Daal

Hemalatha Jayaraman

1:52pm Dec 19

This a Dal recipe I learnt from my Assamese friend.

Take half cup each of
Toor dal
Moong dal ( yellow)
Chana dal
Masoor dal
Black eyed peas (Karamani) (Lobhia)
Pressure cook till done. Moong, toor and Masoor dal get completely mashed but chana dal and karamani dont.

For tempering, in a small cup take half spoon each of
mustard seeds
cumin seeds( zeera)
Methi seeds
Nigella seeds ( Kalonji)( onion seeds)
Fennel seeds (Saunf)
Heat a tablespoon of clarified butter( ghee)/ Oil, add all the above ingredients and red chillies. Add a cup of water and the cooked dal mixture.
Add salt and cook till it simmers.
Serve hot with rice and pickle

Hummus

Hemalatha Jayaraman

11:59am Dec 17

I am a big fan of Middle eastern/Mediterranean food. The flavours are great ...without too much heat or spice
Hummus:
1 cup boiled chickpeas - drained of all water
half cup extra virgin olive oil
2 spoons sour yogurt
1 pod garlic
salt and pepper to taste
blend into a smooth creamy paste.
Sprinkle paprika/chilli powder on top

This is a great high protein substitute for butter in sandwiches.It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
Toast bread, use Hummus as a spread and add cucumber and tomato slices.
Quick healthy lunch.

Peanut masala

Hemalatha Jayaraman

6:00am Dec 17

This recipe is inspired by street corner cart in Chennai:)

Peanut masala:
Put a cup of raw peanuts -shelled in boiling water and cook till done. I like it with a bit of crunch, not completely mashed.
Meanwhile finely chop half small onion, tomatoes,green chillies and Coriander leaves.
grate half a cup carrot.
mix with hot boiled peanuts. Add salt, chilli powder and a dash of lemon.
Hot Healthy snack for rainy/snowy days :-)

Variation: Roast the peanuts instead...add 2 spoonfuls of grated coconut. Great snack with Chai

Substitute boiled chickpeas for peanuts, add cucumber, capsicum , radish and mint leaves. Great light lunch.
Can be served cool in summer and hot in winter

Kadhi

Hemalatha Jayaraman

6:04am Dec 15

Kadhi:
I cup sour curds
2 cups water
2 tsps chick pea (besan) flour
chilli powder to taste
turmeric powder
cumin powder(zeera)1 tsp
coriander powder 1 tsp
Garam masala 2 pinches ( optional)
Mix well keep aside

I a frying pan add oil 2 tsp
mustard seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds, red chillies(2).
Add finely chopped ginger 2-3 tsp,curry leaves, 1 onion sliced and 1 tomato.
Add 1 potato cubed and wait till completely done
add the curds mix and simmer till oil separates
Served with hot Basmati rice ...yummy

Mandakki upma

Hemalatha Jayaraman

12:49pm Dec 13

Mandakki upma...Prem chitappa style
Or atleast I think he made it this way :-)
Take Pori approx 3-4 cups in a collander and run it under the sink to wet it.
Heat oil 2 tsps
Sputter mustard seeds, add finely chopped onion and tomatoes and green chillies.
Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder to taste.
once completely cooked add the wet poti mix .

In the blender blend roasted pottu kadalai and raw garlic and salt
garnish the hot upma with the powder and coriander leaves just before serving.

Served with hot Chai...quick fix ....for a rainy cold afternoon :-)

Pesarattu dosa

Maathungi Darshan

9:07pm Dec 12

Pesarattu Dosa: quick and healthy!
Soak 1 cup whole green gram(moong dal) and half a cup rice overnight (you can soak this together). Grind this into a fine paste along with some green chillies, onion, cumin seeds and salt. Let it rest for half an hour (you dont need to ferment the batter).
Its a great alternative for a regular dosa and very very healthy!

Stuffed Bitter Gourd

Maathungi Darshan

8:50pm Dec 12

This is not a quick recipe, but a yumm one :)
Stuffed Paarka (bitter gourd)
scrape the outer rough skin of the bitter gourd. Make a slit across the length and remove the seeds (it ll look like the boat of that us-pus kaai tree :P heheehhe) Use a fork and poke randomly. Deep fry it and keep it aside.
For the stuffing:
Grind Onion, tomato, green chillies, garlic and ginger. Heat oil in tava add cumin then the ground paste. Keep stirring till the paccha vasanai goes and it oozes out oil. Add some dhania powder and red chilli powder, salt. Finally add half a tsp of cashew paste (optional - it gives slight sweetness to the dish). stuff this into the boat shaped bitter-gourd. Let it rest atleast for sometime before serving. Can be served with rotis or rice. the stuffing can be stored in the fridge for future use.
Let me know how it turned out.
P.S: For best results, Choose small bittergourds instead of the normal long ones.

Spring rolls

Vijaya Lakshmi Ravishankar

12:50am Dec 12

Here is a recipe of spring roll that i cook often..
Grate carrot, cabbage and capsicum finely and cut green chillies into small rings.Chop onions. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the onions. Add the other grated vegetables. Add soya sauce (if you want to) and Maggi tomato Hot n Sweet chilli sauce. Add garam masala. Fry until all vegetables till they are cooked. For the dough mix maida, corn flour, milk and salt. Roll into chappatis. Place the stuffing in the middle and fold all 4 sides into a long roll. Deep fry in oil. Tasty spring roll is ready! :)

Easy Bhel

Shyamala Jayaraman

8:37pm Dec 11

'Easy Bhel' - a quick and yummy evening snack

In a mising bowl add
- puffed rice
- store bought mixture(preferably one of the north indian ones)
- finely chopped onions,tomatoes,green chillies and coriander leaves
- chaat masala
Mix them well. Squeeze in some lemon.
And there you go !

ps:
- if you have some tamarind/mint/coriander chutney lying around in the fridge, they are a welcome addition ,though not mandatory.

Karuvepalai kolambu

Hemalatha Jayaraman

7:06pm Dec 11

Let me share the recipe of ' Karuvepalai kolambu ' my MIL makes.

Grind together:
Curry leaves, dhania, pepper, red chillies, tamarind , salt.
add water and boil.
temper with mustard seeds.
yumm with rice

MASALA TOAST

Mahallakshmi Arun 3:46am Dec 11 Ok here's another I tried from Mallika Badrinath's: MASALA TOAST: Quick "chat-pata" evening snack. tastes good with ketchup, good even without a side dish. RECIPE : Blend together: pottu kadalai ( roasted gram) 1and 1/2 table spoons, tamarind - one small grape sized, red chilli powder- 1 teaspoon, salt ( to taste), ginger garlic paste- 1/2 teaspoon, jeera (cumin seeds) - 3/4 teaspoon. Keep this fine paste ready. Now apply a thin layer of butter/ghee to both sides of the bread. Spread the paste on both sides and roast on a heated tawa ( adding excess oil/ghee is optional). READY!!

ARACHU KALAKKI

Mahallakshmi Arun

3:28am Dec 11

Let me start with a favourite:

ARACHU KALAKKI : A kerala style pachadi. Can be used as a side dish and tastes yummy when mixed with rice and consumed with side dishes like curries, pickles, pappadam, chips etc.

BASIC RECIPE (serves 2) : Into the blender- throw 2 green chillies, salt ( to taste) , 2 table spoons coconut scrapings, a small grape sized ball of tamarind, and asafoetida powder. Blend with little water into a fine mixture. Empty the contents into a bowl, Add a copius amount of thick curd and mix well to a pachadi consistency. Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil, splutter mustard, add curry leaves and garnish the pachadi. READY!

VARIATION: For the tangy part of the recipe, tamarind can be substituted with raw mango or amla/ nellikai.