I was always fascinated by the spicy and creamy texture of the kormas that are served in the restaurants with paratas and chapatis. I guessed the ingredients and prepared this korma for dinner and viola! it had the same taste and texture as that of the restaurant's. Since then I have adopted this version and is a huge hit with chapathis. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Carrot - 1/2 cup (diced)
Potato - 1/2 cup (diced)
Beans - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Cauliflower - 1/2 (small florets)
Fresh peas - 1/2 cup
Onion (medium) - 1 (chopped)
Green chilli - 2 (slit lengthwise)
Tomato (medium) - 1 (cut lengthwise)
Fresh coriander leaves - to garnish
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick
Cardamom - 2
Bay leaves - 2
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Masalas
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 Teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Sambar powder - 1 Teaspoon (optional)
To grind
Coconut - 1 cup (grated)
Cashew nuts - 15
Fennel seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Poppy seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Method
1. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves and sauté for 30 seconds.
2. Add the green chillies followed by onions and sauté until it is cooked.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off and add the tomatoes and salt and cook for 3 minutes or until the tomatoes are mashed.
4. Now add all the veggies (carrot, potato, beans, peas, cauliflower) along with the masalas and cook with a closed lid on the pan for 10 minutes.
5. Meantime grind all the ingredients mentioned under the to grind header into a fine paste with little water.
6. Add the ground paste to the pan along with 1 1/2 cups of water and give a stir. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 15 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat once the korma has become thick and creamy.
Mixed vegetable korma is ready to be served.
Note
* You can add any vegetable of your choice.
* You can skip either coconut or cashew nuts but they both taste good together. But remember to increase the quantity of the ingredient that you are adding because they are responsible for the creamy texture of the korma.
Carrot rice is an easy and healthy rice dish which I enjoyed the most when I was a kid. It can be prepared in matter of no time and serves good for a packed lunch. Here is my version of carrot rice...Enjoy!
Ingredients
Boiled rice - 2 cups
Carrot - 2 cups (grated)
Onion (medium) - 1 (chopped)
Green chilli - 2 (split lengthwise)
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Ghee - 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 Tablespoon
Yellow split peas/Channa dahl - 1 Tablespoon
White lentil/Urud dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Curry leaves - 15
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Method
1. Boil the rice with 1/4 cup less water then the usual ratio and allow it to cool completely.
2. Heat oil in a pan and allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add the channa and urad dahl and fry till they become golden yellow.
3. Now add the green chillies and onion followed by salt and turmeric powder and sauté till the onions are completely cooked.
4. Add the grated carrot, mix everything and cook for 10 minutes till the carrot is completely cooked. There should be no water left in the pan.
5. Mix the rice with the carrot mixture with a dollop of ghee and check for salt.
Carrot rice is ready to be served.
Note
* Roasted cashew nuts can be added to the rice.
Potato fry is the favourite dish of everyone which goes as a starter, snack or a side for any dish. There are different versions of preparing these fries and here I have shared my version which I learnt from my friend Sushma. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Potatoes - 5 (diced, cubed or cut into thin sticks)
Oil - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Red chilli powder - 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Urud dahl/White lentil - 1 Tablespoon
Channa dahl/Yellow split peas - 1 Tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and add the urud and channa dahl and roast till they become golden yellow in colour.
2. Now add the cut potatoes, salt, red chilli and turmeric powder and sauté .
3. Reduce the heat to medium and keep stirring until the potatoes are cooked.
4. As time goes, the potatoes will become crispier.
Potato fries are ready to be served.
Note
* Keep cooking in the medium heat until you get the desired crispiness.
Curd rice was our hot favourite during our college days. Tharu used to get creamy curd rice once or twice a week for lunch and we used to fight for the rice literally. Her mum used to mix the rice with curd and milk in the morning and pack it for her lunch. When we open the lunch box in the afternoon the milk would have completely fermented and would be super-liciously creamy. Each morsel would slide in our mouth and it would be an excellent combo with mango pickle. God....my mouth s watering....Enjoy the dish guys!
Ingredients
Boiled rice - 2 cups
Fresh whole/semi-skimmed milk - 1 1/4 cups
Yoghurt/curd (full fat) - 2 cups
Shallots - 10 (roughly chopped)
Ginger - 1/2 inch (finely chopped)
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 Teaspoon
White lentils/Urad dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Yellow split peas/Channa dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Curry leaves - 15
Dry Red Chilli - 5
Salt - to taste
Method
1. Cook the rice with 1/4 cup extra water such that it is little mushy and allow it to cool completely by spreading it on a flat plate.
2. Once the rice is cooled mix it thoroughly with milk and curd along with salt. It should be nice and creamy, if not add extra milk or curd until it is creamy.
3. Heat oil in a pan and allow the mustard seeds to splutter and add the urud and channa dahl and roast until they get the golden yellow colour.
4. Now add the ginger, red chillies, curry leaves and shallots sauté until they are completely cooked.
5. Turn off the heat and the shallot to the mixed curd rice and mix until they are evenly distributed.
Yummy and creamy curd rice is ready to be served.
Note
* If you are preparing curd rice for a party you can add roasted cashew nuts and fresh fruits like pomegranate, seedless grapes can be added to add richness to this dish.
* A dollop of butter can be added to the hot rice and allowed to cool which will make this dish extra creamy.
Lemon rice is one of my favourite rice varieties that I pester my grandmother to cook for me often. She used to prepare it with the orange sized limes that we grow in our farm. The lime would be super tangy and would taste amazing with salt and red chilli powder which we used to enjoy when we were kids. The rice also tastes equally good with lemons and small limes. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Boiled rice - 2 cups
Lemon juice - Juice of 2 1/2 lemons
Shallots - 10 (roughly chopped)
Garlic - 5 pods (roughly chopped)
Dry red chilli - 5
Oil - 2 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 Teaspoon
White lentils/Urud dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Yellow split peas/Channa dahl- 1 Tablespoon
Asafoetida/hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - 15
Fenugreek seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Water - 1/2 cup
Method
1. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds in a medium hot pan and grind it into a fine powder and allow the cooked rice to cool.
2. Heat oil in a pan and allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Then add the urud dahl and yellow split peas and fry till they get the golden yellow colour.
3. Now add the red chillies and the curry leaves followed by asafoetida and fenugreek powder. You will smell the aroma of them raising up.
4. Add the shallots and fry for 3 minutes then add the garlic and turmeric powder and cook until the the onions ans garlic are completely cooked. (approx. 7 minutes)
5. Once they are cooked add the lemon juice, water and salt and wait for a minute and turn off the heat.
6. Add this lemon mix to the boiled rice (rice should not be hot) and mix thoroughly. Check for salt and adjust accordingly.
Tangy lemon rice is ready to be served.
Note
* The rice should not be very soft, the rice grains should not touch each other. Add 1/4 less water than the usual ratio for cooking the rice.
* The rice should not be hot while mixing t with the lemon mix.
* Do not boil the lemon juice with the mix for a long time else it becomes less tangy.
* Boiled peanuts and roasted cashew nuts can be added before serving.
Pesarattu is an Andhra recipe which I learnt after my marriage. It is a very simple and healthy dish and I prepare this as a substitute to our usual dosa. It has lot of proteins and the adding of carbohydrates (rice) becomes optional. Pesarattu tastes amazing with cocount chutney and tangy tomato chutney. You need not ferment the dough as we do for our rice crepes but again it is optional. Here is the simple version of the pesarattu that I prepare...Enjoy!
Ingredients
Whole green gram - 1 cup
Rice - 1/4 cup (optional)
Green chilli - 2
Cumin seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Salt - to taste
Oil - to drizzle
Method
1. Wash and soak green gram and rice overnight or for 4 to 6 hours in water.
2. Drain the water from the soaked green gram and rice. Do not discard the water which can be used for mixing the dough later.
3. Now grind the green gram and rice along with green chilli, cumin seeds, ginger and salt into a fine dough with little or no water.
4. Cover the container of the dough with a lid and allow it to ferment for 6 to 8 hours which is optional.
5. When you are going to use the dough add the water that we drained from the soaked green gram and rice. The dough should be neither thick nor thin. It should have an easy dropping consistency.
6. Now heat a flat pan and when it is super hot, use a big ladle full of dough and put the crepes on the pan. Drizzle some oil and when it is cooked, flip it to the other side and cook.
Serve the crepes hot with chutney.
Note
* You can add onions, curry leaves, carrot, beans, capsicum, etc., cut into small pieces into the dough and put the crepes.
I learnt this tomato chutney from my friend Tharunya's mum. She is an excellent cook and I relished almost everything she prepared. I spent close to 15 days during my college exam days at Tharu's home and had an awesome appetite. Tomato chutney is one of favourites that she prepared that I have shared here...Enjoy!
Ingredients
Tomato (medium) - 3 (chopped lengthwise)
Onion (medium) - 1 (chopped lengthwise)
Garlic - 3 pods
Curry leaves - 10
Tamarind extract - 1 Tablespoon
Urud dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Channa dahl/Yellow split peas - 1 Tablespoon
Dry Red chilli - 2
Salt - to tast
Oil - 1/2 Tablespoon
For Tempering
Oil - 1/2 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Urud dahl - 1/2 Tablespoon
Channa dahl/Yellow split peas - 1/2 Tablespoon
Curry leaves - 10
Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and and add the urud and channa dahl and roast until they become golden yellow.
2. Now add the onion, tomato, garlic, tamarind extract, red chilli and salt and sauté until they are cooked completely. Allow them to cool and grind them into a fine or coarse paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan and allow the mustard sees to splutter. Then add the curry leaves followed by urud dahl and channa dahl and roast until they become golden brown in colour.
4. Now pour the tempered mix along with the oil on top of the chutney and give a mix.
Tomato chutney is ready to be served with idli and dosa.
Note
* Half a cup of grated coconut can be used and ground along with this chutney if you need more quantity.
Coconut chutney is one of the first and foremost breakfast recipe at any south Indian home or restaurant. I have shared the recipe of this common chutney. Enjoy!
Ingredients
To Grind
Coconut - 1 cup (grated)
Fried yellow split peas/pottukadalai - 3 Tablespoon
Green chilli - 3
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Salt - to taste
For Tempering
Oil - 1/2 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 Tablespoon
Urud dahl - 1/4 Tablespoon
Channa dahl/yellow split peas - 1/4 Tablespoon
Curry leaves - 10
Method
1. Grind all the ingredients mentioned under the to grind header into a fine paste with little water.
2. Heat oil in a pan and allow the mustard sees to splutter. Then add the curry leaves followed by urud dahl and channa dahl and roast until they become golden brown in colour.
3. Now pour the tempered mix along with the oil on top of the chutney and give a mix.
Coconut chutney is ready to be served.
Note
* Dry dessicated coconut or frozen coconut can also be used.
Peanuts/Ground nuts always remind me of my childhood days which was mostly spent at my grandmother's place. During the ground nut harvest season, we spent the whole day at our farm house with our grandparents, collecting all the harvested peanuts in gunny bags and loading them in the trucks. The fresh smell of the harvested peanuts would be all over. We would come back home late in the evening and boil the peanuts with salt and have them sitting at the open front area of our home. My grandmother would make chutney out of the dried nuts which was enjoyed by all of us. Here I have shared my grandmother's recipe for this chutney. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Peanuts/Ground nuts - 1 cup (de-shelled)
Coconut - 1/4 cup (optional)
oil - 1/4 Tablespoon
Onion (medium) - 1 (chopped lengthwise)
Garlic - 2 pods
Tomato (medium) - 1 (chopped lengthwise)
Tamarind juice - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
For Dry Roast
Pepper corns - 5
Cumin seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Coriander seeds - 1 Tablespoon
Dry Red chilli - 2
Curry leaves - 15
Method
1. Dry roast peanuts and all the items mentioned under the dry roast header one by one in a medium hot pan and allow them to cool.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic and tomato and sauté until they are cooked (approx. 5 mins) and allow to cool.
3. Now grind the dry roasted items and the onion mixture along with coconut, salt and tamarind juice into a paste.
Peanut chutney is ready to be served with rice, dosa or idli.
Note
* If you need a longer shelf life do not add coconut.
Chinese chicken is yet another recipe which I learnt from Sushma and it was passed on to her by her mother who is an awesome cook. This chicken will be hot and sweet and goes well with pulav. This dish is basically a desi version of the authentical Chinese recipe. I have already passed on this recipe to my cousins and in-laws who simply loved it. Credentials to Sushma! Hope you love it too... Enjoy!
Ingredients
Chicken - 1 kg
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Onion (medium) - 2 (chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Balsamic vinegar - 50 ml (optional)
Red chilli - 4
Green chilli - 5
Scallion/Spring onions - 2 (chopped)
Capsicum - 1/2 cup (diced)
Salt - to taste
Sauces
Soya sauce - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Red chilli sauce - 1/2 Tablespoon (optional)
Tomato sauce - 2 Tablespoon
Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and sauté until they are completely cooked and mashed.
2. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes off.
3. Now add the chicken along with turmeric powder and salt and stir until the chicken start to ooze out water.
4. Then add the balsamic vinegar, give a quick stir, reduce the heat and slow cook the chicken for 45 minutes with a lid on top. Stir the chicken occasionally.
5. Meantime grind the red and green chillies into a fine paste and add it to the chicken in between, say after 20 minutes of its cooking.
6. After 45 minutes, open the lid, turn the heat to high and allow the stock to reduce by constant stirring.
7. Once the stock is reduced, add the sauces, scallions and capsicum and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, so that each chicken piece is coated well with the sauces. Turn the heat off.
Chinese chicken is ready to be served.
Note
* Balsamic vinegar is optional but it lends an amazing taste to the dish.
* Sauces can be adjusted according to your taste.
* Cooking the chicken in medium or low heat will make it soft, juicy and tender.
* If you need more gravy then do not allow the stock to completely dry.
I learnt this pulav dish from my friend Sushma and we had it along with chinese chicken and raitha on almost all Sundays during our stay at Chennai. We normally took turns to cook in our apartment. I cooked during the week days and Sushma and Maha cooked during the week ends. We had awesome fun at our apartment... cooking, shopping, watching movies together... gosh! it was whole lot of fun...Enjoy the recipe!
Ingredients
Rice - 2 cups
Water - 3 1/4 cups
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Butter - 1 Tablespoon
Frozen or fresh Peas - 1 1/2 cup
Mint Leaves - 1 cup
Fresh coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Onion (big) - 1 (chopped lengthwise)
Green chilli - 3 (split lengthwise)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Lemon juice - 1 Tablespoon
Cloves - 5
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Bay leaves - 2
Fennel seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Method
1. Heat oil in a pressure pan and fry the cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, fennel seeds and cumin seeds for 30 seconds.
2. Add the green chillies and onions and sauté for 6 minutes. Then add the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes off.
3. Now add the mint and coriander leaves and cook until the aroma of the mint shows up and then add the peas and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Now add the washed rice and butter, stir well so that the butter is melted and each rice is coated well with it.
5. Add the salt and water,cover the pressure pan with its lid, put the weight on top and cook on high heat until you hear 2 whistles. (approximately 7 to 8 minutes)
6. Turn off the heat and when the pressure is completely released, open the pan and drizzle the lemon juice all over and give a good stir so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
Peas pulav is ready to be served.
Note
* Basmati rice or any long grained rice can be used.
* Vegetables like carrot, beans and cauliflower can also be added with peas.
* Once the pressure is completely released after cooking the rice, do not have the lid on for a very long time else the rice will be over cooked and become mushy.
* This pulav can also be prepared in a normal thick bottomed, deep pan. Just follow the same procedures and allow the water to dry completely with a lid on the pan. Do not stir constantly when the rice is cooking which will break the rice.
Aloo dum is one of the famous north indian dishes which I recently tried with my own twist. It had a rich creamy texture and the baby potatoes looked beautiful in the cream. It went very well with roti. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Baby potatoes - 10
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 Teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves - to garnish
Water - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
To grind
Onion (big) - 1 (chopped lengthwise)
Tomato (big) - 1 (chopped lengthwise)
Garlic - 3
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Cashew nuts - 10
Fennel seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Method
1. Sauté all the items mentioned under the to grind header with 1/2 tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes and allow them to cool. Grind them into a fine paste.
2. Clean and wash the baby potatoes and boil them completely with water for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Heat rest of the oil in a pan and add the ground paste to it along with 1cup of water, salt, turmeric, coriander and chilli powder and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Now add the boiled baby potatoes and the garam masala and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Aloo dum is ready to be served.
Note
* If you do not have baby potatoes any potato variety can be used. Peel the skin and cut them into bite sized chunks.
I studied in a convent which was run by Malayali nuns. Buttermilk curry was served on every Wednesday afternoon for lunch along with fried fish. The curry used to be in a nice yellow colour with big chunks of ash gourd in it. The rice, buttermilk curry and fried fish combo was unbeatable and I also liked it with lemon pickle. After my school days I never got to taste this curry for the next six years. During my last year of working days in Chennai, I stayed in a hostel which was again run by a Malayali couple who prepared excellent version of this curry. This curry can be cooked with veggies like okra, raw banana, ash gourd and cucumber. I have shared my version of the curry, Enjoy!
Ingredients
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Okra/bindhi/Lady's finger - 1 cup (cut into roundels)
Onion(medium) - 1 (chopped)
Red chillies - 3
Curry leaves - 15
Mustard seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Salt - to taste
To grind
Red Lentil/yellow lentil/Toor Dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Channa dal/yellow split peas - 1 Tablespoon
Coconut - 1/4 cup (grated)
Green chilli - 2
Cumin seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Garlic - 2 pods
Method
1. Soak toor and channa dal in 1/2 a cup of water for 30 minutes and grind it into a fine paste along with the items mentioned under the to grind header.
2. Take a big bowl and mix the yoghurt with 2 cups of water along with turmeric powder, salt and the ground paste. Mix properly without any lumps and the buttermilk should be neither thick nor thin.
3. Now heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry the okra in medium heat until the mucilage of the okra is completely dried and the okra should be crunchy. Transfer them to a plate.
4. Heat the rest oil in the same pan and allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Then add the curry leaves and red chillies and fry for 15 seconds.
5. Now add the onion and sauté until its cooked and then add the okra and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the yoghurt mix to the pan and bring it to a boil. This should not take more than 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Butter milk curry is ready to be served.
Note
* Different vegetables like raw banana, cucumber and ash gourd can be used.
This is a recipe that I learnt from my Columbian friend. I got the courage to prepare this jam because of its quick and easy recipe. Though I am not a lover of jams, I like to spread this jam in the cake I bake. Normally, I prepare this jam in a very small amount so it runs out very fast. If stored in a proper way, this jam can be prepared in a considerable amount and can be stored for months.
Ingredients
Strawberries- 1 Cup
Sugar- 1 cup
Water- 1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder- a pinch
Method
- Wash the strawberries and wipe them dry with paper towel. Cut the berries into half.
- Heat a non-stick pan and add the cut berries into it. Saute them dry for less than a minute in low fire.
- Add 1/4 cup of water to the berries and 1 cup of sugar to it.
- Let it boil well, and stir frequently, preferably with wooden spoon to prevent from sticking to the bottom.
- When the berries are half done, add a pinch of cinnamon powder and allow to cook well.
- It will take around 20 mins, for it to come to jam consistency.
- To check if the jam is done, drop little jam in a glass plate and move the plate. If the jam sticks to the plate without moving, switch of the fire and allow it to cool.
- Storing in a proper way is very important. Wash a glass bottle with soapy solution, clean it well with water, wipe it and keep it in the preheated oven for ten mins, until the moisture dries out. Store jam in the bottle and when the bottle cools down store in the refrigerator.
Note
- This recipe can also be prepared with blackberry, cherry and peach. Though, I haven't used any other fruits for this, I have heard from my friend that any fruit except banana can be used.
- Cinnamon can be replaced by juice from a whole lemon. It also tastes very good.
- This jam, when it is half done, can be used as a desert too.
- Do not add excess water.
