Keerai Masiyal - a quick and simple recipe

 In this fast moving world, we have to eat healthy and nutritious food. To enable this we are getting cut fruits, chopped vegetables too. We are also getting chopped spinach too. But even if you dont get chopped spinach you get cleaned spinach all that you need to do is just chop it using vegetable cutter or chopper. Once this is done, cooking gets very easy.

Ingredients:

Greens - 1 bunch or chopped greens 3 cups

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Whole Urad dal - 2 tbsp

Asafodieta - 1/2 tsp

Red Chillies - 4 nos

Salt - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp 

Method:

Wash and clean the greens. Add 1/2 tsp of slat and wash it again. Ensure it is free of sand. You can even wash it for 3 to 4 times. 

In a pressure cooker add 1 spoon of oil and  10 ml of water. Add the washed greens and cook it for 3 whistles. Rest it till the pressure can be released. Open add 1 tsp of salt and mash it well. 

In a tadka pan add the oil and when hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the urad dal, asafodieta, red chillies and add it to the greens. Mix well. It goes well with Vathakuzhambu, rasam rice and curd rice. 

Vazhaikkai Curry

 Vazhaikkai, raw banana is to be used on days like Amavasya, or on those days when Tharpanam need to be given. 

Raw banana curry is a very simple one that can be done at great ease. 

Ingredients

Raw Banana- 2 nos

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Sambar Powder - 1 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Split Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - a few

Method:

Cut the raw banana into cubes. It can be cooked either in open pan or pressure cooked for 1 whistle. (Make sure you add very little water when you are pressure cooking it). 

In a pan add oil, when hot add mustard seeds, urad dal, asafodeita, turmeric powder and mix well. When the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves and the cooked raw banana. Mix well. Add salt and sambar powder and mix well. Ensure the pieces do not get mashed up. 

Cabbage Peas Curry

This is one of the simplest and most liked side dish in many south Indian household.

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 1 kg
Peas - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 3 to 4 nos
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Broken Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Salt to taste

Method:
Chop cabbage finely. Slit green chillies into 2. Chop the curry leaves finely. Wash the cabbage and drain the water. If you are using dried peas soak it over night, and if you are using fresh or frozen peas soak it in water for some time.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add urad dal, green chillies, curry leaves and asafodeita. Add cabbage and peas and mix well. Add about 2 cups of water, close the pan with a lid and cook till all the water evaporates. Check the cabbage again and if needed add another cup of water and cook again. Add salt before removing from flame. Mix well.

Potato Kaara Curry

A dish that is very easy to make, which is liked by all age groups, this potato curry also known as kara curry (spiy curry) goes very well with vareity rice, rasam, sambar and even curd rice.

Ingredients:
Potato - 1 kg
Salt to taste
Oil - 1/4 cup
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Broken Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Method:
Pressure cook potatoes. Deskin the potatoes. Cut them into reasonable size pieces. Heat oil in a flat bottom non-stick pan. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add broken urad dal and when it becomes red in colour add asafodeita, turmeric powder and salt. Add the potato pieces to the pan and add chilly powder. Kepp tossing them so that all the sides become golden brown in colour.

Using of a flat non stick pan will give a good result.

Prestige Omega Deluxe Multipan Round

Parupusili - No veggies recipe

This is made either separately or with vegetables like Beans, Vazhaipoo or Kothavari kaai. Here is the recipe for plain Parupusili.

Ingredients:
Thuvar Dal - 1 cup
Bengal Gram Dal - 1 cup
Red Chillies - 6 nos
Salt to taste
Asafodeita - 1/2 inch piece
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Broken Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash and soak the dals together for about 1 hour. Drain the water thoroughly and grind it along with the other ingredients coarsely. Spreak it like idlies on idly plates or in a microwave safe bowl. Steam the mixture in cooker for about 10 mins and in microwave micro high for about 6 minutes.

Remove and let it cool. Grind the cooked idlies again. In a hard bottom pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the broken urad dal and when it turns pink add the ground mixture and saute it thoroughly. Ensure that the mixture doesnot settle at the bottom.

Paneer Pepper Fry

Paneer dishes are always a great party dish. I tried this Paneer dish (which my friend Ms. Latha Jayaprakash gave)with slight alterations. This became a great hit in my kid's birthday party too.


Ingredients
Paneer - 200 gms
Spring Onions - 2 tbsps (optional)
Garlic - 4 pods
Ginger - 1 " piece (finely chopped)
Green Chillies - 2 finely chopped
Corn Flour - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp (from half of the lime)

Method: 

It is better to use non-stick pan.  Apply little oil to the pan and add the paneer cubes slowly. Roast them on medium heat till it becomes golden brown. Remove and spread on a flat plate.

Cut the spring onions to thin strips add it to the oil. Add chopped garlic and ginger along with a little salt and toss it well it all gets mixed up nicely.  Add green chillies and pepper corns; mix and toss well. Add the fried paneer pieces and mix thoroughly. In a cup add cornflour in a little water and add it to the pan. Mix all thoroughly and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and mix it well. 

Serve hot with rice or Chappati.

Potato Curry - A Kerala Recipe

Many households cook potato as Diwali special. This recipe is made using coconut milk.

Ingredients:
    Potatoes - 1/2 kg
    Coconut milk - 1/2 cup thick and 1/2 cup thin milk
    Red Chillies - 2 to 4
    Onion (preferably small ones, if not 2 big ones) - finely chopped 1/2 cup
    Cumin or Jeera - 1/2 tsp
    Dhaniya (coriander seeds) - 1 tsp
    Black pepper corns - 4
    Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
    Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
    Bengal gram - 2 tbsp
    Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
       In a pan dry roast coriander seeds, cumin, black pepper, bengal gram and Red Chiilies one by one and spread them on a plate and let it cool. Boil potatoes (it should be cooked 3/4th, better peel the skin before cooking) and cut them into cubes. In the same pan, add oil and when hot add chopped onions and saute it till it becomes transparent. Add the cubed potatoes and stir for a min. Add the thin coconut milk and cook for 5 mins. Add the ground powder to the potatoes and cook for another 5 mins. Add the thick milk and salt. Bring it to boil and cook for 2 to 3 mins (do not cook more than that). Cut the curry leaves and coriander leaves and sprinkle on top of the curry.

This can be served with hot rice or roti.

Recipe for Vada Curry

Ingredients:
Gram Dal - 1 Cup
Onion - 2 Big (chopped finely)
Salt - To taste
Oil - To deep fry

To Grind:
Onion - 1 Big
Ginger - 1 Inch
Garlic - 6 to 8 flakes (depends on how much you like garlic)
Red chillies - 6
Green chillies - 4 to 6 (depends upon the size of the chilly)
Masala Items : 1 inch Cinnamon, 1 Cardomom, 1 Bay Leaf, 1 tsp Saunf

To make gravy:
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Vanaspati - 1 tbsp (optional)
Onion - 4 Big
Everest Kitchen King - 2 tbsp
Tomatoes - 1/2 Kg
Mint Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup

Method:
Soak dal for 2 hrs, drain & grind coarse, add salt, finely chopped onions and fry it in oil like Masal Vadai. (Or it can be spread in a flat plate and steamed and cut into square pieces. These pieces can also be fryed; this gives more taste than simply frying it). Remove when golden.

Grind the tomatoes in a juicer and make a puree out of it. In a flat bottom Kadai, add oil, one cardomom and add the grind paste to it. Cut onion into thin and small slices and add it to the masala paste. When oil starts coming out add the tomato puree. Let it boil. Add 3 cups of water and salt to it. Add mint leaves and half of the coriander leaves. When it boils, add the fried vadas to it. If you are frying it without steaming it crumble it finely. If you are steaming it and frying it in cube shapes, cut the cubes into even smaller pieces and add to the boiling gravy.

Every thing should blend together and cook nicely. This is a great side dish for dosa, idly, chappati etc. It is good to have with Easy to make Rasam.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.