Murungai keerai curry / Drumstick leaves curry

After murungai keerai vadai I made this curry with the remaining keerai sitting in the fridge. It’s very simple and easy to prepare. I added onion just to enhance the taste, otherwise its optional. It can be replaced by shredded coconut.

Ingredients:

Murungai keerai – 2cups
Onion – 1medium
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt to taste

For tempering:

Oil – 2tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.
Hing – a pinch
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Cumin – ½ tsp
Green chilli – 1chopped

Method:

Wash and chop the keerai coarsely.
Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering.
Add the chopped onion and fry for 1min.
Add the chopped keerai, salt, turmeric and stir for 1min.
Sprinkle some water and close the pan till the keerai get cooked (for around 5min, in low flame)
Serve with hot rice, roti, poori.

 

Pineapple Mint Fizz

Fizz, I have no idea about it till I had it in a restaurant. I was overwhelmed in its taste and couldn’t resist myself from trying it at my home. Actually it was a Strawberry fizz. So thought of making it at home and I went for strawberry hunt in every possible fruit shops and supermarkets. But I couldn’t make it, as now it’s not a strawberry season L Ok I made up my mind to replace Pineapple for Strawberry. They came out well. This fruit with its sweet and sour taste blends well with mint flavor and crispy soda, here goes the Pineapple Mint Fizz recipe

Ingredients:

Pineapple chunks – ½ cup
Mint sugar syrup – 1/3cup
Soda water – 3cups
Ice cubes.

Mint sugar syrup:

Sugar – ¾ cup
Water – ¾ cup
Fresh mint leaves – 2tbsp

Method:

Peel off pineapple skin, cut into small chunks and keep aside.
Add sugar in the water and stir well. Bring them to boil in low flame. When the bubble starts appearing, add the mint leaves to the water and remove the pan from the heat.
Let the mint sit in the sugar syrup for 10 to 15 min.
In a blender add sugar syrup (remove the mint leaves), pineapple chunks, ice cubes and blend well.
Strain the juice using a strainer (or leave it as it is). Now the pineapple mint juice is ready.

Serving:

Add ice cubes in a juice glass, then pour the juice over the ice cubes, add the mint leaves removed from the sugar syrup, then finally add the soda water.
Serve chill and fresh.

Note: Serve immediately to enjoy the crisp fizz experience.  



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C'mon chefs cook up some - starters and welcome drinks- hosted by cookclickndevour

Murungai keerai Vadai / Drumstick leaves vada

‘Keerai vadai’ is a famous South Indian snack. Very popular street food, mostly you can find this in tea stalls and in many restaurants. Leafy vegetables (keerai in Tamil) like mint, spinach, methi is added to the regular vada mix and fried like a fritter. Here I have used murungai keerai to make keerai vadai. Murungai keerai is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, also a good source of iron.

Ingredients:

Murungai keerai / Drumstick leaves – ½ bunch or 2cups
Onion – 2numbers
Chana dal / besan dal – ½ cup
Toor dal – ½ cup
Red chilli – 6 numbers
Asafoetida / hing- ½tsp
Coriander – chopped, 1tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:

 

Soak toor dal and chana dal for 1hour.
Ground them coarsely along with asafoetida, red chilli, and salt.

Wash the drumstick leaves thoroughly and chop them coarsely.

Add the chopped onion, drumstick leaves and coriander leaves to the grounded mix and mix well.

Vada Mix
 

Now the vada mix is ready.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
When the oil is ready to fry, make small balls of the vada mix, place them in your palm and flatten them using your fingers.

Slowly place them one after one in the oil. 5 to 6 at a time is best for medium size wok / pan.
Deep-fry both sides, remove from the oil and place them in a paper towel.
Serve hot with sauce or any chutney.

 

Chana Masala / Chole Masala

There are many types in doing Chana masala as it’s a very famous side dish for roti/ naan, poori or any types of Indian bread. This version of chana masala is the one I prepare often for pulka. They require simple ingredients, always available at home. I have added cashews and badam for rich and creamy taste, also it’s a binding agent. But it’s optional if you are allergic to it or you’re a weight watcher.

Ingredients:

Chickpeas / Chana – 1cup
Onion – 2
Tomato finely chopped – 4tbsp
Garam masala – a pinch
Turmeric – a pinch
Chana masala – ½tsp (store bought)
Ginger garlic paste – ½tsp
Mustard seeds – ½tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2tbsp

For Masala:

Shredded coconut – ½ cup
Cashew nut – 3numbers
Badam – 2numbers
Tomato chopped – 2tbsp
Fennel seeds – ½tsp
Green chilli – 4numbers
Chopped coriander – 2tsp

Method:

Soak chana for 6 to 7 hours. (Or 2 to 3 hours in hot water)
Add garam masala, chana masala, salt and turmeric to the chana and cook in pressure cooker. (5 to 6 whistle)
Take a heavy bottom pan, add oil to it, splutter mustard seeds, then add onion and fry for 2min.
Add ginger garlic paste, remaining 2tbsp chopped tomato and fry for another 2min.
Ground the masala and transfer it to the pan. Fry for 2min or the raw smell goes.
Now add the boiled chana and stir. Add some water, close the pan and cook for 5min.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle some finely chopped coriander over the chana masala and serve hot with roti.

Apple Milkshake

Milkshakes are the one which is easy to make and healthy to drink. It gives a good end to breakfast or light dinner. I can have milkshakes anytime, anywhere! I love themJ. Here goes the easy recipe for apple milkshake,

 

What You Need:

Apple – 1medium size
Milk – 1 ½ cup
Sugar - 3tbsp
Ice cubes (optional)

Method:

Wash and peel off the apple.
Cut into pieces and add them to the mixer grinder along with milk and sugar.
Beat them well till they get the smooth texture.
Now add ice cubes and serve chill.

Tip: Cut Apple into small cubes and float over the milkshake while serving. This will make the drink more interesting.   

 

Aviyal

Aviyal is a delicious dish prepared with mixed vegetables, coconut and curd. Aviyal and adai is heavenly combination, which is also very popular tiffin item in South India especially in Tamil Nadu. Cut carrot, beans, drumstick into long pieces and chow chow, potato into cubes. Adding more veggies makes the dish tastier, like plantain, pumpkin, green peace can also be used in making aviyal. Make sure the curd is not sour and coconut is fresh.  

Ingredients:

Carrot – 1
Boiled potato – 1
Chopped green beans – ¼ cup
Chow chow – 1small
Drumstick – 1big
Curd – 2cups
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Curry leaves – 1tbsp
Coconut oil – 1tbp

For Masala:

Shredded coconut – ½ cup
Cumin seeds – ½ tbsp.
Green chilli – 2numbers

Method:

Cook the chopped vegetables adding salt, till the veggies turn soft.
Ground shredded coconut, cumin and green chilli to a fine paste.
Add the paste to the veggies and cook for 5min.
Finally add the curd, stir, and cook for 1min.
Remove from the heat. Do tempering using coconut oil, (if not available use vegetable oil or any refined oil, but using coconut oil gives the authentic taste) mustard seeds and curry leaves. Pour it to the Aviyal.
Serve hot with, plain rice, roti, poori, dosa and uthapam.

 

 

Sprouted Green Gram Sundal / Pachai payaru Sundal

Green gram or 'Pachai payaru' as we call it in Tamil is usually used in making sundal. Here I have made sundal from “sprouted green gram” or “bean sprouts”. I didn’t cook the payaru as we do in regular way of making sundal. Soak the green gram overnight and then let them to sprout for another 7 to 8 hours. Then just did tadka. They taste crunchy and tasty, more like a salad. Sprouted green gram is healthier than the regular green gram.

Ingredients:

Whole green gram – 1cup
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Green chilli – 1number
Asafoetida – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1tbsp
Lemon juice – 1tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

Wash and soak the green gram for 6 to 7 hours.
Remove the water completely and transfer them to a closed container. (If water remains, the gram may get spoiled)
Now let them sit overnight or 7 to 8 hours.

Next day you will see the sprouts from the gram.
Heat oil in a pan. Do tadka by adding oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, asafoetida, and green chilli, one by one along with salt and finally add the sprouted green gram.
Stir well, sprinkle some water and close the pan.
Let them cook for 2,3min.
Now the sundal is ready, remove from the heat, add lemon juice, stir well, sprinkle some fresh chopped coriander and serve.

 Tips: Add these bean sprouts while making sabzi, curry, salad or even in sambar.