Aloo Paratha

I have few recipes that is ready to be posted but just needs some editing to it. So this one is from my collection. The other day, I was browsing through Manjula's Kitchen for different dishes. She has amazing recipes. That day, this aloo paratha attracted me. Usually, my parathas are not so good. It would tear in between, the stuffing will either be too less or too much. So I always avoided making parathas at home. But when I followed Manjula's Kitchen, It came very well. The stuffing is my own , but the measurement and the idea was really fantastic. We loved the parathas.

Original recipe is here

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Salt to taste
water - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp

Filling:
Cooked potato - 2
Onion - 1/2 chopped finely
Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste


Preparation:


I followed exactly the same process as she said just my filling had slightly different ingredients that I have mentioned above. So you can see the same in her space 

Sending this to Aipi's Bookmarked Recipes

Bindi Fry / Lady's Finger Fry

I am kind of stuck with lots of work. My husband and I are having some travel plans which came up all of a sudden. So we are busy with our plan. Though I have lots of time for the travel, we were stuck with some minor paper work. Anyways, I cant give excuses like this. Jumping about this dish, my friend in India, used to bring this type of bindi fry. I never liked bindi so much because of its slimy texture. Though after cooking it the right way it is not so the very thought about the sliminess would make me not try this vegetable. One day she brought it to work and it was really nice. It was not slimy, it was very nice, crunchy and tasty. From then I asked my mom to make it that way.

Ingredients:

Lady's Finger - 1 lb
Oil - 2 tbps
Turmeric -  1 tsps
Salt - to taste
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsps
Sambar Powder / Curry powder - 3/4 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan. When hot add cumin seeds and let it fry for few seconds.

Now add turmeric, red chilli powder and sambar powder.

Add cut lady's finger and mix well till it takes all color from the turmeric.

Fry for about 2 mins. Add salt. Fry under medium to low flame till it becomes tender.

You will see that the sticky thing will go gradually when you fry under medium heat for some time.

Cook till it is completely non sticky. If you want it crispy, let it cook for more time in low heat.

Serve it with hot sambar rice, roti.

Thanks to Akhila for her award. It skipped out of my mind. Am sorry for posting it so late. But I thought better late than never :-)

Thanks Akila :-)

Simple Salad comes with an Award!

Yes, I receive this Versatile blogger award from PJ - Seduce your taste buds few days back. Thanks to PJ. She has a wonderful blog and lots of healthy and yummy recipes. Frankly speaking, I was actually waiting for everyone to post the awards so that I can post mine. Now I thought would be right to share this award with my friends. In receiving this award, we need to pass it to 10 fellow blogger friends. :-)

1. Divya Vikram - Dil Se
2. Alessandra - Only Recipes
3. Srimathi - Few Minute Wonders
4. Nitu Bala - Nitu's Kitchen
5. Cool Lassi - Pangravy kadai curry
6. Priya - Elaichii
7.Sangeetha - Healthfood Desivideshi
8. Indian Spice Magic
9. Santhosh Bangar - Santhosh's Kitchen
10. Sadhana - My lovely Kitchen

Congratulations my friends. I just chose them in a random order .Would love to share it with everyone but it limits to 10. Enjoy your day!!!

Now coming to the salad...

I had made this salad for our lunch today. I dint have sufficient ingredients to make a complete salad. So I just made a simple one with veggies I had. My husband prefers one raw vegetable along with regular cooked vegetable dish in his meal everyday. That way, we eat more vegetable and less of rice. Its healthy and at the same time feels light. Usually if I am lazy I just chop carrots and sprinkle some pepper and salt, sometimes its cucumber. Today its a combination of both. 

Ingredients:

Carrot - 1 small chopped into bite size cubes
Radish - 1/2 ( length of our palm) chopped into cubes
Cucumber - 1 small cut into cubes
Cilantro - handful chopped fine
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Salt - to tate
Greec Chilli - 1 chopped ( optional)

Preparation:

Mix all vegetables in a bowl along with salt and lime juice

Garnish with cilantro.

Serve it cold as a side dish, salad.

See you soon with more. :-)

Masala Pori / Masala Puffed Rice

As I already mentioned, I bought a bag full of puffed rice from Indian store. I want to use as much as possible and finish it because it will loose its crunch very soon and also if it gets old, a strange smell comes out of it. I am not the one who wants to just throw things away. Thats a big reason I buy in lesser quantities. But this big bad of puffed rice.. My god! So friend, there are going to be many dishes with my puffed rice ;-) Usually my husband takes as afternoon nap on weekends. So everytime when he gets up from the nap he wants something nice as a light snack. This time I made this masala pori. We loved it. Its very simple to make and its crunchy and tasty and great to have with a cup of hot tea. 

Ingredients:

Puffed rice - 3 cups
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp ( according to spice level)
Curry leaves - 6-8 leaves
Roasted Peanuts - 1/2 cup broken into half
Asafoetida - a pinch

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan. When it is hot enough add curry leaves, asafoetida, red chilli powder, turmeric. 

Add the puffed rice immediately and give it a good mix till the chilli powder and turmeric mixes well with the puffed rice. 

Add salt, and roasted peanuts and fry for about 2 mins till the puffed rice becomes crunchy.

Serve it with hot tea.

Sending this to Hearth and Soul and to Pari's Only Chaat event

For other puffed rice recipe - check out Crunchy Crispy Churmuri

Paneer Masala

I posted the fried rice and actually forgot about my mention on Paneer Masala. Weekend was actually busy. We went to the Diwali Mela in our temple complex. It was fun. Cultural programs, lots of food, etc. It was a mini fair. We would not miss this mela every year. Its fun. Sunday just passed not doing anything. This way I forgot about my recipes and posts. Only now I had some time and was reminded about my recipes. Had taken few clicks but haven't posted yet. Will come up with them as soon as possible. Now let me explain this super easy paneer masala.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 finely chopped
Tomato - 1 finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Paneer - 7 oz cut into cubes
Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsps
Garam Masala- 1/2 tbsp

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds. In few seconds, add onions and saute till the onions caramelizes. Now add tomato and fry for another 5 mins.

Add turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala and add some water to make it sufficient gravy. Let it cook till raw smell fades.

In another pan, heat little oil and add paneer. Fry till paneer becomes brown.

Add paneer to the gravy and mix well. Let it soak in the gravy and serve with fried rice.

Fried Rice

My first experience with fried rice was when I invited my friends home just after our exams were over. My mom made this rice along with paneer masala. That day I remember so well because we all loved it so much. I must thank my mom because it was nice of her to prepare this, chapati, and many other dishes for about 10 of my friends. We relished it so much. It was a great treat to all of us. We finished our last exam and it was Geography (I hate this subject even now. I scored so less in all my geography exams ;-) ) We were already so hungry by the time we came home. We hogged this dish and after that we had kheer as desert. I have been preparing this dish often as I found from my mom that it was such an easy dish. She told me that secret much later ;-) Of course she added spring onions to it . I dint have that. So prepared a simple fried rice.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup ( Carrots, beans, potato )
Onion - 1/2 chopped fine
soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 2 leaves
Cloves - 4
Garlic - 2 pods mashed mildly

Preparation:

In a pan heat 1 tsp ghee and fry basmati rice until the moisture is completely absorbed. Cook it in 1: 1.75 water ratio and keep aside. 

In a pan heat oil and ghee. Add bay leaf, cloves and garlic. Fry until garlic turns brown. Remove all these from oil and throw them. 

Add onion and saute for about one min. Now add all vegetables and fry in the steam. The vegetables should get cooked in the steam. When 90% cooked, salt and mix well.

Now add rice and mix well till vegetables and rice blends well. Add a tbsp soy sauce and mix well for few seconds. 

If you have spring onions, sprinkle at the end and remove from heat. I dint have it. So couldn't add it.

Fried Rice is ready so quickly.  You can serve it with Paneer masala or any other gravy. 

See you soon with Paneer Masala...

Crunchy Crispy Churmuri

I bought a big packet of puffed rice from Indian store last evening. I like puffed rice in varied savory forms. I have had this churmuri in Bangalore, India. My husband is from Bangalore and he introduced me to this snack. I loved it. It was crunchy, spicy, salty, etc etc.. So it became my favorite from then. Whenever we visit India, we make sure we eat this churmuri. Only after having it atleast once, my heart will come back to US peacefully. This time when I bought this packet of puffed rice, the immediate snack from my husband and me was churmuri. So here comes my version of churmuri.

Ingredients:

Puffed Rice - 3 cups (Rice cooker cup measurement)
Carrot - 1/2 cup grated
Tomato - 1/2 chopped finely
Onion - 1/2 chopped finely
Cucumber - 1/2 chopped finely
Cilantro - 1 Tbsps chopped
Salt - to taste
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsps
Roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup broken into halves
Lime Juice - 1 tbsps
Sev - 2 tbsps for garnish

Preparation:

In a dry pan, dry roast puffed rice for about 3 mins. This will help puffed rice stay crisp for long time.

In another pan, roast groundnuts in a tsps oil until golden brown.

In a bowl, mix onion, tomato, cucumber, carrot, cilantro, salt, red chilli powder and mix well.

Add ground nuts and Lime juice and mix well.

Just before serving add puffed rice and mixx well and serve immediately with hot tea or coffee.

Crunchy crispy churmuri is ready in minutes.

Sending this to Pari's "Only" Chaat  event and to Hearth and Soul

Masala Rice

I always wanted to post something for Bookmarked recipes but somehow i post the recipes on different days and finally end up not sending one for her event. This time I made sure I post this recipe on Tuesday to participate in her event. So coming to the dish, this one I found in my book by Mallika Badrinath a culinary expert in South India. She has published several books on different rice dishes, side dishes, Indian sweets and savory. So I made this rice from her book and it came out very well. Its a simple rice with all readily available ingredients.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Tomato - 2
Onion - 1 big
Ginger - 1 tbsps chopped
Garlic - 1 pod finely chopped
Green Chilli - 2
Oil - 1 tbsps
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsps
Potato - 1 medium sized cut lengthwise for french fries
Turmeric -  a pinch
Salt - to taste
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsps
Corriander powder - 1/2 tsps
Garam Masal POwder - 3/4 tsps

Preparation: 

Grind onion, tomato, green chilli, ginger, garlic without adding water.

Cook rice separately and allow it to cool.

Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds. Now add ground paste and fry in medium heat till the moisture is completely absorbed.

Add cumin powder, corriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric and salt. Mix well and fry for another minute.

Now add cooked rice and mix well till rice becomes hot.

Remove from heat.

For Fries:

Microwave the cut potatoes for about 4 mins. It shouldn't cook fully. It must be just 75% cooked. Now deep fry in oil until potatoes turn golden brown. Sprinkle some salt when hot and mix the fries well.

Top the rice with fried potatoes and some cilantro if needed.

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes

Note: I do not market any products through my posts. 

Kovakkai / Ivy Gourd / Tindora Stir fry

My mom used to make this simple saute back in India. I love this vegetable. It has a very simple taste and acquires flavors from the spices we use. Just a simple saute but a very tender texture and taste. This vegetable has such great nutritional benefits. My mom used to make this not only because I love it, but it is one of the few vegetables my dad can have that is useful to lower his blood sugar levels.So it is very good for people with high blood glucose levels. I never made this vegetable here in US because my husband doesn't like it much. But the other day I asked him to give it a shot and eat this just like how we eat many other veggies that we do not like. He tried it and actually liked it and was ready to eat often. I am so happy that he liked it because its is easy when we have similar tastes you see ;-) 

Ingredients:

Ivy Gourd/ Tindora - 1 LB cut lengthwise
Oil - 1 tbsps
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsps
Urad dhal - 1 tsps
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Red Chilli - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sambar Powder or Curry Powder or garam Masala - 3/4 tbsps
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add urad dhal, asafoetida, jeera curry leaves.

When urad dhal turns light brown, add tindora. Keep stiring once in a while. Sprinkle water and close it. Stir occasionally and sprinkle water till tindora cooks well. It will become tender when cooked and the skin will slightly shrink .

The moisture in the vegetable will absorb the spices and tastes good. I did this saute just till the vegetable cooked and became tender. In case you need it crispy, add little more oil and keep it in medium heat and more time until it turns crisp after the entire moisture is absorbed.

 Serve it with roti, poori and just hot steamed rice.

Red Quinoa with Mixed Vegetables

We have developed a liking for quinoa. This made me try first with the different types. This time, I bought the red qunioa and made this dish. We really liked it. The sauteed vegetables in light olive oil gave it a very good taste and texture to the food. The red quinoa has a mild flavor. This great grain is so healthy and so filling that you can eat guilt free.

Ingredients:

Red quinoa - 1 cup
Zucchini - 1/2 chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped into cubes
Peal onion - 10 Slit into half
Corn - 1/4 cup
Cilantro - 1 tbsps chopped
Lime Juice - 1 tbsps
Salt - to taste

Prepraration:

First cook quinoa with 2 cups water in a pan( you can either pressure cook for one sound or you could cook in a pan keep stirring once in a while to check if its cooked ).

In another pan, heat a tsps of olive oil. Add pearl onions and saute till they are light brown. Add zucchini and fry for another minute.

Add corn and mix for another mintue. Finally add tomato and saute it for another minute. By now all vegetables would have kind of sauteed well. Just sprinkle sufficient salt on top  and add cooked quinoa.

Mix vegetables and quinoa well and just before removing from heat, add lime juice and cilantro. Mix well and remove from heat.

This is a great dish to make in short time. It is filling and a complete meal. You could add more vegetables of your choice.

Sending this to Akheela's Food Platte red event and to Priya of Mhrao Rajasthan's recipe's CWF - Quinoa event

HAPPY DIWALI!!!

Hi Friends 


Wish you and your family a very Happy Diwali !!!

Carrot Rice

Today, I am writing on Carrot Rice. I heard about this recipe from my cousin sister in New Jersy . She had seen it in a recipe book by Mallika Badrinath a cullinary expert in South India. She has so many recipes that we could try. So today its carrot rice. The blend of South Indian spices gives the dish such great flavor and is a great dish if you have guests coming over or pot luck parties.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 Cup
Carrot - 3 big grated
Onion - 1 Finely Chopped
Bay leaf - 2
Cloves - 3
Oil - 2 tbsps

For Grinding

Corriander seeds - 2 tbsps
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsps
Red Chilli - 2
Dry grated coconut - 2 tbsps
Peanuts - 3 tbsps

Preparation:

Cook rice seperately and keep it aside.

Heat 1 tbsps oil in a pan and fry corriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli. When it turns golden brown add coconut and turn the heat off.

In the same pan with the left over oil, fry 3 tbsp peanuts untill golden brown.

Grind peanuts and the corriander mixture into fine powder.

In a broad shallow pan, heat 1 tbsps oil and add cloves, bay leaves. Fry till cloves starts to expand. You could remove bay leaf and clove form oil .

Now add onions and saute till transparent. Now add grated carrot and cook it in medium heat. It has to cook in steam. Sprinkle water when necessary. Cook it till the raw smell of carrot fades.

Now add and rice and mix it. Now add the ground powder to rice and mix well.

Let it cook for about 2 mins and remove from heat. Serve hot with spicy green chilli tossed in a tbsps ghee or just raitha..

The flavor from corriander and peanuts give the dish great taste.

Meet you soon!!!

Moong and beans saute

When ever I make beans saute, its always a simple saute with grated coconut at the end of it. Though it tasted good, I was really bored of making the same type with beans. When I was talking to my mom today, she asked me to try this one. It was different way to make beans. Tasted good with the crunch of moong dhal and some spices added to it made the dish flavorful.

Ingredients:

Beans - 1 - 2 cups Chopped
Moong Dhal - 1/4 cup
salt - To taste
Corriander Powder - 1/2 tbps
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red Cilli powder - 1/2 tbps
Oil - 1 tbsps
Mustard - 1 tsps
Urad Dhal- 1 tsps
Curry Leaves 6-8 leaves

Preparation:

In a vessel, add beans, moong dhal, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder. Mix these ingredients well and leave it aside for 5 mins.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard. When it splutters, add urad dhal, curry leaves and asafortida. When uradh dhal turns golden brown, add this mixture. Mix well.

Sprinle water, cover it and let it cook occasionally checking and stirring in between. Add water now and then, to cook the moong dhal along with beans. Cook until moong dhal is well cooked.

Serve with with rice or roti.