Mambazha Pachadi

Mambazha Pachadi

     Mmmm...Mango season is nearing...King of fruits and my favourite fruit too !! 

Ingredients

Ripe mangoes                                                                                       2 (medium)

Grated coconut                                                                                          1 cup

Green chillies                                                                                                2

Turmeric powder                                                                                        1 tsp

Cumin seeds                                                                                1/4 tsp (optional)

Curd                                                                                                          2 tbsp

Jaggery                                                                                                       1-2

Mustard seeds                                                                                  1 tsp (crushed)

Salt                                                                                                          To taste

Oil                                                                                                         As required

Curry leaves                                                                                             A sprig

Preparation

Slice mangoes into medium pieces and cook it with turmeric, salt and jaggery.

 

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, curd and cumin seeds to a fine paste.

When the mangoes are cooked, add the ground coconut paste to it and allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes.

Check for water consistency, salt and sweetness.  It should not be too watery.

If the mangoes are already sweet then no need to add jaggery.

Add crushed mustard seeds and curry leaves, mix it, allow it on flame for 2 minutes.

Remove it from flame..mmmmm....yummy Mambazha pachadi is ready :-)

 

Idli Upma

Idli Upma

Ingredients

Left over Idlis                                                                                       8 - 10

Shallots                                                                                                 6 - 8

Green chillies                                                                                        3 - 4

Turmeric powder                                                                                1/2 tsp

Urad Dal                                                                                             1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds                                                                                   1/2 tsp

Salt                                                                                                    To taste

Coconut Oil                                                                                        2 tbsp

Curry leaves                                                                                      A sprig

Preparation

Crumble all the idlis and keep it aside.

Slice the shallots and green chillies.

Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal and saute.

Then add green chillies, shallots, curry leaves and saute well till it turns light golden colour. Add turmeric powder and salt, and add the crumbled idlis, mix well. Remove it from the flame.

Tarka Dal

Tarka Dal

Ingredients

Split Black gram Dal                                                                     1 cup

Onion                                                                                      1 (medium)

Tomato                                                                                      1 (big)

Garlic                                                                                      3 - 4 cloves

Ginger                                                                                  1/2 tsp (grated)

Coriander powder                                                                       1 tsp

Garam masala powder                                                              3/4 tsp

Turmeric powder                                                                          1 tsp

Cumin seeds                                                                                1 tsp

Salt                                                                                             To taste

Oil                                                                                            As required

Coriander leaves                                                                     To Garnish

Preparation

Cook the dal adding turmeric powder and salt.

Grind tomato and garlic into a fine paste.

Heat oil, add cumin seeds, when it splutters, add onion. Saute well till it turns golden brown adding grated ginger.

Add ground tomato garlic paste, salt, coriander powder, garam masala powder, mix well with onion.Add 1/2 cup water. If you wish you can add green chillies or dry red chillies.

Now add cooked dal to it and stir well and allow it to boil for few minutes.

Garnish it with coriander leaves. Actually this is a Punjabi dish :-)

Moong Dal Ka Seera

Moong Dal Ka Seera

Hi..This is a Maharashtrian dessert :-) 

Ingredients

Moong dal                                                                                       200gm

Ghee                                                                                               200gm

Sugar                                                                                              4 tbsp

Cardamom powder                                                                         2 tsp

Cashewnuts                                                                                     6-8

Boiling Milk                                                                                    2 cups

Preparation

Soak dal overnight or 4 to 5 hours and grind it to make fine paste.

In a thick kadai, add ghee and the ground dal, keep stiring on low flame till it separates from the kadai. It will be more tasty if it turns to light brown colour.

Be careful not to burn the mixture and blend well without any lumps.

When it is ready, add sugar and stir well again. Add boiling milk, stir again for few minutes. Then add cardamom powder, mix well and keep it on low flame for few more minutes till it is completely separated from the kadai. 

Remove it from the flame and add some fried cashewnuts. You can also add khoya, more nuts too.

The quantity of ghee should be equal to the quantity of Moong dal. 

Instead of milk, you can add boiling water.

Easy and Tasty Dessert :-)

My Sambar

My Sambar

Many of us know how to make sambar but i guess there are some who thinks it complicated :-P

Ingredients

Radish                                                                                                   2 (medium)

Drumstick                                                                                                  1 (big)

Broad Beans (avarakkai)                                                                            5-6

Tomato                                                                                                  1 (medium)

Toor dal (yellow lentil)                                                                              1/2 cup

Grated coconut                                                                                          1 cup

Sambar powder                                                                                    2-2 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder                                                                                        1 tsp 

Split Bengal gram (kadala paruppu)                                                           1 tsp

Asafoetida powder                                                                                    1/2 tsp

Tamarind                                                                               Size of a gooseberry

Mustard seeds                                                                                           1 tsp

Salt                                                                                                         To taste

Coconut oil                                                                                               4 tsp

Curry leaves                                                                                            A sprig

Coriander leaves                                                                                    A handful

Water                                                                                                  As required

Preparation

Peel the skin and cut the radish into lengthwise pieces and saute it in one tsp coconut oil till the raw smell goes and turns light brown colour with a good aroma. Cut the drumstick and broad beans and keep it aside.

Soak the tamarind in half cup of water for sometime.

Cook the toor dal (sambar dal) adding turmeric powder for 2-3 whistles and smash it well.

Add the vegetables, tomato (chopped), salt to the dal and cook till the veggies become tender.

Take a kadai, heat 1 tsp of oil, add Bengal gram and when it turns light brown add asafoetida powder.

Then add the grated coconut and saute it well till the water is absorbed fully and the coconut becomes dry.

Add sambar powder, saute it again for ten minutes. Add curry leaves, allow it to cool.

Grind the coconut mixture to a fine paste. 

When the vegetables are cooked well, add tamarind juice to it and allow it to boil for few minutes.

Then add the ground coconut paste, stir well and let it boil for few minutes till the raw smell goes and you experience a good aroma. 

Add curry leaves and remove it from the flame.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add it to the gravy.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Tip : I use Brahmins (brand name) Sambar powder. You can get it from department stores. I used to get it from Kerala :-) It really tastes sooooo yummy !!

Mulagu Varutha Puli

Mulagu Varutha Puli

Hi ! Its a Kerala dish, specially Palakkad :-) A very very simple one and goes well with steamed rice.

Ingredients

Tamarind                                                                              Size of a Gooseberry

Shallots                                                                                                     8-10

Green chillies                                                                                            4-5

Cumin seeds                                                                                            1 tsp

Mustard seeds                                                                                         1/2 tsp

Garlic                                                                                                    4-5 cloves

Curry leaves                                                                                           A sprig

Salt                                                                                                        To taste

Oil                                                                                                       As required

Preparation

Soak tamarind in water for sometime and keep juice ready. You can add more tamarind as per your love for sourness.

 Clean and chop the shallots.

Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds.

Add green chillies, curry leaves, chopped shallots, saute it till it turns golden brown.

When it is ready, add tamarind juice and required water and allow it to boil for sometime adding salt.

Remove it from the flame, Chop garlic, fry it and add it to the tamarind gravy.

Try this recipe..Its really yummy!  You can have it with steamed rice mixing it with curd..mmmmm.... :-p

Spinach, Drumstick and Mango Avial

 Spinach, Drumstick and Mango Avial

Ingredients

Spinach                                                                                   1 cup

Drumstick                                                                                  1

Mango                                                                           1 (small & sour)

Grated Coconut                                                                     1 cup

Green chillies                                                                            3

Cumin seeds                                                                          1 tsp

Salt                                                                                    As required

Coconut oil                                                                            1 tbsp

Curry Leaves                                                                        A sprig

Preparation

Clean and chop the spinach, cut the drumstick into pieces. Peel the skin and cut the mango into medium pieces.

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds coarsely.

Cook the drumstick and mango adding salt. When it is ready, add the spinach and cook it too. Add the ground coconut mixture and allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes.

Remove it from the stove, Add coconut oil and curry leaves !!

Mmmmmm....Nice Aroma !!!

Moru Curry

 Moru Curry

Ingredients

White Pumpkin                                                                                  2 cups
Grated Coconut                                                                                 1 cup
Curd                                                                                     2-3 tbsp (little bit sour)
Turmeric powder                                                                              1/2 tsp
Green chillies                                                                                      3-4
Cumin seeds                                                                                      1tsp
Kasoori Methi                                                                                  1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                                                 3/4 tsp
Dry Red chillies                                                                       3-4 (split into half)
Salt                                                                                               As required
Oil                                                                                               For seasoning
Curry Leaves                                                                                  A sprig

Preparation

Cut pumpkin into medium pieces, cook it adding salt and turmeric powder.

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds and curd together into a fine paste adding required water.

Dont make it too much watery because white pumpkin is watery.

When the pumpkin is ready, add the ground coconut mixture and allow it to boil for 2 minutes on low flame adding kasoori methi. Check for salt and if required, can add more.

Now take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add dry chillies and curry leaves.

Add it to the gravy and your Moru curry is ready !!  If you wish you can add turmeric powder, its optional.

Felafel

 Felafel

Hi all, I have tried a Mediterranean snack ! 

Friends! I am a new blogger and i will be very happy to get your feed backs, suggestions, comments for my recipes so that i can improve my cooking, presentation and get more encouragement and motivation. I love to try many recipes and introduce to all of you in a very simple way.

Hope you all love my recipes and thanks for visiting my blog. Let me also know when you try these recipes.                                     

  Love you all :-)

Ingredients

Chickpeas                                                                                               250 g
Garlic                                                                                                 3 (chopped)
Chilli                                                                                                   1 (chopped)
Gram Flour                                                                                            2 tbsp
Baking soda                                                                                          3/4 tsp
Cumin powder                                                                                       1 tsp
Crushed Coriander seeds                                                                     1 tsp
Parsley leaves                                                                                    A handful
Coriander leaves                                                                                A handful
Pepper powder                                                                                  As required
Salt                                                                                                      To taste
Oil                                                                                                        To Fry

Preparation

Soak chickpeas overnight.

Take a blender and grind it and make it a fine puree.

Now grind the parsley leaves, coriander leaves, chilli, garlic and 2 tbsp of chickpea mixture.

Take a bowl add first chickpea puree, second ground leaves mixture, flour, cumin powder, crushed coriander seeds, baking soda, salt and pepper.

Combine all these well and if its too hard, can add little bit water.

Mould it into small balls or shapes as per your wish. I made it in this shape :-)

Take a kadai, heat oil, deep fry the balls.  Felafel is ready :-)

Chicken Curry with Coconut

 

Chicken Curry with Coconut

Ingredients

Chicken                                                                                                  1 kg
Onion                                                                                               3 (medium)
Tomatoes                                                                                         2 (medium)
Coconut                                                                                          1/2 cup (grated)
Turmeric powder                                                                                    2 tbsp
Coriander powder                                                                                  4 tbsp
Chicken masala powder                                                                        2 tbsp
Red chilli powder                                                                                   1 tbsp
Garam masala powder                                                                          2 tsp
Ginger - Garlic paste                                                                              2 tsp
Fennel seeds                                                                                         2 tsp
Salt                                                                                                       To taste
Oil                                                                                                     As required
Curry Leaves                                                                                   A sprig or two

Preparation

Wash and drain the chicken pieces, marinate it with turmeric powder, salt and keep it aside.

Cut the onions and grind it coarsely. Slice the tomatoes, clean and cut ginger - garlic and make a paste (home made).

Take a kadai, heat oil, add fennel seeds and when it splutters, add grated coconut, saute it till it turns light brown and grind it to a fine paste.

Now take a thick kadai, heat oil, add ground onion, saute well, add ginger-garlic paste and a pinch of salt, saute well till it turns golden brown. If you wish, you can add 1 tsp cumin seeds before adding onion.

Add tomatoes, saute it till it becomes tender and all the powders one by one. Now add the chicken pieces and stir it well with the mixture. Add sufficient water and salt but not much, just for the chicken to be cooked. Close the lid and cook. Stir it frequently.

When it is ready, add the ground coconut, allow it to boil for few minutes.

Garnish it with curry leaves !! It's really yummy !!