Breakfast with Toast, Scrambled Egg & Potato

Having an omelet or scrambled eggs with toast or bread is a quick breakfast to fix. Now add some potatoes and scramble the eggs for a difference. You will get a more hearty breakfast, that is delicious and filling.

Ingredients

4 - Eggs

2 medium - Potatoes, boiled & cut to small pieces

2 to 3 - Shallots/ small onions, chopped

3 to 4 - Green chili, chopped

1/8 to 1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/4 to 1/2 cup - Grated cheese

Few coriander leaves, chopped

Bread slices to toast

Tomato ketchup and butter to spread on toast

Method

1 ) Heat coconut oil in a pan, add green chili and shallots and fry till onion are fried to a light brown color. Then add turmeric powder and fry for a second.Add potato and fry the potatoes to a light brown color.

2 ) Meanwhile beat eggs with salt to taste, coriander leaves. Pour this beaten egg into the pan. Stir and mix well with the ingredients and cook till the eggs are cooked and scrambled. Take off the stove and set aside.

3 ) Toast 2 bread slices,then apply little butter on the toast if you like. Then spread tomato ketchup on top of the butter. Now place some scrambled potato and egg. Then sprinkle some grated cheese on top. Close with another toast and serve. Toast more bread and do similarly.

Serve for breakfast and i hope the meal will put a smile on your face :)

Puli Inji / Inji Puli

Inji puli or puli inji as it is called, is part and parcel of onam sadya. A thick sauce that is sweet, spicy and tangy in taste.

Ingredients

Cut very finely

8 - Green chili

2'' to 3'' piece - Ginger

1 cup - Shallot or 2 - Onions

To roast & powder

1 tsp - Raw rice

1 tsp - Jeera /cumin

1/2 tsp - Pepper corns

Masala powders to be roasted

3 tsp - Coriander powder

1.5 tsp - Chili powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Other ingredients

1 fist full - Tamarind

1 small cube size - Jaggery

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds

2 - Dry red chili, split into two

Few curry leaves

Method

1 ) Extract thick tamarind juice, from tamarind, adding about 1.5 to 2 cups of water to the tamarind. Roast the ingredients listed above.

2 ) Heat a kadai /wok with little coconut oil, Add mustard seeds and let it pop. Then add dry red chili, curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Then add finely chopped, green chili, ginger and onion. Fry on medium heat very well till the raw smell goes and the ingredients get fried to a medium brown color. Add more coconut oil as required.

3 ) Now add the roasted masala powders, mix and stir. Now pour in the tamarind juice, salt to taste, stir and cook till the sauce thicken up. Then add jaggery and let it blend in with the sauce. Now sprinkle the powdered, rice,jeera and pepper. Stir and mix and cook for a minute. Take off the stove and let it cool.

Serve inji puli for a grand onam sadya meal.

Fried Prawns in Coconut Milk Gravy

My kitchen is filled with this enticing aroma of freshly pounded spices, that i sprinkle into the pan of fried prawns and coconut milk. It's a winning combination of ingredients, that is flavorful and delicious.

Ingredients

To marinate

55 to 60 counts - Prawns,deshelled

1 tsp - Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

For the gravy

1/4 tsp - Cumin seeds

1/2 cup - Shallots / small onion

2 - Tomatoes, pureed

2 - Green chili, slit in center

1/2 '' piece - Ginger, finely sliced

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tsp - Coriander powder

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

3 to 4 sprigs - Curry leaves

1 small - Coconut

Spices to be powdered

2 - Green cardamom

1 small stick - Cinnamon

2 - Cloves

Method

1 ) Marinate the prawns with turmeric powder and salt to taste for 10 minutes. Grind shallots to a fine paste. Powder the spices to a fine powder. Extract coconut milk - First extract of thick coconut milk about 1/2 a cup, then second extract of 2 cups .

2 ) Heat enough coconut oil to fry the prawns. In small batches, the fry the prawns to a golden brown color. Drain off the oil to a plate. After frying all the prawns, to the remaining oil, add cumin seeds and let it fry for a second. Then add the onion paste, stir and fry on medium to low heat till onion turns deep brown in color, without burning it.

3 ) Now add the powders, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ground spice powder and fry for a second. Then add green chili, ginger, tomato puree' and salt to taste. Fry till the tomato gets cooked and oil separates.

4 ) Add the fried prawns and mix in with the ingredients. Stir and fry on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Now pour in the second extract of the coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Now add the curry leaves and the first extract of the coconut milk. Let it come to a boil on low heat. Turn off the stove and serve.

Serve with basmati rice or appam.

Methi / Fenugreek Dal

Some in my house will not eat anything bitter, where in i just go for it. Methi with it's characteristic bitterness, when cooked with dal /lentil will reduce the bitterness and balance the taste. Adding coconut oil enhanced the flavors to this simple dish.

Ingredients

1 cup - Toor dal

1 tsp - Red chili powder 

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp - Hing powder

1 big - Roma tomato

6 big - Shallots, chopped
5 big - garlic, crushed & chopped

1 bunch - Fenugreek / methi leaves

Method

1 ) Pluck the methi leaves off the stem, rinse and clean well in water. Drain off the water

2 ) Cook dal in enough water with red chili powder, turmeric powder and little coconut oil.Once the dal is cooked add salt to taste and take off the stove.

3 ) Now heat a kadai /wok, add coconut oil for seasoning. When the oil heats up add mustard seeds and let the mustard seeds splutter. Then add hing, shallots and fry till light brown in color, then add garlic fry for a minute. Then add tomato and fry till tomato is well fried. Then add the methi leaves and fry till the leaves wilt on medium flame.

4 ) Now pour in the cooked dal to the kadai. Stir and mix, adjust salt to taste. Simmer and cook for a minute. Take off the stove and serve.

Serve with rice or roti.

Navratan Korma

Navratan meaning 'nine gems' is the name given to this mughlai korma dish, that is a mixed combination of vegetables, paneer, fruit & nuts. Add in your choice of vegetables to make this korma. This will make a good side dish with naan, roti or pulao.

Ingredients

1 cup - Potato,cut to small cubes

1 cup - Carrot, chopped

1 cup - French beans, chopped

1 cup - Green peas

1 to 1.5 cup - Paneer cubes

1/4 cup - Pineapple cubes

Few cashew nuts, broken

1 big - Onion, chopped

2 big - Tomato, pureed

3 to 4 tbsp - Powdered cashewnuts

2 to 3 - Green chili

2 tsp - Ginger, crushed

2 tsp -Garlic, crushed

1/2 cup - Curds /yogurt

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 to 1.5 tsp - Kashmiri chili powder

1 tsp - Garam masala powder

Garnish with some coriander leaves

Method

1 ) Grind green chili, ginger and garlic to a paste and set aside. Boil carrot, peas and the beans, with salt to taste.

2 ) Heat enough oil to fry paneer and potato in a kadai. Once the oil is hot, add cashew nuts and fry to a golden color.Drain off the oil and transfer to a plate. Then add paneer cubes and fry to a golden color. After all the paneer cubes are done, add potato and fry till golden brown. Take off the oil and transfer to the plate.

3 ) In the remaining oil, fry onion to a golden brown color. Then add the ginger, garlic and green chili paste. Fry for few seconds, then add tomato puree, curds, garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cashew nut powder and salt to taste. Simmer, cover and cook till oil separates.

4 ) Now add all the veggies, paneer, cashew nut and about 1 to 1.5 cup water, simmer and cook till the gravy thickens. Now add pineapple cubes, garnish with coriander leaves and take off the stove.

Serve hot as a side dish with roti.