Radish sambhar/Mullangi Sambhar

I love any type of sambhar and here is one of my favourites:Radish sambhar

Ingredients:
Tuvar Dal (Arhar,tuvaram paruppu,split pigeon pea lentil) : 3/4 cup(cooked with 4 cups water and 1/4 tsp of turmeric, in the pressure cooker till smashed, about 3 whistles)
Tamarind extract - about 1 cup from a lime sized ball soaked in warm water for half an hour
Radish - 1 medium, cut into thin discs

Sambhar Powder - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander(dhania)powder - 1 tsp
Onions - 1 medium sliced
Tomato - 1 medium chopped into 4-6 pieces
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup chopped

For tempering:
Mustard seeds (rai/kadugu) : 1 tsp
Urad dal :1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing): pinch
Curry leaves : 5-6 washed
Coriander leaves

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

How i made it:

1. Heat oil in a wok or kadai, add the mustard and wait till it splutters, then add the urad dal, the hing and when the urad turns brown, add the curry leaves.
2. Add the onions and saute till soft - 2-3 minutes, then add the radish and fry for another minute till its soft and then tamarind extract diluted with 250 -300ml water, bring to boil and let simmer covered for about 15 minutes.The raw smell of tamarind should fade away.
3. Add the tomatoes, sambar powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and let simmer for another 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the cooked tur dal till smooth; add to the simmering sambar and bring to boil. Simmer for another 5 minutes till the flavours come together, add the chopped coriander and remove from flame.

This can be had with idlys or dosas or just plain white rice :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Vaazhaipoo Vadai/Banana Flower vada

I got vazhaipoo(Banana Flower from H-mart(Chinese market)) when i had been to Denver and decided to make vadai from it.It takes quite some time and patience but i finally got it!

Ingredients:

Banana flower:1
Bengal gram:1 cup
Onion (finely chopped):1
Green chilli:2
Ginger garlic crushed:2 tsp
Curry leaves:10-12
Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Cumin seeds:1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds:1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder:just a pinch or two
Asafoetida powder/hing:1/4tsp

Salt to taste
Oil (for deep frying):3 cups
Buttermilk (diluted):2 cups

How to make it:

To clean the banana flower:

1. Apply oil to both hand to avoid sticking.Take off the purple outer covering and remove the bunch of florets. Repeat the process until you reach the center.

2. Separate each flower from the bunch and remove the stamen(black bud). Chop the florets and soak them in buttermilk with a pinch of salt to avoid discoloration.

To make the vadai:

1. Soak Bengal gram for at least a couple of hours. (2-3 hours).Take a few pieces of dal and keep separately(not for grinding).
2. Then wash and drain the water completely with a paper towel, grind coarsely and mix chopped onion, green chillies, ginger garlic, curry leaves, coriander leaves, Asafoetida powder, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, chopped flowers (drain all water before adding to Dal,along with the ungrounded dal) with salt.
3. Mix everything to form a thick dough. Heat oil and deep fry them in batches. Drain excess oil and serve.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Rava/Suji Upma(Non traditional way)

Rava upma or sooji upma has always been done one way at my house, the traditional way without onions or garlic or even the veggies . so i decided to make a non-traditional one .Here is how i made it.

Ingredients:

Coarse Suji/Sooji/Semolina – 1 cup
Oil – 1 tbsp +1 tsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal – 1 tsp
Raw Peanuts – 2 tbsp
Urad Dal – 1 tsp
Broken Cashews – 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chili – 1
Asafoetida – pinch
Curry Leaves – few
Green Chili – to taste, finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp, grated
Onions – 1 small, finely chopped
Peas & Carrots – 1/2 cup
Salt – to taste
Water – 1.5 cups
Yogurt – 1/2 cup, well-beaten
Cilantro – garnish, finely chopped

How i made it :

1. In a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat, pour in 1 tsp of Oil.
2. Add in the Suji/rava and roast till it starts to get a little golden color and emits a wonderful aroma.
3. It is very important to keep stirring and Suji tends to burn.
4. Once done, transfer the Suji to another bowl to stop the cooking process.
5. On medium heat, in a non-stick pan, pour in the 1 tbsp of Oil.
6. Allow it to heat up and then add in the Mustard Seeds.
7. Once they start popping, add in the Cumin Seeds, stir and add in Channa Dal & Peanuts.
8. Cook for 30 seconds and add in Urad Dal and the Broken Cashews and allow them to turn light golden in color.
9. Add in the Dry Red Chili, Turmeric Powder and Asafoetida. Mix.
10. Add in Green Chili, Curry Leaves, Onions and Peas & Carrots.
11. Saute until the Onions till they are cooked but not browned .
12. Also, add in salt at this time.
13. Meanwhile, mix the Yogurt with the Water. Pour into the pan. Keep mixing.
14. Add in Ginger and allow the liquid to come to a boil.
15. Once it comes to a boil, lower heat and add in the Suji little at a time.
16. Mix really well and make sure there are no dry lumps/spots of Suji.
17. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
18. Open the lid and mix and fluff up the Upma.
19. Turn the flame off, cover and allow it to rest for another 5 minutes.
20. Open and serve with Cilantro as garnish (lime juice optional).



"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
 But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Jeera/cumin Rasam

I made parupu Thogayal/Tuar dal dip and it goes really well with Jeera Rasam.So here is my recipe for Jeera Rasam/ seera saathumudhu

Ingredients:
To grind:
Tuar dal:1 tbsp
Jeera/cumin:1 tbsp
coriander seeds:1/2 tbsp
peppercorns/Milagu:5-6
Tomato:1 small piece(a small cut piece optional)
Curry leaves:5-6
For Rasam:
tuar dal-1 tsp(boiled,optional)
Tamarind :1 tsp(paste) or a small lemon size
Turmeric:1 tsp
Asafoetida/hing:1tsp
For Tempering:
ghee/oil
curry leaves
mustard seeds

How to make it:

1. Soak the 'To grind' ingredients for about 10 minutes and grind them together with water into a coarse paste.
2. Next, Boil tamarind paste in a cup of water along with turmeric,hing,curry leaves till the raw smell fades away.
3. Pour in the ground paste and let it boil for a few minutes and add two cups of water along with salt and boiled tuar dal.
4. Sputter some mustard seeds and curry leaves and pour it on top of the Rasam. 

Have it along with rice and parupu thogayal/dip It will be amazing!


"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Tuar Dal Dip/Parupu Thogayal

Today i decided to make some parupu Thogayal/tuar dal dip . It was very simple to make and very tasty.
It goes really well with Jeera Rasam and Milagu/Pepper Kuzhambu.

Ingredients:
Tuar dal :1 cup
Red Chillies:4-5 (depending on your spice level)
Garlic-3 cloves(optional)
Asafoetida/Hing/Perungayam:2 spoons
salt to taste
oil for roasting


How to make it:

1. Fry dal with red chillies,garlic and hing with little oil till golden brown.
2. Cool down and grind it to a coarse paste with salt and water to a paste consistency

Thats it enjoy with Rasam and Pepper Kuzhambu :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Channa Masala/Chole

Channa Masala/Chole:

The other day i decided to make some chole/Channa without the Channa masala from MDH or any other ready made chole masalas and it came out just fine.I took help online(show me the curry and Manjula's kitchen).Here is how i made it.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas/Channa:1 cup
onions-1 red
garlic:2-3 cloves
ginger : a small piece
tomatoes:2-3 or tomato paste available in the market half a small can
tea bags :2 (optional)
garam masala- 2 tbs
bay leaves:2
cinnamon stick:1 piece
cardamom:2-3
cloves-4-5
coriander seeds/dhania: 1/2 tsp
jeera/cumin:2 tsp
black peppercorns: 3-4
dry red chillies-1 small

How i made the Channa masala:

1. First, in oil i fried coriander seeds ,jeera ,cloves cardamom,cinnamon stick,black peppercorn and the red chilli and after it cooled down , put it in a mixie and powdered it(u can also make it into a paste by adding some water) and kept it aside.
2. Next in a pan or kadai i heated oil and fried the onions ginger and garlic and after it cools down ground it to a fine paste.
3. Meanwhile , in a pressure cooker i added 1 cup Channa(chick peas) (soaked overnight) along with 2 tea bags.( Tea bags give a dark color to the Channa and will not affect the taste of the Channa masala, even i was skeptical at first and tried it out... came out just fine.If u want u can reduce the number of tea bags to just one.) and pressure cooked it till 3 whistles .
4. Next in the kadai i heated some oil and put the bay leaves after which i put in the tomato paste/puree (or just give the tomatoes a go in the blender) and fry it till the raw smell fades away.(another tip is make sure the oil separates from the tomato paste)
5. Next add in the onion paste and mix it together nicely,putting in some garam masala and the home made Channa masala..
6. Add in the Channa/chickpea(along with  the pressure cooked water,little by little) and mix everything thoroughly,adding salt. Make sure the masala is just right . If it becomes too spicy we can add in a little sugar so that the taste is enhanced.
7. Close and cook till the water evaporates,making sure to give it a stir once in a while.add more water if needed.

Serve Hot garnished with raw onions and coriander leaves and our Channa masala is ready to eat !!!

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep....."
--ROBERT FROST

Chinese Today?!

Schezwuan Noodles:

So , it was a lovely Friday night dinner at home and i decided to make Chinese (not the take out kind) :) and wanted to try something different too .. i did a lot of research on the internet and decided that i would go for Schezwuan Noodles. S likes Noodles and i like anything which is spicy .. so here goes

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
Red Chillies :10-12
White vinegar :2 tbsp(optional)
soy sauce-1 tsp
Garlic:5-6 cloves
Ginger: a small piece
tomato puree or tomatoes : 2-3

For the Noodles:
Udon Noodles(or any kind)- 1 packet
yellow bell peppers- half
Green bell peppers- half
Red Onion- 1
Garlic- 2 -3 cloves
green chillies-1 (optional)
baby corn- 1 cup(optional)
Carrots-1,cut in long pieces
cabbage-quarter piece shredded
soy sauce-2 tsp

How i made it:
To make the sauce:

1. Put the red chillies in water and a tbsp of white vinegar for about an hour.
2. Remove the seeds from the chillies and grind it to a fine paste.
3. Now in a pan, heat oil and add the ginger,garlic and cook it till the raw smell goes away.
4. Next add the tomato puree/Tomatoes (made into a puree with a mixie) and cook till the the tomato thickens in consistency.
5. Next add the red chilli paste to this and cook till the raw smell goes away(about 5-8 minutes)
6. At last,, add a little bit of white vinegar and soy sauce (according to taste, a tsp should do) cook for 2 minutes till the sauce consistency is obtained 

We can store this sauce for a week and it can be used to make Schezwuan fried rice and also can be added whenever we require red chillies.

To make the Noodles:

1. Cook the Noodles with a pinch of salt and oil, as per instruction given. Remember that the noodles should always go into boiling water and run it through cold water so that it doesn't become sticky.
2. Next in a big wok or a pan add a little bit of oil and fry the ginger,garlic,onions till golden on a med-high flame.
3. After this add the carrots, Bel peppers, cabbage, baby corn one by one leaving a 10-20 sec gap in between. 
4. Make sure the veggies are not cooked too tender, add the Schezwuan sauce and the rest of soy sauce and white vinegar(a tsp each).
5. Add the noodles( if they are too lengthy cut them up randomly using kitchen sheers,after they are cooked) and toss till the veggies,sauce and noodles are mixed together.

Serve Hot ! :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

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"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

YoCurd !

Usa has taught me many things .... and one among them is how to make thick curd.
I know this seems quite funny as we might think wats there in making simple curd.. just add the curd culture to milk but no! thats not it.!Let me demystify the making of curd !Ha!

First of all you need curd culture(normal ,plain thick curd) for it. Ask your neighbours ,friends or if you cant get it anywhere get it from the stores.. no other go...

Next heat up a litre of milk in the microwave for about 5 minutes and cool it down completely

After this add 2 spoons of curd culture and nicely mix it with the milk making sure its completely dissolved in the mixture.Cover it with reynolds wrap or some foil.

preheat oven to about 350 deg F and switch it off..

Make sure the temperature is bearable inside the oven.(like how it is in india on a normal day :) )

Keep the curd inside the oven and Lo! thats all... it has to set for overnight to 24 hours completely depending on the area in which we are(like how cold it is).. am in Denver so it takes me 24 hours
during winter time .

Also we can wrap the curd vessel with a heavy towel just so that it retains the warmth for it to set.

Thats it :)


"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

spinach pasta...

we decided to have something different for dinner and thought about Italian .. My Husband and i both like pasta and i like pasta with white sauce much better than the tomato base...So here goes my trial with pasta ...Its a very simple and sumptuous dinner :)

Ingredients:
Penne pasta- 2 cups
baby spinach- just a bunch
mushrooms-1cup
parmesan cheese- grated 2-3 tbsps
butter-quarter or a small piece(just for frying)
jeera(cumin)-1tspn
oregano-1tspn
black pepper-1tspn
red crushed peppers-1 tspn

How i made it:

1. First I boiled the pasta in water witha pinch of salt and oil.(Add the pasta in boiling water and take it out when it is 3/4th cooked ,'Al-Dente' )
2. Next in a pan i fried the mushrooms in a little bit of butter,along with cumin seeds,black pepper and then added the spinach and sauted it till its cooked.
3. After this i added the parmesan cheese and cooked it for two minutes till the cheese melts.
4. Lastly i added the pasta and sauted it till the whole mixture comes together.

Red crushed peppers can be added if you need a little spice in the pasta.
Its very easy to make and heavenly because of the cheese and mushrooms.Have fun making it :)



"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

Beetroot fried rice!

I had times when i loved beetroot .. used to live on it everyday.. and there were other times when i hated it....

But Times changed... i came to like Beetroot as any other Indian veggie cause here in US i try to explore all possible varieties of vegetables and the ways to cook it.

So i decided to try and make Beetroot Fried rice.
Ingredients:
Beetroot : 2
Onions:1 big yellow
Basmati rice-1 cup
garlic:2-3 cloves
ginger-a small piece
green chillies-1 or 2
For the masala:
bay leaves:1
cinnamon stick-1
cardamom-3
cloves-3
somf-1tsp
jeera-1tsp
Garam masala-2 tsp
pulav masala-(optional) 1tsp

How i Made it:

1. First i soaked the Basmati rice for about 10 mins and pressured cooked it with 1 and half cups water and left it to cool .Meanwhile i grated the beetroot finely.
2. Next in a wok or big kadai (deep bottom vessel) i added some oil /ghee and fried the masalas except the garam masala,take care not to over fry the masalas or we can fry it seperately and then add it later .After this i Added the garlic, chillies,ginger and then the onions and fried till golden brown .
3. Next i added the beetroot and fried it till the raw smell went away and then added the garam masala.
4. Lastly add the rice(which should be completely cool and non-mushy) and saute it on a high flame till all the ingredients mix well.garnish with cilantro.

serve it hot with onion raita or just plain curd and it surely will be a hit among all.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

Keerai masiyal...

You can make three types of keerai , keerai masial(normal one ), keerai kootu and keerai kuzhambu.Today i made keerai masiyal , a very easy to make but healthy recipe which is quite delicious .

Ingredients :
Keerai( baby spinach) -2 big bunches
onions-half a big yellow one
garlic-2 cloves
jeera(cumin)-2 tspn
sambhar powder-1tbsp
green chillis-2 to 3
coconut-2 tbsp((grated,optional)
For tempering
mustard seeds -1tspn

urad dal-1tspn

hing- a pinch

curry leaves

salt to taste

how i made it:

1. I put the frozen spinach in microwave for about 3 minutes(along with a little salt) till it became small in size(all the water drains off and the big bunch becomes very small) and cut it to smaller pieces.
2. In a kadai(deep bottom vessel) , i put a little bit ghee or oil and sputtered the mustard seeds and then added the urad Dal , hing,jeera(cumin) and curry leaves.
3. Then i added the garlic and green chillis and fried it for a minute, after which i added the onions.
4. After the onions turn golden brown i added the sambhar powder and then coconut(optional).
5. Last i added the keerai or spinach and fried it on a high flame for 5 minutes and added salt according to taste.

Serve it along with rice,sambhar or rasam along with a microwaved applam .. tatstes heavenly. :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep....." --ROBERT FROST

Paratha Power!

Last week we decided to ask two of our good friends to come over for lunch and i tried my hand at making the paratha :) , a north-Indian specialty.
My Chiti is a paratha expert and so i called her up for advice on how to make them , but as it turned out she had gone out shopping(duh!) and so i ended up asking her daughter , my cousin who is studying in new jersey.
so she briefed me on how her mum makes the paratha . I started with the very basic Aloo paratha . Here is how i made it :
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour-2 cups
Aloo-4
Onions-1 big yellow one or a red one
Green chillis-2
Garam masala
turmeric-just a pinch
red chilli powder-1tsp(optional)
Jeera-1tsp
sugar-1tsp
Coriander-a bunch (finely chopped)
salt
chaat masala -1tsp (Optional)
ghee
How i made it:

1. First i pressure cooked the potatoes till tender and grated them finely(This makes it easier and smoother while rolling out the dough)
2. Then i added the garam masala, salt ,sugar ,green chilli(finely chopped) ,Jeera ,onions,ghee/oil ,coriander and mixed it thoroughly.
3. Next i slowly added the flour and mixed it into a smooth dough adding hot water if necessary( since potatoes themselves let out water be careful adding extra water) and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.The tava should be hot for the parathas to cook so make sure the tava is really hot. 
4. Next i made the dough into balls of equal size and rolled them out flat (not too flat!thick parathas are what we want!)
5. I put the parathas on the hot tava with a little butter on either side else the parathas will turn out rough .

Serve them hot with pickle,onion raita and cucumber by the side and its absolute heaven :)

Note:The parathas can be made with Aloo,methi leaves,paneer etc 

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
      And miles to go before I sleep,
        And miles to go before I sleep....."
               --ROBERT FROST

Football Aloo!

It was Super Bowl day today and we had a small potluck at a friends place.And the team i supported won! Go Green Bay Packers!!!
We came to know of this potluck really late so i dint know what to do for so many people! About 12 people got together in the last minute.
So,I made Aloo mattar the readily available ingredients Aloo and peas :) It came out great ... Here is how i made it.

Ingredients:

Masalas:
Bay leaves-2
cinnamon sticks- 2
cloves-7-8
jeera-1 tbsp
somf-1tsp
cardamom-5
turmeric-1tsp
red chilli powder-1tsp
garam masala
kasoori methi(optional)

Main ingredients:


Aloo -4
peas-2 cups
tomato puree- 2 cups or tomatoes 4-5(grind to a puree form)
Onion-1 big yellow
garlic-3-4 cloves
ginger- a small piece
green chillies-2 (according to taste)
cashews-few(6-7)
Milk-1 cup

How i Made it:

1. First i fried the onions garlic and ginger in a pressure cooker till the onions are golden brown and cooled it down  added the tomato puree and blend it in a mixer along with cashews and some milk
2. Next , in the same pressure cooker i fried the masalas together(except the garam masala) in ghee(makes it tastier) 
3. then , i added the ground onion/tomato paste, the garam masala ,a little bit of anardhana powder and fried it again till the oil separated .
4. Next i added the potatoes and a little bit water,salt ,closed the lid and left a whistle for the potato to cook.
5. After the pressure goes down, i added the peas (microwaved) and at last the kasoori methi.Taste it and you are done.

It was simple, easy to make and awesome to eat :D

Note:The sabjis can be made with carrots /cauliflower or whatever veggies you like to add .

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
      And miles to go before I sleep,
        And miles to go before I sleep....."
               --ROBERT FROST