Capsicum Bath/Kodamilagai Sadham/Simla Mirchi Chawal..

Come Winter,come spicy food!!
And what comes to my mind right now is a plate of hot Capsicum Bath with some raitha and chips.
Oh the very thought of it makes me drool!!
Talking about Capsicum,it is a vegetable very rich in Pottasium and vitamin C and it also gives a very nice flavour when added to any dish.
There are many ways in which this particular rice is made,but the one im going to share is the Karnataka style Capsicum Bath.The spice powder or curry powder used in this dish is primarily of Kannada style and is also used for sauteing a lot of other vegetables such as brinjal,ladies finger,ivy guard etc.
Here goes the Recipe:

Ingredients:

Raw rice-1 cup (cooked and cooled)

Capsicum/Bell Pepper-4 nos.

Mustard seeds-1 Tsp

Urad dhall/Ulutham paruppu-1 Tbsp

Channa Dhall/Kadali Paruppu-1 Tbsp

Turmeric-1 Tsp

Dry red chillies-1 or 2 nos.

Curry leaves- a sprig

Hing/peringayam-a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil-2 Tbsp

Ingredients for curry powder:

To dry roast and coarsely grind:

Kadalai paruppu/channa dhall-1 Tbsp

Ulutham paruppu/urad dhall-1 Tbsp

Thovaram paruppu/thoor dhall-1 Tbsp

Dry Red chillies(bedege/kashmiri mirchi)-6 nos.

Dhaniya/coriander seeds-1 Tbsp

Katti Peringayam/hing- a small piece

Grated dry coconut/kopparai-4 Tbsp

Black Pepper/melagu-1 Tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeeragam-1 Tsp

Cinnamon-1 inch piece

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard,urad dhall,channa dhall,red chilly,hing,turmeric,curry leaves and the capsicum.

2.Add salt and saute it for a few minutes till it is soft yet crunchy.

3.Add the curry powder and mix it well.

4.Now add the cooled rice,mix it well and let it sit for sometime before serving.

5.Serve along with some raitha or appalam,vadagam or chips of your choice.

Note:The curry powder could be stored in air tight containers and freezed for upto a month.

Golden Moments.....

The Awesome Twosome!!!

The SNMV Mafia Girls-wat a day!!!

With my Sonu girl at Marina Beach-how she loved the merry go round!!

Thiruvathirai Kali and Ezhu Kari Kootu..

Back after a long break,im very happy to add a new recipe to my blog!
This is a very traditional sweet dish and is prepared for an auspicious occasion among the TamBrams called "Thirvathirai" for Lord Nataraja. The sweet dish is paired with "Ezhu kari Kootu" or in other words a spicy seven vegetable kootu which includes a lot of root vegetables like Kavathu kizhangu, Senaikizhangu, Maravalli kizhangu, Pushanikkai, Parangikkai, Avarakkai and Mochai Payiru.
People, please pardon me.The english names for the above veggies will soon follow!! The combination may sound a bit weird, but trust me people it tastes unbelievable!! Now having made the kali and kootu last week for Thiruvadhirai,the recipe is fresh in my mind and i would like to put it down before i forget!! Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients for the Kali:

Raw Rice-1 cup

Jaggery-1 cup or 1 and half depending on the sweetness of the jaggery and individual's taste

Moong Dhall/Paasi Paruppu- a handful

Ghee-2 Tbsp

Cashews-few to garnish

Crushed Cardamom pods-3 to 4 to garnish

Coconut scrapings-5 Tbsp

Water

Procedure:

1.Dry roast the raw rice and moong dhal until brown and aromatic and powder it coarsely in the blender without adding water.

2.Boil water in a thick bottomed vessel or cooker and add the jaggery cubes or powder and let it melt.

3.Now washing the rice needs a little extra care as it is in the powdered form and slip off along with the water.

4.After washing,add the rice dhal powder to the jaggery mixture and let it boil till the rice and the dhal is cooked or if using the cooker, let it cook for two or three whistles.

5.I usually don't measure the water and go by eyeballing, but if it has to be measured we can roughly use 1:2 ratio. i.e 2 cups water for 1 cup rice.

6.It is very important that the Kali's texture has to be separate and not too mushy ,so care should be taken while adding water for cooking.

7.The final step is the garnishing.Fry the cashews in ghee until golden brown and pour it over the Kali along with the coconut scrapings and the crushed cardamoms and let it sit for a few minutes with the lid closed before serving.

Now there are lots of ways to prepare this kootu and i am sharing the one which my mother usually makes.

Ingredients for Kootu:

Thovaram Paruppu/Thoor Dhall - 1/2 cup

Root Vegetables-Kavaththu Kizhangu,Maravalli kizhangu and Senai kizhangu/Yam - washed and peeled -2 Cups

Mochhai Payiru/Val Dhal/Hyacinth Bean or field bean-peeled-1/2 Cup

Avarakkai/Sem/Broad Beans-washed and chopped into 1 inch pieces-1/2 Cup

Pooshanikkai/Kaddu/White pumpkin-chopped into big pieces-1 Cup

Parangikkai/Yellow Kaddu/Yellow Pumpkin-chopped into big pieces-1 Cup

Tamarind juice-1 Cup diluted from 1 tsp of tamarind paste

Turmeric - A pinch

Salt to taste

To dry roast and coarsely grind:

Kadalai Paruppu/Channa dhall -3 Tbsp

Red Chillies (Bedege/Kashmiri) -4 Nos.

Red Chillies (Anand/Salem) -4 Nos. or more depending on spice levels

Coriander seeds/Kothamalli verai -1Tbsp

Asafoetida/Peringayam/Hing -1 Tsp

Cinnamon-a small piece (optnl)

Poppy seeds-1 Tbsp

Grated Dry Coconut/Kopparai-2 Tbsp

For Tempering/Thalippu/Tadka:

Oil-1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds-1 Tsp

Curry leaves-1 Sprig 

Procedure:

1.Wash and cook the above vegetables along with the thoor dhall adding a pinch of turmeric not making it too mushy.

2.In a skillet,add the ingredients for tempering and once the mustard seeds start bursting,add the tamarind juice and let it boil for a few minutes.

3.Then add the cooked veggies and let it boil till the veggies absorb the tamarind essence,approxiamtely 5-8 minutes.

4.Now add the dry roasted and coarsely ground spice powder and boil for a few more minutes until the kootu starts to thicken.

5.Do not overcook as the vegetables are already boiled and they may get mushy.

6.The Kali has to be eaten hot with a dollop of ghee and the Kootu to go by the side.

Note: The vegetables can also be substituted with carrots,beans,chayote squash,etc  in case of non-availability of the above root vegetables without having to compromise much on the taste. Infact,i used the same as i did not get the root veggies!
The above spice powder could also be stored in air tight containers and freezed for upto 6 mnths.

Bread 65/Spiced Indian Sytle Bread Snack..

We all have come across different recipes for
bread upma and other leftover bread dishes.
I now have a slightly altered and a fanciful recipe for a spicy bread 65 using very simple ingredients.
Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

Any white bread-about 10 slices cubed

Onion-1 medium thinly cut into strips

Tomatoes-3 chopped finely or 2 tbsp of any tomato paste

Green chillies-2 slit lenghtwise

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Cumin/Jeera seeds-1 tbsp

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Cilantro- to garnish

Asafoetida pwdr-a pinch

Red chilly pwdr-1 tsp

Turmeric pwdr-1/2 tsp

Oil-2 tbsp

Salt to taste


Procedure:

1.Cube the bread slices with or without the crust on.

 2.Heat abt 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet and add the cumin seeds,green chillies,curry leaves and turmeric.

3.Add the cut onions next and fry until they turn transparent.

4.Now add the tomatoes or the paste or a combination of both and add the salt and chilly powder.

5.Cook for 5 mins till the mixture becomes thick and then slowly add the cubed bread slices.

6.Toss it slowly till the bread cubes are evenly coated with the tomato onion paste and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.

7.Fry till the bread cubes turn red and crisp.

8.Squeeze a few drops of lemon if preferred and garnish with chopped cilantro.

9.Serve hot with ketchup.

10.Yummy snack to enjoy on a monsoon evening..

Note:2 tbsp of thick curd can also be added towards the end for a tangy flavour..

Avocado Paratha / Avocado Flavoured Indian Bread..

Avocado has the highest protein and oil content than any other fruit. In fact, this soft-fleshed fruit can contain up to 30 per cent fat. Don't let the high fat content put you off, though; avocados contain only monounsaturated fat, which may help to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Wanna enjoy this buttery fruit in a delicious form!Avocado parathas are coming your way...

Ingredients:

Avocado- 1 ripe fruit 

Whole wheat flour-2 cups

Green chillies-2 or (adjusted to spice levels) deseeded and finely chopped

Cumin pwdr-2 tsp

Coriander pwdr-2 tsp

Red chilly pwdr-1 tsp

Turmeric pwdr-1/2 tsp

Asafoetida/Peringayam/hing-a pinch

Salt to taste

Warm water-2 tbsp if needed

Oil/ghee- to cook parathas

Procedure:

1.Run through the middle of the avocado with the help of a knife and cut it into half.

2.Discard the seed and scoop the buttery pulp using a sharp spoon leaving  the skin behind.

3.Now sift the wheat flour in a large bowl and add all the spice powders and mix well.

4.Add the scooped pulp and knead it into a smooth pliable dough adding very little water only if needed.

5.Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-30 mins.

6.Knead the dough once again on a dusted surface and make small lemon sized balls.

7.Roll each ball of dough into triangular or circular parathas using a rolling pin.

8.Do not add too much of flour to dust unless the dough is sticky as this will make the  parathas
dry.

9.Cook in on a hot griddle or tawa using half a tbsp of ghee on either sides till it turns golden brown in color.

10.Serve it hot with any raitha or pickle of your choice.

Since avocado is a buttery fruit and has a lot of oil in it,it gives the paratha a lot of softness without having to add any oil or ghee.

Asian Style Vegetable Stir Fry..

We all know the goodness of vegetables and when we can make a quick low-calorie mouth watering dish with it,what more can we ask for!!!
Here's an easy recipe for vegetable stir fry the Asian way and it can be done in minutes!!

Ingredients:

Frozen asparagus stir fry vegetables pack (1 lb) or 2 cups of fresh veggies like carrots, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower,snow peas and bell peppers.
 
Firm Tofu-1 pkt

Olive/Veg/Canola oil-2 tbsp

Ground Pepper-2tbsp

Chilly/teriyaki/sweet and sour sauce-2tbsp

Soy Sauce-1 tbsp

White vinegar-1 tsp

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.Heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium high in a large wok or skillet and add the frozen vegetables to it. Do not wash the vegetables before adding them cos' this makes them soft and it will not become crunchy.

2.Keep tossing the vegetables so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

3.After cooking for a few minutes,add salt,pepper,the chilli,soy sauce and the vinegar.

4.Stir fry the vegetables so they are evenly coated with the sauce and are crunchy.

5.Remove from heat and serve hot with Jasmine rice or any other rice or noodles of your choice.

Beans Paruppusili/Chopped Green Beans with Scrambled Lentil Dumplings..

"Morkuzhambu and Parupusili"!!
What could make you drool more,that too being born and raised up in a Tambram family??
The very thought of it is making me feel hungry.
Though everyone in the family cook this dish quite well,i can only vouch for one best taste and that is the paruppusili which my athai in chennai makes!! Before marriage,i briefly stayed in one of my aunt's house in Chennai and i can still relish those days of all that delicious food i have eaten from her..Thank you so much athai!!This Paruppusili was one of her classic recipes.The standard vegetables for usili are kothavarangai,green beans or vazhaipoo,but it can be made with any veggies of our choice.Here is the recipe:

Ingredients :

Green Beans -1 lb finely chopped

Thuvaram paruppu/toor dhall-1 cup

Kadalai paruppu/channa dhall-1/2 cup

Urad dhall-1 tbsp

Varamilagai/dry chillies-5 to 6 according to spice levels

Green chillies-1

Asafoetida pwdr/Peringayam/hing-1/2 tbsp

Shredded coconut-1 tbsp(optional)

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Cilantro to garnish

Oil-2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.Cook the beans with little salt and turmeric and set it aside.

2.Now grind the lentils along the red and green chillies,asafoetida,and little salt adding the curry leaves and little cilantro towards the end

3.The traditional method is to make mixture into small balls and steam them till the lentils are cooked,but the latest methods for saving time and work also call for microwaving the mixture by adding required amount of water or frying the ground lentils in abt 2 tbsps of oil till they are cooked.

4.After cooking the lentils in any of the above methods,just heat oil in a pan,add mustard seeds,urad dhall and add the beans and the usili and give it a good toss.

5.Switch off the heat after 5 mins and garnish with some chopped cilantro and shredded coconut.

The best accompaniant for paruppusili is either morkuzhambu,vaththal kuzhambu or mysore rasam.