Beetroot Chutney

What all you will need :

2 Beetroots, Cooked and Peeled
2 Red Chilies (adjust acc to taste)
2 tbsp Urad Dal
"½ Coconut, Grated
1 tbsp Tamarind pulp
A pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)
Salt to taste
For the Seasoning :

2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Few Curry Leaves
Two pinches or Urd dal

How to make it :

• Fry Red Chilies and Urad Dal in little Oil. Remove when Urad Dal turns pink in color.
• Grind all the ingredients together to a paste. Remove to a bowl.
• Heat Oil and add Mustard Seeds,Urd dal, when it starts to splutter add Turmeric Powder and Curry Leaves.
• Pour this over the Chutney and serve.

Goes well with Dosa's, Phulkas and puri's :)

Coconut Chutney

I am in the mood for chutney's today :) Let me share with you as many recipes I know until I run out of patience to type :P

What you will need :

• 1 cup coconut, grated
• 2 small green chillies, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon roasted split gram ( optional )
• salt to taste

For the tempering :

• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1 red chilli, broken into pieces
• 2 to 3 curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon oil

How to make it :

• Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep aside.
• Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well.
• Refrigerate and use as required.

COCONUT RICE

This is a South Indian recipe for coconut rice. Fried coconut and cashewnuts are added to boiled rice and garnished with ghee and coriander leaves.

Ingredients:


400 gms biryani rice
120 gms coconut
40 ml ghee
25 gms black gram dhal
25 gms broken pieces of nuts
6 gms dry chillies
2 gms curry leaves
2.5 gms asafoetida powder
20 gms (minced) coriander leaves
Salt to taste

How to make coconut rice:

* Boil rice and keep aside.
* Fry coconut evenly to a golden colour on a slow fire.
* Heat 3 dessertspoon of ghee. Fry the cashewnuts and remove.
* Fry the broken pieces of dry chillies, black gram dhal, and curry leaves well.
* Mix rice, coconut, nuts, 1 teaspoon of ghee and salt.
* Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

AMBAT BATATA (Tangy Potato Curry)

This is something I tried over the weekend and actually came out quite well.. AMBAT BATATA

What you will need :
2 medium size potatoes
3/4 cup grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 + 1/2 tsps fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1-2 tsp tamarind paste (or a marble size ball of tamarind soaked in water)
salt & jaggery to taste
oil

How to make this:
Peel potatoes, wash and quarter them (make wedges). Toast a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in a pan until aromatic. Grind along with coconut and cumin seeds into a smooth paste, adding water as required. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, remaining fenugreek seeds and asafoetida. Once the seeds begin to pop add the cut potatoes. Stir once. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, tamarind water and jaggery. Add just enough water to cook the potatoes and cover the pan.

When potatoes are done add the coconut paste. Mix well. Adjust seasoning. Bring to a boil on low heat. Serve hot with rotis.

Lentil Dumpling Curry

Ingredients: For curry:
Tamarind marble size
Onion small sized sliced 1
Tomato chopped 1
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Sambar Powder 1 tsp

For tempering:
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves few
Garlic sliced 3
Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch

For dumplings:
Toor dal 1/2 cup
Coconut shredded 4 tsp
Garlic 1
Fennel seeds 1/4 tsp
Dried red chilli 1 -2
Turmeric powder a pinch
Curry leaves 5
Asafoetida 3 pinches
Salt to taste

Method:

For dumplings:
Soak toor dal in hot water for 20 minutes.Now Grind all the dumpling ingredients and toor dal coarsely in a blender. Take 3-4 tsps of the paste and keep aside for curry. Make rounds and steam them in a idli cooker for about 8 - 15 minutes.

For curry:
In a sauce pan heat oil and all the tempering ingredients and saute until garlic turns golden brown, then add onions and saute till brown. Add tomato and saute till it turns soft.Pour the tamarind pulp, water , sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and the dumpling paste and bring it to a boil. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Then add the dumplings to the curry and let it cook for about 8 - 10 minutes. Dont stir much coz the dumplings might break. Serve hot with rice.

Tips:

1.To the ground paste you add finely chopped onions for both curry and lentil fries.

2. Add more of the ground paste to the curry for a thicker consistency.

Pitlai Powder

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds 3 tbsps
Chana dal 1 tbsp
Red chillies 2 - 3
Asafoetida 4-5 pinch’s
Grated coconut ( fresh) 2 tbsps
Oil 1/2 tsp

Method:

In a pan heat oil and add asafoetida. After a few seconds add red chilli, coriander seeds, chana dal and saute till light brown. Finally add grated coconut and roast till golden brown. Grind them coarsely in a food processor .

Tip: This spice powder is used in lot of curries .You can make this podi in large quantity and store  in a air tight container / refrigerate.

Khandvi

Ingredients:

• Besan: 1 cup
• Buttermilk: 3 cups
• Ginger-chilli paste: 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 1 tbsp
• Grated coconut: 2 tbsps
• Salt according to taste

For tempering:

• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Oil: 3 tsp
• Green chillies: 2 nos
• Asafoetida: a pinch
• Curry leaves: a few

Method:

1. Mix besan, buttermilk and salt in a bowl and Micro Med for 4 mins.
2. Add turmeric powder, ginger - chilli paste and Micro High for 5 mins.
3. Remove from the microwave and spread immediately on a greased surface in a thin layer ( i used the back of a big plate, greased it and spread the besan mixture on it).
4. When set cut into strips and roll. Arrange the rolls in a serving dish.
5. Place all the ingredients for tempering in a bowl, Micro High for 1.5 mins and pour over the khandvi.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander and grated coconut…

Puttu & Kadala Curry

Ingredients for Puttu:
Rice flour - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Add salt and approximately 3 table spoons of grated coconut into the flour and mix well. Add water little by little to the rice flour and mix it. The flour should be wet enough for steaming, but we have to be careful when you add water to the flour. The consistency has got to be right. It should not become too watery. Puttu has to be made in a Puttu maker. Layer the Puttu maker with some grated coconut first, then the rice mixture and then the grated coconut again. Steam for 2-3 minutes, take out and serve hot with Kadala Curry as below.


Ingredients for Kadala Curry:
Kadala (Gram Dal) - 2 cups
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Onion - 1
Ginger - a small piece (1 inch length)
Garlic - 6 cloves
Chilli Powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tbs
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Tomato chopped - 1
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
salt to taste
optional ( small pieces of coconut, coconut milk and garam masala powder(1/2 tsp))

Method:
Cook the kadala with salt and keep it aside. In a pan season the mustard and saute onions, ginger, garlic, chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chopped tomatoes and curry leaves. (optional small pieces of coconut can be added). Add the cooked kadala to it. For extra taste add half cup of coconut milk and masala powder.

Muttai Masaala Kuzhambu:(Country Style)

Ingredients:

• Eggs 8-10 (country chicken eggs)
• Small onions 1 cup or use red onions instead
• Green chilies 3 slitted
• Country tomatoes small 3
• Garlic 6 cloves crushed
• Ginger 5" made into paste
• Tamarind 1/2 spoon
• Curry leaves few
• Salt
• Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
• Chili powder 1 spoon
• Cinnamon stick 2
• Cloves 2
• Fennel seeds 1 spoon
• Coconut piece 4" size made into paste
• Whole Peppercorns 3-4
• Sesame oil 1 cup.

Method:
In a wide-thick bottomed vessel, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds and green chilies to it. Fry them for few minutes.
Followed by add, onion and fry them till golden color. Now add ginger and garlic to it. Fry them till it loses its raw odour.
Then add tomatoes and fry them till it looses its water content.
Now add salt, turmeric and chili powder and followed by tamarind paste to it. Add enough water and cook them well covered.
Once it comes to thick gravy stage add coconut paste to it. Let it boil real well.

Now hold each egg on top of this gravy, break them and drop them in this gravy. Do it one after other. Do not break all the eggs at the same place of the gravy. Its better to use a wide-mouthed vessel for this gravy so that you could have enough room for all your eggs.

Well....do not use any spatula after breaking in the eggs. Maybe you could cover and cook them over medium heat. It may take just 5-7 minutes or so.Let it stand for 1-2 hours after this. So that all the spicy juice-the gravy will be well incorporated in your eggs. It will be yummy when served along with steam cooked rice. (hint.. Basmathi ;) )

Maybe you could garnish with crisply fried curry leaves.

Sprouted Moong Dhal Gravy

Ingredients:

• Moong Dhal - 3 Cups (sprouted)
• Tomato - 2
• Onion - 1/2
• Red Chillies - 2
• Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
• Cumin - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds and urad dhal for tadka - 1 tsp
• Coconut milk - 2 tbsps
• Rasam or sambhar powder - 1 tsp
• Potato - 1/2 diced into cubes

Method:

• Fry the onion,red chillies and tomato in a tsp of oil and let it brown.
• Grind the tomato, red chillies, tomatoes along with the tamarind paste and coconut milk.
• In a pan with a tsp of oil, add tadka ,  the cooked moong dhal, potatoes , the ground mixture along with the sambhar powder and let it simmer.
• Add salt to taste and coriander leaves for garnish. Serve with piping hot basmati rice.

Coconut Bun

Ingredients:

• Bun
• 2 cups plain flour
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp active dried yeast
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg

Coconut Filling

• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1/3 grated palm sugar (or more as per desired)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp plain flour

Egg Wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp water

Method :

Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Heat milk and butter until the butter melts and the mixture is about 50° C warm. Pour into the flour mixture. Also add the egg into the flour. Knead the dough until smooth and shiny. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, heat the water and palm sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the grated coconut and flour. Stir constantly until the mixture becomes soft paste. Remove from heat and let the coconut filling cool.

Punch down the dough and knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal sized balls. Flatten the each ball and fill with the completely cooled coconut filling and seal the bun neatly. Gently rotate the bun repeatedly until it forms a smooth-skinned ball. Place each bun into a greased baking dish. Cover the dish and let the buns rise again in a warm place until nearly double in size, approximately 45 minutes.

Beat together the egg yolk and water. Egg wash the buns. Bake in a preheated oven at 190° C for 20 minutes.

Cabbage Coconut Subji

INGREDIENTS:

1 cabbage finely cut

1/2 cup fresh coconut or dry coconut

2 green chilies

2 tbsp ginger finely cut

8-10 curry leaves

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp urad dal

1 tbsp jeera

METHOD:

1. Place a pan on the stove ,when hot add 1 tbsp oil add urad dal ,mustard,jeera,green chilies , ginger and curry leaves

2. When mustard starts to splutter add cabbage

3. Fry cabbage for 2 minutes and when cabbage turn little brown add coconut

4. Mix well and salt and fry for another 4-5 minutes till cabbage turns translucent

Serve hot with roti's especially Phulka's :)

Cucumber Kosambari

Ingredients:

Cucumber- 1 (finely chopped)

Moong dal-1 1/2 tbsp(soaked for 30 mins)
Green chillies- 2
Corriander leaves- few
Coconut- 2 tbsp(grated)
Salt- as reqd
Lemon juice- (optional)

Procedure: 

Mix all the ingredients and season with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.  -  Yes, that's it ! :) Easy peasy , na?

Carrot Kosambari

Ingredients:

Carrots-2 ( finely grated)

Moong dal-1 1/2 tbsp(soaked for 30 mins)

Green chillies- 2

Corriander leaves- few

Coconut- 2 tbsp(grated)

Salt- as reqd

Lemon juice- (optional)

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and season with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.

Vaangi Bhaat

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Rice, cooked and cooled
• 2-3 Long purple or green Eggplants cubed
• 1/4 Cup Tamarind Juice,
• Salt1/2 tbsp
• sesame Seeds (Til)1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds

Roast and Powder:

• 2 tbsp Dry Coconut
• 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tbsp Chana Dal
• 1 tbsp Urad Dal
• 2-3 Dry Red Chillies1/2 tsp Hing (asafoetida)

To season:

• 1 tbsp Oil and Ghee
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1tsp Chana Dal
• 1 tsp Urad Dal
• Curry Leaves
• 1-2 Dry Red Chillies
• 1 tbsp Peanuts slightly crushed (optional)

Method:

Fry eggplants with little oil and salt until almost cooked. Keep aside. To the same oil, add seasoning. When peanuts are reddish add tamarind juice, cook until thick and add in ground masala. Simmer until oil floats on top and add eggplants. Add sugar and salt. Cover and cook until eggplants are tender, you have a nice pasty gravy with a shine! Cool slightly. Mix with rice gently as not to break the eggplants. Adjust the salt according to taste.

Sundal :) - Merina Beach speciality

Ingredients:

Black channa/ white channa- 1 cup

onion- 1/4 (chopped fine)

coconut- 1 tbsp (grated)

hing- 1/2 tsp (optional)

curry leaves- few

red chillies- 2 (broken)

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

urad dal- 1 tsp

channa dal- 1 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook channa with 2 cups water and required salt for 3 whistles. (cook according to your cooker. The count for whistles differs from one cooker to the other). Drain all the water and set channa aside. Heat oil in kadai and fry mustard seeds, urad and channa dal. Then fry onion, red chillies and curry leaves. Now add cooked channa and mix well. Finally add coconut and hing and roast for 5 mins. 

If you want the beach - feel, make paper cones and serve in them :)

Pudina Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice- 2 cups
Water- 4 cups
Mint- 1 small bunch
Coriander leaves- handful
Garlic- 4 pods
Ginger - 1 " piece
Coconut- 1/4 cup grated
Elachi-2
Bay leaf- 1 big broken
Cinnamon stick- 1" (2 pieces)
Star anise- 1
Fennel- 1 tsp
Potato-1
Green chillies- 3 or 4
Onion- 1/2 sliced
Ghee- 1 tbsp

Method:

Grind ginger, garlic, mint, corriander leaves, chillies, coconut and fennel seeds. Heat some oil and ghee in pressure cooker. fry all the spices and then onions and potatoes. Then fry the ground paste until you get a good aroma. Don't over-fry it. Just do it until the color changes from deep green to light green. Add required salt and rice. Fry for a few minutes. Add water. Check for seasonings and close the cooker. Wait until the pressure comes. Put the vent and keep the flame on medium. Wait for 10 to 12 mins. Switch off gas and open cooker when the pressure completely subsides. Open cooker and mix well. Finally add the fried cashews . Serve with onion raitha.

Egg Capsicum Masala - Real easy and Yummy !!

Ingredients:

• Egg- 4
• Onion- 1/2 sliced
• Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
• Tomato- 1 chopped
• Capsicum- 1/2 sliced
• Sakthi masala powder- 1 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
• Coconut- 1/4 cup
• Corriander leaves-few
• Salt to taste

METHOD:
Heat oil in kadai and fry onions, capsicum and ginger garlic paste. Then add tomato, masala powders and salt. Add ground coconut and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add salt. Now add boiled eggs (slit them before you slip them into the gravy). Bring to another boil. Finally add coriander leaves to garnish .

Isn't that real easy .? :)

Vendakai (OKRA / BHINDI ) Kurma

Ingredients :

• Bindi / Okra / Bendakaya - 250 gms
• Onions - 1
• Tomatoes - 2
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Chili Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder/Paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder a pinch
• Coconut paste - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - for seasoning
• Curry leaves
• Coriander Leaves for garnishing
• Peanut / Groundnut Powder - 1 tbsp

Method :

Wash and pat dry the bhindi s. It has to be real dry. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Fry on dry tawa till it changes bright green in colour. Keep aside.

Heat Oil add mustard seeds, curry leaves. Then add chopped Onions, sauté till they are brown in colour. Then add ginger garlic paste. Fry well

Then add tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook till tomatoes are well cooked. Then add the Bhindi and mix well. Add Coconut paste with water. Cook on high flame for 5 mins. Simmer for 10 mins until the gravy thickens.

Finally add peanut powder and Coriander leaves and cook for 2 mins.