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.

Coconut Sevai

Sevai / rice noodles is a popular southern indian dish that is steamed cooked and then seasoned. Different varieties of sevai's are prepared. Like the plain sevai, tamarind sevai, lime sevai, the yummy tasting coconut sevai.To make rice sevai from scratch will be time consuming for a person like me. So i went in for the ready to cook rice sevai available in the market.

Ingredients

200gm / 2 cups - Rice sevai

1 cup - Freshly grated coconut

2 tbsp - White sesame seeds,roasted & powdered

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp - Urad dal

1 tsp - Channa dal

3 to 4 - Green chili, chopped

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Coconut or sesame oil

Method

1 ) In plenty of water, cook ready to cook sevai. Add salt to taste and little oil to the water. Once cooked drain all the water and set aside

2 ) In a kadai, heat coconut or sesame oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, peanuts, and let the mustard pop and the dals gets fried to agolden color. Then add green chili,curry leaves, 2 tbsp grated coconut and fry till coconut turns lightly golden.

3 ) Add the cooked sevai to the kadai and stir in well with the ingredients. Sprinkle the roasted and powdered sesame powder, adjust salt to taste. Stir and mix well. Finally add the freshly grated coconut and mix in well. Take off the stove and serve in a serving dish.

Serve for breakfast or for evening snacks.

Spring Onion Dosa

A flavorful dosa with spring onions. Rice and different dals is the base of this dosa, with a ratio of 2 :1. Dals should measure all together to one cup, where you can increase any one dal proportion a little bit. More of Channa dal or toor dal will make the dosa crisp and also adds flavor. More of moong dal will make the dosa soft. So you can increase the measure of any of the dals as to what you desire the dosa to turn out to be like.

Ingredients

2 cup - Raw rice, washed well

1/4 cup - Moong dal

1/2 cup - Channa dal

1/4 cup - Toor dal

1'' piece - Ginger

4 to 6 - whole dry red chili or Green chili

1/4 tsp - Hing powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 bunch - Spring onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Method

1 ) Wash and soak all the dals and rice in water over night. Then grind to a paste adding little water, dals, rice, ginger, and red chili. The batter should be dosa batter consistency.

2 ) Add hing, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Stir and blend in well. Then add the finely chopped spring onion to the batter and mix. Check and adjust salt to taste.

3 ) Heat a tawa and pour little of the batter on the tawa and spread batter in circular motion like for dosa and cook one side and then turn and cook on the other side. Drizzle some butter or sesame oil on the dosa when cooking on both sides. Take off the tawa and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot with chutney or can be had without chutney too.

Serve hot with chutney.

Instead of spring onion, coriander leaves can be added to make dosa. Grinding few curry leaves along with batter will give good flavor.

Prawns In Hot Garlic Sauce

Going out to have Chinese is something we do often, unless it can be created at home. Fried prawns cooked in hot garlic sauce is delightful in taste and will make a great side dish with Chinese fried rice, noodles or just plain steamed jasmine rice.

Ingredients

45 to 50 counts - Medium size prawns

Marinate prawns with

1 tbsp - Cornflour

1 - Egg, beaten well

Salt to taste

For the Sauce

20 to 25 flakes - Garlic, finely chopped

2'' pieces - Ginger, finely chopped

4 to 5 stalks - Spring onion

6 tbsp - Tomato ketchup

4 tsp - White vinegar

4 to 5 tsp - Red chili paste

1 tbsp - Soya sauce

1 tsp - Sugar

2 tbsp - Cornflour ( dissolved in little water )

Salt to taste

sesame or groundnut out

Method

1 ) To marinate the prawns - Mix cornflour, egg, salt to taste and mix well with the prawns. Marinate for 15 minutes.

2 ) Cut the spring onion - Separate the onion and greens. Chop the greens separately for final garnishing. And the onions, chop them and keep ready for the sauce. In a bowl, mix tomato ketchup, vinegar, chili paste, soya sauce, sugar and keep mixed sauce ready.

3 ) Heat a kadai/ wok, pour some oil for deep frying the prawns. Add the marinated prawns into the hot oil and cook on both sides in medium heat till prawns turns white in color. Once the prawns is cooked transfer to a plate draped with paper napkin to drain off excess oil. Fry all the marinated prawns this way.

4 ) To the remaining oil( add more oil if needed) add ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the onion and sauté till translucent. Then add the previously mixed sauces to the kadai and stir fry for a minute.

5 ) Now add the fried prawns and stir-fry for a minute. Then add salt to taste and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook for few seconds. Then add the dissolved cornflour in water to the kadai and stir fry for 15 seconds. Turn off the stove, garnish with green onion and serve hot.

Serve hot with chinese fried rice, noodle or steamed rice.

To make red chili paste -

Soak 6 whole dry kashmiri chili in little water for 1/2 hour. Then grind to a paste with little water in which the chili was soaked in.

Cabbage Thoran ~ Stir Fried Cabbage

Cabbage stir fried with coconut, shallot, garlic, ginger and spices gives it a unique taste that is so good with cooked red rice.

Ingredients

3 cups - Cabbage, chopped

Coarsely grind

1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut

1/4 tsp - Jeera / Cumin

3 to 4 - Green chili

A very small piece - Ginger

2 flakes - Garlic

1 big - Shallot

1 sprig - Curry leaves

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

5 to 6 big - Shallots, chopped

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Mix shredded and chopped cabbage with the coarsely ground coconut mixture. With hand mix in very well. Sprinkle salt to taste and mix with hand well.

2 ) Heat a kadai /wok with coconut oil, add mustard and pop it. Then add shallots and curry leaves and fry lightly. Then add the cabbage mixture and stir in. Close with a lid and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. In between just give a quick stir. Let the cabbage cook in it's steam. Do not over cook the cabbage. Let it have a bit of crunchiness. Take off the heat and serve.

This is my usual side dish with some kerala fish curry and rice.

Chili Mango

If you love sweet and sour dishes and also love to cook with ripe mangoes, then go for this Chinese sweet and sour dish, Chili Mango. It has the balanced sweet and sour taste, once the dish has cooled down a bit and the flavors have settled in. This will be a good side dish along with chinese fried rice or noodles. But then i just ate the chili mango and didn't need anything to go along with it. Try it and you might also like it.

Ingredients

2 big - Ripe & firm mangoes, cut to small pieces

1 medium size - Onion, chopped

1 - Capsicum, chopped

1 - Green chili, chopped

1 tsp - Finely grated ginger

1 tsp - Finely grated garlic

1/4 tsp - Red chili powder

3 tsp - Red chili sauce

3 tsp - Tomato sauce

3 tsp - Soya sauce

1.5 tsp - Vinegar

1.5 tsp - Cornflour

Garnishing

1 stalk - Greens of the spring onion, chopped finely

Method

1 ) Mix and combine the sauces - Red chili sauce, tomato sauce and soya sauce in a bowl. Then in another bowl mix and combine cornflour, vinegar and 2 to 3 tbsps of water.

2 ) Heat 2 to 3 tbsp butter in a pan, add onion and fry till it turns pink in color in medium heat. Then add ginger, garlic and green chili. Fry for a minute then add capsicum and fry till capsicum is fried lightly and still crisp.Add chili powder, lower the heat and then add the mixed sauces and stir in well with the ingredients in the pan. Then add the cornflour mixture, salt to taste, stir and mix well

3 ) Add mango pieces, mix well and cook on very low heat for a minute. Let the mango not get over cooked. Now when still hot i was not so keen on the taste, but when it cooled down a bit and flavors got balanced, it really tasted good. Serve into a serving bowl and garnish with spring onion.

Serve as a side dish with chinese fried rice or noodles.

Muringya Ela Thoran / Drumstick Leaf Stir-Fry

In kerala a drumstick tree in the backyard of a house is a common sight. There is one our back yard too. This gives a good supply of drumsticks and leaves to cook when ever you desire for a dish made out of it. Now to make this drumstick leaves upperi / thoran, pick on young drumstick leaves. Older leaves tend to be more bitter. Pick just the leaves off the stem and then clean them well.

Ingredients

2 to 3 cups - Drumstick leaves,washed

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/2 cup - Shallot/ small onion, chopped

Coarsely grind

1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut

1/4 tsp - Jeera

1 big - Shallot / small onion

2 - Green chili

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

Method

1 ) Heat a wok or kadai with coconut oil, add mustard seeds and pop it in medium heat. Then add the shallots and fry till lightly browned. Then add turmeric powder and salt to taste and stir in.

2 ) Now add the drumstick leaves, stir and then close with a lid and cook on low heat till the leaves get wilted. Then add the coarsely ground coconut mixture, stir, close with a lid and further cook on low heat for few more minutes till done. The leaves will get cooked in it's moisture. Take care to see that the leaves don't stick to the bottom of the pan and start burning from lack of moisture.

Serve hot as a side dish with rice.

Variation - When the quantity of the leaves are less or even otherwise if you need a variation, add little par- cooked toor dal, and cook with the drumstick leaves. following the same recipe.

Mutton Masala

Mutton masala has the flavors and taste of a naadan kerala meat preparation. And i find comfort in these naadan tastes to have with rice or kerala porotta.

Ingredients

1 kilo - Mutton with bones

1/2 cup - Small onion/ shallots, chopped

1'' piece - Ginger, finelt chopped

6 big flakes - Garlic, finely chopped

1 small - Tomato, chopped

1 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/4 tsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tsp - Jeera

1 tsp - Black pepper powder

3 to 4 tsp - Coriander powder

3 tsp - Eastern, Mutton masala powder

Garnish

1/4 cup - Thenga kothu, Coconut cut to small pieces

4 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Marinate mutton with turmeric powder and salt to taste for 15 minutes.

2 ) Heat coconut oil in pressure cooker, add onion, ginger, garlic and fry till lightly browned. Simmer then add jeera, tomato and fry for minute or two then add all the powders - red chili powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, mutton masala powder and fry in the oil till the raw smell of the masala goes.

3 ) Add mutton pieces and fry for minute or two. Then add 1/2 cup of water, close the cooker and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Open the cooker, once cool. Place the cooker back on stove and then add the coconut pieces, curry leaves. Simmer and cook till all the gravy is used up. Now it is individual choice here, if you like a little gravy then stop cooking when the gravy thickens up. Adjust salt to taste. If you like it dry then cook till all the gravy is dried out and then add more coconut oil and fry the meat to the desired stage.

Serve hot with rice, roti or kerala porotta.

Kali Dal

Kali dal is yet another delicious Punjabi dish, that is wholesome and rich in taste. Whole black urad dal with skin is used for making this dish. Earlier i had posted 'Dal Makhani' recipe, cooked in slow cooker. This dish also can be cooked in a slow cooker to get the creamy texture for the dish. But now this a pressure cooker recipe, which is equally good.

Ingredients

1.5 cup - Whole black urad dal, washed well

5 cups - Water

3 to 4 tbsp - Heavy cream / malai

5 tbsp - Ghee

Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

2'' piece - Ginger

10 to 15 big flakes - Garlic

4 - Green chili

Seasoning

1 tsp - Jeera

2 medium - Onion,chopped

1/2 tsp - Hing powder, Asafoetida

1/2 to 1 tsp - Garam masala powder

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

8 medium - Ripe tomatoes, pureed

Garnishing

3 to 4 tbsp - Heavy cream / malai

Some Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method

1 ) Soak urad dal for an hour or two in enough water. You can also soak overnight and sprout it, which will be more nutritious. Then transfer to a pressure cooker along with ground ginger-garlic-green chili paste, 1 tbsp ghee, salt to taste and 5 cups of water. Pressure cook for 50 minutes. Cool the cooker then take some of the cooked urad dal and grind to a creamy consistency. Pour it back to the cooker.

2 ) For tadka / seasoning - Heat 3 to 4 tbsp of ghee in a pan or kadai, add jeera, let it splutter, then add onion and fry till the onion is well fried to a golden color then add the powders, hing, red chili powder, turmeric and garam masala powder. Let the powders get fried for a few seconds, then add the tomato puree. Stir and cook till the tomato is well cooked on low heat and the oil separates. Pour half the heavy cream and mix in well. Now pour this tadka on top of the cooked urad dal, stir in. Adjust salt to taste. Keep the cooker back on stove, simmer and cook for few minutes.

3 ) Now garnish with some coriander leaves and when serving pour some heavy cream on top and serve hot.

Serve hot with roti or basmati rice.

Laal Maas

Laal Maas, is popular Rajasthani meat dish, that is cooked with a lot of red chilies to give a very deep red color to the meat curry. This red meat curry usually prepared with goat /lamb meat and is served with roti. Rajasthani roti's are made from bajra, maize or besan.

Ingredients

1 kg - Mutton with bones

20 to 25 - Whole dried chilies

3 medium - Onions, chopped

2 tsp - Fresh Garlic paste

2 tsp - Fresh ginger paste

4 small - Bay leaves

4 - Cloves

2 - Green cardamom

2 - Black cardamom

2 tsp - Roasted cumin seeds

3 tbsp - Coriander powder

1 cup - Yogurt

Garnish

Few coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1 ) Soak whole dried chili in warm water for sometime. Then grind to a smooth paste using little water.

2 ) Heat Ghee or refined oil in cooker, add bay leaves, clove, green and black cardamom and let the spices release their aroma, then add garlic and ginger paste and stir till lightly fried, then add onion and fry till onion turns golden brown in color. Now add the chili paste and fry till the oil turns red and floats. Put in the meat and fry till the meat is well coated with the chili paste and the color of meat changes.

3 ) Now add coriander powder, cumin and yogurt and salt to taste. Cook till all the yogurt is absorbed by the meat. Then add 2 cups of water, stir, close the cooker and pressure cook for 10 minutes till the meat is fully cooked and tender. Open the cooker once cool and then garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with roti

Note - Adjust chili as per your spice level. You can add half of regular dried chili and half of kashmiri chili, to get the reddish color.

Coconut Caramel Pudding

Coconut Caramel Pudding ! Love caramel pudding for the caramel infused taste with the pudding. This one is made with coconut milk. It's easy to put together and enjoy a sweet dessert.

Ingredients

For caramel

1/2 cup - Sugar

3 to 4 drops - Lemon juice

3 tbsp - Water

For Pudding

4 - Eggs

1 cup - Thick coconut milk

3 tbsp - Sugar

Method

1 ) Make caramel - Add water, lemon juice drops and sugar to a pan and keep on stove. Sugar will melt, start bubbling and then slowing change color, when it reaches a deep golden color stage, switch off the stove and carefully pour the caramel into the utensil to make the pudding. Swirl the utensil to uniformly coat the caramel in the bottom and the sides of the utensil.

2 ) Beat the eggs very well then add sugar and beat well again. Then add coconut milk and beat again. Now pour this mixture into the caramel coated utensil. Cover utensil top with a aluminium foil.

3 ) Pour 2 to 3 cups water into a pressure cooker to steam the pudding. Place the separator that you get with the cooker. On top of the separator place the pudding utensil. Close the cooker and bring the cooker to full cooking pressure.Reduce heat to medium, steam cook for 25 to 30 minutes. To check if the pudding is fully cooked, insert a knife in the center of the pudding and if comes out clean it is done. Take off the cooker and cool completely. You can serve when cool or you can place in refrigerator for a hour and then invert the utensil into a plate and serve the pudding.

Serve as a dessert and enjoy !

Note - I have used ready made Dabur Hommade coconut milk,(200 ml packet) which worked very well for this pudding.

Arbi in Yogurt Sauce

Arbi /Taro cooked in a yogurt based gravy. Will be a good side dish with rice.

Ingredients

400 gm - Arbi / Taro

2 medium - Onion, chopped

1 tsp - Garlic paste

1 tsp - Ginger paste

Make a mixture

1/2 cup - Sour yogurt

1 tbsp - Besan / gram flour

1/2 tsp - Chili powder

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

2 cups - Water

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

3 sprigs - Curry leaves

Granishing

Few coriander leaves

Method

1 ) Pressure cook abri for 5 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into small pieces. Mix yogurt, gram flour, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and water.

2 ) Heat ghee in a kadai, add mustard and let it pop, then add curry leaves, onion and fry till onion is translucent, then add ginger and garlic paste and fry till golden brown in color. Then add arbi pieces and fry for 5 minutes. Add more ghee if necessary.

3 ) Add yogurt mixture, cover and simmer till the gravy thickens and the ghee floats on top. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serve hot with rice.

Microwave Tips

1 ) Making oil less Pappad in Microwave - Place one pappad on the turn table and microwave. In less than 30 seconds pappad will get cooked. Watch the pappad, when it's getting microwaved. Stop the microwave as soon as the whole pappad is cooked.

2 ) Blanching Almonds - Place some almonds in a microwave safe bowl along with little water to cover the almonds.Microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Take off the microwave and cool a bit. Then peel the skin off the almonds. Almond skin will peel off easily.

3 ) Drying fresh green herbs - Mint leaves, coriander leaves, Methi leaves can be dried in the microwave. Place fresh leaves in a microwave safe plate and microwave for 2 - 3 minutes. Then crush the dried leaves and store in containers.

4 ) Make tamarind pulp - Add lemon size tamarind and one cup water to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3 - 4 minutes. Strain to collect the pulp.

5 ) Make bread crumbs - Crumble 2 bread slices and microwave for 2- 3 minutes. Let the bread cool, which in meanwhile will dry, then powder the crumbs in blender.

6 ) Reheat Chapathi - Wrap chapathi in a napkin or paper towel and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.