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.
Another easy recipe which can be prepared in a jiffy. You can serve it with rice and sambar or yogurt and with chapathis also.
pic 1
pic 2
pic 3
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.
Another favourit street snack from Mumbai and Calcutta, these are mini crunchy puris served with boiled potatoes and lentils with a sweet n sour , spicy tangy water. There are many snacks that come under the Indian chaat items but paani puri is a clear winner !
Add oil to the semolina
Mix well
Add soda bi carbonate
Add maida
Add soda water
Mix well and if reqd, add more soda water
Knead and keep it to rest for 1 hour
Roll out into a big circle
Check out the thickness of the rolled out circle
Using a round cutter, cut out into small circles
Deep fry the puris
Flip to the other side when golden
Fried crispy puris
Boiled potatoes
Green chutney/water
Ingredients:
Potatoes – 3 big cut into cubes
Dates Tamarind chutney – 1 cup
Coriander Mint chutney – 1 cup
Soaked and cooked green moong dal/black chick peas – 1/2 cup
Chat masala – 1/2 tsp
Dry mango powder/Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp
Sev (optional) – 1/4 cup
Preparation:
For Puris
Semolina/Rava – 1 cup
Soda bi carbonate – 3 to 4 pinches
All purpose flour/Maida – 1 tbsp
Soda water – 6 tbsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, add semolina, oil, baking soda and salt. With your fingers, mix the oil evenly with the semolina. Now, add maida/all purpose flour to this mixture.
Mix again very well so that the all purpose flour is mixed evenly. Add 3 tbsp soda water first. Mix again. Then add 1 tbsp soda water more and begin to knead the dough. The semolina absorbs water while kneading. Add water in parts while kneading.
Then add 3 tbsp more of the soda water and continue to knead. The kneading is very important in getting the perfect pani poori texture. The dough should not be too soft or too hard. If you make the dough soft, then add 1 to 3 tsp more of the sooji. If the dough looks hard, then add sprinkle some water and continue to knead.
Knead it again as the elasticity in the dough helps in rolling the dough without cracks and thinly. When rolling, the dough should roll easily without any cracks. Knead to a semi soft elastic dough and keep it in a bowl or pan.
Cover the dough with a moist kitchen towel or napkin and allow the dough to rest for 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes, knead the dough again. Divide the dough into 4 parts and knead out one part into a big circle. With a round cutter, make 5 to 6 small circles, cut it out and deep fry it in hot oil. The oil should be really hot while frying. Gently nudge each puri while it is dropped into the oil. This helps the puris to puff up easily. When it turns golden brown, flip it to the other side and cook. Remove when it turns golden brown on this side. Repeat this process for the other 3 parts of the dough.
When the puris cool down, store these puris in an airtight container.
Preparing the dal and the potatoes
Soak black chana dal or green moong dal in water for 4 to 5 hours. Pressure cook black chana dal with a pinch of salt for 2 -3 whistles. or if using green moong dal, boil it in a vessel with a pinch of salt and enough water. Keep it aside when cooked and water has been absorbed.
Cut the boiled potatoes into cubes and keep it aside. Sprinkle it with little chat masala and jeera powder. Add the boiled black chick peas or green moong to it and mix.
Assembling the puris
Keep the coriander mint chutney and tamarind chutney in a bowl, ready to serve (recipe below).
To serve, tap the puri gently at the centre lightly to make a half inch hole in it. Add about 1 teaspoon of the potato dal filling into the puri. Fill the puri with some tamarind dates chutney and coriander mint water and serve.
Green chutney:
Mint leaves – 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves – 1/2 cup
Green chillie – 1
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
Lemon – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Chat masala powder – 1 tsp
Kala namak (black rock salt/sanchal) – 1/4 tsp
Water – 4 cups
Wash the leaves thoroughly. Transfer all the above ingredients to a mixer jar and 3/4 – 1 cup of water and grind it to a smooth paste. Add the rest of the water and grind again. The green chutney water is ready.
Tamarind Dates chutney
Deseeded dates – 1 cup
Deseeded Tamarind – 1/2 cup tamarind pulp
Roasted cumin seeds powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp
Black Salt/Rock Salt/Sanchal – 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
In a bowl, mix tamarind and dates with 2 cups of hot water and soak for for 1 hour. Blend them in a mixie alongwith the water, to a smooth paste. Sieve it and keep it aside.
Heat a pan. Transfer the tamarind-dates pulp to it. Add rock salt, red chillie powder, salt, cumin seeds powder and cook for 2 -3 minutes. Boil once stirring in between. Put off the flame and let it cool. You can store this chutney in the fridge in an air tight container for a month.
A lip smacking sandwich made with kheema or minced meat which everyone will enjoy. You can make this sandwich with omelette, cheese, filing of potato or chicken also.
Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
Bread slices (white or brown) – 4
Butter – 1 1/2 tsp
Cooked kheema or minced meat – 4 tbsp
Oil – 2 tsp (to brush on the sandwich maker)
Preparation:
Take 2 breadslices. On one of the slices, apply a little butter. Top it with some cooked minced meat and close it with the other slice. Grease the sandwich maker and place the sandwich on it. You may use omelette or a filling of cheese instead of the minced meat.
On a low flame, place the sandwich maker and cook the sandwiches. When one side turns golden, flip to the other side and cook the other side. Make sure to remove and check in between if the sandwiches have been cooked to avoid sticking to the sandwich maker.
Made with the goodness of carrots, these wheat cakes are moist and delicious. Easy and made with kitchen staples, this one is a must try.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour – 2 1/2 cups
Baking powder – 2 tsp
Soda bi-carbonate – 1/2 tsp
Eggs – 5
Oil – 1 1/2 cups
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 2 cups
Grated carrot – 2 1/2 cups
Vanilla essence – 2 tsp
Chopped walnuts – 1/4 cup (optional)
Preparation:
Sift wheat flour, baking powder, soda bi-carbonate and salt. Mix well and keep aside.
In a mixer, powder the sugar finely.
Separate the yolks and whites. Froth the egg whites and keep separately.
In a deep wide bowl, add the sugar and oil. Beat it on high in an electric hand beater/mixer and then add the yolks and beat again for 4 to 5 minutes. Next, add the vanilla essence and grated carrot and beat well. Now, reduce the speed of the beater to minimum or with a spatula, slowly fold in the flour. Gradually, add the beaten egg whites and mix gently. Make sure that you do not vigorously mix the batter as the cake will rise and fall flat when it bakes.
Grease a 8×2 inches circular pan with butter or oil. Pour the mixture into it. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 45 – 60 mts. Check to ensure that it is baked by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cake after 45 minutes. If the batter does not stick to the tooth pick, the cake is baked or else, bake for some more time.
A nutritious lip smacking dosa recipe with oats which is healthy and guilt free too. Very crispy and tasty, this one is a must try. Makes 15 dosas.
Ingredients:
Oats – 1 cup
Idli rice – 2 cups
Udad dal – 1/2 cup
Chana dal/bengal gram dal – 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water for grinding
Oil for preparing dosas
Preparation:
Take a wide bowl. Wash and soak the idli rice, udad dal, fenugreek seeds and bengal gram dals together for 3-4 hours.
Then grind the soaked ingredients adding oats to it little by little. (You need not soak the oats). Do not add too much water to grind.
Once the batter is ground fine, add salt and sugar and ferment it for 8 hrs. Place the batter in a fairly big vessel as the batter will double up in size when it ferments.
When the batter rises, beat it well and now you are ready to start preparing the dosas.
Take a griddle and heat it. When it becomes hot, grease it with oil and take a ladle full of batter and pour it. Starting from the center, spread the batter in circular motion to form a thin dosa.
Drizzle a tsp of oil all around the sides of the dosa and when it becomes golden in colour, flip it and cook for a minute. Turn it again and take it off the pan.
Before you pour the next dosa, sprinkle the griddle with little water and then grease it again and pour the dosa. This step must be done before every dosa is poured onto it.
Serve it with sambar or chutney of your choice.
Note: The bengal gram dal and sugar enhances the golden colour of your dosas.
A coconut milk based curry from the kitchens of Kerala that can be served with rice or rotis. A mildly spiced curry, this one will not disappoint if you love coconut milk.
Ingredients:
Ladies finger – 300 gms
Tomato – 1 medium
Green chillies slit – 3
Bay leaf – 2 small
Onions – 1 big sliced
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Garlic sliced – 4 sliced
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Curry leaves – 1/2 sprig
Coconut milk powder – 2 tbsp or Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup
Preparation:
Cut the ladies finger into 1/2 inch long pieces. Slice the onions, slit the green chillies and chop the tomatoes.
Take a pan. Heat it and add oil. When it becomes hot, add the bay leaves and then the sliced onions and chopped garlic to it. Saute well and add the green chillies and the curry leaves and stir it for 2 minutes. Next, add in the tomatoes and the turmeric powder and saute well till the tomatoes become mushy. Then, add the chopped ladies finger and saute lightly. Add salt and the coconut milk (if using coconut milk powder, dissolve 2 tbsp in 1/2 cup water) to the ladies finger.
Lower the flame to low and cover and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. If it absorbs all the liquid, add 2 tbsp of water. Make sure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
When it is done, remove and serve with rice or rotis.
Get the party started with these amazing cheese balls. A hit with adults as well as kids, these have a crispy outer crust with a oozing cheesy inside. Indulge yourself with this super easy recipe….
Take 3 to 4 pieces of fresh bread and powder it coarsely in mixer. Keep it aside.
In a mixing bowl, add cheese, bread crumbs, cornflour, maida, ginger, pepper powder, lemon juice, chopped ginger, chopped green chillies, roasted cumin powder, salt, coriander leaves and 1 tbsp of water. Mix it all well.
Take small portions of the the mixture and shape it into small balls.
Heat oil. When the oil becomes really hot, lower the flame to low and slide the balls gently into the oil. When it becomes golden, flip it to the other side and fry.
When it becomes golden and crisp, take it out and drain it on a kitchen tissue.
A popular South Indian street food delicacy, this dish originated in Srilanka, and is prepared by shredding the parotas or rotis into bite size pieces and adding eggs and/or meat and vegetables and stir frying them with some spices.
It is usually prepared by placing the shredded parottas on a greased hot griddle and mixing and pounding it with a heavy iron spatula and then the street vendors craft their kothu parottas. You can also add leftover meat or meat sauce to this but I have prepared without the addition of any gravy or sauce to this.
Even without the sauce, this dish bursts with some awesome flavours which can be enjoyed for breakfast or dinner.
Serves 3.
Eggs/curry leaf/capsicum/cabbage and carrot
Shredded chapathis
Saute the onions and veggies
Add eggs to the sauteed veggies and cook
Ingredients:
Oil – 2 tbsp
Parotta – 3 or chapathis – 6
Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
Onion – 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato – 1
Tomato ketchup – 1 tsp (optional)
Carrot – 1/3 cup chopped
Capsicum – 1/3 cup chopped
Cabbage – 1/3 cup chopped
Green chillies – 1 chopped fine
Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp
Paneer – 2 tbsp grated (optional)
Peas – 1 tbsp (optional)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Eggs – 3
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt- as required
Garam masala powder – a pinch (optional)
Coriander leaves chopped – 2tbsp
Preparation:
Shred the parotta or the chappathis into bite size pieces as shown in picture above. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan. On a medium flame, add the chopped green chillies, curry leaves and onions and saute them well. Once they turn golden, add the ginger garlic paste and stir fry for another two minutes. Now add the tomato and the chopped carrots alongwith the turmeric powder, red chillie powder and saute them for a minute. Next, add the peas, cabbage, capsicum and saute again adding ketchup until the raw smell disappears. Adjust the salt. Thereafter, break the eggs and add them making a well in between the vegetables. (Move the vegetables to the side of the pan and break the eggs in between and cook). When they are half cooked, add the shredded parotta or chappathi and combine well.
You may add the grated panner at this stage, if using it.
Add lime and garam masala and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Note: You can also add leftover chicken or meat or gravy of the meat to the parotta at the end and mix well and serve.
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.
Meal Haven 