Bhindi Fry

Be it a South Indian recipe or a North Indian recipe, each cuisine has a lot of easy to make and quick recipes that can be prepared for your weekday’s meals.

There are many vegetables which are either seasonal or available throughout the year.

While the seasonal vegetables have their own charm, there is one vegetable that is loved at home away too much and enjoyed throughout the year, it is BHINDI.

Bhindi/Okra is a vegetable loved by kids and adults. This is often made in all homes and each have a various variation. Some make it dry, gravy and roast. It’s a perfect side dish for lunch

And therefore I keep making different recipes from Bhindi and this one is my personal .

Ingredients

250 gm of Okra/Bhindi/Lady’s finger
3 table spoon of roasted groundnut
4 to 5 Dry Red Chilli
Salt to Taste.
Oil

Step by Step Procedure: (cooking time 15 minutes)

Wash and shade dry the Okra. Cut into small pieces.
Heat the oil in a pan, add the chopped Okra and fry till the sliminess reduce and the stay separate
Add salt as per taste and stir it.
In a mixer jar add the groundnut and red chilli and make a coarse powder.
Add the ground mixer to the Okra and stir well for two minutes.

This version of Okra, can be eaten as it is. Also goes well with Chapathi or Bread Toast.

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Seasoned Chicken noodles

“No matter what recipe they’re used in, rice noodles are a proven crowd-pleaser.
Hakka Noodles is a Chinese style Noodle dish where cooked noodles are tossed with vegetables, meat and Chinese sauces.
I think this spicy chicken noodles dish is perfect for using up leftover chicken, assuming it wasn’t horribly overcooked in the first place. If you did want to use raw chicken, go ahead and chop it up, and stir-fry it for a minute or two before adding your vegetables.”
Making Seasoned chicken Noodles is not rocket science, trust me!

Ingredients

Vegetables:

1 large carrot, finely sliced or shredded
1 cups shredded green cabbage
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup green beans
2 large Onions finely sliced
2 Green Chillies
2. Garlic finely chopped

Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste

Noodles:

1 package dried rice noodles
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup (200gm) Chicken
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Add all ingredients to list
2 Egg
5 Dry Red chilli
1 spoon Anise seed/Sombu
4 Garlic pods

Directions (Cooking time 30 mintues)

Boil the Noodles until they are just done otherwise they will turn mushy while stir frying. You can boil the noodles in advance and add some oil to them and mix gently. This will keep them from sticking to each other.

Heat 3-4 cups of water in a pan. When it comes to a boil, add boneless chicken pieces. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through. It will take 10-12 minutes for the chicken to cook properly. Take out the chicken from the pan and let it cool. Reserve the broth and use it in soups or stews. Once the chicken is cooled, shred it using a fork.

Mix one spoon of the sauces with the shredded chicken and add salt. stir fry in oil until the chicken is well cooked.

Scrambled 2 eggs and keep it aside.
Soak Dry Red Chilli, Garlic and Sombu in water for 15 minutes. Grind it into Fine Paste.

Heat oil in a wok, and then ground red chilli paste and mix well.

Gently add chopped garlic, add spring onions, capsicum, carrot, cabbage, if you like and stir fry it well.
Later, add scrambled egg and seasoned chicken in the same wok and mix well.

Then add soya sauce, other sauces and boiled noodles. Give it a nice toss.

Lastly, garnish Chicken Hakka Noodles with some chopped spring onion greens and piping hot & sizzling Noodles are all set to be relished.

You can skip the egg and chicken and make a vegetarian version of this noodles. Having said that, do try out Chicken Hakka Noodles whenever you get time, especially now that you hav liked this recipe
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Aatukal Paya – Goat Trotters in a Spicy Rich Curry

Paya is a heavy stew created from trotters/ feet of goat or lamb, bones from the leg with rich gelatin marrow covered with meat. Most cultures will have some variation of this recipe in their repertoire. In North India, mutton/goat/lamb paaya is served as a breakfast dish or soup with rice, nann,roti or dosas. Also believed it to have medicinal properties and are regularly recommended for recuperating patients for its nourishment. The recipe below has been cooked with pressure cooker.You can also choose between cooking it in the traditional method, or cooking it in pressure cooker – either way, it’s delicious.

Most of Mughlai restaurants and small age old hotels/cafes serve this dish regularly but depending on where you visit there are quite a few preparations for Paya. Cleaning is extremely tough, they smoke the trotters or roast them over open fire to burn off the hair from the feet and hoof. Time consuming and needs extra care to do it perfectly but tastes out of this world. This can be done by butchers. The other way is to skin the trotter and leave the bones with little meat.

It’s time-consuming process to cook it, but the end result is well worth the effort. This is such a healthy and yummy dish, especially if you do have a little something to add on the side; Idiyappam, Appam, Naan Roti or with Rice.

Ingredients :

To Pressure Cook :

Mutton /Lamb /Goats trotters : 2 feet and leg of lamb chopped into pieces
Chilli powder 3 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Tumeric
Salt

For the Masala Paste :

Onion: 2 large, roughly chopped
Tomato 3 large, roughly chopped
Green Chilies : 2-4 (or to spice tolerance level)
Garlic : 8-10 cloves
Ginger : 2″ piece
Curry Leaves
Cloves : 4
Green Cardamom : 1 pods
Cinnamon: 1/2 stick
Bay leaf: 2
Fennel seed 1/2 tsp
Oil: 3 tbsp

For the Gravy:

Cooking Oil : 3 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste: 2tbsp
Fennel seed: 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf 1
Green Cardamom: 3 pods
Poppy Seeds: 2 tsp
Half Coconut
Badam: 3
Mint leaves
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Salt to Taste

How to Clean Goat/Lamb/Mutton Trotters for Paya:

Mutton paya requires an extensive cleaning process before it can be cooked. When buying make sure the butcher gives you the best trotters which is cleaned and burned.
First thoroughly rinse in clear running water. Now you need to remove any hair that the butcher left on them.
You can do this by burning them off with a flame from a gas (Note: Be patience and do it carefully so as not to scorch the skin – both yours and the trotter’s)
Make sure to check the trotters burnt properly and hair is removed completely; if there are any remains of burnt hair then scrap the burnt hair using a knife.
Then scald them in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Scrub well the trotters with a mixture of rice flour and salt for 10 minutes and left to soak in the mixture for 5 mins to draw out dirt and toxins.
After 5 min using a scrub pad; scrub the trotters and make sure all of the char skin and any brunt tissue is removed properly.
Once the trotters are cleaned; rinse them for 3-4 times in running water make sure all of the rice flour and salt have washed thoroughly.
Pour enough water to the cleaned mutton trotters, so that all the pieces will be immersed completely in a Pressure cooker.
Add Salt, turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder.
Pressure cook for 10 – 15 whistles.

Preparing The Masala Paste :

In a pan add oil and roast all the ingredients listed above “For the masala paste” on medium heat. Saute them for couple of minutes or until the color start to change. Turn the heat off and set it aside; let them cool. Once cooled add everything in blender/mixie and ground to coarse paste and set aside.

Preparing of the Aatukal Paya :

In a pressure cooker add oil. Once the oil is heated add fennel seeds, bay leaf, cardamom and curry leaves.
Add ginger garlic paste. Saute it for few minutes.
Add the ground paste and saute for few minutes, then add cooked goat leg and saute it for 10 minutes. Add chilli powder and salt to Taste.
Close the pressure cooker and cook it for 5 whistle; reduce the fire to medium and then switch of the flame and let it cool naturally. After pressure settles open the pressure cooker.
Grind the coconut, badam and Poppy seeds together by adding little water. Strain the content and extract only the milk.
Open the lid and turn on the flame. Lower the heat to medium and add in the half a cup of coconut milk a tablespoon at a time. Stir well to make sure it doesn’t curdle but enhance the flavors to form a rich gravy with all the spices.
Simmer gently and cook for a further hour. Make sure to stir often or so just so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. If you find the gravy is too thick you can add a little more water
Season with salt and juice of a lemon (optional). Garnish with fresh coriander & mint leaves.
9.Serve with Idiyappam, Appam, Naan Roti or with Rice.

Notes :

For best result prepare the paya curry overnight and serve next day. It tastes Yummy!
Paya requires an extensive cleaning process before it can be cooked. If it’s cooked with the skin, make sure to roast the trotters over a fire to burn off any loose hair. If you prefer you can ask your butcher to take the skin off and leave the little meat on with the bone.

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Veg pulavo

Vegetable Pulao or Veg Pulao is a regular lunch box recipe that I pack for lunch. It is a quick one pot meal that you can make pack for lunchbox and club it for lunch. We all love eating and there are times when we love to indulge in some really good food. What if you are fasting or just don’t have access to anything non-veg and you still feel like gorging on some yummy .

Pulaois a one pot rice dish cooked with fragrant basmati rice and aromatic spices.Veg pulao is one of the basic dish made often in Indian home, parties andbuffet menu.

The difference between Veg Pulao and Veg Biryani is as below
Veg Pulao is a simple recipe where rice and vegetables are sautéed together and then boiled or pressure cooked with water till the rice is fragrant, fluffy and cooked through. It’s a one pot dish where biryani is usually made by par cooking vegetables or meat which are then layered with rice and slow cooked. Frankly, veg pulao is the faster-to-make cousin of veg biryani, which is more labor intensive and a longer process.

Ingredients:

Any Mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, green peas, green/red/yellow capsicum. Potato, sweet corn) – 1 cup
Panner – 1/4 cup
Mushroom – 1/4 cup
Onions – 2 nos
Garlic – 3 nos
Green chilli – 3
Coconut milk – 1 cup
Basmati rice – 2 cup
Cinnamon – 1 stick
Bay Leaf – 1
Cardamom – 2 nos
Mint – 2 sprig
Oil – 2 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste

Instructions:
Preparation time 15 – 20 minutes

Wash rice and soak it in water for 15-20 minutes.
Heat ghee and oil together in a electric rice cooker. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add garlic and onion, sauté until it turns light brown or for approx. 2 minutes.
Add chopped vegetables, panner and Mushroom. Stir-fry them for approx. 2 minutes.
Add soaked (drained) rice and salt.
Stir-fry them for approx. 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 3 cups of water and mix well. Add chopped mint.
Close the lid and cook over until it comes to keep warm mode.
Let it cool at room temperature. Open the lid carefully and fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Tips and Variations:

Just use rice and water in 1:2 ratios. i.e. for every one cup rice two cups water should be added.
You can also prepare equally delicious mixed vegetable rice pulao in a pan with a lid. Use same amount of ingredients as mentioned in this recipe, cover pan with a lid and cook it on low flame for 8-10 minutes. Do not open the lid in between while cooking. After turning off the flame, open the lid after 7-8 minutes. However, cooking in a pan may require more water as steam will escape easily, hence add 1/4 cup more water for given recipe.

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Jack Fruit Payasam or Chakka Pradhaman

Chakka pradhaman is a traditional payasam /pudding of Kerala, South India made of Jack fruit Jam/Chakka Varatti or Jackfruit pulps cooked in coconut milk and then sweetened with jaggery .Varieties of pradhamans /payasam are made in Kerala, like Chakka -Jackfruit Pradhaman, Ada-Rice Flakes Pradhaman, Parippu-Lentil Pradhaman, Godambu- Wheat germs Pradhaman, etc.

This delicious Payasam /Pudding can be served warm or cold, depending on the weather and your mood; cold is great on a hot summer night, while serving it warm makes this a superb comfort food. Once you taste this dish you are sure to come back for more.

Ingredients

Ripe Jack fruit pieces – 12
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1/2 litre
Ghee – 3 tsp
Cashewnuts – 3 tsp broken
Coconut bits – 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder – a pinch

Method:
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Heat a pan and add 3 table spoon of ghee.
Add coconut bits and cashews , fry till golden brown, set aside.
In the same pan, add roughly chopped jack fruits and fry it till it becomes soft and mushy.
Cool the jack fruit mixture and divide into two equal portion.
Grind one half into smooth paste and keep in aside.
Heat a thick bottom vessel and add milk to it.
Boil the milk, until it reduces to 3/4 of the actual quantity.
Add the ground jack fruit and chopped jack fruit.
Allow the mixture to boil well. Add sugar as per sweetness.
Turn off the stove and add roasted coconut, cashew nut and Cardamom powder.
Serve it warm or cold with nuts and coconut bits. I love it cold!

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Roasted Soya Nuggets

Soya nuggets/chunksis popular know as a Meal Maker. It’s a vegetarian version of protein source. A good substitute for all chicken dishes that the vegetarians can enjoy.

Soya chunks are made from the pulp of soaked and grinded soya beans, which is then dehydrated. During thedehydration process, they chunks accumulate dusts, so it’s advisable to soak them in water and until they are soft and wash it thoroughly.

Below is simple and quick recipe using those chunks.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups soya chunks
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp fenugreek seed
1 tbsp channa dal
1 tbsp coriander seeds
15 dry chilli
Few curry leaves
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp coriander powder
salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Soak the soya chunks until they’re soft. Wash it thoroughly.
In a pan add water and allow in to boil.
Add the soaked soya chunks to it and boil it for 5 minutes.
Drain the water and let it cool. Once the soya chunks are cooled, squeeze the excess water and keep it aside.
Heat a Kadai and add fenugreek seed, channa dal, coriander seeds, curry leaves and dry red chilli.
Dry roast/saute till they turn aromatic.
Cool the ingredients and grind into fine powder.
In a bowl add the squeezed soya chunks, the dry roasted powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt.
Mix all together. The soya chunks need to be coated well with the dry ingredients. You need not add water while mixing, because the little moisture in the soya chunks will bind with the dry ingredients.
Heat non-stick pan and add 3 tbsp of oil.
Once the oil is heated, add the mixed soya chunks, and stir well.
Cook till the soya chunks are crisp and turns golden brown.
You can serve it with Dal rice or it can be eaten as evening snacks with hot tea

Some important tips
1. Boil the soya bean well and rinse in cold water, else soya bean doesn’t taste good.
2. Soyabean contains more proteins, so eat it in limits, to avoid problem of indigestion.
3. Soya nuggets fry recipe can also be prepared with combination of peas and corn to make it more healthy and tasty.

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Arachuvitta Vathal Kulambu/Chettinad Kuluambu/Manathakkali vathal kulambu

Anauthentic arachuvitta vathal kulambu from the chettinad cuisine that is served at their wedding lunch menu. I’m a great fan of chettinad cuisine. The way they use the spices in their cooking, brings out the delicate flavors. This Chettinad Kulambu will always hold a special place in my heart. I learned this recipe from my amma. Everyone in my family are a great fan of my vathalkulambu.

Manathakkali keerai, Black night shade in English has amazing health benefits.It is a good remedy for mouth & stomach ulcer .I try to include manathakkali vathal/sundakkai vathal in my cooking at least once in a week

Ingredients:

Manathakkali Vathal – 2 to 3 tbsp
Tamarind – small lemon size
Shallots / sambar onions – 2 handful
Tomato – 2
Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
Mustard – 1/4 tsp
Chillli powder – 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Kashmiri Chilli powder 1 tbsp
Jaggery – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Gingelly Oil – 1/4 cup
Salt – to taste

To Grind to a paste:

Kashmiri chilli – 5
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies – 1/2 cup
Fresh grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Poppy seeds or khus-khus – 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves

Instructions:

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in hot water. I use a combination of new and old dark tamarind for good taste. Extract pulp and keep aside.

Make the paste:

Heat a pan, add coriander seeds, kashmiri chilli and dry red chilies. Roast over low flame till they turn color and the aroma arises.
Add fenugreek seeds, poppy seeds, curry and grated coconut to the same pan and roast till it becomes golden in color. Transfer them to a plate
Once cool, transfer the roasted ingredients to a mixie jar and grind to a smooth paste using 2-3 tbsp water. Set aside.

Make chettinad kalyana vathalkulambu:

Heat a pan. Add 1/4 cup gingelly oil.
Add mustard seeds, once it splutters add fenugreek seeds and manathakkali vathal.
After it gets roasted add the sambar onions and curry leaves. saute it till the onion becomes translucent
Add chopped tomatoes.
Sauté until the tomatoes become soft and mushy.
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and coriander powder and saute it till the raw flavour of the powder is gone
Add the ground paste and sauté over a low flame till the oil starts to ooze out. This may take 10 to 15 minutes.
Add tamarind pulp, if it is too thick, add 1/4 cup water approx., Mix well and let it come to a boil.
Add a table spoon of jaggery.
Close the pan with a lid and cook for 10 to 15 mins over low flame and take off stove the once the oil starts to seperate. Chettinad kalyana vathal kulambu is ready.
Serve with hot rice and a dash of ghee or sesame oil accompanied by vadams or appalam for side dish.

Below is the Video link for the above recipe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMRayM22hjE&t=214s

Notes:

Use gingelly oil for authentic flavor. If you are not comfortable, use any cooking oil.
You can store it refrigerate and use the same for a week.

Egg Podimas

Egg podimas /Muttai podimas / Muttai poriyal recipe is a simple South Indianversion of scrambled eggs. When you want to cook something really quick, eggs comes to the rescue. This recipe is an easy, quick to make and tastes delicious.You can have this muttai podimas as a side dish for rice or chapati.

This recipe is very easy to make. Onions and eggs make for a good combination andthe spices added gives a nice flavor to the dish. There are no tomatoes added to this podimas. You can make this poriyal in minutes, especially on week days when you want something filling and can be made quickly. As for nutrition, eggs are rich in proteins and great to be included in our diet.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 onion medium-sized
1 green chilli
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp egg curry powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 1/2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Instructions:
Cooking time 15 minutes
Preparation time 5 minutes

Chop onion finely. Finely chop the green chilli.
Heat oil in a pan, add chopped green chilli and saute it well
Add Onions and saute till the onions turn translucent and soft.
In a bowl add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and egg curry powder. Mix it well and add two table spoon of water.
Break the eggs and mix it well with the masala.
Add the sauted Onions into the bowl and mix it well.
Heat the pan and add a table spoon of oil. Gently pour the mixture.
Then keep stirring the mixture till the eggs are cooked. Remove from heat.
Serve muttai podimas hot with rice or rotis.

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Paneer tikka

Tikka is a type of food originated from the Indian subcontinent. Tikka refers to a piece of meat/vegetable which is marinated for a longer period of time and slow cooked/grilled over charcoal fire pit.

The authentic way of preparing this dish is to arrange the Paneer and vegetables alternately on a long wooden skewer. It is then grilled traditionally in a Tandoor (earthen oven).

Tandoor ovens are available only in restaurants, but you can use a hot grill to make this dish at home. In this recipe I have shown how to make this dish on tawa (girdle), It’s spicy, juicy, light and its like a vegetarian alternative to tandoori chicken, fish or prawn tikka. The dish tastes best when served hot

Ingredients

2 cups Paneer (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 medium sized onion (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 capsicum (deseeded and cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 large tomato (deseeded and cut into cubes (optional))
Oyster Mushroom

For the Marination

3 tablespoons Oil
1/2 cup thick Curds (Hung curd)
1 teaspoons Kashmiri Chilli Powder
1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon Chaat Masala Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi(crushed)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 pinch of black salt
Finely chopped coriander
Finely chopped spring onion
Finely chopped Ginger
Finely chopped Garlic
2 Green chillies Finely chopped
2 Tablespoon BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon Tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Soya sauce
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste

Step by Step Cooking Instruction:
Preparation Time 1 hr
Cooking Time 20 mins

To prepare hung curd, take cheese cloth and any new cotton hand kercheif. Place the cloth over the juice strainer and then pour the curd into it. Bring the four corners of the cloth together and tie it and leave it aside for 1/2 hour. The water in the curd will be drained through the strainer and the thick curd will be left in the cloth.
In a bowl add three spoon of oil and a tablespoon of BBQ sauce. Mix it well and keep it aside. This will be used during cooking of tikka.
Mix all the ingredients under marinade into a bowl .
Add paneer to it. Toss the paneer in the marinade till the cubes are coated well.
Add the vegetables and mushroom, mix it well, cover and set aside for at least half an hour or up to two hours.
You can use bamboo skewers or Stainless Steel skewers used to make paniyaram to arrange the tikka. In the Skewer arrange paneer cubes alternating with onions, capsicum and tomato (if using).
Place the skewers on the hot tawa (griddle) cook on medium flame 5 minutes on each side.
Brush the oil and BBQ mixture over the grilled tikka and cook for additional 2-3 minutes till the paneer has a slight char on the surface.
Place the skewers on your serving platter. Top with chopped coriander and squeeze lime juice on them and serve it while it’s hot

NOTES
1. Make sure the Paneer you’re using is firm and not crumbly
2. You can use button mushroom, if you can’t get Oyster mushroom

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Spicy Fried Egg

Yet another simple and quick egg dish.

This recipe has been a life saver ever since I made it for the first time. It is the perfect side to mild curries like dals and sambar. This is a wonderful Kerala style egg based dish where hard boiled eggs are stir fried in spicy masala. This egg fry is a simple and a staple side dish that is usually served as an accompaniment with appam, chapatti or poratta. It can also be served with any kind of Indian bread

This recipe needs no onions, no tomatoes, so no chopping and can be made in a jiffy, if you have boiled eggs and very few indian spices. So lets see how to make this Quick spicy egg fry with few ingredients.

Ingredients

3 hard boiled eggs
3 tbsp oil
5-6 curry leaves
salt – as per taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder

Instructions

Cooking time 20 minutes

Firstly, take a wok or a heavy bottom dosa tawa, add oil into it and heat it.
Add dry spices such as salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder, mix well.
Sprinkle some water and cook the masala till the oil separates from the masala.
Cut the boiled eggs into two halves and add into the masala.
Toss the whole mixture delicately and let it cook for few minutes on low flame.
Flip the eggs carefully and cook the other side too.
Make sure the eggs are stir fried and coated well on both sides with the masala for few minutes.
Switch off the flame.
Serve with rice or roti as a side dish along with dal or curries.