Black Chick Peas curry & Puli Kuzhambu

Hi Guys, One last posting before I go to India. Black chick peas is the main ingredient here. You must have seen this in many blogs. So, here is my version too. Here I have made two curries using black chick peas. One is coconut based and the other is puli kuzhambu. In the coconut gravy I usually add brinjals, but I did not have any on that day. So , if you are trying it add brinjals to it. Ok, Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Black Channa- 1 1/2 cups (soaked, pressure cooked with salt and some turmeric)

mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

urad dal- 1/2 tsp

onion- 1 (chopped)

brinjals- 4 (slit into 4)

turmeric- 1/2 tsp

curry leaves- little

tomato- 1(chopped)

red chillies- 3

corriander seeds- 1 tbsp

cumin- 1 tsp

coconut- 1/2 cup(shredded)

water- 2 cups(as needed)

Procedure:

Heat oil in kadai and fry mustard seeds and urad dal. Then fry onion,brinjal ,turmeric and curry leaves. Now add tomatoes and fry till soft. Grind coconut with chillies, corriander seeds and cumin until smooth. Add this to the tomato and mix well. Now add water and bring to a nice boil. Check for salt and seasonings.Finally add boiled chick peas and bring to another boil. Serve with hot plain rice.

Now comes the other gravy:

Puli kuzhambu which is made with potatoes. This is little hot and sour gravy which is served with plain rice.

Ingredients:

Black Chick Peas- 1 cup(cooked)

onion- 1/2 (sliced)

garlic- 5 pods

potato- 2 (cubed)

tomato- 1 (chopped)

curry leaves- few

tamarind- 2 tsp

sambar powder- 2 tsp

chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

jaggery- small marble size

vadagam- 1 tsp

Procedure:

Heat oil in kadai and fry onions, garlic, curry leaves,potatoes and turmeric powder. Next add tomatoes and cook till soft. Then add tamarind paste, sambar powder and chilli powder. Add 1 1/2 cups water, jaggery and bring to a nice boil. Then add boiled channa and bring to another boil. Finally fry vadagam and add to the gravy.

Bye Guys!!! See you after 2 weeks. I will Miss you all very very much.

Pudhina Pulav with Egg Capsicum Masala

Today I felt a little better after my one week of sickness. I wanted to eat something good but I had no vegetables in my fridge except capsicum ,mint and a potato. So, here is what I came up with. This is the first time I tried pudhina pulav after being tempted by many of my fellow bloggers. I could not decide whether to use only mint or corriander. Finally , I used both 50/50. The end result was too good. My house was filled with good aroma that reached the streets. If you have not tried this before, take my word. Try it. You will not be disappointed. So, here is the recipe...

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice- 2 cups
water- 4 cups
mint- 1 small bunch
corrinder leaves- handfull
garlic- 4 pods
ginger - 1 " piece
coconut- 1/4 cup grated
elachi-2
cloves-2
bay leaf- 1 big broken
cinnamon stick- 1" (2 pieces)
star anise- 1
fennel- 1 tsp
potato-1
green chillies- 3 or 4
onion- 1/2 sliced
ghee- 1 tbsp


Procedure:
Grind ginger,garlic, mint, corriander leaves, chillies, coconut and fennel seeds. Heat some oil and ghee in pressure cooker. fry all the spices and then onions and potatoes. Then fry the ground paste until you get a good aroma. Don't over-fry it. Just do it until the color changes from deep green to light green. Add required salt and rice. Fry for a few minutes. Add water. Check for seasonings and close the cooker. Wait until the pressure comes. Put the vent and keep the flame on medium. Wait for 10 to 12 mins. Switch off gas and open cooker when the pressure completely subsides. Open cooker and mix well. Finally ,add fried cashews . Serve with onion raitha.

Egg Capsicum Masala:


Ingredients:
egg- 4
onion- 1/2 sliced
ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
tomato- 1 chopped
capsicum- 1/2 sliced
sakthi masala powder- 1 1/2 tsp
chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
coconut- 1/4 cup
corriander leaves-few

Procedure:
Heat oil in kadai and fry onions, capsicum and ginger garlic paste. Then add tomato, masala powders and salt. Add ground coconut and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. check for seasonings. Now add boiled eggs (slit them before you slip them into the gravy). Bring to another boil. Finally add corriander leaves .
Enjoy friends and have a great weekend!!!