Prawns Pepper Masala

This Yummy dish goes well with rotis. Its spicy and has a tangy taste to it. This recipe I learnt from a mallu friend ,so you can say that its a mallu delicacy. I usually loved the coconut sukka my mom and grandma made with prawns and never liked any other variations. But this turned out to be wonderfully delicious. You dont need many ingredients as well to make it.

Ingredients

1\2 Kg Prawns

2 Tablespoons Oil
2 Big Onions chopped
2 Tomatoes chopped
2 Tablespoons of Ginger Garlic Paste
1 Tablespoon of freshly ground pepper powder for better flavour
2 Tablespoons Chilly powder
1 Tablespoon Turmeric
1 Tablespoon Coriander Powder
1 Tablespoon Garam masala
2 Tablespoons chopped Coriander Leaves
2-3 Curry leaves(optional)
Salt to taste

Heat  the oil in a kadai, add the chopped onions and fry till they are pink in colour.Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and close the lid till they become tender. Add all the masalas(chilly, turmeric and coriander) and fry until the oil is seperated. Now add the cleaned prawns to this and add the pepper powder and Garam masala to the mixture and let it cook with the lid closed till the prawns are done. Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot.

Aloo Gobi Subzi

Potatoes are a splendid combination with cauliflower and this goes well with rotis and Dal. I use mustard oil to make this dish since it gives a wonderful flavour and reminds my hubby of his mom's cooking :-)

Ingredients

3 Medium sized potatoes(de skinned and cubed)

1 Cup Cauliflower florets cleaned.

1 Medium sized Onion sliced

1 Medium sized tomatoes cut into 4-5 pieces

2 Teaspoons mustard oil

1/4 Teaspoon ajwain

1/4 Teaspoon turmeric

1 Teaspoon Chilly powder

2 Teaspoon coriander powder

2 Teaspoons chopped Coriander leaves.

1/4 Teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a Kadai, for people who dont like the smell of mustart oil can heat the oil on very high flame, this removes the smell. Add the ajwain and onion and fry till the opnion turn pink in colour. Now add the potatoes and cauliflower, salt and turmeric and cover the lid till the vegeyables are almost done. Now add the chilly, coriander powder,garam masala and chopped tomatoes to the mixture, cover the lid and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and server hot.

Simple Potato Palya

This is simple south Indian dish which goes very well with chapatis. If you have to cook in the morning to pack your lunch box, this is the easiest dish. I remember in my school days my uncle would make this dish for all us kids(cousins) and we would luv the way he would make it. Poor man knew to make only this and yummy Omelettes :-)

Ingredients
4 Medium sized potatoes(chopped into small cubes)
1 Onion finely chopped
2 Green chillies slit
4 Curry leaves
1/4 Teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 Teaspoon turmeric
1/2 Teaspoon chopped coriander
2 Teaspoon grated fresh coconut
2 Teaspoons refined oil
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a kadai, add the mustard to splutter, add the chillies, curry leaves and onion and fry till the onion are pink. Add the potatoes,turmeric and salt to this and cover the lid and cook till the potatoes are cooked. Add the coriander and coconut and cover the lid for 2-3 minutes. Your potatoes are ready to be served. You can have it with Dal, rice and omelette which is a nice combination.

Rava Laddoo

The first ever laddoos I made on my own and was very scared when I started off. Finally it turned out so tasty that I was proud to share them with my friends. Yes they turned out tasty and didn't break as I feared. Very simple to make as well.

Ingredients
1.5 Cups Rava
3/4 cup grated fresh coconut
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Teaspoon broken cashew nuts
1 Teaspoon sliced almonds
2 Teaspoons Raisins
4 Teaspoons Ghee
2 Cardamoms powdered.

Heat the ghee in a kadai and fry the rava on a low flame till its light golden in colour. Be careful not to over fry the rava. Add the coconut and fry for one or two minutes.
Prepare the chashni by boiling the sugar in the water till it melts and reaches a single thread consistency. Add the cardamom to the sugar syrup. Add the rava mixture and dry fruits to the chashni and mix well. Cover the mixture with a lid for at least half an hour with stirring at intervals. Now make small laddoos by rolling them with your palms.

Modak

This is one of favourite and mandatory offerings to God on Ganesha festival, a must have dish in every maharashtrian household.

Ingredients
1 and a half cups Paraboiled rice
One and quarter cup water
1/2 Teaspoon ghee
A pinch of salt
For the stuffing
1 and a half cup grated fresh coconut
3/4 cup grated jaggery
2 cardamoms powdered

Wash the rice and dry the rice on a cloth. Grind the rice into fine powder. You can also use rice flour which you get in the market.
Boil the water , add salt and ghee to it. add the rice flour slowly stirring continously to prevent lumps. Remove from the fire and keep the vessel closed for sometime. Once this cools down knead the mixture to a soft dough.
For the stuffing heat the jaggery on very low flame, add the jaggery and cardamom to it. Don't heat too much since the jaggery will get burnt, remove from the flame immediately.
Make small balls of the rice dough, flatten it on your palms, keep the jaggery mixture in the center and make small pleats with your fingers and then seal them together. Steam them in an Idli steamer for 10 minutes. Serve them hot with ghee.

Yummy Healthy Cutlets

This is an easy and healthy snack for kids. You can get them to eat all the vegetables you have always wanted them to have :-) Try this it works.

Ingredients
3 Potatoes (Boiled and peeled)
1 Carrot
1/4 cup Peas
1/2 cup grated Paneer
1/4 cup corn
1 Onion Finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sliced cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon raisins
1 Chillie finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon corn flour for binding
Salt to taste
Mash the boiled potatoes. Boil the carrots, peas and corn together. Fry the onion till they are tender and then add the green chillies. Add all the vegetables and rest of the ingredients and nix well. Take a small portion of the mixture on your palms, roll it into a ball and slightly flatten it.
Then you can deep fry them in oil and serve hot with chutney.

Rice Kheer

A very very simple dessert if you have unexpected guests at home :-) and very simple too.
If you have a sweet tooth you can make it at the drop of a hat. You can add any dry fruits of your choice or fresh strawberries and garnish. You can also add a little milkmaid if you want to make it more rich.

Ingredients
1/2 cup rice
6 cups milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup grated dry coconut
1/4 cup sliced cashew nuts
2 teaspoons sliced almonds
1 teaspoon raisins.
2 cardamoms powdered
10 teaspoons sugar(you can add according to the sweetness you prefer)
Boil the milk and add the washed rice to it and boil on a very slow flame. Keep stirring occassionally so that it doesnt stick to the bottom. Ensure never to add sugar before the rice cooks. Once the rice is almost done, add the water if required and then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a while. Serve it hot.

Kadala Curry with Appams

Appams

This dish is a delicacy of Kerala and goes very well with the kadala curry.That's the way i like it the most, actually Appams are eaten with vegetable stew or chicken curry. This soft and spongy dish requires very less effort to make. These easy dishes are to all my friends who luv to cook the easier way :-)

Ingredients

1. 1 Cup raw rice (Soak in water for 3-4 Hrs)


2. 1\2 Cup cooked rice


3. 1 Cup grated fresh coconut


4. 1 Teaspoon yeast(mix in 2 spoons of warm water)


5. 1 Teaspoon sugar


6. Salt to taste

Grind the rice with all the above mentioned ingredients and finally add the yeast to it. You can keep it overnight so that the batter ferments very well. You get the appam tava anywhere in the market. Put one ladle of the batter in Tava once heated and just turn it around so that the batter covers the Tava. The appams are thicker in the center and thin around the corners. to

Kadala Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup Black chana (soak overnight in water)

1/2 a cup grated coconut

2 Onions(1 onion finely chopped)

2 Green chillies

1 Tomato diced

1 Sprig curry leaves

1/4 Teaspoon mustard

1/2 Teaspoon turmeric

1/2 Teaspoon red chilly powder

1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala

2 medium sized Dalchini

1 Teaspoon refined oil(Use Rice Bran oil which is very good for the heart)

Boil the chana with salt and keep aside. Grind the coconut with one onion, green chillies, garam masala,dalchini and keep it aside. Add a little boiled chana into this mixture and grind again into a fine paste. This trick helps you to make any of the gravies thicker.

In a kadai heat the oil, add the mustard and curry leaves till it splutters, add the onion and fry till its pink and then add the tomatoes. Cover the kadai and let the tomatoes become a little soft. add the turmeric and chilly powder to the mixture. Now add the ground paste and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the boiled chana to the kadai , add a little water and cook the mixture for a while. Your Kadala curry is ready to be served :-), simple isn't it??

Baingan Bhartha

The smoky aroma of this dish is the best part which makes it different from the others. Goes very well with rotis.

Ingredients

1. 1 Brinjal
2. 1 finely chopped Onion
3. 1\2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
4. 2 green chillies (slit)
5. 1 teaspoon grated ginger
6. 1\2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
7. 1 teaspoon cumin(jeera) seeds
8. 1\2 teaspoon turmeric(haldi) powder
9. 1\2 teaspoon garam masala
10. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
11. 2 teaspoon oil
    

We need 1 big brinjal, wash and slit it till the stalk. Grease it with a little oil and roast it on flame on all the sides. Onces the brinjal is almost cooked, remove the skin,chop it and keep it aside.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds to splutter. Then add the onion, ginger and green chillies. Fry till the onion is pink and then add the tomatoes, fry till they are soft. Add all the masala powder to this mixture till the oil seperates. Then add the brinjal and cook for 5 mintes till it picks up all the flavour. Granish with fresh coriander and server hot!!

Kadhi Pakodi

This is one of my favorites for two reasons, one is I love making it and the second is I love eating it as well. I first learnt the basics from my Mom in law. Later on my sister in-law showed me the different variations which can be done with this dish. Whenever I call for a party our friend Sukesh dreads that I will end up making Khadhi and he has to eat it. He is a major non vegetarian fan and his wife is a very good cook too.
To start off the major ingredient which decides the final fate of this dish is the curds you use to make this dish which has to be sour.

Ingredients for the Pakodis
1/4 cup Besan,
1/2 tsp Chilli powder,
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds,
Oil for frying.
Salt to taste,
The secret of making soft pakodis is mix the besan with all the ingredients with quarter cup of water and mix it really well. You need to beat the mixture till it turns fluffy. Then fry small round pakodis and drain on a paper Napkin.

Ingredients for the Kadhi
2 cups of sour curds,
1/4 cup besan ,
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp of Chilli powder,
1/4 tsp of Methi seeds
a pinch of Asafoetida(hing),
4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped,

1. Beat the sour curds to a very fine consistency and add 4 cups of water to it.
2. Mix the besan with turmeric and salt to taste with a little cold water and make a fine paste
3. Add this to the curds and beat it very well.
4.In a kadhai, heat 2 tsp oil(mustard oil preferably) and add the methi seeds and allow to become dark brown. Then add the garlic and fry till golden brown. Ensure the methi seeds are almost black otherwise the Kadhi might turn bitter.
5.Then add the Asafoetida and the chilly powder and immmediately add the curds into the Kadhai and let it boil slowly in a low flame.

Once this is cooked its time to add the pakodis. Wash the pakodis in a bowl of water , gently press them to remove excess water and then add them to the Kadhi mixture.
You can add extra seasoning which also makes the Kadhi look and taste good.
Heat a tsp of mustard oil , add a 1/4 tsp of chilly powder and a few curry leaves and pour this on top of the Kadhi before serving. There you are the Kadhi Pakodi is ready to be served with hot rotis or rice.

Stuffed Capsicums

A very easy dish to make and tasty too :-), This is one of the recipes which turned out good the first time i tried and was appreciated by my tough critic Hubby dear.

Ingredients for the stuffing

• 3 boiled Potatoes(boiled and mashed)
• 1 Carrot and a small cup of peas (boiled and mashed, you can add any other vegetable of your choice)
• 1 Green chilly finely chopped
• 1 Chopped Onion
• 2 tsp Chopped Coriander1/4
• 1/2 tsp Jeera
• 1/2 tsp Chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp Amchoor powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala(Punjabi Garam masala preferably)
• Salt as per your taste

You need to buy small green capsicums , cut the stalk and remove the seeds. Boil the capsicums in water till they are a little tender.

1. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadhai and add the jeera till it splutters.
2. Add the onions and chillies and fry till they are brown
3. Add all the masalas and the mashed vegetables
4. Saute the mixture and add the salt and coriander to it.

Fill in this mixture inside the capsicums and fry them in oil till they are golden brown from all sides. Serve them hot with rotis.