NAVRATAN KORMA (Microwave recipe)

NAVRATAN KORMA (Microwave recipe)
Ingredients:
Beans – 1 cup chopped
Carrot – 1 large chopped
Cauliflower florets – 1 cup
Potato – 1 cup chopped
Green Peas – ½ cup
Capsicum - 1
Onions – 2
Ginger - a small piece
Green Chillies - 1
Tomato (Use red ripe tomatoes) – 1 large pureed
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Chilly powder – ½ tsp
Garam Masala – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Yogurt -1/4 cup
Fresh Cream - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Chop all the vegetables. Grind the onion, ginger and green chilly into a paste.Heat oil on high in the microwave for 1min, then put the onion-ginger-chilly paste in the bowl, mix well and microwave uncovered on high for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree, all the vegetables, then add all the masala’s i.e. coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder garam masala powder, also add salt, mix well. Microwave covered on high for about 10 minutes. You can open at about 5 minutes and stir everything well so that the masala sticks properly to the vegetables. Ensure that the vegetables are cooked, if not, cook for some more time. Mix together the yogurt and fresh cream and add to gravy. Microwave covered on high for about 4 minutes. Stir once in between. Allow to thicken a bit and boil till the gravy is thick and the fat separates. Once done let it remain for about 2-3 minutes inside the microwave, then remove and garnish with fresh finely chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with naan, roti or paratha.

Note : Cooking time from microwave to microwave may vary. The best way to cook using a microwave is to keep opening and checking and once u note the time taken to cook then the next time you need not worry.

MASALA BHAAT (Spicy Rice)

MASALA RICE (MASALE BHAAT)
This is a spicy rice, a Maharashtrian speciality usually prepared for special occasions like weddings and festivals. You can use the vegetables you usually use for Pulao, but The Masala Bhaat has a twist as the Maharashtrians use Tondli (Gherkins) and Brinjals in the recipe.

Ingredients
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Onion – 1 big size Onion, Chopped vertically into thin strips.
Carrots peeled and slit vertically – ¼ cup
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Tondli (Gherkins) slit vertically – 6-7
Brinjal slit vertically – 1 brinjal
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Maharashtrian goda masala or garam masala powder or another option would be to add the Everest Shahi Pulao/ Biryani Masala - 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder - 2 teaspoon
Asafetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon sticks - 2
Cloves – 2-3
Bay leaves - 3-4
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Home made Ghee- 2 teaspoon
Oil – 4-5 tbsps

For the Freshly grounded masala
Freshly grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Red chilies – 2-3
Coriander seeds - 2 teaspoons
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Take some oil in a kadhai and Add the red chillies, Coriander seeds and Cumin seeds, when they start to fry, add the coconut and roast till the coconut starts to give a lovely aroma. Allow the masala to cool and then grind in a mixie. Keep aside.

For Garnishing
Finely chopped coriander leaves
Cashewnuts – a tbsp (optional), fry in ghee
Freshly grated coconut – 1 tbsp

Method
Wash the Basmati rice and drain. Let it soak for around half an hour. In a kadhai (Wok), add 4-5 tbsps of oil. Once the oil is hot, Add the Cinnamon sticks, Cloves, Cumin seeds and Bay leaves and fry. Now add the chopped Onions and when it becomes transparent Add the chopped Gherkins, Let it fry for 2-3 minutes till you see the gherkins kind of half cooked, gherkins take time to cook. Now add the remaining vegetables without any water. And stir fry. Add turmeric powder, asafetida and the curry leaves and fry. Till you see the vegetables half cooked. Now drain the rice well and add the rice to the kadhai and mix well with the vegetables. Fry the raw soaked basmati rice and vegetables for some time on a medium heat. Now add the Freshly grounded masala(as above), goda masala / garam masala / Everest Shahi Pulao/ Biryani Masala, Salt and mix well. Allow it all to fry for sometime. After 3-4 minutes, add water, the water should be just enough to soak the rice and a little above it. If you add too much water, the rice will get mashed. Mix well. Cover and cook on a low flame. After 5-7 miutes, check, Mix well again (so that the masala gets mixed well with the rice and cover and cook for a while till the rice gets cooked. Once the rice is cooked, close the wok with a lid and keep for another 10 minutes so that everything gets cooked on steam. Garnish with cashewnuts fried in ghee, freshly grated coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

MY JFI ENTRY FOR DECEMBER 2007 - PARUPPU RASAM

JFI ENTRYThis was my first ever JFI entry, for those who don't know what JFI is refer to Indira's blog Mahanandi
I think its a wonderful event for all foodie fellow bloggers to come together. This month's event was hosted by Linda from Out of the Garden and the Ingredient was Toor Dal, It was the last day to send the entry and I had discovered about JFI that evening only, I decided to participate with a humble recipe of the Paruppu Rasam. Linda was kind enough to accept my recipe and I got to be part of this JFI.
Soon, I learnt that hosting the JFI is no mean business, a lot of hard work has to be put in, accumulating recipes, pictures, assimilating them and presenting them. And these women take their work seriously too. You can check their blog to know that. Isn't it amazing that women today manage their home, work, kids and their blogs so well. Here's my first ever JFI entry.

Paruppu RasamThe paruppu rasam is just the usual rasam, with the variation being, in this rasam, toor dal pulp is added in abundance and the rasam is less spicy. Suitable for infants and kids, so they can get proteins in their diet and also get introduced to the light spices in the rasam.

Ingredients
Tomatoes – 1 (optional)Tamarind Juice – 2-3 tablespoonsRasam powder – 1 tspCooked Toor Dal – 4-5 TbspsMustard seeds – 1tspCumin seeds – 1 tsp
Crushed Pepper – ½ tspAsafetida – a pinchSalt as per tasteGhee – 1 tbspCurry leaves – a sprigCoriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Cut your tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes, and add the tamarind juice, add salt, rasam powder, crushed pepper powder, a pinch of asafetida and allow to boil till the tomatoes are soft. You can crush one or 2 pieces of the tomatoes with a karandi(spoon) so that the essence of the tomato enters the rasam nicely.

Add the cooked toor dal. Boil for another 2-3 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of Ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Fry till the mustard seeds pop. Add curry leaves, let it fry, pour this seasoning on top of the rasam.

Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with hot rice and pappads. Or can also be served as an appetizer.

Note: Tomatoes are optional.

LEMON RASAM

Lemon Rasam

IngredientsLemon - 1Tomatoes - 1 bigFinely grated Ginger - a small pieceGreen chillies – 2-3Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoonRasam Powder – 2 teaspoonsAsafoetida – 1 teaspoonJeera powder (1 tablespoon) / Jeera seeds (whole - 1 tablespoon)Ground pepper – 1 teaspoonMustard - 1 teaspoonFenugreek (Methi Seeds) -1 teaspoonCooked Toor Dal (1 cup)Chopped fresh coriander for GarnishOil or ghee – 1 tablespoon
MethodSlit green chillies in the middle, Cut tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes, grate the ginger, keep aside.Put some oil / ghee (1 tablespoon) in a pan, add mustard, and when it crackles, add methi and jeera and let it get fried.To this add the green chillies, ginger and tomatoes, let it fry for a while till u see the tomatoes become soggy, then , add some turmeric powder, Asafoetida, salt and let it fry for five minutes or so.Once the tomatoes are slightly cooked, add water and let it cook. Add water as needed.Add jeera powder, rasam powder and the ground pepper to the broth. Allow to boil for a while so the spices enter the water. Take the cooked toor dal and make it into a watery pulp by smashing and adding water to it. Add this pulp to the boiling broth. Bring it to another boil. Add water as needed as the rasam should not be thick.Switch off the stove and let the rasam cool.Before serving, squeeze in the lime juice into the rasam.Add a little bit of salt. As lime usually sours the broth, so the salt in the broth reduces.Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.Tip: Don’t squeeze lime into very hot rasam as it may make the rasam bitter.
Don’t boil the rasam after adding the lime, even this will make the rasam bitter

RED CHILLY RASAM (Killu Milagai Rasam)

Red Chilly Rasam (Killu Milagai Rasam)
As the name suggests, red chillies are the main ingredient used in this rasam. It is for those who like spicy Rasams. Red chilly has a very distinctive flavor.

Ingredients
Red chillies – 4-5
Tamarind - lemon size (soaked in luke warm water)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon.
Salt to taste.
Ghee or Oil – 1 tsp
Curry leaves -1 sprig.
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method
Break the red chillies into half. In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and when they start to crackle add the red chillies. When the red chillies get plump, Add the curry leaves. Add the tamarind water. Squeeze our the tamarind pulp and add the concentrated water first and then the diluted one. Add salt and let it boil till the raw smell of the tamarind is gone. Once done, remove from flame. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

MOONG DAL RASAM (Pesara Pappu Charu)

Moong Dal Rasam (Pesara Pappu Charu)This is an input from our Andhra Kitchen

Ingredients
Yellow moong dal - 1 cup
Onion, one - cut into chunks
Red chilli powder - ½ tsp
Turmeric - ½ tsp
Small marble size ball of tamarind p
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Oil/Ghee – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves for Garnishing

Method
Roast the moong dal in a kadhai to a light brown color. Keep aside until it is cool. Take the roasted dal in a pressure cooker, wash and then add onion, red chilli powder, turmeric, tamarind along with about a glass of water. Pressure cook this. Once it is cooked add salt and mash the dal to smooth consistency.

In a vessel, take one teaspoon ghee, add the mustard seeds, once it splutters add cumin seeds, curry leaves. Add the smoothly mashed dal and two glasses of water.

See if anything is required, add salt, tamarind or chilly powder if required

Bring the broth to a boil and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes on a low flame. Keep stirring lest the dal sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Remove from fire and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tip : If you like you can avoid the tamarind in the entire procedure. And after removing the rasam from the gas you can add lime. It tastes very good.

MIX VEGETABLE KOOTU with Turnip / Nulkol

I am a strict vegetarian. Living abroad limits you to lesser variety when eating out as there are less herbivores in other countries. I am here to talk about a vegetable that I re-discovered. I use the word re-discover here as Turnip or Nulkol as it is known in Tamil seems to be one vegetable which is not oft seen in Brahmin households. I haven't seen Turnip in Mumbai too much, that maybe the reason I didnt know what to make with it when I saw it in the Singapore Indian markets.

Turnip belongs to the vegetable kingdom. When I first bought Turnip I didnt know how to cook it...I explored the internet for south Indian recipes using Turnip as my keyword but alas there were none. I asked my mom and she said" we dont eat Turnip much" I asked a few people around who are from down south and they also said they dont know how to make it. Then one old aunty from down south said that Turnip (Nulkol) is good for health and since people dont like the smell or taste of it much, it is usually put in the kootu with other vegetables. Please do try this kootu recipe. It tastes excellent with any Thogayal and roasted or fried lijjat pappads....a combination to die for.
Its a must try!!!!!!!!!!!!

MIX VEGETABLE KOOTU with Turnip / Nulkol
Ingredients

Toor Dal(Split pigeon peas) / Better still Half split yellow mung dal(Paitham(Paasi) paruppu) l- 1 cup
Any vegetables can be put - Elavan (Ash gourd or White pumpkin), Bangalore katrikkai, Nulkol, Carrot, potato, raw bananas,(all these must be peeled and chopped into square pieces) beans, green brinjals (chopped into small pieces), drumsticks(chopped into finger lengths), greenpeas. curry leaves. You can add even one tomato if u like.
Add one piece of each vegetable, but if the Nulkol is small add 2 pieces. As we are mixing a lot of vegetables the quantity will become too much.
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt as per taste
Asafoetida- a pinch
Red chilies- 3 (again depending on taste and the type of red chillies u r using)
Oil- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal- 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Cumin Seeds – 1tbsp
Method
Pressure cook the toor/mung dal and set aside.
Steam all of the vegetables with turmeric, asafoetida & salt in a pan. Break a few curry leaves and add it to the vegetables for aroma. Don’t cook it too soft that it gets mashed completely (don’t steam cook in the pressure cooker. It’s better if u do it in a pan and cover with a lid, so u can keep checking if the vegetables are done.)
Once cooked, Mix the cooked dal with the steamed vegetables.
Now in a mixie take one cup coconut, add 1tbsp jeera(cumin seeds) and 3 red chillies and grind to a paste). Allow it all to boil together for a while so that the masala enters the vegetables.
Then u do the tempering(tadka)
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it starts to pop add urad dhal and fry for few minutes. You can add 1 or 2 red chillies (this will make it spicy so be careful) and season the kootu.
Taste the kootu when u are cooking it. Tasting and cooking is a foolproof method of cooking for beginners.
Once seasoned it is ready to be served.
It tastes good with Chappati or rice. Its highly nutritious too as it has so many vegetables and hardly any oil. Its totally steam cooked. The only oil u use is for tempering.
I am sure you’ll will enjoy this recipe.

You can read more about Turnip here

and the nutritional benefits of eating Turnip here

GOTTU RASAM

Gottu Rasam.This Rasam is simple to prepare, with no ingredients except tamarind, Rasam powder and water. Gottu Rasam is basically rasam minus toor dal. This is a quick and easy instant rasam which can be prepared in emergency, if you come back after a trip and there is nothing in the house, except the basic spices.

Ingredients
Tamarind Juice – 2-3 tablespoons
Rasam powder - 2 tspsMustard seeds – 1tspCumin seeds – 1 tspCrushed Pepper – 1 tspAsafetida - a PinchSalt as per taste
Ghee – 1 tbspCurry leaves – a sprigCoriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Take tamarind juice in a pan, add salt, rasam powder, crushed pepper powder,and a pinch of asafetida and allow to boil till the raw smell of the tamarind is gone

Heat 1 tablespoon of Ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Fry till the mustard seeds pop. Add curry leaves, let it fry, pour this seasoning on top of the rasam.
Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and remove from flame.
Serve with hot rice and pappads. Or can also be served as an appetizer.

PUNJABI SAMOSA

PUNJABI SAMOSA
This would be my all time favorite tea-time snack. Hot crispy Samosa with a heavenly potato-peas mixture dunked into chutney.
Ingredients
For cover:
1 cup plain flour (Maida)
2 tbsp. warm oil
Water to knead dough
Ajwain seeds (Bishop’s weed) – ¼ tsp
For filling:
Potatoes large boiled, peeled, mashed - 4 -5
Green peas - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2 -3
Ginger - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander finely chopped - 1 tbsp.
Coriander seeds crushed - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds crushed – ½ tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander leaves chopped finely – 1tbsp
Oil to deep fry
Method
For dough:
Make a well in the flour. Add oil, salt, toasted bishop’s weed (ajwain seeds) and little water. Mix well till crumbly. Add more water little by little, kneading into soft pliable dough. Cover with moist cloth, keep aside for 15-20 minutes. Beat dough on work surface and knead again. Re-cover.
For filling:
Make a paste of the green chilly and ginger. Heat 3 tbsps. oil, add coriander seeds & cumin seeds and fry then add ginger-green chilly paste, saute till light brown. Now add the Garam Masala and salt to the pan and then add the green peas, let it get cooked thoroughly then add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Check for salt and spice, if required add at this point and mix well, add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Wait for the mixture to cool down.
How to make the samosas :
Make a small puri with the dough. It shouldn’t be too thick. In the centre of this puri, add the filling. Now take the left side flap and the right side flap and make a cone. Now take the filling mixture and put into the cone. Keep on a flat surface, then with the bottom portion pull and seal on top enclosing both the left and right side flaps, now with your index finger press on, until it’s sealed and keep aside. Make all the samosas and then start frying.
To Fry:
Heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, keep the gas on sim and start dropping the samosas one by one, deep fry on a low flame until the samosas are light brown. If you fry on a high flame, the samosas will turn out oily and soggy. Drain on a kitchen towel.
Serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys (refer chutneys and sauces section of my blog), or tomato sauce.

PINEAPPLE PULISSERY

PULISSERY
Puli means sour. Pulissery is a sweet and sour Kerala dish, prepared in a coconut and yogurt gravy. Pulissery is usually made with fruits. I have shown different variations of the Pulissery here. It is also made with Pumpkin, Yam(Chenai) or Raw Banana (Vazhakkai). This is one of the truly exotic dishes of Kerala.

PINEAPPLE PULISSERY
Ingredients
Pineapple - 11/2 cup cubed
Coconut - 1 1/2 cup grated
Cumin seeds 1 tspn
Thick yogurt - Curd – 1 cup
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Red chilly powder – 1 ½ tsp
Salt as per taste
Sugar – 1 tsp
Cooking oil -1 tbsn (Can use coconut oil for the typical Kerala feel)
Mustard seeds -1 tspn
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tspn
Curry leaves -1 sprig
Red Chilly - 1-2

Method
Grind coconut, cumin seeds, sugar and salt according to taste together to get a fine paste. Try not to add much water. Keep aside

In a kadhai, boil the pineapple with 1 cup of water, turmeric and red chilly powder. Then reduce heat and cook covered on medium heat. Once the pineapple is done, it shouldn’t get too soft that it can be mashed.

Add the coconut, cumin paste that we prepared earlier and mix well. Allow it to cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the yogurt and mix well. Keep the gas on a low flame while adding the yogurt. Mix well and boil for a minute or 2 and then switch off the gas.

Meanwhile heat oil in a small pan add mustard seeds and when they crackle add fenugreek seeds, red chilly and fry till the chilly gets plump. Add the curry leaves and pour this seasoning into the Pulissery.

Fry some grated coconut and add to the dish at the end of it. This is the special value addition to the dish.

Different Variations to the Pulissery are :

• MANGO (MAMBAZHA) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Mangoes. Peel and deseed the mango and cut itinto cubes and follow the above method.

• BANANA (PAZHA) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Bananas. Use semi-ripe bananas. Peel and cut the bananas into big chunks and follow the above method.

• ORANGE (NARANGYA) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Oranges (Narangya). Peel and deseed the oranges and follow the above method.
  

• APPLE PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Apples. Peel and deseed the apples and cut them into cubes and follow the above method.
  

• PAPAYA PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Papaya. Use semi-ripe papaya. Peel and deseed the Papaya and cut them into cubes and follow the above method.
  

• ORANGE PUMPKIN (MATTHAN)PULISSERY - Pulissery can also be prepared with Orange Pumpkin(Matthan). Follow the above method. (For the matthan you can retain the skin but if the skin is very thick, u can peel it off)
  

• YAM (CHENAI) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Yam. Peel and cut the yam into cubes and follow the above method.
  

• RAW BANANA (VAZHAKKAI) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Raw Banana. Peel and cut the Vazhakkai into cubes follow the above method.