Bengal Chickpeas Potato Curry

Bengal Chickpeas  Potato Curry

Ingredients:
Bengal gram (Kala channa): 1 cup
Potato: 2 medium
Onion: 1 medium
Tomato: 1
Fennel seeds: 1/2tsp
Cinnamon: 1" piece
Cloves: 2
Red chilli powder: 1tsp
Coriander powder: 1tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp
Cumin powder: 1/2tsp
Black pepperpowder: 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Salt
Oil: 2tsp

Method:
Soak the bengal chickpeas overnight. Cook in a pressure cooker until done.
Peel & dice the potatoes. Chop the tomato.
Grind the onion & garlic paste to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a pan add the whole spices & allow it to crackle.
Add the diced potato & the tomato. Saute' well.
Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder & salt. Saute' well.
Add the onion, garlic paste. Saute' for sometime.
Then add the cooked bengal chickpeas & add a cup of water. Cook till it gets the required consistency.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Banana Pepper Sesame Gravy

 This is a spicy gravy. Learnt from my friend.

Banana Pepper Sesame Gravy

Ingredients:
Banana pepper: 5
Sesame seeds (White til): 2tbsp
Grated coconut or desiccated coconut : 2tbsp
Peanuts: 2tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds: 1/4tsp
Curry leaves: 5-8 (I had run out of curry leaves, did not use them)
Salt
Oil: 2tsp

Method:
Dry roast the sesame seeds, grated coconut & peanuts.
Grind to a smooth powder.
Wash the banana pepper, make a nick in the centre & remove the seeds.
Heat oil in a pan add the banana pepper & fry for sometime. Remove & keep aside.
In the same pan add mustard seeds, jeera seeds & curry leaves.
Add the fried banana pepper, the ground powder & salt.
Add water & cook for sometime.
Serve hot with chapathis.

Three Veggie Curry

To be frank I have never tried courgette, but last week I decided to give it a try. I made a curry with it & it tasted good. My husband  liked it very much. Already it has appeared twice in our menu since last week. First time I did not take a photo, so posting it now.

Three Veggie Curry

Ingredients:
Potato: 3 medium size
Courgette(Zucchini): 1 small
Green Bell Pepper: 1 medium
Onion: 1 medium size
Oil: 2tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4tsp
Whole jeera: 1/2tsp
Split urad dal: 1/2tsp
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Red chilli powder: 1tsp
Coriander powder: 2tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp
Salt
Dessicated coconut: 2tsp

Method:
Clean, peel, cut potato into small cubes.
Clean, cut courgette into small cubes.
Clean, cut bell pepper into small cubes.
Finely chop onion.
In a pan add oil then add mustard seeds, allow it to crackle, then add  jeera & split urad dal.
Wait till the urad dal turns golden brown. Add the finely chopped onion & saute' till the onion becomes pale in colour.
Add the vegetables, then add garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder & salt. Saute' for 2-3 minutes.
Add water for the vegetables to get cooked. Close with a lid & cook till the vegetables are done.
Sprinkle the dessicated coconut powder. Mix well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with steamed rice or chapathis.

Paneer Chettinad Gravy

I am a great fan of paneer. I get paneer from indian stores, so buy a lot & freeze them.
I keep trying new dishes with paneer. This dish turned out very tasty. It was a perfect side dish for chapathi.

Paneer Chettinad Gravy

Ingredients:
Paneer: 250gms
Onion: 2 medium size
Tomato: 3 small size
Red chilli: 2-3
Coriander seeds: 2tsp
Cinnamon: 1 inch piece
Clove: 2
Fennel seeds: 1/2tsp
Cashew: 5
Poppy seeds: 1tsp
Salt
Oil: 4tsp

Method:
Cut the paneer into small cubes.
Peel, cut the onion into four pieces.
Boil the onion & tomato in 2 cups of water. Cook till the tomato skin cracks. Allow it to cool & peel off the tomato skin.
Heat oil, add red chillies, coriander seeds, cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds, cashew & poppy seeds. Saute' for a few minutes & grind along with onion & tomato.
Heat 3tsp oil in a pan add the ground paste (be careful it may splatter).
Add 2 cups of water, once it boils add the paneer pieces & cook for few minutes.
Serve hot with chapathis.

Paneer Capsicum Curry

I was wondering what to prepare for side dish. I remembered the stock of paneer in the freezer. I decided to prepare some dish with paneer. My hubby wanted some snacks for the evening.
So decided to prepare paneer pakora & the remaining I used for making the curry.

Paneer Capsicum Curry

Ingredients:
Paneer: 300gms
Garlic paste: 11/2tsp
Ginger paste: 1tsp
Red chilli powder: 1tsp
Jeera powder: 1/2tsp
Vinegar: 1tsp
Corn flour: 2tbsp(mixed in 2tbsp water)
Rice flour: 2tbsp
Salt
Onion : 3 medium size
Tomato: 1 medium size
Green bell pepper: 1
Green chillies: 4
Oil : to deep fry

Method:
Cut the paneer into small cubes.
Add garlic paste, ginger paste, red chilli powder, jeera powder, vinegar, corn flour, rice flour & salt.
Marinate the paneer pieces in the above marinade for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan & deep fry these paneer pieces until golden brown. Drain onto a kitchen towel.
This is PANEER PAKORA.

In a pan add 2tsp oil add finely chopped onion, finely chopped tomatoes, finely chopped green chillies & saute' for a few minutes.
Add the left out marinade & 1-2 cups water. Allow it to boil  then add fried paneer pieces & then the capsicum pieces.
Add salt, cover with a lid & cook for few minutes. Do not over cook the capsicum.
Serve hot with chapathis.

Beetroot Chops

I had this dish for the first time in my chithi's house (father's younger brother's wife). She prepares  all traditional  tamil dishes & tries a lot of new dishes from neighbours. I have learned a lot
of dishes from her. This is a very different preparation with beetroot.

Beetroot Chops

Ingredients:
Beetroot : 3
Onion: 2 medium size
Tomato: 1 medium size
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Peppercorns: 10
Red chilli: 2
Coriander powder: 2tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp
Oil: 3tsp
Garam masala: 1tsp

Method:
Wash, peel, & cut the beetroot into thin slices.
Roughly chop the onion & tomato.
In a pan add 1tsp oil saute' half the onion, tomato, garlic paste, peppercorns &  red chilli. Cool & grind to a paste.
In a pan add 2tsp oil add the remaining onion, saute' for few minutes add the beetroot, salt & turmeric powder. Saute' for sometime. Then add the ground masala. Mix well.
Add coriander powder. Add 1 cup water & cook till the beetroot is cooked ( My chithi cooks in a pressure cooker & allows  2 whistles). Wait till the water is absorbed & the gravy thickens.
Then add garam masala. Mix well. Take off the heat.

Yam Fry

I like yam very much, except that  it makes the work top a mess. I saw my  MIL prepare this dish & from that time onwards this dish has
become a regular dish whenever I get yam from the Indian stores. This is a very easy dish to prepare & tastes good.

Yam fry
 
Ingredients:
Yam : 250gms
Oil: for deep frying
Red chilli powder: 1-2tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp
Salt

Method:
Wash, boil yam in sufficient water for about 20 minutes.
Peel off the skin & cut into slices.
Fry these slices in oil till they turn slightly golden brown (hardly takes 3-4minutes).
Mix together the red chilli powder, turmeric powder & salt.
Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the fried slices.
Drain oil from the pan in which the slices were fried. Fry these yam slices in the pan for 4-5 minutes.

Red Kidney Beans Gravy

My cousin asked me to post some side dishes for chapathis. She prefers healthy & side dishes with less oil. I tried a dish with red kidney beans. I thought she will like this dish.

Red Kidney Beans Gravy

Ingredients:
Red kidney beans (Rajma): 1cup
Onion: 1 medium size
Tomato: 1 medium size
Cloves: 2
Cinnamon: 1 inch piece
Fennel seeds: 1/4tsp
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Ginger paste: 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1tsp
Coriander powder: 2tsp
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Salt
Oil: 2tsp

Method:
Soak the red kidney beans over night. Cook the soaked beans in a pressure cooker.
In a pan heat oil, add cloves, cinnamon & fennel seeds allow it to crackle. Saute' the finely chopped onion for few minutes.
Then add finely chopped tomato, garlic paste & ginger paste. Saute' till the tomato becomes mashy.
Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder & the coriander powder. Saute' for some time.
Add the cooked red kidney beans along with the water in which it was cooked.
Cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve hot with chapathis.

Plaintain Koftas in Gravy

I saw my younger co-sister prepare this dish when I had been to her place. Till then I had prepared a few well known dishes with raw banana; this was the first time I saw something different made from raw banana. I scribbled down the recipe in a sheet of paper. Got hold of raw banana from the Indian stores & prepared it right away.

Plaintain Koftas in Gravy

Ingredients:
For Kofta:
Raw banana/plaintain: 1
Besan: 4tbsp
Red chilli powder: 1tsp
Salt
Oil: for deep frying

For Gravy:
Onion: 3 medium size
Tomato: 1
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Red chilli: 2-3
Coriander/Dhaniya seeds: 2tsp
Poppy seeds: 2tsp
Oil: 4tsp
Salt

Method:

Kofta preparation:
Boil the raw banana in water for 10 minutes.
Let the banana cool, peel it & mash it.
Add besan, red chilli powder & salt to the mashed banana. Mix well & make small balls.
Deep fry these & keep them aside.
 
Gravy preparation:
Heat 2tsp oil in a pan. Saute onion for a few minutes, then add tomato, garlic paste, red chilli, dhaniya seeds & poppy seeds.
Saute' for a few minutes. Let it cool down. Grind it to a smooth paste by adding water (about 2 cups)
Heat 2tsp oil in a pan, add the ground paste (be careful it will splatter). Cook for few minutes.
Add water if the gravy looks thick, then add the koftas & add salt. Mix well & cook for few minutes.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander.
Serve with chapathi.

Carrot Salad

This is a very healthy dish. Tasted this for the very first time at my mother-in-law's place and have ever since stuck onto this. She told me that this particular recipe used to appear on their lunch menu quite often. Here is the recipe for all the salad lovers...

Carrot Salad

Ingredients:
Carrot: 2
Green chillies: 3-4
Lemon juice: 1-2tsp
Salt

Method:
Peel & grate the carrot.
Finely chop the green chillies.
Add all the ingredients & mix well.

Peanut Salad

It is an unwritten rule in my house that healthy dishes like this should be on our menu at least once a day. Looking at the snapshot, I guess there is no necessity for me to mention the joy of crunching this with a hot cup of coffee or tea at dusk. I have been preparing this dish quite often ever since the birth of my little one; one of the few healthy eatable that he likes. This is called "Sundal" in tamil.

Peanut Salad

Ingredients:
Peanut: 1 cup
Red chillies: 2
Mustard seeds: 1/2tsp
Urad dal: 1/2tsp
Oil: 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut: 1tbsp
Salt
Coriander: For garnishing

Method:
Soak the peanut in water for 15-20 minutes.
Steam cook the soaked peanut for 15minutes (if you prefer it to be soft, pressure cook the peanuts).
In a pan heat oil add mustard seeds, urad dal allow it to splutter, then add red chillies  & add peanuts.
Sprinkle salt  saute' for few seconds. Sprinkle grated coconut & toss.
Garnish with chopped coriander.

Okra (Ladies Finger) Masala

This dish is from my mother-in-law's recipe bank. I had never seen okra being prepared in this fashion before marriage. Out here, ladies finger is not available at all grocery stores, so it is a must buy when ever I shop at the Indian store. I prefer using okra this way or in a typical sambhar method. Either method is well suited with steamed rice. Give it a try!
 
Ladies Finger Masala

Ingredients:
Ladies finger/Okra: 250gms
Red chilli powder: 1tsp
Coriander powder: 2tsp
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Jeera powder: 1/2tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/4tsp
Yogurt: 2tbsp
Garlic paste: 11/2tsp
Salt
Mustard seeds: 1/4tsp
Split urad dal: 1/2tsp
Finely chopped onion: 1 medium size
Oil: 2tsp

Method:
Clean, snip off the ends of the ladies finger & make a lengthwise nick in the centre (make sure not  to slit the okra).
Mix red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, jeera powder, black pepper powder, yogurt, garlic paste &salt.
Marinate the ladiesfinger in the above mixture for 15-20 minutes.
In a pan heat oil add mustard seeds let it splutter, then add urad dal, onion saute' for 1 minute.
Add the marinated ladiesfinger along with the marinade & sprinkle water.
Close with a lid & allow it to cook on low flame till the ladies finger is done.
Serve with steamed rice.