Yam Stir Fry – Chenai Kizhangu Varuval

Ingredients:

• Yam (Chenai kizhangu)- medium size
• turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
• chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
• sambar powder- 1 tsp
• salt- as reqd
• Cumin powder- lil
• Coriander powder – lil
• Curry leaves – few
• Mustard seeds for splattering

Method

Wash the yam thoroughly and remove the outer skin. Cut it into thin strips and boil in enough water. Once water is boiled, discard the water. This will help to remove the itchiness of this vegetable.  Heat a pan. Pour a little oil and season with curry leaves and mustard seeds. Add the yam and all the masalas. Mix it well to coat the vegetable with all the masalas. Cook till done.

Check out what my friends are up to in Blogging Marathon..Srivalli,Monika, Jayasree , Priya Suresh, PJ, Priya Srinivasan, Reva, Ayeesha , Soumya , Veena and Usha

Avial

Avial is a dish that has a unique place in a typical Kerala Cuisine as well as in Tamil cuisine. It is a thick mixture of vegetables, curd and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. Aviyal is considered an essential part of the Sadhya which is made during Onam festival.

You may substitute raw mango or tamarind pulp for the curd. This dish can be made into a gravy and eaten with rice or be made into a semi-solid side dish. The word “aviyal” is also used to denote an assortment or a mixture—this sense being derived from the way the dish is made.

 

Ingredients

• Raw Banana Plaintain – Vazhakkai – 1 no. (Small size)
• Drumstick – Murungakkai – 1 no.
• Carrot – 1 no.
• Beans – 1 no.
• Potato – Urulai kizhangu – 2 nos.
• Snake guord – Pudalangai – 1 no. (Small size)
• Mango (Raw) – Mangai – 1 no. (Small size)
• Cucumber – Vellarikkai – 1 no. (Small size)
• Grated/Shredded coconut – 1 cup
• Curd/Yoghurt – Thayir – 1 cup
• Green chillies – Pachai milagai – 4 nos or as per your wish
• Ginger – Inji – small quantity
• Cumin seeds – Jeeragam – 1 tea spoon
• Turmeric powder – Manjal Podi – 1 tea spoon
• Asafoetida – Perungayam – a pinch
• Curry leaves – Karuvepilai – small quanity
• Coriander leaves – Kothamali – small quantity
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash, cut and boil all the vegetable separately in pressure cooker/microwave oven adding very little water.
2. Grind grated coconut, green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds and adding very little water.
3. Mix yoghurt with turmeric powder, asafoetida and little salt.
4. Mix all the boiled vegetables with yoghurt and coconut paste and allow to boil for 2 minutes, not more than that. Heat 1 tea spoon of oil, add curry leaves and add to the content. Garnish with corinader leaves.

Note : You may use any combination/quantity of veggies as you may like.

Beetroot Pachadi – Beetroot in tangy yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

• Beetroot – 1 large
• Curds – 1 1/2 – 2 cups
• Coriander Leaves – 1 tblsp
• Green Chillies – 2
• Ginger – 1/2 tblsp, chopped
• Coconut – 1 1/2 tblsp, grated

For Seasoning:

• Oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaf – 1 sprig
• Salt to taste

Method:

Grind the green chillies, ginger, coconut and salt into a smooth paste.  Peel the beetroot and grate.  Beat curd till smooth and add ground paste and mix well. Add the grated beetroot.  Season in oil the mustard seeds and curry leaf, pour into pachadi. Add chopped coriander leaves, mix thoroughly. Enjoy it chilled.

Poondu Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Onion – 1 chopped
• Tomato – 2 chopped
• Garlic – 10-12 cloves
• Tamarind – lemon size
• Coconut milk  – 1/2 cup
• Chilli powder – 1/2 tbsp
• Coriander powder – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves – few
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat pan, add oil and season with mustard and curry leaves.
2. Cut garlic cloves into half and fry well until light brown. Add chopped onions & tomatoes and fry until tender.
3. Add turmeric, coriander, chilli powder and fry for 2 min. Add 1/4 cup water to it. Let it boil for 5 min.
4. Add coconut milk and salt to taste.
5. Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup water, drain and add to the above. Leave until the gravy thickens.

Paruppu (with Vendhaya Keerai) – Lentils Curry with Spinach

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal – 1/2 cup
• Fenugreek Leaves – 2 cups
• Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
• Garlic – 3-4 pods
• Green Chillies – 1 or 2
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil – 2 tsp,
Mustard Seeds, Asafoetida, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, Curry Leaves – 1 tsp each

Method:

1. Boil dal with lil turmeric powder, cool, mash and set aside.
2. To this add fenugreek leaves, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt.
4. Boil all together till it is reduced to less than half the quantity and the leaves are cooked.
5. Heat oil in another small pan, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, urad dal, chana dal and curry leaves.
7. When done, pour into dal and mix.
8. Enjoy it with hot rice and pappad.

Check out what my fellow bloggers (who has joined blogging marathon) are cooking….Priya Suresh, Jay, Priya Srinivasan, Monika, PJ, Valli and Reva

Vegetable Kurma – A perfect side dish for Indian Breads

For those who are unaware of this super dish…….Vegetable Korma is basically a medley of vegetables in a rich gravy. It is made with less spices and its best served with appam and chapatti.

Ingredients:

• Onion – 2
• Tomato – 2
• Potato – 1
• Green peas – ½ cup
• Beans
• Carrot – 1
• Cabbage – A medium piece
• Salt – 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder – a pich
• Grated coconut – 1 cup
• Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Poppy seeds – 1/2 tsp

Method

Chop the veggies into thin long pieces. Add the green peas to this and steam the vegetables in a pressure cooker. Grind the coconut, fennel seeds and poppy seeds into a nice paste adding minimum water. Chop the tomatoes and onions and fry them in little oil. Add salt, chilli powder turmeric powder and the cooked vegetables. Add the ground paste and stir and heat for a little while.

Chow Chow Curry

Vegetable Chow-Chow is a surprisingly quick and economical dish. It is sure to tickle your taste buds. Chow Chow / Chayote squash curry is so simple, can be cooked quickly and yet tastes great. This chow chow curry is a super healthy dish with very little oil packed with full of flavor.

Ingredients:

• Chow-Chow -  1 or 2
• Onion – 1
• Garlic – 10 pods
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Aniseed – 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Bengal Gram Dal – 1 tbsp
• Oil for frying

For Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds – 3/4 tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 or 2 strand
• Black Gram Dal – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli – 1

Method:
1. Dry roast bengal gram dal till golden and crush coarsely.
2.  Scrape outer skin and cut chow-chow into medium sized pieces.
3. Heat oil in a shallow pan, add seasoning then the cut onion.
4. Fry for 2 minutes, add cut chow-chow pieces & stir for another  minute.
5. Add enough water, turmeric powder, aniseed powder, salt, chilli powder, garlic pieces and cook till vegetable becomes tender. Close with a lid.
6. When vegetable gets 3/4th cooked & the moisture is still there, add bengal gram powder & close the lid again.
7. Cook till dal becomes soft & when moisture is fully gone, remove from fire.

Inji Thogayal (Ginger Chutney)

For those who love the flavor of ginger, it is a pure bliss to eat this thogayal or dip…Great for digestion and goes too good with curd rice.

 

Ingredients:

• Fresh ginger – two pieces (1” length)
• Red Chilli – 2
• Bengal gram dhal – 1 tableslpoon
• Urad dhal – 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Tamarind – a small gooseberry size
• Jaggery – a small piece
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Oil – 1 teaspoon

Method:

Put the oil in a pan and fry the dhals, red chillies, asafetida. Add the ginger chopped in the same pan. Fry for a while. Add tamarind, jaggery and salt and grind to a coarse paste.

Vegetable Stew

This is a very simple and a healthy dish made by boiling the vegetables in cocunut milk along with few spices. It’s a very famous dish in kerala and some other parts of  South India..  It’s a very light dish which is easy for the stomach as no much masalas are added & the thick & creamy coconut milk enhances the flavor of this dish. This goes very well with Aappam & Idiappam( String Hoppers).. I strongly recommend you to give this combo a try.

Ingredients

• Cubed Carrot, Potato, Beans, Green Peas – 1/4 -1/2 cup
• Onion – 1
• Green chilly – 4-5
• Ginger & garlic – 1 tbsp each, crushed
• Whole black pepper – 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon – 1 piece
• Cloves – 3
• Cardamom – 3
• Thin coconut milk – 1 1/2 cup
• Thick coconut milk – 1/2 – 3/4 cup
• Curry leaves
• Salt
• Coconut oil

Stew with Aappam

Method

Heat oil in a deep bottom pan & splutter the crushed spices. Add the onion, ginger & garlic, curry leaves & green chilly and saute for a few minutes till the onion becomes soft/transparent. Dont make the onions brown. Add the cubed vegetables & combine well. Add thin coconut milk & salt, bring to boil, reduce heat; simmer and cook till vegetables are tender, it will take 10 mins approx. Add thick coconut milk and cook for 5 more minutes & remove from fire. Garnish with curry leaves fried in coconut.

Eggplant Burji (Brinjal masala)

For those eggplant lovers, this is an ideal side dish for Chapati/roti.

Ingredients:

• 2 big eggplant
• 1 red onion
• 1 tomato
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chillies
• 4 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• little amount of mustard,cumin seeds
• salt as per taste
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• Oil

Method:

• Finely chop brinjal add little amount of salt and tsp of ginger garlic paste n marinate for about 1/2 an hour,thn squeeze the water from brinjal and keep aside.
• Take a pan add tbsp of oil(i used olive oil) and shallow fry the eggplant till it gets crispy,u have to fry this for abt 15min in medium heat and keep aside.
• Add oil in frying pan when it is hot add mustard,cumin seeds,curry leaves,green chillies fry for a min,Add onion and fry it till it turns golden color now add tomatoes.
• (tomatoes have to be chopped finely)when it gets nicely mashed off add chili ,cumin,coriander powder add water cover it off.
• Now add the fried eggplant ,sour cream and coconut milk and little water,let it boil for 2min finally add salt to it.
• When it comes to semi gravy turn of the heat.
• Serve it hot with chapati, roti.

This is my entry for Jai Ho Brinjal event hosted by Jayz Kitchen.