Mustard Pachadi (Raitha)

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
4 green chillies
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
pinch of asefotedia
5 tablespoons low fat yogurt beaten with water
Salt
1/4 teaspoon mustard oil (optional - its added as a flavor enhancer)

Method:
Grind mustard, coriander leaves, turmeric, chillies, coconut and asefotedia into a smooth paste. Mix it with beaten yogurt, mustard oil and salt. Raitha can be eaten as is with rice.

Variations:
a. I have added finely chopped cucumber (fresh)
b. Fine chop bell pepper (capsicum), steam until cooked and mix with raitha
c. Add boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes
d. Instead of yogurt, use sour cream and the taste is excellent

Mango Onion Relish

I was in Bangalore and its onset of Summer there (Spring is very short). Weather was beautiful and fresh raw Mangoes sprouting the market. The sweetish sour taste of mangoes rekindles my childhood memories. My parents house had a mango tree in the backyard and raw mangoes were reachable from rooftop, during Summer holidays me and my friends had an evening ritual of looking for raw mangoes ready to ripe. We used to spend our evenings chitchatting devouring the best mangoes with salt and chilly powder as a dip.

Ingredients:
1 Medium sized mango fine chopped
1 Medium sized onion fine chopped
1 teaspoon red chilly powder (vary the quantity according to spice level)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon grated jaggery
Pinch of asefotedia

Method:
In a thick bottom pan add oil. When oil is hot add mustard. Once the mustard splutters, add asefotedia and turn off heat. Mix onions, mango, red chilly powder and jaggery in the warm vessel. Add salt before you are ready to serve. This can be eaten with rotis and rice.

Note: Salt tends to drain onion and the relish becomes watery if salt is added before serving. I personally like the watery taste so I add the salt and set it aside.

Cluster Beans (Gawar) daal curry

This is one of the favorite dishes in our household. My husband made it for dinner last night and I decided to adapt it into this blog. We had it with Rotis and Rice accompanied with Garlic Rasam. Another version of this curry is posted by Indira of Mahanadi as Parappu Usli With Gawar Beans. We also make this curry with toor daal instead of channa daal and red chillies instead of green chillies for variety.

Ingredients:
2 cups of Cluster beans stringed and cut into small pieces
1 cup channa daal
Green chillies (approximately 10)
Asefotedia
2 tablespoons grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons oil
8 curry leaves
Salt
Water for cooking beans and grinding the masala

Garnish:
1 tablespoon fine chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoons of lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
2 tablespoons grated coconut

Method:
Cook the cluster beans with salt until done.
Soak channa daal for 20 minutes in hot water. Grind it with 2 tablespoons of coconut, green chillies, curry leaves,asefotedia and salt. Make sure the mixture is thick in consistency not dilute.

In a thick bottom vessel, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot - add 1/2 teaspoon mustard. After the mustard splutters, add the ground mixture and fry it until it gets cooked. Add the cooked and drained cluster beans and mix it. Mix the curry on medium heat for about 2 minutes.

Garnish with 1 tablespoon fine chopped coriander leaves, 2 tablespoons of lime juice (about 1/2 lime) and 2 tablespoons grated coconut.

Ridge Gourd Pepper Gravy (Kootu)

I usually make this dish when someone in the house has cold or cough. Pepper helps as an expectorant. Its a very simple recipe. Can also be made with any type of beans.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized ridge gourd peeled and cubed
1.5 cups cooked and mashed toor daal
1/2 cup peanuts
1 tablespoon urad daal
1 teaspoon whole black pepper corns
1 tablespoon coconut
few curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon ghee
asefotedia
1/2 teaspoon cummin

Method: Roast urad daal, black pepper, cummin, curry leaves and asefotedia in ghee until urad daal turns light brown and pepper corns splutter. Grind the roasted ingredients with coconut and keep it aside. (Water can be added to grind to a smooth paste)

In a vessel, cook peanuts and ridge gourd with some water. When the gourd and peanuts are almost cooked, add toor daal and the ground mixture. Add salt as per taste and bring the gravy to a boil. Garnish with fresh curry leaves. Serve with rice or chapathi.

Spinach Rasam

Ingredients:
1 bunch of spinach washed and cleaned
1/2 cup toor daal
1 large onion
1 large tomato
1 small onion fine chopped
5 flakes of garlic fine chopped
8 green chillies
1 teaspoon cummin
1 tablespoon oil
5 cups of water
Salt

Method:
Pressure cook - 4 cups of water, toor daal, spinach, whole onion, tomato and green chillies. Cool and mash it in a blender / food processor

In a large vessel, add a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add cummin. After cummin splutters, add chopped onion, garlic and saute. When the garlic turns golden brown, add the mashed pulp, salt as per taste and remaining water. Let it come to a boil and ready to serve. Can be eaten with rice or drink as rasam.

Crispy Garlic and Onion Pakoda

Ingredients:
3 large onions thinly sliced length wise
Pods of 1 medium sized garlic-skin and edges removed,sliced length wise
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup semolina (rava/sooji)
1 cup of fine chopped coriander leaves
10 green chillies fine chopped - Its spicy ;)
1 teaspoon red chilly powder
10 fine chopped curry leaves
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (optional)
Salt
Water for mixing the flour (optional)
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except water. Vary the green chillies and red chilly powder as per your taste. Leave the mix aside for about 30 minutes. The onion tends to drain water mixing with the spices (Depends on the quality of onion). Consistency of batter is such that, when you scoop it, it should not drop easily.

Tip: If the batter is too thick (dry flour sticking around), add a couple of teaspoons of water ELSE if the batter is too thin, add a couple of spoons for chickpea flour and salt

Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Drop about a teaspoon of batter by hand and deep fry on medium heat. Remove them when they turn golden brown. Once they are completely cool, they can be stored for a about a week. Serve with any flavored tomato sauce.

Akki Rotti made of Dill Leaves

Ingredients:
3 cups of rice flour
1 cup of fine chopped dill leaves
1 large onion fine chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
4 green chillies fine chopped
1 teaspoon cummin
Pinch of asefotedia
Salt
Water for mixing the flour
Oil for roasting the rotti

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients except oil. The consistency is like chapathi/roti dough.

On a nonstick griddle, take handful of rotti mixture and pat it as thin as possible. Smear oil on edges and cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Keep the pan covered. (Tip: The steam falls on the hot griddle and sizzles. That's the indication the rotti is almost done on one side)
When the edges are light brown, turn over the rotti and leave it for about 2 minutes - now the pan may remain uncovered.
Cool the griddle to make the next rotti by running it under cold water and follow the same procedure to make the next rotti. Makes about 6 rottis.
This tastes good as is, can also be served with Ghee, butter or any Chutney.

Steamed Sweet Rice Dumplings (kadabu/modak)

Ingredients:
For Shell:
2 cups of rice flour
2.5 cups of water
Pinch of salt

For Filling:
1 cup grated fresh coconut
1 cup of jaggery
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon khuskhus

Oil for smearing steaming container and palms

Method:
In a thick bottomed vessel, fry coconut and jaggery on medium heat. Mix until the jaggery melts and blends with coconut. Add cardamom and khuskhus, mix well and turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

In another vessel, add salt to 2.5 cups of water and bring it to a boil. As the water starts boiling, add rice flour to the water and mix well. Ensure that no lumps are formed. It turns to a smooth paste and the rice dough starts to move as a unit. Now turn off heat.

The dumplings are made while the rice flour is hot, so make it while you feel that you can handle the rice flour mix on your palm. Smear oil onto palms to protect from the heat. Roll rice flour into a small ball and pat it flat to form a circle ( about 5 inch diameter).
Fill 1 teaspoon of the coconut/jaggery filling and seal the edges of the rice flour. (Tip: Use little water to seal the edges)

Smear oil to a steaming container. When all the dumplings are ready, place them in the steaming container. Steam for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for a while before serving. Makes about 10 Steamed Sweet Rice Dumplings.

Radish/Mooli Onion Sambar

Ingredients:
1 Large radish peeled and sliced to thin circles
2 small onions cut to cubes

2 cups of cooked and mashed toordaal

1 tablespoon channa daal

1 tablespoon corriander seeds

1 tablespoon fresh coconut

8 dry red chillies

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

½ teaspoon Jeera

1 small lime size ball of tamarind juice extracted

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard

Pinch of asefotedia

Salt to taste

Few curry leaves

Method:

In a thick bottom pan add radish, onion, tamarind extract and a cup of water and let it cook.

Meanwhile dry roast channa daal, corriander seeds, red chillies, jeera and fenugreek seeds. Grind it with Coconut.

When the radish is almost cooked, add the ground mixture, mashed toor daal and salt. When the sambar boils, add curry leaves.

In a smaller pan heat oil and add mustard, when mustard splutters, turn off heat. Add asefotedia and pour it on the sambar. The whole process took about 30 minutes.

The sambar tastes good with rice and ghee.

Bottle Gourd Steamed Muthia

Ingredients:
1 small bottle gourd peeled and grated
1.5 cup wheat flour
1 cup chickpea flour
½ cup rava (sooji)
4 green chillies
1 inch piece of ginger
4 pods of garlic
½ tablespoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cummin powder
1 teaspoon corriander powder
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Chopped coriander leaves
20 oz yogurt
20 oz oil
salt to taste

For Seasoning:
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon mustard
1 table spoon fine chopped corriander leaves
1 table spoon fresh grated coconut

Method:
Squeeze out all the water out of the grated bottle gourd and mix all the above ingredients
Texture of the mix should not be of dripping consistency, that is when you try to pour the mix, it should not fall.

Note: Add a little bit of the squeezed bottlegourd water if the mixture is too thick OR if the mixture turns too thin add more wheat flour and adjust salt accordingly

Steam the bottle gourd mix for about 30 minutes, check by inserting a knife and it should come out clear, else steam longer. When done let it cool

Cut the cooled muthia to small cubes.

In a large pan, heat oil for seasoning. Add mustard, when mustard splutters, add sesame and the muthia pieces. Mix gently with coconut and corriander.

Bottle Gourd Steamed Muthia tastes good as is. It can also be eaten with tomato sauce, mint chutney or can be eaten with rice and rotis.

Paneer Mint Pulav

This is a very easy and quick recipe. I had made it for my husbands birthday, when I cooked this for my husband and guests, they said it was the BEST PULAV EVER!!

Ingredients:
1.5 cup grated Paneer
1 cup of mint leaves
1 cup of corriander leaves
1 medium sized onion fine chopped
5 green chillies slit
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1 cup green peas (optional) ...I used frozen

2-3 small bay leaves
1 teaspoon cummin
1 teaspoon oil
2 cups Basmati rice
3 cups water
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind mint and corriander with little water. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan, add bay leaves, cummin. When Cummin splutters, add onion, ginger garlic paste and saute. Add Paneer and fry for about 2 minutes, then add mint-corriander liquid and mix for 2-3 minutes. In a rice cooker, add washed and drained basmati rice, green peas, 3 cups water, green chillies, paneer masala and salt to taste and lightly mix once. Switch on the cooker.

If this is done outside in a pan follow the same instructions and cook on low heat with pan covered for about 20 minutes.

Decorate with roasted Cashews and serve with pomegranate raitha

Spicy Poha/Aval Ven Pongal

Ingredients:
1/2 cup moong daal
1 and 1/2 cup poha/aval
1/2 teaspoon whole pepper
1/2 teaspoon cummin
1 tablespoon cashew broken to pieces
1 tablespoon dry coconut
1 table spoon butter
2 teaspoons oil
1 inch grated ginger
4 green chillies slit
Pinch of asofotedia

salt per taste
Water

Method:
In a thick bottom vessel, add 1 teaspoon of oil and roast moong daal. When the moog is almost transparent add 4 cups of water and let the moong cook on medium heat until completely cooked and mashable. If required add more water because each brand of moong daal differs while getting cooked (Faster or slower and some absorb more water). The process takes about 15-20 minutes

Note on Poha:
Wash the Poha only after daal is cooked.
If using thin poha just wash and drain immediately set aside for 1 minute
If using a thick poha wash the poha longer, drain and set aside longer (probably 3 minutes)

Once the daal is cooked, add poha/aval and mix without lumps. If the mixture thickens, add more water. The consistency should be like gruel/soup. Add salt, dry coconut, butter, grated ginger and slit green chillies. Mix and turn off heat.

In a separate pan heat oil and add cashews, pepper and cummin. Fry until cashews turn golden brown. Add asofotedia, turn off the heat and pour it on the Pongal.

To enhance the flavor add more butter

Serve with coconut chutney or cucumber raitha.

Mysore Adai and Tomato gravy

Last weekend I made this for brunch. Turned out very good, for side dish had tomato gravy.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup channa daal
1/2 cup toor daal
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup moong daal
1/4 cup urad daal
10-12 dry red chillies
1 teaspoon methi seeds
1/4 cup Shredded Coconut
1/2 teaspoon Cummin
Pinch of asefotedia
salt per taste
curry leaves
Little Oil for frying

Method:
Soak all daals and rice with methi seeds for about 3 hours. Grind the soak ingredients and red chillies into a fine batter (batter should not be very dilute. Consistency is between idly and dosa batter. Approximately for the above measurements, you can use about 2 - 3 cups of water)

Adais can be prepared immediately after grinding, add coconut, cummin, asefotedia, salt and curry leaves to the batter and mix. On a hot pan spread the batter and smear 1/4 teaspoon of oil on the edges (medium heat). Close the pan with a lid. It usually takes about 2 minutes for the adai to get cooked. (Usually you can hear the steam fall on pan - thats the way I determine the Adai is cooked ;)). Adais are roasted only on one side. Fold it and serve with fresh butter or ghee.

Ingredients for Tomato Gravy:
1 Large Tomato finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
5 green chillies slit
salt per taste

Masala:
1 tablespoon roasted gram - (pottu kadalai,split peas dal, roasted gram, puttani dhal, chutney sengapappu)
1 tablespoon coconut
small piece of cinnamon
3 cloves
1/4 teaspoon aniseed (saunf)

Tadka:
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon oil

Garnish:
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves

Method:
Cook tomato, onion, green chillies with salt and turmeric. Mash it when cooked. Grind the ingredients on Masala and add it to the mashed tomato, simmer the fire and let it cook on slow fire for about 3 minutes. ( If the gravy turns too thick, add water and salt appropriately). When the gravy boils, turn off heat and add garnish and provide tadka. This gravy also tastes good with rotis and idli.

Whole Wheat Halwa

This is my aunts recipe. Very easy and healthy sweet dish.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Whole Wheat
1 Cup Sugar or 1 Cup Jaggery or 1 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon rose essence (optional - any essence can be used)
2 teaspoons of ghee
Water

Method:
Soak Wheat overnight. Grind wheat with the soaked water into a fine paste. Extract the milk out of the ground paste through a strainer or muslin cloth. Repeat the process of grinding / straining of the mixture adding little water at least twice. (approximately you should get 3 to 3.5 cups of extract - depends on the amount of water added for grinding)

In a thick bottom vessel, melt 1 Cup Sugar or 1 Cup Jaggery or 1 cup molasses (Color of Halwa will be darker if Jaggery or molasses is added, add the strained mixture and bring it to a boil stirring continuously till it begins bubble. Then add 1 teaspoon of ghee and 1/4 teaspoon rose essence stir and turn off the fire Smear a plate with 1 teaspoon of ghee and pour the mixture. When the halwa is cooled cut into desired shapes

NOTE: If you find the Halwa is not solid enough. Cool it and microwave it for a couple of minutes. The Halwa does get hardened. Use your own creativity to decorate the halwa with nuts or flavoring

Quick Methi Pulav

Ingredients:
2 bunches Methi leaves snapped, washed(2-3 times) and fine chopped
1 medium sized onion fine chopped/ cut length wise
5 green chillies slit
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1 tomato cut in cubes
1 cup green peas (optional) ...I used frozen
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon Jeera
1 Can coconut milk
1 teaspoon oil
2 cups Basmati rice
2 cups water
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan and add jeera. When Jeera splutters, add onion, ginger garlic paste and saute. When onion is half cooked add methi leaves and fry. Methi Leaves shrink and change colour to dark green...then add garam masala and mix for 2-3 minutes

In a rice cooker, add washed and drained basmati rice, green peas, tomato, 1 can coconut milk and 2 cups water, green chillies, methi masala and salt to taste and lightly mix once. Switch on the cooker and feet up.

When pulav is done, serve with boondi raitha or cucumber raitha

Badam Halwa

I start my blog with a sweet dish ;)

Ingredients:
3 cups of Badam
1 can condensed milk
1 cup sugar (can be varied per taste)
2 ounces honey
1 slab butter
orange color
few strands of kesri
1 teaspoon milk

Soak strands of kesri in milk, add the color

Boil 3 cups of Badam for 20 minutes, peel the shells. Drain water completely
In a food processor add the badam, condensed milk...Blend to a texture of idli batter(coarse). If its hard to grind, add couple of tablespoons milk.

In a non stick pan melt sugar, add the badam mixture, butter, honey and milk mixture and keep mixing on low heat until the raw smell of almond is gone you achieve halwa texture...More butter can be added to enhance the taste ;)