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Thursday, December 19, 2013

EASY RASAM

This rasam can be made in no time and tastes really good. Try this out when you crave for a good rasam but have only five minutes to spare. It will also be of help for starters as its very simple to make and you cannot go wrong. This also comes in handy when you're unable to prepare fresh spice powders. In fact this recipe was born as a result of power cut. I usually grind whole black pepper, cumin, coriander and garlic (coarsely) every time I prepare rasam which gives it a nice aroma and taste. Since I don't use any ready made powders for rasam or sambhar I came up with this idea. Nevertheless this also tastes good.




 INGREDIENTS

Tomato (chopped) - 1 small size
Tamarind juice* - 1 cup
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp 
Cumin powder/Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp 
Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt
Coriander leaves for garnish

For tempering

Ghee - 1 tsp 
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/ jeera - 1/4 tsp
Garlic pods - 4
Curry leaves - 5
Karuvadagam* - a tiny piece

METHOD

In a bowl or vessel, add the chopped tomatoes, tamarind juice and all the masala powders. Add about 11/2 cups of water or according to your taste and add the required amount of salt. Keep this aside. Heat a kadai and add ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic pods, curry leaves and the karuvadagam in the same order. Once the seeds crackle and the garlic turns light brown pour the tamarind juice mixture to this and let it boil. Switch off the heat after the first boil. Let it set and transfer it to a vessel. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Simple rasam is ready to serve hot.


STEP BY STEP PICTURE


Add all the masala powders to the chopped tomato and tamarind juice. Add required salt and water.



 Crackle mustard, cumin, garlic pods, curry leaves and karuvadagam in a tsp of ghee and pour the above mixture. Let it boil.




Transfer it to a vessel and garnish with coriander leaves. 







NOTE
*Tamarind juice to be made with a small ball of tamarind in hot water
*Karuvadagam is a combination of small onion, garlic, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and  split black gram. Combined and sun dried for days in a particular way and stored. This is used for  tempering.
 Adding karuvadagam is optional.




Monday, December 16, 2013

TOMATO AND SPROUT SALAD

I was looking to make a salad and the only ingredient I had was tomato and luckily found some sprouted green gram too! So the chef in me said why not put them together with a dash of olive oil and a pinch of pepper and salt. Here's the recipe to my tomato and sprout salad with a twist ;)




INGREDIENTS

To make a small bowl of salad for one person

Tomato - 1 (cut into 1 inch pieces)
Sprouted green gram - a handful
Rusk - 2
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 drops
Salt and Pepper as per taste
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish if you prefer



METHOD

Add the chopped tomato pieces and sprouted green gram to a bowl. The twist in this salad recipe is adding sweet rusk. Yes, rusk!! Break the rusk into 2 inch pieces. I've used sweet rusk here but it can be tried with any kind of rusk. Flavoured rusk may change the taste of the salad so refrain from using that unless you like it. Add the rusk pieces to the tomatoes and sprouts along with a tbsp of olive oil. Give it a good mix. Add 2 drops of lemon juice and the required salt and pepper. I've used white pepper for this salad. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. The crunchiness of sprouted green gram and the sweetness of rusk mixed in the juice of tomato and olive oil makes it tasty. Try this simple and healthy salad and you're sure to love it.








Thursday, September 12, 2013

PEAS AND POTATO SALAD


INGREDIENTS

Boiled Potatoes - 2 (cut into small cubes)
Boiled peas - 1/2 cup
Mayonnaise - 3 tbsp
Fresh cream- 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper as per taste
Chopped Coriander leaves (optional)

METHOD

In a bowl, add the potatoes, peas and mayonnaise. Give it a good mix. Add the fresh cream and required salt and pepper. Adjust the mayonnaise and cream quantity as per your requirement. Finish with chopped coriander leaves. It can also be served cold.






Note
*Add salt while boiling potatoes and peas
*I've used white pepper for this salad

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

MACARONI - MY WAY

This is how I prepare macaroni and trust me this is simply yummy. I always add garlic for the flavour if you don't prefer garlic then it can be made without it.







 INGREDIENTS


Boiled macaroni - 1 cup
Milk- 1 cup
Onions - 1 tbsp (sliced)
Garlic- 2 pods (mashed)
Flour-1 tbsp
Fresh cream- 1tbsp
Cheese (grated)- 1/2 cup
Olive oil- 1tbsp
Salt and pepper as per taste

METHOD


Mix the flour in cold milk and keep aside. It is necessary that the milk be cold to avoid lumps.
Sauté the sliced onions and garlic in olive oil till golden brown. 
Add the boiled macaroni to it, followed by the milk and flour mixture.
Add the fresh cream.
Add required salt and pepper. Mix for a minute or two and finish it off with grated cheese.
Use your favourite herb to season it.



Note
*add some salt while boiling the macaroni
*fresh or dry parsley can be used as seasoning

2 MINUTE EGG-LESS MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

As the title suggests, it's an egg-less cake made in 2 mins!! When ever I'm tempted to have a nice, moist chocolate cake, this recipe comes in handy. It can be made in no time and tastes yummy. This recipe gives about 2-3 pieces just enough to satisfy your temptation without making you feel guilty of having a whole cake. This recipe is also of great help when you want to make a quick dessert at home.



INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour- 4 tbsp
Cocoa pwd- 1 tbsp
Nutella- 1 tsp
Melted butter- 2 tbsp

METHOD


To a microwave safe bowl/dish add all purpose flour, cocoa pwd, nutella and melted butter. Mix well and keep on high temperature for about 2 minutes (or a minute, depending upon your oven temperature) and Voila! The moist chocolate cake is ready!







MASALA DOSA

Masala Dosa-  a thin crisp dosa, filled with mildly spiced potato bhaji. This is a famous recipe in India and a popular South Indian dish which traces it's origin to Udupi cuisine. It is easy to prepare and quite addictive too. If you are a dosa lover, I'm sure this is worth a try. 

I've given the recipe only for the potato bhaji here. 





Ingredients

For the Potato bhaji  (for about 4 dosas)

Potatoes - 3
Onion (thinly sliced) - 1 
Green Chilies (slit) - 2 
Split Bengal gram Kadali paruppu- 1 tsp
Mustard- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric pwd- 1/2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish 
Salt as per your taste


Method

Boil the potatoes with some salt. Cool and peel the skin and mash half the quantity and chop the rest into small pieces. In a pan, heat oil and crackle mustard seeds followed by split bengal gram / kadali paruppu and slit green chilies. Sauté till fragrant and add the onions, turmeric pwd and salt. Sauté for about 4-5 mins in low heat and once its cooked add the potatoes. Stir well until well combined. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.





Friday, July 12, 2013

CHENA KILANGU FRY/ YAM FRY

Chena kilangu fry has been my favourite from childhood. I would love to relish this simple delicacy with curd rice. This version of the recipe is how we cook it at home, very simple yet delicious to taste.



INGREDIENTS

Chena kilangu- 250 gms
Turmeric pwd- a pinch
Sambar pwd- 1/2 tbsp (add more if you prefer it spicy)
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Split urad dal- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste



METHOD

Wash and slice the yam into thin slices. Heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds and split urad dal. Add the sliced yam to it, give it a stir. To it, add a pinch of turmeric pwd, sambar pwd and required salt. Mix well, sprinkle little water and cook till crisp. Yummy yam fry is ready to eat. 



PEAS PULAO

Peas pulao is very easy and pretty simple to prepare. This recipe is a simple one for people who're trying it out for the first time and who's looking for a quick and easy version. I'll be posting my version of peas pulao soon.







Ingredients

Basmati rice- 1 cup
Peas- 1/2 cup
Cinnamon- 1 (1/2 inch piece)
Clove- 1
Cardamom- 1
Black cumin/ shah jeera- 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Green chilly- 1 (small) 
Salt 

Method 

Wash and soak rice for about 15-20 mins. Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add all the whole spices (i.e) cinnamon, clove, cardamom. Saute for about a minute or till you get the fragrance. Now add black cumin/Shah jeera, slit green chilly and saute for a minute. Next, add the peas with little salt. Fry for 3-4 mins. Add the soaked rice with ginger garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add required salt and 2 cups of water (since the basmati rice and water ratio is 1:2). Close the lid of the pan and keep the heat on low and cook till the rice is fluffy and done. 


Note

If you're preparing this in a cooker, follow the same method by adding 2 cups of water and then close the lid of the cooker with the cooker weight. Keep on high flame and wait for a whistle. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to low and switch off the heat after 5 mins. 

Monday, May 27, 2013

KADAI PANEER

Paneer/cottage cheese is not only great in taste but also has a lot of nutritional benefits to offer. It is a great source of calcium, which is helpful in maintaining strong teeth and bones. Due to its low lactose content, it protects the teeth against harmful sugars. It also helps in lower, back and joint pain. Paneer is also a good source of protein and it reduces the risk of cancer. Enjoy the goodness of paneer!
Coming to this spicy dish, it goes very well with chapattis and any kind of pulao. Usually whole dhania/coriander seeds are used for kadai paneer but I’ve used dhania/coriander powder.





Ingredients

Paneer (cut into cubes) - 200 gms
Onion (finely chopped) - 2
Tomato (finely chopped) -2
Capsicum (1 inch square pieces) – 1 small
Cumin seeds/jeera- ½ tsp
Clove- 1
Cardamom- 1
Cinnamon stick (2 inch piece) – 1
Ginger garlic paste- ½ tbsp
Curd- 1 tbsp (optional)
Red chili- 2
Turmeric- ½ tsp
Red chili pwd- 1 tbsp
Coriander pwd- ½ tbsp
Garam masala- ½ tsp
Salt
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method


Heat oil in a kadai and add red chilies, jeera/cumin seeds, cinnamon, clove, and cardamom. Once it crackles, add the chopped onions, ginger garlic paste and little salt. Sauté till the onions turn light brown, add chopped tomatoes and capsicum and sauté for a minute. Add turmeric, red chili and coriander powder and sauté for about a minute and let it cook for 5-6 mins. Now, add the curd, mix and throw in the paneer pieces and cook for about 3-4 mins. Finish it off with garam masala and give it a light stir. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

EGG IDIYAPPAM


This one is my mom’s recipe and one of my favourites too. It can be done without the egg for vegetarians and tastes good even without any side dish or gravy.

Ingredients
Idiyappam (torn to small bits) - 2 cups
Onion (finely chopped) – 2
Tomatoes (finely chopped) - 2
Eggs- 2
Mint leaves (chopped) – ¼ cup
Turmeric pwd- ¼ tsp
Chili powder- 1 tsp
Garam masala- ½ tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Coriander (finely chopped) – little for garnishing
Salt

Method
Heat oil in a kadai and add the chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, little salt and sauté till the raw smell goes. Add chopped mint leaves, tomatoes, turmeric pwd, chili pwd and salt. Cook till the tomatoes get mushy and then add the garam masala. If you prefer you can add biryani masala instead of garam masala. Add the two eggs and scramble. Add the tiny pieces of Idiyappam and stir well. Serve hot.