Parotta Kuruma

My husband was keep on asking me to prepare the same white kuruma , which we had in chennai hotels. After some research, I ended up with this recipe.It's a vegetarian delight and goes very well with Parotta.

Ingredients:
1.Carrots                           -   4
2.Beans                             -   5 to 6
3.Potato                             -   1
4.Onion                              -  1 ( medium)
5.Green chillies                 -   6
6.Ginger garlic paste          -  1/2 tbsp
7.Whole garam masala       -  (cinnamon,cloves,bay leaves)
8.Coconut                           -   3 to 4 pieces
9.Cashews                          -   6 to 7  ( optional )
10.Cilantro

Method:
* Wash and cut all the vegetables into cubes.
* Chop the onion and slit the green chillies.

* Grind 4 green chillies,coconut and cashews into fine paste.

* In a pan add some oil and splutter  whole garam masalas and add the onion.
* When the onion gets sauted, add the remaining green chillies.
* Add the ginger garlic paste and saute, till it looses its raw smell.
* Dump in all the vegetables and saute it, till it becomes soft.
* Now add the grinded coconut mixture into the pan .
* Bring it to a boil as shown.

* Garnish it with cilantro and serve with hot parottas.

Korma

Tomato Rasam ( Thakkali Rasam )

Rasam is a thin soup, made of freshly grounded spices like pepper,cumin seeds and garlic. Its a South Indian delicacy and it has its presence in every house hold.In olden days, these were made using the stone grinder or Ammi.Now it has been replaced with mixies.Rasam has medicinal values also, it helps in digestion.I will give you, a quick recipe of a good rasam. Its easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients:
0.Tomato                       -  1
1.Tamarind extract        -  2 cups
2.Cumin seeds               - 1 tbsp
3.Pepper                        -  1 tsp
3 (a).Turmeric pwdr      -  1 tsp
4.Garlic                         -   4 pods
5.Mustard seeds             - 1 tsp
5 (a).Hing                       - 1/2 tsp
6.Curry leaves
7.Cilantro

Method:
* Grind pepper,cumin seeds and 2 garlicpods, in a blender to a paste.
* In the tamarind juice, add the grinded mixture.
* Squeeze the tomato into the mixture .
* Add turmeric pwdr and salt to the mixture as shown.

* In a ding 'chik-ding chik' slightly tap the remaining garlic pods and red chillies.

* Take a stock pot and add a tsp of oil and splutter with mustard seeds ,curry leaves and slightly 'tapped' red chillies & garlic.
* Add hing to the tempering and transfer the tamarind mix to the pot.Add salt to taste.
* Add the Rasam Powder to the mix.Chk my postings for rasam powder.
* Bring it to a boil and garnish with cilantro. Don't boil too much, as it may loose its flavor. Just turn off the stove when u see some  fumes starts coming as you see here.

* Serve hot with steamed rice and thuvayal.
This is my husband's favourite and he doesnt need anything else, when u serve this.
Tasty Tomato

Brinjal Fry

Saras's blog provoked me to do her brinjal fry.It came out very well and it is very easy.Give it a try.
For this dish the long brinjals are perfect. But i have used , small ones.

Ingredients:
1.Brinjals            -  5
2.Chilli pwdr      -  1 tbsp
3.Turmeric pwdr -  1 tsp
3.Corn flour         -  2 tbsp
4.Tamarind juice  -  1 tbsp
5.Salt

Method:
* Cut the brinjals into circles.
* Take a mixing bowl and add all the ingredients together with some salt to taste.

* Let it marinate for half an hour.
* Take a tava and pour adequate oil and shallow fry the brinjals, till it is crisp enough.

* It goes very well with curd rice.
Eggplant Fry

Palak keerai masiyal

In my previous posting , I have updated spinach dal.Now I am going to give u the slight variation of that.
Its our mother's, home made secret.This dish is very well done in a special vessel , which is known as "Chatti".It gives a unique taste to it.

Ingredients:
1.Spinach            -  1 kattu
2.Toor dal           - 1/2 cup
3.Onion               -  1 1/2
4.Tomato             -  1
5.Green chillies   -  10 (small)
5 (a).Garlic          -  3 to 4 pods
6.Red chillies      -  3
7.Mustard seeds   -  1 tsp
8.Cumin seeds      -  1 tsp
9.Vadagam            -  1 tsp
10.Curry leaves 
11.Cilantro

Method:
* In  a pressure pan boil the toor dal with a pinch of turmeric pwdr,a tbsp oil, and garlic .
* When the dal is half cooked , add the chopped onions,tomato and green chillies.
* When the mixture is 90% cooked, add the chopped spinach.
* When the spinach turns color , turn it off
* Take a hand mixer and smash the spinach nicely.
* Take a pan and add a tsp of oil, splutter cumin seeds, mustard seeds,curry leaves and vadagam.
* Transfer the spinach masiyal to the pan and mix it well.
* Garnish it with cilantro.
* Serve it with hot rice .
Spinach Cooked With Onions

Mirchi Bajji ( Milaga bajji)

I am a typical marina beach freak and wander there till it gets dark. The reason , yes ofcourse, the red staged shops where chillis are decorated as their borders and the aroma of mirchi bajji everywhere......
All residents of  Triplicane,Teynampet, Mylapore , Santhome would agree with me in this. ( Other part of chennai can also be included, i have taken the majority ).I dont remember the day I returned without having bajji there. The mirchis , which we get here ,will have no match in their spice level to those we get in marina. Today I went to indian grocery shop and this mirchi attracted well and it reminded me the days in marina. I just grabbed this oppurtunity to prepare this wonderful dish.

Ingredients:
1.Bajji mirchis                  -  4
2.Besan flour                     -  1 1/2 cup
3.Ginger                            -  1 inch
4.Garlic                             -  4 to 5 pods
5. Fennel seeds                  -  1 tbsp
6. Chilli pwdr                    -  1 tbsp
7. Orange color                  -  1 pinch
8.Baking soda                     -  1 pinch
9.Salt
10. Rice flour                    -  2 tbsp

Method:
* Wash and cut the chillies as shown.

* Grind the fennel seeds,ginger and garlic into a fine paste.
* This paste wud giv the bajji a unique aroma and taste , so dont skip this .
* Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
* Add water to it slowly and bring to a batter consistancy.
*Dip the mirchis as shown .

* Deep fry the bajjis in oil.

* Serve it with ketch up.

Vatha Kuzhambu

Vatha Kuzhambu is an authentic Brahmin dish. Where it has fried sundakkai or manathakkali vathal , hence has the name. It is delicious and it has mixed flavors like , sweetness,sourness  and bitterness . All mixed at right proportion.There is a famous saying that 'vatha kuzhambu goes well with sutta appalam or roasted appalam'.

Ingredients:

1.Shallots                    -  10 to 15
2.Vathal ( any)             - 1/2 cup
3.Garlic                       - 5 to 6 pods
4.Multi purpose pwdr  -  2 tbsp
5.Tamarind juice          -  1 cup
6. Mustard                    -  1 tsp
7.Cumin                        -  1 tsp
8.Methi seeds               -   1 tsp
9.Jaggery                      -    1 tbsp
10.Curry leaves



Method:
* Check my multi purpose pwdr in my previous post. Take the basic one, with no coconut or sesame.
* Take a pan and pour sesame oil and cooking oil in equal proportion.
* Temper with cumin seeds,mustard ,methi and curry leaves.
* Add the sundakkai vathal and let it fry for some time.
* When it looses it color, add the onions. ( Dont chop the shallots).Sprinkle salt and turmeric pwdr.
* Add the garlic into the mixture and saute it well.
* When the onion oozes oil, pour the tamarind extract .
* Bring it to a boil and add the multipurpose pwder.

* People who needs their dish to be spicy, u can add plain chilli pwdr along with the multi purpose pwdr.This will give a  rich color to the dish.
* Add the jaggery, this gives the dish a unique  taste. ( Dont add too much) .
* Turn off the stove when it oozes out oil.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice and sutta appalam.

Multi purpose masala pwdr

This multi purpose pwder can be used in many dishes,with some variations. Keep this pwder handy and it will help u in all emergancies.It has a longer shelf life.Just saute vegetales and sprinkle some pwder , an instant mix rice is ready.I will post every dish in my blog in future.

Ingredients:
1.Red chillies            -   10
2.Coriander               -   2 tbsp
3.Chana dal               -   1 tbsp
4.Urad dal                 -    1 tbsp
5.Fenugreek seeds     -   1/4 tbsp
6.Cumin seeds           -    1 tbsp

Method:
* Dry roast all the ingredients and grind it in the blender.
* For bisibelabath , just add coconut to the pwder, as shown below.

* For puliyodharai, just grind it coarsely with sesame seeds as shown below.

* For other rice like,capsicum masala rice and brinjal rice , just saute them in the pan of oil and sprinkle the powder. Add to the steamed rice.
Homemade Curry Powder