Zero-Oil Simple Cauliflower Potato Masala / Aloo Gobi

Thanks to the stay-fit spirit that's sweeping India, their eating habits are turning distinctly healthier - more green veggies & fruits and also making the switch from the traditional medium of cooking like vanaspati & coconut oil. Recently my mom has been making numerous trials on "Zero-Oil Cooking" and as part of healthy diet changes but what I found even more interesting in the ease of cooking this dish. This is one of the easiest vegetable curries to make, simple enough to be your best try on the don't-wanna-cook days. So without much of a thought this was the one recipe i turned to as the quickest & delicious way to make dishes turn-up at the table amidst busy apartment shifting. Now guys dont come around asking me how busy I really was to have found time to click these snaps??? ;) Well... "When the student is ready, the teacher appears"

You'll Need:

Cauliflower.... 1 bunch
Potatoes.... 2 no:s medium size
Chili Powder.... 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder.... 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder.... 1/2 tsp
Shallots, finely chopped... 3 no:s
Green Chili, finely chopped.... 2 no:s
Ginger, mashed... 1 inch
Garlic, minced.... 2-3 cloves
Tomato Sauce..... 3 tbsp
Garam Masala.... 1 tsp
Curry Leaves.... 1 sprig
Salt..... to taste

Here Is How:

1. Peel the potatoes using a vegetable peeler & dice them into small bite size pieces. Boil the potatoes with 1 inch deep water, slit open green chillies & a pinch of salt until its cooked through, drain them and allow to cool. When they are cool enough to handle, break them coarsely by hand. Keep aside.

2. Cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets, with an attached stem so it does not look too squat. Into a non-stick wok, toss the florets and add chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, shallots, green chilies, ginger, garlic & salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients together to coat the cauliflower florets well.

3. Set the wok on medium heat. Cover and cook for a 2 to 3 minutes. No extra water need to added as the cauliflower florets will cook itself from the water oozing out. As the florets starts getting soft & cooked, stir in the tomato sauce & the cooked potato squares.

4. Bring to simmer over medium low heat so as to end up with a very thick sauce clinging to the cauliflower. Adjust the heat as necessary to achieve this. Sprinkle garam masala, turn-off the heat & stir in the curry leaves. Serve hot with rice or roti

Recipe Source : My Sweetest Mom

The Friendly Fungi !!!! ~ Mushroom Thoran Nadan Recipe

Is it a vegetable? a herb? Of all the options it happens to be a “large fleshy fungus” which is yummy too. There is a bit of mystery attached to the mushroom with all its unusual combination of qualities. Mushrooms are a fascinating life forms which seem to appear overnight and disappear just as mysteriously. Their variety of colour and shape is equally as unpredictable as when and where they will appear.

When i think of mushrooms what comes to mind are the "oyster mushroom" which was the only largely available variety in India, atleast till India opened its doors to globalisation in early 90s. My life in US has made me more familiar with various varieties of these friendly fungi where the most commonly found mushroom varieties on the supermarket shelves are the button mushrooms a.k.a white mushrooms. Now it has happened that I simply love mushrooms of all types and really appreciates how much the flavor differ between each variety of mushroom.

Low in calories... No cholesterol.... and are virtually free of fat & sodium. Oh ya, that quiet a bit of reasons to get you searching out for recipes to incorporate more of this healthy ingredient to your daily meals. And I can't tell you how many times I have gone to the supermarket with mushrooms on my mind.

Culinary Tips: Bought fresh, mushrooms should be used within a couple of days, even if stored in a refrigerator. Most fungi are 90 percent moisture so do not soak them in water as they would soak up the water which causes it to be mushy to cook & also lose its delicate flavors. The best way to clean mushrooms is to wipe them free of any obvious dirt with a clean wet cloth or paper towel. And cutting then into uniform pieces will help in the even cooking.

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms, diced... 1 bunch
Shallots, finely chopped.... ½ cup
Green Chilies, finely chopped.... 4-5 no:s
Turmeric Powder.... ½ tsp
Pepper Powder.... ½ tsp
Grated Coconut.... 1/4 cup
Curry leaves... 2 sprig
Mustard Seeds.. 2 tsp
Oil... as required
Salt... to taste.

Here Is How :

Heat oil in a bottom heavy Sauté Pan on medium heat. Sputter mustard seeds and add diced shallots & green chillies and fry till tender. Now add turmeric powder, grated coconut and stir for a minute. Stir in the diced mushroom pieces. Close the pan with a lid and let it cook, stirring every 3-4 minutes. Mushrooms release a good deal of liquid when heated. The mushroom squares will be fully cooked just as the liquids are finishing off. Now sprinkle pepper powder and the curry leaves and sprinkle salt to taste. Remove from heat and best served with rice.

Recipe Source : Sonya Chechi

Sago Cutlets / Aloo Tikki

Its been more than a year since i started blogging but haven't yet participated in any blog events. I've been looking forward to taking part in an event and it has turned out that the Monthly Mingle Event on "Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres" would be my kick start. For a fancy vegetarian appetizers, I already had some ideas sizzling aways in my mind.

You'll Need:

Sago Pearls/Sabudana..... 1/2 cup
Potato, boiled & mashed.... 1 large
Shallots, finely minced.... 2 tbsp
Ginger, minced fine.... ½ inch
Green Chillies, finely chopped.... 5-6 no:s
Garam Masala.... 1 tsp
Egg, beaten.... 1 large
Bread Crumbs.... 1 cup
Oil.... as required
Salt... to taste.

Here is How:

Soak the sago pearls in luke warm water about 2 hours.
Peel & boil the potatoes till cooked then mash and keep aside.
Now drain the sago pearls and keep for half an hour till the water dried-off.
Mix all the ingredients above together and make it small bite size balls.
Dip the sago balls into beaten egg & then in the bread crumbs.
Heat oil till haze forms on top and gently drop the sago balls and fry till golden brown.
Serve hot with tomato sauce, onion salad & a cup or hot tea. :)
Recipe Source : My Creation

Nadan Manga Chammanthy / Mango Chutney

Mango Mania: The typical Kerala style "maanga chammanthy" has a unique taste from the simlicity on ingredients which go into making it.

I. Kerala Style: Peel the skin off the unripe mangoes with a vegetable peeler & slice them coarsely and drop in to the blender also pop-in shallots, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, grated coconut & salt. Now run the blender until its has become a smooth chammanthy consistency. Check salt & its done.

II. North Indian Style: Mix together in a blender into a coarse paste:
Unripe Mangoes, chopped into chunks.... 2 cups
Roasted Peanuts.... 1 tbsp
Brown Sugar... 1 tbsp
Fresh Coriander Leaves.... 1 tbsp
Coriander Seeds.... 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds..... 1 tsp
Salt.... 1 tsp
Chilli Powder.... 1 tsp
Sugar.... to taste.

Heat in a saucepan until the seeds pop:
Vegetable Oil... 1 tbsp
Hing... a pinch
Mustard Seeds.... 1/2 tsp

Stir the oil mixture into the mango mixture.

KALE : Indian Stir Fry Recipe

I never thought I'll say this ever in life that i miss having those veggies back home..... cheera thoran & pavakka Theeyal had always made me wanted to run-away from the table back in my teenage days. But the days has when life has taken you far from home that you just miss every single thing about it. Memories are always sweet....

"Kale is a health superstar veggie!" with its combination of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytonutrients. With the current emphasis on the healthy living, kale is a great food if you're looking to protect your health and enjoy a delicious food at the same time. The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide an earthy flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around.

Ingredients:

Kale, chopped... 1 bunch
Shallots, finely chopped.... ½ cup
Green Chillies, finely chopped.... 4-5 no:s
Grated Coconut.... 1/4 cup
Curry leaves... 2 sprig
Mustard Seeds.. 2 tsp
Fenugreek... 1/4 tsp
Oil... as required
Salt... to taste.

Here Is How :

Trim the stalks of the kale leaves by folding them in half lengthwise, near the base and with the other hand, gently pull the leaves down. You can also use a knife to separate the leaves from the stems. Now slice the leaves into strips and rinse & drain the chopped kale leaves.

Heat oil in a bottom heavy Saute Pan
on medium heat. Sputter mustard seeds and add diced shallots & green chillies and fry till golden brown. Now add grated coconut, curry leaves and fenugreek & stir for a minute. To this add chopped kale and a pinch of salt. Close the pan with a lid and let it cook, stirring every 3-4 minutes till the kale leaves are cooked(not mushy) but also retains its color & have a bite to it. Add salt to taste & remove from heat.

"Cocktail Thoran" - Snow Peas & Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients :

Snow Peas... 2 cups
Black-Eyed Peas.... 1/2 cup
Shallots, finely chopped.... ½ cup
Green Chillies, finely chopped.... 2 no:s
Grated Coconut.... 1/2 cup
Curry leaves... 2 sprig
Mustard Seeds.. 2tsp
Feenugreek... 1/4 tsp
Oil... as required
Salt... to taste.

Here Is How :

Soak the beans using either the overnight soak or quick soak methods, detailed at the bottom**, so as to reduce the cooking time and promote even cooking. Cook the black-eyed peas to al dente consistency. Now keep it aside.

Heat oil in a bottom heavy saute pan on medium heat. Sputter mustard seeds and add diced shallots & green chillies and fry till golden brown. Now add grated coconut, curry leaves and fennugreek & stir for a minute. To this add sland cut snowpeas and a pich of salt. Close the pan with a lid and let it cook, stirring every 2 minutes till the snow peas are cooked and yet retain its color & have a bite to it and not mushy. Now stir in the cooked black-eyed peas to the snow peas. Add salt to taste & remove from heat.

Tips: ** Quick Soak.... to quick soak beans, place beans in a dutch oven. Cover with water to two inches above beans; bring to boil & cook for two minutes. Remove from heat; cover & let standone hour, then drain.

Happy Onam - Pulli Inji

Wish You All Very Happy Onam!!!
This recipe is dedicated to my dear friend "Emi of Truly Gods Own" who has been asking me get back to blogging. I don't think if it hadn't been for her i wud have ever collected myself to get back at my deserted blog. Cheers to her for her inspiration :) I made this for our pot-luck ona sadhya that our friends had organised.

Ingredients:

Ginger... 150 g
Green Chillies.... 6-7 no:s
Curry Leaves...2-3 sprigs
Fenugreek...1 tsp
Tamarind... 3 lemon size
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Chili powder... 2 tsp
Jagree... 150g
Mustard Seeds.. 2tsp
Oil... as required
Salt... to taste.

Here Is How :

Heat oil in a bottom heavy pan and sputter mustard seeds. Add diced ginger & Green chillies and fry till golden brown. Now add curry leaves & fennugreek & stir for a minute. To this add thick tamarind paste and bring this to a boil. Add turmeric & chili powders and also Jagree which is made into a liquid. Adjust the sweetness so as to get the taste of heat, sour & sweetness which distinguish this condiment. Add salt to taste and remove from stove.

This can be store in fridge in air tight containers. If not for its unique taste alone you are sure to love it for it health benefits.

Enjoy your Thiru Onam !!!