Black Eyed Beans Masala

This is a very easy and simple dish ready in no time. Delicious and healthy too.

Ingredients :

Black Eyed Beans - 1 cup ( to be soaked )
Garlic - 4 to 5 pods , finely chopped
Onion - 1 , finely chopped
Tamarind - 1 dime size, pulp extracted.
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 2 tbsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 to 3
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - a bunch
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
oil

Method :

Soak beans overnight or for 6 to 7 hrs. Boil or pressure cook it till soft and keep aside.

In a pan, dry roast coconut and jeera till cooked. Let it cool. Make a paste of coconut, jeera and chillies. Keep aside.

In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing(asafotida), curry leaves, turmeric powder and stir. Then add garlic, stir for few minutes and add the onions. Stir till translucent.

Add boiled beans followed by some water for desired consistency. Once it reaches the boiling stage, add ground paste, tamarind, salt and jaggery.

Mix well and cook further for 5 minutes. If required, add some more water .

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or chapatti.

Enjoy !!

TIPS:
You can try this recipe with kidney beans (rajma), chickpeas (garbanzo), green peas , etc  ..

Broccoli and Paneer in Garlic Sauce

Broccoli and paneer in garlic sauce is a Chinese inspired entree with slight modifications to satisfy Indian taste buds.Very simple and easy..You can never go wrong. A delicious dish in less than 15 mins..

Ingredients:

Broccoli - 2 cups
Paneer/ Tofu - 2 cups
onion - 1 diced
garlic - finely chopped
ginger powder - 1 tbsp
chili powder / chili sauce - 1 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 tbsp
Corn flour - 3 tbsp
water - 1 cup
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
salt - to taste

Method :

• Heat pan, add oil. When oil  is hot , add the garlic and onions and stir fry till translucent.
• Add the broccoli and paneer and stir for 2 mins.
• Add the ginger powder and chili sauce. Mix well
• Add little water and let it cook..
• Mean while, in a separate bowl, add, soya sauce, corn flour and 1 cup water and mix well.
• Add this mix to the curry and turn off flame in 3 to 5 mins or when gravy thickens..
• Enjoy with fried rice, steamed rice or rotis

Tips:
You can use Tofu insead of Paneer.

  

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala ...served with lots of richness, yummyness and loads of CALORIES !!!
Filled with Butter and CREAM for enrich taste and flavour !!!
Ingredients:
Paneer - 2 cups (diced)
Onion - 1 minced or finely chopped or pureed
Tomato - 1 large pureed
Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Kasthuri Methi Leaves - 1 pinch
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Heavy Cream -2 cups or as required
salt - as required.
butter - as required

Method:
Heat pan, add 3 to 4 tbsp oil, and when hot shallow fry them till slightly golden brown. Remove from pan and keep aside.
In the same pan, add some butter , add minced onions, fry till golden brown.
NOTE: I like small chunks of onions in my curry so I've just minced the onions. If you wan the curry to be smooth, puree the onions..
Then add ginger garlic paste, and stir for a minute.
Now add all the masala powders and stir for another minute. You may want to add a little extra chili powder than usual as adding cream finally will reduce the spiciness.
Add tomato puree and let it cook for 2 to 3 mins. Then add tomato ketchup and methi leaves. Stir well..
Add the paneer and salt . Mix well..
Add required water. Then add lots of CREAM.
Turn off flame and top with butter.
Lots of Butter &  Cream !!!
Enjoy hot !!!

Tips:
You can try the same with Tofu too ..

Potato-Ladies Finger Poriyal/ Fry

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 big (diced)
Ladies Finger - 1/2 kg (diced)
garam masala - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
green chilli- 4
Salt
Pepper
Coriender leaves- to garnish

For Potato Ladies Finger Poriyal:

• Deep fry both ladies finger and potato seperately and keep aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan, Add curry leaves, green chillies, the fried potatoes and ladies finger and add the garam masala, coriander powder, pepper and salt and mix them well.
• Garnish wiwth coriander leaves.

This would taste heavenly.... try it out.

Avial

Avial: Its a very popular dish in South India. And one of the main dishes you ll find in any south indian wedding.. The goodness of all vegetables in one dish .. is Avial !!!

Ingredients:

Cut Vegetables ( Carrots, Beans, Raw Plantain, Brinjal, Drumstick, Raw Mango)

Raw Mangoes are optional

Tamarind Juice Extract - soak 1 lime size tamarind in warm water for 10 mins and extract juice.

Shredded Coconut - 1 hand full

jeera - 1 tbsp

garlic - 2 cloves

Small onions - 2

turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp

Curry leaves - few

Green chillies - 5 to 6 small or 1 to 2 medium

Hing - 1 pinch

Seasoning:

Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Curry Leaves - few

Red chilli - 2

For Avial:

• Add all the vegetables and tamarind water in a kadai / pan and let it boil for 20 mins or till all vegetables are cooked. ( Add water till the vegetables are just soaked ).
• Meanwhile, grate the remaining ingredients - coconut, green chillies, jeera, small onion, hing, turmeric powder, curry leaves, salt and keep aside.
• Once the vegetables are cooked, add the ground paste, mix well and let it cook for 5 mins and/or till the water has drained. Its ok if little more water is left in the kadai.
• Heat oil in another pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies, fry for 2 mins and add to avial..
• Turn off flame and serve hot with Steamed Rice and any curry.

Enjoy ...

Tips:

Once the avial cools down, add some thick curd to enrich taste. Enjoy avial...

Morkhozumbu/ Buttermilk Curry

Ingredients
Buttermilk - 5 cups
Green chillies, slit - 4 to 5

Veggie - ladies finger or potato

Hing - 1 pinch

Ginger - 2 " piece

Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsps
Coconut, shredded - 2-3 tablespoons
Salt to taste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
Oil for seasoning
Water for diluting the buttermilk if needed

For Buttermilk Curry:

Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric to the buttermilk and mix well. Add water if the buttermilk is too thick. If your curd is not sour, add little lemon juice or citric acid to make to sour. Also, add salt and heat on a low flame till the buttermilk reaches room temperature. Take off from the fire and set aside.

Shallow fry the ladies finger in oil till cooked. If you are using potatoes, jusst boil them, peel skin and add. Need not fry the potatoes. Since the Ladies finger leaves out some gluten, we need to fry it first. Then keep aside..
Roast in a little oil, one by one, the coconut, the remaining turmeric,jeera, coriander, channa dhal and green chillies. Blend to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in pan, Season with mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing, veggie( ladies sfinger or potato), then add this coconut ,warm buttermilk, put it back on the stove and heat for approximately 4-5 minutes. Do not allow to boil.. Just make it warm..
Delicious when eaten with hot plain rice.
Cannot be re-heated on direct fire. Enjoy !!!

Dhal Curry/ Lentils Gravy/ Parupu ..

Very Simple and very delicious...

Ingredients:
Thoor Dhal - 1/4 cup
Moongh Dhal -3/4 cup
Small Onions/ Shallots - 4 to 5 ( chopped)
Tomato - 1/2 to 1 ( chopped)
Green chillies - 3
Garlic - 4 cloves ( chopped)
Hing - a pinch
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 3 tbsp
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander Leaves - few
Methi Leaves - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds ( Jeers) - 1 tbsp
Whole Pepper - 1 tbsp
Shredded coconut - hand full
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Oil
Salt

For Dhal Curry:

• In a Pressure cooker, add the washed dhal, hing, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, jeera, pepper, tomatoes, methi leaves with 2 to 3 cups water and cook till done. Smash the dhal once done.
• In a kadai, add oil, mustard, curry leaves, onions, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, water and let it cook. add the dhal and water as required. add salt.
• Garnish with coriander leaves, curry leaves and shredded coconut.

Would be ready in no time ...
Serve hot with Steamed Rice and Ghee.

Enjoy your dhal treat with Ghee !!!

Tips:

1. Adding salt to the dhal in the pressure cooker, will not allow the dhal to get cooked. So add salt only after the dhal is fully cooked.
2. You can add sambar powder instead of chilli powder and coriander powder to alter the taste.

Yummy ....Palak Paneer

Ingredients:
Paneer - 250 gms
Palak Leaves - 2 bunches. wash and chop
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Ginger 1" piece
Tomato - 1 medium
Onion - 1 large
Garlic - 3 chopped
Kasoori Methi - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fresh Cream - 2 tsp optional

For Palak Paneer:

• Wash palak in water and chop finely.
• Add the palak to a vessel with 1/2 cup water along with ginger and chillies to it and cook on low flame till all the moisture is evaporated.
• Cool, and grind in to a fine paste, keep aside.
• Now grind tomato and onion together.
• Take a pan put oil, add garlic chopped and then tomato-onion paste, fry nicely, till the raw
  smell disappears.
• Then add the palak and stir add salt to taste and some Kasoori methi also. Cook for a while.
• Meanwhile, cut paneer in small cubes and shallow fry in oil.
• Just before serving mix paneer in the palak gravy.
• Optional to add Fresh creme...
  

Low Cal Palak Paneer

Ingredients:
Spinach, cleaned, shredded - 2 bunches
Paneer - 100 grams
Garlic, crushed - 3 to 4 cloves
Ginger grated - lil ( equal to the amount of garlic taken)
Green chillies finely crushed - 3
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp
Wheat flour - 1/2 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Cinnamon clove powder - 3-4 pinches
asafetida powder - 3-4 pinches ( hing)
garam masala powder - 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste

For Low Cal Palak Paneer:

• Wash and drain spinach. Boil in minimal water till soft.
• Drain and cool the spinach, then grind with flour, ginger, garlic, chillies in a mixer.
• Heat a heavy or nonstick pan, add seeds. When roasted add asafetida and ground spinach.
• Add all other ingredients, except paneer and lemon juice.
• Stir, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Add paneer and lemon juice, stir gently. Simmer further for 2 minutes.

Pour into serving dish. Serve hot with phulkas/chapathis/nan/etc, or steamed rice.

Note: Most other veggies may be similarly cooked by using the oil-less tempering
method as used above.

Tips: You can try the same with Tofu as well..

Enjoy you Low Cal Palak Paneer....

Spicy Chennai Rasam

Ingredients:

Tamarind - lime size

Tomato - 1 chopped

Hing -1 pinch

Garlic - 6 to 7 cloves slit ( not chopped)

Jeera - 2 tbsp

Pepper - 1 tbsp

Dry Red Chillies - 4 to 5

Rasam powder-2 to 3 tsp

Lots and lots of Coriander Leaves ( Cilantro...)

Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-a few

Salt ( to taste)

water - 3 cups

For Rasam Powder:

Thur dal-1 tbsp

Channa dal-1/2 tsp

Coriander seeds-1/2 tsp

Pepper-1/4 tsp

Jeera - 1/2 tbsp

Red chillies-3

Shredded Coconut-1 tbsp ( optional )

Coriander leaves- few

Roast all the above in a tbsp of oil/ghee till golden brown and grind it all to make fine rasam powder.

For Rasam:

• Soak tamarind in warm water. Let it soak for 10 mins. When the tamarind is nicely soaked, extract tamarind juice and remove the tamarind from the tamarind extract.
• To tamarind extract, add tomato, salt, hing and boil it for 10 minutes.
• Add the ground rasam powder and water and continue boiling for 15 minutes.
• Turn off the heat.

For the seasoning,

• In a pan, add oil/ ghee, hing, mustard, curry leaves, jeera, red chillies, whole pepper, garlic pieces, few coriander leaves ( gives a nice flavor when you season coriander leaves in oil/ghee) and add to rasam.
• Mix with rice and ghee and serve with any curry/pappad/ pickle.

Enjoy your spicy chennai rasam...

Paneer Masala

One of my favourite dishes ...Paneer ..mmm. Anything and every dish with paneer is delicious..

Here's what u'll need for Paneer Butter Masala:

Ingredients:
Paneer - 100 grams
Tomatoes - 1
Onion - 1
Garlic - 6 to 7
Green chillies - 3 to 4
Chili Powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander Leaves
Spices ~ Cardamon, Cloves, Cinnamon
cashew nut - 4 to 5
Curry Leaves
Coriander Leaves
Salt
Oil/ Butter

For Paneer Masala:

• Place Pan on flame, add Oil, Add Spices, Curry Leaves, chopped garlic, Green chillies, cashew nuts and fry to 2 mins
• Add Chopped Onions - fry till golden brown. Then add tomatoes and let it cook.
• Once the tomatoes are cooked, add all the masala's. Chili powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder, Garam masala - 1 pinch and 1/2 cup water.
• Let it cook and till the water has reduced a lil.
• Turn off the heat and lil it cool. Then blend it in the mixer to make a fine paste.
• Mean while, shallow fry the paneer cubes in oil till slightly brown.
• Add lil butter to pan and transfer the paste to the pan and add water based on the consistency you want.
• Add the fried paneer to the curry and let it cook for 5 to 10 mins. Garnish with Coriander Leaves and turn off flame.

Serve hot with Rice or Chapati/Nan/Pulkha/etc...
Tips:
Frying the paneer before adding to curry is optional. Actually, in those days, when there was no refrigerator, people used to fry the paneer in order to make the paneer last for longer. Nowadays people follow the same. Its not necessary to fry it unless you like to have a different texture on your paneer . Try both ways and see the difference..
I added cashew nuts for a richer and creamy paste. If you avoid cashew if you want.
Enjoy Paneer Butter Masala...