Palak Paratha

Ingredients:
Filling
Half a bunch- Palak (Washed and drained)
2- Boiled Potatoes

Tempering:
1/2 tsp- Hing (asafoetida)
1/4 tsp- red chilli powder
1 tsp- coriander powder
2 tsp- oil

Masala paste :
2 tsp- Cumin seeds
1 inch- Ginger
3-4 - Green chillies (according to spice levels)
1 inch- cinnamom
3-4 - cloves
2 - cardamoms
salt to taste

Paratha
2 cups- whole wheat flour
3 tbsp- oil
Sufficient amount of water to knead the flour into a smooth dough

Process:
Make the paratha dough just like the way you would for making roti. For the roti recipe, click here.
Knead it really well for 15-20 mins into a smooth dough. The Paratha dough has to be really soft with good elasticity. Smear the dough with 3 tbsp of oil and allow it to sit for minimum 30 mins.


Pictoral

1. Boil the spinach and squeeze out the water. Make it into a fine paste.
Meantime boil the potatoes separately, remove the skin and smash them.
Heat oil in a small pan, add the tempering ingredients.Then the ground paste of masalas. Fry them for 2 mins until the raw flavor of the spices goes away. Now add the spinach paste and saute them until the moisture content gets evaporated. Add this to the smashed potatoes. Give it a good mix and make small spinach balls out of it.

2. Make equal number of small dough balls of the paratha.

3. Roll out the dough ball to a small radius enough to cover the spinach filling.

4. Cover the spinach filling without any tear.

5. Dust the roll with enough flour.

6. Spread it out evenly in thickness with your hand. This prevent from tear and spill out.








7. Then use a rolling pin to roll it out big and thin.

8. Place the paratha on a heated tava. Flip it after a couple of seconds.

Wait until both the sides of the paratha are cooked and apply ghee. Serve it hot with fresh cream or yogurt.

Pazham (Banana) Pachaddi

"Don't let another good banana go bad" was the through line for all of "chiquita" brand of bananas ad campaign. When their campaign was all about promoting their brand of bananas, this pazham pachaddi recipe is all about saving those bad bananas from going waste and converting them into one yummy dish.

Most often, this humble fruit is overlooked when it comes to providing nutritional value, gets over ripe in our kitchen shelf and find their way to the garbage can. Now here's what you can do with them,

Ingredients:

1-2- Ripe bananas

3-4 tablespoon- yogurt

1 tsp- Mustard

2-3 -Slit green chillies

2- Dried red chilli

2 tsp- oil

Salt to taste

Servings: 3-4

Process:

1. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds.

2. Once the seeds crackle, add and fry the green and dried red chillies.

3. Smash the ripe bananas and add it to this seasoning. 

4. Saute them for a minute.

5.Add yogurt and salt to it and give it a good mix.

6. Allow it to simmer on low flame for a minute and switch off the heat.

Sweet and spicy banana pachaddi is ready to be served with rice or chapathi.

Pineapple Rasam

I know, it's been quite a long time since I actually got down to update my blog. The reason being obvious. People like me who live in places to holiday, end up holidaying at home. Yes, I had been to India and my loving home. The anguish of 22 hours flight vanished on gulping down two of my mom made dosa's. And thats what you exactly call "Heaven". More on my India trip and  new recipes will follow in the blogs to come. But for now, here's an authentic South Indian recipe with a fruit twist from my friend's (Deivanai) kitty- Pineapple Rasam.

You might call it a sweet and sour soup, a tangy rasam, a new fusion..whatever..it is definitely one of a kind. So unique and so different.

Ingredients:

Half cut ripe pineapple- pureed (Blend it after cutting it into pieces)

1- tomato

2 tablespoon- Boiled toor dal

2 tsp- Rasam powder 

1 tsp- Red chilli powder

1/2 tsp- turmeric powder

1/4 tsp- tamarind paste

3 cups- water

Salt to taste

For tempering:

1 tsp- Mustard seeds

1 tsp- Cumin seeds

5-6- Curry leaves

1/4 tsp- Hing (asafoetida)

1 tablespoon- Oil

chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves for garnishing

Process:

1. Pour oil and add the tempering ingredients. 

2. Once they splutter, add the diced tomatoes and pineapple puree. 

3. Pour 2-3 cups of water. Add the boiled toor dal and give it a mix.

4. Add all the above said spice powder- rasam, red chilli and turmeric. 

5. Add the tamarind paste and salt and bring it to a good boil. Adjust water as per the desired consistency level.

6. Bring down the heat to low and allow the rasam to simmer for 15- 20 mins. 

7. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve it with hot rice and ghee.

Coriander Rice/ Kothamalli sadham

I am an ardent fan of this herb- Coriander/ Cilantro. May it be for garnishing or any chutney variety or even rice, coriander gives a distinguished flavor to the dish.

Coriander rice is normally made the traditional South Indian style using the tempering ingredients like mustard, urud dal, dried red chilli, channa dal etc. Here, however I have tried it in a whole different way. For which you will need:

Ingredients:
1 cup- long grain/ Basmati rice
2 cup- Water

1 tsp- jeera/ cumin seeds

2- Bay leaf

4- cloves

1- small cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp- turmeric powder

1/4 tsp- asafoetida/ hing

2 tsp- lemon juice (optional)

salt to taste

Oil

For grinding
1 bunch- coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 large- tomato
4- Green chillies
1" piece - ginger

Servings- 2-3

Process:
1. Boil and cook the rice in 2 cups of water. Fluff them up and keep it aside
2. Cut the cilantro, tomatoes, ginger and green chillies and grind it by adding sufficient water to make it into a fine paste.
3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok/ pan and add the hing and jeera and allow it to crackle.
4. Add the whole garam masala ingredients and fry them for a minute.
5. Now add the ground coriander paste, turmeric powder and salt and saute them until it starts leaving oil to the sides.
6. Add the cooked rice and give it a good mix.
7. Pour lemon juice. This is optional.

Serve it with yogurt or vegetables.

Plantain bajji/ vazhakkai bajji

An irresistible party snack item which is a favorite among all age groups.  Hot bajjis are a must during  rainy days with a smoking hot cup of tea.

Ingredients:
2- plantain/ vazhakkai
1 cup- Besan
1/4 cup- Rice flour or maida
1/2 tsp- red chilli podwer
1/4 tsp- asafoetida (hing)
1/4 tsp- turmeric powder
2 pinches of baking soda
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Enough water to make the batter thick

Servings: 6-8

Process:
1. Peel the skin of the plantain and slice them into thin (not extremely thin) pieces length wise.
2. Make a batter with the above said ingredients in water sufficient enough to make it into a thick one.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in medium flame.
4. Once the oil is hot enough, dip the plantain slices in the batter, coat them with it and drop them in oil one by one.
5. Fry them until they are cooked or turn into golden brown in color.
6. Transfer them into a paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Serve them with green chutney or  tomato sauce.