Pondu Kolumbu (Garlic Curry)

Garlic is good for health & if you like the taste & flavour of garlic, you will like this dish. This recipe i learnt from my friend Meena. It tastes great & a favourite at our place!

Ingredients:

Garlic - 3 full pods

Oil - 3 tbspns

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Onion - 2 (Finely chopped)

Tomatoes - 2

Salt - to taste

Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball(soaked in water)

Fry in oil & gring to a fine paste:

Red Chillies- 8

Dhania - 4tsp

Pepper - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Channa Dhal - 3 tsps

Onion - 1

Coconut - 1 tbspn

Curry Leaves - few

Method:

1. In a pan add oil, mustard, fenugreek & once it splutters add onions & fry till golden brown, then add the garlic & fry till slightly brown.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes & stir till its well cooked. Now add the ground paste & fry for 5 minutes.

3. Then add the tamarind Water & salt & bring to a good boil.

Your Pondu Kolumbu is ready! Goes well as a side dish with rice & dhal.

Sweet Appo

"Sweet Appo" is also know as Kuli Paniyaram in tamil. You need a special vessel to make this sweet. A very tasty sweet & very easy to make.

Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1& 1/4 cup

Coconut pieces - 3 tbspns (if dersired)

Elaichi powder - 1/2 tsp

Cahews & raisins - little

Ghee - as required

Method:

1. Soak rice for an hour. Grind to a coarse paste with as less water as possible.

2. Now to this add jaggery & Elaichi (I keep the jaggery in the microwave for a minute to soften it).

3. Once everything blends well, trasfer to a vessel & add the coconut pieces, cashews & raisins.

4. Keep the Appo vessel on gas & add ghee into each hole. Then once its hot pour in this mixture & cover & cook. Once the first sides done, turn & cook other side.. takes about 5 minutes to completly be done. Keep reating the process til your batters done!

Your Appo are ready to be served.... hot or cold its yummy always!

Rajma Masala

North India is famous for its Rajma / Channa masalas. Heres my version of the same dish.. sure my fellow blogger friends have their versions too.

Sending ths to Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook - who's hosting My Legume Love Affair. Check out more details at :

http://thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-legume-love-affair-event.html

Thanks susan for hosting a great event!

Ingredients:

Rajma - 1 cup

Onion - 2 no

Tomatoes - 2 no

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Jeera-Dhania Powder - 1&1/2 tsp

Chillie powder - 1 tsp

Salt - Acc to taste

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak Rajma overnight & pressure cook for 2 whistles & set aside.

2. Grind together- onion, ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes to a fine paste.

3. In a pan add oil & fry this paste till slightly brown & raw smell of onion goes off. Then add chillie powder & jeera-dhania powder & fry well. Add little water if necessary.

4. Then add the cooked Rajma & salt & bring to a good boil. Add Garam masala & cilantro & serve hot.

You can add in a boiled potato to the gravy.. goes well & gives quantity too.

Chicken Curry

There are different ways to make a gravy, for the chicken dish & this one, i learnt from my friend Jaya. It comes out great & i've made it for 2 parties & it was a great hit!

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 whole (cut into medium size pieces)

Lime Juice- 2 tsps
Cinnamon, Cloves, Bayleaf - Few
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 5 tbspns

Pepper powder - 1tsp

Onion - 1 (chopped finely)

Tomato - 2

Grind these to a fine paste:

Red Chillies - 6

Coriander Seeds - 1tbspn

Jeera - 1 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 2tsp

Onion - 3no

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken with turmeric,pepper, half of the ground masala & lime juice for atleast an hour.

2. In a cooker, add oil, Cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf & onions. Fry till the onions are almost brown.

3. Now add the other half of the ground masala, tomatoes & fry till its well done. Takes about 10 mts.

4. Then put in the marinated chicken pieces & fry them all well for 5-7 mts.

5. Add water - 1 cup, curry leaves & salt, stir in well & close & cook for just one whistle.

Your Chicken curry is ready to be served.. goes with rice or rotis!

Mutter Panner

Mutter Panner,a all time favourite with most of us for sure. Its a great dish & perfect for rotis or nans... I am sure there are many versions of this dish & here my version.

Ingredients:

Onions- 3
Tomatoes - 2
GingerGarlic paste- 1 tsp
Panner - 1 pac (I used Nanak Brand)
Peas- 2 cups
Yoghurt- 1 tbspn
Oil- 1tbsp
Jeera Dhania powder- 3 tsps
Chillie powder- 1&1/2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Cilantro - finely chopped
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. In a pan add little oil & saute onions till transparent.Then add the chopped tomatoes & Gingergarlic paste & saute till tomatoes are cooked. Grind it to a fine paste.

2. Now add oil & fry this masala for sometime, Add jeera-dhanai powder, chillie powder & mix it well. Then add the yoghurt.

3. Now add in peas & required water & salt & bring to a boil.Then add panner & let simmer for few minutes.

4. Add garam masala & cilantro & serve hot!

Sanna Polo (Cabbage-Onion Dosa)

"Sanna Polo", a traditional Konkani dish, is loved by one & all. Its a healthy & complete meal in itself. It easy to prepare & the batter can be stored for 2-3 days. Its tasty & nutritious as well.

This is my entry to JFI - Toor Dhal hosted by Linda.

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cups
Toor dhal - 3/4 cup
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - A pinch
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Dry red chillies - 4 no.
Onion - 2
Cabbage - a big piece.
Oil - for frying dosa
Salt - acc to taste

Method:

1. Soak rice & dhal together for an hour.

2. Fry red chillies in a pinch of oil, till slightly brown.

3. Grind rice, dhal, red chillies, coconut, tamarind, salt & hing to a slightly coarse paste. Use as little was as possible. It must be a thick mixture.

4. Transfer to a vessel & add to it finely chopped onions & cabbage. Mix all well.

5. Heat a dosa pan & take a hand full of the batter in your hand and spread on dosa pan with hands. It must be 1/4 inch thick. Put oil & coverwith a lid to cook. Takes about 3-4 minutes.

6. Then turn & cook other side too till golden brown.

Serve hot or cold.. yummy always! Goes well with rice & dhal, or just eat it as such. You can use the same batter & fry like vadas. They are called Cabbage Ambodos. Another way is steam the same batter like idlis & its called Sanno Khotto... so its a 3 in 1 dish!!

Jeev Batana Bhuthi (Green Peas Curry)

Jeev Batana Bhuthi - Literal translation is fresh peas curry, is a dish that goes well with Rice or chappathi. Its my all time favourite !!

Ingredients:

Green Peas - 2 cups

Coconut - 3/4th cup

Red Chillies - 4

Corriander seeds - 2tsps

Tamarind - a pinch

Onions - 3

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Oil - 2tbspns

Method:

1. Roast red chillies in a little oil. Then grind together coconut, tamarind, Red chillies, corriander seeds to a fine paste.

2. In a pan add oil & add mustard seeds, when it splutters, ass the finely chopped onions & fry till transparent.

3. Then add the ground masala & saute for few minutes. Now add the peas, add little water & salt & let it simmer for 10 minutes till you get desired consistency.

Serve hot!! You can make this same curry with just onions or even tindora. Comes out great.

FANTASTIC FOUR MEME

Dear friends,

Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My first Meme, in this world of blogging. I am s.........o very excited!! Bhawna of http://www.frommypalate.blogspot.com has tagged me for this & i am all ready, to play along.....with all my other friends.

Thanks Bhawna for tagging me - my very FIRST tag :-)

FANTASTIC FOUR MEME:

Four Places i've lived....
1. Trichy
2. Libya
3. Chennai
4. St.Louis

Four Jobs i've had...
1. A loving daughter to my parents.
2. A good friend, philosopher & guide to the many friends i made along so far.
3. A sweet wife (Do i hear a grumble!!???)
4. A loving mom to my girls.

Four Favourite places i've holidayed...
1. Kodaikanal
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Yosemite National park

Four Favourite foods...
1. Baby corn manchurian
2. Any chaat item
3. Stuffed Parathas.. any kind.
4. Tandoori Chicken

Four Places i'd rather be...
1. Chennai.
2. Hawaii ( Love this place)
3. Relaxing anywhere with my family
4. Any place where i can get pampered 24/7!! :-)

So that my Meme.. Hope u all came to know a little more about ME!! Now, its my turn to Tag four of my friends, hmm......... lets see, I'd like to tag.....

1. Ramya - Mane Adige
2. Sagari - Indian home cooking
3. TBC - The Budding Cook
4. Kribha - Veetu Samayal

My dear friends, please play along............ its fun & we your blogger friends, would like to get to know you a little more better!!

SHUBH DEEPAVALI

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DIWALI

May God, shower his blessings on each of us, for a life filled with Peace, Prosperity & Happiness.

Gova Kichidi (Wheat Kichidi)

"Gova Kichidi" is again a Manglorean sweet. Not many of you, would have heard / tasted it. Its made from Broken wheat (Samba Godumai - Tamil). Some of us use broken wheat to make upma.. but you must be wondering sweet... is that right?? Yes, its a sweet & tastes yummy!!

Ingredients:

Broken wheat - 1 cup

Channa dhal - 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Sugar - 1&1/2 cups

Ghee - 4-5 tbspns

Elaichi powder - 1/2 tsp

Cashews - few

Raisins - few

Method:

1. Take broken wheat & channa dhal in a vessel. Wash once. Add required water & pressure cook for 2 whistles. (Channa dhal must not get mashed up!!)

2. Now put this in a pan along with, coconut, sugar, ghee & on a medium high heat, keep stirring.

3. It will seem liquidy, but as you cook, it will thicken & come together.

4. Then add elaichi powder & stir in well.

5. In another pan add little ghee & add cashews & raisins - fry them a little & add to the kichidi.

Your Gova kichidi is ready... serve slightly warm.

Cornflakes Mixture

Mixture - This is a snack we all love, munch it anytime & we sometimes even forget how much of this goes in, specially when your watching a movie. A hot cup of tea & mixture is perfect for evening time...

Ingredients:

Cornflakes - 1 bag

Wheat barn Cereal - 2 cups

Peanuts - 2 cups

Split peas dhal - 1 cup

Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup

Potato fingers - 1/2 packet

Boondi

Sev

Salt - acc to taste

Chillie powder - acc to taste

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Make Boondi & sev & set aside.

2. Deep fry - cashew nuts, peanuts, curry leaves.

3. Add all ingredents now to a big vessel, add salt & chillie powder & give it all a nice shake couple of times.

Your mixture is ready!! Its a simple & easy mixture.. faster & more healthy version as very few things are deep friend. Munch as much as u want & dont have to worry on the calorie part :-)

Chur Mundo ( Besan & Wheat Flour Laddo)

"Chur Mundo" is a Manglorean sweet, & is very tasty & yummy to eat. My family loves this one & so do my friends.

Ingredients:

Besan - 1 cup

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 & 3/4 cup

Elaichi Powder- to taste

Ghee - as required

Method:

1. In a pan fry the besan with 2 tsps of ghee till golden brown.

2. To the same add the wheat flour & fry till the raw smell goess off. Takes about 15 mts.Then let it cool for few minutes.

3. Now add the powdered sugar to this mixture, along with Elaichi powder.

4. Mix everything well. Add required ghee & mix the flour till its easy enough for you to make laddos.

5. Make small laddos & serve.

Chur Mundo is all done for your guests!!

Thatai (Nippat)

Thatai - is a nice crunchy, munchy snack that all love. Its easy to make & has a long shelf life too... if it last that long!!

I got this recipe from my friend Gayathri, a few years ago & have made many times. Its comes out great everytime!! Thanks Gayathri, for a great recipe :-)

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 cup

Udad Flour - 1 tbspn

Channa Dhal - 1/2 cup

Hing - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Chillie powder - 3/4 tsp

Butter - 1 tbspn

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Soak Channa dhal in water for an hour. Drain & set aside.

2. Measure all other ingredients & add the channa dhal & mix well, till butter mixes well with all the flour.

3. Then add required water & make dough like chappathi batter.

4. Make small balls & set aside.

5. If u have a "Roti Maker" U can press the small ball on that. This helps in faster making process & gets a almost perfect round shape. Else use 2 ziplocs greased with some oil & pat this ball in between them with your fingers to get a even layered round shape.

6. Deep fry in oil, till slightly golden brown.

Your Thatai is ready!!

Seven Cups Burfi

"Diwali" - The festival of lights, is a festival, celebrated throughout India. Its a festival of lights, fire works, sweets & savouries. Sure all are getting geared up, to celebrate this festival & are making some amazing sweets & snacks in their kitchen !!

Well, here's my first post for this occasion...This recipe is my mom's & i learnt it from her.

Ingredients:

Badam - 1 cup

Besan - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 3 cups

Method:

1. Soak badam in water for couple of hours. Then peel the skin off & grind badam along with milk to a fine paste.

2. Now pour this ground paste in a pan, along with all other ingredients & stir on a medium high flame continuously.

3. After about 20 minutes, you'll see it thickens & bubbling up.

4. Wait for another few minutes & you'll see it bubble up more & leave sides of vessel.Usually time taken to get right consistency is anywhere from 25 - 30 minutes.

5. Then transfer to a greased plate. Wait till slightly cool to cut into pieces.

Your burfi is all ready to be served!!