Mooli Aur Aloo Ki Subzi/Red Raddish Potato Curry..

I am basically a foodie and not very fussy about any vegetable or fruit.But Raddish or Daikon, as it is otherwise known, is one particular vegetable which i used to hate as a child,mainly because of its pungent smell.
This vegetable is known to be the blood purifier and detoxifier and is supposed to prevent and cure a number of ailments like jaundice, piles, leucoderma, cancer and so on.
Now after being enlightened about the goodness of this vegetable, i feel that there is no reason for me to ignore or neglect it.The Red Raddish is widely available here in the US and seems to impress me a little more than the white one(no particular reason). I usually make raitha with this and for a long time i was in search of a spicy recipe using this veggie. Finally i arrived at one and i am very pleased with it that this has become a regular item in our menu nowadays!!
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Red Raddish-2 to 3 Medium size bunches

Potatoes-1 Medium size

Chilly powder-1 Tsp

For Tempering:

Mustard-1 Tsp

Urad dhall-1 Tsp

Red chilly-1 no.

Turmeric-a pinch

Asafoetida-a pinch

Oil-2 Tbsp

Curry leaves-a sprig

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.Remove the raddish from its bunch and wash it well along with the potato leaving the skin on.

2.Cut the veggies into four pieces and then into thin slices.(like in the pic above).

3.Heat oil in a pan and add the items for tempering except salt and turmeric.

4.Once done,add the raddish, potato, salt, turmeric and chilly powder.

5.Lower the heat a little and let the vegetables cook covered for a few minutes until it is soft yet crunchy.

6.Remove the lid and stir it so that it does not stick to the bottom of the  pan and roast it until crispy and golden brown in colour.

7.Enjoy with hot rice, roti or phulkas!!

Note:The leaves from the raddish could also be used in the dish and can be added after the tempering is done.
I did not use it in my curry as the leaves were not very fresh.

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.