Monday, January 25, 2010

Easy and Tasty Rasam

In ಅವರ್ ಮನೇ there is no habit of eating rasam rice every day. But its in my ಅತೆ ಮನೆe. This time when I we nt to India for 2 months. I stayed in my in-laws place for a month. Every day there is rasam inspite of 2 palya's, samber and others.. if rasam is not there at the final stage of the dinner all of them were feeling like its hnot the proper end of the dinner
by the time I leave India. I also started liking Rasam, it's yummy man, little sour and little hot. Very good combo in south Indian traditional meal.

Ingridents:

Rasam Powder = 2tspn,
Tomato = 2 no.s,
Tamarind = thumb finger size,
Red chilli powder = 1tspn,
cilantro = finely chopped half a cup,
garlic = 3- 4 cloves,

Seasoning
Oil = 2tspn,
mustard seeds= 1tspn,
cumin seeds = 1 tspn,
gralic cloves = 2 no.s,
whole red chilli = 1.

water and salt to taste

One can use pure water or the water remaining from the dhal pressure cooked.

Directions to prepare:
  1. To the water(of your choice) add all the above ingridents and squeeze well remove tamarind from the mixture. Garlic cloves should be smashed before adding and tomato can be squezed or cut into small pieces before adding.
  2. keep the pan on the stove to heat, put oil for seasoning. Add mustard seeds, 30 seconds later cumin seeds, 30 seconds later gralic cloves(smashed), 2 mins later 1 redchilli broken into 2 piece.
  3. Now add the first step water mixture into this seasoning. boil it for some time. Look at the taste whether salt is needed or some red chilli powder is needed.

Sabaki Pasyam

When I went to India this time I din't cook for the whole vacation. So planned to cook and I called my friends to come home and have a light (my hand made Indian style) dinner along with that I called my cousin. Why I am telling this is the reason behind why I am posting this recipe. That day I prepared only one sweet that was pasyam it's special SBAKKI PASYAM.
she like it and asked me the recipe so I am posting this recipe. As you all know I prepare easy dishes sabakki pasyam is also very easy to cook and just takes 20 mins to cook and no preparation time required. A three step process.

Ingredints:

  1. Sabakki = 1 cup(240 ml),
    Milk = 2 cup (twice the sabakki )
    Water = 2 cup (twice the sabakki)
    Sugar = 2 cup(twice the sabakki)
    Oil = to deep fry,
    Ghee = 1 tblspn,
    raisans and cashewnuts

Directions to cook:

  1. Boil water and milk together in a pasya making pan add sugar and keep boiling.
  2. Heat the oil in the frying pan, after it has come to boiling temprature put the sabakki, sabakki will sprout and enlarges itself like a papad in the oil. Now take out the sabakki suddenly put it to the hot water after 2-3 mins drain the hot water and keep aside the sabakki which is very soft now. Add this soft sabakki to pasyam making pan in which mixture of water, milk and sugar is boiling.
  3. Fry raisans and cashewnuts in ghee add it to the pan.





ALoo Methi

One day I had no veg other than aloo and methi leaves. In this methi leaves I din't know much to cook other than 2 type one is dhal and methi south Indian samber and the other is methi rice. As I knew aloo can get along with any ingrident, I tryed adding methi leaves. I called it as aloo methi after eating it I was like :-)
WOW!!!!!!!!!!
believe me it was awesome and second day also did the same aloo methi then I got the catch goes well with chapthi, for rice it will sides.




Ingridents:

Main:

  1. Potato-small ones = 8 - 10no.s
  2. Fenugreek leaves(Methi) = 2 bunchs(only leaves no stem please)

Seasoning:

  1. Oil = 5 tblspn,
  2. Mustard seeds = 1tspn,
  3. Cumin seeds = 2tblspn,
  4. Red chilli powder = 1-2 tspn,
  5. coriander powder(dhania) = 2tblspn.



cut the potato(if it is big potato to the size of two thumb finger size) and and peel off the skin of potato

take out only the leaves of methi so it will not taste bitter finally. But some economic people who counts can still cut the stems of the methi into 5 mm size and play safe.

Directions to prepare:

  1. Keep the pan on the stove, oil it then after the oil is heated up add mustard after it sprouts add cumin seeds
  2. Add cut potato to the seasoning pan, after 10 to 15 min potato seems like fryed in oil porperly so now add methi leaves.
  3. Ater 5 min add coriander powder & red chilli powder to the the pan.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Indian Style potato curry

INGREDIENTS :

  • 3 tablespoons ghee/oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 1/2 Indian curry powder
  • 2-3 red chilli
  • 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2/3 cup frozen green peas
  • salt to taste.

  • Note: If other vegetables like corn or carrot is wasted you can use it.
DIRECTIONS :
  1. Heat the ghee in a pan over medium heat, and put mustard seed and allow it to splater and then add in the cumin , 20 seconds later add turmeric, coriander, salt and Red chillis.
  2. Place potatoes, its better to cook potates in microwave for 5 minutes and then shift them into the pan, and stir to evenly coat with the ghee. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Pour water into the pan. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
  3. Mix the yogurt and peas into the saucepan. Continue cooking until heated through. If you plan to add other vegetables u can add them after potato and then allow to cook before adding water.
serves 4
goes well with rice and roti..

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Eggplant and Green Peas (indian style)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tbsp. oil
  • 2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
  • 1 medium onion sliced in half-moons
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 eggplants cut into chunks (slice eggplant in 1/2 and then cut 2 -inch pieces)
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper is our Indian mirchi red chilli which is very hot.
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. of dried mango powder (amchur)
  • 1.2 cup fresh or defrosted frozen peas.
Directions :

1. Heat oil in a heavy pan. add cumin seeds and sautee until the seed turn one shade darker. Add onions and a little salt. Saute until the onions turn transparents and start to brown. Then add the garlic and saute some more.

2. Add eggplant and stir. When eggplant starts to soften (shouldn't take very long) add enough water to prevent sticking. Add salt and cayenne. Cover and let the eggplant cook.

3. When the eggplant is cooked add amchur and green peas. Stir in around and it's done. You can add a little minced cilantro too. Also, you could add one teaspoon of minced fresh ginger root with the garlic.

(2-3 servings)

goes well with rice and roti..

Apricot Dumplings

Ingredients:

450 g (1 lb) small apricots

1 sugar cube per apricot,

350 ml (12 fl oz) water plus 2 litres (3 1/2 pints)

100 g (4 oz) butter

150 g (5 oz) plain flour

2 eggs

salt

100 g (4 oz) breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons icing sugar to sprinkle.

Directions:

Wash, dry, split and stone the apricots and place 1 sugar cube in the centre of each.

Bring the 350 ml (12 fl oz) of water to the boil, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the water, tip the flour at one go into the boiling water and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the dough to cool slightly. Beat in the eggs one after the other.

While the dough is still lukewarm, shape it into a long roll and cut into as many slices as you have apricots. Flatten each slice slightly and wrap round an apricot. Leave to dry for 5 minutes.

Bring the 2 litres (3 1/2 pints) of water and a generous pinch of salt to the boil, add the dumplings, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan and brown the breadcrumbs. Drain the dumplings thoroughly, coat them in breadcrumbs and dust with icing sugar.