Baby potato~cherry tomato~green peas gravy

This is my contribution to Creative Pooja's veggie of the week - tomato. Infact, I got the idea for this recipe from Pooja's baby potato-cherry tomato curry. So, I made a gravy and added the baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes along with green peas for more texture. The result: a delicious lightly-spiced gravy with the flavor of cherry tomatoes bursting in your mouth.

Ingredients8 or 10 baby potatoes
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup green peas
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
2 tsp kasoori methi (roasted and powdered)
1 tbps sour cream
Salt to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish
Oil as needed

Make a paste1 medium onion - chopped and sautéed in oil
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
3 cloves
1 small piece cinnamon

Method
1. Boil the potatoes in a big pot of water. Cool and peel the skin and prick with a fork all over. You can also microwave the potatoes.
2. Pour 2 tsps of oil in a pan and sauté the potatoes until brown on all sides. Set aside on a paper towel.

Baby potatoes browned on all sides

3. Halve the cherry tomatoes and sauté in the same pan.

Halved and sauteed cherry tomatoes

4. Next sauté the peas.

Sauteed peas

5. Add the masala paste to the pan with a little oil. To this paste also add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste and tomato paste and fry till the oil comes out.
6. Then add the sour cream and kasoori methi and mix well.
7. Add the peas, tomatoes and potatoes along with salt and mix till they are well blended in the gravy.
8. Garnish with cilantro.

Baby potato-cherry tomato-green peas gravy

Serve with roti or pulao.

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings - 5 or 6

Penne Pasta with Lima Beans and Spinach - MBP event - January 2007

Here is my second entry to Coffee's MBP for January 2007. This time it is from the Italian cuisine. I came across this recipe from Lakshmiammal's blog. We eat a lot of pasta and this one was a variation with lima beans and spinach. While I have used spinach to make stuffed shells, this is the first time I used lima beans in a pasta dish. It tastes delicious and is very nutritious too. Click here for the original recipe. Given below is my recipe with a few variations.

Ingredients
1/2 pound of mini penne pasta
1/2 cup of frozen spinach
1/4 cup of lima beans
1 medium sized onion
1 tsp garlic paste
1 cup pasta sauce
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese
Fat free cooking spray
Salt to taste
Olive oil as needed

Method1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and set aside. Pour a teaspoon of oil and mix well so that it does not stick together.
2. Pour oil in a pan and sauté the onions and garlic.
3. Next add the thawed spinach and lima beans and sauté till soft.
4. Add the red pepper flakes and pasta sauce and cook well till it starts bubbling.
5. Lower the flame and add the half and half and mix well.
6. Transfer the reserved pasta into the pan, add salt and mix to coat well with the sauce. (If you have already salted the pasta water then reduce the salt at this stage).
7. Spray an oven-safe dish with the fat-free cooking spray and transfer the pasta mixture into the dish.
8. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 425 degrees till the cheese melts or a little long till it becomes brown. (I usually wait till the cheese browns, but I pulled out earlier this time as my daughter was getting hungry).

Pasta mixture topped with the mozzarella cheese

9. Serve hot.

Pasta straight out of the oven with the cheese melted and bubbly

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings – 4

Dondakkaya (tindora) chutney

Here is a quick and easy recipe for dondakkaya chutney.

Ingredients1/2 pound dondakkaya
4 or 5 red chillies (adjust according to taste)
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp of urad dal (split black lentils)
2 cloves of garlic (sliced thin)
A pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

For seasoningOil
1/2 tsp of mustard
A few curry leaves
1 red chilli - broken

Method1. Wash the tindora and cut into long strips.
2. In a pan roast the red chillies and urad dal without oil. Set aside.
3. Next add oil in the same pan and fry the tindora till tender.
4. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds.
5. Then add the tamarind paste and asafoetida and mix well.
6. Transfer the roasted red chillies, urad dal and tindora veggie mix to a blender.
7. Add very little water and blend to a paste and add salt to taste.
8. Season with mustard, curry leaves and red chillies.

Dondakkaya chutney

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Vegetable Chow Mein - MBP Event - January 2007

This is my contribution to the 'Monthly Blog Patrolling' event hosted by Coffee from 'My Khazana of Recipes'. The moment I read her blog I jumped with excitement. So very true - there are so many recipes that I have saved from fellow bloggers which I would like to try and share through my blog. But, somewhere in the process of posting our own creations we miss giving credit to all the hundreds and thousands of recipes that are posted day after day on other food blogs. You can read about this event in detail on Coffee's blog. However, here is a brief note.

All through 2007 there will be a unique theme chosen for each month and you have to wade through recipes posted on other food blogs, cook and post pictures of the recipe on your own blog as well as send the pictures to 'My Khazana of Recipes' (check this blog for the procedure). Of course, you can come up with your own variations of the recipe but make sure you post the link and credits to the original recipe. As simple as that. The theme for January 2007 is 'Around the World'. So, choose a recipe from any international cuisine and get cooking!

Here is my recipe from the Chinese cuisine for Vegetable Chow Mein. The original recipe was posted by Meenakshi Agarwal from 'Hooked on Heat'. I made a few variations to the recipe. Please click here for the original recipe.

Ingredients1 packet of Hakka noodles
1 medium onion sliced (you can used spring onions too)
1 cup of shredded cabbage
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of shredded green bell peppers
1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp of Soya sauce (I used light Soya sauce because it has less sodium)
1 tsp of Sambal Oelek (red chilli paste), use more if you want to add more spice
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Method

1. Boil the noodles, drain and drizzle the sesame oil on the noodles and mix well. Set aside.
2. Pour oil in a pan and sauté the onions and ginger garlic paste.
3. Next add all the veggies - cabbage, carrots and bell peppers - sauté till slightly tender (not mushy).
4. Add the Sambal Oelek and mix well.
5. Add the Soya sauce and mix till it blends with the veggies.
6. Then add the boiled noodles and salt and mix to coat the noodles with the veggies and Soya sauce.
7. Serve hot or warm.

Vegetable Chow Mein

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings - 4 or 5

I have been tagged - meme

Dilip from Garam Masala tagged me for writing my meme. This was pure fun and I really loved writing it. So, here it is - my meme on 3 things that...
3 Things that make me laugh
1. Anybody with a good sense of humor can make me laugh
2. Movie comedy - mainly Tamil movies. I love comedy from Vadivelu and Vivek. I just cannot stop laughing
3. The new words and sentences my 2-year old talks. Of course, it makes me feel happy too.

3 Things that make me cry

1. Senior citizens who have to do things themselves - like shopping, driving, etc. I wish there was someone to help them out.
2. The birth of a baby
3. My childhood - because I can never go there again
3 Things that scare me
1. Lizards
2. Loneliness
3. Pain

3 Things I love
1. Find a quiet place in a library or park and get on with my reading (the list of books is now getting longer)
2. Spend time with my husband and daughter
3. Go on a long drive all by myself with the music on

3 Things I hate
1. Friends who backstab (I have come across many of them and it hurts)
2. People who do not keep in touch (because they are busy, are they?). After all, you need to find time to keep in touch with friends you care about.
3. Cheating

3 Things I don't understand
1. Mathematics
2. How people can be lazy
3. Sleeping till late in the morning. It makes you even lazier.

3 Things on my desk
1. Laptop
2. Bills to be paid
3. My small notebook filled with notes/info from everywhere. This book goes with me everywhere.

3 Things I am doing right now
1. Having my morning coffee - something that starts my day and charges me up. I can never miss my morning coffee.
2. Organizing my CD library
3. Playing with my daughter

3 Things I want to do before I die
1. Travel as much as I can
2. Help children in need
3. Lose weight

3 Things I can do
1. Cook good food
2. Make friends
3. Understand the finer points of life

3 Things one should listen to
1. Surely, their intuition
2. Good friends
3. Constructive criticism

3 Things I would never want to listen to
1. Self praise (people talking about themselves)
2. People talking about their kids all the time. Because I feel every child is unique and you can never compare.
3. Gossip between friends

3 Favorite foods
1. Potato fry
2. Coconut rice
3. Rasmalai

3 beverages I drink regularly
1. Coffee
2. Tea
3. Sparkling cider. This is a new find (orange juice gives me a heartburn)

3 TV shows I watched/books I read as a kid
1. Tinkle comics
2. Spiderman TV shows
3. Tintin story books

Three fellow bloggers I would like to tag
1. Tweety of Fitful Culinaria
2. Lakshmiammal3. Mad Tea Party

Carrots, peas and potatoes with dill

This is a recipe published on 'A Mad Tea Party' a few days ago. I tried it out and it was absolutely delicious. Click here for the original recipe. Here are my pictures.

Kadai Mattar

Here is my first food post this year. I made this recipe a few weeks ago. The addition of tandoori masala to the gravy is a delicious twist to this curry.

Ingredients
2 cups green peas
1 medium onion
1/2 cup of crushed tomato
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp tandoori masala (any brand)
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of kasoori methi
1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
2 tsps of lemon juice
Salt to taste
Oil as needed
Coriander leaves finely chopped for garnish

For the paste2 cloves
1 small piece of cinnamon
4-5 cashew nuts
1 tbsp coconut

Method1. Make the paste and set aside.
2. Sauté the green peas until tender and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.

4. Next add chopped onion and ginger garlic paste and sauté.

5. Then add the crushed tomatoes along with the ground paste. Also add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, tandoori masala and kasoori methi and fry till the oil comes out.
6. Add the reserved green peas and mix well.

7. Finish the curry by adding salt and lemon juice.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Kadai Mattar

Serve hot or warm with roti or pulao.

Serving size - 1/2 cup
Number of servings - 4

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year image courtesy www.ecardfriends.com

Merry Christmas!

Have fun!

Stir-Fried Vegetables

Ingredients1 red onion sliced into wedges
2 heads of broccoli separated into florets
2 medium carrots peel skin and cut into rounds
A handful of snow peas or sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoons cornstarch
2-3 pods of fresh garlic sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
A few drops of hot sauce
Salt
2 tbps canola/olive oil
You can add other veggies like cabbage and beans too

Method1. Place a large pan over high heat.
2. Pour 2 tsps of oil and add the garlic and chilli flakes and fry for about 30 seconds.
3. Next add the onions and sauté for about a minute and add the broccoli, carrots and snow peas.
4. Add salt and sprinkle a little water and stir-fry till vegetables until tender-crisp. Don't overcook the veggies as they will become mushy.

5. Dissolve the cornstarch in a tbsp of water. Add the red wine vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce to this and mix well.

6. Pour this mixture over the vegetables and stir-fry till they all look lightly glazed with the sauce.

Serve hot.

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings - 4 or 5
Recipe adapted from Wolfgang Puck's Food cooking class

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Ingredients 

For the stuffing1/2 cup of shredded cabbage
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of beans cut lengthwise
1/4 cup of boiled hakka/chinese noodles
1 medium onion
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

For the covering
1 cup all purpose flour
A pinch of salt
2 tsps oil
Water for making the dough

Oil as needed (for deep frying)

Method1. To prepare the filling - pour oil in a pan and sauté the onions till transparent. Next add all the veggies and sauté until tender and add the boiled noodles. Finish off with red chilli powder and salt.
2. To make the covering - make a dough with all-purpose flour, salt, oil and water (just like the dough for making rotis). Set aside for atleast 30 minutes.

3. To make the spring rolls - roll out the dough as given below.

4. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center.

5. Moist all the sides of the covering and fold it as shown below.

6. Deep fry the spring rolls until brown.

7. Let the spring rolls cool. Cut them into 2-inch pieces and serve with chilli sauce.

Spring rolls go well along with Chinese noodles or vegetable fried rice.

Recipe adapted from Tarla Dalal's 'The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking'

Potato-cauliflower-lima beans curry

This is my entry for Creative Pooja's vegetable of the week – Potato.

Ingredients
3 potatoes
1 medium sized cauliflower
1/2 cup frozen lima beans
1 medium onion
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp jeera
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
Few curry leaves
Fresh coriander for garnish

Method1. Separate the cauliflower into florets.
2. Cube the potatoes.
3. Dice the onions.
4. Pour oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter add the jeera.
5. Add the curry leaves and onions and sauté till onions become transparent.
6. Then add the garlic paste and sauté.
7. Next add all the veggies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.
8. Sprinkle a little water and cook covered for about 7 to 8 minutes and without the lid for about 5 to 6 minutes.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Potato-Cauliflower-Lima Beans curry

Serve with roti or rice.

Serving size - 1/2 cup
Number of servings - 6 or 7

Chinese vegetable soft noodles

Ingredients 1 pound of Chinese noodles/Hakka noodles (I used two 200 gms packets Hakka noodles from the Indian store)
1/2 cup of green onions/scallions (cut them into long pieces)
1/2 cup of green beans
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of shredded cabbage
3 or 4 green chillies slit
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Method1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the noodles. The noodles will cook in 3 to 4 minutes unlike pasta. Drain the noodles and set aside. Add a tsp of oil to the cooked noodles and mix well or else it will stick and become a big lump.
2. Pour oil in a pan and sauté the green onions and green chillies.
3. Next add all the veggies, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. The veggies should remain crisp even after cooking. Do not cook until very soft.
4. Add the cooked noodles and salt and mix until all the veggies and salt are blended with the noodles.

Vegetable soft noodles

I did not add Ajinomoto/MSG. Adding Soya sauce is optional.

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings - 4 or 5

Chinese takeout...the saga continues

It all started with these two heads of broccoli that were in my fridge.

I got them from the grocery store to make Vegetable Stir Fry. Then I thought why not make an entire Chinese meal.

So I used the essentials

And these veggies

To make this

Will post the recipes soon.

Chinese takeout?

Capsicum in spicy curd gravy

This recipe will only take you 15 to 20 minutes to make. You don't need to grind any masala and you can make this curry with just a few ingredients from your pantry. I saved this recipe quite some time ago. Not sure which website I got it from, so not able to give due credits. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients 2 or 3 green bell peppers (use any color you like)
2 medium onions chopped
1/2 cup crushed tomato
3 or 4 green chillies slit into halves
1 cup yogurt (beat with a whisk and set aside)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Method1. Cube the bell peppers (not more than one inch pieces).
2. Pour oil in a pan, add the onions and cook for a few minutes until transparent.
3. Then add the green chillies and sauté.
4. Next add the bell peppers, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder and bell peppers and look on medium-low flame under tender.
5. Then add the crushed tomatoes and cook till the raw smell disappears.
6. Add the yogurt and salt and cook till the gravy becomes thick and blends well with the bell peppers.

Spicy capsicum gravy served with rotis

Serve with roti or naan.

Serving size - 1/4 cup
Number of servings - 4 or 5

Bhindi Masala (Okra)

Lightly flavored with spices, this gravy with okra is a treat to your taste buds. This is my contribution to Creative Pooja's vegetable of the week.

Ingredients2 cups of Bhindi/Okra (I used frozen okra. If you are using fresh okra, then cut them lengthwise into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
2 medium sized onions chopped
1/2 cup fresh or canned diced tomatoes
3 green chillies slit
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsps yogurt
6 to 8 cashew nuts
2 tsps poppy seeds (khus-khus)
1/2 tsp of saunf (aniseed)
Salt to taste
Oil as needed
Fresh coriander for garnish

Method1. Sauté the onions until transparent and set aside.
2. Roast the poppy seeds and cashew nuts separately and make a paste along with the onions.
3. Pour 1 tbsp oil in a pan and sauté the okra until brown. The original recipe calls for deep frying the okra, so I modified it.

Sauteed okra

4. Remove the okra with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
5. To the same pan add the green chillies and saunf.
6. Next add the ground paste, red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder, garam masala powder and sauté till the oil comes out.
7. Add the diced tomatoes and yogurt and cook for 3-4 minutes till incorporated.
8. Then add the reserved okra and salt. At this stage, you can add water to the gravy and boil for a couple of minutes.
9. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Bhindi Masala

Serve with roti or naan.

Serving size - 1/2 cup
Number of servings - 3 or 4
Recipe adapted from Mallika Badrinath's 'Vegetarian Gravies'

Semiya Upma

Have it for breakfast or as a meal, semiya upma is a popular snack in South India. You can add any veggies you like and it ends up as a wholesome and nutritious meal in itself. Serve it with a little pickle on the side and it tastes delicious. Here is my version of vermicelli upma.

Ingredients2 cups vermicelli or semiya
1 medium size onion chopped
1/2 cup of grated carrots
1/2 cup of succotash mix (from your grocer's freezer - combination of lima beans and corn)
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of channa dal
3-4 green chillies (adjust according to taste)
Few curry leaves
2-3 tsps of oil
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander for garnish

Method1. Sauté the semiya until brown. You can also spread on a microwave safe plate and microwave for about 2 minutes. Remember to add 1 tsp of oil to the semiya. Once done, set the semiya aside.

Fried Semiya

2. Pour oil in a pan and season with mustard seeds and channa dal.

3. Add curry leaves and green chillies and sauté.

4. Next transfer the chopped onions and sauté until transparent.

5. Then add the carrots and succotash mix and cook until soft.

Sauteed Veggies

6. Add water (for one cup of semiya you need 2 cups of water) and salt and let it come to a boil.

7. Once the water comes to a boil, add the fried semiya and reduce heat to medium.

8. Cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes or until all the water dries out.

9. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Semiya/Vermicelli Upma

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings – 6

Dondakkaya (tindora) curry

Here is a quick recipe for dondakkaya curry (tindora). Trupti of 'The spice who loved me' had posted a recipe for Tindora Shaak. It was around the same time I made this curry too. But I had a lot of other recipes to post so kept this one in the backburner. So, finally here it comes.

Ingredients
1 pound dondakkaya quartered
1 medium onion sliced
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp jeera
1 tbsp dry coconut flakes/grated coconut
1 tsp crushed garlic
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Few curry leaves
Fresh coriander for garnish
Salt to taste
Oil as much as needed

Method1. Pour oil in a pan and season with mustard, jeera and curry leaves.
2. Add the onions and sauté till transparent.
3. Next add the garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell is gone.
4. Add the dondakkaya, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and coconut flakes and cook till the vegetable becomes soft.
5. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve with rice sambar/rasam.

Serving size - 1/2 cup
Number of servings - 4 to 5

Instant paruppu podi/pappula podi

Eat with hot rice and ghee or add it to any curry, dal powder makes your meal more delicious. I remember my mom roasting a couple of dals to make the paruppu podi. But she also had an easy to make version with dalia. I prefer eating the podi with some rice and ghee and to go along with it some mango pachadi. I also sprinkle a teaspoon of the podi while making dondakayya (tindora) or broad beans curry and it tastes really good. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
2 cups dalia (putana dal/putnala Pappu)
1 tsp jeera
A few peppercorns (adjust according to taste)
7 to 8 dry red chillies (add more chillies if you want it hot)
1/4 tsp asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method1. First roast the dal in a pan and set aside.
2. Next fry the jeera, peppercorns and red chillies.

Roasted dal, red chillies, jeera and peppercorns

3. Transfer the asted dal, jeera, peppercorns, red chillies and asafoetida to a blender/mixer and make a powder.
4. Add salt to taste and store in an airtight container. Can be stored for more than a month.

Roasted dal powder

Notes:
1. Do not add oil while roasting the ingredients.
2. You can roast a few curry leaves along with the jeera and add to the dal while making the powder.