Tomato chutney/ thakkali thokku/ Spicy tomato dip

    Thakkali (Tomato) thokku  is a spicy chutney which will definitely hit it off with Idly. This is the side dish my mom used to make for overnight train travel and so has a nostalgic feeling to me. This chutney can survive hot climate for a long time just like achaar (pickle) without any additional refrigeration.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:


3 large tomato
2 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp of sesame oil
salt as required


For seasoning:

1/2 tsp of mustard

Preparation:

1. Chop the tomatoes and add the other ingredients(except oil and the seasoning) together and grind them in to a paste.
2.Heat oil in the pan and add the tomato paste.Saute well till the tomato paste starts to thicken. Switch off the flame.

3.Fry the mustard in oil and  add to the tomato chutney. Serve this spicy chutney with any tiffin varieties.

Cauliflower dry curry/ Gobhi masala/ Gobhi fry

   Gobhi masala is very simple recipe..can be made with ingredients readily available at home. This recipe goes well with roti or can be tried as a side dish for dhal and rice.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:


1 medium sized cauliflower
1 large onion                             
1 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of garam masala
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste 
1 green chilly

salt as required


Seasoning:


1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 inch of cinnamon


Preparation:

1.Cut the cauliflower in to small florets. Heat oil in the skillet and add the seasoning. 
2.As the nice aroma from the fennel comes, add the chopped onion and saute for a minute. Then add ginger-garlic paste, green chilly and saute till the raw smell disappears.
3.Add the spices( turmeric, red chilly powder and salt) to the skillet. Close with the lid and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some water in between and stir.
4.Add the chopped coriander leaves and garam masala, then close the lid. Add some oil to roast the vegetable. Check whether the cauliflower is cooked. 
5.Gobhi masala is ready. Serve with rice/ roti and a cup of yogurt.

Beans channa dhal curry/Beans kadalai paruppu porial

   Fresh beans has 90% of B vitamins (like vitamins B6 and B2). When the beans is cooked with channa dhal and coconut, the taste is decadent!

Serves up to 4 people
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

500 grams of beans
1/2 cup of channa dhal/ Bengal gram dhal
1 chopped onion 
1/2 tbsp of ginger paste

1/2 tsp of red chilly powder
1/2 tsp of sambhar powder 
1/4 tsp of cumin powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1/4 tsp of mustard
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida
6 curry leaves
1-2 tbsp of grated coconut
1 1/2 tbsp of oil
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Cut the beans in to small pieces. Cook the Bengal gram dhal separately. Heat oil in the pan and add the mustard, asafoetida, cumin seeds and curry leaves. 
2.As the cumin sputters, add onion and saute for a minute, then add ginger. Saute till the onion becomes translucent.
3.Add the beans to the pan and saute well for 5 minutes. Add the spices (turmeric, sambhar powder and chilly powder) and salt to the pan and close the lid. Add water and stir occasionally.
4.Once the beans are 80% done add the Bengal gram dhal, cumin powder and close the lid. Check if the beans is cooked. Add the coconut to the beans curry and saute well for 2 minutes. Serve with rice/ roti.

Eggplant Capsicum curry/ kathrika porial/ Eggplant Green bell pepper curry

I made this curry with the combination of brinjal and capsicum. The taste is relishing..

Ingredients:

1 red onion

4 medium sized Indian eggplants

1 green bell pepper

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 tbsp of sambhar podi

1 tbsp of urad dhal powder*
1  tbsp of oil

salt as required

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of mustard
3 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of curry leaves

 

 Preparation:


1.Heat oil in the saucepan, add the seasoning (mustard and cumin seeds). As the mustard sputters, add slit garlic and chopped onion. Saute for 2 minutes.
2.Cut the eggplant and capsicum along the lengths. Add to the pan, then add sambhar podi,   turmeric and salt, saute well and close the lid. Add some water and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. 

3. Dry roast urad dhal till they turn golden brown and powder them a little coarsely.

4. Add 1 tbsp of powdered urad dhal to the saucepan and mix well. Close the lid for 5 more minutes. Kathrika porial is ready. Serve with rice.

 

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.

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.

Mattar paneer masala/ Peas paneer masala

   Mattar Paneer Masala is a very popular North Indian food. This curry is prepared with vine ripened tomatoes and  green peas. The paneer cheese cubes are added for stir frying.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

150 grams of paneer
1 fistful of sweet peas
1 tsp of red chilly powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of garam masala (MTR brand)
250 grams of crushed tomatoes can/ 3 large tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp of butter
salt as required

Grinding:

10 cashew nuts
1 inch of ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2 green chillies

Preparation:

1.Cut the paneer in to small cubes. Grind cashews, ginger, garlic and green chilly together in to a paste. 
2.In a skillet, add butter. Once the butter is melted, add the ground paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Now add the crushed tomatoes and cook in high flame. Stir well for 15 minutes. 
3.Add the spices (turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala) to the skillet. Saute for 5 minutes. 
4.Add the peas and paneer and cook in low flame. Bring it to boil. Serve with roti/ naan.

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.