ASH GOURD WITH PODI (KUGAN )

ASH GOURD WITH PODI

Ingredients:

1 tbs oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 sprig curry leaves

2 cups of ash gourd cut into cubes
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt as needed
Water just to immerse the ash gourds

1 tbs thick tamarind paste
¼ cup grated coconut ground to paste

To Roast And Powder Coarsely:
5 dry red chillies
2 tbs urad dal
1 tbs coriander seeds
¼ tsp asafetida powder

Method:
Heat a wok with the oil. Add in the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
Let them crackle well. Add in the cut ash gourd, turmeric powder and salt.
Saute the ash gourd pieces well in the oil.
Add in water, just to cover the ash gourd pieces. Cook till soft.

Now add in the tamarind paste and the ground coconut.
Stir well and let it come to a boil. Taste for salt and sourness.
Lastly add in the coarsely grounded powder. Mix well.
Remove and serve as a side dish.

VENDI PULI PATCHADI (KUGAN )

VENDI PULI PATCHADI

Ingredients:

1 tbs oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tbs chopped ginger
4 green chillies chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ tsp chillie powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tbs thick tamarind juice
1 cup boiled motchai
11/2 cups vendi cut into ½ inch rounds, and shallow fried in oil
Salt to taste
Little cut coriander leaves.

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add in the mustard seeds and urad dal.
Let it brown, add in chopped ginger, chopped green chillies
and curry leaves.
Add in the chopped onions and sauté till brown.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, chillie and the turmeric powder.
Add also the tamarind juice, stir fry till the raw smell goes.
Add in the boiled motchai, sprinkle little water and stir fry dry.

Lastly add in the fried vendi and salt to taste.
Stir fry well, garnish with cut coriander and remove.

TOFU MASALA

Ingredients:

4 pieces of firm tofu, cut into big cubes.

Marinate Tofu:
2 tbs all purpose flour
1 ½ tbs corn flour
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
½ tsp red chillie powder
Salt to taste
Oil to shallow fry


3 tbs oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 big onions chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 green chillie sliced
2 tsp chillie powder
1 tsp coriander powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 cup of water

1 big red tomato } both pureed
5 cashew nuts }

Salt to taste
1 tbs kasoori methi leaves
1 tbs coriander leaves chopped

Method:

Marinate the tofu pieces for about 20 minutes.
Shallow fry the pieces, remove and keep aside.

Heat a non- stick wok with the oil.
Add in the cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add in the chopped onions.
Sauté till light brown. Add in the ginger garlic paste, stir fry well.
Add in also the green chillies, chillie, coriander and turmeric powders.
Stir fry well, add in the water and let it boil on low flame.

Add in the tomato cashew nut paste, and salt.
Cook till oil separates, keep stirring so that the masala does not burn.
Add little water and the fried tofu cubes, mix well.
Let it boil for a minute, add in kasoori methi and coriander leaves.
Remove and serve.

SIMPLE VALAKAAI PORIYAL (KUGAN )

SIMPLE VALAKAAI PORIYAL

Ingredients:

1 tbs oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
!/2 tsp aniseeds
1 sprig of curry leaves

2 green valakaai
2 tsp chillie powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Peel and chop the valakaai into small cubes.
Add in the chillie, turmeric and salt.
Rub all over nicely and keep aside.

Heat a non - stick pot with the oil.
Add in the mustard seeds, urad dal , aniseeds and curry leaves.
Let the mustard seeds crackle.

Now add in the seasoned valakaai cubes.
Slow the flame, and stir fry nicely.
Sprinkle little water if needed and stir fry till cooked and crispy.
Remove and serve with rasam, sambar or curd rice.

DRUMSTICK BRINJAL MIX (KUGAN )

DRUMSTICK BRINJAL MIX

Ingredients:
1 tbs oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 onion sliced
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 medium tomato chopped

3 medium brinjals , cut into thin wedges
1 long drumstick cut into 2 inches in length
1 half boiled potato , cut into small cubes

¼ tsp tumeric powder
2 tsp chillie powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
Little coriander leaves for garnish

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add in the mustard seeds, let them crackle.
Add in the onions and saute them well.
Add in the ginger, garlic paste, and stir well.
Lastly add in the tomatoes and cook till mushy.

Now add in the brinjal, drumstick pieces and the potatoes.
Saute them nicely, for a minute. Add in all the spice powders and salt.
Mix well, slow the flame , cover and let them cook for 10 minutes.
Cook till oil seprates, add in the cut coriander leaves and remove.

PULI POTATO (Kugan )

PULI POTATO (Kugan )

Potatoes can be cooked in many ways.
I liked this puli potato that I tasted in my friend's house.
Thanks, Kugan

PULI POTATO


2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of asafetida powder
1 tsp urad dal
3 red chillies cut into pieces

2 big onions chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
1 cup tamarind juice, from a lime sized tamarind
1 tbs grated vellam
Salt to taste
2 tsp sambar powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder

300 grms potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
Little cut coriander leaves

Method:
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan.
Add in the mustard seeds, asafetida, urad dal and the cut dry chillies.
Sauté for a second, add in the onions and sauté for a minute.
Now add in the curry leaves, tamarind juice, vellam and salt.

Also add in the sambar powder and the turmeric powder.
Stir for a minute till the raw smell goes.
Now add in the boiled cubed potatoes, stir fry well.
See that the potatoes are coated well with the gravy.

Stir fry till dry, remove and garnish with the cut coriander leaves.
A nice tangy side dish.

Palak Panner (Nithi Sri )

Palak Panner
Ingredients
Spinach(Palak) - 1 bunch
Onions - 1 
Garlic pods - 5
Paneer (Fresh or deep fried) - 150 gms
Kasturi methi (optional)
Coriander leaves - few
Coriander powder - 4 tsp
Red chillie powder - 2 tsp
butter - 1 tsp 
oil - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

To Garnish
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 big
Red Chily with Seeds - 1
Chopped onions - little
Lime juice
Method
1) For palak paneer the key is to blanch the Spinach without overcooking. For this watch the Spinach leaves and leaves all the stems. Use the Leaves only (Mandatory)
2) Boil water in a wide mouthed pan. When the water just starts to boil, throw in the spinach leaves. Cover the lid and leave it for not more than 1- 2minutes.
3) Immediately refresh these leaves by transfering into cold water. This stops any overcooking.
4) Allow to cool and add few coriander leaves and make a fine paste of these 2 greens.
5) Heat half the butter and oil in a pan. When it is hot, add the chopped onions, salt followed by the finely chopped garlic pods.
6) When the onion turns translucent and the garlic gells well with the onion add the chillie powder, coriander powder and cook till the raw smell disappears.
7) Now add the panner and greens paste and cook until the oil oozes out. Note that greens should retain the color.
8) For garnishing, add the remaining oil and butter. Splutter the cumin seeds and Green chillies (whole) and pour it into the palalk paneer just like chutney thalippu. Add chopped onions before serving.
9) This is a mild dish. If you prefer a more spicy one add 2 green chillies while grinding the greens.
10) The chef also suggested to add some yogurt for garnishing. I skipped it.
10) Goes well with roti and rice. I relished it with Radish chapathis.

MOTCHAI PRATTAL (Kugan )

MOTCHAI PRATTAL

Ingredients:

1 cup motchai, soaked overnight , and boiled till cooked.

(A)
3 dry red chillies
1 tbs tamarind paste
¼ cup grated coconut
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbs of the boiled motchai


1 tbs oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of asafetida powder
1 sprig curry leaves
2 pips garlic crushed a bit

Salt to taste
¼ cup of water

Little cut coriander leaves

Method:
Boil the motchai and keep aside.
Now grind all the ingredients in (A) and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok, add in the mustard seeds.
Let them splutter, add in the asafetida powder.
Add also the curry leaves and the crushed garlic.
Sauté well for a minute.

Now add in the ground paste, salt and the water.
Sauté well, add in the boiled motchai.
Let it come to a boil, and the contents little dry.
Remove and garnish with the cut coriander leaves.

SCRAMBLED TOFU (Kugan )

SCRAMBLED TOFU

Ingredients:

2 cups of crumbled soft tofu
1 cup of red onions chopped
½ cup of tomato chopped
2 tbs of green chillies chopped
1 tbs of fresh ginger finely chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp oil
1 tbs thinly sliced scallions
1 tbs chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a wok, add in the onions, sauté till it wilts.
Add in the ginger and green chillies. Stir for a minute.
Add in the tomato pieces, coriander powder, cumin powder,
tumeric powder and stir till the tomatoes are mushy.

Now add in the crumbled tofu and salt and mix well.
Sauté for about 6 minutes to let the tofu absorb all the flavours.
When the mixture is dry, add the scallions, coriander leaves and the pepper powder. Stir and remove.
You can even use this as a sandwich fillings.

Mixed vegetable sabzi (DEV )

Mixed vegetable sabzi: (Geetha Deivasigamani)

Chop 2 carrots,2 s. poatatoes, 1/2 chow chow,1/2 cup beans,1/2 cup cauliflower, 1 cup cabbage and add 2 handfuls of peas to it.
chop 1 b.onion.
Keep ready other ingre as follows:
1 tsp gin-gar paste
chilly pwd to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric
3 tsp cori.powder
salt
oil
pattai, krambu, sombu and yellakkai for seasoning

Heat oil and add in pattai, krambu, sombu and yellakkai.
Add the onions and fry till translucent.
Add the ginger-gar paste and saute till raw flavour is out.
Add the vegs and spice powders,salt and water. don't add too much water. just enough to cook the vegs and still have some gravy left.
cook it in a pressure cooker for 1 or 2 whistles. release the steam and garnish with cori.leaves.
Serve hot with chapathis/pooris. Very healthy and tasty.

U can use the same veg masala to make kaara bonda, bread sandwich. In that case cook further to dry out the water and then use as filling. 
U can also add 1 tomato chopped if making for chapathi/poori.

CRUNCHY BEANS (Kugan )

CRUNCHY BEANS

Ingredients:

250 grms fresh French beans

2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp grated ginger
¼ tsp black pepper powder
1 tbs lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method:

Clean and cut the beans in lengths.
Heat a non stick pan, add in the oil.
Add in the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Add in the grated ginger and stir for a moment.

Add in the black pepper and salt and stir for a second.
Add in the beans and stir fry on high flame till the beans are cooked.
The beans should be crunchy, add in the lime juice, stir once and remove.
Serve hot.

LONG BEANS PORIYAL (Kugan )

LONG BEANS PORIYAL (Kugan )

LONG BEANS PORIYAL

Ingredients:


1 tsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
2 garlic pips smashed
1 big onion chopped
¼ tsp tumeric powder
1 sprig curry leaves

250 grms long beans cut into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup chana dal cooked till done, not mushy.

To Grind Coarsely Without Adding Water:
3 tbs grated coconut
5 dried red chillies
Salt to taste
4 garlic pips, add last when grinding

Method:

Heat oil in a wok, add in the mustard seeds and smashed garlic, saute well.
Add in the onions, tumeric powder and curry leaves. Stir fry well.

Add in the cut long beans, sprinkle little water.
Cover the wok and cook on medium heat till beans are tender.
Now add in the boiled channa dal, fry for a minute.

Now add in the ground powder, mix well and let it cook for few minutes.
The dish will be a dry one.
Remove and serve with rice or roti.

SPICY SWEET POTATO PORIYAL (kugan )

SPICY SWEET POTATO PORIYAL

Ingredients:
300 grms sweet potato
1 tbs oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 green chillie chopped
¼ tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp chillie powder
Salt to taste
¼ tsp garam masala powder
Enough amchur powder to taste


Method:
Boil the sweet potatos with little salt. 
Do not over boil it. Remove skin and cube it. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add in the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
Add in the curry leaves and green chillies.
Give a stir, slow the flame, add in the tumeric and chillie powder.
Give it a stir add in the cubed sweet potatoes, and salt.

Sprinkle little water and gently turn the potatoes.
See that it is coated with the spices.
Add in the garam masala powder, and the amchur powder.
Stir fry till nicely roasted, remove and serve.