Ladys Finger Kara Kolambu

This is a yummy curry apt for plain white rice. I made this with ladys finger but also it tastes good adding brinjal or drumstick or potato .

Ingredients:

Ladys Finger - 250 gms  wash and cut into one inch pieces

Fresh coconut scrapped : 1/2 cup

Onion  - Slice onion roughly

Tomato - 2 ripe medium size tomatoes chopped roughly

Sambar powder- any good brand one tablespoon

Tumeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Hing -1/4 teaspoon

One lime size tamarind - make into a juice for 1/2 cup

Garlic- 6 cloves sliced

Jaggary or white sugar - 1/4 spoon

Mustard seeds - 1/4 spoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 spoon

Whole red chillies- 3

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Oil as required, I prefer gingelly oil for this curry as it enhances the taste

   

Method:

1. In a kadai heat 2 tablespoons oil and add the onions , garlic and fry well with a stream of curry leaves and once the onions are fried add the tomatoes and fry well till the raw smell goes off and then finally add the sambar powder , 1/4 teaspoon tumeric powder and fresh coconut and toss for 2 minutes and then grind to a fine paste.

2. In a kadai add little oil and fry the ladys finger in slow fire for 7 minutes and once done remove and keep aside.

3. In the same kadai, add oil  and once hot add mustard seeds, then fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and pinch  of hing powder, and then add the tamarind juice and cook it along with little water and once the raw smell of tamarind goes away, then add the fried ladys finger and then add the grinded gravy with little water, add salt and cook till the gravy becomes thick and then remove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it  with hot steaming rice.

Quick & Easy Coconut Rice

This is a quick and easy recipe which I always prefer for a lunch box and very yummy when accompanied by potato fry or cauliflower fry. 

Ingredients:

Rice: two cups boiled and dont make it soggy and should be in the tempo for friedrice

Fresh Coconut scraped : one cup

Mustard seeds: 1/4 teaspoon

Split channa dhal: 1 teaspoon

Split Urad dhal:  1 teaspoon

Garlic: 6 cloves chopped or sliced

Cashew nuts : 6 nos broken into two (Optional)

Whole red chilies: 5 nos broken into two

Asafoetida powder: 1/4 spoon

Curry leaves

Salt to taste 

Cooking Oil: 2 tablespoons

Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and then urad dhal, channa dhal, chashew and when it changes colour, add the garlic and fry for a minute and add the red chilies and curry leaves and asafoetida powder  and coconut and fry well for 2 minutes and dont burn the coconut to brown colour and add enough salt and rice and mix well.

2. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy yummy yummy coconut rice with potato fry:)

Bhindi Pepper Fry

While doing Bhindi fry in the same style, I tried using pepper powder instead of chilli powder and turned awesome . Sure for a change from the normal poriyals :). It tastes good and tangy with the fresh pepper and mango powder or lemon juice added.

Ingredients:

Ladys finger : 1/2 Kg cleaned and cut diagonally in small peices

Mustard seeds: 1/4 teaspoon

Slit Urad Dhal: 1 teaspoon

Fresh crushed Pepper powder : 1 teaspoon

Garlic: 5 pieces thinly sliced

Onion : One thinly sliced

Yogurt : 1 tablespoon

Dry Mango Powder  : 1/4 teaspoon (Optional or use a few drops of lime juice instead of mango powder)

Salt to taste

A few curry leaves

Oil as required.

Method:

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a non stick kadai and when hot add mustard seeds and then add urad dhall and once light brown add the onions, sliced garlic  and fry for one minute adding curry leaves and then add the ladys finger and yogurt and fry well for 10 minutes in very slow fire, dont close the lid .

2. when the ladies finger is fried well add enough salt , dont make it too dark add the  freshly crushed pepper powder and 1/4 spoon mango powder or a few drops of lemon juice and give a toss and remove from fire.

Serve hot as a accompaniment with any curry and white rice or hot chappatis and pulkas.

Dhal Rice ( Pappu Biyam Rice)

It was a lazy friday and blinked myself in FB and read the posts of this dhal rice traditionally known as Pappu Biyam Koodu in our Naidus community and was craving to immediately cook the same for lunch , infact this is the National Food of Coimbatore Naidus :) . This is my version of Dhal rice which I learnt from my grandma, event hough I dont get the same taste as her magic fingers do still tried to perfect it to some extent.  

Ingredients:

Rice  one cup and (Toor Dhal + channa dhal 1/2 cup) : Washed and soak it together for 2 hours

Onion : 1 big no sliced thin ( or use one cup of chopped shallots (small onion )

Green Chillies: 5 nos slit lengthwise

Tomato : 1 big No sliced

Garlic : 5 cloves of garlic chopped roughly

Mustard Seeds : 1 teaspoon

Tumeric Powder : 1 /2 teaspoon

Channa Dhal : 1 teaspoon

Split Urad Dhal : 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves a few

Coriander leaves chopped 2 tablespoon

Oil : 3 spoons

Salt to taste.

Method:

1.  Take a cooker and heat 3 spoons of oil in it and when hot add mustard seeds and then urad dhal and channa dhal and when it slighlty turns colour , add the onions, greenchillies, curry leaves  and garlic and fry well till onions become pink in colour and add tumeric powder & tomatoes and add enough salt and fry till tomatoes starts mushing and then add the soaked rice with dhal without water and fry it in the oil for 2 minutes and then add  2 cups of water in the same cup in which the rice was measured and pressure cook till 3 whistles or according to your normal rice cooking mode.

2. When the steam is off, add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well and serve hot with desi ghee and papadam , pickle, pudina leaves chutney, coriander leaves chutney :)

It is a quick and easy yummy recipe.

Palak Panner

The combination of Palak with veggies or meat is really amazing and with panner it is really mind blowing. I learnt this recipe from a Pakistani cooking channel and from the first attempt it never went wrong and it is really a rich and yummy recipe with simple ingredients and worth trying . It is an apt dish for parties to serve  with soft chappatis , butter naans or pulkas and sure to get a compliment . 

Ingredients:

Palak Leaves : 1/2 Kg

Soya Leaves : 2 table spoon

Panner cubes : 300 Grams ( shallow fry this in oil till it slightly changes the colour and dont burnt it )

Onion: One big onion chopped fine

Milk : One cup

Ginger Garlic Paste : 2 teaspoons

Black Pepper Powder : 1 and 1/2 teaspoon

Butter : 3 tablespoons

Fresh Cream - 3 tablespoons

Method:

1. Blanch the cleaned palak leaves in hot water for 2 minutes with a pinch of salt to retain colour and after two minutes wash it again with cold water and keep aside.

2.Now take a kadai and pour one cup milk and add the blanched palak leaves and washed soya leaves 2 teaspoon in the milk and cook for 5 minutes, cool and then grid it to a course paste along with the milk in the kadai( make sure you dont grind this to a very fine paste).

3. Take another kadai and add 3 tablespoons butter and once hot add the finely chopped onions and fry well it turns pink and then add the ginger garlic paste and fry well for 2 minutes and now add the palak & soya leaves paste and add one teaspoon black pepper powder and one teaspoon red chilli powder and fry well till the raw smell of chilli powder disappears and adjust water if required and then add the shallow fried panner cubes and mix well finally add the fresh cream and mix well and remove from fire and serve hot with chappatis, nans or pulkas.

This is a must try recipe and it is absolutely delicious.