Spicy dry mushroom curry

Mushroom is one of our favorite. Here comes a south indian style dry curry. Goes well with any variety rice, sambhar rice n curd rice.

Ingredients:

1. Mushroom - 250 gms - cut into small pieces

2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad daal (white lentil) - 1/2 tbs
4. Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tbs
5. Curry leaves - 4 nos
6. Dried red chillies - 4 nos (roughly broke into small pieces)
7. Big brown onion - 1/2 finely chopped
8. Kadalai paruppu /Splited channa daal / Splited peas - roughly 1 handful (soaked in water for 30 mins)
9.Turmeric powder - pinch
10. Coriander powder - 2 tbs (optional)
11. Red chilli powder - 1 tbs
12. Salt to taste
13. Coriander leaves for dressing

14. Grated fresh coconut - roughly one handful

Method:
1. Heat cooking oil in a pan, add mustard seeds + urad daal, once it splatters add cumin seeds, then curry leaves. After 10 sec add dried red chilli and saute for 30 sec. Now add chopped onion and cook till its transparent.

2. Drain water from soaked splited peas and add it to the onion, saute for a min. Add mushroom, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well. Close the pan with a lid and cook the mushroom in medium flame. No need to add water. Mushroom ll lose moisture n that would be enough. If the gravy is too dry add 1/2 cup of water.

3. Remove the lid after 10 mins and check whether peas get cooked. Else stir and close the lid. Once peas is cooked sprinkle cilantro leaves & grated coconut, mix well and remove from flame.
Serve hot with rice/ chappathi.

Vendakka pulikari / Okra sour sauce (semi gravy)

This is a karaikudi special recipe. Will be of good combination with paruppu soup.

Ingredients:

Vendakka / Ladies finger - 1/4 kg (chopped into small pieces)

Cooking oil - 3 tbs

Big red onion - 1 (chopped)

Big tomato - 1 (chopped)

Tamarind juice / paste - 3 tbs

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbs

Coriander powder - 1 tbs

Red chilli powder - 2 tbs

Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro - 4 tbs

For seasoning:

Sesame oil - 3 tbs

Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1 tbs

Vendhayam / Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tbs

Curry leaves - 5 nos

Method:

• Heat cooking oil in a pan and stir fry the okra till the sticky liquid goes off. Keep it aside.
• Heat sesame oil in pan and add the ingredients mentioned under for seasoning @ 30 sec interval.
• Add chopped onion & saute till tranparent. Now add chopped tomato and saute till the juices oozes off.
• Add tamarind paste & all powders + salt + 3 cups of water. Bring them to boil and add sauted vendakka/ okra.
• Close the pan with lid and cook in medium flame. Stir consiously at regular intervals.
• Once the veggie is cooked and gravy turns to semi solid, sprinkle chopped cilantro & serve hot. 



Butter beans dry curry

One of my favorite veggie. Easy to cook and yummy to eat. My mom used to prepare an “avial” with this chunky lentil along with few soft vegetables. Yet to learn that recipe from my mom.

Learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law. She used bag me kgs of butter beans while we go back after our vacation as I like this veggie very much, thanks Athai.


Ingredients:

Butter beans (fresh) – 2 cups
Cooking oil – 4 tbs
Turmeric powder – ¼ tbs
Red chilli powder – 1 ½ tbs
Coriander powder – ½ tbs
Salt to taste
Fresh coconut paste – 2 tbs (optional)

Method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Wash and add the butter beans and stir fry for a min. Add all powders, salt, coconut paste + 1 cup of water (or water till the beans level). Cook for 3 whistles. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Coconut rice with smashed potato curry

I would say that this is a deadly combination - the porous coconut rice with yummy mashed potato. My hubby thought me this combination (he he ... the recipe too :P). Thanks to him. Good lunch box recipe.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice -2 cups (use 10% less water than you normally do to cook the rice)

Gingelly oil - 4 tbs

Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1 tbs

Curry leaves -5nos

Broken channa dal - 2tbs

Hing - pinch

Dry red chillies -5nos

Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Salt

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan , add mustard seeds + urad dal, curry leaves, broken channa dal + hing, red chillies, grated coconut + salt in the same order @ 30 sec interval.

2. Saute the coconut for 30 sec and mix well with the cooked rice. Thats it !!

Note: dont smash the rice while mixing.

For Smashed potato curry

Ingredients:

1. Potatos (medium size) - 5 nos (Cook the potatos in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles and peel of the skin. Smash them little with hand/spoon so the pieces are large and chunky.)

2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs

3. Urad dal + mustard seeds - 1tbs

4. Curry leaves - 5 nos

5. Crushed garlic pods - 4 nos

6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbs

7. Red chilli powder - 1 tbs

8. Salt

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds + urad dal, curry leaves, crushed garlic pods in the same order @ 30 sec interval.

2. Add smashed potato, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and mix well.

3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of water to mix easily.

4. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note: This potato curry is a very good combination for Curd rice/ lemon rice/ tomato rice too.

FIL with sprouts - Simple spicy sprouted green moong dhal fry

Everytime i am getting excited like going to visit a new born baby whenever i unbundle the sprout knot, which i tied the previous day night. This looks wonderful ryt??? I cant belive that i made this.

Very Nutritious food for kids and expected mothers.

To make sprouts: Soak green moong dhal in plenty of water. After 12 hours drain the water completely and bundle the lentil in a clean cloth. Tie the knot with enough space on top so that the plant can breath. Place the bundle inside a big vessel to have the environment warm. Open the bundle after 12 hours now you can see the lovely sprouts.
If u r planning the dish for tmrw, soak dhal today morning, drain and bundle tonight. Sprouts will be ready tmrw morning !!!

Ingredients:
Sprouted green moong dhal - 1 1/2 cups
Cooking oil - - 1 tbs
Red chilli powder - 1 tbs
Salt to taste
Fresh grated coconut - 4 tbs

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add the sprouts. Stir fry for a min.
2. Add chilli powder and 1 cup of water and close the pan with lid for 15 mins. Cook in slow flame.
3. Add salt and grated coconut, mix well and serve hot.

Note:

Good combination for Rasam rice / Curd rice.

Can be served as a evening snacks also.

We can make sprouts from other lentils too like whole channa / Horse gram in the same method.

Bindi Masala (I call it as Yummy masala ;) ) / Okra Masala / வெண்டைக்காய் மசாலா

Its my favourite recipe. Easy to prepare - Medium spicy - very tasty dish. Goes well with chappathi, Sambar rice or Plain rice. Kids may like it very much.

Ingredients:
1. Vendaikka / Bindi / Okra - 1/2 kg or 1 pack
2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1/2 tbs
4. Curry leaves - 5 nos
5. Big Onion - 1 no - chopped
6. Tomato - 1 - chopped
7. Garam masala - 2 tbs
8. Dhania / Coriander powder - 2 tbs
9. Red chili powder - 1 tbs
10. Salt to taste
11. Cashew nuts - 6 to 8 nos
12. Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 handful

Method:
1. Soak cashew nuts in warm water. Do this as a first step of preparing the dish.
2. Wash whole Okras, dry & cut them into small pieces. Usually i used to wash the vegetable and spread it on a newspaper overnight. If you are using a frozen okra pack, keep the washed vegetable in air for atleast 30 mins.
3. Heat 2 tbs oil in a non stick pan and saute the okra till the sticky liquid from it vanishes. Keep this aside. (you dont have to stir the vegetable continously for this. Once in every 5 mins gently stir).
4. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds + urad dal, Curry leaves and onion @ 30 sec interval. Cook till onion turns transparent. Now add chopped tomato and cook till its smashed. Now add sauted okra and add all powders + salt. Cook in medium flame for 10 mins.
5. Grind the soaked cashew nuts and grated coconut together into a fine paste. Add 2 tbs of water if required. Add this paste to okra and cook for 10 more mins.
Serve hot.

Spinach - scrambled egg masala

Medium spicy side dish, goes well with chappathi, Toasted Bread, Sambhar rice and plain rice. For those who dont like spinach dal, can try this one.

Ingredients:
1. Egg - 2 nos
2. Cooking oil - 2 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1/2 tbs
4. Saunf / Sombu - 1/4 tbs
5. Curry leaves - 4 nos
6. Onion - chopped - 1 handful
7. Tomato - chopped - 1/2 handful
8. Turmeric powder - pinch
9. Red chili powder - 1 tbs
10. Garam masala - 1 tbs
11. Salt to taste
12. Spinach - Washed and finely chopped (amount - as you wish)
13. Lemon juice - 1 tbs (optional)

Method:
1. Heat cooking oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, saunf, curry leaves, onion @ 30 sec interval in the same order. Saute the onion till its transparent. Now add the chopped spinach and saute well till the green smell goes off.
2. Once the spinach reduces 3/4th of its volume add chopped tomato and saute till its smashed. Now add 1/2 to 3/4 cup water, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala and cook till the gravy boils.
3. At this point break the eggs one by one and pour into the gravy. Add salt at this stage & stir well. In medium flame cook till the gravy thickens. Switch off the stove and sprinkle the lemon juice. Serve hot with chappathi or Bread Toast.

Note: - I have prepared this dish very thick. If you are planning to serve with plain rice add some more water and stop cooking when the dish is in gravy consistency.