Meal haven

Varatharacha Kadala Curry (Brown chickpeas and stir fried coconut curry)

This is an authentic curry from Kerala, served with steamed rice cakes(called puttu) and usually served for breakfast. The thick slightly spicy gravy can be also eaten with chappathis. The aromatic spices are ground with roasted coconut to make this nutritious dish.

Ingredients:

For curry

Kadala/black chick peas – 1 cup (soaked overnight)

Tomato – 1 medium

Onion – 1 small

Coconut pieces- 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Salt as needed

Water – 3-4 cups or as needed

For roasting and grinding

Coconut Grated – 1 1/4 cup

Fennel seeds/Saunf – 1/2 tsp

Garlic – 2 cloves

Small onions/shallots – 3

Pepper corns – 3

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece

Curry leaf – 3 to 4 leaves

Green chillie – 1

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Chillie powder – 3/4 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. The next day, cook the chickpeas in cooker adding about 3-4 cups of water with enough salt, for about 6 whistles on a medium flame. Put off the flame and let it cool.

Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp of coconut oil. When it becomes hot, add the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, green chillie, chopped shallots, grated coconut and saute it well. Make sure to keep the flame on low to medium. The coconut should be sauteed for about 10 – 12 minutes until it becomes brown in colour. Now reduce the flame to low and add the red chillie powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and saute it and do not let it burn. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool. When it cools down, tranfer it to a mixie and grind it to a fine paste.

In a pan, heat oil. When the oil becomes hot, add the chopped onions and chopped tomato. Saute it well until it becomes mushy. Add this to the cooker alongwith the chick peas and the ground paste and let it boil with an open lid for 5 to 8 minutes on medium heat.

In the same pan, add a tsp of oil and fry the coconut bits until they are golden brown. Add these fried coconut pieces to the cooker while it is boiling. After the coconut pieces are removed from the pan, add mustard, whole red chillie, curry leaf and add these also to the cooker. Keep it closed for some time.

Serve with puttu or rice.

Bhindy Fry

Uncategorized

Another easy recipe which can be prepared in a jiffy. You can serve it with rice and sambar or yogurt and with chapathis also.

Ingredients:

Ladies Finger /Okra- 200 gms

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Rec chillie powder – 3/4 tbsp

Mustard – 1/2 tsp

Udad dal – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 3/4 tbsp

Pav Bhaji Powder – 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin seed powder/Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 2 – 3 tbsp

Water – 2 tbsps

Salt – to taste

Preparation:

Wash the ladies finger and wipe it with a kitchen towel. It should be dry when you slice it or can turn slimy. Cut the ladies finger into long vertical halves as shown in pic 1.

In a bowl, mix all the spice powders and make it into a thick paste adding enough water. Apply the paste onto the ladies finger and keep it aside.

Heat a wide bottomed pan and add oil. When it turns hot, add mustard and udad dal. When it starts to splutter, add the curry leaves followed by ladies finger and saute until it on medium flame for 3 minutes. Then, reduce the flame and cook till it becomes crisp. Do not ocver with a lid and cook.

Sweet Potato and Paneer Cutlets

Snacks

A guilt free snack full of proteins which is tasty and can be made in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes – 2

Panner – 3/4 cup

Corinder leaves – 1 tbsp chopped

Green chillies chopped fine – 2

Onion chopped fine – 1 medium

Sesame seeds – 2 tsp (optional)

Salt

Oil for shallow frying – 4 tbsp

Preparation:

Wash and cut the sweet potatoes in 2 pieces. You may pressure cook the sweet potatoes for 2 whistles or 10 minutes. When it cools down, remove the skin, mash it and keep aside.

Grate the paneer or blitz it in a mixie for 30 seconds.

In a bowl, add the sesame seeds, finely chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, finely chopped onions, grated paneer, salt, mashed sweet potatoes and mix it well. Make equal sized round balls and flatten it in the shape of a tikki or cutlet.

Add oil in a pan. When it is hot, reduce the flame and place the tikkis/cutlets on it and shallow fry. When it turns golden on one side, flip it and cook the other side.

Serve it hot.

Coriander Mint Chicken/South Indian Kozhi Kothamalli

Non-Vegetarian

A curry which is prepared using a range of aromatic spices and herbs. The fresh blend of mint and coriander leaves adds a special flaour to this dish. This is one of the dishes which is prepared at home often for dinners, to accompany rotis.

Ingredients:

Chicken – 800 gms

Green chillies – 4

Onion – 2 medium

Ginger garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp

Tomato – 1 big

Curds/Yogurt – 1/2 cup

Mint leaves – little less than 1/4 cup chopped

Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup chopped

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Saunf/Aniseed – 1 tsp

Cardamom – 2 small or 1 badi elaichi (1 big)

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch piece

Water – 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Wash and clean the chicken. Marinate it with yogurt and keep it aside for 30 minutes. Chop onions finely and also chop the tomatoes.

In a pan, heat 1/2 tsp oil. Add 1/2 tsp saunf/aniseed and the green chillies cut into pieces. Saute it well and add 1/2 of the mint leaves and coriander leaves to the green chillies and spices. Saute it just once for 1/2 minute and take it out. Grind all of it in a mixie to a fine paste with 1 tbsp of water.

In the same pan, heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil. When it becomes hot, add 1/2 tsp saunf, elaichi/cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and add the finely cut onions. Saute it well till it turns pink in colour. Then, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of the paste disappears. Once done, add the tomatoes and turmeric powder. Saute until it becomes mushy.

Add the marinated chicken and the ground paste and saute well for 5 minutes. Then, add 1/4 cup of water and close with a lid. Adjust the seasoning and cook until the chicken is soft.

Serve it with chappathis or rice.

Pepper Prawns

Non-Vegetarian

A simple prawns masala with pepper which can be served with rice, rotis and dal.

Ingredients:

Prawns (shelled and deveined) – 500 gms

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – 3 tsp

Onion – 2 big chopped fine

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece (finely chopped)

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Garlic – 10 cloves – (finely chopped)

Curry leaves – 4 sprigs (finely cut)

Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Marinate the cleaned prawns in little salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat a pan and add oil. Then, add chopped garlic and ginger and saute well. When it is sauteed well, add the finely chopped onions and saute again till it becomes slightly brown in colour. Then, add the chopped curry leaves, coriander powder, pepper powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and saute well. You may add 2 tbsp of water and saute until the raw smell goes off.

Next, add the prawns and saute well. Cover and cook for just about 3 to 4 minutes or else they may turn rubbery if it is cooked for a long time. Add the lime juice and put off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or chappathis.

Shakshouka

Breakfast

I had visited a Middle Eastern restaurant in Kuwait a few years back with some of my friends and we ordered this new dish called ‘Shakshouka’. It loosely translates to ‘all mixed up’ in Arabic. It is a dish of poached eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, paprika, cumin etc. It is often made in Tunisian, Israeli and Turkish cultures and mainly eaten for breakfast.

This flavourful dish features regularly for breakfast at home nowadays. It is easy and quick and makes for a healthy breakfast before leaving for office.

Ingedients:

Olive oil – 2 tbsp

Onion – 2 large chopped

Green/Red or yellow peppers – 1 large diced

Garlic – 6 cloves crushed

Store bought Tomato paste – 1 tbsp

Dried basil leaves crushed – 1 tsp (optional)

Tomatoes – 2 large

Cumin/Jeera powder – 1 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Red pepper flakes – 1/4 tsp

Fresh parsley leaves – 2 tsp chopped

Pepper powder – 1 tsp

4 or 5 large eggs

Feta cheese – 1/4 cup (crumbled)

Crusty bread or pita (for serving)

Salt – to taste

Preparation:

Heat a skillet and add oil. When the hoil is hot, add the chopped or crushed garlic and saute. Then, add the finely chopped onions. Saute it for about 5 minutes and when it turns translucent, add the chopped tomatoes. Saute it well until they are mushy and add the store bought tomato paste and the red chillie powder, cumin powder, dried basil leaves, red chillie flakes and saute well. Next, add the diced capsicums and stir until you get a nice aroma. Add 2 tbsp of water and let it cook in low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in between adding salt and pepper.

Now with the back of a spoon, make 4 small wells and crack an egg each directly into the 4 wells. You may gently spoon a little mixture over the whites to help contain the egg. Sprinkle little pepper and salt on top of the eggs.

Cover it with a lid and cook until the whites are opaque white in colour and the yolks are still soft or as per your preference. Usually the egg yolks should jiggle when you shake the pan. Turn off the heat and serve hot with crusty bread . Top it with chopped parsley leaves and crumbled feta.

Egg with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms

Breakfast

One of the simple dishes that I used to love in my childhood days. Mom used to prepare this with hot chappathis and I remember asking for more always. For people on diet, this is an excellent recipe to appease your hunger, substituting the potatoes with cauliflower.

You may serve it with chappathis or rice.

Ingredients:

Eggs – 2

Bell Pepper/Capsicum (Any colour) – 1

Button Mushrooms – 4 or 5 pieces

Potatoes – 1 big

Onion – 1 big

Tomato – 1 medium

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Preparation:

Slice the onions and capsicums into thin circles. Also, chop tomatoes and slice the potatoes into thin circles and keep it aside. In a bowl, beat the eggs, pepper powder (1/2 tsp) and enough salt and keep it aside.

Heat a pan and add oil. When it is hot, add the onions and fry till it is translucent. Next, add the mushrooms and potatoes and saute till it is half cooked. Add a little salt so that the potatoes absorb some of the salt. Now add the tomatoes and saute. Close and let the potatoes cook. Next, add the capsicums and cook until they are just crunchy. Do not overcook the capsicums. Take it out and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil and add the beaten eggs and stir. When they are half done, add the veggies and stir fry.

Put off the flame and take it out when the veggies are coated with the egg. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp pepper powder and serve hot.

Tamilnadu Style Mutton Drumstick Curry/Mutton Murungakkai Kuzhambu

Non-Vegetarian

A typical tamil style mutton curry which is cooked using drumsticks and potatoes. You can serve it with chapathi, dosas or rice.

Ingredients:

Mutton – 1/2 kg

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 1/4 tbsp

Red chillie powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch piece

Cloves – 2

Onion – 2 medium

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (chopped)

Drumstick – 1

Potato – 1 small

Coconut shredded or cut into pieces – 1/2 cup

Poppy seeds/Khus-khus – 1 1/2 tsp

Tomato – 2 medium

Thick tamarind pulp – 1/2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Preparation:

Wash the mutton and keep it aside, adding some salt and turmeric to it. Grind the coconut in a mixer alongwith poppy seeds to a fine paste. You may add 2 tbsp of water to make it into a smooth paste. Dice the potato and chop the onions , tomatoes and drumstick.

This is a one pot dish and you can prepare this curry in a pressure cooker. Heat a cooker and add oil. Add the cinnamon, cloves and the chopped onions. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions turn pinkish in colour. Then, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears. Next, in goes the tomatoes and the red chillie powder, coriander powder and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes. When they are sauteed well, add the washed mutton, salt, tamarind pulp and 1 tbsp of coriander leaves and saute once again for 3 to 4 minutes. You need to add 2 1/2 cups of water to it and enough salt. Close the cooker with the whistle on. After the first whistle, reduce the flame to low and cook for a further 4 to 5 whistles or on slow flame for aout 15-20 minutes, depending on the tenderness of the meat.

After 20 minutes, when the pressure cooker has cooled down, open it and add the drumstick, potatoes and the ground coconut. Close the cooker again and cook it until you hear the first whistle or for 4-5 minutes. Take it off the stove immediately.

Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with rotis or rice.

Pumpkin and Powdered Orange Peel Cake

Desserts

When my walking mate Kala gave me this perfectly spiced cake, I instantly liked the taste and the moist texture. She was gracious enough to give the recipe to me. Moist and delicate with a hint of pumpkin, spices and orange flavour, it tastes delicious even without the cream cheese frosting. You can add any nuts like pistachois or walnuts into the batter. I have not added any nuts in the cake except for decorating it on top.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour/Maida – 2 cups

Granulated Sugar – 1 1/2 cups

Chopped Pistachois – 2 tbsp (optional)

Eggs ( room temperature) – 3

Oil -1 cup (vegetable or corn oil)

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Nutmug powder – less than 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon powder – 2 tsp

Dried Ginger powder – 1/2 tsp

Dried Orange Peel Powder – 1/4 cup

Salt – a pinch

Baking powder – 2 tsp

Soda bi-carbonate – 1 tsp

Pumpkin Puree – 1 3/4 cup

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 170 C /350 F and grease a circular 9 x 13 non stick baking pan with a brush. Dust some flour into the pan so that the cake comes off easily after baking. (Optionally, you may line the pan with parchment paper).

Dice roughly about 1/4 of a medium pumpkin and steam it in a steamer. Grind it in a mixie to a puree. Measure 1 3/4 cups and keep it aside. (Or you may use a store bought pumpkin puree can).

First, mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, dried ginger powder together in a large bowl. Whisk it and set aside.

Next, mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the oil, eggs and granulated sugar. Add the pumpkin puree, dried orange peel powder and vanilla essence together until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Batter will be slightly thick. In case the batter is too thick, you may add 2 tbsps of milk.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake it for 35-40 minutes. The baking time may vary slightly in different ovens. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. You can dust the cake with powdered sugar and chopped pistachois. I prefer this to the cream cheese frosting.

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Non-Vegetarian

A popular dish from the Indian sub-continent, butter chicken is prepared using spiced tomato, butter and cream sauce. You may adjust the amount of butter and cream used as per your taste as most restaurants add in copius amounts of butter to this gravy. You may also substitute some of the butter with oil in this recipe (half and half).

Serve it with jeera rice or tandoori naan or rotis.

Ingredients:

For marinade:

Chicken (boneless) cut into cubes – 750 gms

Curds – 3/4 cup

Kashmiri Chillie powder – 1 tsp

Lime juice – 2 tsp

Red colouring (optional though I have not used it)

Salt to taste

For Gravy:

Onions Chopped Fine – 2 medium

Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsps

Tomatoes blanched and ground – 2 large

Store bought tomato paste – 1 tsp

Cumin powder /Jeera powder – 1 tsp

Cashew nut paste/Badam (Almond) Paste – 2 tbsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Cream – 2 tbsp

Dried Kasuri Methi leaves – 1tsp

Red chillie powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Butter – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for marinade together and keep it overnight (preferable) or for 1 – 2 hrs. The chicken is usually cooked in a tandoor or charcoal grilled and added to the gravy. Or you could brush the sides of a micro oven proof dish and place the marinated chicken in it. Grill on high for 3 minutes and take it out. Reserve the left out marinade juices for later use and do not discard it.

If you do not have an oven, you may add some oil in a pan and pour the chicken and marinade in it. Cook it in low flame for 5 minutes and keep it aside.

Make a paste of blanched tomatoes and keep it aside.

In another pan, heat the butter. When it becomes hot, add the chopped onions and saute till it turns translucent. Then, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears followed by blanched tomato paste, store bought tomato paste, cumin powder, chillie powder, turmeric powderand the left over marinade. Saute it well for 3 – 4 minutes and add the lime juice. Next, add the chicken and cashewnut or almond paste and 1/2 cup of water and let it boil for 3 – 4 minutes. Cover and cook it well. Lastly, add sugar, kasuri methi leaves and cream (optional).

Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with a little butter on top alongwith parathas, naan, rotis…