Mango Sambaar

Thanks to Malar for introducing me to the Mango sambaar. Heres my version of the sambaar.

Ingredients:
1. Thoor dhaal alias split lentil - 1 cup
2. water - 2.5 cups
3. Tomato - 2
4. onion - 1/2
5. Mango - 1 - cut them up to small pieces
6. Green chillies - 1(reduce this to 1/2 if less spice needed)
7. red chillies 2 ( reduce this to 1 if less spice needed)
8. Mustard seeds
9. Hing
10. Cilantro/Coriander leaves
11.Oil - 1 teaspoon
12. turmeric
13. curry leaves
14. Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cook the lentils until they are very soft(Just add 2 cups of water to the lentil and allow it to cook for 20 to 30 min in medium heat). Separately cook the mango pieces in a vessel of water. The mango should be totally cooked until soft. In a pan, pour the oil, add a pinch of hing, one spoon mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and red chillies. Once the mustard splutters, add the freshly onion. Fry it till the onion turns transparent. Then add the freshly diced tomatoes and fry them until the tomatoes look cooked. Add little turmeric powder. Now add the cooked lentils to this mixture and pour the remaining water.Add the cooked mango. Add some salt to taste.Let the mixture cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice & Paapad.

Tomato & Dhaal

Dhaal is a simple healthy Indian dish. Am so glad Pierre & Bernard liked the dhaal and here I am posting the recipe

Ingredients:
1. Thoor dhaal alias split lentil - 1 cup
2. water - 2.5 cups
3. Tomato - 2
4. onion - 1/2
5. Green chillies - 1(reduce this to 1/2 if less spice needed)
6. red chillies 2 ( reduce this to 1 if less spice needed)
7. Mustard seeds
8. Hing -  a pinch
9. Cilantro/Coriander leaves
10.garlic freshly grated - 2 cloves
11. Ginger - 1/2 inch - grated
12. Oil - 1 teaspoon
13. turmeric
14. curry leaves
15. Salt to taste

Cook the lentils until they are very soft(Just add 2 cups of water to the lentil and allow it to cook for 20 to 30 min in medium heat). In a pan, pour the oil, add a pinch of hing, one spoon mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and red chillies. Once the mustard splutters, add the freshly chopped ginger, garlic and onion. Fry it till the onion turns transparent. Then add the freshly diced tomatoes and fry them until the tomatoes look cooked. Add little turmeric powder. Now add the cooked lentils to this mixture and pour the remaining water. Add some salt to taste.Let the mixture cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice & curd or with Rotis.

Onam Ashamshagal

We celebrated Thiru Onam this year as well with friends. It was a very happy evening.

The sadya menu this time was:

1. Ladys finger sambar
2. Payar thoran
3. Erisheri
4. Avial
5. Coconut Rasam
6. Mango pachadi
7. Ingithayir
8. Pappadam
9. Banana chips
10. Banana
11. Parippupradaman
12. Lemon pickle
13. Butter milk

I promised to post the recipe last time but didn't. This time..I shall better do it!

Happy Onam..

Vazhappo Masiyal (Plantain Flower Masiyal)

This is a dish I learnt from my mom. She is a great cook. Amma always makes powders at home, like sambar podi, rasam podi, kaai podi, chilli podi. Masiyal is a kind of sambar, but doesn't need any sambar powder.

Vazhappo aka Plantain flower is very good for the stomach ulcers. Though its strenuous to clear up the petals and get to the stamens, its worth the effort. Lets get to the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1. Thoor dhaal
2. Tomato - 1
3. Vazhapoo - 1
4. Curry leaves
5. Turmeric powder
6. Green chillies - 2
7. Salt to taste
8. mustard seeds
9. oil
10. cumin seeds
11. asafetida
12. Tamarind paste
13. Red chilli powder

Preparation:

Pressure cook the thoor dhaal and keep it aside. Pressure cook the plantain flower and keep it aside. Heat your vessel and add 2 tea spoons of oil. Add the curry leaves, green chillies and tomato. Keep frying the tomatoes in Medium heat. Let it get cooked well. Add 2 tea spoons of tamarind paste(I use the Joy paste) to the tomatoes and cook them for 5 minutes. Now add the pressure cooked plantain flower to this mixture and cook for a couple of minutes. Add some water and the pressure cooked dhaal. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste. Let the entire mixture cook for 5 minutes. Take a small pan and heat 2 tea spoons of oil. Add asafetida, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the mustard pops, add 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder and add this mixture to the masiyal immediately(Over heating the red chilli powder may spoil the taste of the masiyal. Also do remember to have enough ventilation as the chilli powder might cause irritation to your nasal passage).
Garnish the masiyal with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice, vendaikka kaai(okra subzi) and vathal .

Eggplant Parmesan - Indianised version

Ingredients:
To prepare the eggplants.
1. 1 Eggplant - skin peeled, and cut into thin round pieces.
2. General Purpose Flour(Maida - 2 measures)
3. Bread crumbs(1.5 measures)
4.Water -

To prepare the sauce
1. Marinara Sauce - 1 container
2. Garlic - 6 to 7 pieces, finely chopped.
3. Green Chillies - 5 to 6finely chopped
4. Ginger - 3 tsp finely chopped

Vegetables
1.Red Capsicum - 1 cut into thin long slices
2. Green capsicum - 1 - cut into thin long slices
3. Onion - 1 big size - cut into long pieces
4. Potatoes - 1 big size - cut into long slices, like the one for finger chips.
5. Oil(Olive oil preferably)
6. Italian seasonings/Basil Leaves
7. Salt to taste

Preparation:First prepare the eggplants. Make a thin batter out of the flour, breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of cumin powder,pepper powder and salt to taste.Dip the thinly sliced eggplants into the batter and fry them in a pan of oil. 13 to 14 such slices could be easily made.

Next, in a container, pour the Marinara sauce from its jar. In a pan, heat some olive oil. Fry the ginger, chillies and garlic that are finely chopped along with the Italian spices/basil leaves. Once they turn a little golden brown, add them to the marinara sauce. Add some salt and keep them aside.

Next, take the sliced capsicums,onions and potatoes. Fry them in a little oil individually for 5 min each. We can even keep the potatoes in the microwave for 10 min so that it becomes tender. Sprinkle some salt on each of these vegetables.

Pre heat the oven. Meanwhile, take a glass tray or any oven tray that can bear 250 F heat and could tolerate broil. First add a layer of marinara sauce on the tray. Next place the eggplants one by one, without overlapping each other. We can even slice them into two and place them. We can place 5 to 6 eggplants in one layer. On top of the eggplants pour a layer of marinara sauce. Then add the vegetables, capsicum, onion and potatoes. Do not add all the vegetables. We may need it for one more layer. Add the marinara sauce on top of the vegetables. Then add mozzarella cheese on top of this. Again spread the marinara sauce, followed by eggplants and then the marinara sauce, vegetables, marinara sauce. Cover this now with lots of cheese. We can use a little bit of Parmesan in the topmost layer. Once the oven is ready, place this tray in the lowermost shelf and bake it for 45 min in 250 F. After 45 min, bake this on Broil for 5 min.

Take it out of the oven and serve hot with some garlic bread and spaghetti.

Happy Onam

Happy Onam to one and all....
I prepared sadhya for this oname - i will pen down the recipe soon, as it will be helpful for fututre onams. Prepared the followingL
1. Sambar
2. Erisheri
3. Thoran
4. Avial
5. Papadam
6. Lemon rasam
7. parippu
Thanks to Vidhya as she brough in some Payasam for us - dind't find time to cook - as it was a week day! Shall post the recipes soon!

Guthi Vankaya

This is an Andhra recipe. I had tasted this the first time in Priya Indian Cuisine, CT. Very spicy, typical Andhra dish.

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal - 6 to 7 medium sized

2. Sesame seeds - 2 tsp

3. Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

4. groundnut - plain - 3tsp

5. cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

6. Coconut grated - 6 tsp

7. ginger - finely grated - 1 tsp

8. garlic - finely chopped - 2 tsp

9. onion -1

10. Tomato - 2

11. tamarind paste - 1 tsp

12. salt to taste

13. green chillies - 4-6

14. curry leaves - 6-7 leaves

Wash the brinjals. Remove the stem, slit them into four from the top till just below the bottom.

Soak them in salted water. Leave them aside. In a pan, with little oil, fry the onion,garlic,ginger and chillies. Once the onion turns golden, add the sliced tomatoes and mix them well. In a mixer, add the coconut, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, curry leaves,cumin seeds and the onion and tomatoes that has been cooked and grind them finely.Add water as needed.The mixture should be fine enough to act as a filler in the brinjal. Dry the soaked brinjals and start filling the grinding mixture through the slits of brinjal.

In a pan, heat some oil and add mustard seeds. Drop the filled brinjals and allow them to get cooked. Close the pan with a lid for 10 min. Then add the rest of the grounded gravy to the pan and add the tamarind paste and mix them well. close the lid. Add salt after 10 minutes and allow the brinjals to cook for 15 min. Keep stirring them once in a while. After 15 min remove the lid, saute it with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice. Could be eaten with Idli and dosa as well.

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