Potato Kurma/ Korma

  Kurma is a recipe which is made in different styles across India. One of the big difference between the styles is the addition of coconut (South Indian) or heavy cream/ poppy seeds gravy (North Indian). Also the flavors are dictated by the ingredients easily available in the region. Korma is fairly popular in the Indian restaurants in the United States as well. In this version, I have used just potatoes as the vegetable, but you can vary the vegetables like carrots, peppers, french beans, broccoli etc. as per your taste.

Serves up to 4 people
Preparation time:45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 boiled potatoes
1 chopped large onion
2 chopped tomatoes 
1/2 tbsp of ginger
1 chopped clove of garlic
1 pinch of turmeric 
1 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tbsp of  chopped coriander
1 tbsp of oil/ ghee
salt as required

For grinding:

2 tbsp of chopped mint leaves    

5 pieces of badam
1 clove
1 inch of cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tbsp of grated coconut

For seasoning:

1 tsp of aniseed


Preparation:

1.Peel the skin of the potatoes and cut in to small pieces.
2.Grind the ingredients mentioned in grinding together in to a smooth paste.

3.Heat oil in the saucepan, add the seasoning. As the nice aroma comes, add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for a minutes and add the tomatoes. Saute for 2 minutes.

4.Now add the spices (turmeric,red chilly powder, coriander powder and salt). Saute them and then add the ground paste. Keep stirring till the raw smell disappears.

5.Add the potatoes and a cup of water. Close the lid and cook in low flame. 

6.Cook till the gravy starts to thicken and the flavor sets in the potatoes. Potato korma is ready. Add coriander as garnish. Serve with  roti/ paratha.

Roasted vegetable curry/kathrika murungakai varuval/porial

 The blend of eggplants and drumsticks makes a nice combination both in texture and flavor. The jack fruit seeds used in this recipe is usually available in frozen section of Indian grocery stores. This curry is very popular in South Indian weddings. As a variation, you can also add grated coconut at the end.  

Ingredients:

1 large chopped onion
1 chopped tomato

2 Indian eggplants

1 small drumstick
1 potato
5 Jackfruit seeds

1/4 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of red chilly powder

1 tbsp of coriander powder*
1  tbsp of oil

salt as required

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp of mustard
2 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of curry leaves

 

 Preparation:


1.Peel the potato skin. Cut the eggplant and potato along the lengths. Pressure cook the vegetables together with turmeric and salt. Peel the skin of the Jackfruit seeds and cut in to halves.
2.Heat oil in the saucepan, add the seasoning mustard and curry leaves. As the mustard sputters, add slit garlic and chopped onion. Saute for a minute. Then add the tomatoes and saute them.
3.Add the spices red chilly powder, coriander powder and little salt to the pan. Now add the cooked vegetables and saute well till they are roasted. 

4.As the mixed vegetable curry is ready, serve with rice and dhal.

Moong dhal Pakora

  Pakoras are usually served as snacks or appetizer. Moong dhal pakora is a very prominent evening snack in Indian cuisine (across all regions) served with chutney and tea. During cold weather or rainy season people long for pakoras and are great for parties as well.

Serves up to 4 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:

1 cup of green moong dhal
1 tbsp of besan
3 green chilies
1 inch grated ginger
2 tbsp of cashew nuts
1 large red onion 
1/2 teaspoon ajwain
Handful of spinach
2 tbsp of chopped coriander
Salt as required
Oil for frying

Preparation:

  
1.Soak moong dhal in water for 4 hours. Filter the water and grind the dhal little coarsely with salt. Add the finely chopped onion, spinach, green chillies, coriander leaves and cashew nuts to the ground mixture. Add 1 tsp of ajwain and ginger, for flavor and digestion. 

2. Then add the besan and mix well.

3.Make a small golf-sized ball and put in the preheated oil. 

4.Fry in medium flame and once the ball turns golden  brown, pakora is ready.

5.Serve with chuney/ tomato ketchup and of course tea or masala chai .

Stuffed Eggplant/ Guthi Vankaya Kura/ Stuffed Brinjal

  Guthi vankaya is an Andhra (a state in India) delicacy and it available in several restaurants in the United States as well. The flavors from the spices get nicely marinated in the eggplant and leaves a lingering taste and a craving for more. For my friends who do not like eggplant, you can substitute the eggplants with other vegetables like bitter gourd (Karela), Tindora etc.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 45 minutes


Ingredients:

10 small eggplant (Indian brinjal)
1 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder(~spice level)
1 tsp of garam masala
2 finely chopped onions
2 finely chopped tomatoes
oil as required
salt as required

Dry powder:

1 tbsp of poppy seeds
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
2 tbsp of groundnut
2 tbsp of cashew nuts



Preparation:

1.Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and poppy seeds together till they turn golden brown. Allow it to cool on a plate.

2.Dry roast cashew and groundnuts together till they turn golden brown and transfer to a plate. Grind them along with salt  in to a coarse powder. 

3.Mix them with red chilly powder and garam masala.

 

4.Slit crosswise in the bottom of eggplant and stuff them with the ground powder as required. Add 2 tbsp of oil to the pan, add the stuffed brinjal to the pan. Sprinkle the red chilly powder, garam masala and remaining ground powder on the top of the eggplant. 

5.Close the lid for 10 minutes and then turn the eggplants to the other side and allow them to cook. Add 1-2 tbsp of oil and allow the eggplants to get roasted and cooked.

6.In a separate pan, add 2 teaspoons of oil and add onion, saute till the onion becomes translucent. Add the the tomatoes, turmeric,1/2 tsp of red chilly powder and salt. Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy.

7.Transfer the onion and tomato paste to the brinjal and close the lid and allow them to cook in low flame.

8.Once the eggplants are cooked, stuffed brinjal is ready. Serve with dhal and rice.

Coriander Chutney/ Cilantro Chutney

 Coriander chutney is made in several ways across India. In south India it is used as an acompaniment for idly or dosai. In western India (a slight variation of this recipe), it is used for vada pav, chat items and other snacks. The fresh smell of the cilantro leaves gives a unique flavor to this dish which is relished by many across the globe. 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: 
                                

1 bunch of coriander leaves

1 cup of coconut pieces

1 tbsp of urad dhal
1 tbsp of Bengal gram dhal

4 green chillies

cherry-sized tamarind

1 tsp of oil

salt as required 

Seasoning: 

1/2 tsp of mustard

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in the pan and add urad dhal and Bengal gram dhal. Saute in medium flame till it turns golden brown.Transfer to a plate and allow them to cool. Clean the coriander leaves and discard the stem.
 2.Grind the coconut, urad dhal, Bengal gram dhal, green chillies, tamarind, salt with very little water in to a coarse paste and thick consistency. Add the coriander leaves then grind them in to a smooth paste.

3.Add oil to the preheated pan, add the seasoning. Once the mustard sputters, add it to the coriander chutney.

Capsicum poricha kootu/ Capsicum kootu

     Capsicum lowers the blood pressure by breaking down cholesterol buildup. Kootu is good blend of vegetables and protein as it has higher lentil content than typical sambhar.

Serves up to 4 people
Preparation time:35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 green bell pepper/ capsicum
1 chopped onion 
1 tsp of sambhar powder
1/2 cup of toor dhal
1/2 cup of bengal gram dhal 
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1/4 tsp of mustard
pinch of asafoetida
1/4 tsp of urad dhal 
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required


For grinding:


1 tsp of black pepper     
1 red chillies
1 tsp of cumin seeds 


Preparation:

1.Pressure cook toor dhal and Bengal gram dhal with 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 3 cups of water.
2.Grind the cumin seeds, black pepper and red chilly in to a coarse powder.
3. Heat oil in the pan and add mustard, urad dhal and asafoetida. As the mustard crackles, add onion and capsicum. Saute for 2 minutes.
4.Add sambhar powder and salt. Close the lid. Capsicum cooks very fast. So once the vegetable is soft, add the cooked dhal and ground powder. Stir well.
5.Cook for another 5 minutes. Capsicum poricha kootu is ready. Serve with rice and ghee.

Ginger chutney/ Inji thogaiyal

   Ginger is one of the key ingredients in Indian cooking. It has several medicinal values - mainly aids in digestion and has a prominent place in Ayurvedic medicine.  In this recipe, I have made a chutney which can be used as a side for idly as well as rice.

  

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp of chopped ginger

2 coconut pieces

1/2 cup of urad dhal 
2 red dried chillies

raisin sized tamarind
pinch of asafoetida

1 tsp of oil

salt as required 

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in the pan and add urad dhal. Saute in medium flame, till it turns golden brown.Transfer to a plate and allow them to cool.

2.Grind the coconut, urad dhal, red chillies, tamarind, salt and ginger with very little water in to a little coarse paste and thick consistency.
3.Ginger chutney is ready. Serve with rice and little ghee/ sesame oil.

Snake gourd curry/puttu/podalangai porial

  Podalangai (snake gourd) is a tropical vine with a strikingly long fruit. The vegetable has a distinct mild flavor and can be made in several dishes. This is one of the common recipes of this vegetable in South Indian cuisine.

Serves up to 2 persons
Preparation time:15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 snake gourd
2 tbsp of coarsely powdered roasted gram
5 pearl onions
2 red chillies
pinch of turmeric 
1/2 tsp of sambhar powder
1/4 tsp of mustard
1/4 tsp of urad dhal
8 curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required


Preparation:

1. Chop the snake gourd and onion in to small pieces.

2.In the preheated pan, add oil.  Once the oil is heated, add mustard and urad dhal, saute for a minute. Add curry leaves, as the mustard sputters add chopped onion. Saute for another minute.

2. Once the onion turns golden brown add the snake gourd, dried red chillies and salt. Saute well, then add the turmeric and sambhar powder along with 1/4 cup of water.

3.Close the lid. As the water evaporates, add roasted gram and 1 tsp of oil. Saute for 5 minutes in low flame.

4.Snake gourd puttu is ready.

Poori

  Pooris are kids all time favorite tiffin. This is definitely very tasty and really tempting tiffin for everyone. Since it is deep fried, it can make us feel full just with a couple of pooris.

Ingredients:

3 cups of wheat flour
1 cup of water 
1 tbsp  of oil
oil for deep frying
salt as required

Preparation: 

1.1.Mix the wheat flour, salt , 1 tbsp of oil and add water. Knead well enough to make a dough. Keep aside for 20 minutes.
2. Make golf-ball sized balls out of the dough. Roll it out. 

3.Heat oil in the kadai, fry the rolled dough on both sides. Press gently with flat ladle on one side so that poori starts to fluff. Turn to the other side till it golden brown.

 

4.Serve with a side dish like dum-aloo, gravy or pickle. 

Aloo paratha

        Stuffed parathas are delicious as it is. There is no extra effort needed to make a side dish as paratha goes well with raitha/ pickle.

Ingredients:

3 cups of wheat flour
1 cup of water 
1 tbsp  of oil
salt as required

Filling:


3 boiled potatoes
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 tbsp of cumin powder
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1 tsp of chaat masala
handful of coriander leaves
Oil as required
salt as required 


Preparation:

1.Mix the wheat flour, salt, oil and add water. Knead well enough to make a dough. Keep aside for half an hour.

2.Peel the potato skin and mash them. Add  onion, finely chopped coriander leaves, red chilli powder, chaat masala, cumin powder and salt to the mashed potatoes. Mix well and the filling is ready. Make small balls of the filling.

3. Make lime sized balls out of the dough, add the filling to it. Roll it out.

4. In a pan put little oil, fry the paratha on both the sides till it turns golden brown. Serve hot fluffed aloo paratha with raitha or pickle.

                             

kathrikai puthina curry/Minty Eggplant curry/Pudina baigan subzi

   I tried this recipe with Thai eggplant which are round green eggplant. It takes long time to cook as they are firm but do not overcook the vegetable as it will become mushy. 

Serves up to 2-3 people
Preparation time:35 minutes

Ingredients:

500 grams of green brinjal/ eggplant
pinch of turmeric
1 chopped onion
3 green chillies
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch of ginger
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of poppy seeds 
1 tbsp of toasted cashew nuts 

handful of coriander leaves
handful of mint leaves
1 tbsp of butter
oil as required
salt as required

Preparation:

1. Add 1 tsp of oil to the pan, then add onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds and poppy seeds. Saute for 3 minutes. As the nice aroma comes, add the coriander and mint leaves. Saute for a minute and allow them to cool.

2.Grind the above ingredients along with cashew nuts and salt. Cut the brinjal in to 4 pieces. Cook them separately with turmeric and salt along with 1/4 cup of water.

3.Once the vegetable is cooked, add the ground paste. Add the butter and cook in low flame for 15 minutes. Close the lid. Serve with jeera rice/ roti.

   

Vegetable Pulav/ Vegetable pulao

   This is my favorite recipe..and my hubby compliments it almost every time I make it. If you have all the right ingredients, this dish can come out well.

Serves up to 2 people
Preparation time:30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup of Basmati rice
1 tbsp of ginger and garlic paste 
2 green chillies
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped potato
1 chopped onion
 handful of green peas
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 inch of cinnamon stick
2 cloves 
1 piece of cardamom
1 bayleaf
pinch of turmeric
1/2 tbsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of coriander/ dhania powder
handful of coriander leaves
handful of mint leaves
1 tbsp of ghee
salt as required

Preparation:

1. Add 1 tsp of ghee to the pan, then add the fennel seeds, 1 inch of cinnamon stick, cloves ,cardamom and bay leaf.

2. As the nice aroma comes add the onion, green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.

3.Add the carrot, potato and onion to the pan and saute well.

 4.Add the mint and coriander leaves and saute with the vegetables. Add the turmeric, red chilly powder ,dhania powder and salt. Transfer the ingredients to the rice. Add 1 and 3/4 cups of water and pressure cook for one whistle.

 5. Serve with raitha and papad !