Tomato Masala Gravy / Chutney

More than the main dish, the challenge lies in making an interesting yet varied yet tasty side dish; one that gels well with the main dish in the making. Whenever we have Idlis / Dosas / Idiyappam etc, we typically run short of ideas... So, we need to keep innovating with chutneys and gravies. One such is this Tomato Kurma / Chutney (Tomao Masala Gravy).

While visiting many cookery blogs, some dishes stay with you and you want to try it out for your taste budzz... this is one such recipe, a Chettinad preparation.

Ingredients

• Tomato                  : 5-6 medium (based on Qty required)
• Onion                    : 2 medium or a handful of small onions
• Turmeric Powder  : 1/2 tspn
• Chili Powder         : 2-2.5 tspn (as spicy as you like)
• Coriander Powder : 1-1.5 tspn
• Salt                        : To Taste
• Coconut                : 1/4 cup grated 
• Green Chilies       : 2 (optional)
• Garlic                   :4-5 cloves
• Ginger                  :1 "
• Jeera                     : 1/2 tspn
• Clove                     :2-3
• Cinnamon             :1"
• Saunf (fennel)       : 1/2 tspn
• Oil                         : 2 tbspn (or more as rqd) - I used sesame oil (nallenai)
• Curry Leaves        : A few

Method:

1. In a kadai, add a spoon of oil. Fry Cinamon, Cloves, Jeera and Saunf. Remove from fire and take it in a mixer. Just saute garlic and ginger and add it to the mixer.
2. To this add the grated coconut, green chilies (if rqd) and grind it to a smooth mix
3. Separately, grind the tomatoes and keep it aside
4. In a kadai, add remaining oil. To this add the onions and let it cook to golden brown with a pinch of salt. To this, add the ground masala and coconut mix. 
5. Allow it to cook till the masala smell is absorbed
6. Add the tomato mix and cook it for a few mts.
7. To this add all powders :turmeric, coriander and chili (While adding chili powder, if you add a bit of oil and then the powder, it will give a rich color)
8. Mix it well along with salt. Add enough water and allow it to cook till oil starts oozing on the sides. You can either make it semi gravy (like Kurma) or like chutney; accordingly remove from fire. 

Serve it hot with Idlis, Dosas, Idiyapam, Rice etc.

NOTE:

• You can use more of green chilies and less of red chili powder to get the typical kurma color (pale green)
• You can make this as semi gravy like kurma or as Chutney (like i did)
• You can adjust the quantity of the masala items based on the flavor you need. I choose to keep it mild.

Vada Curry : Dal Vada Curry

"Vada Curry" to me somehow sounded like a non-vegetarian dish (don't ask me why?!) until I got to see and taste it just a year or two ago. This is made of our very own Masala Dal Vadas cooked in gravy, a pure vegetarian dish. Dosas and Idlis are staple breakfast dishes with varieties to it; equally interesting are the accompaniments such as the chutneys, curry etc. One such is this very famous "Vada Curry (Dal Vada Curry)". 

Here is my first attempt tested and passed with decent colors ;)

Ingredients

For making Vadas

• Channa Dal (Split bengal gram dal): 1/2 cup 
• Big Onion: 1 medium
• Garlic : 6 cloves
• Green Chillies: 2 medium
• Ginger: 1"
• Curry Leaves : a few
• Coriander Leaves : a few
• Salt : To Taste (ensure its limited as the vadas will be cooked in a gravy with salt)

For making the Curry

• Big Onion : 1 medium (diced into small pieces)
• Tomatoes: 2 small or 1 medium Diced (if u want it a bit tangy then add accordingly)
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn
• Red Chilli powder: 1.5 tsp (alternatively, you can add 2 big Green Chillies diced)
• Salt : To taste 
• Oil : 2 tbspn
• Water: 1 - 2 cups

DRY MASALA for the Curry (To be ground)

• Cinnamon : 1 small
• Cloves : 2
• Fennel Seeds (Saunf): 1/2 tspn
• Bay Leaf: 1

Method

1. Soak dal for 2-3 hours. If you want to make it instantly, then soak it with hot water for 1 hour at least
2. In a mixer, first add the chillies, garlic and ginger. Grind it first and then add the dal, and rest of the ingredients mentioned under "For making Vadas". Coarsely grind it with very less or no water (at the max 1-2 tspn)
3. Make vadas either by deep frying or steaming it like idlis
4. Next, in a pan, dry roast the ingredients mentioned under "DRY MASALA" (except for bay leaf). Grind it to make a smooth powder (dry)
5. In a pan, add oil. To this add bay leaf and then the onion. Fry it till golden brown (you can add a pinch of salt to quicken this).
6. Then add tomatoes and mash it. As they start cooking, add the dry roast masala. Allow it to cook for a few seconds and then add turmeric powder, and either the green chillies or the red chilli powder with salt.
7. As it starts cooking, add 1 glass of water. As it starts boiling, add the vadas. Allow it to cook in slow- medium flame. 
8. Mash the vadas to make a thick curry (gravy). Ensure that the vadas cook for at least 7-10 mts to soak in all the masalas.
9. Garnish with curry and coriander leaves and remove from fire

Serve hot with Idlis, Dosas etc.

Amristari Chole : My first attempt

Chole is a staple punjabi / north indian dish that can be relished with pooris, rotis, rice etc. One variety is made out of kabuli channa / konda kadala / chickpeas (white). Different state gives this dish its own flavor and one such commonly available is "Amristari Chole".

Ingredients:

• White Channa (Chickpeas) : 1 cup (Soaked over night)
• Tea Bag                             : 1 (optional - for this attempt I didn't use it)
• Black Salt                          : 1/2 tspn
• Salt                                    : 1/2 tspn 
• Big Cardamom (badi ilaichi) : 2-4 (Optional)

       For Dry Masala

• Jeera                            : 1 tspn
• Black Pepper               : 1 tspn
• Coriander Seeds          : 1 tspn
• Clove                          : 4-6 pieces
• Cinnamon                    : 1 piece
• Anardana                     : 2 tspn
• Garam Masala             : 1/2 - 1 tspn

        Other Ingredients:

• Green Chillies : 3-4 Chopped
• Ginger            : 1 piece chopped
• Onion             : 1 big finely chopped
• Tomatoes       : 3-4 small chopped
• Red Chillie powder: 1-1.5 tspn (per your taste)
• Coriander powder: 2 tspn
• Bay Leaves     : 1-2 small
• Ghee               :1-2 tbspn
• Coriander        : Finely chopped to garnish
• Oil                   : 2 tbspn (To Cook)
• Aamchur (Mango Powder) : 1 tspn
• Lemon             : 1 medium (for juice)

Method:

• Soak Chickpeas overnight. Remove water and pressure cook the chickpeas along with tea bag (optional), black & white salt. Ensure that the chickpeas are not overcooked but well boiled
• If you use tea bags, remove it after boiling the chickpeas. Strain the water and keep it aside.
• In a kadai, dry roast all masala mentioned under "Ingredients -> Dry Masala". Roast it till it becomes dark such that it gives a darker shade to the cooked channa. Make a nice powder of this
• In a kadai (or same pressure pan), add oil. As soon as it heats, add bay leaves. Then add chilly, ginger, onion and fry till golden brown
• To this add garam masala and tomatoes. Cook for 2 mts till it mixes well with all masala
• To this add the grounded masala powder. 
• To this add aamchur, salt, coriander powder, chillie powder and enough water to cook the chickpeas (you can add water as rqd. Some prepare this as semi-gravy while some make it solid)
• Mash some chickpeas to make it a bit thicker
• Allow this to cook for 5-7 mts in medium flame
• Add some ghee and then garnish with coriander leaves
• Remove from fire and add lemon juice before serving

Serve it with rotis, pooris, white rice etc. Btw, I forgot to mention a key point. My Little princess who otherwise is a bit finicky with her food loved this. She in fact requested it to be saved for her dinner as well:))

Curry Leaves Gravy

Curry leaves (karuvepilai), is an inherent ingredient for most of Indian & Srilankan cooking, mainly because they grow well in tropical - sub tropical climate (thanks to encyclopedia :). It is high on minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins.

Mostly, it is used as a garnishing ingredient for its flavor and is mostly discarded (rarely does anyone eats curry leaves unlike coriander & pudhina). However, thanks to our grandmothers, we can make better use of these leaves & enjoy the full benefit by consuming them in better forms.

One such rich dish is curry leaves gravy that can be had with hot rice, idlis, pongal etc. You can store it for some time and refrigerate it for longer use. So, here you go...

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves : 2 cups (preferably fresh but you can use dried ones too)

Green Chillies: 4-5 medium

Small Onions : 10-12 finely chopped (some use small onions as is; if rqd, you can use chopped big onions)

Chili powder : 3-4 tspn (as spicy as you need it)

Coriander powder: 

Tamarind: Lemon Size (Extract juice)

Salt : To taste

Mustard Seeds: 2 tspn

Uradh dhal : 1 tspn (half white)

Jaggery : 1 piece (optional)

Gingely Oil (til ka thel): 2 - 3 tbspn (oil allows you to store it for a longer duration)

Asafoteida (Hing): 2 pinch

Method:

• Grind the curry leaves with green chillies to a smooth mix
• In a non stick pan (or better a mud kadai), add oil
• Add mustard seeds. As they crackle, add uradh dhal. Next, add the onions. 
• Fry till the onions turn pinkish.
• To this mix, add all spices, salt, and hing. Follow it up with Tamarind extract and curry leaves mix
• Add water to allow the curry leaves to cook till the raw smell is gone
• Stir and cook till the oil separates as a top layer
• Add the jaggery (if rqd) and remove from fire
• Allow it to cool before you store it in any dry air-tight container 

Note: If you have used high amount of oil then it can be kept outside, else, its preferred to refrigerate it. 

Serve it with:

• hot rice & gingely oil
• hot idlis / dosas
• spread on bread as S/W
• spread on rotis / paranthas