Vegetable masala curry

 Ingredients:

Onion -1
Tomato - 1
Carrot - 2
Potato - 2
Capsicum - 1
Beans - 6-7
Ginger-garlic paste - 1.5tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp
Milk - 1 cup(optional)
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1tsp
Cloves - 3-4
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
Cardamom- 2
Coriander leaves - to garnish
Salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

To grind
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 1
Cashew - 7
White sesame seeds - 1tsp 

Method:

1. Soak white sesame seeds in 1/4 cup water for 20 minutes.

2. Heat oil and ghee in a pan . Add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom to it followed by thinly sliced onion and ginger garlic paste.

3. Saute for 2 min and add tomato.  Saute for another 5 minutes or till the tomatoes are mushy.

4. Now add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Cook till the raw smell of the masalas are gone.

5. Next add the cubed vegetable pieces, salt and 1 cup of water. Cook in medium-low flame for about 10 minutes.

6. Meanwhile grind together the soaked white sesame seeds, coconut, green chilly, cashew and fennel seeds to a smooth paste.

7. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut paste, milk and sugar to it.

8. Garnish it with coriander leaves and cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Cheema chakka/kadachakka/breadfruit thoran

Ingredients:

1. Cheema chakka/kadachakka/breadfruit - 1 

2. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

3. Garam masala - 1 tsp

4. Salt to taste

5. water - 1.5 cups

To temper

1. Coconut oil  - 1 tbsp

2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

3. Dry red chilly - 1

4. Urad dal - 1 tsp

5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

To grind

1. Grated coconut - 1/3 cup

2. Red chilly - 2

Method:

1.  Remove the green outer skin and the middle part of breadfruit. Then cut it to small pieces. 

2. Take a pan and add the small breadfruit pieces along with turmeric powder, salt and water. Don't add too much water as the breadfruit will become very mushy. Cover and cook till the breadfruit has become soft , for about 15 minutes, and all the water is fully absorbed.

3.  Meanwhile, coarse grind the coconut and red chilly in a mixie/blender without adding any water.

4. Then take another pan and add coconut oil to it. Once hot add the mustard seeds, urad dal and red chilly cut into pieces. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves. Then add the ground coconut-chilly mixture to this and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Once the breadfruit pieces are cooked completely, add the tempered coconut and garam masala to it and mix well. Cook it for another one minute and switch of the flame.

Serve it as a side dish for rice!

Cheema chakka / Kadachakka / Breadfruit bhajji

 

Ingredients:

1. Cheema chakka/ Kadachakka / Breadfruit 

2. Kadalamavu / besan powder- 1/2 cup

3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

4. Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

5. Asafoetida - 1 tsp 

6. Salt to taste

7. Water - 1/3 cup approx

8. Oil for deep frying

Method:

1.  Remove the outer green skin and the inner middle part of kadachakka. Then wash it and cut it into thin slices. I made small pieces as it will be easier for my kids to hold and eat.

2. Take a bowl and add kadalamavu, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, asafoetida and salt.  Mix it well.

3. Add water little by little to this mixture to make a semi-thick batter. 

4. Then add the kadachakka slices to this batter.

5. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai . When the oil is hot , add the kadachakka slices dipped in besan batter one by one. Fry till both sides are golden brown.

Serve it along with sauce!!

Agra Petha

Ingredients:

Ash gourd/ Kumbalanga/ winter melon - 2 kgs

Sugar - 1kg or 4 cups

Chuna/Chunambu /Limestone - 2tsp

Method:

1. Clean the ash gourd by removing its thick green skin and the soft seed flesh. Then cut the ash gourd into small cubes.

2. Prick the cubes from all the sides with a fork.

3. Take enough water to cover the ash gourd and add chuna to it and mix well.

4. Add the ash gourd cubes to this water and keep it aside for about 12 hours.

5. After 12 hours, rinse and wash the ash gourd cubes 3 to 4 times in fresh water so that all the chuna is properly washed off.

6.  Then, boil enough water and add the washed and cleaned ash gourd cubes to it. Boil this for around 10 - 12 minutes.

7.  Drain it and keep aside.

8.  Now take a large vessel and add sugar and 1/2 cup water to it.

9. Heat it till the sugar dissolves. Then add the cooked ash gourd cubes to this and boil till the water is completed evaporated and sugar coats the ash gourd. 

10. Transfer the pieces to a plate or wire mesh and allow it to cool for 3-4 hours. The store it in an airtight container.

Enjoy!!

Pazhutha Manga Pachadi

 

Ingredients

Ripe Mangoes - 10-12 (small/ nattu manga) or 3-4 (big)
Jaggery - 1.5 cups
Water - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Salt


To grind

Mustard seeds- 2 tsp
Grated Coconut  - 1.5 cup
Red Chilly - 6 or 7
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

To temper

Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilly - 2

Grated Coconut - 3-4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

1. Cut the ripe mangoes into small pieces. Put these mango pieces along with the seed into a big vessel. Add one cup of water, turmeric powder and salt to it . Boil this in medium to low flame till the mangoes are soft and cooked.

 

2. Now add the jaggery to it and cook till the jaggery is fully dissolved. Cook till the water is almost fully absorbed.

3. Meanwhile grind the coconut,red chilly and cumin seeds under 'To grind' to a paste without adding too much water. Finally add the mustard seeds to this and give 2-3 pulses.

4. Next add the ground mixture to the mango and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the stove.

6. Heat a small kadai and add coconut oil to it. Once hot add mustard seeds and red chilly. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and grated coconut. Fry this till the grated coconut turns slightly brown. Switch off the stove and add this to the pachadi and mix well.

Serve it along with rice!

Pesarattu/ Green gram dosa

Ingredients:

1. Green gram - 1 cup
2. Ginger - 1"
3. Green chilly - 1 or 2
4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
5. Cumin - 1 tsp
6. Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped
7. Oil for drizzling
8. Salt to taste


Method:

1. Soak green gram overnight  or for over 8 hrs.
2. Grind the green gram along with ginger, green chilly, cumin and curry leaves. Just add enough water required for grinding.
3. Transfer the batter to a bowl . Add salt and required water to make the consistency of dosa batter.
4. Heat the dosa pan. Pour a ladle full of batter to the center of the pan and spread it in circle.
5. Drizzle some oil on the top of the dosa and a teaspoon of chopped onion.
6. Once the dosa starts to turn brown, flip it over and cook till the other side is also cooked.


Serve hot with chutney!.

Beetroot leaf thoran/poriyal

Ingredients

1. Onion - 1 small , chopped
2. Beetroot leaves -  l bunch ( It had leaves from 3 beetroots)
3. Grated Coconut - 1/3 cup
4. Dry red chilly - 1
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Salt to taste

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilly - 1 or 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig or 5-6 leaves


Methods:

1. Wash and cleans the leaves along with the stem.
2. Chop it into small pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds, urad dal and dry red chilly. When  the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves followed by the chopped onions.
4. Saute till the onions are slightly translucent.
5. Add the chopped beetroot leaves to it followed by turmeric powder, salt and little water. No need to add more water as water will ooze out from the leaves.
6.  Mix well and cook till the water is fully absorbed and the leaves are cooked.
7. Meanwhile crush the coconut and red chilly in the chopper or mixie.
8. Once the beetroot leaves are cooked completely, add these crushed coconut to it and mix well. Cook it for another minutes and switch of the flame.

Serve it as a side dish for rice!