Onion Chutney

      Exactly why is it that chopping and peeling onions makes our eyes water furiously ? Apparently during the process of slicing up these literal tear jerkers, an enzyme known as allinase and another compound called isothiocyanate get together and create a type of sulphuric vapour which gets into the eyes and irritates them.
      The word "onion” comes from the Latin "unio" meaning one or unity, because an onion grows as a single bulb. This onion Chutney goes as a great condiment with dosa, idli and uttapam. So here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

Onion big chopped - 2
Red chilli - 2
Salt as per taste
Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Recipe

1) Blend the onions, red chili, salt and tamarind into a very fine paste with       little water.
2) Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds.
3) Once they splutter mix in the paste and cook for about 5-6 minutes in medium heat. Keep stirring occasionally.

Tips

1) Try to cook the chutney with the pan covered to avoid spluttering of the chutney.
2) If you eat onions you can get rid of onion breath by eating parsley.
3) If you need only half of an onion, use the top half. The root will stay fresh longer in the refrigerator.

Sambar Powder

     The term ‘SAMBARA’ in Kannada means “pungent or aromatic vegetable substance used as flavoring” as per the dictionary. It is a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toor dal, and is very popular in the cooking of southern regions of India.
     The origins of this dish is uncertain though legends has it that it originated in the kitchen of Thanjavur Marathas ruler Shahuji, during the 18th century from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.[1] It is believed that Shahji had a liking for a dish called amti which had kokum as one of its main ingredients. In one particular season, the kokum which was imported from the Maratha homeland ran out of supply and someone suggested to him that the locals used tamarind pulp for sourness. Shahji experimented the dish with the toor dal, vegetables, spices and the tamarind pulp served his coterie and his cousin, Sambhaji who was visiting him. The court liked the dish and named it sambhar after the guest of the day, Sambhaji.
     Here's my version of the Sambar powder recipe, as some of you have asked me the secret behind the finger licking delicious sambar coming from my kitchen. Thanks to Mom and here I proudly present her sambar powder's recipe.

Ingredients

Asfoiteda or hing powder - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 2 - 3 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 4 springs
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Red chili - 4-5

Recipe

1. Dry roast all the ingredients separately for 3 to 4 minutues except hing (hing gets burnt) on slow flame until they give a nice aroma and turns to a light brown color.
2. Let cool and dry grind everything together, along with hing and store in an air tight container.
3. Stores well for a couple of months.

Tips

1) Do not stock on large quantities of Sambar powder as freshly ground is far superior compared to months old prepared powder or store bought one.
   

Potato Gravy

    Potatoes were first introduced outside the Andes region four centuries ago, and have become an integral part of much of the world's cuisine.The annual diet of an average global citizen in the first decade of the 21st century included about 33 kg (73 lb) of potato. In terms of nutrition, the potato is best known for its carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). Let's see a very easy but delicious recipe of potato.

Ingredients

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Chopped Onions - 1
Boiled and peeled potatoes chopped - 2
Chili powder - 2 tsp
Tomatoes chopped - 1
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Recipe

1) Heat oil in a pan, splutter the mustard seeds.
2) Add the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3) Now add in the chopped tomatoes, chili powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder and mix nicely.
4) Then add the potatoes and cook nicely, till all the spices mix in nicely. This will take about 5-6 minutes.
5) Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

1) Can add boiled peas for a more delicious gravy.
2) Adding in cashew nuts also give a unique flavor.
3) Pressure the potatoes for two whistles or microwave them for 7 minutes to help increase the speed of cooking.

Kara Kolambu

      Its a simple recipe, but still done with much care. Tasting heaven with plain rice and pappad. You can also use "Sundakkai" (botanical name is "Solanum torvum" and "Turkey Berry" in English,"Bhankatiya, katai in "Hindi","Usthikaya" in Telugu and "Sundakkai" in Tamil) for additional flavor.So here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Sundakkai - 1 tbsp (optional)
Double beans - 2 cups
Drumstick - 2 (Chopped to 2-3 inch pieces)
Chili powder - 1/2 tbsp
Corriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Besan flour - 1 tbsp
Tomato chopped - 1
Tamarind - 1/2 Lemon size
Garlic peeled and chopped - 4
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Small onions - 10
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urud dal - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) - 1 pinch
Water - 10 cups
Oil - 2 tbsp

 

Recipe

1)Soak the double beans overnight and pressure cook it for two whistles.
2)Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice.
3)Heat oil in a pan, splutter chanadal, uruddal, mustard seeds, fennel seeds (do not brown them) and Sundaikkai.
4)To this add the asafoetida powder, garlic, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Saute for a minute.
5)Add the onion and saute till they turn golden brown.
6)Then add the tomatoes and fry till it becomes pulp and next goes the double beans. Fry this for about 3-4 minutes.
7)To this add the chili power, coriander powder and salt, then stir in the tamarind juice and water.
8)Bring it to a boil(this is going to take 12-15 minutes), till oil floats on top.
9)Dilute the besan flour with little water and add this to the pan and stir continuously for 2 minutes. Then switch off the stove. Serve with plain rice, chapatis, dosa.

Tips

1)Can use other vegetable's also - Brinjal, drumstick, ladies finger, potatoes, Elephant yam, Chickpeas (both black and garbanzo).

Cilantro/Coriander Rice

    An herb with wide delicate lacy green leaves and a pungent flavor. The seed of the cilantro plant is known as coriander. Although cilantro and coriander come from the same plant, their flavors are very different and cannot be substituted for each other.
    Little is known about the origins of the Cilantro plant, although it is generally thought to be native to the Mediterranean and parts of southwestern Europe. Experts believe its use dates back to at least 5,000 BC. References to coriander can be found in Sanskrit writings, and the seeds were placed in Egyptian tombs.
    Gardening buffs might want to consider growing their own coriander plants. A hardy annual that thrives in loamy soil in direct sunlight, coriander should be planted at the same time that you would plant parsley in your particular area.Here I am going to share a very simple and tasty cilantro rice recipe with you.
 
Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups
Water - 4cups
Cilantro - 1 big bunch
Green chillis - 2-3
Grated coconut - 4tbsp
Garlic finely chopped - 6
cloves finely chopped - 2
Cardamom - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1inch piece
Salt as per taste
Ghee - 2 tbsp

Recipe

1)Wash the cilantro nicely and blend them with green chilli in a blender.
2)Heat oil in a cooker, add in the cinnamon, bay leaf, cardomon and cloves  and saute for a minute.
3)Then add the chopped ginger, garlic and fry till the raw smell goes.
4)Add the cilantro paste to the cooker and mix nicely for about 2-3 minutes.
5)Then add the rice, salt and water and pressure cooK for two whistles.

Tips

1)Cilantro rice can also be made with already made rice. Follow till step 4 but extend the time to cook cilantro paste to 6-7 minutes. Then mix in the already cooked rice, salt and serve.

Butter Beans Pulav

Butter beans is tasty, versatile and nutritious. They're not just tasty though, butter beans are an good source of low fat protein and may even help cut cholesterol as part of a healthy diet. In common with other beans they are also an excellent source of fiber and iron.They're easy to cook, very versatile and great as a store cupboard standby.Lets see an quick tasty pulav recipe with Butter beans.
 

Butter Beans Pulav

Ingredients

Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
Boiled Butter Beans - 1/4 cup (Soak the Butter Beans overnight and pressure cook it for 2 whistles)
Garlic - 5
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Shallots - 8
Green chili - 2
Pudhina - 1 tbsp
Corriander - 2 tbsp
Cardomon - 1
Cloves - 1
Bay Leaf - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Salt as per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp 

Recipe

1)First grind onions, green chilli, garlic, coriander into a fine paste.
2)Heat oil in cooker, add the cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardomon. Fry till they are slight brown.
3)Now add in the grinded paste and cook for about 5-6 minutes by stiring continuously.
4)Mix in the butter beans, salt and coconut milk, water, corriander, pudina and rice.Stri nicely and pressure cook for two whistles to get a tasty Butterbeans Pulav.

Wheat flour dosa

Wheat is a grass, originally from the fertile crescent region of the near east, but now cultivated worldwide. Wheat has a higher protein content than either maize (corn) or rice. Let's see a very simple and easy dosa recipe with wheat.

WHEAT DOSA METHOD 1

Ingredients
Wheat Flour - 3 cups
Rice Flour - 1 cup
Water
Salt as per taste
Coriander chopped - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves chopped - 4
Onion chopped - 1
Oil (I use Canola oil)

Seasoning

Chana dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Green chili chopped - 1
Oil - 1 tbsp

Recipe

1)Mix in wheat flour, rice flour, salt, coriander chopped, cumin seeds, curry leaves, onion chopped in a bowl.Gradually add water to this and make dosa like batter.
2)In a tbsp of oil, temper the cumin seeds. When they start popping, add the mustard seeds and chopped green chillies and roast well. When slightly warm, you can add the tempering to the batter.
3)Heat the griddle so it is just hot,now reduce the flame to medium heat. Grease the tawa with few drops of oil and fill the ladle with dosa batter.Gently pour the the batter onto the center of the griddle and swirl the griddle around to spread the batter.
4)Grease the uncooked side and the edges with a few drops of oil.
5)Allow to cook for a couple of minutes on each side while turning over. The dosa is ready when browned on both sides.

Tips

1)The more rice flour we use, the crispier the dosa gets.
2)Allow the tempering to cool before you add it to the batter.
3)Using shallots instead of onion for more tasty dosa.
4)If you do it using a high flame, the dosa will get either roasted too much or will stick on to the tawa, in either case you will have to use more oil.

WHEAT DOSA METHOD 2 ( 2 minute dosa )

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 3 cups
Water
Black pepper powder
Salt as per taste

Recipe

1)Thoroughly mix all the ingredients into a batter without any lumps (can use a mixer). The consistency of batter must be like thick buttermilk, not too watery or not too tight.
2)Heat the griddle so it is just hot,now reduce the flame to medium heat. Grease the tawa with few drops of oil and fill the ladle with dosa batter.Gently pour the the batter onto the center of the griddle and swirl the griddle around to spread the batter.
3)Grease the uncooked side and the edges with a few drops of oil.
4)Allow to cook for a couple of minutes on each side while turning over. The dosa is ready when browned on both sides.

Tips

1)Don’t let the batter sit for long time, it will become gooey mass.
2)Wheat flour batter is very sticky, trying to shape the dosa with back of the spoon like we do for regular dosa is not advisable.
3)If you do it using a high flame, the dosa will get either roasted too much or will stick on to the tawa in either case you will have to use more oil.