Onion Soup - OPOS method

A soup that requires easily and readily available ingredients. Can be made easily for unexpected guests. And that too when it is done in OPOS, it is made easily and the taste is definitely immense. 

Ingredients:

Onions - 4 nos

Butter - 1 tbsp

White sauce - 2 Cups

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cut the onions into thin rings. (Better grate it using potato grater or slicer)

In a pressure pan heat butter and add the onion rings. Add white sauce, salt and 1 cup of water. Pressure cook for 3 whistles. 

Let it cool remove from flame and add required water. 

Serve hot with soup sticks. This also makes a soup for a rainy day. 

Ginger Garlic Potato

Whenever I learn a new dish made of potato kids want me to try it out immediately and it happenned with this Ginger Garlic Potato recipe too. When I was describing the recipe to my kids they said mom please try it out and send it to school tomorrow. (Why to school specifically, I will be sending it in a box alone and they will not have the guilt that they were not able to complete it.) But they had liked it so much they wanted me to do it again. One of the few recipes that the kids loved after tweaking it a bit from the original recipe.

I have added the quantity that I have used but you can adjust it as and how you like it. This can be made both with baby potato and also equally cut regular potatoes. This makes a great side dish for rasam rice or vathakuzhambu rice or pulav or chappathi or roti.

Ingredients:
Baby Potato - 1 Kg
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 8 pods
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Jeera - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Sambar Powder - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Pressure cook and peel the potatoes. Make a paste of mint leaves and jeera.  In a pan add oil and when it gets hot add chopped ginger and garlic and saute a while add the potatoes and mix well. Add the mint jeera paste and mix well so that all the potatoes get coated well. Add the salt and sambar powder and mix thoroughly. Reduce the flame and cook till all the potatoes are coated with all the ingredients added.

Ennai Kathirikkai Kara Kuzhambu by Shripriya

Brinjal contest entry by Shripriya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal: Two cups chopped.
2. Sambhar Onion: About 25
3. Garlic - 10 cloves
4. Tomato - 1 big chopped fine
5. Dhania seeds - 1 teaspoon
6. Kadalai paruppu (bengal gram)- 1 teaspoon
7. Milagu(black pepper) - 2 teaspoons
8. Jeeragam(cumin) - 1 teaspoon
9. Red Chillies - 5
10. Coconut shredded: 3-4 tablespoons
11. Turmeric - lemon sized
12. For seasoning: Gingelly oil, turmeric, asafoetida, methi seeds, mustard, toor dhal, curry leaves
13. Salt : as needed. 

Method:
1. Fry the items mentioned in no. 5 through 9 in a teaspoon of oil.
2. In a teaspoon of oil, fry about 10-12 sambar onions, Garlic cloves, and tomatoes until they are cooked well.
3. Grind all the fried items in step 1 and 2 into a coarse paste with coconut and some salt.
4. Soak the tamarind and get the tamarind juice of may be 3-4 cups.
5. In a kadai, pour oil and add the items mentioned for seasoning. Once it splutters, add the rest of the sambhar onions and fry until they are cooked. 
6. Add the cut brinjal pieces. Cook them well.
7. Now add the tamarind juice. Let it boil for some time. Then add the ground paste. Add some salt according to taste.
8. Let it boil until it thickens.
9. Serve it with hot rice. Roasted papad is the best combination.
Variations:
1. If you get small brinjals, slit them with stem intact, coat them in little bit of oil and microwave until it is 3/4th cooked. Then stuff the ground paste in the brinjals, and then add this after frying the sambhar onions and fry for sometime, and then add the tamarind juice and let it boil. Everything else is the same as mentioned in the above recipe.

2. If you want to give it a little chettinad touch, fry about 1 teaspoon of sombu(fennel) along with other items mentioned above for the kuzhambu masala and grind it together. And add about half teaspoon of sombu(fennel) in seasoning also.

3. Those who don't like to add onion and/or poondu, fry and powder the following and use it as the stuffing and karakuzhambu podi: One teaspoon vendhayam, asafoetida, one tblspn each of toor dhal, urad dhal, and chana dhal, red chillies according to taste, and two teaspoons of dhania.

4. You can just make this as poondu-milagu kuzhambu without the brinjals.

Note: I have given some variations at the end and have mentioned how to make ennai kathrikkai kuzhambu there. Since I did not have the small brinjals that is required for the same, I cut the brinjals and made kathrikkai kara kuzhambu.

Cauliflower Manchurian Dry - A starter dish (IndoChinese Style)

After Paneer, Cauliflower is another ingredient that is made as Manchurian an Indo Chinese dish. This also can be made both as dry starter and also as a gravy. When my brother visited us, I wanted to surprise him and his family with something different and unique and for the starter I had made this Cauliflower Manchurian which every one liked and relished.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower Big - 1 no.
Onion - 4 nos

Tomato - 1 no.
Spring Onions - 3 stems
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp
Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
Pepper Powder - 1/4 tbsp (optional)
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 3/4th tbsp
Cumin Powder - 3/4th tbsp
Water - 1 cup
Oil- 4 tbsp and 1/4 tbsp for shallow frying

Salt to Taste

Method :

Clean and cut cauliflower into florets. Put them in boiling water added with turmeric powder and a bit of salt. Cover with a lid and remove from flame. Drain the water and separate the florets. 

Mix cornflour, red chilly powder, salt, cumin powder and coriander powder and add little water to make a fine paste. Add the drained florets to the paste and mix thoroughly so that all the florets are coated evenly. Let it marinate for about 15 minutes.

Chop onions finely. Grind tomato to a puree. Chop spring onion leaves into bits.

In a frying pan add the 1/4 cup of oil and fry the cauliflower florets slowly. Remove them when they turn golden brown in colour. Remove and drain well.

In a flat bottom pan, add 4 tbsp oil, saute the spring onion leaves, add finely chopped onions and saute them too. Add the green chillies and pureed tomato. Mix well. Add the Soya Sauce and Tomato Ketchup followed by fried Cauliflower florets, Mix everything thoroughly till all the ingredients blend together. Add the ginger garlic paste and give it a toss. Transfer it to a serving bowl and top it with chopped spring onions and caramalized onions

If you want to make it as a gravy for side dish, then add a cup of water and add the left over marinated paste and bring it to boil. Keep stirring so that it does not settle at the bottom.When it turns glassy, remove from flame, transfer to a serving bowl, decorate it with finely chopped  spring onions and serve with any Roti or Chappati of your choice or even Veg Pulav and Fried Rice.

Upma Kozhukattai- Pidi Kozhukattai by Uma Sridharan

This is also known as Pidi Kozhukattai.

Ingredients:

Raw rice 1 1/2 cup

Toor dhal  1/4 cup

Salt to taste 

Oil  2 tbs

Ghee  2 tbs

Mustard  1 tsp 

Urid dhal  1 tsp

Pepper corn 1/2 tsp

Jeera  1/2 tsp

Red chillies 3

Asafetida powder- a pinch

Preparation

Grind rice, toor dhall, pepper, jeera, red chillies to a rava consistency. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, pour oil. Add mustard seeds, urid dhall and curry leaves. Pour 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Add salt and ghee. Now slowly put in the ground rice mixture.

Mix well without any lumps till the rice mixture absorbs the water and becomes soft .

Remove from heat and keep aside.

When it is cool shape them into small cylinders.

steam for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with coconut chutney

Makes a different kind of Party Starter dish

Parangikkai Sweet Vadai by Sripriya

Ingredients:

Parangikkai / Ashgourd - 1/4 kg

Rawa - 4 tbsp

Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Maida - 1/8 cup

Cardamom - 1/2 tsp

Jaggery - 1 1/2 cups

Method:

Peel the Ashgourd/ Parangikkai. Steam the parangikkai till done in a pressure cooker. After cooling, mash the gourd and mix the jaggery well to it. There should be no lumps of jaggery in it. Add all the flours and also the cardomom powder. Mix well without adding water. (There would be no necessary of adding water to the dough). Add water if needed. The should be like Vadai maavu consistency. You can make small balls and fry it in the oil. Children would like it and  can be served as after school snacks. 

Stuffed Brinjal Fry by Sowpernica

Ingredients:

Kathirikkai [small sized] – ¼ kg

Besan – 5 teaspoons

Special masala powder – 5 teaspoons

Salt – 1 ½ teaspoon

Hing – ¼ teaspoon

Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon

Oil – 5 teaspoons

Method:

1. Wash brinjals & let them dry completely.
2. Slit them without cutting fully
3. Mix besan, special masala powder, salt, hing & turmeric powder.
4. Add a tablespoon of water & make a paste of the powder mixture.
5. Stuff the masala into the slits
6. Heat oil in a shallow non-stick pan.
7. Arrange the stuffed pieces.
8. Keep closed till golden brown.
9. Turn sides & fry till golden brown.

Potato Capsicum Curry by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:

Potatoes  1 kg

Onion  1/2 kg chopped

Capsicum  1 chopped,

Coriander  1 Tbsp, finely chopped

Sambhar Powder 2 tbsp

Dhania Powder 1 tbsp

Lime/lemon juice 2 tsp (Optional)

Mustard seeds, 

urid dhall, 

curry leaves  for seasoning

Salt to taste

Preparation 

Cook the potatoes. Cut Potatoes in chunks. 

Mix the potato chunks with all the powders, salt and lemon juice. 

Keep aside. Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Pour 3 tbsp of cooking oil.

Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and urid dhall

Now add chopped onion and capsicum. Sauté till onion turns transparent.

Add potato chunks. Mix well. Sauté till all the ingredients get mixed well.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle coriander leaves.

Veg Paratha by Uma Sridharan

Party menu recipe by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:

Grated Carrot                                   1 Tbsp

Grated Cabbage                               1 Tbsp

Wheat flour                                      1 1/2 cup

Chopped Coriander leaves               Handful

Onion                                              1

Garam Masala Powder                     1/2 tsp

Red Chilli powder                            1/2 tsp

Salt

Method

Cut the Onions and grind it in a mixer grinder and prepare a smooth Onion paste.

In a mixing bowl, add grated Carrot, grated Cabbage, Coriander leaves, Red Chilli powder, Salt, Onion paste and Wheat flour.

Knead well all the ingredients and prepare smooth dough like the Chapathi/Paratha dough. If needed, add a little water while kneading.

Keep the dough aside for half an hour. Cover it by a wet cloth.

Divide the Paratha dough into small balls of suitable size and roll it out and cook on a tava on medium flame.

Spread ghee on the top of the Paratha.

Serve hot.

Strawberry Vannila Float

Ingredients

Strawberry Crush - 3 to 5 tbsp

Vanilla ice-cream - 2 scoops

Lime Juice - 1 tbsp

Sugar syrup - 2tbsp

Crushed ice - as required

Rock salt - 1 pinch

Sprite or 7-UP : 200 ml

 

Method

In a tall glass, fill with crushed ice. Pour in the strawberry crush and lime juice along with the sugar syrup. Sprinkle rock salt and top it up with Sprite or 7-up. Finally float the vanilla ice cream and serve chilled.

Semiya Bagalabath - Vermicili Curd Rice

Party Menu recipe posted by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:

Semiya      (Vermicelli)          1 cup

Curd                                     1 cup

Carrot                                   1 grated

Raisins                                  2 tbsp

Cucumber                             1/2 chopped                                   

Mustard seeds                      1 tsp

Cashew nuts                         2 tbsp chopped

Green chillies                        2 chopped

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves                    1 handful chopped

Ghee                                       2 tbsp

Salt

Method 

Heat oil in a tava and fry the Semiya in a low flame until it turns colour.

Boil  4 cups of water

Add the Semiya in the boiling water.

Let  it  boil till it becomes soft.

Drain the water.

 Heat ghee in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, green chilles and curry leaves. Then fry the cashews.

Now mix the vermicelli with curd, salt, chopped vegetables, raisins and all the seasonings.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Lemon Ginger Soup by Shripriya

Soup recipe posted by Shripriya Ramakrishnan for Party menu - 1

Pressure cook about one cup of toor dhal with little bit if turmeric. Fry 1 table spoon of jeera and 1 table spoon of pepper in a teaspoon of oil, then powder it. Then grind the cooked toor dhal also and add about 2 cups of water. Take 3-4 inch size ginger piece, grate it and put it in this toor dhal gravy. If you want, add 2 green chillies also. Add salt. Add the pepper-jeera powder. Let it boil. The consistency should be watery....like we should be able to drink it like a rasam. Once the boiling is done, switch off the stove. Add lemon juice according to taste. This is such a yummy soup, even kids will love.

Veg Clear Soup by Uma Sridharan

Party Menu recipe posted by Uma Sridharan

Coarsely chopped cabbage, onion, carrot, spring onion and capsicum – ½ cup each

Very easy to make.

Boil 2 Ltrs of water.

Add enough salt.

Now add the vegetables. Simmer it for 5 mts. Serve hot.

Creamy Tomato Soup by Uma Sridharan

Contest Entry recipe posted by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients

 

Ripe Tomato 500 gms

Milk 1/2 cup

fresh cream 3 tbsp

onion 1 chopped

 

for white sauce

 

refined flour 2 tbsp

Butter 2 tbsp

Milk 2 cups

 

Method

 

Cut tomatoes intoi  half. In a heavy bottomed vessel, place cut tomatoes and chopped oinons along with 1/2 cup of milk. Bring it to boil. Simmer it. Let it boil till the onions become soft. Blend it in a mixie.

Mix the white sauce with the tomato - onion mixture. pour 3 cups of water and heat it. Simmer it for 5 to 7 mts. Remove from the heat. Add pepper and salt according to your taste. Add the fresh cream slowly and mix.Garnish with leeks and finely chopped coriander leaves.

 

White sauce

 

Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed vessel. and add the flour.Remove from the heat.  Pour 3 to 4 tbsp milk to it and stir. Mix well. Now add the rest of the milk and stir. Again place the vessel in a low heat and the sauce thickens.

Dhokla

Party menu posted by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients

Gram flour                            1 cup

Juice of a lime

Sugar                                     1 tsp

Turmeric powder               1/4 tsp

Ginger paste                        1/2 tsp

Green chilli                           1 crushed

Water                                     3/4 cup         

Soda bi carb                        3/4 tsp

For seasoning

Mustard seeds                    1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves          handful

Grated coconut                   handful

Green chillies                      2 finely chopped

Method

Mix salt, sugar, lemon juice along with 3/4 cup of water. Mix gram flour, turmeric powder, crushed chilli  and ginger paste. Slowly add the water mixture and prepare a smooth batter.

Grease a suitable baking dish to steam Dhokla.  

Heat a cooker or steamer with enough water to steam. When the water is hot, mix soda bi card with the batter and pour it into the greased baking dish. Now steam it for 10 mts.

Remove from the fire. Let it cool for few mts. Remove the Dhokla carefully from the baking dish.

Cut into big cube.

Heat a kadai, pour oil and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splatter, add coconut and green chillies. Remove from  the fire. Pour it over the dhoklas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot.

Tomato Pulav by Shripriya

Party menu recipe posted by Shripriya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Tomato - 2 chopped fine.

Red onion - 1 big chopped fine.

Tomato puree - half cup

Coconut milk (thick) - half cup

Cloves 2

Poppy seeds - 1 teaspoon

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 5 cloves

Red chillies - 4

Oil, Curry leaves - few springs, Cumin seeds and bay leaf for seasoning.

Salt - as needed.

Method:

Soak cloves and poppy seeds in warm water for 30-40 minutes.

Grind the soaked items and ginger, garlic, and red chillies into a paste.

Fry the basmati rice in a tbspn of oil and keep it aside.

In a kadai, pour about 2-3 tbspn of oil, then add the items mentioned for seasoning. Once the cumin seeds splutter, add the chopped onion. Then add the ground paste. Fry until raw smell goes.

Then add the tomatoes and salt. Once all the water evaporates and it is a fine tomato-onion curry, add the fried basmati rice, mix it and turn off the stove.

Transfer into a pressure-cooking vessel or in the rice cooker, add the tomato puree and coconut milk and one cup of water. 2 Whistles enough in the pressure cooker.

This is the tomato pulav....or we can even call it as red pulav.

Kaju-Badam-Peanut-Paneer Masala

Party Menu recipe posted by Shripriya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients:

Paneer - 2 cups of cut cubes.

Ginger-Garlic-Greenchillies paste - 2 tbspn

Tomato puree - 1 cup

Garam masala powder - 1 tbspn

For seasoning: cumin, cloves 2, cardomom 2, turmeric powder

Fresh cream - 2 tbspn

Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Salt: as needed.

Grind into a paste: Roasted peanuts about half cup, Cashews 20 soaked in warm water for about 40 minutes, Almonds about 20 soaked in water and skin removed, poppy seeds about 2 tbspn, 1 big red onion chopped fine.

Method:

Heat one tbspn of oil in a kadai. Add the items mentioned for seasoning. When the cumin seeds splutter add the ginger-garlic-green chillies paste and fry for about a minute and then add the ground paste and garam masala powder. Fry until the raw smell goes. Add tomato puree. Let it blend with the masala and boil for about a minute. Now add cut paneer pieces, water enough for the gravy, and salt. Paneer gets cooked in about 2-3 minutes. If you want to thicken the gravy, you can mix besan and water and add to the gravy and boil for couple more minutes. Add the cream towards the end. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Your Kaju-Badam-Peanut Paneer masala is ready. Don't worry about the fat content....just enjoy. It is a big paaaaaaaaaaartayyyyyyyyy!!!!! :)

Paneer Tikka by Uma Sridharan

Party menu recipe posted by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:

Large block of Paneer                         1

Onion                                                 1

Capsicum                                           1

Ripe hard Tomato                               1

finely chopped Coriander leaves        handful

 

To Marinate:

Curd                                                    1 cup

Ginger - Garlic paste                          1 tbsp

jeera powder                                       1 tsp

Salt to taste

Red chili Powder                                 1 tsp

 

Method

Cut Paneer into 1/2" thick cubes. Cut all vegetables into cubes. Mix all ingredients for marinade and keep aside. Marinate  vegetables and paneer separately. Keep the marinated paneer in fridge for atleast 2 hrs.

Heat oil in a kadai and fry marinated paneer till done. Fry vegetables also. Arrange fried vegetables and paneer in a serving plate.

Garnish with coriander.

Vegetable Kebab by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:

Potato                          250 gms

Paneer                         200 gms 

Cauliflower                   grated  1 cup 

Capsicum                    1 finely chopped

Green chilly                  3 finely chopped  

Coriander leaves         chopped handful

Maida                          1 cup

Red chilly powder       1 tsp  oil for frying

Method

Boil and mash potato. Grate paneer.  Heat oil in a kadai. Sauté grated cauliflower and capsicum for 2 to 3 mts. Add mashed potato, grated paneer and green chilli. Add enough salt. Remove it from the flame and let it cool. Make small balls of the mixture and keep aside. Make a smooth batter by mixing maida, salt, red chilli powder and  water. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a pan. Dip the balls in the batter and deep fry them until they turn golden brown.   Serve hot        .

Hara Bara Kebab by Latha Mahadevan

Party menu recipe posted by Latha Mahadevan

Ingredients:

Boiled Potatoes - 3-4 medium sized

Boiled green peas - 3/4 cup

spinach - 100 gms

Chopped green chillies - 1 tblspn

Chopped green coriander - 2 tblspn

chopped ginger - 1 tblspn

Chaat masala - 1 tspn

Salt - as per taste

Cornflour - 2 tblspn

Oil - for deep frying

 

Method:

1. Peel n grate boiled potatoes

2. Mash boiled green peas

3.Blanch spinach leaves in plenty of salted boiling water, refresh in cold water and squeeze out excess water. Finely chop.

4. Mix grated potatoes, peas and spinach. Add chopped green chillies, chopped green coriander, chopped ginger, chaat masala and salt. Add cornflour for binding.

5. shape into ball and then press it in between your palms to give it a flat tikki shape.

6. Deep fry the tikkis in hot oil for 3-4 minutes.