Rava (Semolina) Kesari/ Sheera

   Rava Kesari is another sweet which can be made quickly and easily at home. This sweet is commonly made for several festive occasions and there are several versions of this recipe across India with slight variations. You can increase the quantity of the nuts and reduce the amount of sugar and ghee to appeal to the health conscious folks.

Ingredients: 

1 cup of rava (Semolina)
1 cup of milk
1 1/4 cup of sugar
handful of cashew nuts
10 raisins
3/4 cup of ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 tsp of cardamom powder


Preparation:


1.Add a tbsp of ghee to heavy bottomed vessel and add nuts and raisins. Roast them till they turn golden brown. Be cautious with the raisins and remove before it turns dark.

2.Transfer them to a plate and add the rava to the ghee. Roast them slightly till nice aroma comes.
3.Add boiled milk (warm milk) and 1 cup of warm water to the rava and keep stirring so that there is no lumps. The addition of milk softens the rava and it melts in the mouth.

4.The amount of ghee can be varied from half cup to 3/4th of a cup. Add the ghee and cook in low flame and keep stirring
5.Add the sugar and allow them to dissolve.

5.Transfer the nuts and cardamom powder.  Mix them well. Kesari is ready.

*If needed add kesari (saffron) powder.

Vazhakkai varuval/ Raw banana roast/ plantain roast

  Vazhakkai varuval is my hubby's favorite and the charm works really well all the time. Though he was brought up in Mumbai, he loves all the South Indian dishes and this recipe is definitely one of them.

Ingredients:

2 raw bananas/ plantain
1 medium chopped red onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 tomato
1-2 dried red chilly
1 teaspoon of red chilly powder(per spice level)
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1/8 tsp of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon of mustard
1/4 tsp of Bengal gram dhal
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required

Preparation:


1.Peel the skin and cut the raw banana in to small circles. Cut the garlic in to halves. Heat the oil in the pan. Once the oil is heated, add mustard, dried red chilly and Bengal gram dhal. 

2.As the mustard sputters, add onion and garlic. Fry till the onion turns golden brown.

3.Add turmeric, red chilly powder and salt, saute for a minute. Now you can add the raw banana and mix well.  Add half cup of water and close the lid.

4.Cook for 10 minutes. Do it in the shallow pan so that the raw banana are roasted. Now add the chopped tomatoes and garam masala. Close the lid.

5.Once the tomatoes are wilted and raw banana is cooked. Allow the raw banana to roast and then curry is ready. 

Bitter gourd fry/ fritters/ pavakkai fry

   My friend's mom shared this recipe a few weeks ago. The bitter taste of karela is reduced as we deep fry the vegetable and the crispiness leaves you craving for more. This is definitely one of the easy and simple recipes. This can be a used as a snack or as a side dish for rice varieties.

Ingredients:

1 Bitter gourd
oil for deep frying
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1 tbsp of besan/ gram flour/chick pea flour
1/2 tbsp of rice flour
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Slice the bitter gourd into 1/2 inch circles.  Add besan, rice flour, red chilli powder and salt to the bitter gourd.

2. Add a tsp of oil and mix well. Preheat the oil in the heavy bottomed vessel ,add the pieces to the pan. Deep fry both the sides till it turns golden brown.

3.Transfer to the plate. Serve with tomato ketchup.

Ridge gourd curry/ peerkangai kootu

   Ridge gourd (peerkangai/Turai) is a very tender vegetable.The rough skin could be deceiving, but I have tried recipes of the skin as well which I will post in my next posts. In this recipe, I have tried to make with moong dhal.

 

Ingredients:  
 

2 Ridge Gourd
1/2 cup of yellow moong dhal
1-2 tbsp of grated coconut
pinch of turmeric

3 dry red Chillies

1/4 tsp of mustard seeds

1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
pinch of asafoedita 

1 tbsp of oil
salt as required

Preparation:

1.Peel the outer dark green skin of ridge gourd. Cut the inner pulp into smaller pieces.

2.Cook the moong dhal with 2 cups of water and asafoetida. Then heat oil in the skillet and add mustard and cumin seeds. As the seeds sputter, add the red chillies, salt,turmeric and the ridge gourd. 

3.Saute well and add little water. As the vegetable is cooked add the cooked dhal and coconut.

 

4.Just cook for five more minutes. Peerkangai kootu is ready. Serve with rice and little ghee.

 

 

Tomato rice

  I have received a few emails from friends (especially those who are working long and busy hours) saying that they would like to see some recipes that can be done quickly. This recipe is fairly easy to make with some basic ingredients. 

Serves up to 2 people
Preparation time:30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup of Basmati rice
1 cup of crushed tomatoes (available as cans at local grocery stores)*
2 green chillies
1 handful of green peas
1/2 tbsp of red chilly powder
1/2-1 tsp of garam masala powder
1/2 tbsp of ginger paste
1 tbsp of ghee
coriander leaves for garnish
salt as required


Preparation:

1. Cook the rice with 2 cups of water. Allow the rice to cool.
2. Add ghee to the pan, then green chillies and ginger. Saute well and add the crushed tomatoes. Saute well till the tomatoes starts to thicken.

 

3.Add red chilly powder, garam masala, green peas and salt to the pan. Saute well till the peas are cooked.As the raw smell disappears and the paste becomes like thokku, switch off the flame.

4.Add the rice and saute gently. Close the lid. Let it steam for 5 minutes.

5.Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with papad/ chips.

*crushed tomatoes can be replaced by fresh tomatoes ground to paste.

Chettinadu korma

    The main dishes in a south Indian cuisine are sambhar and rasam.  so I wanted to make something different. Then the thought of making korma occurred to me. My mom used to make this recipe with fresh karamani. I tried the same recipe with the vegetables.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Serves up to 3-4 people

Ingredients:

1 potato
2 Indian eggplants/ Brinjals
2 carrots
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
salt as required


For grinding:

3 tbsp of grated coconut
1 tsp of cumin seeds
6 dried red chillies
1 tbsp of coriander seeds


Preparation:

1.Chop the vegetables in to small squares and cook the vegetables (brinjal, potatoes, carrots)  with a pinch of turmeric and salt required for the vegetables.
2.Grind the ingredients together mentioned in the grinding section together in to a paste. Heat butter in the pan, add bay leaf and fennel seeds. Saute for a minute then add chopped onions and crushed garlic. 
3.Saute for 5 minutes, then add the ground mixture. Saute till the raw smell disappears. Add the chopped tomatoes and pinch of turmeric and salt. 
4.Keep sauteing till the tomatoes are wilted. Add the cooked vegetables and close the lid for 15 minutes. Then add the coriander leaves and cook for 5 more minutes. 
5.Korma is ready and serve with rice/ roti.

Paruppu Podi

              Paruppu podi can be tried with little ghee and rice . This podi can be stored and used as a back up when you want to take a break from the kitchen. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of chutney dhal
1 cup of Bengal gram dhal
1 cup of urad dhal
4 red chillies
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp of oil
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Heat oil in the pan, roast the ingredients one by one, Bengal gram dhal, urad dhal and red chillies till they turn golden brown.
2.Allow them to cool and grind them together till they are 85% done. Then add chutney dhal, asafoetida and salt and grind them. 
3.Paruppu podi is ready. Serve with rice.

Coriander chutney

           Coriander chutney is popularly known as green chutney made in Southern style. But this is the way my mom makes for Idly.

Preparation time:10 minutes
Serves up to 3 people

Ingredients:
 
1 bunch of coriander leaves
1/4 cup of urad dhal
2 tbsp of coriander seeds
5 red chillies
1 tbsp of grated coconut*
2 tsp of oil
1/4 tsp of mustard
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Heat a tsp of oil, add urad dhal, coriander seeds and red chillies. Roast till they turn golden brown. Allow them to cool. 
2.Grind urad dhal, coriander seeds, red chillies along with coriander leaves, coconut and salt in to a paste.
3.Heat oil in the pan and add mustard. As the mustard sputters, transfer to  the chutney.
*optional

Groundnut podi

      Groundnut podi is really tasty and delicious. Try with little ghee/ sesame oil.

Ingredients:                              

1 cup of groundnuts/ peanuts
5 red chillies(~spice level)
4 cloves of garlic
salt as required



Preparation:

1.Dry roast peanuts and red chillies till they turn brown in medium flame. Transfer to a plate and allow them to cool.
2.Grind them along with garlic and salt. Groundnut podi is ready. Serve with rice, idly/ dosai.

Avarai kai porial/ Broad beans curry

   As a kid, I always hated avarai kai and beetroot. But when I found fresh avarai kai in the Indian store, I was really tempted to make avarai kai porial due to nostalgia. When I cooked this vegetable with toor dhal, it brings out good flavor and fine taste to avarai. 

Serves up to 2-3 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

300 grams of Avarai kai/ Broad beans 
1 small onion
1 tbsp of grated ginger
1 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tbsp of coriander powder
2 tbsp of cooked toor dhal
5 curry leaves
1/2 tbsp of oil
salt as required

Seasoning:

1/4 tsp of mustard
1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of Bengal gram dhal

Preparation:

1.Pressure cook toor dhal separately with water. As the dhal is cooking, heat oil in the pan and add the seasoning. 
2.As the mustard sputters, add chopped onions. Saute for 2 minutes and chop avarai like beans. Add avarai to the pan and saute well for 5 minutes.
3.Then add the spices(turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder and salt). Add 1/2 cup of water and close the lid. Allow it to cook well. 
4.Add the ginger, cooked dhal and curry leaves and saute for 5 more minutes. Avarai porial is ready, serve with rice.

Pesarattu/ Moong dhal dosai

Pesarattu is very popular tiffin in Andhra Pradesh. This dish is made with moong dhal without rice. Pesarattu is served with ginger chutney and upma(optional).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of whole green moong dhal
3 green chillies
1 tbsp of grated ginger
2  tbsp of  cumin seeds
oil as required 
salt as required


Preparation:
1. Soak moong dhal in water over night. Grind moong dhal with green chillies and ginger in to a smooth paste. Add water and salt to make a dosai batter consistency. Set aside for half an hour.
2.Heat the tawa and pour one ladle of batter on the tawa. Using the base of the ladle make a thin consistent layer on the tawa.
3.Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds on the batter and pour 1 tsp of oil. Allow the batter to turn golden brown and turn to the other side. Pesarattu is ready in 2 minutes. Serve with sambhar/ ginger chutney.

Stuffed Brinjal(Eggplant)/ Ennai kathrika

     Ennai kathrika is a really delicious dish which I made as a dry curry. This can be made tangy and gravy with tamarind water. But I wanted to flavor with peanuts, poppy seeds and garlic. Definitely they beat the blandness and give some unique taste.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 45 minutes


Ingredients:

10 small eggplant (Indian brinjal)
1 tbsp of poppy seeds
1 tsp of sesame seeds
1 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of red chilly powder(~spice level)
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
4 dried red chillies
8 fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp of grated coconut
2 tbsp of roasted peanut powder*
1 tsp of garam masala
4 cloves of garlic
oil as required
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Dry roast coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, fenugreek, coconut and garlic one by one till they turn golden brown. Allow it to cool on a plate and grind them along with salt  in to coarse powder. Mix them with roasted peanut powder.

2.Slit crosswise in the bottom of eggplant and stuff them with the ground powder. 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.
3.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. This is definitely a yummy dish - try with rice.
*Dry roast peanuts and powder them.

Chow chow kootu/ vegetable pear curry/ chayote dhal

  Chayote is lightly cooked to retain the crisp flavor. Raw chayote can be added to salads or salsas. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of amino acids and vitamin C. This kootu is enriched with coconut and spices.

Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 chow chow
1 small onion 
4 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of toor dhal
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp of urad dhal
1/2 tsp of mustard
1 dried  red chilly
1 sprig of curry leaves 


Grinding:

3 green chillies
2 tbsp of grated coconut
1 tbsp of cumin seeds


Preparation:

1.Pressure cook toor dhal with 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 2 cups of water. Grind the ingredients mentioned under grinding in to a coarse paste.
2. Chop the chow chow in to half inch cubes. Heat the oil in the skillet and add the seasoning. Once the mustard sputters, add chopped onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes. 
3.Add the chopped chow chow and saute well for 5 minutes. Add the remaining turmeric, cumin powder, coarse paste, salt and cooked toor dhal.
4.Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes. Once the vegetable is cooked, chow chow kootu is ready. Serve with rice.

Chinese Broccoli saag/ keerai masiyal

     Keerai masiyal is my mom's recipe. She makes with arai keerai/ siru keerai available in South India. I wanted to relish the masiyal with the available greens in US. Chinese broccoli is a close substitute for siru keerai. This greens has low Sodium and cholesterol.

Serves up to 4 people

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Chinese broccoli

1 fistful of baby spinach

3/4 cup of toor dhal

1 tomato

3-4 green chillies

cherry-sized tamarind

3 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp of turmeric

1/2 tbsp of oil

1 tsp of ghee

salt as required

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp of mustard

1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

pinch of asafoetida

Preparation:

1.Pressure cook the toor dhal with turmeric and 2  1/2 cups of water. Chop the leaves of chinese broccoli and baby spinach.

2.Add the greens to the cooked dhal along with salt, chopped tomatoes, slit green chillies, garlic, tamarind and salt. Pressure cook them for 1 whitle.

3. Allow it to cool. Take the top layer containing the greens and pulse them 2 or 3 times. Mix well with the dhal.

4.Heat oil and ghee in the pan and add the seasoning. As the mustard crackles, add the chopped onion and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

5.Add them to the keerai/saag. Chinese broccoli keerai is ready and serve them with rice.

More kuzhambu/ Okra yogurt curry

More kuzhambu is a popular vegetable stew based on buttermilk. This dish is very popular in my household (and also at both my parents and in-laws). The thick and creamy texture makes it a great compliment to any meal.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

300 grams of Okra(Ladies-finger) 
1 cup of yogurt beaten
1 dry red chilly
1 tbsp of rice flour
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required


Grinding:

2 tbsp of grated coconut
pinch of turmeric
1 tsp of coriander
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 inch of ginger
1 tbsp of yogurt
5 curry leaves
2 green chillies


Seasoning:

1/2 tsp of mustard
1 red chilly
5 curry leaves
1 tsp of oil
pinch of asafoetida


Preparation:

1.Heat oil in the pan, add  okra, turmeric, salt and red chilly. Saute for 5 minutes and sprinkle some water.  Add the rice flour and saute well. Close the lid till the okra is cooked.
2.While the okra is cooking, dry roast cumin and coriander till they turn golden brown. Grind them together with the items mentioned in grinding together in to a paste. 
3.Add the ground mix to the okra and yogurt. Cook in simmer flame, bring it to boil.
4.Heat oil in the pan, add the seasoning and transfer to the kuzhambu. Serve with rice.

Coconut chuney

   Coconut chutney is a very good side dish for lot of tiffin items. It is a really delicious chutney and definitely mildly spiced compared to other chutneys.

Serves up to 2 people
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

For grinding:

1 cup of grated coconut
2 tbsp of roasted gram
3-4  green chillies
blueberry sized tamarind
1/4 inch of ginger
salt as required


Seasoning:

1/4 tsp of mustard
1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
curry leaves (optional)
1 red chilly
1 tsp of oil

Preparation:

1.Grind the ingredients with required amount of water mentioned in grinding together in to a coarse paste.
2.Heat oil in the pan and add the seasoning. As the mustard sputters, transfer the seasoning to the chutney.
3.Serve with idly, dosai / ven pongal.

Roasted potato & Jackfruit seeds (pala kottai)

   Jackfruit is available in several countries in Asia, and its not easily available in its fresh form in the USA (although that has been changing recently). However, it is available in the frozen aisles of several grocery stores. This Jackfruit seeds can be cooked in a variety of ways.

Serves up to 4 people
Preparation time: 40 minutes 

Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes cubed
10 Jackfruit seeds
1 tbsp of grated ginger
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder
1/2 tsp of crushed black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp of mustard
1/2 tsp of Bengal gram dhal
pinch of asafoetida 
1 sprig of curry leaves

Preparation:

1.Pressure cook the jackfruit seeds and peel the outer skin. Since jackfruit is not in season I used the frozen jackfruit  seeds. Cut them in to four longitudinally.
2.Do not peel the skin of potatoes and cut them in to small cubes. Heat oil in the pan and add the seasoning. As the mustard sputters, add ginger and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes.
3.Add the potatoes to the pan, saute well. Add turmeric, chilly powder, cumin powder and salt and saute well till the potatoes are covered with spices.
4.Close with lid and allow the potatoes to cook in medium flame. Stir occasionally. When the potatoes is cooked 90%, add the jackfruit seeds and crushed pepper. Saute till it turns golden brown. 
5.Potato jackfruit seeds curry is ready. Serve with rice and sambhar. 

Yogurt Rice/ Thayir sadam

    Thayir sadam is a very popular dish and everyone makes it in a unique way. This is my mother-in-law's version. I remember she made this really tasty yogurt rice when we were going on a trip to Mahabaleshwar. My mom makes it with green chillies and ginger. In a way, I am lucky that I get to taste and experiment both the versions and relish it!

Serves up to 2 people
Preparation time:15 minutes 


Ingredients:


1 cup of rice
3/4 cup of yogurt
1/4  cup of milk
2 moar milagai/ dahi mirchi
6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp of mustard
1/2 tsp of urad dhal
1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp of oil
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Pressure cook the rice with 3 cups of water.Allow the rice to cool.
2.Heat oil in the pan and add the mustard, urad dhal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and broken moar milagai.
3.As the milagai turns brown, transfer the seasoning to the rice.Add the yogurt, milk and salt to the rice and mix well.
4.Yummy yogurt rice is ready. Serve with pickle.