Capsicum Rice/Capsicum Bhath

Ingredients:
11/2 Cups Basmati Rice
2 Medium sized Capsicums/Bell peppers
2 Tbsps Vangibath powder (I have used MTR vangibath powder)
1/2 Tsp turmeric
Juice of 1 small lemon
Curry Leaves
1Tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 Tsp Urad dal
1/2 Tsp Channa dal
2 Dry Red chilli
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt

Method:
Cook the rice with 3 glasses of water and cool it completely.I cook the rice in rice cooker so that it dosen't get mushy.Cut the capsicum/bell peppers into small cubes.
Heat oil in a kadai, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.then add the dry red chillies,urad dal and channa dal.then add the curry leaves and add the capsicum pieces and turmeric and saute it for about 3-4 minutes.I don't let the capsicum turn very soft.Add the vangibhath powder,salt and cook it for about 2-3 minutes.Switch off the heat and add the rice,lemon juice and salt if needed and mix it well.
Serve the rice with potato chips or raita.

Okra Subzi/Bhindi Subzi

Okra or Bhindi subzi goes well with rotis/chapatis.This can be paired with onions and tomatoes or even okra and potatoes go very well.Today I prepared okra with onions and tomatoes.

Ingredients:

Okra/Bhindi-25-30

1/2 of 1 big onion or 1 small onion

2 Tomatoes

2 1/2 Tsps coriander powder

4 Green chillies

1/2 Tsp Turmeric

Salt as needed

2 Tbsp Oil

1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)

1/2 Tsp Garam masala

Cilantro

Method:

Chop the okra/bhindi into any shape desired.I have cut them in diagonals.

Heat oil in a kadai, add the cumin and mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.Add the onions and green chillies and saute for about a minute or two.Add the okra/bhindi, tomatoes, coriander powder,turmeric and salt.Cover and cook until the stickiness goes off.Add the garam masala and cook it for about a minute.Switch off the heat and garnish it with cilantro.

Cabbage Subzi with Surti lilva

Surti lilva or Avarekayi pairs well with many dishes.Frozen lilva beans are available in Indian stores.I have combined these beans with cabbage and tomato.This dish goes well with chapatis.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Cabbage chopped
1/2 Cup Surti lilva (avarekayi)
1 Tomato
1/2 Onion (finely chopped)
4 Green chillies
1/2 Tsp mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds(Jeera)
1/2 Tsp Turmeric
Salt as per taste
2 Tbsp Oil
A pinch of asefoetida

Method:
Pressure cook the lilva beans for about 2 whistles. Heat oil in a kadai.Add the cumin and mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter.Add the asefoetida and onion and saute for a minute.Add the green chillies, cabbage, tomato, salt, turmeric and allow it to cook until tender without adding any water.After about 15 minutes when the cabbage is tender add the lilva beans and saute it for about 2-3 minutes.Serve it hot with chapatis.

Vegetable Saagu

Vegetable saagu is popular in Karnataka.To make vegetable saagu different varieties of vegetables are used, the most common being beans, carrots, potatoes. green peas, tomato and onion.Saagu goes well with poori, chapathi and dosa.

Ingredients:

1 cup of vegetables( Beans, carrot,avarekaalu i.e surti lilva)

1 Potato

1/2 Onion

1 Tomato

1/2 Cup grated coconut

3 Tbsps Dalia

4 Green chillies

2 Small sticks of cinnamon

A little cilantro

1/2 tsp Turmeric

Salt

Water

2 Tsp Oil

1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 Tsp Urad dal

Method:

Pressure cook the vegetables for about 2 whistles with little salt and turmeric.See to it that that the vegetables do not get mushy.Grind the coconut, dalia, green chillis,cinnamon and cilantro to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a kadai, add the mustard seeds.Once it splutters add the urad dal.Add the pressure cooked vegetables ,ground paste, salt and adequate amount of water and allow the paste to blend into the vegetables.The gravy should not be too thick or too watery.serve hot with pooris or dosas or chapathi.I made this to go along with pooris.

Poori

Growing up Poori would be the breakfast on most of the weekends at home.Poori is made from wheat flour and deep fried in oil.It can also be made with all purpose flour.This happens to be my son's favourite food.He can eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner.Poori goes well with vegetable saagu, chole,potato gravy etc etc.Today I made poori with vegetable saagu.The ingredients to make poori:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Wheat flour

1/2 Tsp Salt

Water
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Combine Wheat flour and salt in a bowl.Add the required amount of water and make the dough not too soft or too hard.Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadai.while the oil is heating, make small balls out of the dough and roll it.The rolled ball should not be too thick or too thin.Slide the rolled poori into hot oil and gently press it with the back of a slotted spoon.At this point the poori will puff up, then flip it over and cook till it turns golden brown.Drain the excess oil off the poori on a paper towel.Serve hot pooris with anything of your choice.I made vegetable saagu to go with this.

Ash Gourd Sambhar

Sambhar is the most loved dish among South Indians.There are many variations for preparing sambhar.I sometimes prepare sambhar using sambhar powder or grinding coconut along with sambhar powder.This is my method for preparing ash gourd sambhar.This goes well with rice, dosas.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Tur Dal (pressure cooked for about 3 whistles with little turmeric and water)

2 Cups of cubed ash gourd pieces

2 Tsps Sambhar Powder

1 Tomato

Small lemon sized tamarind soaked in water

Handful of grated coconut

Small piece of Cinnamon

2 Cloves

1/4 Tsp Turmeric

1 Tsp Mustard seeds

Few curry Leaves

Salt

1 Tsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Oil

A pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

Grind to a fine paste coconut,sambhar powder,tomato,cinnamon and cloves.

Cook the ash gourd pieces in little water along with turmeric and little salt.After about 10 minutes add the ground paste, tamarind juice,pressure cooked tur dal along with required amount of water and salt and 1 tsp sugar.allow it to cook for 10-15 minutes on medium heat.

Heat oil in another pan add the mustard seeds.once it splutters add the asafoetida and curry leaves.Add this seasoning to the sambhar and mix well.

Black Eyed Beans Curry

Black eyed beans are rich in calcium, folate and vitamin A among other nutrients.These beans require no soaking time and can be cooked in the the pressure cooker for about 3 whistles.They have a smooth creamy texture when cooked.The black eye beans curry goes well with chapati's as well as rice.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Black eye beans

1/2 Red onion
2 Tsp Tomato Paste(Diluted in 1/4 cup water)
1 Tsp minced ginger and garlic
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt as per taste
1Tsp Cumin seeds
11/2 Tsps coriander powder
1/2 Tsp Chilli powder
1/2 Tsp Garam masala powder
Cilantro for garnishing

Method:
Pressure cook the beans for about 3 whistles.Heat oil in a pan.Add the cumin seeds and allow it to crackle.Add the onions and saute until it turns pink and add the ginger and garlic.Then add the the beans, tomato paste and all the spice powders and salt and saute for a minute.Add adequate amount of water and allow it to cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat.Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Samosas- From Scratch

Samosas are one of the street food items that we buy at regularly at home.Samosas are triangular shaped pastry shells with spicy filling in it.So I decided to try making these at home and the end result was delicious crispy samosas.Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:
For the pastry:
1 Cup of All purpose flour(maida)
1 Tsp of Ajwain(Carom Seeds)
1 Tsp of Salt
2 Tbsp of Hot melted butter or Oil
Cold Water(as required to Knead the dough)

For the filling:
2 Medium Potatoes(chopped into small cubes)
2 Tbsps Oil
11/2 tbsps crushed coriander seeds(Dhaniya)
1 Tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 Tsp Chilli powder
Pinch of Turmeric
Salt as per taste
11/2 Tsps Coriander powder
1/2 Tsp Garam masala
1/2 Tsp Amchur powder(Dry mango powder)
A handful of chopped cilantro.

Method:
Heat oil in a pan.Add the cumin seeds and let it crackle.Add the crushed coriander seeds,then saute the cubed potatoes, turmeric,salt,chilli powder and coriander powder and allow the potatoes to cook thoroughly.Add the garam masala and amchur powder and saute for a minute or two.Switch of the heat and add chopped cilantro.Let the filling come to room temperature before filling into the pastry shells.

Take a bowl and add the all purpose flour,salt,carom seeds and hot oil or melted butter.Rub the dough until it looks like bread crumbs.Add the cold water as needed to form a dough until smooth.Cover it and keep it aside for about 20 minutes.After about 20 minutes knead the dough once again and divide it into balls of equal proportions.Roll out the dough not too big or too small into a round.Cut it in half and make a cone out of the half by sticking the edges with water.Fill the cone with a spoonful of the potato mixture and seal the edges with water.Repeat this procedure until all the pastry shells are filled.

Heat oil on a medium-low flame and fry the pastry shells to a golden brown colour on both sides and crisp.Drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Serve hot samosas with mint chutney or tamarind chutney.

Cabbage and Spinach paratha

This recipe is adapted from the T.V show Khana Khazana by Sanjeev Kapoor.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Wheat flour
1/2 Cup Gram flour/Besan
1 Cup grated cabbage
1/2 Cup finely chopped spinach
1tsp Ajwain/Carom seeds
Salt
4-5 Green chillies/1 jalapeno chopped fine
Water as required to knead the dough.

Method:
Mix the above mentioned ingredients with required amount of water to make a dough.The dough should not be too soft or too hard. Let it rest for about 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into balls of equal proportions.Roll one ball at a time.The rolled paratha should neither be too thick or too thin.Heat a tava and cook the rolled out parathas until you see brown spots.Drizzle it with a blob of butter or ghee on both the sides of the paratha.
The parathas can be served with pickles and curd.

Note: The parathas can be cooked ahead of time,cooled and freezed.Before cooking just allow it to come to room temperature and heat it on the tava.

Radish Sambhar/Muli sambhar

Ingredients:
1 long or 2 small radishes
1 glass/cup of turdal(pressured cooked with little turmeric until mushy)
1/2 Onion
2 Small tomatoes/1 Big tomato
Lemon sized tamarind soaked in water
2 tsps Sambhar powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
Few sprigs Cilantro
Few sprigs Curry leaves
Salt as required
1 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of Asefotida/hing
3 tsps of oil

Method:
Heat 3tsp of oil in a kadai.Add the mustard seeds,once it splutters add hing and add the onions.Saute the onions until it turns pink,add the cilantro and curry leaves and saute for a minute.Then add the sambhar powder and the coriander powder for about a minute or two.Add the tomatoes and little salt and cook till it turns soft and mushy.
In a saucepan add the radish pieces and half cook it with a little turmeric and salt.Then add the cooked turdal, tamarind juice and the onion tomato paste with sambhar powder and salt.Adjust the consistency of the sambhar by adding the required amount of water and allow it to boil for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally until you get a nice aroma.
Serve it with hot rice and a dollop of ghee.

Idli

Ingredients:
1 glass of Urad dal
2 glasses of Idli Rava/Cream of rice
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
salt

Method:

Soak the urad dal for about 6-8 hrs.Wash the idli rava and keep it aside.Grind the urad dal to a fine consistency adding as much water required.Transfer it to a container and mix the idli rava and salt.The batter should not be too thick or too runny.Allow it to ferment overnight. By morning the batter should be double the volume.

Heat about 2 glasses of water in a pressure cooker.Pour the batter into idli plates and place it in the pressure cooker and steam it for about 15minutes without the whistle.After 15 minutes turn off the heat and remove the idli plates from the pressure cooker.Let it stand for about 5minutes.Run a spoon and transfer it to the serving dish.

Serve it with hot sambhar or chutney.

Coconut Chutney

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Ingredients:
1 cup grated coconut/frozen coconut
1/4 cup Dalia
3-4 Green Chillies
Few strands of mint leaves
Few strands of Cilantro
Salt as per taste
Water as required for grinding
Mustard seeds, Red chillies and Curry leaves for tempering.

Method:
Heat 1/2 tsp oil and saute the green chillies and mint leaves.
Grind it along with the coconut,dalia, salt, cilantro and required amount of water.
Temper it with mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves.Pour the tempering over the chutney and serve it with idlis or dosas.

Hello All

Hello all.I have just created a cookery blog so that I can store all the recipes that I cook without having to look into a book.

Hope my efforts will be appreciated by one and all.
Thank you.
Shalini