Thursday, September 10, 2009

Potato Podimas

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 3
Onion - 1 small (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes in water ( to which a pinch of turmeric is added ).
2. Cut the onions finely. Smash the potatoes well and add the turmeric powder, mix well and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustards. Add onions & fry till transparent.
4. Add the smashed potatoes and fry well till the masala smell goes.
5. Serve hot with chapathi.

Tomato Avial

Ingredients for Tomato Avial:
Tomatoes: 1/4 kg
Green chillies: 8
Half a coconut
Oil - 1 tbsp
A few curry leaves
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Curd - 1 spoon
Bombay onion - 1
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
fenugreek powder - 1/2tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method to make Tomato Avial:
1. Clean the tomatoes and cut them into small pieces.
2. Scrape the coconut and grind it with the green chillies into a fine paste.
3. Add salt and turmeric powder to the cut tomatoes and boil.
4. Add a little oil to it and then add the sliced bombay onion and saute
5. Then add the asafoetida powder and fenugreek powder.
6. Mix the curd with the coconut paste and pour it into the tomatoes and boil.
7. If it is too thick add a little water.
8. Put a little oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
9. When it splutters pour the tomato aviyal and put the curry leaves.
10. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix well and remove from fire

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Mushroom Manchurian

Ingredients
Fresh Mushroom 200 gm
Ajinomotto 1 pinch
Ginger Garlic paste 2 tsp
Soy Sauce 1 1/2 tsp
Vinegar 1 tsp
White pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Egg One
Corn flour 2 tsp
Chopped green chillies 2 tsp
Chopped garlic 2 tsp
Oil To fry
Salt According to taste
Spring onions To garnish

Method
Marinate mushrooms with soy sauce with salt, 1 tsp chilli powder, pepper powder, ajinomotto, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger garlic paste
Keep aside for 3-4 hours.
Beat the egg, add the remaining chillipowder, salt, and corn flour (the mixture should not be too thick…so add flour carefully) and mix well.
Put the marinated mushrooms in the egg mixture and mix well until all the mushrooms are well coated.
Heat the oil in a pan (high flame), and deep fry the mushrooms. Fry them for one minute.
Heat a little oil, add the chopped green chillies and garlic for a minute and add the fried mushrooms and fry for another minute.
Garnish with chopped green part of the spring onions. Goes well with fried rice or as a teatime snack.

Mushroom Biriyani

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice- 4 cups
Mushroom - 1 to 2 lbs (16-32 oz)
Oil & ghee (melted butter)-3/4 cup
Lemon -1
Chopped Ginger - 3 tsp
Garlic - 7 cloves
Green chillies - 4
Onion - 2 (cut in lengthwise)
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp (soya sauce in India)
Tomatoes -3
Chilly powder - 1 &1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Cinnamon - 3
Cardamom - 3
Cloves-3
Salt to taste
Cilantro (coriander leaves), mint leaves (pudhina) for garnishing

Method:

Soak rice for 1 hour.
Wash and cut Mushrooms into big pieces.
Cut onions, chillies, tomatoes.
Grind cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, garlic into a paste.
In a pressure Cooker, heat the oil and ghee, fry ground masala and the onion till golden brown. To this add all other ingredients, mushrooms and stir for 10 minutes. Add 7 cups water and allow it to boil, add the soaked rice and stir when rice level and water level are the same, pressure cook (with whistle on it) in low flame for 15 minutes

Mushroom Fried Rice

Ingredients

Diced mushroom 1 cup
Diced onions 1/2 cup
Green peas 1/4 cup
Tomato 1
Chilly powder 1 spoon
Dania powder 1 spoon
Cashews 5
Coriander chopped to garnish
Cooked rice
Salt to taste
Oil as required

Method


Heat oil in tawa. Fry cashewnuts and onions. Then add mushrooms, chilly powder, salt, dania powder, green peas and tomatoes.
Add 1/4 cup of water in it. Fry till oil separates from the mixture.
Then mix cooked rice and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients
cauliflower - 1/2
jeera - 1 spoon
cloves - 2
salt
coriander - 1/2 bunch
green chillies - 2
tomato ketchup - 2 spoons
basmathi rice - 1 1/4 cup

Method
Fry cloves,jeera ,green chillies in oil.
Add cauliflower and fry till it turns brown.
Add salt and tomato ketchup.add coriander leaves.
Cook basmathi rice separately and mix the rice with the cauliflower.
Enjoy!

Cauliflower 65

Ingredients:
250 gms cauliflower floretes
1.5 tbsp plain all purpose flour
1.5 tbsp besan
1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
2 pinches of china salt ( ajinomoto)
salt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Pinch of red color
For seasoning:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion chopped
3 green chillies
Few curry leaves

Instructions:
1. Take the florettes in a bowl and add hot water mixed with 1 tsp salt for 30 mins.
2. Prepare batter by mixing besan flour, all purpose flour, salt, ginger garlic paste, chili powder, china salt, red color and make a fine batter with required quantity of water.
3. Add the floretes to this mixture.
4. Deep fry the florettes in oil.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in another pan. Season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, chopped green chilies, onions and fry for a minute.
6. Now add the fried cauliflower pieces to the seasoning mixture and mix well.

Serve hot.

Cauliflower Chilli Fry

Ingredients:
1 cup diced cauliflower
3 tsp curd
2 green chillies
4-5 curry leaves

For the batter
2 tbsp Rice flour
red chilli powder to season
salt to taste
water
oil to deep fry

Method:
Mix all ingredients to make a thick batter or paste. To this add the cauliflower and deep fry. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and lightly saute the curry leaves. Add green chillies and curd.

Finally add the cauliflower, mix well and serve.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Puli Inji

Ingredients
2" piece of ginger
2 large balls of tamarind
12 cloves of garlic
3 red chillies
3 green chillies
1/2 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds, roasted finely
1 tsp mustard seeds, for seasoning
1 tsp cumin seeds
A small piece of jaggery
Salt to taste

Method
Roast the cumin seeds lightly and powder to a fine paste with the red chillies and half the fenugreek and garlic.
Chop the ginger, green chillies and remaining garlic.
Soak the tamarind in some hot water and extract the juice.
Put in the chopped ingredients and continue boiling.
In a pan, heat 3 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds and the remaining fenugreek seeds.
When the mustard crackles, add the ground masala and fry till the masala turns color.
Put in the chopped ingredients, jaggery, salt to taste and tamarind juice.
Bring to a boil and boil till the juice is thick.
Bottle when cool.
Should keep for about a week.

Erissery

Ingredients:
green bananas or plantains, cubed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp urad dal
½ cup coconut, grated (may substitute with desiccated coconut)
1 tbsp coconut for garnishing
¼ tsp black pepper
a few curry leaves
salt to taste
1 tsp oil

Method:
Soak the cut plantains in warm water mixed with ½ a tsp of turmeric for 10 minutes.
Drain and cook the plantains with the remaining turmeric and salt.
Grind the coconut well with cumin and add to the cooked plantains.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and pop the mustard seeds.
Add the urad dal and the coconut reserved for garnish and stir till brown.
Add this mixture to the Erissery and mix in the curry leaves

Theeyal

Ingredients:

1 Cup Baby onions
5 Curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
2 tablespoons Tamarind paste
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 Pinch Asafoetida
1/2 cup Grated coconut
7 Red chillies
1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds
7 Black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
3 tablespoons Oil
Salt

Method:

* Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a small pan and saute coconut till it is light brown.
* Add 5 red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and fry till it emits an aroma.
* Add the turmeric powder. Stir-fry for 2-3 seconds.
* Keep aside to cool. Grind into a coarse powder.
* Heat 2 tbsp. oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and remaining red chillies.
* When the seeds start spluttering, add asafoetida and onions.
* Saute for 5 minutes on a medium flame.
* Add the ground masala powder and cook for a few seconds.
* Add water, tamarind extract, salt and sugar and bring to a boil.
* Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Mullu Murukku

Ingredients
Rice flour - 4 cup
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 3 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Oil as needed for frying

Method

1. Dry roast both the chana dal and small gram dal together and powder it.
2. Take one cup of this powder (you will get approx. 2 cups) and mix with the rice flour.
3. Add a little water and all other ingredients and make a smooth thick dough.
4. Take a small portion of the batter and press it through the Murukku mould in circles into a paper towel.
5. Carefully move it from the towel to your palm and very carefully drop it in the hot oil and deep fry.
6. Drain and store in an airtight container.

Onion Murukku

Ingredients:
raw rice - 3 1/2 cups
tuvar dal - 1 cup
small onions (peeled) - 1/4 cup
salt - 2 tsp
chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
hot oil - 2 ladles
oil - for deep frying

Method:
1. Powder rice and dal together in a mill.
2. Sieve it and mix with salt, red chilli powder.
3. Grind onions to smooth paste and mix with flour.
4. Pour measured hot oil and blend well.
5. Divide the flour equally into 10 parts.
6. Mix water to each portion separately just before frying to form a thick dough.
7. Using a three star disc in murukku maker, squeeze directly in hot oil to form a big murukku.
8. When crisp remove and drain excess oil in a colander.
9. Crumble when it cools and store in air-tight container.

Garlic Murukku

Ingredients:
bengal gram flour - 3 cups
rice flour - 1 1/2 cups
hot oil - 1 1/2 big ladle
oil for deep frying

Grind to smooth paste
Garlic - 2 flakes
red chillies - 6
green chillies - 5
curry leaves - 2 sprigs
salt - 1 1/2 tsp

Method
1. Sieve both kinds of flour togethere, add ground paste and mix well.
2. Pour hot oil and blend well with the flour.
3. Divide the flour equally into 6 portions.
4. Sprinkle water to each portion separately to form a thick dough just before frying.
5. Prepare small murukkus using 3 eyed disc in a murukku maker on top of a polythene sheet.
6. Deep fry few at a time in hot oil till crisp.
7. Store in air-tight containers.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Pappadam

Ingredients:

Urud dal - 1/4 kgs
Salt - As required.
pappad soda - a pinch.
pirandai - As reuired.

Method:

1. Soak urud dal for 1 hour and grind it to a fine, thick paste.
2. Grind pirandai and salt together.
3. But add pappad soda with pirandai and salt.
4. Make two small pappads. Then place one pappad over another and roll again into big pappad.

Onion Vadam

Ingredients :

Rice flour - 2 cups.
Green chillies - 4.
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
lemon - 1
Onions - 2 cups.

Method :

1. Heat some water and when it boils add rice flour and heat for 2-3 minutes with constant stirring.
2. Grind green hot chillies, lemon juice , asafoetida and salt.Add this to cooked rice flour and knead well.
3. Add equal amount of chopped onions and mix well.
4. Make this into small uniform balls and place them on a large sheet of plastic paper.
5. Dry this in the sun or place it in the oven so that they become crisp and then store in a tight container.
6. Fry the vadam in oil for serving.

Thali Vadam

Ingredients :

Par boiled rice - 200g.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Sesame or cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

Method :

1. Soak the par boiled rice for 3 - 4 hours and grind it to a thin smooth paste.
2. Keep it overnight to get sour. Add salt and cumin seeds. Add water to make the batter into a thin consistency.
3. Then make into flat shapes and place it in thali vadam stand inside a large vessel or idli cooker. After it is cooked remove.
4. Repeat this until all the flour is over. Then dry the cooked vadams in hot sun until they turn crisp.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Ulundhu Vadam

Ingredients:

Urud dal - as required.
chopped onions or chopped pumpkins - 1 cup.
Salt - as required.

Method:

1. Soak urud dal for 1 hour and grind it to a fine, thick paste. Add salt.
2. Add chopped onions or chopped pumpkins.Spread a large sheet of plastic paper on a sunny place and place small balls of this mix until the flour is over.
3. Dry for 2 - 3 days depending on the heat, until they become crisp. Store in air tight containers.

Rice Appalam

Ingredients :

Rice - 2 cups
Sago - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 8
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt - As required
Ghee - 3 tbsp

Method :

1. Grind rice and sago into a very nice powder. Grind 8 green chillies, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp asafoetida. Add 2 cups of water to the ground paste and bring it to boil.
2. Add the ground rice flour to this and cook for 1 minute. Stir well.
3. Add 3 tsp ghee and knead the flour well so that the flour becomes very soft. Make even sized balls with this flour.
4. Grease the hand with ghee and knead the ball well until it becomes very soft. Then roll it with a roller as in poori to form a thin round shape.
5. Dip the top side of the shape in dry flour everytime you roll the flour.This will help to get the round shape easily.
6. Repeat this procedure for all the balls until all the balls are over. Spread these on a sheet of paper and dry it in the sun or under the fan.

Pushnikai Vadam

Ingredients:
2 cups blackgram dal
6-8 green chillies (or to taste)
small piece of asafoetida
salt to taste
1/4kg ash gourd
little coriander leaves (optional)
1-2 sprigs curry leaves

Method:
1. Wash and soak dal for half an hour, strain all the water.
2. Add chillies, salt and asafoetida to dal and grind to a very smooth paste. Avoid adding excess water while grinding.
3. Peel the ash gourd, remove seeds and the centre portion. Grate the gourd or mince into very fine pieces.
4. To ground batter add ash gourd pieces, add curry and coriander leaves, mix thoroughly.
5. Spread a clean sheet in the sun and using a teaspoon, keep spoonful of batter on cloth leaving space between two spoonfuls.
6. Allow one side to sun dry before removing from cloth. Gently peel the vadam, reverse them, so that the other side also gets dried properly before storing.

Fry and serve