Poha with Green Chutney : Bfast in a jiffy!

After a good rest for at least 8 hours time, your stomach definitely looks forward for the prime food of the day 'Breakfast'. Rightly so, it is considered as a mandatory diet for an individual and not advisable to be skipped.

Variety is the order of any food to satisfy the taste budz of an individual. So was the case last Sunday when we were wondering what to cook and in a jiffy! We found our savior in 'Rice Flakes', which helped us churn out some yummy "Poha" or "Rice Flakes Upma" with green chutney.

Poha / Rice Flakes Upma / Avil Upma: (Preparation time: 10 mts)

Ingredients:

• Rice Flakes                      - 1 Cup
• Big Onion                        - 1 Big or 2 Small (Chopped)
• Green Chillies                  - 3-4 (depending on how spicy you need it)
• Ginger                             - 1 small piece
• Ground Nuts                   - 1-2 Tbspn (can replace green peas with ground nuts)
• Salt                                 - To taste
• Curry leaves / Coriander leaves  - For garnishing
• Cooking oil                      - 3-4 Tbspn (doesn't need much oil)
• Mustard Seeds                 - 1 tspn

Method:

1. Chop onions, ginger, and green chillie to small pieces
2. Wash the rice flakes and drain the water completely. Leave it aside while you prepare the garnishing.
3. In a pan, add oil. After it warms, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
4. To this, add the Ground Nuts. Allow it to fry for a few mts till they turn a bit reddish.
5. Add the chopped ginger, chillie, and onions.
6. Fry them till onion is cooked and turns pinkish. Add salt.
7. Add the drained rice flakes by mixing it properly. Allow it on fire for 5 mts by when the rice flakes will appear cooked.
8. Remove from fire and garnish it with chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves. [missing in the pic :)]

      Tips:

• Preferably use the Broader and Red Rice Flakes and not the white ones.
• Don't add or even sprinkle water else it will become soggy
• You can replace ground nuts with Green Peas (the frozen variety or the fresh ones; not the dried ones)

Green Chutney: (Preparation time : 5 mts)

A tasty and tangy preparation that you can use with any starters, such as Potato Fry etc, or tiffin items. You can customize it to prepare it as spicy & tangy as you prefer.

Ingredients:

• Mint Leaves (Pudhina Leaves)              - 1 small bunch
• Coriander Leaves (Dhaniya leaves)       -  Same or half the Qty as Mint Leaves
• Green Chillies                                       - 5-6 (depending on the spice you need)
• Ginger                                                  - 1 small piece
• Mango Dry powder (Amchur)              - 1 tbspn 
• Curd (Dahi)                                          - 1-2 tbspn
• Salt                                                       - To taste

Method:

1. Clean and wash the green leaves. 
2. In a mixer, add the leaves, green chillies, ginger, mango powder, curd, and salt. Grind it till a smooth mix. 

Tips:

1. If no mango powder & curd, you can use a small size of tamarind
2. You can add curry leaves as well

Drumstick Leaves Gravy / Sambhar

There are days when I have so much to share and days when I just let the happening be with no announcements :) Good thing is I ensure my 'life is happening' at all times :)

After a long time, I managed to get some 'Drumstick Leaves' fresh from the garden. The tree goes by the botanical name of 'Moringa Oleifera'. Many parts of this tree are edible. The leaves are the most nutritious and richest in 'Iron' amongst all spinach. You can easily cook varieties of dishes using these leaves. I am sharing the gravy that I prepared today.

Drumstick Leaves Gravy / Sambhar:

Ingredients:

1. Drumstick Leaves                  - a bunch
2. Green Chillie                          - 1 or 2
3. Ginger                                   - Small piece
4. Small Onions                         - 10 (you can also use the regular onions)
5. Tomato                                  - 2
6. Tamarind                               - Small lemon size (Optional; Use if the Tomato is not ripe)
7. Coriander Powder (Dhaniya) - 2 tbspn
8. Chillie Powder (Mirchi)         - 1-1.5 tbspn preferably should be less spicy)
9. Turmeric Powder (Haldi)        - 1 tspn
10. Mung beans (yellow, skinned and split) - 1-2 Serving spoons (as you like the % of dhal in your dish)
11. Asafoetida (Hing)                   - a pinch
12. Salt                                        - to taste
13. Refined Oil                             - 2 tspn
14. Mustard Seeds                       - 1 tspn
15. Jeera                                      - 1 tspn

 Method:

1. Boil the dhal separately with turmeric powder
2. In a kadai, add oil. To the warm oil, add mustard seeds. As it splutters, add jeera. Allow it to splutter. 
3. Add diced ginger, slit chillie, and onion. Allow the onions to turn pinkish.
4. Add tomato and allow it to cook.
5. To this mix, add Coriander, chillie powder (alternatively, you can replace it with equivalent Sambhar powder) and salt.
6. Add the leaves & the boiled dhal (alternatively, you can use Thuvar dhal)
7. Add water based on the consistency you need
8. Close and allow it to cook - should take 10 mts max

Final output:

Its an easy to make & a delicious dish soft on your stomach.

அரிசி உப்புமா / Rice Upma

** Moved from my earlier blog **

Upma is a staple food of South Indians and finds it place in a breakfast platter without fail. But as is the human needs, variety is a must in every thing. So is the case for Upmaas too - you can make Upma using Rava(Sooji), Godumai Rava (Broken wheat / Dhaliya), Samea, Avil (Rice flakes - the famous poha), and ofcourse Arisi (Rice).

Off these, Rice upma is rarely prepared at least these days. But I remember this as one of the tastiest of the upmaas prepared by my Athai (Bhuaji - a great cook). Then they used to make it so often... It's a tummy filler and can be made interesting with suitable side dishes.

The measurements & ingredients below are my own - as you know 'customization' is the key to interesting cooking :)

Cooking vessel: Earlier they used Brass Vessel (Uruli or vengala panai). If you have one then do use it for this preparation because it adds a different taste; Else, you can cook it using the non-stick kadai or pressure cooker or pressure pan.

Ingredients (The following measurement can easily serve 2 people)

1. Raw Rice (Pacharisi preferred / Boiled Rice) - 1 Cup
2. Thoor Dhal (Arhar dhal)                                - 2-3 Tbspn
3. Cumin Seeds (Jeera)                                     - 1 Tspn (as you like the taste)
4. Pepper (Milagu)                                            - 1 Tspn (as spicy you want, I add a bit more)
5. Red Chillie                                                    - 4-5 (as spicy you want ; balance bet this & Pepper)
6. Curry Leaves                                                -  Few (Adds a great flavor)
7. Refined Oil                                                    - 2-3 tspn (for tadka & to ensure rice doesn't stick)
8. Asafoetida (Hing / perungayam)                     - 1/2 tspn
9. Mustard Seeds (kadugu)                               - 1/2 tspn
10. Bengal Gram                                                 - 1/2 tspn (for tadka)
11. Salt                                                               - Per taste
12. Water                                              - 2 Cups (as its grounded, a little lesser than you use for full rice)

Preparation Method:

1. Wash the rice and drain it by spreading it on a newspaper or pure & thin white cloth. This will absorb all water and dry the rice quickly.
2. Grind coarsely the dried rice along with Thoor Dhal, Cumin Seeds, Pepper (you can add red chillie here or during tadka). Ensure you don't powder it finely else it will be similar to Sooji-upma.
3. Place the Cooking vessel on fire and add the cooking oil.
4. Once the oil is warm, add Mustard seeds. After it splutters, add Bengal gram, and Red Chillie. Fry till they turn golden brown and then add curry leaves.
5. To this mixture add water and allow it to boil
6. As the water boils, add the grounded mix slowly with constant stirring. 
7. Once you smoothly stir the entire mixture in the water, add salt & asafoetida.
8. After a few minutes, close the container with a lid (if pressure cooker just give one whistle; Alternatively, you can just cook it in steam)
9. Cook it in simmer flame - you can check it once in a while by stirring. (in the brass vessel, we allow it to cook till it forms that 'kaandal' - the deep roasted coating in dark red /brown - if you like it)
10. Cooking time should be around 10 mts.
11. Remove from fire. 
12. Garnish with a few more curry leaves for fresh fragrance. Some might add grated coconut as well.

My first attempt at making Arisi Upma

Tips: You can store the coarsely powdered rice for future use as well. Probably, you can make some & store it for 15 days or a month.


Side Dish:

You can serve this with Coconut chutney, Brinjal gothsu, Sambhar, or any other spicy chutneys. I made a onion/tomato chutney kerala style:

Ingredients:

1. Small onions - 10 - 12 numbers if really small (or 5-6 would suffice)
2. Tomatoes - 2-4 (big - small)
3. Garlic - 4-5 cloves
4. Curry Leaves - a few
5. Red Chillie - 4-5 (depending on how spicy the chillie is)
6. Asafoetida
7. Tamarind (Imli) - just a pinch
8. Salt - to taste
9. Oil - 1 tspn

Method:

1. In a pan, add the oil, and fry garlic, onions for a few mts followed by tomatoe - till the raw smell is lost
2. Grind the fried mix with the remaining ingredients - coarsely or smoothly as you like it.
3. Garnish with curry leaves if you like it. 

Onion/Tomato Spicy chutney

Dal Makhani - A Punjab delicacy

** Moved from my earlier blog **

Been years since I've been thinking of cooking 'dal makhani' @ home. Its a simple yet rich dish & is a regular in any of the north-indian menu. Again, its taste varies with each cook's style & hand :) I followed recipes prescribed by popular chefs Sanjeev Kapoor & Tarla Dalal. At the cost of sounding little less humble :) I would say I was impressed by my preparation. Rest, will ask my QA team to report back (they have no option but to taste whatever I make :))


Here is what I used:

• Black Lentil (uzhundu / urad dal) - 1/2 cup
• Kidney beans (Rajma) - 2 tbsp (2 fistful)
• Milk - 1 cup
• Ginger - Chopped
• Garlic - 5-10 flakes
• Onion - 1/2 - 1 cup chopped (as per your taste)
• Tomato - 1 cup chooped (as per your taste)
• Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/2 tsp
• Green chilies - 2 chopped
• Chilli powder - 1-1.5 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder (dhaniya) - 2 - 2.5 tsp
• Saunf - 1/4 tsp
• Butter 
• Oil - to fry
• Salt - to taste
• garam masala - if you like it
• Coriander leaves - chopped (for garnishing)

Here is I how I prepared:

1. Clean, and soak the urad dal & rajma for 6 hours, preferably overnight. 
2. Drain the soaked dals, add salt (1 slit chilli if you like it), 2 cups of water and pressure cook it. 
3. Ensure the dal is cooked well -should be soft & you should be able to mash them easily.

1. To this cooked mix, add milk & little water and keep it on 'low fire' for say 7-10 mts (stir it now & then). Remove from fire.
2. In a kadai / pan, add some butter & oil. When hot, add cumin seeds (you can add a bay leaf if you want). After they crackle, add garlic flakes. When they are a little fried, add ginger, chilli, and onions. Fry till golden brown.
3. To this, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, and required salt (add less because you would have already added to the dal). Stir, and add tomato. Mash the tomato well. All masala should mix together & mashed - 5 mts.
4. After 5 mts, add the dal mixture, some saunf if you want and leave it on 'sim' for 10 mts. Add water to dilute the dal (don't dilute much) 
5. After 10-12 mts, the dal will become thick and creamy. Remove from fire, add butter or cream
6. Garnish with Coriander leaves 
7. Serve hot with chappatis, paranthas.

   

Try @ your end and share your feedback. Happy eating :)

Beetroot Halwa : For the sweet-toothed

** Moved from my earlier blog **

Hey sweet-toothed people, here is a recipe for a halwa from my kitchen. If I can do it, so can you all :) Try it & share feedback:

Ingredients: Quantity mentioned below are my measure... But you can choose based on your headcount & taste.

1. Beetroot - 1 cup grated 
2. Milk - 2 cups
3. Dates - 4 soaked & make a watery paste of it.
4. Sugar - 1 cup (per your taste)
5. Ghee - 4-5 tsp (1/4 cup kinds)
6. Cardomom - 2-4 pounded
7. Dry fruits - Raisins, Cashew (as you need to season)

Method:

1. In a pan, heat some ghee. To it add the grated beetroot and saute it for a few minutes (till little bit of raw smell goes off and beetroot softens a bit). 
2. To this, add milk; Keep stirring to avoid sticking to the pan. Cover the pan & allow the beetroot to cook.
3. When the above mix thickens, add sugar. 
4. Cook till the sugar dissolves and starts to leave the sides - would like strings when you stir. The mixture will start to thicken further.
5. In parallel, fry cashew, raisins in ghee (alternatively, you can add them dry).
6. Cook till you get a semi thick consistency. The ghee will be absorbed and the sugar strings will start appearing. As it cools down later, it will thicken further; So, remember to remove it from fire when in a little loosen state - to avoid making 'beetroot bar' instead of 'beetroot halwa' ;)
7. Season the halwa with the fried dry fruits. Add cardamom powder at the end.

         Tasty halwa is ready to be served. I included dates to make it a little bit more healthier & tastier :)

 Note: You can follow the same procedure and make yummy Carrot halwa too... but preferably using the 'red carrots' rather the orange ones.

Posted 14th June 2011 by Sri

Baigan ka bharta

Good to be back sharing another recipe and this time from North Indian basket! Yes, one of the most cherished take away from my 17 years in Delhi are the recipes of some of their interesting dishes. Am surely not a master of it but can make some of those dishes decently. Here is the recipe for 'baigan ka bharta' - a very popular dry curry taken with rotis. 

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal - 1 BIG Sized (either they are fat & longer or far & rounder)
2. Onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped
3. Tomato - 4-5, finely chopped
4. Ginger - finely chopped 
5. Green chillies - 4-5 finely chopped
6. Cumin (jeera)- 1 tspn
7. Turmeric powder - a pinch
8. Dhaniya powder - 1 tspn
9. Chilli powder - 1 tspn (based on ur taste)
10. Aamchoor - 1 or 2 pinches (based on how ripened / khatta tomatoes are)
    
11. Salt to taste
12. Oil to cook

Method

1. To the brinjal, apply oil on all sides including the stem. The specialty of this dish is the brinjal needs to be roasted and mashed. To do so, place the oiled brinjal on the burner and on low flame. Keep turning and cooking till all the skin on the eggplant is charred and the inner flesh looks really soft. A good sign to watch for is that the eggplant seems to 'cave in' on itself! 
2. Place the roasted brinjal in a bowl of water to cool it down. Peel the skin.
3. Coarsely mash the flesh with the seeds (discard seeds if they are ripened & hard)
4. In a pan, add 2 tbspn of cooking oil. When hot, add cumin seeds and wait till they splutter.
5. To this, add chillies, ginger and fry for a few seconds
6. Next, add onions and fry till soft
7. Add tomatoes and ensure you break the tomatoes nicely
8. To this mix, add the spices mentioned along with salt and cook for 3-5 mts. Keep stirring the mix (Only if rqd, just sprinkle a little water - mostly won't be rqd)
9. When cooked, add the brinjal mash and mix well. Break & ensure they all mix together. Cook for 1-2 mts max.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves (avoid curry leaves because that usually tends to give a south-indian dish flavor)

Hot Bharta ready to serve with hot rotis. You can accompany this with a dhal variety, pickle, and curd.

 
 
Note: Bharta refers to dishes with ingredients that are coarsely mashed. You can make bhartas out of any kind of vegetables that taste good when mashed.

Onion-Garlic-Pepper Kuzhambu

** Moved from my earlier blog **

With a climate to die for in Chennai (;), I have been fighting hard the 'common cold / flu' whatever! Actually, I thank the flu as I read a novel after a long time, my only savior from this irritation and 'so-very-interesting work'! What next is when I thought of treating myself to something spicy but healthy - the age old, pepper-based gravy / kuzhambu. Pepper, garlic are powerful fighters against flu - try it out!

Onion-Garlic-Pepper Kuzhambu            Prep Time: ~ 15 mts    Cook Time: 15 mts

Ingredient                           Measure                               Remarks

Small onions                       1 cup                                    Peeled and sliced
Garlic                                 5-8 cloves                             Peeled and mashed
Tamarind                            Medium Lemon size              Soak it for 30 mts before you start preparing
Red Chilies                         3-4
Black Pepper                     1 -1.5 tablespoon                 As spicy as rqd
Thuvaram parupu               1 tablespoon                         Thuar dhal; yellow lentil
Uzhutam parupu                 1 tablespoon                         Udadh dhal
Salt                                    To taste
Mustard Seeds                   ¼ tsp                                    For seasoning
Curry Leaves                      Few                                     to grind and season
Oil                                      1-2 tblspn                            For frying

Preparation

• For Grinding:

1. Fry together black pepper, red chillies, thuar dhal, udadh dhal till they are golden (in very little oil).
2. Grind the above roasted ingredients with a few curry leaves and make a smooth paste.

• Main Preperation:

1. Extract thick tamarind juice (ensure tamarind is soaked 30 mts prior).
2. Peel onion and slice them.
3. Peel garlic and mash them.
4. In a pan, pour enough oil (1-2 tblspn). When it’s a little hot, add mustard seeds; Follow it up with a few curry leaves, onions, and garlic. Fry them till golden.
5. To the above, add the ground paste (pepper paste) and fry for a few minutes (2 mts or so till the pepper smell goes off).
6. To the above mix, add the tamarind juice extract, SALT, and a little water to dilute and get required consistency.
7. Boil till the oil separates and floats at the top.
8. Serve with hot rice & ghee, idlis, dosas.

Hmmm all done, this is how it looked like :)

Posted 28th October 2010 by Sri

Saboodhana Vada : A quick snack

** Moved from my earlier blog ** 

Motivation comes within they say and it is completely true! I coined my idea of a Cookery blog just yesterday and that was motivating enough for me to try a new dish today - Saboodana / Javvarasi Vada! Bingo, I would say I got through with decent grades :)

Saboodana / Javvarasi Vada

SABUDANA VADA            Prep Time: ~ 2 hours              Cooking Time:15 mts

Ingredients                                        Measure                           Remarks
Saboodana/Javvarasi                           1- 1.5 cups
Potatoes                                            3 medium                            Boiled and mashed
Roasted peanuts                                1 cup                                  Coarsely ground
Green Chillies                                    3-4                                     Finely chopped
Onion                                                1-2 small                            Finely Chopped
Lemon Juice                                      1tablespoon                        U can try Vinegar instead
Oil                                                     Enough  for deep-frying
Salt                                                    To taste
Curry Leaves, Coriander Leaves        To taste                              Finely chopped

Preparation

Starting Steps, including for the filling:

1. Soak sabudana / javvarasi in enough water for about 2 hours
2. Boil the potatoes and mash them
3. Coarsely grind the peanuts (roast them if it is raw)
4. Finely chop onions, coriander & curry leaves

Steps to prepare vada:

1. Mix together sabudana/javvarasi, mashed potatoes, onion, green chillies, coriander&curry leaves, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Make fine dough of it.
2. In parallel, heat oil in a pan.
3. Take small portions of the dough and flatten it in a round shape (palms of your hands should do. Alternatively you can use Milk cover or banana leaf – just grease some oil before using the dough)
4. Deep fry the vadas; take care not to burn them because sabudana may not become real reddish like the other vadas.
5. Strain the oil by placing the vadas on tissues.
6. Serve hot with any chutney of your choice, preferably little spicy, or any sauces.

Sri's Kitchen : A Warm Welcome

A few months ago:
I always look for a change to break the monotony in life. Blogging, my recent venture, is the apt broad platform for me to bring about a small change; it helps me think, identify my talents & interests, write, share & obtain thoughts / ideas on varied topics. One such recent discovery is that 'Cookery' is one of my interest areas... Hold on, I don't mean am a great cook but ya I'm a decent one and I love cooking... who knows if & when it turns into my passion! This is my first step to share my attempts, ideas, triumphs, tragedies : directly from Sri's kitchen!

Now:
It was end of 2011 when I added 'Sri's Kitchen' as a page to my blog (Thru my eyes). Though I've blogged only handful of recipes on that page, during this time period I have been honing my cooking skills. Now its apt for me to start a separate 'Cooking blog' to be able to share more of my learnings exclusively in this arena. 'Cooking' too is like an ocean and one blog may not suffice... nevertheless this is a starting point.

My special thanks, rather loads of love, for each one who enhance my skills constantly and also to those who don't hesitate to be my Test Beds ;)