Sutta Katherika Thuvayal - Smoked Brinjal Chutney

 

As I told you in the previous post that kootu(dhal) is mostly accompanied with thuvayal(tangy chutney).There are many ways and styles of making thuvayal.I really relish this one.I made this as a part of my Sunday weekend special lunch!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1) Udad dhal - 3tblsp
2) Red chilly - 1
3) Brinjal(I used green ones ,can use purple ones too) - 2 small
4) Tomato roughly chopped - 1 big
5) Green chilly - 1
6) Pudina(mint) leaves - few
7) Curry leaves - few
8) Tamarind extract(I used store bought one,can use homemade one) - 1 1/2 tsp
9) Salt to taste
10) Hing - little
11) Sugar (optional) - 1 pinch
12) Sesame(gingely) oil - 2tblsp


Pre-heat the oven to broil.With help of a fork,poke the brinjal all over it so that it gets cooked inside.Brush very little oil on brinjal.Broil it until the skin becomes blackish brown and juices starts to come out(keep turning the sides).When done,allow it cool and rest,then remove the outer skin and keep the pulp separately.

In a pan,saute udad dhal hing and red chilly with tablespoon of oil,till they turn golden brown.Keep aside.In the same pan,saute tomatoes,pudina,curry leaves,green chillies.Cook till the tomatoes become tender.Allow everything to cool.

In a blender,blend all the above ingredients(including the brinjal pulp)coarsely with tamarind extract,salt and sugar and very little water(see to that it does not become watery).Transfer to a bowl and mix it with the remaining sesame oil.

Super thuvayal ready!!!Serve it with hot steaming rice,pour some gingely oil on it and have it with side of papad.

Easy Pushinikai Kootu (White Pumpkin Dhal)

 

Kootu,is a protein rich dhal which is very light with a combination of vegetables and moong dhal.It is one of the important and basic side dish in Tamil cooking.It takes a prominent place in Tamilnadu meals.In olden days,almost daily,it was prepared for dinner with pulip thuvayal(tangy chutney).Kootu can be made in different varieties and style.My version of kootu is very simple,easy and yummmm :))...I learned it from my MIL.Once you try it,will love it!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1) Moong dhal - 2 handfuls(say half cup)
2) Channa dhal - 1 1/2 tblsp
3) Pushinikai cut into chunks - 1 1/2 cups
4) Turmeric powder - 1tsp
5) Rasam powder - 1 tblsp
6) Green chilly(optional) - 1
7) For tempering:
Ghee - 2 tsp
Udad dhal - 1tsp
Channa dhal - 1tsp
Hing - little
Curry leaves - few
8) Water - 2cups
9) Fresh coriander leaves for garnish


In a pot,pour water and add moong dhal.Bring it to a boil,keep an eye on it once you add the moong dhal it starts to bubble and might spill,so add few drops of oil,it will reduce it from spilling.Once the dhal starts to cook,add the pumpkin,turmeric,green chilly,channa dhal and allow it cook until tender.When everything starts to combine and becomes thick,add the rasam powder.Cook for 5 mins and switch off the stove.

In a small pan,heat ghee and saute the tempering ingredients untill light brown in color.It will smell awesome!!! Add it to the kootu,garnish it with coriander leaves and close it with a lid immediately.

Hot kootu is ready!!!! Serve it with hot steaming rice with ghee, along with thuvayal or pickle.Can also be had with rotis or chapathis.

Note:You can add any combination of vegetables as per choice(I once used chow-chow,green peas and spinach).Can also add bit of coconut oil in the end,to add extra flavor.

Szechuan Fried Rice

 

The title itself gives you an idea that I am going to share a spicy recipe today.One cuisine which fascinates me is the Chinese cuisine.It has a distinctive taste which is a treat to our taste buds:-)... Unlike the ordinary fried rice,this rice has tons of flavor because we are adding spicy red paste or sauce to it which turns the rice red in color(mine looks yellow because of poor lighting and photography,sorry about that!!).It does not require much time to prepare this recipe.Try making a version of Chinese take out night at home:))

INGREDIENTS:
1) Cooked rice - 1 cup
2) Mixed vegetables julienned (I used cabbage,broccoli florets,yellow and green bell pepper,mushrooms,peas,corn kernels)- 11/2 cups
3) Spring onions or green onions julienned - 1/4th cup
4) Soy sauce - 1 tblsp
5) Tomato ketchup - 1 1/2 tsp
6) Salt to taste
7) Pepper powder to taste
8) For the red paste:
a) Red chillies - 2 to 3 or according to your taste
b) Garlic - 2 small cloves
c) Ginger - 1/4 th inch
d) Red onion - less than 1/4th cup(I used 2 very small pieces),just for the flavor
9) Oil - 3 tblsp

In a small mixer jar,blend all the ingredients for the red paste.Keep aside.

Julienne all the vegetables.

In a wok,heat about half the oil and fry the ground paste till the raw smell goes.Then,stir fry all the vegetables on high flame one by one starting with green onions,add some salt.Fry until tender.Now add the soy sauce and half of the ketchup,fry for a minute or two.Then add the cooked rice and remaining ketchup.Adjust salt and pepper.With the help of two wooden spoons mix the rice well with the vegetables,so that both incorporates well with each other.Add some oil if needed.

Hot Szechuan Rice is ready!! Enjoy..

Note: You can add any other vegetables as per your wish.Can also add vinegar along with the sauces.

Desi Style Carrot and Mushroom Soup

 

What a rich and bright vegetable carrot is!! But again it has mild and sweet flavor. I wanted to add some spice and taste to this vegetable.I thought,why not make a carrots and mushrooms soup along with a hint of Indian touch to it .Voila, it was awesome!! I liked the texture and unique taste of the soup.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Carrot sliced - 1 cup
2) Mushrooms sliced - 1/2 cup
3) Fat free milk - 1/2 cup
4) Water - 5 cups
5) Whole spice(bay leaf,clove,cinnamon) - 1 each
6) Butter - 1tblsp
7) Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
8) Red chilly powder - 1 1/2tsp
9) Turmeric powder 1/2tsp
10) Oil - 1 tblsp
11) Salt to taste
12) Pepper to taste
13) Light sour cream for garnish
14) Mint leaves for garnish

In a pan,heat oil and cook carrots and mushroom till tender along with the ground spices powder.Allow it cool.

In a blender,blend the vegetables along with milk and little water into a smooth paste.

In a pot,heat some butter and saute the whole spices till it gives nice aroma.Then,add the ground puree to the pot and fry for a minute.Pour the water,add salt and pepper.Bring it to a boil and switch off the stove.Remove the whole spices from the soup before serving.

Hot orange soup is ready!!! Garnish it with a dollop of sour cream and mint leaves. It's tastes like heaven!!! When the cream starts to melt,it gives a tangy flavor and the mint leaves also tend to release their scent into the soup....lovely:))) Enjoy it with bread sticks or simply have the soup alone.

Dosakaya Pulusu - Andhra style Sambar With Yellow Cucumber

 

I was born and brought up in Hyderabad. I love traditional Andhra recipes.I was grown up getting used to both Tamil and Telugu cuisines.My mother is a great cook and used to cook lovely food for us.One such dish is this pulusu.Today,I was having a sudden urge of having some different sambar and then the thought struck me about pulusu.Unlike Tamil sambar,this pulusu is less thick and light.To my surprise,my husband(who is from Chennai) loved it!!

INGREDIENTS:

1) Thoor dhal cooked and mashed - 1/2 cup
2) Dosakai cut into chunks and cooked(save the broth) - 1/2 cup
3) Onions cut into chunks - 1/2 cup
4) Sambar powder - 11/2 tsp
5) Coriander powder - 1tsp
6) Red chilly powder - 1tsp
7) Turmeric powder - 1tsp
8) Tamarind extract - 2tblsp or 1/4th cup
9) Curry leaves - few
10) Green chilly - 1
11) Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
12) Salt to taste
13) Sugar or jaggery - 1tsp
14) For tempering:
a)mustard seeds - 1tsp
b)cumin seeds - 1tsp
c)fenugreek seeds - few
d)hing - little
e)oil - 2tblsp

In a pot,add oil and saute the above tempering ingredients.Add onions and fry till it becomes translucent.Then,add the cooked dosakai along with its broth.Allow it to boil for a minute or two.Now,add the tamarind pulp and other spices along with curry leaves and green chilly.Bring it to a boil or wait for lovely aroma to come.This is when you add the cooked dhal to the sambar.Add salt and sugar now.See to that,the consistency of the sambar is little watery and light,not thick.Cook for 5 more mins and switch off the stove.

Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.

Yummy pulusu is ready!!! Tastes great with hot steaming rice with ghee,served with any fried curry and papad.

Note: Any vegetable can be used if you do not wish to use dosakai.But,I feel dosakai,sorakai(bottle gourd),vendakai(ladies finger or okra),gives a great taste to this sambar.Can even add tomatoes to the sambar.

Palak Paneer - My Style

 

We all know palak paneer is one of the famous gravies of northern part of India.It is an universal side dish which goes well with rice as well as any kind of Indian bread.Palak is loaded with nutrients and what better way of adding spinach into our diet!right?? Cannot forget paneer, it adds extra taste and richness to the dish!So this my version of palak panner...try it, will like it :)) Today I am adding first photo to my blog.So, please forgive me if my the picture looks bad ;))

INGREDIENTS:
1) Spinach - 10oz(1 bag)
2) Paneer cut into cubes - 1/2 cup
3) Tomatoes roughly chopped - 2 medium size
4) Onion roughly chopped - 1/2 cup
5) Coriander cumin powder - 1tblsp
6) Turmeric powder - 1tsp
7) Red chilly powder - 1tsp
8) Aamchoor powder(dry mango powder) - 1 1/2 tsp
9) Kasoori methi leaves - 2 pinches
10) Cumin seeds - 1tsp
11) Salt to taste
12) Oil - 3 tblsp
13) Sugar(optional) - 1/2 tsp
14) Cream for garnish

In a pot,bring spinach,tomatoes and onions to a boil in just enough water.Do not throw away the broth.Allow it to cool and with a use of a blender ,blend the three ingredients.Keep aside.

Meanwhile,use half of the oil and shallow fry the paneer,drain it on a kitchen towel.

In the same pan,pour the remaining oil and saute cumin seed.Add the spinach puree to the same.Add all the spices one after the other along with the broth.See to that, you add just enough broth, so that gravy does not become watery.Rub kasoori methi against your palm and then add it to the gravy, this will enhance the flavour.Add salt and sugar and bring it to a boil,it will start to give out nice aroma.Finally, add the fried paneer to the gravy and allow it to cook for 5 mins and switch off the stove.

Transfer the gravy to a serving dish and garnish it with cream.

Hot palak paneer is ready!!! Enjoy it with rotis or rice.

Yummy Paneer Tikka

Paneer tastes great raw or cooked.There are so many dishes made with paneer and panner tikka is the most popular and delicious starter.My husband and myself were bored with weekdays diet and wanted something rich and tasty weekend special!!!So came this paneer tikka:))

INGREDIENTS:
1) Paneer cut in thick squares - 1/2 cup
2) Curd - 3/4 th cup
3) Tandoori masala powder - 1tblsp
4) Red chilly powder - 1tsp
5) Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
6) Turmeric - 1tsp
7) Sour cream(optional) - 1tblsp
8) Salt to taste
9) Green bell pepper(capsicum) cut in big chunks - 1/4th cup
10) Orange,yellow or red bell pepper(optional) - 1/4th cup
11) Onions cut in big chunks
Few skewers to arrange paneer and vegetables

Mix all of the above ingredients except for the paneer and vegetables.Now take half of the mixture and marinate paneer, with the remaining mixture marinate the vegetables.leave it in the fridge covered for 2 hrs or even more (I kept it for 2 hrs).

Soak the skewers in water for few minutes before arranging.This will allow the skewers not to break.

Pre-heat the oven to Broil.

Start aligning paneer and vegetables as per your wish on the skewers. Broil the paneer for 10 mins or until it becomes golden brown. Take it out carefully and turn it to the other side and leave for 10 more mins or until the other side also gets brown.See to that the paneer is soft not hard.

Paneer tikka is ready !!! Serve it with mint chutney or just simply squeeze some lime over it.You can serve the dish with skewers,it makes a lovely presentation.

Note: The oven time varies.So keep an eye to not burn the paneer.