Meal haven

Bread Uthappam

Breakfast

Another quick South Indian breakfast or evening snack recipe which is quite filling.

Ingredients:

Bread – 4 slices

Bombay Rava – 1 cup

Curds – 1/2 cup

Rice flour – 2 tsp

Maida – 1 tsp

Onion- 1 medium chopped

Finely Green chillies – 2 chopped

Finely chopped Coriander leaves – 10 stalks

Curry leaves – about 10 leaves ( each leaf to be pinched into two pieces)

Ginger – 1 inch bit chopped fine

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad dhal/ black ram dal- 1 tsp

Bengal gram dal – 1 tsp

Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Take curds and beat it well. Add rava to it. Add 1 cup water. Mix well and set aside for 20 minutes. Cut the edges of the bread and crumble to pieces. Put in mixer to grind to a fine powder. Heat oil in a kadai/ pan, add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add both the dals and fry till golden in colour. Add green chillies, ginger, onions and curry leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt so that the onions cook faster. After 20 minutes, take the soaked rava and add the finely powdered bread crumbs to it. Add the fried ingredients to the batter. Add salt to taste and baking soda. Add water to make a thick batter consistency and mix well. Heat a tawa/ saucepan and put some oil. Keep it on medium flame as you pour the batter in the middle and spread a little in an outward motion. Uthapams should be about 1/2 an inch thick. Pour 1/2 tsp oil around it. When edges become slightly brown, flip it on the other side. Pour 1/2 tsp oil once again. Remove when it is slightly browned on the other side as well. You can add grated carrot, finely chopped cabbage, chopped capsicum, cooked peas to the batter to make it more nutritious.Can be served with any chutney of your choice. I served it with carrot chutney but it is delicious on its own.

Carrot Thogayal

Chutneys

This thogayal is typically eaten with rice but can also be eaten with dosas, idlis or uthappams. Thogayal is a coarse textured chutney which is not as runny as a chutney. We also make thogayals using other ingredients like ridge gourd peels, coconut thogayal, paruppu thogayal etc. A simple tasty thogayal which will you will love.

Ingredients:

Grated carrot – 1 cup

Coconut – 1/4 cup

Red chillies – 3-4

Black gram dhal/Urad dhal – 1 tsp

Bengal gram dhal/ kadala paruppu- 1 tsp

Water – 1 tbsp

Tamarind – 1/2 marble size

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan/ kadai. Add both the dals and fry for sometime. Add red chillies, fry till dals get golden. Add asafoetida. Remove and keep aside. Add 1/2 tbsp oil to same kadai and fry grated carrots for 2-3mins. Wash the tamarind well and soak in warm water as this will make the grinding easier. Grind all the dals and chillies in a mixer. Then add the carrot, coconut, tamarind and 1 tbsp water as well and grind once to a slightly coarse paste. Consistency of chutney can be changed according to preference by adding more or less water.

Avocado Ice Cream

Desserts

An healthy and easy home made ice-cream which tastes amazing. It can be made in a jiffy and you do not need an ice-cream maker to make this.

Ingredients:

Full fat coconut milk can – 1/2 can or 200 ml

Avocado – 1

Ripe long banana ( pref. Chiquita or Del monte) – 1/2

Honey – 3 tbsp (add more if u want it sweeter)

Lime juice – 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

Cut the bananas and freeze it for 30 minutes.

Chill the pan in which you are going to pour the ice cream, for 1 hr in the fridge.

In a blender, add the peeled and cut avocados, coconut milk, bananas, lime juice, honey and blend until it is smooth and creamy.

Pour it into the chilled pan immediately and cover it with cling film and freeze it for 6 hours. Make sure the cling wrap touches the top of the ice cream so that it doesn’t get discoloured. Also, every 1/2 hr, make sure to take it out and beat it again with an electric hand beater. Repeat this procedure thrice. This is also to prevent formation of ice crystals.

Serve when it slightly starts to melt, garnished with toasted pistachois or almonds.

This ice-cream does not store well. So, make as much as you want only and enjoy.

Prawn curry with drumstick

Uncategorized

A yummy prawns curry using coconut milk and kokum or kudampuli , a souring agent also known as the Malabar tamarind. It can be served with rice, idlis, pathiri or dosas too….

Ingredients:

Prawns deshelled and deveined – 1/2 kg

Drumsticks -2

Small onions (shallots) – 3 for crushing

Big onion – 1 medium size

Tomatoes – 2

Garlic – 6- 8 pods crushed

Ginger – 1 inch piece crushed

Kashmiri chilly powder – 2 tsp

Chillie powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 stalk

Kodampuli (tamarind)/Kokum – 2 pieces

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Coconut oil – 1tbsp + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Tamarind – 1 marble sized ball

Coconut – 3 tbsp or coconut milk powder – 2 tbsp

Seasoning:

Mustard – 1 tsp

Cummin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 4 or 5

Chopped small onion – 2 minced

Curry leaves – 5 or 6 leaves

Preparation:

Wash kudampuli once. Then soak kudampuli tamarind ball in water for 10 minutes. You can use normal tamarind in case you do not have kudampuli.

Extract milk from coconut or if using coconut milk powder, skip this step.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onions and saute. Then add crushed garlic , crushed ginger and shallots. When it well sauteed, add 1 stalk of curry leaves and finely chopped tomatoes and fry well till it is pulpy. Then add chopped drumsticks followed by kashmiri chillie powder, plain chillie powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Saute until the raw smell goes off. Then add 1 glass of water alongwith the kodampuli and the water in which it is soaked. Cover and cook the drumsticks. When it is cooked, add the prawns and cook for another 4 -5 minutes on slow heat. Prawns should not be cooked too long as it becomes rubbery and hard. After prawns are cooked, add thick coconut milk taken from 4 tbsp coconut. I add Maggi coconut milk powder (2 tbsp of powder mixed in little warm water). Boil for 2 minutes and remove from fire.

Seasoning

Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil. When it is hot, add mustard. When it starts spluttering, add fenugreek seeds, cummin seeds, 2 shallots minced and curry leaves. Let the shallots brown. Pour this over the curry and add 1 tsp of coconut oil on top of the curry and close the vessel. Mix well before serving.

Chicken Kurma

Non-Vegetarian

One of my mother’s most sought after recipes for lunch and dinner parties. Goes well with puris, parathas, birinji, rice, iddlis, appams, almost anything. It is not a very spicy dish but more of a rich, creamy taste.

Ingredients:

Chicken – 1/2 kg

Green chillies – 4 if spicy (otherwise 6)

Turmeric powder – 3/4 tsp

Tomatoes – 1 no. + 1/2 no.

Onion chopped – 1 no. + 1/2 onion

Chopped coriander – 3/4 tbsp

Mint leaves/Pudina – 8 -10 leaves

Juice of 1/4 lime

Oil – 1tsp + 2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp butter or ghee

Aniseed/Saunf – 1/2 tsp

Cloves – 2 +1

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch + 1/2 inch piece

Cardamom – 1 +1

Bay leaf 1 big cut into 2 or 2 small leaves

Ginger paste – 1 tsp

Garlic paste – 3/4 tsp

Curd slightly sour – 2 1/2 tbsp

Milk – 1/2 cup

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Grated coconut – 4 tbsp

Almonds – 8 (soaked in water and deskinned) OR

Cashews -8

Khus Khus/Poppy seeds – 1/2 tsp

To grind:

Grind grated coconut , khus khus and almonds to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

2. Heat 1tsp oil in a pan. Add 1 clove, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 cardamom and fry. Then add green chillies chopped in half, as it may burst otherwise. Fry for 3 minutes till the green colour changes slightly. Then, add 1/2 chopped onion, saute well and then 1/2 tomato and fry. Grind and keep aside separately.

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes with curds, half of ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt.

Heat oil and ghee. Add saunf, 2 cloves, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 cardamom and bay leaf . Saute once and add chopped onion. When it turns slightly golden, add chopped mint leaves, half of the coriander leaves, rest of the ginger-garlic paste and fry well on low flame till the raw smell of garlic goes off. Then add the tomato-onion-green chillie paste and saute again. Add 1 chopped tomato and saute till it turns pulpy. Add marinated chicken and saute on low heat till it becomes slightly thick. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1 1/2 cup water and cook on low flame till the chicken is cooked. Then add the coconut, almond, khus khus paste and boil on low flame for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Switch off the flame and add juice of 1/2 lime and serve garnished with coriander leaves. You can also take a hard boiled egg, chop the whites into small bits and using the grater, grate the yolk as garnish. I have added half cooked boiled eggs, cooked on low heat for 5 minutes in my recipe. Hard boiled egg sliced and quartered or slivered almonds can also be used as garnish.

Sura Puttu (Shredded Shark Scramble)

Non-Vegetarian

This recipe is made with milk shark known as ‘paal sura’. It pairs excellently with rice and rasam. It is also commonly served to lactating mothers in several parts of Tamilnadu. It resembles a scrambled egg or the “meen peera’ of Kerala. Sura puttu is loved by all in our house and is often cooked at home.

Ingredients:

Shark pieces – 500 gms

Water – 3 cups

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp

Onions – 2 big

Green chillies – 2 finely cut

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Garlic – 8 pods chopped

Ginger – 1 inch piece chopped

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Salt – as required

Coriander leaves – 1 1/2 tsp

Preparation

Boil the shark fish in water until it is soft. When it is cooked, take it out from water and keep it aside. Take the skin off and shred it well using your hands. Do not squeeze out the water. Add chillie powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to the shredded fish and keep it aside.

In another pan, heat oil. Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute well. Then add the curry leaves and onions and saute for just 2 minutes. Do not brown the onions. Now add the fish and toss it well. Close and keep for 3 -4 minutes. When done, add pepper powder and coriander leaves.

Simple Tomato Dal with Tamarind

Vegetarian

Ingredients:

Tur dal – 1/2 cup

Medium onion – 1/2 chopped

Green chillies slit – 2

Tomatoes – 3 ripe

Garlic – 4 -5 pods

Tamarind – 1 small ball mixed in water

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt – As needed

Seasoning:

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Jeera – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Whole red chilli – 1

Curry leaves – a sprig

Crushed pepper – 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

Cook with tur dal, onion, slit green chillies, ripe tomatoes, garlic pods, turmeric powder. After it is cooked, mash tomatoes well. Add salt, tamarind juice (depending on your preference for sourness) and boil well for 5 mins.

Put off the fire and add the items listed under “seasoning” and chopped coriander. Cover the lid immediately so that the flavours are retained inside.

Bottlegourd Chutney/Sorakkai/Lauki /Dudhi Chutney

Chutneys

Also known as the Calabash gourd, this simple spicy chutney goes well with idlis, dosas and uthappams.

Ingredients:

Bottlegourd – 1 cup

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Chana dal – 1 tsp

Tomatoes – 1 big

Red chillies – 4 or 5 as per taste

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Coconut – 1/2 tbsp

Tamarind paste – 1/2 tsp thick

Salt – as needed

Garlic – 1 (optional)

Water – 2 tbsps

Seasoning:

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad dal – 1/4 tsp

Red chilli – 1 broken

Jeera – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Preparation:

Wash bottlegourd, peel off the skin and chop it into small pieces. Heat oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, ginger, garlic (optional) and saute well. Then add the coconut and tomatoes and fry well. Next add the chopped bottle gourd pieces and cook it till it becomes soft. Take it off the flame and let it cool. Grind it coarsely along with tamarind paste and coconut in a pulser. Then add 2 tbsps of water and pulse once more and switch it off.

Heat oil in a kadai and add the items mentioned under ‘seasoning’. Add it to the chutney and serve.

Broken Wheat Rava Upma

Breakfast

A healthy, easy to make breakfast option with cracked wheat which also happens to be good for people with diabetes! You can serve this with tomato chutney or bottlegourd chutney.

Ingredients:

Samba Godhuma Rava/ Broken wheat/Bansi rava- 1 cup

Water – 3 1/2 cups

Onions – 1 big, chopped fine

Ginger – 1 inch piece chopped

Green chillies – 3 slit lengthwise

Tomato – 1 small (optional)

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Carrots sliced lengthwise – 1/2

Beans – 4

Shelled peas – 1/4 cup

Coriander leaves – 1 tsp chopped

Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Mustard – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Cashew nuts – 5 pieces

Preparation:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard and when it starts spluterring, add urad dal, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Then add the ginger, green chillies, onions and saute well. Once the onions turn translucent, add the carrots, beans and peas and saute once more.

Next, add the rava and saute well for another 2 minutes. Then add hot water and salt to it while continuously stirring for 2 minutes ensuring no lumps are formed. Close the lid and let it cook. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Mutton Chana Dal curry

Non-Vegetarian, Uncategorized

Ingredients:

Mutton – 1/2 kg

Chana Dal – 1/2 cup

Curds – 1/2 cup

Onion – 1 medium size

Tomato – 1medium size

Chill powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Mint leaves/Pudina – 7 to 8 (optional)

Coriander leaves – 4 to 5 stalks

Bay leaf -2

Cloves -3

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Cardamom – 2

Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp

Coconut Paste (if desired) – 2 tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Soak chana dal in water for 20 minutes.

Marinate the mutton with curds, 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste. 1/4 tsp chillie powder, 1/4 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 mins.

Meanwhile, in a pan, heat oil and add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and flash fry for 20 seconds. Then add onions and sauté. Add mint leaves and half the coriander leaves. Add ginger garlic paste and fry on slow fire till raw smell goes away. Then, add finely chopped tomatoes and sauté till tomato becomes a pulp/paste. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and the coriander powder. Sauté well and add marinated meat and sauté well. Add soaked chana dhal and 2 cups water and cook in pressure cooker for 1 whistle. After a whistle, lower the flame and cook for 10 mins and put it off. Let the pressure cooker cool, then open the cooker and see whether meat and chana dhal is cooked. (If not cooked, keep for some more time). Check the gravy for a semi thick consistency. Add garam masala powder. If too watery, boil for more time and remove from fire. For slight variation in taste, you can add 2 tsp ground coconut paste (if desired). Garnish with coriander leaves.