Thursday 30 May 2013

Easy Black eyes beans gravy

Black Eye Beans Gravy / Curry.

  My daughter loves black eyes beans like anything. So I include it in my cooking atleast twice a week. This recipe is a very simple and easy one.




Ingredients:

1. Black eyed beans                                      - 150 - 200 gms
2. Onions                                                           - 2 nos (Medium)
3. Tomatoes                                                      - 2 nos (Medium)
4. Salt                                                                   - As reqd
5. Garam masala                                             - 3/4 Tblspoons
6. Hing                                                                - A pinch
7. Jeera seeds                                                  - 1/2 Tspoon
8. Oil                                                                    - 1 to 2 Tblspoons
9. Ginger Garlic paste                                   - 1/2 tblspoon


Method.

Wash the black eye beans for any dirt and soak it in water either overnight or for 8 hrs. Now pressure cook or boil the beans till it cooks almost soft. Now, heat a kadai. Add oil and Jeera seeds. Once it splutters, add the chopped onions saute till its translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till raw smell disappears. Now add the boiled beans and give a gentle mix. Then add some water, salt, ginger garlic paste and garam masala and allow the mixture to boil. Once the raw smell of garam masala goes off, remove the mixture from stove. Black eyes bean curry is ready to be served. Coriander leaves can be used for garnishing.

This is a good accompaniment for Steamed rice, Chapathi, Poori etc.




Thursday 16 May 2013

Aval Thengai urundai/Poha and coconut balls

As the name suggests this is a very healthy sweet and can be made in a jiffy.

Ingredients :

1. Poha/Aval                                             -  150-200gms
2. Dessicated Coconut                           -  1 cup
3. Sugar                                                       - As per taste 
4.Elaichi / Cardamom powder            - A small pinch
5. Almonds cut in thin pieces              - 6-8 pieces.

Preparation:

First wash Poha well to clear off any dirt and soak for 10 mins. Then strain off the water. Now add the dessicated cocont, sugar and cardamom powder and mix well with hands. Make medium sized balls of the mix.
Garnish with finely cut almonds.

Healthy Poha balls are ready to be served.



Wednesday 15 May 2013

Semiya Paal Payasam/Vermicelli Kheer


Semiya paal payasam  is a sweet dessert usually made on many festive occassions down South India. The main ingredients of this dish are Semiya or Vermicelli, Milk and sugar.



SEMIYA PAAL PAYASAM.

INGREDIENTS:

Semiya ( Vermicelli)                         - 200 gms
Milk/Condensed Milk                         - 2 Cups/1 Cup 
Sugar                                                - 3-4 cups or as per 
                                                            taste
Cardamom powder                            - A Pinch
Chironji seed, Raisins                        - 1 teaspoon each
Cashews                                            - 4 or 5 broken
Ghee                                                 - for frying

PREPARATION :

With Plain milk:

In a kadai, first roast the semiya in ghee till the semiya turns golden brown. Then add water to the fried semiya and allow it to cook. Once the semiya is cooked add milk to the mixture and allow it cook further. Once the milk is boiled add sugar slowly and keep stirring so that the milk doesnt disintegrate. Then add cardamom powder, crush the chironji seeds by keeping between the palms and add it to the dessert. Now, in another kadai , fry cashwenuts in ghee till golden brown and add it to the dessert. Raisins can also be added.

With Condensed Milk:

Same procedure as above, add sugar first and keep stirring. Then add the condensed milk in small amounts and keep stirring. 

Notes:

Dont deep fry semiya as it will spoil the taste
If you are planning to add sugar first, then add it to the mixture and let it get mixed well and add milk and keep stirring it slowly as there is a chance of the milk and water getting disintegrated.





Sunday 12 May 2013

Araichuvitta Murungakkai Sambar/ Drumsticks in spicy Lentil and coconut gravy.

Araichuvitta Sambar is a regular dish in my house every sunday. But, I had'nt prepared it for sometime in the recent past. Today, being Mother's day, I thght why not make it today. And , as usual, it had turned out very well.

Ingredients:

1. Drumsticks/Murungakkai                  -     2 Medium

2. Capsicum/ Green Bell Pepper           -      1 big

3. Tomato                                                  -     1 Big

4. Tamarind                                              -     1 Lemon sized ball  

5.  Toor Dal                                               -     1 cup

5. Home made Masala                            -     1 Cup

6. Salt                                                        -      To taste

For Garnishing:

1. Oil                                                          -      2 tblspoons

2. Mustard and Fenugreek seeds.        -      1 teaspoon each

3. Dried Red chillies                                -     2 nos

For Home made masala:

1. Dried Red chillies                                -   4-8 Nos ( Depending on your taste)

2. Urad dal                                               -  1 Tblspoon

3. Channa Dal                                          -  1 Tblspoon

4. Dhaniya seeds                                     - 1/4 Tblspoon

5. Coconut                                                - 1 to 1.5 cups.





Preparation:

First soak the tamarind in hot water and allow it to stand for 10 mins. Then strain the tamarind by mixing it with the water and take its juice till the water is almost white. I used Tamarind paste and used almost 2 Tblspoons. Boil the Toor Dal.

Now, cut the drumsticks and capsicum in medium length pieces and add it to the Tamarind water and allow it to boil. Add cut tomato, salt, Hing. Heat a Kadai, add Ghee, then add the dried red chillies, Urad Dal, Channa Dal, Hing and Dhaniya seeds and fry till little golden brown. Remove it from the stove and allow it to cool. Once the mixture is cool, grind it along with Coconut till almost fine paste.

When the raw smell of the Tamarind goes, add this mixture to the gravy and allow just 2 mins boil. Now add the boiled Toor Dal and allow a further 1-2 mins boil. Water can be added if the Sambar turns thick

Remove from stove. In a kadai add Oil, mustard, Fenugreek and the red chillies and pour it on the Sambar.

Garnish with Fresh coriander leaves.

Hot Araichuvitta Sambar is ready to be served. Serve with Steamed white rice. Also, this is a good accompaniment for Idli, Dosa, Uthappam, Upma.

Perfect side dish for this is Potato Fry.

Note:

Small onions or Shallots can also be added, but they need to fried till the raw smell goes off.



Tuesday 7 May 2013

Carrot coconut dry curry.

All of us love carrots don't we. Well, me and my husband are crazy of carrots. But till I tried giving this curry to my daughter, I did not knw that she also loved carrots. One of the most healthiest and easy to cook veggie.

This is a very simple and easy to cook preparation and is high in nutrition.






Ingredients :

1.  Carrot                          -  500 Gms

2.  Dessicated coconut      -  1 cup

3. Mustard, Jeera             -  1 tbslpoon each

4. Oil                               -  2-4 tbslpoons

5. Salt                              -  As per taste

6. Turmeric powder         - A pinch.

7.  Hing                            - For flavor

8. Red chillies                  - 2 Nos


Preparation :

 First Wash and peel the carrot. Cut it into small pieces and parboil it in water adding turmeric and salt.Once the carrots are boiled, strain off the water and rinse the carrots in cold water. Heat a kadai or frying pan, add  oil and mustard and Jeera seeds. Once they splutter, add the red chillies and add the boiled carrots. Add hing to it and fry for 2 mins. Then add the dessicated coconut and fry for abt 30 secs. Now remove the curry from stove and transfer it to a bowl.

Yumm Carrot curry is ready to be served.

Notes:

Curry leaves can be used for garnishing. 
Also, adding coconut oil adds to the flavor and aroma.




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