Avial

Avial is one of the popular dishes of Kerala and Tamilnadu. Its mandatory and  part of Sadya preparation , a feast during Onam festival.
  Its one of my favourites and can be classified as positively pranic for the body as it has white pumpkin and does not have onion.
Since most of the veggies used in this dish are asian,finding them all together in indian grocery stores is very rare. I have made it with frozen veggies got from indian shop.

Ingredients:
Avial vegetables- 500 gms
(white pumpkin,plaintain, yam,cucumber,Drumstick,carrot,beans)
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Grated coconut-5 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Green chillies-2-3 nos
Beaten yoghurt or buttermilk- 1 cup.

For Tempering:
Coconut oil-1 tbsp
Curry leaves-a sprig

Method:
   In a hot pan, add oil ,temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves, add the frozen vegetables. Normally in india we used to pressurecook the vegetables with turmeric and salt as they can be got fresh. Add a ground paste of coconut,cumin seeds and green chillies and adjust salt till done. Once done turn the stove off and add buttermilk or beaten yoghurt. Serve hot with rice.

Poha or Aval Upma

I love beaten rice or poha. It is normally made for dinner or sometimes as an evening snack. It makes you feel full plus its less in calories. Its my favourite and it can be done in less than 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready.

INGREDIENTS:
Poha or beaten rice-2 cups(soaked in water for a minute and strained).
Onions-1 no(finely chopped)
Potato- 1no(cut in to thin slices)
Green chillies-2-3 nos(slit in to 2)
Curry leaves-a sprig
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Grated coconut(optional)- 3 tsp.
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Chana dal- 2tsp
Urad dal- 2tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp(optional)

Method:
   In a hot pan add 2 tbsps oil, add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds till the dals become brown and mustard seeds crackle. Add curryleaves, onions,green chillies, salt, turmeric till onions become translucent. Add potatoes slices and fry and add the strained poha and adjust salt and saute till done. Add grated coconut in the end before switching off the heat. I have not added coconut. Serve hot with coconut chutney or it can be taken as a snack without any accompaniment.

Cauliflower Potato Korma and Green Salad

Cauliflower Korma:

Ingredients:

 Cauliflower-1/2 (cut in to large florets and washed in hot salt water)
 Potatoes-3large ones(peeled and cut in to large cubes)
 Onions-1no(finely chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste-1tbsp
Tomatoes-2 small ones(diced fine)
Red chilli powder-2tsps(adjust to taste)
Curry powder-1 tsp
Garam masala-1tsp

 To grind:
 Coconut(grated)-1/2 or coconut milk-120 gms
Green chillies-3-4 nos
Cumin seeds-1 tsp

 To Temper:

Cinnamon-1/4 inch
Cloves-2nos
Cardamom-1no
Fennel seeds-1 tsp
curry leaves-a sprig

 For Garnishing: Coriander leaves-a bunch.

Method: In a pressure cooker, add a tablespoon oil and all the tempering ingredients,onions and a pinch of salt. When the onions are translucent,add turmeric,Ginger garlic paste and saute till the masala odour fades. Add the diced tomatoes and saute. Add the cauliflower florets, potatoes, all the powders and cook till the vegetables get coated and half cooked. Add the grounded paste of coconut,cumin, green chillies. Adjust salt to taste. Add some water and allow it to cook till done. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.

 GREEN SALAD:

Ingredients:
 Iceberg lettuce- 1
 Capsicum(red)- 1/2
Cucumber-1/2
Carrot- 1/2
cherry tomatoes-6-7 nos

Dressing: olive oil, lemon and salt


 METHOD: In a large salad bowl, add all the ingredients and add the dressing. Toss them together. Serve.

Vegetable Biriyani

Its a long time since I blogged. I have made up mind to blog very often as it makes me feel good. I lost most of my pictures when my mobile crashed. I made vegetable biriyani and loved it. Let me take you through the traditional simple south indian recipe. This is my modified version.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice- 3 cups(washed thrice and kept aside).
Carrot- 3 medium nos(cubed)
Beans- 250 gms(cut in to large sizes)
Potato(large)- 2 nos(cut in to large pieces than carrot and beans)
Onions-2 (finely chopped)
Tomatoes-3 (diced)
Mint leaves-a bunch(cleaned and washed well)
Green chillies-5 nos(slit)
Cashews-100 gms(fried in 1 tbsp ghee fot garnishing)
Oil- 2 tbsp
Ghee-2 tbsp.
Ginger Garlic paste-2 tsps.

For Garnishing:
Coriander leaves-1bunch.

Spices:
Cinnamon-1" stick
Cardamom-3 nos
Cloves-2 nos
Fennel seeds-3 tsps.

Biriyani masala-2 tsps(any brand-available in indian shops).

Method:
In a heavy bottomed vessel or pan, add  1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee . Once hot , add all the spices , green chillies, Onions and fry well. Add a pinch of salt. Fry till onions are translucent. Once onions are fried, add ginger garlic paste and fry well till the masala smell fades. Add the tomatoes and fry well. Add all the vegetables , biriyani masala and rice(coated with remaining one tbsp oil). Add mint leaves and add salt to taste. Transfer to the rice cooker and add the cashews fried in ghee. Add 6 cups of water with the same measuring cup used for rice measurement.  Wait till rice is cooked. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Potato and Soybean Fry

I have never seen frozen soybeans and i was happy to find it in an asian grocery shop in westfield shopping centre. I love the combination of potatoes and soybeans and thought that I'll make a dry preparation.
Ingredients :
Potato(large)-4 nos
Soybeans - 1 cup(frozen ones)
Onion-1(finely chopped)
Garlic-3 cloves(cut fine)
Curry leaves-a sprig
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Red chilli powder- 2 -3 tsps
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing.
Oil for frying-2 tbsps.

METHOD:
  In a hot pan, add oil, cumin seeds, curry leaves,chopped onion,garlic and fry till the onions become translucent. Add turmeric, potatoes and toss them in oil till the potatoes get coated. Add redchillipowder,salt and fry till masala smell fades. Add thawed soybeans after 1 min in the microwave,adjust salt and add water till the potatoes get submerged and close it with lid till they are cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice and dal.

Egg plant and Soy beans masala

This is the first time I am cooking with soy beans. I got them from an asian grocery shop in westfield shopping centre.  They are from the frozen section. I thawed them in a microwave for one minute before adding them to the eggplant masala. The recipe is different as we usually add potatoes to the egg plants.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 Medium size eggplants
Frozen Soy beans- 1 cup( thawed).
Onion- 1 no ( finely chopped)
Tomato-  1 no ( finely  diced)
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp.
Chilli powder- 2 tsp
Coriander powder- 3 tsp
Tamarind extract- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste.

For tempering:
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Channa dal- 2 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Oil to fry.

For Garnishing:
A bunch of coriander leaves

Method:
To a hot pan, add oil. Once the oil is medium hot, add channa dal, urad dal. Fry till they are golden brown. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, mustard seeds till mustard crackles. Now add the chopped onions with a pinch of salt. Once the onions are translucent, add the diced tomatoes, turmeric powder. Try to mash the tomatoes as to extract the juices and make them tender. Add the cut eggplant and add all the powders. Toss them till all the pieces are evenly coated with the masala. Add salt. Cover up with a lid for 5 minutes. Add the thawed soybeans. Mix them well and allow them to cook for 5 min. Add tamarind extract and allow them to cook for another 3 minutes. Once done, garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice.

Zucchini and cucumber mor kuzhambu

I love mor kuzhambu. In india they usually make it with  vegetables which have more water content like white pumpkin, chayote squash, bottle gourd and snake gourd. Attimes they make it with ladies finger.
Ingredients:
Zucchini- 2 nos
Cucumber- 1 no
Onions- 1 no ( chopped)
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp.

To grind:

Green chillies-4 -5 nos
Coconut (ground)- 1/4
Cumin seeds- 2-3 tsps.

For tempering:
Coconut oil -1 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp.
Curry leaves- a sprig.

Method:
  In a hot pan, add oil, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, onions, salt, zucchini, cucumber, turmeric and saute for a while. Add  little water ,salt allow the vegetables to half cook. When they  are half done,  add the ground paste of coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies. Allow them to simmer for a while. Once the vegetables are cooked , turn off the stove and allow to cool. Add buttermilk to it. Serve with hot rice.

Egg masala and Kale greens poriyal

Kale greens poriyal:
   Yesterday when I went to Westfield shopping centre, I found kale greens in a local grocery shop. I have heard a lot about kale that it is rich in antioxidants.

I made a basic poriyal with the stalk and leaves after washing them with salt and water. The stalk needs to be chopped fine.

 Ingredients:

 Kale greens- 1bunch
Onions-1 no( chopped fine)
Garlic-5-6 cloves (cut fine)
Coconut -2 tbsps(grated)
Redchillies- 6-8 nos
Curry leaves-a sprig
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

 For tempering:
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Channa dal- 1 tbsp
Urad dal- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp.

 Method:

 In a hot pan, add 1 tbsp oil. When the oil is medium hot, add channa dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, red chillies, mustard seeds till the dals get golden brown and mustard seeds crackle. Add chopped onions,garlic and fry till they get translucent. Adding a pinch of salt makes the onions get cooked soon. Once the onions are done, add the greens and adjust the salt. Sprinkle some water and close the lid and cook until done. Add grated coconut and fry till water dries completely. Serve hot with rice and any gravy of your choice.

 Eggmasala:
 Ingredients:
 Eggs- 5 ( hard boiled)
Onions- 1( chopped fine)
 Tomato- 1( diced fine)
Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder- 2 tbsp
Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
 Extract of a lemon sized tamarind.

 To temper:
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-7 nos
 Oil to fry
 Salt to taste.

For Garnishing:
A bunch of coriander leaves.

 Method: In a hot pan, add oil, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, onions and fry till onions get golden brown.Add tomato and cook . Add all the powders, salt till they get fried. Make sure the powders don't get burnt. Add water and cook till the masala smell fades. Add tamarind extract and adjust salt. Add hardboiled eggs. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Wheat dosa and groundnut chutney

I am not an ardent fan of rotis and I felt like eating dosas. Mom used to prepare wheat dosas with coconut chutney as breakfast often. I love it when she adds coriander, onions and cumin seeds to it.
   Unfortunately I didn't have roasted chana dal for chutney so I made it with peanuts. But the recipe is different to normal coconut chutney.

Wheat dosa:
Ingredients:
Wheat flour- 3 cups
Rice flour-1 cup
Salt to  taste
Water to make batter

To mix
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves- a bunch
Onions-1 no ( finely chopped)

Method
   In a wide vessel, add wheat flour,rice flour and a cup of water with salt and mix well. Make sure that no lumps are formed. To get rid of lumps, press them against sides of the vessel with a flat spatula. Add water to get a batter consistency.
In a nonstick hot tawa, pour one ladle of prepared dosa batter and make dosas till crisp. No need to add oil.
   Can garnish with onion, cumin seeds, coriander leaves. Add little oil to cook onions.
    Good for diabetics.

Groundnut chutney:
Ingredients:
Peanuts-1 cup
Garlic- 3 cloves.
Green chilies-4 nos
Coconut- 1/4 cup.
salt to taste

Method:
Grind all the ingredients together in to a coarse paste in a blender. Add water if required to get a desired consistency. Can temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. But I didn't as I didn't want to add more oil as coconut and peanuts have more oil content.

Serve wheat dosas with  ground nut chutney.

Chicken soup

Chicken soup is usually made when you have cold. I made this during winter.

Ingredients:

Chicken-1/4 kgs
Onion -1 (diced,sauteed in oil and blended)
Tomato- 1(diced fine)
Ginger-1/2 inch piece (cut thin and blended in a mixie jar)
Garlic-5-7 cloves(ground paste)
Sambhar powder-2 tsps
chicken masala (MTRbrand)- 1 tsp.
Pepper-1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Oil for frying

To temper:
Fennel seeds-1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon-1/4 inch
Cardamom-1 no
Cloves-2 nos
Curry leaves-a sprig.

Method: In a hot pan, add oil and all the tempering ingredients till you get their aroma . Add curry leaves, onions and fry well. Add ginger and garlic ground paste. Saute them till the smell of ginger and garlic fades. Add tomatoes, turmeric,salt and fry well. Add chicken, sambhar powder, chicken masala and fry well. Add salt to taste and pressure cook for 3 whistles till done. Remove lid and allow it to boil for a while. Sprinkle pepper before serving. Can add ground coconut to make a gravy if required. Garnish with coriander and curry leaves.

Healthy juice

Its the end  of  winter  here .Its always good to stay hydrated. Hence I used a juicer and made a juice from one carrot, one apple,a 3 inch celery stick and one inch ginger . No need to add sugarh. Its very energetic and refreshing !!

Hotel Sambhar

Its ages since I blogged. I would like to add a few recipes which I would like to try. This blog would serve as a bookmark so that I will never forget the recipes which I would like to cook. This recipe is got from the indusladies website. This is to get homemade sambhar close to hotel sambhar. I got a tip which i would like to share
To get hotel sambhar grind a few pearl onions(shallots) and green chillies to your regular sambhar. I would love to post a few recipes of different types of sambhar:-)....
Hotel Sambhar

Ingredients
Toor dhal- Half a cup
Moong dhal- Half  a cup
Red onions/pearl onions/sambar onion : 100 grams
Green chillies 3 nos.
Tomatoes : 2 nos. finely chopped
Coriander leaves : half a cup
curry leaves : about 5/6 leaves
Sambar powder : 3 tsps
Tamarind paste : one and half tsp.
salt to taste
oil/ghee : 1 tsp each
mustard seeds/one red chilly for seasoning
Method
Put ingredients 1 to 8 in a container or straight away in the pressure pan and pressure cook it till you get 2/3 whistles. Take a pan or a container in which you are going to make the sambar, add oil and ghee together. Once the oil/ghee mixture is hot add mustard Seeds and red chillies. Once mustard splutters or crackles add the dhal/onion mixture cooked in the pressure cooker.   Add tamarind paste and  salt as needed. If the mixture is thick you can add water to get the consistency. Allow this to boil for 10 minutes. You will get good aroma of the sambar. Garnish  with more coriander leaves and serve with idlies/dosas. Try this and let me know

Mixed Vegetables Curry

I brought some frozen Undhiyo vegetables from an indian shop and was wondering what to do with them.Here in melbourne we don't get indian eggplants quite easily.We get them in Asian grocery shops or indian shops if we are lucky.This curry is a type of ready made curry which can be done quite fast if we have all the ready made stuff at home.
UNDHIYO VEGETABLES TAMARIND CURRY:
Ingredients:
Undhiyo vegetables(frozen)-1 packet
(Indian brinjals,Indian broad beans,Yam,Raw Plantain,baby potatoes)
Onion-1 no(Big-chopped medium size)
Tomato-2(Medium size).
Turmeric-a pinch
Red chilli powder or Sambhar powder-2 tsp
Coriander powder-3 tsp
Tamarind-a lemon size(extract juice by adding water)
Salt to taste


For Tempering:
Cumin seeds-1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Curry leaves-a bunch
For Garnishing:
Coriander leaves
Method:
In a hot kadai,add oil.When the oil is medium hot add cumin seeds,mustard seeds and curry leaves.After the mustard seeds splutter add onions and fry them till they are translucent.
Now add the tomatoes and fry for a while.Add the undhiyo vegetables,red chilli powder,turmeric and coriander powder.Mix well and cook till the vegetables are half cooked say abt 5 minutes.Now add the tamarind extract and allow the vegetables to completely cook till the curry attains a semigravy consistency.Garnish with coriander leaves and curry leaves.Serve hot with rice and Papad.

Vazhakkai fry

I wanted to post atleast one recipe by the end of this year.I had taken a lot of photographs of my cooking over the past year thinking that I could post them.Unfortunately I lost most of the photographs.This photo was taken by my mobile camera.Soon I will get a new one.This is one of my mom's recipes which I enjoy everytime I get.
Ingredients:
Raw banana or Plantain-2 nos (cut horizontally in to thin slices).
Red chilli powder-2 tsps.
Turmeric-1/4 tsp.
Asafoetida or Hing-a pinch
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-one sprig

Oil for frying(2 tbsps)

Method:
In a hot kadai add 2tbsps oil(any oil).I use Canola oil as it has less saturated & more monounsaturated fats.In kerala,they use coconut oil for making this recipe.Add mustard.When the mustard seeds crackle add curry leaves,Asafoetida & sliced plantain.Add redchillipowder,turmeric & salt to taste.Mix well till the masala sticks well to the vegetable.Keep on frying in a low flame till the vegetable is crispy & the masala smell fades.Mom used to add some water in the end(she uses less oil)Garnish with a sprig of curry leaves.Serve with rice.Good combination with Sambhar rice,Rasam & Curd rice.

Busy Preparing for exams

Finally, I am able to get up early in the morning ,do some breathing exercises which makes me feel fresh & energetic through out the day.I am planning to study hard for the exams next year.Investing a lot of money for these exams is a nerve racking experience. I hope investing a lot physically ,mentally & financially will make me put of a lot of effort.Everyday I am going through stevepavlina so that I can get more motivation.My parents & my brother"M"have been giving me a lot of support in a lot of ways which I am very much indebted for.I am really a gifted person to have them.

Struggling Hard with Time Management.

I am Sorry everyone that I was very busy with work and studies.I am trying to become more organized.Time is going very fast and it has become very difficult for me to keep pace with it.I am struggling hard to make the most out of my time.I have been going through several books and blogs to improve my time management skills.I wish I become a very organised person .I need you to wish me success in managing time effectively & efficiently.I wish everyone "All the best ".See you soon.

My First Post

I just would want to create a blog where I can post all my thoughts,ideas and recipes..I have gone through a lot of other blogs which inspired me to create one.Thank you to people who inspired me .I wish everyone a very Happy 2008.Soon I shall start to post.