Saturday, April 17, 2010

RAWJACK CURRY

Ingredients:
Tender Raw Jack – ¼ kg
Salt – as required
Oil – for frying
For seasoning:
Mustard – ¼ tsp.
Urad dhal – 1 tsp.
Red chilies – 2
Curry leaves – few
Pound together:
Grated fresh coconut – 11/2 Tbl.sps.
Green chilies – 3
Method of preparation:
Cut raw jack into big pieces.
Cook in water with salt, turmeric powder for 10 to 15 min.
Drain water completely.
Allow it to come to room temperature and crush it in maxi.
Heat oil, add seasonings and then crushed raw jack.
Fry well for few minutes.
Add pound mixture with salt and fry for another minute.
Remove from fire and serve as a dry curry with rice.

TOMATO PERUGU PATCHADI

Ingredients:
Ripe red tomatoes – ¼ kg
Finely chopped onions – 1 ½ Tbl.sps.
Green chilies – 2
Chopped coriander leaves – 1 Tbl.sp.
Salt – as required
Grated fresh coconut – 2 tsps.
Oil – 1 Tbl.sp.
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp.
Fresh thick curds – ¾ cup.
Method of preparation:
Wash and chop tomatoes into very fine pieces.
Fry with little oil till it becomes pulpy and moisture is absorbed.
Allow to cool, Mix with chopped onions, grated fresh coconut, coriander leaves.
Heat little oil, add mustard and then sliced chilies.
Add to the tomato pulp.
Mix fresh whipped curds just before serving.

TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 1 kg
Onions – 2 (Medium sized)
Fresh ginger – 1 ½ inch piece
Carrot – 1 (Chopped finely)
Beet root – Small piece
Salt and pepper powder – as required
Sugar – as per taste.
Method of preparation:
Dice onions and tomatoes into big pieces.
Peel and chop ginger.
Take all the chopped vegetables in a vessel and pout enough water to cover the pieces.
Cook in medium flame till tomatoes become just tender (or) Pressure cook till one whistle.
Cool down thoroughly and discard beetroot piece.
Blend in mixie and then strain through broad eyed strainer to remove seeds and skin
If necessary dilute it with water and reheat with salt and sugar.
Just before serving sprinkle pepper powder.
Serve hot in soup bowls with fried bread croutons.

Note: Never allow the soup to over boil. Heat till boiling point only in medium flame stirring in between. If any soup is over boiled it looses its taste and also its important vitamins and minerals.
Variation: Above mentioned soup can be done without carrots and beetroot. For best results select ripe red tomatoes which are sweet in nature. Discard any green portions while chopping tomatoes. If tomatoes are sour little more sugar can be added. When serving this soup for guests and children top with little fresh butter.
Orange and Tomato Soup: Omit carrot and beetroot in the above recipe. Peel one or two sweet oranges and add it when the tomatoes are three fourth cooked. Follow the same procedure.

DRUMSTICK SOUP

Ingredients:
Drumsticks – 3 (Cut into big pieces)
Onion – 1
Garlic – 1 flake (Crushed)
Green gram dhal – 1 ½ Tbl.sps.
Tomato – 1 small
Coarsely crushed cumin and pepper – 1 tsp
Salt and sugar – as required
For white sauce:
Milk – ½ cup
Corn flour – 1 Tbl.sp.
Method of preparation:
Steam drumsticks in pressure cooker till it is cooked.
Scoop out the pulp using a spoon.
Chop onion and tomatoes into small pieces.
Cook dhal with crushed garlic, onion and tomato in pressure cooker. (Tie cumin and pepper in a muslin and put it in the dhal while cooking).
Cool down after cooking and discard the spice bag.
Blend it along with drumstick pulp in mixie.
Strain or pass through a sieve and dilute with water.
Make white sauce with corn flour and milk, cool down.
Mix it with cold soup, dilute with water and then reheat the soup with enough salt and sugar.
Serve hot with soup sticks

Thursday, April 15, 2010

CARROT SPICY CURRY

Ingredients:
Finely chopped onions – 3 Tbl.sps.
Carrot – ¼ kg
Oil – for frying
Red chilies – 2
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Salt – as required
Garlic chillipowder – ½ tsp.
Red onion chutney – ½ tsp.
Dhal powder – 1 Tbl.sp.
(Parappu powder)

Method of preparation:
Scrape and dice carrot into small pieces. Steam cook in pressure cooker.
Heat oil in a frying pan, add mustard, broken redchillies and then onions.
Fry till it turns golden.
Add cooked vegetable and fry for few minutes.
Add all the powders, chutney and mix well till it blends.
Serve with plain white rice.

Other suggested vegetables:
Beetroot, cabbage, beans – cooked or steamed.
Kovaikai – Chop lengthwise into four, pressure cook in tamarind extract with salt and turmeric. Strained and then fry as mentioned above.
Combination of 1 or 2 vegetables can also be used.

STUFFED LADY FINGURE

Ingredients:
Ladies finger – ½ kg (Tender ones)
Onion large – 3
Green chilies – 8 to 10
Salt – as required
Oil – for frying
Method of preparation:
Wash and cut ends from ladies finger.
Using a sharp knife make a long slit in the centre and carefully take seeds from inside.
Mince onions, green chilies and the seeds (which is taken away from ladies finger) into very fine pieces.
Fry them in oil till raw smell is lost.
Mix salt and stuff inside ladies finger.
Take a non stick flat pan and arrange stuffed pieces in it with oil.
Cook in reduced flame, with a lid on top turning gently in-between.
When vegetable becomes soft remove from fire and serve with rice.

LADIES FINGURE SOFT CURRY

Ingredients:
Small onions – 12 to 15 (Peeled)
Ladies finger – ¼ kg
Salt – as required
Red chilly powder – ¾ tsp.
Oil – for frying
Fresh thick curds – 1 Tbl.sp.
Method of preparation:
Cut ladies finger into ¾ inch pieces.
Heat oil in a deep curved pan and fry onions and vegetables pieces together for few minutes.
Add curds, salt, chili powder along with ¼ cup of water.
Close with lid and reduce flame. Stir in between.
Cook till moisture is completely absorbed and dry.

LADIES FINGURE CHILLY CURRY

Ingredients:
Ladies finger – 1/2kg.
Oil – for frying
Salt – as required
Pound Coarsely:
Onion – 1 big (chopped)
Greenchillies – 4 or 5
Method of Preparation:
Cut ladies finger into 1 ½ inch pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the pieces till half cooked.
Add pound mixture and fry till ladies finger becomes dark in colors.
Sprinkle salt at the end, mix well and remove from fire.
Note: Sprinkle little whipped curds while frying ladies finger to prevent stickyness of the vegetable.

LADIES FINGURE SINDHI MASALA

Ingredients:
Ladies finger – ¼ kg
Thin tamarind extract – 2 Tbls.sps.
Salt, jaggery – as required
Red chilly powder – ¾ tsp
Oil – for frying
Method of preparation:
Wash and cut ladies finger into ½ inch round pieces.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the pieces for few minutes.
Add tamarind extract, salt, jaggery, chilly powder and cook till pieces becomes soft and mixture becomes dry.

PULUSU KOORA

Ingredients:
Ladies finger – ¼ kg
Thin tamarind extract – 2 Tbls.sps.
Salt, jaggery – as required
Red chilly powder – ¾ tsp
Oil – for frying
Method of preparation:
Wash and cut ladies finger into ½ inch round pieces.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the pieces for few minutes.
Add tamarind extract, salt, jaggery, chilly powder and cook till pieces becomes soft and mixture becomes dry.

TOMATO RASAM

Ingredients:
Full ripe tomatoes – ½ kg
Tamarind – little
Ghee – for frying
Curry leaves, coriander leaves – little
Salt & jaggery – as required
Pound together coarsely:
Green chilies – 3 or 4
Small onions (peeled) – few
Garlic flakes – 3
Coriander seeds – 1 ½ tsp.
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp.
Cinnamon – ½ inch piece
Method of preparation:
Chop tomatoes into big pieces.
Add just enough water to cover the pieces.
Add tamarind and boil till tomatoes become just soft. (Till outer skin peels easily).
Allow to cool. Grind to smooth paste and strain remove seeds and skin etc.
Dilute if necessary, add salt, jaggery.
Fry pound ingredients in ghee and add to tomato juice.
Boil for 1 or 2 minutes.
Garnish with coriander and curry leaves.
Heat little ghee, add asafetida powder and mix with rasam.
If you want to serve this rasam as appetizer strain it just before serving.

CUCUMBER AND GREEN GRAM SALAD

Ingredients:
Thin tender cucumber – 3 or 4
Green gram dhal – 1 ½ Tbl.sps.
Lemon – 1
Fried curd chillies – 3 or 4 (Preserved)
Grated fresh coconut – 1 Tbl.sp. (Heaped)
Finely chopped coriander leaves – 1 Tbl.sp.
Salt – as required
Oil, mustard seeds – for seasoning
Method of Preparation:
Scrape outer skin, check for bitterness and then slice the cucumber into thin rounds.
Shred the rounds again into thin 1 ½ inch long even pieces.
Cook dhal in water till it splits, drain off excess water.
Mix cucumber, dhal, salt, coriander leaves, grated coconut, and crushed chilies in a bowl.
Squeeze lemon, fry mustard seeds in a tea spoon of oil and add to the salad.
Serve within 10 min.
Note: Normally this is mixed just before serving, cucumber leaves out its moisture when salt is added.
Variations:
Use sprouted green gram (raw) instead of cooked dhal.
Grate carrots and mix with sprouted salad.
Raw cabbage shredded finely can be mixed with dhal to make salad.
Use green chilies instead of fried curd chilies.

TOMATO PERUGU PATCHADI

Ingredients:
Ripe red tomatoes – ¼ kg
Finely chopped onions – 1 ½ Tbl.sps.
Green chilies – 2
Chopped coriander leaves – 1 Tbl.sp.
Salt – as required
Grated fresh coconut – 2 tsps.
Oil – 1 Tbl.sp.
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp.
Fresh thick curds – ¾ cup.
Method of preparation:
Wash and chop tomatoes into very fine pieces.
Fry with little oil till it becomes pulpy and moisture is absorbed.
Allow to cool, Mix with chopped onions, grated fresh coconut, coriander leaves.
Heat little oil, add mustard and then sliced chilies.
Add to the tomato pulp.
Mix fresh whipped curds just before serving.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Spinach Chutney

Ingredients:
spinach - 2
cupscoriander leaves - 1/2
cuponion - 1/2
cupchillies - 5
redchana dal - 1 tsp
coriander seeds - 1 tsp
1/4 tea spn tamarind extract
1/2 tea spn mustard seeds
1/2 tea spn urad dal
A pinch asafoetidaOilSalt
Method:
1. Heat oil and add chana dal, coriander seeds, onion, 4 red chillies.
2.Fry till onions are translucent.3.Grind it with spinach leaves, coriander leaves, tamarind extract, salt. If required, add very little water.Heat oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal. When mustard starts popping, add asafoetida, 1 red chilli cut into small pieces. Pour this over chutney.Serve with dosas or idlis.

Capsicum Porial

Ingredients:
Capsicum – ¼ Kg
Salt – as required
Oil – for frying
Grind together:
Grated fresh coconut – 2 Tbl.sps
Cashew nuts – 8
Green chilies – 2
Poppy seeds – 2 tsps.
Grind above ingredients to smooth paste with minimum water possible. Add salt at the end and grind once.
Method of preparation:
Wash and dice capsicum into 1 inch squares.
Heat 2 to 3 Tbl.sps of oil and fry capsicum till it becomes soft.
Strain excess oil and then add ground paste.
Fry till moisture is absorbed and mixture becomes dry.
Serve as a side curry to cooked rice.

Fruit n Nut

Ingredients:
Milk/Dark Chocolate- 250grms
Roasted Cashew (Chopped)- 1 Cup
Raisins- ½ Cup
Method:
1. Melt the chocolate bar. (Either through Double Boiling or using the Microwave).
2. Outline the moulds with the melted chocolate.
3. Fill with Cashew & Raisins.
4. After doing this, fill the moulds with the chocolate up to the level and tap the mould slightly.
5. Place the mould in the Refrigerator for 45 mins.
6. Now demould and wrap it with foils.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Beetroot Soup

Ingredients:

Beetroot – 1 (medium sized)
Big Onion – ½
Carrot – 1
Potato – 1 small
Cumin seed – a pinch
Garlic – 1 flake (crushed)
Salt and pepper powder – as required
Sugar – 1 ½ tsp
Coriander leaves – 1 tsp
Worcestershire sauce – ½ tsp
Capsico sauce – ¼ tsp

Method of preparation:
Dice all the vegetables into ½ inch cubes.
Heat little butter in a pressure pan and fry crushed garlic and then onion, with a pinch of cumin seed.
After a minute or two add all the other vegetables and fry one or two minutes.
Pour two cps of water and pressure cook in reduced flame till one whistle.
Cool down and then blend it in a mixies.
Strain through a sieve and dilute it with another 3 cups of water.
Reheat in reduced flame with salt and sugar.
Just before serving mix pepper powder, copped coriander leaves and sauces to the soup.
Serve hot with small salt biscuits.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Potato Sag

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 1/2 kg
Curds - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - lime sized
Oil - 3 Tbs
Green Chillies - 2
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - as required
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Method:
Boil potatoes and peel the skin, mash two potatoes alone. Dice other potatoes. Heat oil in a fring pan, add eera when it splutters add split chillies, turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala in the oil fr for a minute, add curds mix well add potatoes and tamarind pulp. Fry well till oil separates.

Navarathna Kurma

Ingredients:
Paneer - 100 gms
Mixed diced vegetables - 2 cups (Carrots,Beans,Peas,Potatoes,Cauliflower)
Tomatoes - 3
Onions - 2
Ginger,Garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Dhania powder - 2 tsps
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Cream - 2 tsps
Ghee - 3 tsps
Salt - to taste
Tutti fruty,Kismiss,Cashews,Tinned pine apple pieces (diced into small pieces) -1/2 cup
Method of Preparation:
Cut paneer into small pieces, deep fry and keep aside. Grate onions, put tomatoes in hot water, then peel and mash. Heat ghee in a pan fry onions and then ginger, garlic paste. Fry in a low flame till the ghee separates from it. Add mashed tomatoes, trmeric powder, dhania powder, chilli powder, garam masala, salt etc. then add boiled vegetable pieces. Let it boil for some time. When the gravy is thickened add milk & cream. Boil for a minute add paneer pieces and dry fruits before removing from fire. Fry cashewnuts in little ghee and add it. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Dhariwala

Ingredients:
Potatos-1/4kg
Peas(Shelled)-1/2 kg
Tomatoes: 3 medium sized
To make paste:
Coriander leaves - 1 medium bunch
Onions big - 2
Garlic - 7 flakes
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
For seasoning:
Ghee or Oil - 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Method:
1. Cook Peas and potatos.
2.Remove the skin and crumble it coursely.
3.Boil water in the pan. Put the whole tomatoes in it and keep aside it for few minutes.
4.Peel the outerskin and grind tomatoes to smooth paste.
5.Grind the masala using very little water or without water.
6.Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan,season with cumin seeds and fry the ground masala in medium flame,till the ghee separates from it. Add the tomato puree and bring it to a boil.
7.Add crumbled potatos and peas. Pour enough water and boil for few minutes.
8. Remove from fire, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with puris or chappaathis.
Variation:
Whole green gram and any leafy vegetable can be sustituted in place of peas and potatoes. Soak green gram 6 to 7 hours before, cook along with keerai(Greens) and do as per recipe. Omit coriander leaves if keerai is used.
Ingredients:Potatos-1/4kgPeas(Shelled)-1/2 kgTomatoes: 3 medium sizedTo make paste:Coriander leaves - 1 medium bunchOnions big - 2Garlic - 7 flakesTurmeric powder - 1/4 tspRed chilly powder - 1 1/2 tspsalt - to tasteSugar - 1/2 tspGaram masala powder - 1/4 tspFor seasoning:Ghee or Oil - 2 tspCumin Seeds - 1/4 tspMethod:1. Cook Peas and potatos.2.Remove the skin and crumble it coursely.3.Boil water in the pan. Put the whole tomatoes in it and keep aside it for few minutes.4.Peel the outerskin and grind tomatoes to smooth paste.5.Grind the masala using very little water or without water.6.Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan,season with cumin seeds and fry the ground masala in medium flame,till the ghee separates from it. Add the tomato puree and bring it to a boil.7.Add crumbled potatos and peas. Pour enough water and boil for few minutes.8. Remove from fire, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with puris or chappaathis.Variation:Whole green gram and any leafy vegetable can be sustituted in place of peas and potatoes. Soak green gram 6 to 7 hours before, cook along with keerai(Greens) and do as per recipe. Omit coriander leaves if keerai is used.