Kothavarangai parrupu usili

This is my fav side dish. I usually like to take a cup of this curry , add 2 tbsp of yogurt. Mix well and eat it just like that. Try it , you might like it too. My hubby dosen't like to eat this combination. He likes to eat with plain rice, mor kuzhambu or puli kuzhambu. I have already blogged about green beans usili here. Gawar beans has a mild bitter taste, so adding a few pinches of sugar will mask that taste. You can skip adding sugar. I don't do it all the time. So, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Gawar beans- 2 cups

onion- 1/2 (finely chopped)

channa dal -3/4 th cup

green chillies- 8

red chillies- 2 (broken)

ginger- 1 " piece

turmeric- 1/2 tsp

curry leaves- few

salt- as reqd

sugar- 2 pinches

Procedure:

Trim the ends of gawar beans and cut it into little pieces. Usually, I cut mine 1/2 " pieces. But this time (as seen in pic) I cut it a little big. But I felt it small cut ones are much better. Steam cook this in rice cooker with some salt and sugar.

Soak channa dal in 2 cups water for one or two hours. Drain and grind into coarse paste with salt, green chillies and ginger.

Heat oil in pan. Fry mustard seeds, urad dal and jeera seeds. Then add onions, red chillies, turmeric and curry leaves. After a few mins add the ground channa dal mixture and saute for 15 mins. Now add the steamed vegetable and mix well. check for salt. Serve with plain rice and puli kuzhambu. It tastes great with rasam saadham or curd rice too.Enjoy!!!

Few food pics from my India Trip

As many of you know, I was on a break from june to august as I had to attend my SIL's wedding. After coming back I wanted to post some pics but I couldn't do it. So, here are some.


My second SIL with her groom and two girls on the sides are my first SIL's kids.

Virundhu in my first SIL's place for the newly wed. The items are Chicken Biryani, onion raitha, Era varuval, vangiram fish fry, boiled egg and chicken roast.

Desserts are fruit salad (banana, jack fruit, mangoes and nagapazham) and rasamalai.

Pictures was taken in yercaud. The sour mangoes with spicy chilli powder mix is a perfect one for the cold days. This is the

American sweet corn that is grilled on charcoals and served with lemon and a spice mix.

Look closely. It's not just two monkeys. There are three of 'em. The left one is a mommy hugging the little one.

A big plate full of figs / Athi pazham. When I saw a fig dessert in viji's blog I wished this picture would become real so that I could grab some and try it. I absolutely love figs.

Last but not least is my all time favorite Panju mittai/ cotton candy. I don't like the ones we get in US. It just dosen't taste the same. I ate 3 of them in a row. YUM YUM.

That's all guys. Just wanted to share them with you. Have a nice weekend!!!

Pan fried BitterGourd

To be frank, I hate this vegetable. But my hubby loves it. So I had no other go than learning how to cook it. In my mom's place they do a different recipe in which the bitterness is so subtle. But my MIL does not do anything to remove the bitterness and my hubby likes this veggie that way. Poor me, I always have to make another veggie for me on the days I cook this (extra work). This time when I went to India I saw small bittergourds . They are called "merry pavakkai". Here is a pic of the same and also the pic of my MIL's preparation. She uses tomato in hers.

Now that you have seen one version, here is mine. This is less bitter and it can be enjoyed with sambar rice. It gets a nice roasted texture and taste as it is cooked on low flame towards the end. Adding a hint of jaggery also helps in masking the bitterness. (ooh..that's a lot of bitterness in this post). Now to the recipe.

Ingredients:

bittergourd/pavakkai- 2 medium sized

onion- 1/2 (sliced)

curry leaves-few

sambar powder- 2 tsp

salt- as reqd

jaggery- 1/4 tsp

tamarind paste- 1/4 tsp

Procedure:

Cut the pavakkai's into medium-thin rounds. You can keep the seeds if you like it. If not , just push the center part with your thumb and it comes right off. In a bowl add 1 tbsp of yogurt,some water and salt. Mix well and get it to buttermilk consistency. If you have ready buttermilk that is perfectly fine too. Add the pavakkai rounds to it and soak it for 15 mins. Then wash it 2 or 3 times. This helps in removing the bitterness to a little extent.

Now heat the pan and put a tbsp of oil. Fry mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal and some cumin. Then add onions, curry leaves and some turmeric. Fry it for 5 mins. Then add pavakkai and reqd salt. Saute for a few mins. Now add little water and close the pan. Cook for another 5 to 10 mins. When the color of the veggie changes, add the sambar powder, tamarind and jaggery. Mix well. Take off the lid and fry in medium low flame. The key to this roast is , don't use a spatula and keep on mixing it. This might break the veggie. So, you just toss the veggie every 5 mins. You will get a nice roasted texture this way. Enjoy!!!

Yay!!! My 100th Post!!!

Here is a milestone in my blogging. I have reached my 100th post!!! Like many other bloggers, even I didn't think I'll be blogging so long. There were times when I thought I should quit blogging and concentrate on something else. But, I just don't understand the power behind this. It's got me addicted.

So, what's kept me going inspite of so many hurdles? It's all of your encouragement through comments. "Appreciation". Who dosen't like this? There are so many dishes that even my hubby has failed to appreciate(mostly he wil be engrossed in TV or talking to my son), but you guys are awesome. You have always been there for me. You are all the best!!! So, I want to take this opportunity and thank each and everyone of you who spent time on my blog going thru recipes, writing your valuable comments and given me suggestions to improve.So, here is a big "THANKYOU" for everything.

Ok, without further delay let's go to the recipe. This time I tried "Thai Red Curry". This has always been my favorite in thai dishes. I tried this recipe(red curry paste) from the cookbook "Authentic Thai Food". It was really good although I missed few of the authentic ingredients . So ,I wanted you guys also to try it. So, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
Chicken- 2 breasts
onion- 1/2 (sliced)
green bell pepper- 1/2 (sliced)
red bell pepper- 1/2 ( sliced)
mushrooms- 5 (sliced)
Pineapple- (canned, drained, cut into big chunks)
You can use babycorn, bamboo shoots or anyother veggies too of your choice.
Thai basil- 6 leaves(I used regular basil)
coconut milk- 1 can

For curry paste:
small red chillies-13 (seeds removed,soaked in water)
shallot-3 tbsp (chopped)
garlic- 4tbsp(chopped)
galangal-1tbsp(thai ginger,chopped)
lemon grass-2 tbsp (I did not get it, so I didn't use it)
kaffir lime rind-2 tsp (I used fresh lime peel)
corriander root- 1 tbsp (I used stems the closest part)
white peppercorns-20
corriander seeds- 1 1/2 tsp(ground,roasted)
Cumin- 1/2 tsp(ground,roasted)
shrimp paste- 1 tsp
sea salt- 1tsp

Procedure:
Blend all the ingredients for curry paste with 2 tsp oil and little water. The paste should be smooth and thick. Mix it evenly with coconut milk. Cut chicken into strips and flatten it a little with a hammer. This will tenderize the meat. Heat oil in a kadai and fry chicken until it is no longer pink. Add some salt. Then add all the veggies except pineapple and basil. Stir fry it. When the veggies are half done add the coconut milk mixture and bring it to a boil. Test for salt and chilli level. Add more if you want to. Finally add pineapple and basil. Mix well and serve with white rice or fried rice. Enjoy!!!

One thing before I end this post. I wanted to participate in the "click" event hosted by Bee.





Here is my contribution for the event. Please guys don't laugh. Have a nice day!!! And once again a big "Thankyou". Hugs. :))

Gutti Vankaya/ Stuffed Brinjal Curry

There are so many versions of this dish. I was tempted to try this after I had this in our local restaurant and seeing it in so many blogs. This is my first trial and I must say that I was perfectly satisfied the way it turned out. So, check out this recipe and give it a try.

Ingredients:

Brinjals- 15

onion- 1/4 (finely chopped)

curry leaves-few

tomato-1(small,finely chopped)

tamarind paste-1 tsp

jaggery-1/2 tsp

salt- 1 tsp

roast and grind:

urad dal- 1 tbsp

chana dal-1 tbsp

shredded coconut-2 tbsp

cumin-1 tbsp

corriander seeds- 3/4 tbsp

peanuts- 11/2tbsp
sesame seeds- 1tbsp

cloves- 3

cinnamon- 1" piece

peppercorns- 1/4 tsp

methi seeds- 1/4 tsp

red chillies- 12

Procedure:

Dry roast all the ingredients from urad dal to red chillies until golden brown. Cool and grind it to fine paste adding very little water, tamarind paste, jaggery and some salt.

Make slits in the brinjal like a plus sign. Do not remove the top off. This will keep the brinjal intact. Stuff the ground paste into the brinjals. Set them aside.

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a kadai and fry some mustard seeds. Then fry onions,curry leaves with some turmeric. Now add the stuffed brinjals and the remaining ground masala. Fry for about 5 mins. Then add tomatoes and fry for another 3 mins. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and some salt. Cover and cook on medium heat for 3o mins stirring in-between. Careful not to break the brinjals. If the gravy is too thick, you can add water to make it thinner. When done, serve it with hot plain rice and appalam.

Note: Not all the stuffed masala will stay inside the brinjal during the cooking process. Don't worry about it. The gravy will turn perfectly fine. Another look at the dish....

Ridgegourd bhajis/ Peerkangai bhajis

Many of you must have tried bhajis with different vegetables like potato, onion,brinjal or plantain. How about ridge gourd for a change ? This veggie is a little sweet by nature and it turns really soft when fried like this. It's a great evening snack and one medium size ridge gourd can be finished just like that when prepared this way. It can be served with any chutney of your choice or can skip all the work and serve it with ketchup like me. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

ridgegourd- 1 medium size

besan flour- 1 cup

rice flour- 1/4 up

salt- as reqd

chilli powder- 1 tsp

cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

hing- 1/4 tsp

water- 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Scrap off the skin from ridgegourd and cut into medium size rounds. Combine the rest of the ingredients well. First mix the dry ingredients evenly and then add water. The batter should be a little thick. Heat oil in kadai. Dip the vegetable one by one and drop it in the hot oil. Turn after a few minutes and remove when you get a nice golden color.

Here is another snap for all of you.

Karunai Kizhangu fry/ Elephant Yam fry

This post has been overdue for a long time. That's b'coz I've tried to get some info about the vegetable I've used here. It is called ' Karunai kizhangu' in tamil language. It's a type of yam but I don't know any other details. So, please...if anybody can tell me the english name I would really appreciate it.
This yam can be used in puli kuzhambu as well as used to make dry curries. The dry versions are a excellent combination for sambar rice, rasam rice or curd rice.

Note: "Thankyou" foodies for letting me know that this vegetable is Elephant Yam. Here is a picture for people who do not know what it is.

Pan fried method:
Ingredients:
karunai kizhangu- medium size
turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
sambar powder- 1 tsp
salt- as reqd
besan powder- 2 tsp
Procedure:
Wash the vegetable and remove the outer skin. Cut it into any shape but it should be a little thick. Heat water in a pan. Add some turmeric and salt. cook till the vegatable is 1/2 done. Decan all the water and allow it to cool. After that add all the masala powders and mix until the vegatable is coated well. You can add a splash of water only if needed. Check for salt.
Heat dosa pan or iron skillet. Pour a little oil and season the pan. Then put the vegetable on it and pan fry it until you get a nice golden color and a crunch on the outside. Add a squeeze of lemon on top and mix some corriander leaves or fried curry leaves.

Kadai fry method:
Ingredients:
karunai kizhangu- medium size
garlic- 8 pods
ginger- 1"
red chillies- 4 (as needed)
curry leaves- 10 leaves
corriander leaves- small fistful
sombu - 1 1/2 tsp
salt- as reqd

Procedure:
Dry grind everything except the vegetable. Cook the vegetable with some salt and turmeric until 1/2 done. Heat oil in a kadai and add the cooled vegetable. Then add the spice powder and mix well. Keep it on a medium low flame and fry it until the vegetable gets roasted well. Serve this dish with hot rice and sambar. You can't beat this combo!!!
Enjoy guys and remember to let me know any info (a pic, more notes...anything) about this vegetable. See you soon.