CHETTINAD MUSHROOM GRAVY

A very spicy gravy that goes well with roti, dosa, idli and even hot ghee rice. The aroma of ground masala gives this dish a true chettinad touch. Do try this dish and I'm sure you'll love it.

INGREDIENTS

Mushroom - 200 gms

Onion - 1

Dry Red chili - 6

Green Chili - 1

Pepper - 1 tsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Garlic pods - 6

Ginger - a small piece

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 4

Coconut milk - 1/4 cup

Salt

METHOD

Grind all the ingredients except mushroom, coconut milk and salt. Add little water and grind to make a paste. Clean and chop mushrooms. Heat oil in a kadai and add the ground paste. Cook in low heat till the raw smell goes, this should take about 5 mins. Now add the mushroom and salt. Give it a good mix ,add 1 cup water and cook in low flame for 15-20 mins stirring every 5 mins. Once the mushroom is cooked, add 1/4 cup coconut milk. Stir well and switch of the heat. Hot and spicy mushroom gravy is ready to serve. 

SNAKE GOURD RINGS

This is something different and easy to try with snake gourd. Apart from the boring and usual podalanka poriyal, podalanka or snake gourd can be used to make something interesting like this. Its similar to the bajjis we eat, so it can be prepared as an evening snack, served as a starter or even with a rice preparation. 

INGREDIENTS

Snake gourd - 2 (small size)

Gram flour - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1/2 cup

Chili pwd - 1 tsp (add more if you require)

Salt 

METHOD

Wash and wipe the snake gourd dry. Scrape the skin lightly and cut them into rings. Remove the pith from the rings and keep the chopped rings aside. Prepare a batter with gram flour, rice flour, chili pwd and salt with water. It should resemble dosa batter. Check for salt and chili pwd and add more if required. Now add chopped snake gourd into the batter. Heat oil in a kadai and fry them. Snake gourd rings are ready!! 

HOMEMADE MANGO ICE CREAM

Homemade ice creams are a special treat especially when its free from artificial colours and flavours. This mango ice cream tastes creamy and delicious with no colour or artificial flavour added to it. Its also egg less!It's also free from stabilizing agents and stays good for even a month if stored in an airtight container in the freezer. 

INGREDIENTS

Milk - 100 ml (cold)

Amul cream – 1 liter

Milkmaid – 400gms

Mango puree - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp 

METHOD

Whip the fresh cream (750 ml) using a hand mixer until high peaks are formed. This will take about 15-20 mins. Take another bowl and add cold milk, milkmaid, puree and give it a mix. I prefer fresh mango puree but you can even use store bought puree. Now add the whipped cream to this mixture and stir using a spatula until all the ingredients are mixed well. Pour the contents in an airtight container and place it in a freezer. Take it out after an hour, add the remaining cream (250 ml) and beat it using a hand mixer in medium speed for about ten to fifteen minutes and place it back into the freezer. Let it set for about three hours and whip it again using a blender for 15 mins. Put it back into the freezer and let it set for 6 hrs before serving. It melts fast at room temperature so place it back into the freezer immediately after serving.

BAKED MULTIGRAIN CRISPS/CRACKERS

Preparing roti and poori with whole wheat and multigrain was little boring so wanted to try something different at the same time healthy. Here comes the recipe to a HEALTHY, NO BAKING POWDER, NO BAKING SODA, NO OIL, NO BUTTER multigrain crackers. Relish these lovely crisps with mayonnaise or any dip of your choice. I tried it with egg less sweet chili mayo and it was yummy!

It doesn't involve any hard work and its not time consuming. It can be made in ten minutes and will sure be a good evening snack or even a starter. You can even try it out with whole wheat and get experimental by adding herbs and spices of your choice. 

INGREDIENTS

Multigrain flour - 1 cup 

Salt - 1 tsp

Chili pwd or pepper pwd - 1/4 tsp

Dry herb - 1/4 tsp 

METHOD

Mix the multigrain flour (I used Ashirvad multigrain flour) salt, spices and herbs first. Mix well and check for salt and spice level. Then make a dough by adding little water. The dough should be tight. Please ensure that you add water little by little to make a perfect tight dough. Roll it like a chappati, using a fork make holes on it. This prevents puffing up and cut into pieces with a knife. The thinner you roll, the crisper the cracker. 

Pre-heat the oven to 200 c for 10 mins. Place a baking sheet on a tray and then place the cut pieces. Bake for 15 mins or until the they turn light brown.

MUTTAI PORIYAL/EGG SCRAMBLE

Egg scramble is not a new preparation to most of us but each of us do it in a different way. At home, I prepare it differently when it accompanies rice, a little different from this method for chappati and with a little twist and flavour for bread. This preparation tastes good with rice. Will soon be updating the other methods.

INGREDIENTS

Eggs - 2

Onion 2 - finely chopped

Green chili - 1 cut into 2 halves 

Turmeric pwd - a pinch

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - chopped for garnish

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt

METHOD

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil , once hot add the onion and green chilly. Sauté for 2-3 mins and add the ginger garlic paste. Once the raw flavour of the paste goes and the onions have turned light brown, break the two eggs, add salt, turmeric and scramble on high flame for 2 mins and for 4-5 mins on medium flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

GARLIC BUTTER

This homemade garlic butter is very simple to prepare and can be made in no time. It can be used on a toasted bread, can be added to pasta or spaghetti to give a nice flavour or even to temper your dhal fry. I usually spread this on a slice of sweet or milk bread and then toast it on a tava and have it. Oh, its simple delicious! The taste of butter and the aroma of garlic with chopped coriander leaves is irresistible.

INGREDIENTS

Table Butter - 1 pack (100g)

Garlic cloves - 4

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

METHOD

Soften the butter with the back of a spoon. You can either chop the garlic finely and add or paste it and add its juice alone with a filter. Since we're using table butter, salt is not required. After adding the garlic, give a mix. Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Set in fridge for a few minutes and use it as you prefer. It can be stored for up to 2 days but having it fresh makes it more tasty.  

METHI IN BABAY POTATO FRY/ VENDHAYA KEERAI URALAI KILANGU FRY

Vendhaya keerai/ Fenugreek leaves added to baby potatoes makes it a tasty and healthy combo. Its quite easy to prepare too. This dish can be had with rice and chapatti.

INGREDIENTS

Baby potao - 1 pack

Vendhaya keerai/ methi/ fenugreek leaves - 2 small bundles

Onion - 2 large, finely chopped

Sambar pwd - 2 - 3 tbsp

Turmeric pwd - a pinch

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp 

Salt 

Oil 

METHOD

Wash and boil the potatoes. Add enough salt while boiling. Remove the peel and set aside. 

In a hot pan add oil, mustard seeds, onion and cook till the onions turn light brown. Add the chopped leaves, boiled potatoes, turmeric pwd, salt, sambar pwd or you can even use chili pwd if you prefer. Mix well and check for salt and spice. Cook for 10-15 mins. Serve hot.

BEANS USILI

Beans usili is a traditional dish prepared in South India more particularly by the brahmins. It's a lovely combination of lentil prepared in a particular way and mixed with beans. Its packed with nutrients and can be made with very little oil. Beans usili can be a good side dish for sambhar rice or mix it with hot rice with little ghee. It's delicious!

Usili is usually prepared using beans, cluster beans or banana flower. At home we use either cluster beans or beans.

INGREDIENTS

Beans - 30 nos

Toor dhal - 3/4 cup

Dry Red chili - 5 

Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Split Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves

Salt 

METHOD

Wash and soak the toor dhal for an hour. Meanwhile, wash and cut the beans into small pieces. Cook beans with water and salt till done and keep aside. 

Drain the dhal of water and grind it to a coarse paste with cumin seeds, asafoetida, dry red chilies and salt. 

Heat oil in a kadai and add split urad dhal and curry leaves then add the ground paste with little turmeric and fry on low heat for about 11- 15 mins. You can also steam the ground paste in an idli maker. 

When it reaches a crumbly texture, add the beans and stir well. Check for salt. 

Cook for another 5-10 mins and beans usili is ready. 

CHAPATHI AND BELL PEPPER STIR FRY

Usually, when I have left over chapathis's at home, I make kothu parota or make rolls with a filling or simply eat it with any left-over gravy. This time I wanted to make something different and also make use of the lovely and fresh bell peppers I bought. My kitchen is open to all kinds of culinary experiments and so I tried to cook something interesting with chapathi and bell peppers. It was a hit!

When I gave some to my parents, they asked me what it was. Since naming my dish dint really occur to me, I just called it - Chapathi & Bell peppers Stir Fry. Name it however you want but try this out and I'm sure you'll like it. 

INGREDIENTS

Chapathi/roti - 4 torn into pieces

Onion - 1  

Bell peppers - 2 (one of each yellow and red)

Cumin Pwd - 1/2 tsp

Chili Garlic sauce - 1 tbsp

Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt 

METHOD

• Chop the onions and the bell peppers roughly

• Heat oil in a Kadai and add the chopped onions and bell peppers. Cook in high heat for 3- 4 mins. Add the cumin pwd and mix well. 

• Add the chapathi pieces, soya sauce and Chili garlic sauce. Give it a nice stir and switch off the heat. 

The picture above may not be very appealing but it definitely tastes nice. The slight crunchiness of the bell peppers and the mix of cumin pwd with the sauces gives it a different taste. 

CREAMY KADAI VEGETABLES

This creamy kadai vegetable dish tastes good with rotis and pulao. Its a mild gravy cooked with milk and cream and made without onion and garlic. Yes, it does not have onion and garlic and still tastes yummy. At home, we use onions for almost all our dishes in our daily cooking so I was wondering if I can cook something tasty and satvic - without onion and garlic. Determined to try a gravy without the 2 main (family.. lol) ingredients.. I got into my kitchen. Ingredients and method follows. 

INGREDIENTS

Potato - 2 small if big 1

Capsicum - 1 (I've used green, yellow and red. So one of each) 

Peas - 1/2 Cup

Paneer - 10 cubes

Tomato - 2

Green chili - 1

Mint leaves/ Pudina- 20

Coriander - 1 tbsp chopped

Turmeric pwd - 1 tsp

Coriander pwd - 1/2 tbsp

Chili pwd - 1/2 tbsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Dry methi leaves - 1 tsp

Jeera/ cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Ginger paste or chopped ginger - 1 tsp

Milk - 1/2 cup

Cream - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt

Please use your choice of vegetables to it. Also, you can do away with the cream if you don't prefer. 

METHOD

Parboil* all the vegetables in little water with salt. 

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and saute the chopped tomatoes, green chilies, chopped coriander and pudina/ mint  leaves one by one. Let it cool and grind it to a paste.

Heat a kadai, add oil and crackle jeera seeds. Add the garlic and saute for a minute, add the dry methi leaves, ground paste and after 3 mins add all the masala pwds. Add the parboiled veggies and cook for 5-10 mins in low heat adding little water. Add necessary salt and 1 tsp sugar. Once the veggies are cooked and the raw smell of the masalas go add the milk and cream. Stir and mix well in low heat for a minute and switch of the heat. 

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note

*Partially cooking the vegetables and removing from water once they are soft and before they are fully cooked.