Tomatillo Dhal | Pachathakkali pappu/paruppu

Sometimes all you need is comfort food. Not something exotic but something simple and home cooked like curd rice with potato roast or dhal with rice and pickle for the side. One mouthful and you will be transported to your childhood days. Days when you waited impatiently for dinner after playing for hours in the grounds and amma served you pappu saadam mixed with her own hands with dollops of ghee. This dhal is something like that. Comfort food but with a twist. It is just a variation of our regular paruppu using tomatillos. The addition of tomatillo gives it a nice tang which will leave you craving for another mouthful.

~*What U Need*~ Moong dhal - 1/4 cup Toor dhal - 1/4 cup Tomatillo - 3 Tomato - 1/2 cubed Garlic - 2 cloves Green chilli - 1 Turmeric powder - a pinch To Temper Oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Hing - a big pinch Curry leaves - 1 sprig Dry red chilli - 1 Shallots - 5-6, sliced How I Made it: Remove the outer covering from tomatillos, wash and chop; Set aside. Wash dal and take it in a pressure cooker, add chopped tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, green chilli, turmeric powder and enough water and pressure cook for 3 whistles or till done. Allow the pressure to release and open the lid and mash it slightly. Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add cumin seeds and allow to brown. Add curry leaves, dry red chilli, hing and sliced onions and fry well. Add this tempering to the paruppu.

Serve with rice or rotis.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Brown rice Adai

I am sorry that I have been MIA for some time. It was nothing big this time. Only that I was lazy, so lazy to phrase and publish a post. Well, I don't blame me, the weather is so depressing. Its gloomy all day and the suns sets as early as 4.00 pm and then it is dark. Finally I am out of the slumber and here I am with a heart healthy adai recipe. I have replaced the regular white rice with brown rice making this more healthy when compared to the regular ones.

~*What U Need*~ Brown Rice - 3/4 cup Idli rice - 1/4 cup Thoor Dal - 1/3 cup Channa dhal - 1/4 cup Urad dhal - 2 tbsp Moong dhal - 1/4 cup Dried red chilli - 1 or 2 Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Garlic - 1 fat clove Salt - to taste To mix: Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped Cilantro - 1/4 cup, finely chopped Hing - a pinch Oil How I Made it: Wash all the dals and rice well. Soak the dal and rice separately for 3-4 hours. In a blender, grind the rice first for 3-4 mins, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend it to a little coarse batter using enough water. The batter consistency should be thick like idli batter. Transfer the ground batter to the bowl, add the mix-ins. Either use it right away or allow to sit for 1-2 hrs. Heat a tawa, smear it with little oil pour a ladle full of batter. Spread like dosa but thick. Drizzle oil and cook it in medium heat for 2-3 mins. After brown, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve adai with desired chutney or avial.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Chicken Haleem

One thing that the huss enjoys to the core is anything and everything with chicken in it. Well, I am no less. We love our share of chicken anytime.

I was totally new to the word haleem then. While I was born and brought up in the Gulf, I was there only till my IInd standard. So its just a few memories that I carry around like how I always wore sockings when I was little or the little forest that I saw from our back window or the few words of Arabic that I learnt from my Arabic class or how I was the favorite of everyone in our apartment and finally George chetta from next door. Haleem and nombu kanji were often mentioned by appa and amma when we talked about life in Gulf. That was that.

After marriage, the huss used to mention this delicacy whenever the holy month of Eid sets in. And thats when I started browsing about haleem. Appa also explained the process to me on how the chicken is slow cook with wheat, barley and other dhal varieties. The huss was so adamant on getting his hands on haleem that he ordered himself a pack of haleem from Hyderabad which came by courier. He tasted it and he loved it. This was the story two years back. Fast forward now, far away from home country, he didn't have the option to online order and I knew that he was craving for the dish for sometime. Finally I gave in and started browsing for recipes and found a promising one at vahrehvah's site. I adapted the recipe to what I had in hand and it was a total hit. The huss loved it to the core.

~*What U Need*~ To Grind : Wheat rava - 1/2 cup Masoor dal - 1 tbsp Toor dhal - 1 tbsp Barley - 1/4 cup Urad dhal - 1 tbsp Channa dhal - 1 tbsp Peppercorns - 1 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Cloves - 4 Cinnamon stick - 1 inch Green cardamom - 2 Almonds - 5 Sesame seeds - 1 tsp For porridge: Chicken - 1 lb, with bone Chicken stock - 6 cup Onions - 2, finely sliced Green chillies - 2, finely chopped Mint leaves - 1/2 cup Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Curd - 2 tbsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Oil - 1/4 cup Juice of 1 lemon How I made it: Heat oil in a pan and fry sliced onions till it turns golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and split fried onions into two parts. Reserve one half for garnishing. Grind everything under “To Grind” to a coarse powder. Heat the same oil in a pressure cooker. Add ghee to it and once it melts, add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 2 mins. Add chicken and fry till seared. Add chicken stock and mix well. Add fried onion, curd, green chilies, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Mix everything and cook for a min. Add ground mixture and stir frequently to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pressure cook at high flame for 2 whistles. Switch to low flame and pressure cook it for 40 mins. Once the pressure goes, open the lid and mash everything. Sprinkle lemon juice.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Kale Sambar

As a home maker, not only me but everyone of us are on the look out for healthy wholesome foods for our family. Two such healthy foods that I have included in our daily diet are broccoli and kale. I generally make kale chips sprinkled with chilli powder and we enjoy it with our tea. And at times I saute them with some garlic powder and salt to have them in my salads but other than that I don't know other ways to cook kale. I know that they make excellent detox smoothies but I have never ventured in that area yet. The thought of using kale to make Indian sambar was not something that I had planned. It all happened when I had only kale in my pantry to cook that night's dinner. Piping hot kale sambar with dosas made for a very healthy and satisfying dinner.

~*What U Need*~ Kale - 1/2 bunch Small onions - 1/2 cup, sliced Tomatoes - 1/2 cup, chopped Green chilli - 1 Tamarind - lemon sized ball soaked in water Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Sambar powder - 1 tsp To temper: Ghee - 2 tsp Oil - 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig Small onions - 2 tbsp, sliced To pressure cook: Toor dhal - 1/2 cup Water - 1 cup Garlic cloves - 2 Hing powder - a pinch Salt How I Made it: Pressure cook the toor dhal with all the other ingredients under "pressure cook" for 5-6 whistles. Allow to cool and release the pressure. Mash with the back of a spoon. In a kadai, add the chopped kale, small onions, tomatoes and green chilli. Add water to immerse it and set it on medium flame. Allow to boil and cook till tender. Add the tamarind water and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the cooked dhal mixture to this and mix well. Add the sambar powder and mix well. Bring it to a boil and season with salt. Heat oil and ghee in a saucepan and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the fenugreek seeds and fry till brown. Add in the sliced onions and saute till brown. Add the tempering to the sambar and mix well.

Serve with ghee soaked rice!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

(Amma Cooks) Vendakkai Morkuzhambhu / Spiced Buttermilk gravy with Lady Fingers

Amma generally makes this instant morkulambhu with a simple potato fry to go with it. It makes a simple yet comforting Saturday lunch for us. I love the ease with which one can make amma's morkulambhu. Its just like whisking the curd and seasoning it with the tempering. And then there is this besan flour which she adds to the gravy which makes the gravy thicker and which gives it a unique taste. And the potato fry, it just completes lunch.

The other day when I was talking to her, she kept coming back to this vendakkai morkuzhambu that the neighbor aunty had shared with her and that made me interested too. I asked her to get the recipe, try it out at home and share the pic and recipe details so that I can share it here. I am gonna try this soon too.

~*What U Need*~ Thick curd - 2 cups Lady fingers - 10 nos Coconut oil - 2 tsp Vegetable oil - 1 tsp Hing - a pinch Turmeric powder - a pinch Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig To grind Thuvaram paruppu / toor dhal - 1 tbsp Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Green chilli - 2 Cumin seeds - 1 tsp How I Made it: Cut the lady fingers into bite sized pieces and fry it till golden brown in a non stick kadai, using 1 tsp vegetable oil. Remove and keep it aside. Soak toor dal for 15 mins. Beat the curd nicely using a whisk till smooth, add 1/2 cup water and bring it to buttermilk consistency. Add salt, turmeric powder and hing and mix well. Grind the soaked toordhal, cumin seeds, green chilli and coconut into a smooth paste. Add the paste to the buttermilk and mix well. Heat coconut oil in the kadai. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the buttermilk mixture to it. Stir in medium low till it starts boiling. Remove from heat. Add the lady fingers and serve. ** My Notes: ** Use homemade curd for best results. ** While grinding the coconut paste, don't use water. Instead use the buttermilk we have kept aside. ** Always add the lady fingers before serving.

Serve hot with white rice and potato roast. It makes a heavenly combo.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Dhal Curry | Dhal Tadka | Ketti Paruppu

Dhal, sambhar, rasam ~ name any traditional South Indian recipe, it is comfort food. Simple, pure comfort food at its best. That might be the reason why I never bothered to click step by step recipes for the same... Every south Indian knows how to make the perfect sambar, the perfect rasam or the perfect paruppu. In fact the recipe is etched in their minds and they need no reference. Every family has their very own recipe, passing it over to the next generation and every girl follows her amma's recipe to the 'T' when she first enters the kitchen. I am no exception... My 32-page hand written amma's cookbook is my handy note when it comes to traditional south Indian recipes. This recipe is from that prized cookbook, my amma's recipe ~ one which everyone in the family loves.

Posting such easy South Indian curries never struck a cord in me until I got a request from a bachelor reader for basic recipes. Browsing through my recipe index, there was no hint of such basics and so I have decided to fill the gap. Also my huss has been asking me to post a step by step post for his favorite ketti paruppu and that added to the reason. On that note, believe me, let a man on his own for some months and he becomes a good cook, atleast he tries to. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my better other half would take to cooking, let alone ask recipes from me.

~*What U Need*~ Toor dhal/Thuvaram paruppu - 1 cup Garlic cloves - 3 to 4 Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Hing powder - a pinch Salt For the tempering: Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Red chilli - 2 Curry leaves - 1 sprig Oil Onion - 1/2, finely chopped Tomato - 1/2, finely chopped Turmeric powder - a pinch Water - as desired

How I Made it:
Clean the toor dhal and pressure cook with garlic cloves, turmeric, hing, salt and water for 3 whistles. Allow the pressure to release and mash it (there should be some whole paruppu).

Heat oil in a kadai, add the mustard seeds, when spluttered, add urad dhal, split red chilli, curry leaves and fry till the dhal turns brown. Add the onions and saute. When done, add the tomatoes and fry well. Add a pinch of turmeric powder.

Add the mashed paruppu, add water to bring to desired consistency. Mix well and allow to boil. Season with salt and remove from flame.

Serve warm with white rice with a dollop of ghee (fresh ghee is the best).

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Broken wheat Khichidi with the goodness of Sambar

Broken wheat has always been my easy breezy dinner idea when it comes to lack of time. Its healthy, easy to make and you can incorporate as much veggies as you can. Rather than less time, it is tiredness that is coming over me these days and hence most of the dinners has some form of upma. He was bored, I was bored. So finally overcame my laziness, dragged myself to the kitchen and was standing by the counter, pondering on wat to make for dinner, gradually eying all the ingredients in the pantry, when the Sambar powder jar stood out of the whole lot.

Suddenly I wanted something sambar-y, but definitely not rice. So finally it was broken wheat that came to the rescue again. I made sambar saadam only that the saadam was replaced by broken wheat. The flavor of sambar stood out well and it was a healthy and satisfying dinner.

~*What U Need*~
Broken wheat - 1 cup
Toor dhal - 1/2 cup

Pearl Onions - 7-8
Tomato(small) - 1
Carrot, beans, green peas - 1 cup
Tamarind extract - 3 tbsp
Sambar Powder - 2 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Green chilli - 1

Water - as needed (approx 4 cups)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

How I Made it:
Pressure cook the toor dhal with enough water(approx 2 cups) for 3-4 whistles. Heat oil in a non stick pan, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves and allow to splutter. Add slit green chilli and fry. Add sliced pearl onions and saute till brown. Once done, add the cubed tomatoes, and fry till done. Now add in the cut veggies and fry for 3 mins.

Add water till the veggies are immersed and cook till half done. Now add the tamarind extract followed by the sambar powder and mix well.

Next goes in the toor dhal. Allow to boil well. Then add the broken wheat and mix well. Adjust water as needed. Close with lid till cooked well giving a stir occasionally. Remove from flame once the wheat has cooked properly adjusting salt to taste.

My Notes:
> Since I had cooked peas, I threw it in at the end, but when using fresh or frozen peas, add it along with other veggies.
> Add water as per required consistency. If you want it to be more runny, then add another cup of water.

Serve hot as such or with some coconut chutney!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Raw banana in Dhal / Vazhakkai Pappu & Kootu

"The cravings of a pregnant lady may drive you crazy at times" quoted by the the huss. Imagine asking for ice cream at 10.00 pm and insisting that it needs to be only Bavarian flavor from Baskin Robbins will drive anyone to their wit's end. No this is not copied from Salaam Namaste, this is what I am experiencing. My cravings are peculiar.

I have never opted for meals when we dine in restaurants. It was usually naan with some side dish and when it comes to Adyar ananda bhavan, it had always been butter naan with PB masala. But all of a sudden, I wanted to have full meals. It came as a surprise to the huss and to be frank even to me. So our stop for the weekend lunch was A2B. I ordered, I ate and I was contented. The raw plantain side dish that was served was so nice that even after a week I was reminded of its taste.

So finally gave in to the lingering craving and tried it at home. It was easy to make and we had it with rasam saadam. A perfect comfort meal.

~*What U Need*~
Raw Banana - 1
Pear Onions - 10
Tomato - 1(medium)
Hing Powder - a pinch
Garlic - 2 pods
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Channa dhal - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1
Salt - to taste
Water - as needed

For tempering
Oil - 3 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 tsp
Red chilli - 1

How I Made it:
Wash and soak toor dhal and channa dhal for 1 hour. Chop shallots into two, roughly chop the tomatoes. Chop raw banana into small cubes.
In a pressure cooker, add all the ingredients except those under tempering, enough water and salt and cook for 3 whistles. When done and in required consistency, adjust salt and remove from flame.
Heat oil in a pan, temper with mustard & fenugreek seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves and red chilli. Pour this tadka on the dhal and mix well.

My Notes:
> You can alter the consistency by boiling off the excess water.
> You can use this as the main course or as a side dish.
> I reduced this to minimal water and used this as a side dish for rasam saadam. The combination was awesome.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Easy Sambar Saadam / Bisibelebath

Sambar saadam is u, me and everyone’s comfort food. A yummy one pot meal which combines the unique flavor of sambar and the goodness of veggies. I just love the way the rice melts in the mouth and when combined with ghee it is just awesome. I prefer making this semi-runny, semi-solid delicacy rather than the rice + sambar combination these days. Try adding some ghee to the rice when having it and you will totally love the texture and taste. Penning down more words will only lead me to brag about the yumminess of this heavenly one pot meal and so I am off to the recipe...

Serves - 2
Cooking time - 10 mins
Preparation Time - 15 mins

What U Need:
Raw Rice - 1 cups
Toor dal / Sambar Paruppu - 3/4 cup
Tamarind - Marble-sized ball
Chopped vegetables - 1 to 1.5 cups
Shallots - 6
Tomato - 1(medium)
Green chillies - 1
Sambar powder - 3 tsp
Hing powder - a generous pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

To Temper:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Shallots - 4
Dried Red Chilly - 1(large)
Fenugreek seeds - few

My Cup of veggies
French beans - 4
Carrot - 1
Radish - 1 Potato - 1(medium)
Peas - a handful
Drumstick - 1
Capsicum - half of medium sized
Cucumber - 1/4 of medium sized
Brinjal -1(medium)
Snake gourd - 1/4 of medium sized

Pre-preparation:
Slice the shallots from the tempering section thinly. Clean and chop the vegetables into chunks. You can use the vegetables you have in hand. Clean the toor dhal and rice.
Add 1 cup of warm water to the tamarind and extract juice by discarding the pulp.
How I Made it:
Heat oil for tempering in the pressure cooker and add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
Add the curry leaves and fry.
Split the red chilly into two and then add this to the tempered oil. When black add the fenugreek seeds and sliced shallots and fry till the onions brown.
To this add the hing, green chilly, turmeric and sambar powder and tamarind water and mix well for 10 seconds.
Add the chopped veggies and fry for 2 mins.
Then add in the toor dhal and rice and sufficient water. For 1 cup of rice, I use 2 cups of water (1:2 ratio) and for dhal, I use 1 cup of water. So in total I need 3 cups of water. Already 1 cup has gone in the tamarind juice so I added an extra 2 1/2 cups of water. Extra 1/2 cup as I wanted my rice to be more moist.
Cook for 3 whistles. Wait till pressure leaves and then remove the whistle and stir it well.

Drizzle ghee over and serve hot with vadagam / chips / any fried side dish. We had it with Crispy fried Cauliflower and we loved the combo.

Though the process looks long and has more ingredients, making this is really easy.. Its just chop!!fry!!cook!! And a yummy one pot meal is ready!!!

Note:
I use the regular rice but you can also try with ponni or basmati

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...