Kadai Paneer (Cottage Cheese)

Very delicious Paneer recipe which is a perfect side for Chappathi / pita bread

Serves - 3 Adults

Ingredients:

Paneer - 1/4 kilo (can be bought in Asian spice shops)
Green Peppers - 2 (finely chopped)

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander Leaves - few strands

Salt as required


For the paste
Tomato (big) - 3
Green Chilli - 4 nos
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic Cloves - 5

Method:

1. Fry the peppers with little oil in a kadai for 5 minutes. Cool the peppers in a bowl spreaded with kitchen towel
2. Grind the items given for making the paste in a blender.
3. Cut the paneer into small cubes and fry them in a kadai with little oil. Fry till its slightly brown and then immerse the paneer into a separate bowl of water. This is to soften the paneer cubes
4. In the same kadai, season with cumin seeds. Once the cumin pops, add the ground paste into the kadai
5. Add turmeric powder , coriander powder and salt to the ground paste along with little water. Let the mixture boil for sometime until the contents turns into a thick gravy
6. Add the fried peppers and soaked paneer to the contents in the kadai and saute for few minutes
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chappathi

Avarakkai Muttai Poriyal (Broad Beans Egg Scramble)

This dish is an interesting variation to the usual Broad beans curry or egg scramble

Serves - 4 Adults

Ingredients:

Broad Beans - 1/4 kg (thinly sliced)
Onion (Medium sized) - 1 (finely chopped)
Egg - 1 (beaten well in a bowl)
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coarse ground pepper - few pinch
Curry Leaves - 1 strand
Coriander Leaves - 1 strand


For Seasoning
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad Dhal - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:

1. Heat a kadai with little oil and add the items given for seasoning. Let the mustard seeds pop
2. Add the onions and required amount of salt to the kadai and saute until onion becomes transluscent
3. Add Broad beans to the sauteed onion along with turmeric and red chilli powder.
4. Sprinkle little water to the above mixture and saute until broad beans in cooked well
5. Once the beans are cooked, add the beaten egg to the contents in the kadai.
6. Mix thoroughly until the egg is cooked and mixed well with the contents
7. Sprinkle coarse ground pepper and garnish with coriander leaves
8. Serve hot.This dish goes well with any rice item

Simple Gobi (Cauliflower) fry

This dish is very easy to make and is a delicious side dish or can be had as a snack.

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Cauliflower (big) - 1/2 or 1 small cauliflower
Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
Gram Flour - 4 tablespoons
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Corn Flour - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Salt as required

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and clean them thoroughly
2. Mix all the ingredients above with the florets and leave them aside for 30 minutes
3. Heat a pan with required oil for frying. Deep fry the florets until they are golden brown as shown in the picture
4. Serve hot with rice or can be served as an appetiser

Surakkai (bottle Gourd) Kootu

Ingredients :

Surakkai - 1 small (equivalent to 1/4 kg)
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup (soaked in water for half an hour)
Water - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Green Chilli - 3 (or as required)
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves - few strands
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Vadagam - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method :

1. Peel the skin of the surakkai and cut into small pieces
2. In a kadai , add water and moong dal and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Add onion and surakkai pieces along with salt and let it boil for 10 minutes. Add water if required
4. Grind coconut and green chilli to a fine paste. Now add fennel seeds and grind for few seconds only. Fennel seeds need not be ground finely
5. Add the ground mixture to the kootu.
6. Season vadagam and curry leaves and add to the kootu. Switch off and serve hot
7. Surakkai kootu mixed with plain rice and ghee will be delicious.

Notes:
This veggie is supposed to be good for feeding mothers

Seppangizhangu (Colocasia) Fry

Spicy seppangizhangu fry is one of our favourites. It is so irresistible that the entire batch will be finished off even before it comes to the dining table.

 
Ingredients :

Seppangizhangu (Colocasia) - 10 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Lemon - 1/2
Salt as required
Oil to fry

Method:

1. Boil the kizhangu and refrigerate overnight. This is to remove the stickiness in the kizhangu
2. Next day, peel the kizhangu and make fine slices
3. Coat it well, with all the ingredients

4. Spread out and shallow fry the kizhangu till each is individually fried.
5. Crispy colocasia is a snack by itself.

Red Kidney Beans Gravy

Ingredients :

Red Kidney Beans - 1 cup (Soaked overnight)
Onion (big) - 1 (finely Chopped)
Tomato (big) - 1 (finely chopped)
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Tamarind paste - 2 teaspoon (or according to taste)
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Coriander leaves - few strands
Vadagam - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Water -  3 cups

Method :

1. Cook red kidney beans in pressure cooker with water enough to cover the beans for upto 2 whistles
2. Heat a kadai and season with vadagam. Then add onion, tomato and saute well.
3. Add Tamarind paste, red chilli powder , salt. Add water and allow the contents to boil.
4. Add the cooked beans to the gravy.
5. Grind coconut and fennel seeds in a blender to a fine paste adding little water while grinding
6. add the ground paste to the gravy and let boil for few minutes
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice and pappadom.

Carrot and Beans Moong Dal Poriyal

Ingredients :

Carrot - 1/4 kgs (approximately 3 medium sized carrots) - Cut into bite size pieces

Beans - 1/4 kgs (approximately 15-20) - Cut into small pieces

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Green Chilli - 4 nos (chopped)

Urad Dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry Leaves - few strands

Oil and salt as required

Method:

1. Soak Moong Dal in water for half an hour

2. Heat kadai with little oil and season with Urad Dal. 

3. Add Green chillies and Moong Dal and saute for 2 minutes

4. Add Beans and carrot to the kadai and saute for another 5 minutes or till the veggies are cooked.

5. Garnish with Curry leaves and serve hot with rice and choice of gravy.