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!!!

Spinach Tortellini with Steamed vegetables

More simple meals... This is the first time I'm trying tortellini. In my opinion, I feel this pasta is very filling when consumed even a little as it is filled with some stuffing like cheese, spinach or meat.

Ingredients:
Tortellini pasta- 1 pack
shredded chicken- 1 cup

For pesto sauce:
garlic- 3 pods
fresh basil leaves- 2 cups
pine nuts - 3 Tbsp
salt and pepper- as per taste
extra virgin olive oil- 1/2 cup
Parmesan cheese grated- 1/2 cup

Procedure:
Cook pasta as per package directions and set aside. For the pesto sauce , blend everything except oil and cheese. After mincing it well, slowly add olive oil and blend for a few more minutes until the right consistency.Finally add cheese and mix well. You can add a little water to the sauce if it is very thick. You can store in an air-tight containter for 2 days and use it over steamed vegetables, fish or chicken. In a pan cook shredded chicken with 2 tbsp oil and some salt on high heat. When done add pasta and pesto sauce. Blend well. Serve with steamed vegetables.

Note: You can add vegetables along with chicken and then add to pasta. By this way, the vegetables will also have pesto sauce flavor in it.

Lemon Paruppu

The time is flying fast. I'm counting days to go to India. B'coz it it a very short time I'm spending more time in planning and less time in kitchen. So, for the next few days it's going to be simple cooking. This dish is just the basic dal but with a little twist. Lemon is what that gives this dal a special taste. I learnt this from my perima (mom's elder sister) who is a great cook. She can turn any ordinary dish into an extraordinary one. This time when I go to India I'll get a good collection of her recipes and post it for all my friends. Meanwhile, enjoy this super-fast comfort food.

Ingredients:

Toor dal- 1 cup(uncooked)

mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

urad dal- 1/4 tsp

jeera seeds- 1/2 tsp

onion- 1/2 (chopped)

red chillies- 2 or 3

garlic- 4 pods(crushed)

curry leaves- few

tomato- 1/4 piece

corriander- 2 tbsp

hing- 1/4 tsp

lemon - 1/2 (juicy one, can add more until you get the dominant taste of lemon)

Procedure:

Pressure cook dal with 2 cups of water, some turmeric and a tsp of oil. In a kadai splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and jeera seeds. Then add onion ,lemon, curry leaves,hing and red chillies. After some time add tomato and corriander leaves. cook till soft. Add cooked dal and mix well. Add required salt and lemon juice. Bring it to one boil. Add a dollop of ghee before serving.

Parrupu Urundai Kuzhambu

This is one of my favorites. It might look like a kofta curry, but this is totally different. It is toor dal balls cooked in a tangy tamarind sauce. It goes well with plain rice. There is another version called paruppu urundai mor kuzhambu. Will post about that later.

Meanwhile, I just wanted to share my experiences on making this gravy. The first time I did this curry, I dropped the dal balls directly in the boiling gravy and it came out well. But the second time it was a total flop. All the balls broke and I ended up in one single mess. After doing it frequently I have now mastered the art of doing it right. So, if you wish to give this gravy a try I strongly recommend you to steam the toor dal balls for a 10 minutes and then add to the gravy. Slowly as you gain confidence you can add the dal balls directly.

Ingredients:
Toor Dhal – 1 cup
onion- 1/2 (finely chopped)
Sambar Powder – 1 tsp
corriander leaves- 3 tbsp
Salt – 2 teaspoon

Mustard – 1 teaspoon
urad dal -1/4 tsp
small onions – 10 chopped finely
tomato- 1 small
Curry leaves – few
tamarind- 2 spoons
sambar powder- 1 heaped tbsp
coconut- 1/4 cup(grind to a paste)

Method:
Soak toor dal in water for about 2 hours. Wash the dal and drain out the water completely. Put it in a mixie and grind to a thick coarse paste (as you do for vadai). Add ½ teaspoon salt, sambar powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, chopped onions, one tablespoon coconut gratings and few curry leaves chopped to the dal paste. Mix well. Make a small lemon size balls. Set aside.
Heat oil in kadai and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal. Then add onions and curry leaves. After sometime add tomatoes and fry till soft. Add the tamarind paste and sambar powder. Add 3 cups water. Bring to boil. When it starts boiling, add two to three dhal balls and reduce to heat to medium. Allow to boil. When it starts boiling again, then add three more balls. Again wait for the Kuzhambu to start boiling. Add three more balls and finish all the balls like this. Once you finished all the dal urundais, gently turn them with a spoon. Keep the flame to low. Add ground coconut to the boiling kuzhambu.

Note: This is the authentic way of doing this gravy. If the dal balls gets cooked directly in the kuzhambu itself then the tamarind juice enters the balls and gives a special taste.
Check out my friend's viji's version too: Viji's

One more thing, I might go to India by june 10th to attend my SIL's marriage. Will keep you guys posted.
Till then, try this curry friends and have a great weekend!!!!

Meen Kuzhambu

Meen Kuzhambu or Fish Kuzhambu is a very popular dish in the south. Fish consumption is more in coastal areas. In my parents house they do not make fish often. But my in-law's place is Pondicherry. So, fish is a definite food atleast 2 to 3 times aweek. I learnt all the fish recipes from them. Especially my sister-in-law makes good shrimp and fish fry. will surely post her pictures when I make a trip to India. I usually get my sambar powder from my in-law's place. Anyway, here is my MIL recipe...

Ingredients:
tilapia - 6 pieces
methi seeds- 1/2 tsp
Onion- 1 (medium,finely chopped)
garlic- 5 pods(minced)
curry leaves- few
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
tomatoes-1(big,finely chopped)
tamarind paste- 2 tsps
sambar powder- 3 tsps
vadagam- 1 1/2 tsp
coconut milk-1 tbsp (opt)

Procedure:
Wash fish with turmeric and set aside. Heat oil in kadai and fry methi seeds, onions,garlic and curry leaves. When it turns golden brown, saute tomato,turmeric powder and sambar powder. When the raw smell goes add tamarind paste,salt,coconut milk and required water. Bring to a nice boil. Check for seasonings. Add fish when the gravy is boiling. Close and cook for 10 mins. Then open the pan and reduce the gravy to desired consistency. Careful. Do not over-cook and break the fish. Finally fry vadagam seperately and add to gravy.

Note: This recipe was posted earlier. But I'm reposting this with a better picture and an alternative to use sambar powder. You can use 1tbsp corriander powder + 2 1/2 tsp chilli powder. I ran out of sambar powder and I tried this way. It worked out really well. Want some??? Here is a plate with plain rice mixed with meen kuzhambu and fish fry.

Mutton Kurma

Wondering why I'm cooking only non-veg for the past two days?

Actually, I was expecting a guest for the weekend. But I had to cancel the program as my son was sick. I do not like to freeze and use meat , that's why I had to do one after the other.

Ingredients:
Chopped mutton- 1 1/2 lbs
Potatoes- 4 (cut into quarters)
Large onions- 2 (finely chopped)
Tomato- 3 (finely chopped)
Grated ginger- 1 inch piece
Crushed garlic- 5 cloves
Cinnamon- 1 stick
Bay leaves- 2
Grated coconut- 1 cup
poppy seeds- 1tsp
cashews- 3 to 4
fennel- 1 tsp
Red chili powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Dhania powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 2 tablespoons
A bunch of chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves

Procedure:
Mix 1 tsp of salt & turmeric to the mutton pieces. Add 2 cups of water and pressure-cook until the mutton is tender. Grind the grated coconut with poppy seeds,cashews and fennel seeds. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the cinnamon and bay leaves for a minute. Then add onions and ginger garlic . Fry until golden brown. Then add the potatoes and fry for few minutes. Next add tomatoes and all the masala powders. Cook till tomatoes are completely mashed. Now add the pressure-cooked meat broth and boil for few more minutes. Then add the coconut paste and bring it to a boil. Now add mutton ,Cover the pan and let it cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the raw smell of coconut is gone. Add some salt if needed. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with plain rice or parotta.

For vegetarians, you can follow the same procedure to make a veg kurma.