Curry Leaves Kuzhambu

Yet another flavourful kuzhambu, love this for those cold winter days. As I have told earlier, love this magical aromatic leaves, hmm the smell makes me hungry. I love all these kuzhambu varieties which do not have toor dal and coconut. This kuzhambu tastes heaven with hot steamed rice, with
a dash of ghee or sesame oil...hhmm my mouth is watering.Try this, you will try again and again and enjoy it.

Ingredients:
Tamarind - Small lemon size, soaked in warm water and juice extracted.
Salt,
Jaggery - 1 teaspoon(optional).

To Roast and Grind:
Oil - 1 teaspoon,
Chana dal - 1 tablespoon,
Urad dal - 1 tablespoon,
Coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon,
Black Pepper Corns - 1 teaspoon,
Red Chillies - 2-3,
Curry Leaves - 3/4 cup losely packed.

For Tempering:
Sesame Oil - 1 tablespoon,
Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon,
Cumin - 1 teaspoon,
Asafoetida - a pinch,
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon,
Onion - 1 medium finely chopped,
Garlic - 2 finely chopped.

Method:
Roast the ingredients under the roasting table, except curry leaves.
When the dals are roasted, finally add curry leaves and fry until they are crisp.
Remove from heat, cool and grind with water to a smooth paste.
In a medium thick bottomed sauce pan, add sesame oil and heat.
Temper the ingredients, in their order listed.
Add the onions and garlic fry, until the onions turns pink.
Add tamarind juice, salt and jaggery.
Boil until the raw smell of tamarind is gone.(approximately 3-4 minutes).
Add ground paste and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Adjust the consistency.
Serve with hot, steamed rice.

Curry Leaves Rice

Curry Leaves is such a aromatic herb, adds lot of flavour to the food. It is a very important ingredient to most of south indian cooking. At least in most of my south indian cooking, I love this magical herb. Its just not only adds flavour to the food, but curry leaves is rich in calcium and iron.

Helps for strong bones and eyesight and lot more.

Today I am making curry leaves rice, is perfect for those quick lunch and dinners, can be in less time and with very little ingredients. Trust me it gives you a satisfaction of a tasty and comfort food.

Can be good idea for packed lunches as well.

Ingredients:

Rice - 11/2 cups cooked and cooled,

Salt.

To Roast and Grind:

Oil - 1 teaspoon,

Urad dal - 1 tablespoon,

Black Pepper Corns - 1/4 teaspoon,

Red Chillies - 6-8,

Asafoetida - a fat pinch,

Coconut - 1 tablespoon,

Tamarind - a small marble size.

To Temper:

Oil - 1 tablespoon,

Mustard - 2 teaspoons,

Chana Dal - 1 teaspoon,

Urad Dal - 1 teaspoon,

Ground nuts - 1 tablespoon.

Method:

Heat oil and fry red chillies, urad dal, pepper corns and asafoetida.

Fry until dal turns pink. Add Curry leaves and fry until crisp.

Add tamarind and coconut and fry for a minute.

Cool and powder.(without water).

Mix this ground powder and salt with cooked rice.

Temper the ingredients, under the tempering table and add to rice.

Enjoy!!!!!

 

Tomato Rice Restaurant Style

This is one of the best rice varieties, found in all restaurant menus in Bangalore, Mysore.
It can be good idea for packed lunch or for one pot dish. My family's favourite,  either for packed lunch or for those lazy weekend brunch. Normally, the restaurants serve them with coconut chutney, or raita.
The tanginess of the tomatoes, the spice from the red chillies and aromatic spices, makes this dish very flavourful and tasty.

Ingredients:
Normal Raw Rice - 11/2 cups(washed and soaked for twenty minutes),
Oil - 2 tablespoons,
Onions - 2 medium, thinly sliced,
Fresh/Frozen Peas - 1/2 cup,
Tomatoes - 4-5 medium, chopped,
Salt.

To Roast and Grind:
Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoon,
Whole Red Chillies - 6-8,
Oil - 1/2 teaspoon,
Cinnamon - 2 inch,
Cloves -  5,
Ginger - 2 inch,
Garlic - 3,
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut - 1 tablespoon grated,
Fresh Coriander - 1 tablespoon.

Method:
In half teaspoon oil, roast coriander seeds and red chillies, until coriander smells roasted.
Allow to cool. Grind this roasted ingredients, with rest of the grinding ingredients to smooth paste with water.
In a pressure cooker or broad medium pan, add oil and heat it.
Add onions and fry until its pink and glossy.
Add peas and fry until they turn pale green.
Add chopped tomatoes, fry until they are cooked and mushy.
Add ground paste and fry until oil separates and the raw smell is gone.
Add a little less than 3 cups of boiling water, say 21/2-23/4 cups.
Add salt. Stir everything well.
Completely drain water from rice and add to boiling water and ground paste.
If you are pressure cooking in a pressure cooker, then close the lid and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
Let it cool naturally, open the lid and fluff it with a fork.
If you are cooking in a open pan, then cook in high flame for 10 minutes covered.
Lower the flame completely and cook for 5 more minutes.
Remove from heat, and keep covered for 2 more minutes.
Open the lid and fluff it from a fork.
Serve hot with coconut chutney or raita of your choice,

Whole Moong Sandwich

One of the best sandwiches I have tasted...it has everything tasty, nutritious, filling and very healthy.

Kids will love them too. Whole Moong, either sprouted or just the whole moong, cooked and mixed with chopped onion, flavoured with mint....it feels soo very fresh, spice of red chilly powder, balance with tomato ketchup and a pinch of salt..Grilled with cheese...wow melts in your mouth...Though a treat, yet not sinful..treat that always makes you guilt free...

Ingredients:

Brown Bread - 8-10 slices,

Whole Moong - 1 cup(soaked for 3-4 hours, cooked until just done with salt),

Ketchup - 1 tablespoon,

Onion - 1 large chopped,

Red Chilly powder - 1/2  to 1 teaspoon,

Salt,

Mint chopped - 2 teaspoons,

Cheese slices - 4-5.

Method:

Except for bread and cheese, mix the rest of the ingredients and spread on the bread and top with a cheese slice and cover with another slice of bread and grill, either on stove top grill pan or sandwich grill until brown and serve with green chutney, or sauce.                                                                                                                                                 

Lunch Menu 8

Rice
Sweet Pumpkin Huli Tovve
Majjige Huli/Mor Kuzhambu/Kadi
Taro Root Arbi Seppakizhangu Roast
Semia Payasam
Curd Rice

Taro Root/Arbi/Seppakizhangu roast

Again back to traditional roast, which will beat any roast in the world and not to forget the most healthy..at least I believe.
This time it is taro root roast. I love this roast with any south indian meal as a side dish, like, rasma rice, sambhar rice or even with curd rice.
This is a simple roast and can be done in less than 20 minutes.
In kannada it is called 'kesuvina gedde'.

Ingredients:
Taro root /Arbi /Seppankizhangu - 10-12,
Oil - 1 tablespoon,
Rice flour - 1 teaspoon,
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon,
Sambhar Powder - 2-3 teaspoons,
     OR
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 teaspoon,
Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
Salt.

Method:
In a large pan bring enough water to boil. That is enough to immerse the taro.
Boil until you can peel the skin.It is very important to take care not to overcook the veggie, or else it will be difficult to handle.
The very nature of the taro is, when cooked it becomes sticky, so if you overcook and then try to roast, it becomes one large mushy lump. So take care.
Once cooked remove from heat and pour cold water, remove the skin and cut into quarters.
Mix all the dry spices and salt. Rub this mixture very gently on the quartered taro.
Heat oil in a broad pan, add the spice mixed taro to pan.
Keep in medium low heat and fry them, until they are lightly browned, Occasionally turning.
Once they are lightly browned, remove from heat and serve.
Alternatively you can also deep fry the spice mixed taro or roast it in a preheated oven, until lightly browned.

Sweet Pumpkin Huli Tovve

This is a typical kannada brahm dish...Soo very tasty, the thick texture from the freshly ground spices and also the flavours of spices infused with cinnamon and kapok buds(marati moggu). This kapok buds has a unique flavour and taste and it is more enhanced when mixed with cinnamon..oohh they compliment each other so very well.
It is not a very commonly used spice, atleast me, I would use this only for huli tovve and one more brinjal and potato pulao. But the very typical way of eating this dish is with kadhi/mor kuzhambu/majjige huli. Huli any way denotes sambhar  in kannada. This dish is just a sambhar with different spice twist. This huli/sambhar is mixed with hot rice, ghee and as a side dish, it is majjige huli/mor kuzhambu/kadhi..heavenly.
The vegetables used for this dish is either sweet/yellow pumpkin or ridge gourd.
Only any one of these.

Ingredients:
Sweet/Yellow pumpkin - 1/2 kilo, cleaned and cut into 1 inch cubes,
(It is up to you to whether to retain the skin or remove, I have removed the skin),
Toor dal - 11/2 cups,
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon,
Tamarind - Medium lemon size, soaked in warm water,
Jaggery - 1/2 a medium lemon sized,
Salt.

For Roasting and Grinding:
Oil - 2 teaspoons,
Chana dal - 1 fist ful,
Coriander seeds - 1 fistful,
Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon(optional),
Cinnamon - 2 inch peice,
Marati Moggu/Kapok buds - 5,
Red Chillies - 10-12,
Asafoetida - a fat pinch,
Coconut - 1/2 cup.

For tempering:
Oil - 1 teaspoon,
Mustard - 2 teaspoons,
Asafoetida - a fat pinch,
Curry leaves - 20.

Method:
Pressure cook toor dal with enough water and turmeric and keep aside.
In a another pan cook cut pumpkin with little salt and little water until just done.
Do not throw the vegetable cooked water. Reserve it .
Fry the ingredients in oil, under roasting table (except coconut) until the dals are brown.
Add coconut and fry for a minute and grind with water to a smooth paste.
In medium large saucepan add vegetable cooked water, salt, extracted tamarind juice and jaggery and boil.
Once they all blend together and start boiling, they give a nice aroma of tamarind and jaggery.
Now add ground paste and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Add dal and cooked vegetable and allow to boil for few seconds.
Remove from heat and temper the ingredients under the tempering table.
Enjoy.

Note:
This sambhar should be thicker than the normal smabhar.
I have added a bit less jaggery as the pumpkin is itself sweet. But if you are using ridge gourd, then use a little more of jaggery. It should be a well balance of spice, sweet, tangy and salt.