Bombay halwa or Karachi halwa

This is a very simple sweet I saw in vahrevah.com 's video. It has few ingredients and can be made in minutes. This is made with corn flour, but also can be substituted with wheat flour.

Things you'll need:
corn flour - 1/4 cup
water - for mixing corn flour, less than 1/4 cup
sugar - 1/2 cup
cashew nuts - few, broken
Ghee - 3tbsp

Yield : 12 to 15 pieces


Method:
Step1:
Make sugar syrup by mixing the sugar in 1/4 cup water. The consistency of the syrup should be watery. You can switch off the stove couple of minutes after the sugar starts boiling and you see vigorous bubbles.

Step2:
Mix the corn flour and water. Add 1tbsp of ghee to a pan without switching on the stove and add the corn flour mixture. Mix well. Now switch on the stove and stir the corn flour and ghee mixture until it starts to thicken. Switch of the stove.

Step 3:
 Add the hot syrup one tablespoon at a time to the corn flour mixture and stir well. The mixture should be like batter. You can taste it and stop adding the syrup if u find it too sweet for you.

Step4:
Switch on the stove. Stir the mixture continuously until it turns glassy and leaves the sides of the pan. It should look like a jelly. Add the remaining ghee and mix it well. Switch off the stove, add the broken cashew nuts and spread it in a plate. Cut it to pieces once slightly cooled.

Enjoy!!

Ennai kathirikkai (spicy sauteed brinjal curry)

This is one of the most favorite south indian side dishes. This is a spicy and tangy gravy that goes well with either plain rice or mixed rice. This is a bit on the higher side of the calorie count since it has peanuts, sesame seeds, and coconut all in one dish. Since the nuts and coconut only give extra richness to the dish you can also reduce their amount and increase spice level.

Things you'll need:
Brinjals - 4 if medium sized and 6 if small
tamarind  - lemon sized
curry leaves - few
salt - as needed
oil - 1/4 cup
mustard seeds - 1tsp

things to roast and grind:
red chillies - 4
urad dal - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
black pepper - 1/2 tsp
cloves - 2
coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
peanuts - 1 tbsp
sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
coconut - 1/4 cup grated

Yield : 3 or 4 servings


Method:
Step 1:
Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds and keep aside. Add 1 tsp oil and roast the rest of the 'to roast and grind' ingredients one by one. Make a coarse powder of the roasted ingredients with the grated coconut.

Step 2:
Wash and cut the stalk from the brinjals. Make two slits in each brinjal to divide it into four sections. Take care not to cut them fully. Fill the brinjals with the half of the masala powder and keep them aside. Reserve the left over masala powder.

Step 3:
Pour the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and the brinjals and fry them in low heat. When the brinjals are almost cooked, add the tamarind extract and the masala powder. Add salt and allow it to cook for 10 mins in medium heat.

The spicy and tangy Ennai Kathirikai is ready to be served with your choice of pulao or plain rice.

'Baked vada' curry

Vada curry combined with idli or dosa makes many of us drool.  It is generally prepared by crumbling deep fried 'vada's into the spicy curry. But feeling very lazy to deep fry those vadas and then making the curry I thought of a shortcut, can also be called 'the fat cut'. I decided to try baking the vadas so I can save time and reduce the addition of fat in the form of oil. The baked vada curry is no different from the original version in taste and texture. If you have an oven you can make this baked vada curry in no time.

Things you'll need:
channa dal - 1/2 cup
onion - 1 1/2, finely chopped
tomato - 1, finely chopped
green chillies - 2 medium sized, finely chopped
curry leaves - 5
coriander leaves - to garnish
salt - to taste
ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
chilli powder - 1 tsp
oil or cooking spray - as needed
fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Yield - serves 2 or 3 persons

Method :
Step 1:
Soak the channa dal for atleast 5 hours. Grind the dal coarsely with 1/2 onion, green chillies, curry leaves, salt. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Shape the vadas and place them in a baking tray greased with oil or cooking spray. Bake the vadas till browned on both sides (you have to flip the vadas in between)

Step 2:
Mean time, heat oil in a pan, add the fennel seeds. When the seeds splutter add remaining onions and fry them until translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, tomato, curry leaves, chilli powder and salt. Add little water and close the lid and allow it to cook in slow flame.

Step 3:
When the vadas are done, crumble them (of course, you have to wait until it's slightly cooled or else you will end up eating idly and vada curry with a spoon) and add into the curry. This will thicken the curry, so add some more water till it is not too thick.

Step4:
Allow it to cook for a few minutes, switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with hot idlis or dosas.

tip: If you are not going to have it immediately. Its better to add the vadas minutes before you serve, because if kept for sometime the dal absorbs the water and leaves the curry dry.

note: I haven't tried this in microwave oven. I'll be happy to hear if somebody had tried it.

Sending it out to Vardhini's  Dish it out event

 

Beetroot Halwa

We all have heard about carrot halwa or gajjar ka halwa. Ever heard about beetroot halwa? never heard of it until my mom made it when I was in college. I never worried about how she got the recipe or its origin..It tasted good, tats all I wanted. After marriage, once when we had some guests I tried beetroot halwa for dessert. It came out so well (there's nothing to go wrong in a dessert until it's sweet to eat..my husband's theory), and the guests were all praising about it "wow! never heard of beetroot halwa", "It's so delicious".  Nowadays I am not worried about beetroot getting wilted in the refrigerator..there's always a recipe in which no one would hate having beetroot.

Things you'll need:
Beetroot - 2 (medium sized)
condensed milk - 1/2 cup
sugar - 1 cup (can be increased or decreased according to preference)
ghee - 3 tbsp
cashews - 2 tbsp chopped

yield - 4 servings

Step 1:
Peel the beetroots, wash them and grate them to fine pieces. You can alternatively chop them and coarsely grind them in a food processor.

Step 2:
Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a non-stick pan and fry the beetroot for about five mins until the beetroot starts to soften.

Step 3:
Add the condensed milk and let it cook until all the milk is absorbed. Now add the sugar. This will leave the halwa watery. But it will thicken once the sugar is absorbed into the halwa.

Step 4:
When the halwa thickens and leaves the sides of the pan, add the remaining ghee and stir for a couple of mins.

Step 5:
Switch off the stove, garnish it with cashews and allow it to cool.

Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (Yummo!!) or just as it is..Its delicious either way..

Raw banana cutlet

This is a recipe I tried from the website spiceindiaonline.com. I got bored of the usual raw banana fry and podimas. So I wanted to try a different recipe. The raw banana cutlet was very simple and tempting. At the very first time it came flawless and appreciated by my husband.

The ingredients are simple and takes less time to prepare

Things you'll need :

Raw banana - 1

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Ginger - 1 " piece minced

garlic - 1 or 2 pods minced

curry leaves - 3 or 4

coriander leaves - 2 sprigs
spinach leaves - handful
green chillis - 2 finely chopped
salt - to taste

turmeric powder - 1 tsp

chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Oil - for deep frying or shallow frying

Yield - 15 cutlets

Method:

Step 1 :

Peel and chop the raw banana and cook them in little water with turmeric powder and little salt. Let it cool and mash it without lumps.

Step 2 :

Add the rest of the ingredients with the mashed banana and mix well. Check for salt.

Step 3 :

Shape them into cutlets  and either shallow or deep fry the cutlets according to preference.

Serve them with ketchup or chutney of your choice. 

Mixed vegetable stew

This is a very tasty dish which would be best when paired with aappam or idiyappam. I think this dish is of kerala origin, but not sure though. This would give a twist to the traditional aapam-coconut milk combination. Easy to prepare (except for the trouble of cutting all the vegetables!!) and simply delicious.

Things you'll need:

Mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, cauliflower and potato) - 2 cups
Whole garam masala (cinnamon, cloves and cardamom) - as required
Green chillies - 3
Curry leaves - a handful
Coriander leaves - 2 sprigs
Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
Thin coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup
salt - as required

 Serves 2-3 persons


Method:

Step 1:
Pressure cook the vegetables with very little water and salt.

Step 2:
Pour a little oil (preferably coconut oil) in a pan, add the whole garam masala and when they start to crackle, add the green chillies and curry leaves. Then add the thin coconut milk and let it boil.

Step 3:
Add the vegetables and adjust the salt, and add the thick coconut milk and cook for a couple of minutes. Switch off the stove and garnish the stew with coriander leaves.

Serve with steaming aapams or idiyappams.

Andhra style chilli chicken

This is a very popular dish in Andhra. My husband had it in an andhra speciality restaurant while he was in Bangalore. When we hear chilli chicken most of us picture the Chinese version of chilli chicken, so did I when my husband told about this dish. But this is supposed to be a very spicy dish with the flavors of lots of green chillies. I usually have the feeling of sweating at the back of my head when I eat spicy food, but I had that feeling when I opened the lid after cooking the dish, Its that spicy!!!
So If you want to give a kick start to your sore taste buds with some spice here you go...

Things you'll need:
Chicken - 1lb
Onion - 11/2 chopped
Green chillies - 7 or 8
curry leaves - handful
ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
lemon juice - from half lemon
ginger - 1 inch piece minced
pepper powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1tsp
salt - as required

To grind:
cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
cloves - 1tsp
cumin seeds - 1tsp
fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
fennel seeds - 1 tsp
cardamom - 1
kasoori methi - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Serves 2-3 persons

Method:

Step 1:
Clean and cut the chicken. Pressure cook with a little water, turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt, ginger pieces and a 1/2 onion (chopped).

Step 2:
In a pan pour some oil and splutter some cumin seeds, fry the onions, green chillies and curry leaves. When the onions turn translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell leaves. Then add the ground masala and salt (balancing the salt added to chicken). Add the broth from the cooked chicken and cook the mixture to a thick gravy.

Step 3:
Add the chicken, cover and cook the gravy for a couple of minutes. It should not take more time since the chicken is already cooked. Switch of the stove once the gravy is slightly dry. Squeeze the lemon juice on the gravy and mix well.

Now your spicy Andhra style chilli chicken is ready to be served with plain rice or roti.

Note: Lemon juice is optional, just to reduce the heat of the chillies.