Tomato Thokku

Ingredients:

• 5-6 ct. Tomatoes, big in size
• 2 tsp. Red chilli powder
• 3-4 cloves Garlic, optional
• 1/4 tsp. Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. Fenugreek powder
• 5 Tbsp. Oil
• 1 tsp. Mustard
• 2 sprigs Curryleaves
• 1/4 tsp. Asafoetida
• 1 small piece Jaggery
• 2 tsp. Salt, adjust accordingly

Method:

• Wash the tomatoes; make puree using blender.
• Heat a heavy bottomed pan with 1 Tbsp. oil and temper with mustard,garlic, curry leaves and asafoetida powder; fry little bit.
• Add tomatoe puree.
• Add turmeric, chili powder and salt.
• Mix well; reduce the flame to medium low;stir in between to avoid burning.
• Meanwhile, heat rest of the oil in a small pan; add heated oil in between while stirring.
• Cook for 10-15 minutes.
• After few minutes, oil started to oozing out.
• Add jaggery and fenugreek powder and mix well.
• Turn off the stove and cool down.
• Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate.
• Serve with Yogurt rice,Chappathi,dosa or Idli.

Note:

• Always use dry spoon;Can be used for a month if handled properly.
• To make Fenugreek powder, in a pan fry fenugreek seeds grind them fine in blender; store it in airtight container. This powder can be used in Tamarind rice, Vathal Kulambu etc.,

Does anything taste better than homegrown vegetables? Yes! These tomatoes from our vegetable garden.

Potato Chickpeas Curry

Ingredients:

• 1 12 or15 Oz. can Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
• 5 large potatoes, boiled
• 1 medium Onion,finely chopped
• 1 medium Tomato, finely chopped
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
• 3 Tbsp. Curry powder
• 1 -3 Tbsp. Oil
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves
• Cilantro for garnishing

Make fine paste with following ingredients:

• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 5 Garlic cloves
• 1 inch Ginger, peeled
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 6 tsp. Coconut,grated

Method:

• Heat a sauce pan on medium high with some oil.
• When oil is hot add in bay leaf, curry leaves and mustard seeds.
• Add onion and sauté until the onion starts to go translucent.
• Add tomato and sauté very well.
• Add turmeric and curry powder; sauté until mixture starts to brown . Add in more oil as needed.
• Fry until mixture becomes dark brown (note not to burnt), it doesn't take too long; add grounded paste; stir well. This is a base curry for any vegetable/chicken curry.
• Add in boiled potatoes and chickpeas, you need to add some water if you want more curry and stir well.
• Add salt to taste;garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
• Curry goes very well with naan, chappati or on some plain rice.

Note:

• You can use raw potatoes instead of boiled but you need to bring mixture to a boil, stir and turn heat down to medium low, cover and cook,
• stirring the curry every few minutes, until potatoes are done. It takes 15-20 min.
• It is okay, if the potatoes fall apart in fact it makes curry more yummier.

Okra Fry

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. Vendakkai/Okra
• 1 cup Onion, thinly slice
• 1 tsp.Chilli Powder
• 1/4 tsp. Turmeric Powder
• 1tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp. mustard seed and urad dal
• Curry leaves
• 2Tbsp Oil for frying

Method

• Wash and dry okra in paper towel;make sure they are dried well.
• Trim both the ends and cut into small slices. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves; once the mustard seeds crackle, add thinly sliced onions; fry well.
• Add chopped okra, salt, turmeric and chilly powder; add few drops of water.
• Cover and cook gently until they are tender, stirring now and then.
• Serve with roti or rice and Sambar or Tomato rasam.

Moor kuzhambu/kulambu (மோர் குழம்பு)

Ingredients

• Steam/Boil the vegetables(like Chow-Chow/Chayote, White Pumpkin) with 1 tsp. salt.
• 1 tsp. Toor Dhal
• 1 tsp. Chana dhal
• 1/4 tsp. Dhania or Coriander Seeds
• 1/4 tsp. Raw Rice
• 1/4 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 Red Chilly
• 1 Green Chilly
• 2 Tbsp. Coconut, grated
• 1/4 tsp. Turmeric
• 1 spring of curry leaves
• 1 cup Skimmed Butter Milk (or) Skim 1 cup of curd with 1 cup of water and 1 tsp. salt

Method

• In a small bowl, soak Toordhall,Chanadhall,Raw rice,Coriander and Cumin seeds for about 30 mins.
• Steam/Boil the vegetables(like Chow-Chow/Chayote, White Pumpkin) with 1 tsp. salt.
• Grind the soaked ingredients along with green chilly, grated coconut into a fine paste.
• In a bowl, pour the buttermilk; add turmeric,curry leaves, ground paste, cooked vegetables; mix well
• Check for salt and adjust the salt & consistency of the kuzhambu. The given water /curd ratio is precise enough.
•  Now heat the content on medium low flame for about 10 mins or until froth appears; once forth appears remove from the heat.
  
• Heat the pan with 1 tsp. of Oil, season with mustard seeds,uraddhall, 1(or)2 red chilly and curry leaves and pour it over the kuzhambu.
• Serve hot or cold with rice with any spicy side dish/poriyal

Note

• Do not cook this kuzhambu  on high flame - that will make the curd break and water will separate out.
  
• This recipe used Okra: If adding Okra, saute it well in 1 Tbsp. oil until the goey stuff disappears and/or till okra is dry and cooked well.
• Reheating is not advisable; If you prefer, serve this curry over hot rice.

Mutter Paneer Masala

Ingredients

• 1 cup Peas, frozen
  
• 1/2 lb. low-fat Paneer
  
• 2 medium size Tomatoes
  
• 1 Tbsp. Oil
  
• Pinch of Asafoetida
  
• 1 tsp. Cumin seeds
  
• 1 Tbsp. Ginger Paste
  
• ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
  
• ½ tsp. Chilli powder
  
• 1 tsp. Coriander powder
  
• 1 tsp. Garam masala
  
• 2 Bay leaves
  
• 1 medium size Cinnamon stick
  

Method

• Cut the paneer into half inch pieces.
• Heat 1tsp of oil in a pan, add the cubed paneer; fry for 2-3 minutes, until they gently turn to golden brown on all sides. Take the paneer out and place on a paper towel so the extra oil is absorbed.
  
• Blend the chopped tomatoes and ginger to make a paste.
  
• Heat the oil in a saucepan.
  
• When oil is ready, add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, bay leaves and cinnamon; fry for a few seconds.
  
• Add the tomato paste, coriander, turmeric, chili powder and paprika.;mix well.
  
• Cook until the mixture reduces to half.
  
• Add the green peas and 1/4 cup of water. cook on medium heat pan should be covered.
  
• When the peas are tender,then add fried paneer and salt.
  

Note

• Add 1 tablespoon fresh chopped methi leaves or 1/2 tablespoon dried methi leaves for garnishing or alternate with chopped cilantro leaves.
• Alternate tomatoes with store bought tomato paste.
  

Collard Greens with Dal

I have some left over leaves from my collard greens bunch. Now a days , I made myself not to waste.Usually for any new greens/keerai, I used to add some dal with cumin seeds. I like the flavor of cumin & pepper. Sometimes I add pepper too...(some of you may say , what? pepper in the greens!? you crazy...!) But in this recipe I didn't.....

Ingredients

• Collard Greens , 4 or 5 leaves, chopped , tough stems discarded
• 1/2 cup Moong dal
• 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Green chili
• 2 tsp. Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. Mustard seeds,&urad dal
  
• 1 tsp. Turmeric powder
  
• Curry leaves
• 1 tsp. Oil
• Salt to taste
  

Method

• Cook moong dal, collard greens, tomatoes and turmeric powder with 3 cups of water, for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker.
• Once the pressure subsides, remove the lid and let it cool for a while.
  
• Add salt to the cooked dal and mix well.
• Using a hand blender, lightly blend dal, till the greens and tomatoes are chopped into smaller pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and urad dal; add green chillies, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add to the cooked dal mixture.
• Serve hot with rice and any spicy dry curry/vegetable.

Shrimp / Prawn Curry /Royallu Iguru

Shrimp is one of my favorite seafood.Here is the simple recipe I used to prepare this curry.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Shrimp, de-veined & cleaned (notes added : How to clean the shrimp)
• 1 cup Onion, chopped
• 1 cup Tomato,chopped
• 1 tsp. Ginger garlic paste
• 2 Green chillies
• 2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala powder
• ½ tsp Salt or to taste
• 5 tsp Oil
• Curry leaves
• Cilantro leaves for garnishing
  

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, splutter curry leaves,
• Add the chopped onion and green chillis and fry till transparent.
• Add chopped tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste fry for a minute.
• Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, blackpepper powder, cumin powder, garam masala and salt to it and keep sauteing until the masala thickens and turn brown.
• Add cleaned and de-veined shrimp/prawn to the masala and cook just until the prawns cook tender about 3-5 minutes.
  
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
  

Notes

• Do not overcook for more than 5 minutes, then shrimp will become hard/rubbery kind of texture.
  

Here is the way I used to clean the shrimp.

• To remove the shell from the shrimp, hold the tail and gently remove the shell around the shrimp body, then the tail can be detached completely by just pulling it.
• To remove the vein, make a shallow cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the shrimp's body using a paring knife(use finger tip/nail), pick out the dark ribbon-like vein running lengthwise along the shrimp's back.
• Rinse the shrimp in cold water. store it freezer for later use or cook them immediately.

Collard Greens

I like Irish music,stories....since we already baked the bread(Irish Soda Bread), made a trial attempt with Green Punch, you know the result was not sooooooo....good. (Yesterday night by 10'o clock we went to wal-mart and bought Hawaiian punch for my little sugar's class.) We don't have any food in Green color. I got collard green and thought that color would be perfect for today!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients

• 
  1 bunch Collard greens, chopped , tough stems discarded
• 
  1 cup Onion, chopped
• 
  1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds
• 
  1/4 tsp. Mustard seeds
• 
  1/4 tsp. Urad dal
• 
  1 Red chili
• 
  1/2 tsp. Coconut, shredded
• 
  1/2 tsp. Oil
• 
  Curry leaves
• 
  Salt for taste

Method

• Heat the pan with the oil; sputter the cumin seeds, mustard seeds,urad dal,red chilli and curry leaves.
• Add chopped onion; fry till slight golden brown.
• Now,add the chopped leaves,salt.
• Cover and cook until tender, 10-12 minutes.
  
• Add shredded coconut. Mix well.

Note

• Jazz it up by adding chopped (2 or 3 )garlic cloves with onion.

Mushroom Mutter

Ingredients

• 1 cup Green peas (Mutter),frozen
• 1 cup Mushroom, chopped
• ½ cup Onion, chopped
• ½ cup Tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Oil
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro for garnishing (optional)

Method

• Heat pan with oil, sauté cumin seeds, onion, tomato and ginger garlic paste.
• Add turmeric,chilli, garam masala powder; sauté well.
• Add peas and chopped mushroom; sauté for 10 min.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
• Serve the mushroom mutter with rice/roti.