Rajma masala curry

Rajma cooked - 2 cups or 1 500 ml can drained and rinsed
Asafoeitida - 1 pinch
Ginger/ Garlic - 1 tsp each chopped or paste
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Jeera/ cumin- 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1 tbs
Ghee - 1 tbs
Onion- 1 large chopped
Tomato- 2 large chopped
Curry leaves - 1 stem
Coriander powder- 1 tbs
Chillie powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Garam masala- 11/2 tsp
Coconut milk - 1 cup thick

Method:

Heat the oil and ghee, splutter mustard, jeera, add asafoeitida, ginger, garlic, onion, tomato, curry leaves  and salt and cook till the tomatoes and onion are cooked well and the oil seperates. Add the powders - turmeric, coriander, chillie and 1/2 tsp of garam masala, then add the cooked rajma and 1 cup of water in which it was cooked.  Let it cook covered for 5 mts add the thick coconut milk, and cook on a v low flame for 15 - 20 mts. Add the rest of the garam masala and salt if needed. Serve with chapatti, porotta or rice.
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Quick Prawn curry

4 cups Prawns - cleaned and deveined
ginger - julienned- 1 tbs
garlic -julienned - 1 tbs
curry leaves - 3 strands
coconut oil - 1 tbs
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
turmeric - 1/8 tsp
coriander powder - 11/2 tbs
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
5 green chillies - crushed or sliced
onion - sliced 2 cups
kodum puli - 3 pieces - softened
coconut milk - 1 cup thick
salt to taste

Method:

Heat a chatti or saucepan, add oil, mustard, curry leaves, ginger, garlic and onions. Add salt and let till cook till onions are translucent and soft. Add the green chillies, powders and dry roast it. Add the puli with the water and let it boil till the oil separates. Finally add the prawns and cook it for 10 mts on a low flame with a lid, add more salt, if needed. Add the thick coconut milk and cook it for 5 more mts and let the dish rest for 2-3 hours before serving for the flavours to blend and mature.
Serve it with rice, appam, roti etc.
If desired, ginger, garlic,green chillies and onions, can be first sauteed in some oil with salt and the powders and ground to a paste; then added to the dish, after the tempering. Try it and post your comments people.

Quick curd/ yoghurt curry

Stirred Curd/ Yoghurt - 1 litre

Water - 1/2 litre

Garlic - 7-8 cloves thinly sliced

Ginger - 2-3 Tbs thinly sliced

Pearl onions- 2-3 Tbs thinly sliced

Red chillies- 4-5 nos

Curry leaves - 2-3 stems

Fenugreek seeds- 1 tbs

Cumin seeds - 1 tbs

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Chillie powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbs

Salt

Method

Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, add ginger, garlic, pearl onions/ shallots, curry leaves, red chillies and saute on  medium heat till its slightly brown. Add the powders and heat it and switch off the stove before adding the water and stirred yoghurt. Stir it well so that the curd doesn't curdle.

Enjoy with hot rice after a weekend of partying out and eating fast food. It also makes a cool and savoury drink for an upset stomach. The ginger and cumin is especially good; even for small kids with tummy aches and gases.

1 2 3 VEGGI KORMA

Hi,


This is for you- Betts. Didn't feel inspired enough to post anything for quiet sometime- when you told me how pressed for time you are- juggling work and daycare and cooking that led to some of my quick twists on old recepies.

Hope this helps on days you are too tired and crave for some comfort food.

Ingredients:

1 caulliflower -cut into florets,
1 cup frozen green peas,
2-3 carrots cubed
2-3 medium sized potatoes
1 large onion
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
kasoori methi - 1/2 tsp
cumin powder -1/2 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
coriander powder- 11/2 tsp- 2 tsp heaped
turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
green chillies slit - 3-4
salt to taste
garam masala - 1 tsp
cream - 11/2 cups

Method:

Heat a wok, add 1-2 tbs of oil, splutter the cumin and fennel seeds, saute the ginger, garlic,onion and green chillies with salt till slightly brown and fragrant. Add the spice powders- coriander powder, turmeric, cumin powder, garam masala and roast till aromatic. Add a little water and the vegetables along with the crushed kasoori methi leaves and let it cook till veggies are tender. Add the cream and let it cook a little longer, check for seasoning, add more cumin powder and or garam masala according to your preferance and serve as a side for whole wheat pita, tortilla, roti, chapatti, rice, bread etc.

To make it even simpler buy the florets and carrots pre- cut and washed  or use frozen veggies. Kasoori Methi is dried fenugreek leaves may be avoided if you don't have it.

Hope you'll try it and send me your feedback.

I used whipped cream this time, but you could try sour cream or coconut cream for a diffrent but equally tasty flavour. Greek yoghurt is also a low fat option instead of cream.

So you can really make 3 different tasting kormas by changing the type of cream - hence the name 1 2 3 ...korma.

Olan or rather Zolan

Olan with Zucchini

Ingredients:

2 large Zucchini, peeled and cubed
1 can of black eyed beans
1 can of thick coconut milk
3-4 green chillies slit
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbs coconut oil or any veg oil
2 springs of curry leaves
3 dry red chillies
3-4 shallots or pearl onions
salt to taste

Method:
Boil Zucchini with 1/2 the coconut milk and 1- 2 cups water, 1 spring of curry leaves and green chillies and salt till tender. Add the canned beans after rinsing well in water and the rest of the coconut milk and just before the curry starts boiling take it off the stove and garnish with spluttered mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, pearl onions or shallots in coconut oil.
Serve with rice as a side.
This experiment with zucchini turned out to be my 4 yr old's must have biweekly list. I also sneak in other veggies if available. Traditionally Olan is made with pumkins and gourds or yam.

Pineapple n' grape Pachadi - A perfect sweet, spicy, salty and tangy kerala sidedish

Ingredients:
1 small pineapple chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup coconut scraped
1 tsp turmeric
1tsp raw mustard seeds ground
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 dry red chillies
1 stem of curry leaves
1-2 tsp of jaggery or sugar
salt to taste
4-5 green chillies
1 cup of sour cream or curd
1 and a half cup of water
1 cup of black seedless grapes cut in half (optional)
Method;
Cook the pineapple with sour cream, water, salt and turmeric powder till soft, add the jaggery/sugar depending on your individual taste pallette. Grind the coconut with green chillies and add to the pineapple curry and add the chopped grapes and let it come to a boil. Garnish with spluttered mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Before serving as a side for rice, top it with raw ground mustard seeds.

DAL-SPARAGUS AKA ASPARAGUS DAL CURRY

1-2 cups- chana dal/ or any quick cooking lentil
3-4 cups- asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces (break off the woody portion before chopping it)
1 cup of coconut - jeera paste - grind 1 cup of coconut with 1 tsp of jeera/ cumin and 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 1/2 tsp of chillie powder
2 tsp oil/ ghee
few curry leaves
few dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbs of coconut
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
2 shallots/ onion finely sliced
1 garlic finely sliced
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Method:
Cook chana dal till done with a little turmeric , salt, 2 slit green chillies and a few curry leaves. Add the asparagus and let it cook , with the coconut paste , till it's soft. Temper curry with the flavoured ghee/ oil.
Heat the ghee/oil in a small pan, splutter the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, saute the onion/shallots/garlic till brown along with the coconut shavings, dry red chillies and curry leaves add the hing just before pouring this mixture into the curry. Let the curry rest with a lid on for sometime. Serve with rice or roti.

I served ours with rice and it brought back childhood  memories of cheera thandu curry for my hubby who enjoyed the dasparagus so much that it was finger licking good.

Hope someone will try my south indian inspired asparagus curry and post comments.

CABBAGE PACHADI -

You'll need,

2 cups finely shredded cabbage,
1 tbs oil
2 dry red chillies
2 green chillies- slit
few curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds,
1 tsp Jerra/ Cumin seeds,
1/2 inch grated ginger,
a pinch of turmeric,
salt to taste
asafoetida a pinch
2 cups of curd


Method:

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, chillies, turmeric, asafoetida, and curry leaves. After adding each ingredient give it time to release its flavour in the oil. Then add the shredded cabbage and let it cook with some salt till it wilts. Switch off the burner and add curd and stir it well. Serve as a quick side for any rice dish.

chicken curry- simple and quick

This is a regular chicken curry that I make but with 2 special ingredients that gives it a great taste.

1 large onion sliced
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
3 cardamom
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbs oil
1 tbs butter
1 tbs heaped coriander powder
1 tsp heaped garam masala or according to your taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasouri meethi)
1 diced tomato
few curry leaves
1.5 kg chicken cleaned and cut to pieces
3-4 tbs of thick coconut milk
1 tbs ginger chopped finely
1 tbs garlic chopped finely
salt to taste

Procedure

In a wok, heat oil and butter and splutter mustard seeds. Add fennel, caraway, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and curry leaves and ginger and garlic and saute till it starts to brown slightly then add the onion and salt and saute till its brown. Then add the coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and let it get heated through and release the aroma but take care and don't get it burnt. Add the tomato and let it cook till it starts to wilt and add the coconut milk and saute to get a thick masala paste. Add half a cup of water and add the chicken pieces and mix it so that the paste coats all the pieces, add in the dried crushed fenugreek leaves and place a lid and cook on a low flame for about an hour. Stir in between and serve with rice or roti when done.