Verukadalai/Peanut Sundal-Navarathri Delight

 

As navaratri is just around the corner,I thought I would share this very simple sundal recipe.I remember,when we were young,we used to eagerly wait for the navarathi holidays..we would be excited to go to friends and families house for vethala pakku and sundal collection :))..It was really fun!!!These nine days brings out the festive mood in all of us,especially the bommai kolu which is the highlight.There used to be prizes for best kolu in the block.Well,I think I am boring,enough with my stories:0..Wish you all a very happy navarathri!!! Hope you all like my recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

1)Peanuts - 1 1/2 cups
2)Grated carrot - 1/4th cup
3)Grated raw mango - 1/4th cup
4)Grated green chillies - 2 to 3
5)Lemon juice - 2tblsp
6)Salt to taste
7)Coriander leaves for garnish

Pressure cook peanuts along with salt.Keep aside

Once the peanuts are cooled down a bit,take a mixing bowl,add all of the above ingredients and mix them well.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tasty sundal is ready!!!

Note:Sundal provides good source of protein,it can be made more interesting by turning it into a salad by adding some lettuce,tomatoes and chat powder to it.You can substitute with any type of pulses like chickpeas,dried green peas,black eyed peas etc..

Spicy Fajita Quesadilla

 

I love to try various types of cuisine's.One such interesting and delicious cuisine is the Mexican cuisine.I think we can relate this cuisine very much to our Indian cuisine as they share a lot of similarities when it comes to flavor and taste.This dish is generally served as an appetizer and especially kids love the cheese quesadilla's,well who does not:))?? I thought,I would add some colorful stir-fried vegetables along with the cheese to make it more healthy and enjoyable...It turned out to be a very good recipe,so I am sharing this recipe:))...

INGREDIENTS:
1)Flavored/plain corn tortilla(I used jalapeno and cilantro tortilla) - 3
2)Hot salsa(I used store bought can use fresh too) - 3 tblsp
3)Julienned color peppers - 1/2 cup
4)Julienned onions - 1/2 cup
5)Salt to taste
6)Pepper powder to taste
7)Grated mexican blend cheese - 1/2 cup
8)Finely chopped black olives - 3 tblsp
9)Finely chopped pickled jalapenos - 2 1/2 tblsp
10)Oil - 2 tblsp

Mix salsa,jalapenos and black olives in a bowl.Keep aside.

In a saute pan,pour oil.Once the oil is heated,add the onions and peppers.Stir fry on high flame till partly cooked,there should be crispness in them.Add salt and pepper.Switch off the stove and allow it to cool down a bit.

In a tava,heat a tortilla on both sides on low flame.Then,take the tortilla out,fill one end of it with salsa,stir-fry veggies and top it with cheese.Fold it from the other end.Heat the pan again,place the folded stuffed tortilla carefully and cook(by pressing)on both sides till the cheese melts and the edges are joint,just like a grilled cheese sandwich.Remove tortilla from the pan and allow it to cool a bit.Cut it into pieces.

Yummy quesadilla's are ready!! Serve it with ketchup or salsa....

Eggplant(Katherikai) With Tomato and Fenugreek leaves(Methi) Curry

 

Yes,again an eggplant recipe :))..As told earlier,poriyal forms the first part of south Indian meals.So,I try to make curries in different ways to bring out the best in them.One such very interesting combination is brinjal with tomato and methi leaves.This curry I learned from my mother.I should say,it might be one of the authentic recipes prepared in our house from my grandmother's time.I just love it!!!Other day I invited my very close friend and her mother for lunch,they liked it very much...Thought I would share this recipe with you all:))...

INGREDIENTS:
1)Brinjal sliced thinly lenghtwise - 2 cups
2)Tomatoes chopped - 2 medium
3)Finely chopped methi leaves - 3/4th cup
4)Green chillies chopped - 2
5)Coriander leaves chopped - little
6)For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Hing - little
Udad dhall - 1tsp
Oil - 2 tblsp
7)Tumeric powder - 1/2 tsp
8)Red chilly powder - to taste
9)Salt to taste
10)Besan(chick pea flour) - 1 tblsp

Keep all the chopped vegetables ready.

In a big pan,heat oil.When heated,add each tempering ingredient and saute for a minute.Then,add brinjal and saute for a minute or two(add little bit of oil,if you feel it is dry).Now,add chopped tomatoes to the same and fry on medium flames till both brinjal and tomatoes are half cooked.Next,add chopped methi leaves.Saute for 3 to 4 minutes,lovely aroma will start to fill the air!!Then,add salt,turmeric powder,red chilly powder.Mix everything really well.Close it with a lid and cook till brinjal becomes tender.Now,add the chopped green chillies,coriander leaves and mix everything carefully.Finally,mix besan with little bit of water,to form a thick paste and pour it over the curry and mix well.Cook for 2 more minutes.This will add a wonderful flavor to the curry...The curry will be a bit mushy and not dry..

Hot eggplant curry is ready!!! Serve it with hot steaming ghee rice and papad...

Vegetable Kati Roll/Frankie

 

I simply love Indian street food,who does not,right???...One such food is the vegtable frankie/kati roll.The other day I was so excited to know they were selling these rolls in bay area and the same day I happened to taste this yummy paneer roll,thanks to my sweet husband:-)..who got it for me..It tasted awesome!!!That was last week's wish!! Again this week I wanted to have the same roll;))... I wanted to make the same by adding my own spices...Voila!! the result was really really tasty rolls,it was worth the effort..And as always,I wanted to share it with everyone..So,here goes the recipe..


INGREDIENTS:

I divided the kati roll making into four segments.Lets see the ingredients accordingly.

1st Segment ingredients: Green chutney

1)Coriander leaves roughly chopped - 3/4 cup
2)Green chillies - to taste
3)Ginger pieces - 2 small
4)Black salt - a pinch
5)Salt - to taste
6)Tamarind pulp - 1 1/4th tsp
7)Aaamchoor powder(dry mango) - 1/4th tsp
8)Sugar(optional) - a pinch

2nd segment ingredients: Marination

1)Thinly sliced(lenghtwise)onions - 1/2 cup
2)Thinly sliced(lenghtwise)bell pepper - 1/4th cup
3)Salt - to taste
4)Chat powder - 1/4th tsp
5)Hot sauce or pepper powder - 1/2tsp
6)Sugar(optional) - a pinch

3rd segment ingredients: Stuffing

1)Boiled and mashed potatoes - 1 cup
2)Paneer grated - 3/4th cup
3)Oil - 2tblsp
4)Turmeric powder - 1/4th tsp
5)Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
6)Dry mango powder - 1/2tsp
7)Kasoori methi(dry fenugreek leaves) crushed - 1/4th tsp
8)Coriander cumin powder - 1tsp
9)Anar dhana(pomegranate seeds)powder - 1/2tsp
10)Chat masala powder - 1/4th tsp
11)Tamarind pulp - 1/2tsp
12)Hing - little
13)Salt to taste
14)Coriander leaves chopped - 1/2 cup

4th segment - Dough making

1)Maida(all purpose flour) - little more than 1 cup
2)Atta(whole wheat flour) - 3/4th cup
3)Salt to taste
4)Oil - 1 1/2 tblsp
5) Water - to make the dough


I had very little homemade paneer,so had to add potatoes,you can as well make only paneer stuffing,with same above mentioned stuffing ingredients.One little tip,do not throw away the water which is left behind when you make panner,it will come in handy when you make dough for roti or parata..it will make them very soft.

First,make the dough and keep aside.It should be same as any roti or chapathi dough.

Next step,make a chutney with the above mentioned chutney ingredients.Do not add more water,it should in the form of spreadable paste.

Third step,keep the thinly sliced vegetables ready.Add,the above mentioned marinating ingredients and keep aside.Water will start to come out,drain it carefully.

Now comes the stuffing part,mix all the above mentioned stuffing ingredients(except oil) in a big bowl.Heat a pan,add oil.Add the potato mixture,saute for about 5 minutes till all the ingredients are mixed and cooked well.Switch off and allow it to cool down.

Next,start making the roti's.Just like our normal rotis,roll it and cook on a tava.Add,little oil and cook on both sides.Using a pulka stand,allow the rotis to puff up a bit,this will give some dark brown burnt marks and tastes really good.

Finally,comes the assembling part.Take a roti,apply green chutney in the middle.Over it,arrange the marinated vegetables.Take the potato mixture and try to make a cylindrical shape,it will be easy to roll when it is in this shape.Place it over the vegetables.You can sprinkle some lemon juice if needed.That's it,roll it from one end to the other,wrap with a foil.It is a fun and fancy way to serve it!!

Yummy kati roll is ready!!Serve it with some more green chutney..Enjoy

Rava Whole Moong Dhal Kichidi

 

I have always wondered how such simple kichidi is so much full of flavor!!!This dish,as we all know is a one pot dish and it is made with rice-moong dhall combination.It makes life much easier as it can be prepared in no time,especially when you are tired after a busy day.It is soo comforting!!!To make this yummy dish more interesting,I replaced the rice with some leftover idly rava which was sitting in my pantry for a while.To my surprise,it tasted exactly the same and I felt it was a good substitute for rice.Try it once,it might be a hit in your house too:))..

INGREDIENTS:
1) Idly rava - 1 1/2 cup
2) Whole green moong dhal - 3/4 th cup
3) Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4) For tempering:
Ghee - 1 1/2 tblsp
Hing - little
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
5) Green chilly - 1 to 2
6) Water - 4 glasses
7) Ginger gratings - 3/4 th tsp
8) Salt to taste

Wash rava and moong dhal.Drain it and keep aside.

Heat a pressure pan and add ghee to the the same.When ghee is heated,add one by one of the tempering ingredients and saute each for not more than a minute.Add the washed rava and moong dhal to the pan and saute it for a minute or two,till it is well coated with ghee.Next,add turmeric powder,salt,ginger and green chillies.Now,pour the water.Adjust salt if needed.Close the lid and cook till kichidi becomes mushy(I allowed like 6 whistles in my cooker).

Hot kichidi is ready!!! Garnish with some more ghee if wanted.Serve it with kadi or plain yogurt.Enjoy..