried Gram Dhal)

This is yet another easy recipe with very simple ingredients. Fried gram dhal gives a unique flavor and taste to this dish.


Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Cabbage - 1 medium sized
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
Fried gram dhal - 6 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Preparation:
1. Shred the cabbage into medium pieces. Dont make it very thin.
2. Make a fine powder of the friend gram dhal and cumin seeds.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds when hot. When it splutters, add the shredded cabbage and saute well.
4. Add required salt and sprinkle handful of water and mix well. 
5. Close it with a lid and cook in medium flame for around 15 minutes until the cabbage cooks well. 
6. Now reduce it to low flame and add the powder and mix it well for not more than 5 minutes. Take care not to burn. The powder will form a layer over the cabbage and leave a mushy texture and strong flavor.

Potato Mushroom Curry

Preparation Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:
Mushroom - 1/2 cup
Potatoes  - 1/2 cup
Shallots - 10-15
Tomatoes - 1 
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste


For Masala
Cloves - 3
cinnamon - small piece
pepper - 1/2 tablespoon
cumin seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Red chilly powder - 1 tablespoon
coriander powder - 2 tablespoons
Shallots - 7- 8
Coconut  - 2 tablespoons
Cashew -3- 4
Poppy seeds - 1/2 tablespoon

Preparation
1. Soak poppy seeds and cashew nuts in little water for around 20 - 30 minutes.
2. Boil potatoes in water with minced chillies and grated ginger with little salt.
3. When it is half done, add mushrooms and boil them together and strain the water when it is cooked 3/4 th
4. Dry roast, all spices given under masala, and add shallots and coconut and fry for couple of minutes.
5. Cool the mixture and grind it with poppy seeds and cashew with little water.
6. Add the ground masala to boiled potatoes and mushroom with little water and cook it in low flame for 5 to 10 minutes. Add additional salt as required.
7. In parallel, add 2 tablespoons of oil in another pan and add mustard seeds when oil is hot. When it splutters, add curry leaves, and shallots and fry until it is golden brown.
8. Now add the tomatoes and cook it until it is smashed and mixes well.
9. Add this to the potato/mushroom mixture and cook for 3 -4 minutes until it mixes well.
10. Garnish with coriander and switch off the stove.


Yummy, spicy potato/mushroom curry is ready to serve. This goes very well with Rotis/Rice. You can also substitute Cauliflower in this recipe to have a variation.


Tips:
If you don't like it much spicy, avoid green chillies. 
You can also add little curd to make the gravy tastier.

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.