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.

Cabbage Kofta curry in tomato, yogurt and cashew sauce

Even those who don't care for cabbage will enjoy it making it this way. koftas are always an all time favorite for many and a must for Indian parties. 

Ingredients: 
For Koftas
1 cup- finely chopped or thinly shredded cabbage
2-3 tsp- boiled channa dal 
1-2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp- jeera
a pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder
1 tsp- Besan for binding
Salt to taste


For the gravy
2 medium size tomatoes
1 tsp- jeera
1 tsp- ginger paste
1/4 tsp- turmeric powder
1/4 tsp- asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp- red chilli powder
11/2- coriander powder
1 tsp- cumin powder
2 tbsp- cashew powder
1 cup- beaten yogurt
Coriander leaves (cilantro) for garnishing
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking


Servings: 4-6


Process:

Baked Kofta might not get the actual fried shape

1. Boil some water in a pan,then add the finely chopped cabbage.Boil the chana daal till its 70% done.
2. Add this channa to the cabbage and cover and cook until the cabbage is soft and completely cooked.

3. when the channa dal and cabbage are well done,put them in a muslin cloth and and squeeze out the excess water. You can reserve this water for cooking the curry.
4. Transfer the cabbage and channa to a bowl, add rest of the kofta ingredients and knead it well and make small balls out of it. 
5.You can either fry or bake the Koftas.


For Baking: Pre-heat the oven at 400 F and   grease the baking dish with some oil. Place the kofta balls on the dish and pour some oil on top of each one of them, Bake it for 30 - 40 mins or until they are cooked.
For frying: Heat enough oil in a pan and drop the kofta balls in it and fry them in medium heat until they turn golden brown in color and set them aside.


Curry
1. Heat some oil in pan, add jeera and asafoetida and allow the jeera to crackle. 
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, ginger paste and the spice powders (turmeric, red chilli, coriander and cumin) cover and cook the tomatoes until they turn soft.
3. Add the water we had reserved from cooking the cabbage to it and allow it to simmer for 2-3 mins.
4. Add the beaten curd to it and bring it to a nice boil til the gravy is cooked and thickens.
5. Now, add the powdered cashew powder which will further thicken and add richness to the gravy.
6. When ready to serve, drop the kofta balls in this gravy and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves. 


Serve it with roti or any rice variety. 

Stuffed Masala Bhindi/ Stuffed Okra (lady finger)

Okra, bhindi or otherwise sweetly called lady finger is a versatile vegetable. Its healthy a vegetable as long as you retain the nutrition value without over frying or slicing them small. Well, now thats tricky as okra tastes best when deep fried. Here's the solution that not just brings out the taste of this vegetable but also retains its nutrition and is easy to make. Great as party food!

Ingredients:

1 pound okra washed and dried

1 tsp- Besan/ Bengal gram powder

1 tsp- amchur powder/ dry mango powder (available at all India grocery stores)

2 tbsp- Ready made sambhar masala powder  (If you are running out of sambhar masala, you can substitute it by making  a mix of 1 tsp- red chilli powder, 1/8 tsp- hing, 3/4 tsp- coriander powder, 1/4 tsp- turmeric powder)

Salt to taste

Oil 

Servings- 7-8

Process:

1. Wash and dry the okra. Cut the stalk of okra and make a lengthwise slit.

2. Make a mix of the sambhar masala, amchur powder, besan and salt. Amchur is for the tangy taste and besan is the binding agent)

3. Now stuff each okra with this mixture (handle the okras delicately while stuffing them- this is the only time consuming part of the preparation)

4. Meanwhile preheat your oven at 400 F.

5. Grease your baking tray with some oil and place the okras on the tray.

6. Spray oil on top of the okras. (This is to get the deep oil fry effect)

7. Place the tray in oven and allow it to bake for 30 mins or until the okras get cooked.

8. Switch of the oven and turn the sides (flip) of the okras and allow it to be in the oven for another 20-30 mins.

Now instead of baking, you can do the traditional way of frying the okras in oil. You can also saute some green peppers (capsicum) and mix with this baked/ fried okras for more flavor. 

Serve it with rice or roti or just snack it away!

Bottle gourd in milk gravy

This is a simple and different dish made from bottle gourd (dhoodhi / Sorakaya/ lauki). A wonderful recipe gifted by one of my old neighbor aunty.So, this takes me back to India and home! And here's what you need for this nostalgic dish :)

Ingredients:

A medium size bottle gourd or half of it cut bite size

3/4 cup- Milk

1 tsp- cumin seeds (jeera)

1/4 tsp- turmeric powder

3-4- slit green chillies

4-5- curry leaves

2 tsp- oil (coconut oil preferred)

Salt to taste

Servings: 3-4

Process:

1. Heat oil and crackle jeera. I use coconut oil as it gives a very distinctive taste and aroma to the whole dish.

2. Then add the curry leaves and slit green chillies and fry them for couple of seconds. 

3. Add the cut bottle gourd. Add salt and turmeric to it and give it a good mix.

4. Now pour the milk and little bit of water to adjust the consistency of the gravy and boil the bottle gourd in it  until it gets cooked. 

5. Mix it occasionally while the vegetable is getting cooked and the milk gravy thickens. 

Serve it with rice and add a dash of more coconut oil on top of the gravy for that extra richness. 

 

Soy Chunk Rice

One of my favorite main course dish. It's simple and easy to make and an absolute yummm!

Ingredients:
1 cup- Basmati Rice (cooked)
1/4 cup- Soy chunks
1/2 cup- Mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, beans etc)
1 tsp- chopped ginger
5- green chillies
1 tsp- turmeric powder
1/2 tsp- asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp- Black pepper (optional)
4- cloves
1- bay leaf
1tsp- fennel seeds (saunf)
2 tbsp- tomato ketchup
Coriander leaves (cilantro) to garnish.

Servings- 2

Process:
1. Soak the soy chunks in one cup warm water for 30 mins. After that pour and squeeze out the excess water from chunks.
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
2. Add hing, fennel seeds, bay leaf and cloves and saute them for a minute.
3. Add ginger and green chillies and fry them for couple of seconds.
4. Add the mixed veggies, salt and pepper and saute them until the veggies are cooked.
5. Now, add the soaked soy chunks, cover and cook it for 5 mins so that the chunks can absorb the flavor.
6. After that add rice and the tomato ketchup and give it a good mix.
7. Fry the rice for couple of mins in medium- low flame.
8. Garnish it with some chopped cilantro.

Serve it hot with Gobi manchurian or some other spicy/ tangy side dish.

Semiya Upma/ Vermicelli

Ingredients:

1 Cup- Vermicelli (semiya)

1 tsp- Ghee

1 1/2 - 2 cups- water

1 tsp- mustard seeds

1tsp- channa dal

1/ 2 tsp- urud dal

4-5- curry leaves

4- finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp- chopped ginger

1- small tomato

1 cup- mixed vegetables (optional)

1/2 tsp- turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Servings- 2

Process:

1. Heat the ghee and add the vermicelli and fry them in medium heat until they turn into light brown in color and keep them aside.

2. Heat oil in another pan and crackle mustard seeds, add curry leaves, channa dal and urud dal and saute them until they turn pink. Then add ginger and chopped green chillies and sute them for a minute more. 

3. Add diced tomatoes, turmeric and salt and saute them until tomatoes turn soft. 

4. To increase the nutrition value, add some mixed veggies like french beans, peas, carrots etc and fry them until they are cooked. (This step is optional)

5. Now add water to this and allow it to boil. 

6. Once the water starts boiling, add the fried vermicelli bit by bit with your right hand and simultaneously stir the mixture with your left hand.

7. If you think the water is all gone and vermicelli is still uncooked, add more water accordingly.

8. Give it good stir until the vermicelli is cooked completely.

Serve it hot with coconut or coriander chutney.

Spicy Kadala Curry/ black chickpea curry

Ingredients:

1 cup- Black Chickpeas soaked overnight or for minimum 8 hours

1 tsp- Turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp- Red chilli powder

2 tsp- Coriander powder

1/2 tsp- Garam masala

1 tsp- shredded ginger

4- Green chili

1 tsp- jeera

1/2 cup- shredded coconut

2 - Dried red chilli

2- medium size tomatoes

1/2 tsp- hing/ asafoetida 

1 tbsp- oil

Salt to taste

Finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnishing

Servings- 5

Process:

1. Pressure cook black chickpeas in 2 cups of water along with the first 6 ingredients, 2 green chillies and salt for 5 whistles and allow the pressure to go down on its own.

2. Meanwhile dry roast coconut and dried red chillies and blend them into a smooth paste in a mixer.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add hing and jeera, after jeera crackles, add the remaining green chillies and cut tomatoes and saute them until tomatoes turn soft and it starts leaving oil.
4. Now add the entire cooked black chickpeas and the coconut paste.
5. Add salt. cover and cook the gravy for 5-6 mins.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it with roti, rice or any other kerala food like dosa and puttu. 

Chapati/ roti

It's unleavened flat bread made out of wheat flour called atta, an integral part of the Indian cuisine which is normally had with cooked vegetables or curries. It can also be used to make sandwich wraps. Delicious yet healthy!


Things you will require:

Chapati tawa- an iron conclave griddle of 10-12inch diameter.

Rolling pin

Tongs


Ingredients:

2.5 cups- Wheat flour

1/2 tsp- salt

1 cup- wheat flour- for dusting the dough while rolling

1cup- warm water or as required.





Pictorial                                                            

Put the flour in a large bowl and make a small well in the middle of the flour and pour the water in it bit by bit with your left hand and mix the flour and water with your right hand. Continue kneading the dough until the mixture cleans the side of the bowl and has become non sticky. Knead it into a moist and soft dough. Cover and rest the dough for 15- 20 mins.

After resting the dough, knead the dough well once again and divide in into a little bigger than golf size balls.

On a slightly dusted surface, flatten each ball of dough with your hand and dust it once again in the wheat flour and start rolling it out.

Roll out the dough with the help of  a rolling pin into a thin round patty- 5 inch in diameter. Roll it from the center and dust it once in while to avoid it sticking to the surface. Make the edges thinner than the center.

Pre-heat the chapati tawa over medium heat and flip the rolled out dough on to the tawa. When the bubbles start to appear, turn it over.

When both the sides are done, press the edges with a clean cloth to puff up the rotis.

Serve it hot either dry or topped with butter. 

Kerala Sambhar (Vegetable and lentil soup)

Ingredients:
2 cup- vegetables of your choice (brinjal, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, okra etc)
1 cup- toor dal
1 tsp- asafoetida
1 tsp- turmeric powder
1tsp- red chilli powder
1 tsp- coriander powder
1tsp- tamarind paste/ soaked tamarind water (lemon size)
4- 5 cups- water
salt to taste

Sambhar Masala:
3tbsp- Coriander seeds
3 tsp- channa dal
1 tsp- fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
5-6 - dried red chilli
7-8- curry leaves
1/4 cup- shredded coconut

Seasoning:
2 tsp- oil
1 tsp- mustard seeds
4-5 - curry leaves

Servings: 6-8

Process:
1. Pressure cook toor dal in 3 cups of water with pinch of asafoetida (hing), turmeric and salt added to it, approx for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure go on its own and give the boiled dal a good mix.
2. Cut the vegetables bite size and boil them them in 2-3 cups of water with turmeric, red chilli and coriander powder and salt until they get soft.
3. Meanwhile in another pan, pour a bit of oil to fry all the masala ingredients. Once oil is hot, add the ingredients one by one and sauté them for couple of mins. Add the coconut to the end and fry them until they turn brown. After its cooled down, blend them pouring enough water to make it into a fine paste.
4. Pour dal and the sambhar masala paste to the vegetables and allow it to simmer for couple of mins.
5. Add tamarind paste/ soaked tamarind water, cover and cook for another 2-3 mins and switch off the stove.
6. Separately in another pan, heat oil, splutter mustard and then add curry leaves and asafoetida (hing) .Add this seasoning to the sambhar.

Serve hot with rice and ghee.

                                                        

Soy Chunks Masala

Soy Chunks is a versatile substance made from defatted Soy flour. It's quick to cook and full of proteins and contains no fat.

 Ingredients:
1 Cup- Soya chunks (Soak it in warm water for 30 mins )
1- Large Potato
1- Medium size green pepper (Capsicum)
2- medium size tomatoes
1 tsp- red chilli powder
1 tsp- cumin powder
1/2 tsp- turmeric powder
1tsp- jeera
1/2  tsp- asafoetida (hing)
1 tbsp- Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi)
1tsp- garam masala
1/2 a cup milk or fresh cream (Vegans can use plain soy milk)
1 tbsp- oil
1 tsp- lemon juice (optional)

Servings: 4-5

Process:
1. After the soy chunks are soaked in water, squeeze out the excess water from them.
2. Cut the potatoes and pepper bite size.
3. Heat the oil, add asafoetida (hing) and jeera.
4. After jeera crackles, add the tomatoes and the spice powders- turmeric, cumin, red chilli and salt.
5. Add the potatoes after the tomatoes get thoroughly cooked in the spice powders.
6.Cover and cook the potatoes.
7. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the green peppers, cover and cook it again until the peppers turn soft.
8. Now add the dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) and garam masala.
9 Pour water according to desired consistency of the gravy and allow it to simmer for couple of mins.
10. Pour milk and cook for another 2 mins or until the gravy thickens.

Add lemon juice if required. Serve it with roti or any indian bread or rice.

Vegan Banana Muffins

They are incredibly easy to make with just handful of ingredients required and a great healthy breakfast to go.

Ingredients:

1. 3- Ripe bananas
2. 2 ½ cup- Whole wheat flour
3. 1 tsp- salt
4. 1 tsp- baking soda
5. ½ a cup-Canola oil

Servings- 10-12 Muffins

Process:

1. Blend together the sugar, thee bananas and the canola oil. (Blend them one by one if its not a powerful blender). The mixture should be smooth and nice without any lumps.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl- salt, baking soda and flour. Mix them without any lumps.
3. Now, pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients.
4. The consistency of the mixture should not be too thick or thin.
5. 
   Now transfer them into muffin tin. Line it with paper liners.
6. Take a spoonful of the mixture into each case of the tin and fill it up.
7. Preheat the oven at 370 and keep it ready.
8. Place the muffin tin in the oven and check them after 15 – 20 mins.
9. Insert a tooth pic in the middle of couple of muffins and it should come out clean.
10. Simple and delicious muffins are ready.   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Sabudhana Kichidi

Ingredients:

1 cup- Sabudhana

1cup- water

1tsp- turmeric powder

1 tsp- jeera

2 tbsp- Roasted and powdered peanut powder

4- slit green chillies

Servings- 3-4

Process:

1. Soak the Sabudhana overnight or for minimum 5 hours in water
2. After that, pour the excess water if any
3. Heat oil, then add the jeera.
4. After the jeera crackles, add the curry leaves, slit green chillies and saute it for 30 seconds
5. Add the soaked sabudhana and tumeric powder and fry the sabudhana until they turn pearly in texture.
6. Sprinkle water if required.
7. Add the roasted peanut powder and salt andgive it a good mix
8. Add the lemon juice.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves

Baked plantain/ vazhakai

Ingredients:

1. 3- Raw Plantain
2. 1 tsp- Red chilli powder
3. 1 tsp- salt
4. ½ a tsp- turmeric powder
5. 1 tbsp- oil

Process:

1. Slice the plantains thin after peeling the skin
2. Add turmeric, red chilli, salt and a teaspoon of oil on to the sliced plantains and coat them well with the spices.
3. Meanwhile, preheat your oven at 370 and spray oil on the baking dish.
4. Place the plantain slices on the baking dish and bake it in the oven to 20-30 mins (This time entirely depends from oven to oven) The idea is to bake the plantain slices until they are crispy yet soft.

   

   After getting baked

   A traditional way of cooking them would be deep frying the plantain slices in oil instead of baking them. Can be eaten as sacks or with yogurt and rice.

Indian Cucumber and Yogurt Curry (Vellarika Moorukootan)

Indian Cucumber

Also known as Khera, these white vegetables are crisp and tender with the aroma and taste of cucumbers. 

Ingredients:

Indian Cucumber

1- Indian Cucumber small or medium size

1tsp- Red chilli powder

½ a tsp- turmeric powder

3 cups- Water

salt to taste

½ a cup- Dried or fresh grated coconut

3- green chillies

2 tsp- jeera

2 tsp- raw rice

½ a tsp- mustard seeds

½ a cup- yogurt

For seasoning:

1 tbsp- oil

1 tsp- mustard seeds

4-5- curry leaves

Servings- 5-6

Process:

1. Cut the cucumbers into bite size after peeling the skin and removing the seeds.
2. Boil them in water with turmeric, red chilli powder and salt.
3. Meanwhile make a fine paste of coconut, jeera, green chillies, raw rice and mustard using a half a cup of water.
4. Once the cucumbers have boiled, add the paste and allow it cook for couple of mins covered.
5. Beat the yogurt in a blender for 2 seconds and add it to the cucumber.
6. Switch off the stove after a minute.
7. Heat oil in a another pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow the mustard seeds to crackle before pouring on to the gravy.

Serve hot with rice.

Ginger and Spring Onion Fried rice

Ingredients:

1 cup- long grain/ jasmine or basmati rice
½ a cup grated ginger
1 cup- cut spring onions
Vegetables (optional)- carrots, green peppers, cabbage, french beans
2 tbsp- Soy Sauce
2 tbsp- All purpose/ stir fry sauce
1 tsp- chilli sauce
1 tsp- vinegar (optional)
1tsp- black pepper powder
1 tsp- Salt
2 cups- water
4 tbsp- olive/ vegetable oil

Servings- 2-3

Process:
1.Boil rice with a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil.
2.Refrigerate the rice for a minimum of 5-6 hours or the best would be overnight.
3.Pour remaining amount of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and heat it until it starts leaving smoke.
4.Add ginger and saute them for about 30 seconds, Add the veggies and saute them for another 2 mins.
5.Break the refrigerated rice, fluff them up and add it to the pan.
6.Pour all the sauces, salt and pepper. Give it a good mix.
7.Fry the rice for about 3 mins.
8.Add the spring onions and mix them well.

Easy Cauliflower (Gobi) Manchurian

Ingredients:

½ a medium size cauliflower
5 tbsp- All purpose flour (Maida)
1 tbsp- powdered bread crumbs
½ tsp- black pepper powder
½ tsp- salt
Oil to deep fry
water

Sauce:
1 green pepper (Capsicum)
1 red pepper
½ a bunch spring onion
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp- Soy Sauce
2tbsp- tomato ketchup
2 tbsp- Stir fry sauce
½ a tsp- white vinegar
½ a tsp- salt
1 tsp- black pepper powder
1 cup- water
3 tbsp- oil

Servings: 4-5

Process:

Step 1: Sauce

1.Cut the peppers cube size.
2.Heat oil, add the grated ginger and saute them for a minute, add the cut peppers and cook them covered till they turn soft but crunchy.
3.Add all the sauces except vinegar.
4.Add salt, pepper and water and cook them covered for 3-4 mins.
5.Adjust water according to the consistency required.
6.Add vinegar and some chopped spring onions.

Step 2: cauliflower fry

1.Cut the cauliflower into medium size florets. Wash and pat them dry.
2.Make a paste of the all purpose flour, powdered bread crumbs,salt and pepper.
3.Add water enough to make a smooth paste.
4.Heat oil in medium flame.
5.Once oil is hot enough, dip each floret into the paste, coat it well and deep fry them in oil untl they are golden brown in color.
Step 3: Add the fried cauliflower into the sauce and coat them well with the sauce. Garnish with rest of the spring onions.

Serve it with noodles or fried rice.

Beetroot Poori/ Pink Poori's

Ingredients:
½ cup- Wheat flour (atta)
½ cup- All purpose flour (Maida)
¼ tsp- Salt
3 tbsp- Juice out of the grated beetroot
Warm water
Oil to fry

Servings- 6-7 poori's

Process:

1.Mix all the above ingredients except oil.
2.Pour sufficient warm water to knead it into a firm dough.
3. Smear a a tablespoon of oil on the dough and let it sit covered for about 30- 45 mins
4. Once again knead the dough with a bit of oil for 2-3 mins
5.Make small balls (golf ball size) and roll them out with medium thickness
6.Heat oil in Medium high flame and once the oil is hot enough, Fry the poori's to a golden brown color.

Serve the attractive pink pooris with paneer or vegetable curry.

Methi Poori

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup – All purpose flour (maida)
½ a cup- Semolina (Rava/ Sooji)
2 Tbps- Dried Methi leaves (Kasoori Methi)
½ tsp – Ajwain
¼ tsp – Salt
1 ¼ cup warm Water
Oil to deep fry

Servings: 10 poori's

Process:

1.Mix all the above ingredients except oil
2.Pour the warm water and knead it into a firm dough
3.Smear a a tablespoon of oil on the dough and let it sit covered for about 30- 45 mins
4.Once again knead the dough with a bit of oil for 2-3 mins
5.Make small balls (golf ball size) and roll them out with medium thickness
6.Heat oil in Medium high flame and once the oil is hot enough, Fry the poori's to a golden brown colour.

Place them on a tissue paper to soak out the excess oil. Serve hot with Dal or Vegetable curry.