VEGETABLE MASALA (DRY)

I usually make vegetable masala gravy as a side dish for chappathi ,appam or idiyappom.This time my intention was to make aloo gobi. But when I opened the fridge I saw bits of many vegetables lying here and there.Suddenly  the plan changed ,all those bits became this colorful delicious masala.Unlike vegetable masala gravy this dry version pairs well with rice as well. If you have  all these vegetables handy do try this dry version.it is simple and super yummy.You can use the assorted frozen vegetables for making the same.Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients

1.     Mixed vegetables- I used 2 medium potatoes,1 medium carrot,around 1 cup of cauliflower florets, handful of frozen green peas

2.     Onion- 2medium, thinly sliced

3.     Ginger- 1 big piece

4.     Garlic-6 big pods

5.     Green chilly- 1or 2 slitted

6.     Tomato- 1medium

7.     Chilly powder- 1 tbsp

8.     Coriander powder- 1 tbsp

9.     Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

10. Garam masala- 1tsp,heaped

11. Jeera powder-1/2 tsp

12. Jeera (cumin )seeds- ½ tsp

13. Oil- 2 tbsp

Method of preparation

1.     Cut the potatoes and carrot in to cubes. Separate the florets of cauliflower.

2.     Crush ginger and garlic.

3.     Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds .when the aroma comes, add onion,crushed ginger garlic and green chilly. Sauté until onion turns soft. Add in tomatoes and all powders saute until tomatoes melts and the raw smell of powders disappears.

4.     Now add carrots and potatoes mix well. Add 1 cup of water and salt. Cover the pan and cook in medium flame. When the they are ¾ th done add cauliflower and green peas. Cover and cook again. If needed add little more water. Stir in between. When all the vegetables are well cooked and coated with the masala switch off the flame. If any water remains, let it cook with the lid off. Make sure to stir in between to prevent from sticking to the bottom. Lastly add some coriander leaves (optional).

Serve with rice,roti or appam

MALAI KOFTA

This is one of my favorite vegetarian curry.I wanted to try my hands on this ever since I learnt cooking. I have come across many recipes but any of them was not easy .The thought of getting it right made me stayed way from trying this.one afternoon when I was taking my daily nap, I dreamed of this koftas;).suddenly I woke up and googled the recipe.Adapted from here and there and made it within 30 minutes.It turned out truly delicious. What I love in this recipe is that, no chopping and cutting involves though we need to spend a bit long time in the kitchen. I don’t mind spending some time for something interesting J

Ingredients

For the koftas

1.    Paneer-150gm, grated

2.    Potatoe-2 medium, peeled and squared

3.    Coriander leaves- a few

4.    Cumin powder-1/4 tsp

5.    Chilly powder-1/2tsp

6.    Garam masala-1/4 tsp

7.    Salt

8.    Oil for deep frying

For the gravy

9.    Onion-3medium

10.   Tomatoes-2 medium

11.  Cashew nuts-10 nos, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes.

112   Ginger-1 small piece

13.Garlic-5 pods

14.Chilly powder-1 tsp

15. Coriander powder-3/4 tsp

16. Garam masala-3/4 tsp

17.  Cardamom-3 nos

18.    Fresh cream -1/4 to ½ cup

19   Water  or milk -1cup

20.     Salt

21.   Oil or butter -2tbsp

Method of preparation

1.    Boil potatoes by adding some water and salt. Once cooked, mash it.take a mixing bowl. Add all  ingredients for kofta . Mix well and knead well without lumps. Make small lemon sized balls out of this.

2.    Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the prepared balls till brown and keep it aside.

3.    For the gravy- grind together onion ginger and garlic to smooth paste. Heat oil or butter in a pan .Add cardamom. When the aroma comes add onion paste. Sauté well until it turns brown.

4.    Meanwhile grind tomatoes in to smooth paste. Once onion, ginger garlic paste is sauted well, add in tomato paste and all powders. Sauté again until raw smell goes and oil ooze out from the masala.

5.    Add water or milk and cashew paste. Once gravy thickens and achieved desired consistency add cream and kasuri methi.Give a nice stir. Switch off the flame. Drop fried koftas and chopped coriander leaves in to the gravy. Keep the curry closed for some time to let the koftas absorb the flavors from the gravy.Garnish with some cream or grated paneer.

Serve with roti or pulav.

GOBI 65

Though it is one of my favorite vegetable, I do not experiment with it. I always end up adding this along with other vegetable in Kuruma or pulav. Since I have been following vegetarian diet, I wanted to make something which resembles a non veg dish ;) .yea I am a hardcore Non vegetarian. To suppress my non vegetarian urge I made this and it did fulfill its  work J. If you have all ingredients on hand, it can be made within minutes. It is an excellent starter or can be served as a snack.

Ingredients

1.    Cauliflower – 1small,florets separated

2.    Turmeric powder- a pinch

3.    Onion-1 small,chopped

4.    Garlic-5 pods,chopped

5.    Green chilly-3 nos,cut diagonally

6.    Curry leaves- a handful

7.    Oil- for deep frying

For the batter

1.    Maida -1/2 cup

2.    Corn flour-1/4 cup

3.    Rice flour-3tbsp

4.    Garlic-4or 5

5.    Ginger- 1 small piece

6.    Chilly powder-1tsp

7.    Salt-as needed

8.    Water- as required to make thick batter

Method of preparation

1.    Wash the florets thoroughly. Cook it by adding plenty of water, little turmeric powder and salt.it should not be over cooked. Drain it in a strainer .

2.    Grind together garlic and ginger. (a tsp od ginger garlic paste can be used) Make thick batter with the ingredients mentioned under for the batter. Put all the florets into this and mix well in order to coat it well with the batter.

3.    Heat oil in a deep pan. When the oil is really hot, fry the florets till brown.

4.    In the same oil fry onions,  garlic,green chilly and curry leaves till onions turns slightly brown .put it over the fried gobi .Give a gentle mix. Serve hot as a starter or as a snack.

VENDAKKA PULINCURRY

This is one delicious preparation of Okra. Tangy, mild spicy  and something truly comforting.

Ingredients

1.    Vendakka (Okra)- 12 nos, cut into medium thick round pieces.

2.    Mustard seeds- less than ¼ tsp

3.    Fenugreek seeds-less than ¼ tsp

4.    Dry red chilly- 2 or 3

5.    Oil-2 tbsp.

6.    Tamarind- gooseberry sized ball, soaked in  1 cup of water

7.    salt

To grind and paste

8.    Onion- 1medium, chopped

9.    Tomato-2 small, chopped

110   Cumin seeds-1/2tsp

11.  Chilly powder-1 tsp

12.  Coriander powder-1tsp

13.     Sambar powder-1tsp

14. Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

15.   Grated coconut-1/4 cup

Method of preparation

1.    Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Splutter cumin seeds. Add onion and sauté until it turns soft. Add tomatoes, salt and all other ingredients given under grind and paste. Cook until tomatoes melts. Keep this mix aside to cool. Grind this into smooth paste by adding some water.

2.    Heat remaining oil in same pan or another pan. Splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add dry red chilly. Add in la

3.    dies finger. Cover and cook it. Stir in between. Once the ladies fingers are cooked, add in ground paste and tamarind water (1cup). Initially add only ½ cup. Check for tanginess. If you feel the curry needs to be more tangy add the remaining ½ cup.Because the degree of tanginess vary with the tamarind used. I did add the full 1 cup of pulp to get the right sourness. So add accordingly. If the curry is too thick, more water can be added. Check for saltiness. Let the curry boils for few minutes.

Switch off the flame. Serve with rice ..

MACARONI MASALA ROAST

This is usually served as a side dish in Kerala Sadhya. Sadhya comprises of huge numbers of vegetarian curries. These curries are mild spicy and are added with less or no masala. We keralites are hard core no vegetarians :). Of late this kinds of masala curries are introduced in Sadyas to satisfy the Carnivorous taste buds. It may vary with regions. Macaroni may be replaced with soya chunks or Bread. This curry is really spicy and tasty too !!

^Ingredients

1.    Macaroni (cooked)- 2 n ½ cup

2.    Onion- 2 medium nos, chopped

3.    Ginger and garlic-  1 tbsp each, chopped

4.    Tomato- 2 small, chopped

5.    Chilly powder- 2tsp

6.    Garam masala- 1tsp + ½ tsp

7.    Thenga kothu (coconut bits)- 4tbsp

8.    Coconut oil-1tbsp+ 1tbsp

9.    Water- less than ¼ cup

10.   Curry leaves –one handful

11.      Salt

Method of preaparation

1.    Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan. Add ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute. Add in onions and sauté until onion turns slightly brown. Add tomatoes, chilly powder ,1 tsp garam masala and salt. Sprinkle little water and sauté again until tomato melts.

2.    Add the cooked macaroni. Mix well. Add water .Close the pan .Let the macaroni absorbs the flavor. Stir in between. Once the water dries up, increase the flame and roast the macaroni well by giving continuous stir. (just 3 or 4 minutes) switch off the flame.

3.    In another pan heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add coconut bits and curry leaves. Fry till the coconut turns light brown. Switch off the flame. Add in the remaining ½ tsp garam masala. Pour this over the prepared macaroni. Mix well.(Do not omit this step as it gives special flavor and taste)

CHETTINADU VAZHAKKAI (PLANTAIN) KURUMA

          

The word Chettinadu itself is aromatic!! Chettinadu cuisine is distinct by the use of freshly ground spices. So does this curry. Though I like plantains we don’t buy it often . Whenever I buy this, I end up making a thoran or a stir fry. Of late I started experimenting with different vegetables. One day I happened to see this recipe in a cookery community on Facebook. Soon I tried it. This is such a flavorful curry, this along with some curd we can have a plateful of rice !!It goes well with almost anything from Rice to Dosa,Puttu or any flat breads.

Do try this flavorful curry..

Ingredients

1.    Vazhakkai(Raw Plantain)- 1big,peeled off and diced into small cubes.(immerse the cut plantain in water)

2.    Onion- 2 medium sized, chopped

3.    Garlic- 1 tbsp,chopped.

4.    Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

5.    Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp

6.    Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

7.    Asafoetida-  tad a bit

8.    Grated coconut-1/2 cup

9.    Salt

10   Oil- 2tbsp

11.  Water -1 cup

12.  Urad dal-2 tsp

13.  Whole coriander seeds- 2tbsp

14.  Dry red chilly- 10 nos

15   Fennel seeds- 1tsp

Method of preparation

1.    Grind grated coconut into fine paste by adding some water.

2.    Dry roast ingredients 12 to 15. If needed add some oil while roasting. Grind this also by adding little water. (coconut and this should not be mixed, both need to be grinded separately)

3.    Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add cumin and asafoetida. When the aroma comes add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion turns soft.

4.    Add in diced plantains, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Close than pan and let it cook for 4 or 5 minute.

5.    After the mentioned time add water and ground spice mix (not the coconut). Cook again until the plantain is fully cooked through.

6.    Lastly add coconut paste. Give a mix. Check for saltiness. Let the curry boils and thickens a bit. Once the curry has reached the semi thick consistency, switch off the flame.

KERALA FISH MASALA

Though we used to have fish almost every day its been ages since I posted a fish recipe. Because I end up making two same curries every time(kottayam style fish curry  and thenga aracha meen curry ). But this time I wanted to try something different and this was the one which came into my mind without any confusion. This fish masala is one dish which we both love to order whenever we dine out in any seafood restaurants in Kerala. Fried fish pieces coated with onion and tomato masala...its truly delicious:)

 

This recipe is simple but bit time consuming .But the end result worth all the efforts. This curry goes well with anything and everything.

Ingredients

1.      Fish-500gm,cleaned and cut into smaller medium sized pieces(any fleshy fish)

2.      Onion-4 medium thinly sliced

3.      Ginger1 n ½ tbsp chopped

4.      Garlic-8 pods,chopped

5.      Green chilly-2 nos,slitted

6.      Tomatoe-2medium sized,chopped

7.      Garam masala-3/4tsp

8.      Kashmiri chilly powder-1/2tsp

9.      Thick coconut milk-4 tbsp  (optional)

10.  Salt

11.  Oil-around ¼ cup

12.  Tamarind extract( puli vellam) -2tbsp 

For the marinade

1.      Kashmiri chilly powder-2tsp

2.      Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

3.      Pepper powder-1/2tsp

4.      Lime juice-1tbsp

5.      Salt

6.      Water to make the paste

Method of preparation

1.      Prepare marinade with the ingredients listed under marinade. Marinate the fish pieces and keep it for 15 minutes. Shallow fry the fish pieces .if any marinade remains keep it aside .It can be added while making the masala.

2.      In the same oil sauté ginger, garlic,green chilly and onion respectively. Cook until onion turns soft and slightly brown.(add salt while sautéing  the onion)

3.      Add ½ tsp chilly powder and garam masala.Add if any leftover marinade is there. Stir for 1 minute. Now add tomatoes .cook until tomato melts completely.

4.      Add 1 cup of water and tamarind extract. Check for salt. Be careful while adding salt since the fish is already added with salt. Let the water boils. Add fried fish pieces in. Cover and cook till the masala thickens. Lastly add coconut milk and give a gentle stir.Keep this curry closed for some time.

I made it as semi dry.If you like to have dry version reduce the amount of water. 

EASY CHICKEN KURMA(PRESSURE COOKER METHOD)

 During weekends my apartment is filled with the aroma of delicious chicken curries. The happiness of lively kitchens can be felt everywhere. It is family time, chit chats, dining with our loved ones (pending house hold chores apart). Weekdays are quite hectic for office goers and we cannot spend much time on cooking. Many of us prefer making some quick fix veg curries rather going for time consuming non veg on that busy days. The most time consuming step in curry making is sauteing of onion .Thanks to the invention of pressure cooker. It made our life easier.

 Coming to this recipe…Since this curry is made in cooker, the onions and other ingredients need not be fried for long time. It will get nicely cooked under high temperature and pressure without compromising on the taste. This can be made even on your busy weekdays too..Enjoy your dining everyday… 

Ingredients 

1.      Chicken-750gm,cut into medium size pieces

2.      Onion-3medium,roughly chopped

3.      Ginger-1 n 1/2tblsp-chopped

4.      Garlic 1n 1/2tblsp

5.      Green chilly-4 nos-

6.      Tomatoe-2nos,chopped

7.      Coriander powder-2tblsp heaped

8.      Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

9.      Garam masala-3/4tsp

10.  Whole spices-cardomom-4nos,cloves 4nos,cinnamon-1 tsick

11.  Oil-2tblsp

12.  Salt

13.  Water-1 cup or more

14.  Coriander leaves- chopped, one hand ful

15.  For grinding-

Grated coconut-2 or 3 tblsp

Whole black pepper-1/2tblsp

Saunf-3/4tsp

Kus kus-1tsp

Method of preparation

1.      Heat oil in a cooker. Add whole spices. When the aroma comes add onions,ginger,garlic and green chillies.Saute for few minutes or until onions slightly changes its color.

2.      Add in all the powders and chopped tomatoes sauté for 2 minute. Add salt and chicken pieces mix well. Add water and cook for 2 or 3 whistles.

3.      By the time grind the ingredients listed under for grinding by adding little water.

4.      Open the cooker once the pressure goes down. Add the grinded coconut paste and boil the curry for few more minutes. Check for salt. Add some chopped coriander leaves and keep closed for some time.(if the curry is too thick some boiled water can be added)

This one goes well with rotis and appam.