Pomegranate, Orange juice

It’s a simple refreshing drink. Orange blends well with any other fruit.

Here I have not added sugar, as the juice already taste sweet. If you wish you can add powdered sugar.

What you need:

Pomegranate – 1 big

Orange – 2 big

Ice cube (optional)

For garnishing – 1tbsp pomegranate keep aside before blending

Method:

Slit the Pom fruit into two half.

Separate the seed carefully removing the white skin covering the seeds and place it in a bowl.

Make note you have removed all the white skin and only the seeds are left.

Blend them in blender. Using a strainer separate the juice in a cup.

Now extract the juice from orange using the blender or hand juicer. (If blender is used, remove the seed and skin thoroughly before adding it to the blender). Keep aside the juice in a cup.

Now mix pom juice and orange juice.

Pour it in a juice glass. Add 1tbsp pom to it.

Serve chill adding ice cube.

Spicy Bread Upma:

Are you looking for an evening snack that will take only 15min to prepare, here is the recipe for you. This is the best way to use the left over breadsJ. Onion raita is good combination for this. You can elaborate this by adding more veggies.

Ingredients:

Bread – 7 numbers (I use wheat bread)

Onion – 2 medium

Tomato- 1 ½ medium

Chopped Capsicum – ½ cup (cut into big piece)

Green chilli – 2

Red chilli powder – 1tsp

Turmeric powder– 1tsp

Urad dal – 1tsp

Mustard seeds – 1tsp

Salt to taste

Ghee – to toast bread

Oil – 1tbsp

Chopped coriander – 1tbsp

Method:

Heat oil, add mustard seed when it starts cracking add urad dal and green chillies following chopped onion. Fry till the onion turn translucent.

Add chopped tomato, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and fry till the tomato get mushy and juicy.

Add chopped capsicum and fry.

In the mean time, toast the bread spreading ghee on both sides.

Cut them into square pieces.

Add the bread pieces to the gravy and sauté smoothly so that the bread pieces don’t get too soggy.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with onion raita.

Tomato thayir/yogurt pachadi

Pachadi is a cool side dish for sambar sadam/rice, vathal kuzhambu sadam. It’s a part of traditional full course south Indian meal. Tomato thayir pachadi is one of many varieties of pachadis. You can also find this in south Indian wedding menu.

Ingredients:

Beaten curd/yogurt – 1 ½ cup

Tomato – ½

Ginger – ¼ tsp

Green chilli – 1 small (adjust to your spice level)

Shredded coconut – 1 ½ tbsp

Chopped coriander – 1tsp

For tempering:

Urad dal – 1tsp

Mustard seed – 1tsp

Oil – 1tsp

Method:

Beat the curd and keep aside.

Grind tomato, ginger, green chilli, shredded coconut with water 3 to 4 tbsp.

Add the mix to the curd.

Heat oil in a small kadai, add mustard seed, when it start cracking add urad dal.

Pour it to the pachadi. Add chopped coriander.

Refrigerate and serve chill.

Simple and tasty Beans curry

You can prepare this beans curry in 15min. Adding coconut give nice aroma and taste to the dish. If you like green peas, add them before removing from the heat (boil them along with beans if it not pre cooked). Add extra chilli as the peas will make the dish sweeter.

Ingredients:

Chopped green beans – 1 ½ cup

Green chilli – 1

Salt to taste

Hing – a pinch

Curry leaves – 1tbsp

Shredded coconut – ¼ cup (optional)

Oil – 2tsp

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1tsp

Method:

Boil beans in the pressure cooker adding salt, turmeric, sprinkling some water. (1 whistle)

In a pan heat oil, add urad dal, curry leaves, hing, green chilli and fry.

Add the boiled beans and coconut. Fry for about 2min.

Now the beans curry is ready for your rice.

Kothavaranga Parupu usili

Parupu usili is a south Indian dish, often served with hot rice and more kuzhambu. Good side dish for sambar sadam/ rice.

Ingredients:

Chopped kothavaranga– 1cup

Toor dal – ½ cup

Chana dal/gram dal – ½ cup

Red chilli – 5 no

Hing – 1tsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric – 1tsp

For tempering

Mustard – 1tsp

Urad dal – 1tsp

Curry leaves – 1 tbsp

Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

Soak toor dal and chana dal for 1hour.

Ground them coarsely adding red chilli, salt and pinch of hing.

In a pan heat oil, add the tempering ingredients, add the remaining hing and saute.

Add the chopped kothavaranga, salt and turmeric. Pour ¼ cup water.

Cover and cook.

When they are half cooked add the grounded paste, sprinkle some more water and cover and cook till the dal gets cooked. It will take about 10 to 15 min. (do periodic saute to avoid over burning or sticking)

Serve with hot rice.

Tips: Pre cook the kothavaranga in pressure cooker, if you want to cut the cooking time. Same to the grounded dal mix. Pressure cook till one whistle or microwave sprinkling some water to the mix.

Sending this recipe to Cooks Joy's " Dish It Out - Lentils / Legumes and vegetables"

 

How to make Crispy Adai

What you need:

Boiled rice/Idly rice – 1 cup

Channa dal/Bengal gram dal – ¼ cup

Toor dal – ¼ cup

Urad dal – ¼ cup

Asafoetida – small piece (1tsp if using powder hing)

Salt – 1tbsp

Red chilli – 8-10

Curry leaves – 1tsp (optional)

Step 1: Soak Rice, all the dal, red chilli and hing for 2 hours

Step 2: Ground all the above coarsely. The batter should not be too thick or watery. It should be little thicker than dosa batter.

Step 3: Ferment it for 7 to 8 hours.

Step 4: Heat non-stick tawa or iron tawa.

Step 5: Sprinkle some water over the tawa to check if it’s ready. When you hear the sparkling sound pour the batter round shape using a ladle.

Step 6: Sprinkle sesame oil over it. Keep the flame medium high till the adai turn light brown and crispy.

Step 7: Now turn the adai other side and change the flame to low.

Serve hot topping with ghee. Jaggery, Avial, more kuzhambu goes well with adai.

Vegetable Cutlet - Healthy Evening Snack!

Cutlet is an always “hit” dish. For all season and all occasion. If you have veggies handy then it takes less than 45min to prepare. Tomato sauce or green chutney is best side dish. Taste good even without any side dish. 

Ingredients:

Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

Red chilli powder - 3 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1tsp

Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Fennel seed- 1/2 tsp

Fresh coriander chopped - 1tbsp

Cashew - broken - 2 tsp

Bread crumbs – 1 cup

Maida/ all purpose flour – 1tbsp

Oil – 1tbsp

Oil to fry

Vegetables:

Chopped carrot – ½ cup

Beans chopped – ½ cup

Boiled corn (or frozen) – ¼ cup

Potato – 1big

If you are using frozen veggies skip boiling them and just ground them into paste.

Method:

Pressure cook carrot, beans, corn with little salt.

Cool down and ground it without adding water.

Squeeze the excess water and keep aside.(You can use muslin cloth or cooking strainer)

Boil the potato, mash it and keep aside.

In a pan heat oil, add ginger garlic paste, fennel seed, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, chopped coriander, cashew and fry for few seconds.

Add the grounded veggies and sauté till they get bind together.

Remove from the heat and add it to the mashed potato.

Mix well (add bread crumbs if the mix is sticky).

Make maida dip by mixing 1tbsp maida in 3 to 4tbsp water.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or kadai.

Now flatten the ball using your palm to round shape.

Dip it in the maida water, then into the bread crumbs.

Make sure the bread crumbs cover them fully.

Fry them in oil one by one. Two at a time is best.

Place then in a paper towel and remove the excess oil.

Serve hot.

Orange,Strawberry Mocktail

Orange – 1 big

Strawberry – 4 numbers

Fresh mint leaves – 4 numbers

Lime juice – 2tsp

Sugar – 1tbsp (or 2)

Ice cubes (optional)

Method:

Peel off the orange skin both inner and outer.

(make sure there is no skin or seed left to avoid bitter taste)

Remove the strawberry leaves and add it to the blender.

Blend strawberry, orange, mint leaves along with sugar.

Strain the juice to remove the seeds.

Add lemon juice.

Serve chill adding ice cubes.

 

Vazhaithandu kootu / Plantain stem kootu

Vazhaithandu is rich fiber content food. They help to prevent and treat kidney stones. They also help in weight reduction and cool the body. This kootu is easy to prepare as the cooking time is less and less ingredients are used. All you need is little patience to cut the vazhaithandu J

 

Ingredients:

Vazhaithandu – 1 medium

Shredded coconut – 3 to 4 tbsp

Cumin seed – 1 tsp

Butter milk – 1 cup

Beaten Curd – 1cup (beat with spoon or egg beater to avoid lump)

Green chilli – 2 to 3 (depend on the spice level)

Mustard seed – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1tsp

Salt to taste

Curry leaves – 1tbsp

Coconut Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

Remove the outer layer of the vazhaithandu.

Cut into round shape while removing the fiber layer using your index finger.

Chop them into small pieces and place them in the butter milk to avoid turning colour.

Wash them using butter milk and strain the butter milk.

Add water ½ cup and pressure cook with salt. (4 to 6 whistles as they take time to cook tender)

In the meantime grind the shredded coconut with cumin seed and green chilli adding water.

Now add the grounded paste to the cooked vazhaithandu and boil for 5 to 7 min.

Add the beaten curd and mix well.

Stir for 1min and remove from the heat.

Heat oil (if you don’t have coconut oil its fine to use any other refined oil), add mustard seed, when they start splutter add urad dal and curry leaves and fry.

Add them to the vazhaithandu mix.

Serve with hot rice.

Tips: If the kootu is watery mix 1 or 2 tsp of rice flour with water and add them before removing from the heat.

Kathirikkai / eggplant gotsu

Gotsu is the common side dish for pongal. Hot pongal and gotsu is a very perfect combination for breakfast. If you add vada to the menu, it’s more than haven. Gotsu can also be done without egg plant.

Ingredients:

Egg plant – 4 small

Onion – 1 medium

Tomato – 1 ½ (make puree)

Tamarind puree – ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Chopped coriander – 1tsp

For tempering:

Mustard seed – ¼ tsp

Oil – 1tbsp

Urad dal – 1tsp

Curry leaves – 1tbsp

Green chilli – 1 big

Method:

Cut the eggplants into long pieces.

Pressure cook them adding little salt and turmeric. (1 or 2 whistle)

Heat oil in a pan, add the tempering ingredients and fry.

Add onion and fry till golden brown following pressure cooked eggplant.

Now add the tamarind puree with turmeric and salt.

Make them boil for 5 to 7 min.

Add the tomato puree and boil for 5 min (If the gravy looks thick add little water).

Add chopped coriander and remove from the heat.

It’s ready to serve.

Tips: Try this with toasted bread it will taste great. If you make them little thick, place between breads as sandwich.  Nice combination for roti too.

Kathirikkai/ Eggplant thokku

Thokku is more similar to chutney, the difference is they can be stored for a week or more as we add little more oil to it. And it also serves as a rice mix. If you love curd rice then this thoku is a perfect side dish. Good side dish for idly, dosa too.

Ingredients:

Eggplant cut into pieces – 1 cup

Small onion – ¾ cup

Red chilli – 8 to 10

Tamarind – small lemon size (make thick puree soaking in warm water)

Oil – 3tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.

Add eggplant and fry for few min till they turn golden brown and leaves oil.

Remove them and place it in a separate bowl.

Add small onions and red chilli to the oil and fry till they turn golden brown.

Remove from pan, cool down the mixture.

Blend onion, red chilli, eggplant along with tamarind puree and salt.

Add it to the remaining oil and sauté for 1-2 min.in low heat.

Onion Vathal Kuzhambu

Vathal kuzhambu is a very famous south Indian dish. Tamarind is the main ingredient which dominates the taste. Instead of onion we also can use papad, fried okra. It can be refrigerated in airtight container for 1 week. Goes well with rice, idly, dosa, and  toasted bread.

Ingredients:

Tamarind - small lemon size(soak it in 1cup water and make thick puree)

Sambar powder - 2tbsp

Turmeric - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Small onion - 10 no

For tempering:

Oil - 2tbsp (preferably sesame oil)

Mustard - 1tsp

Manathakali vathal or Sunadakai vathal - 1tsp

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - 1tbsp

Asafoetida - 1tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.

Temper the ingredients and add onions.

(If you are adding pappad instead of onions, cut into pieces and add them at this point and fry for few seconds)

Fry till the onion turn light brown.

Add the tamarind puree following sambar powder, turmeric and salt.

Add water 2 cups and boil till the raw smell goes (30min).

Now the vathal kuzhambu is ready, remove from the heat and serve with hot rice.

Pavakkai/Bitter gourd pakora

Though the name sounds bitter they are very good for health. Many have heard Bitter gourd helps in curing diabetic. But many of us don’t like to have it because of its bitter taste especially children, so here is the recipe to make people eat Bitter gourd!!

I had this pakora from some Sweet& Snacks store, it taste really wonderful so tried at home. To my surprise it came well.

Ingredients:

Pavakkai - 1 big

Gram/besan flour - 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Red chilli powder - 3 tsp

Turmeric - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Hing - a pinch

Oil to fry

Method:

Wash and cut the bitter gourd round shape

Remove the seed in the middle

Marinate them adding salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, hing and mix them well

Keep aside for 1 hour

Add besan flour and rice flour and mix them well

No need to add water as we added the salt already, if required sprinkle few drops for binding

Heat oil in a wok, fry the mix both side like any other fritter and serve hot.

Thengai/ Coconut thogayal

 

Thengai thogayal is slightly different from thengai chutney as we use tamarind here. It goes well with hot rice and ghee or sesame oil. Also with dosa and adai.

Good side dish for thengai thogayal sadam/rice is papad, chips, fried potato. It takes less time to prepare. Store it in an airtight container in refrigerator for 1 week.

Ingredients:

Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup

Red chilli - 5 to 6 (or as desired)

Urad dal - 3tbsp

Hing/asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Tamarind - small amla/gooseberry size

Method:

Heat the oil in a small pan, add urad dal and fry till it turns light brown

Add, asafoetida, red chilli and tamarind and fry for 1-2min till the urad dal turns golden brown (it should not get too burned or turn black as they will give burnt taste to the thogayal)

Now keep aside the mix to cool down

Add coconut and salt to the mix and grained it coarsely adding little water.

Aval/ Poha Payasam

Payasam or kheer is made on special days like festivals or on some special occasions.This aval payasam takes less time to prepare and tastes so good .

Ingredients:

Aval - 1/2 cup

Boiled milk - 3 cup

Sugar -3/4 cup

Water- 1 1/2cup

Pinch of cardamom powder

Cashew nuts- 4 to 5 broken into pieces

Dry grapes - 1tsp

Ghee - 1tbsp

Method:

Fry the broken cashew and dry grapes in ghee and keep aside

Add aval to the pan and fry for few seconds in ghee and keep aside

Boil water and add aval to it

Stir for few minutes till the aval get soft

Now add the boiled milk and sugar

Let the kheer sit on the stove in low flame till they reach their consistency (probably 10 to 15min)

Keep stirring to avoid overflow of milk

Add the cardamom powder and switch off the stove

Add the cashew and dry grapes and its ready to serve!!!

Note: the consistency should not be too thick or watery, add boiled milk if it’s too thick