TOMATO CURRY – 2

Required:

Tomato-3
Small onion–100 gms
Oil–2tsp
Mustard–2 pinches
Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
Coconut–½ cup
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Light roasted coriander powder – 3/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder–2 pinches
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Chop onion and tomato.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard and fenugreek seeds.

Sauté onion.Now add the tomatoes and mix well. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and coriander powder. Grind coconut to a fine paste and add to the curry.

Cook for 5 minutes and add curry leaves. Serve hot with white rice.

BITTER GOURD CRISPS

Ingredients:

Medium sized bitter gourds - 2
Gram flour - 2 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Salt, chili powder, turmeric powder  - to taste
Oil to fry

Preparation:

Clean and slice bitter gourds into small circles. Add some salt and turmeric powder.  Mix well and leave for 30 minutes. 

Now after 30 minutes add other ingredients except oil. 

If it already left some water no need to drain and mix with that. Otherwise is water is needed sprinkle little water and mix well.


Heat oil in frying pot and deep fry in medium high heat until crispy.


Place over paper towel to remove excess oil.

Crispy bitter gours fry is ready to serve with curd rice or as side dish for any other rice dish.

PANEER BUTTER MASALA

Ingredients:
Paneer - 200 gms
Onion - 1 medium sized
Tomato - 2 medium sized
Ginger garlic paste - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp to saute onion
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp or little more
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cashews - 6 numbers
Butter - 1 tsp + 1 tbsp


Preparation:
Dice paneer into 1 inch cubes.


Heat oil in a pan and saute onion until raw smell goes


Cool and grind to a paste. If necessary add some water.


Grind tomato to a smooth paste. It can be blanched in hot water, removed skin and then pureed. Another variation: Add diced tomatoes after onion is cooked and when tomato too cooked, cool and make a paste together.


Make a paste of cashews.

Heat oil in a shallow pan and slightly roast paneer, until golden color on all sides.


Place a pan in medium flame and immediately add 1 tsp butter. Add ginger garlic paste and add onion paste and tomato puree.


Allow to cook for a few minutes until raw smell goes.


Now add all masalas and allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Close with lid and let it cook.


Now add cashew paste and leave to cook for another 10 minutes or until a nice flavor releases.


Finally add roasted paneer and butter. Serve hot with roti, naan or poori.

CHICKEN PAKODA

Ingredients:
Chicken breast of 1 chicken
Chick pea flour - 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp or more according to your taste
Green chilies - 1 or 2 finely chopped
Chopped onion - 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 handful (fresh or dried)
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry + 1 tsp to mix the masalas

Preparation:
Cut chicken breast into 1 inch pieces.


Add all the ingredients except oil and curry leaves with the chicken pieces.


Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add to this masalas. Mix well to coat very well.



Now add curry leaves and mix well again.


Deep fry in hot oil.


Drain excess oil in a kitchen towel. Now your yummy chicken pakoda is ready. Serve hot with tea or coffee on a rainy cool evening or as starter for a meal.

NANJIL PARUPPU KUZHAMBU / DAL CURRY

Ingredients:
Thoor dal / yellow lentil - 1/2 cup
Small onion - 5 pieces
Green chili - 1 or 2
Dried red chili - 1
Asafoetida - 1 small piece or 1/4 tsp powder
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - 1 small piece
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Tomato - 1 small or 1/2 big
Coconut scrapping - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - optional
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning

Preparation:
Pressure cook dal with green chili, onion, tomato and asafoetida for 3 minutes after first whistle.


Crush coconut, cumin seeds, tamarind and turmeric powder without water in a mixer grinder or in a stone grinder.


Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add red chili and roast for a second. Immediately pour pressure cooked dal. Add crushed coconut mix and salt to taste. Allow to boil for 5 minutes.


Season with curry leaves and serve with rice. As I currently live in Germany and i did not get curry leaves, I omitted curry leaves.

SPINACH SAMBHAR

Ingredients:

Spinach - 1 small or 1/2 big bundle
Yellow lentils or thuvaram paruppu - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 pinch
Fenugreek seeds - few
Cumin seeds - 1 pinch
Garlic - 1 tsp finely chopped
Small onion - 1 tbsp finely chopped
Tomato - 1 small
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry roasted coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafetida powder - a little
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation:

Cook lentils separately. Finely chop spinach and set aside. Heat ghee in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add fenugreek, garlic, cumin, onion and tomato one by one.


When tomato is mashed add spinach, lower flame and allow to cook by closing with a lid.


After cooked add lentils with necessary water and all the other ingredients. Set heat to high now.


Mix well, when it comes to boil lower heat to medium and allow to cook well. When done add coriander leaves and serve with rice, idly or dosa.
 

CURRY LEAVES PEPPER MUSHROOM

Ingredients:

Mushroom - 200 grams
Curry leaves - 1 handful
Pepper powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 pinch

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. When spluttered add fennel seeds and then curry leaves.


Now add mushrooms and salt. Lower flame to medium, mix well and allow to cook with closed lid.


When cooked, increase flame, add pepper powder and stir continuously.


When water is completely evaporated and it starts to bubble in oil, remove from flame and serve with rice. The taste cant beat any mushroom recipe.

MUTTON THICK GRAVY

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 cloves
Pepper corns - 1 tbsp
Red chili - 4 or more
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Red Onion - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Make a paste of ginger, garlic, pepper corns and red chili.


Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds.


When it turns golden add chopped onion with salt and saute in medium flame.


After it turns translucent add mutton and allow to cook for a few minutes. Then add the ground masala.


Add little water and allow to cook until the mutton pieces are soft and cooked.


Now add the dry masala powders and some salt to taste.


Mix well and allow to cook in medium low flame. mix once in a while. When gravy thickens serve hot with pulao, biryani, ghee rice or any rice variety with any gravy.

PRAWN CURRY

Ingredients:

Prawn - 300 grams

Small onions (sliced) - 1/2 cup

Ginger (finely chopped) - 1 tsp

Green chili - 1

Tomato (chopped) - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder (dry roasted and powdered) - 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder - 1 tsp

Chopped curry leaves to garnish

Oil - 1/4 tsp

Coconut milk (thickly extracted) - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Set flame to medium and heat oil in a pan.Saute onion for two minutes.

Then add prawn.

After color is changed and add ginger.

Set high flame and close with a lid and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.

Now add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and chili powder.

Mix well and now add tomato and green chili. 

Mix well, lower flame to medium and close with a lid to cook for another 10 minutes. Finally add coconut milk.

After about 5 minutes garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot with white rice, idiappam, appam, chapathi or poori.