Thattapayir Kulambu / South Indian Black Eyed Peas (Cowpeas) Curry | Indian Curry Recipes

We love beans (the legume) and can't get enough. It is a great source of protein and iron for vegetarians. I include them in our meal plan as often as possible in salads, soups or just plain sundal. This Kulambu is also one of our favorite ways to eat them. This is a simple tamarind based curry with a hint of coconut. The richness the coconut milk imparts to this dish is simply fabulous.

Ingredients:
Serves - 4-6
Dry Black Eyed Peas - 1 cup (or) 1 can of black eyed peas
Onion - chopped - 1 cup
Garlic - 15 cloves
Tamarind - size of a lemon - soak and extract juice
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Thin Coconut milk - 1 cup (or) 1/2 can of Light Coconut milk
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (I used a mix of 1/2 tsp of extra hot chilli powder and 1 tsp of kashmiri for the color)
Coriander powder - 3 tsp (heaped)

Method:
Soak the beans for 3 hours and pressure cook for 1 whistle with a tsp of salt. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a kadai and add the fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds. Add the chopped onions and garlic and fry until the onions turn soft. Now sprinkle the spice powders and mix well. Add the tamarind juice and salt with a cup of water. Do a taste check and allow it to boil. Add the cooked beans and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the kulambu reaches the desired consistency and the oil floats on the top. Add the coconut milk and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

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Semiya Payasam / Vermicelli Kheer | Easy Indian Sweet Recipes

I made this Kheer the other day when we were expecting guests for dinner. This is one easy to make Indian sweet which comes out perfect every time. It was that day I was cooking up a long list of dishes for the guests and I made this one in the morning and refrigerated until dinner. This kheer tastes awesome both hot and cold.

Ingredients:
Standard cup measurements
Makes 4 - 1/2 cup servings
Semiya / Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
Low Fat Milk (Double-toned milk) - 2 cups
Whole Milk - 1/3 cup (optional, can use Low fat milk instead)
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 - 1/3 cup (as per the taste)
Cashew nuts - 5 broken
Raisins - 5
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat 1 tsp of ghee and roast the semiya until it turns a pale orange. Remove to a plate and allow it to cool. The roasted semiya will become little darker on cooling. In the remaining ghee, roast the cashews and raisins. Remove and set aside. Heat 2 cups of milk in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the roasted vermicelli and allow it to cook. When it is cooked (check by doing a bite test) add the sugar starting from 1/4 cup. Check for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Add the cardamom powder and remove from heat. Garnish with cashews and raisins. Serve hot or chilled.

Linking this up to Preeti's Foodabulous Fest, Anu's South Indian Cooking and Spotlight - Raksha Bandhan.

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Special Chicken Karahi Recipe

Today I'm going to share an recipe of Special Chicken Karahi.
Chicken Karahi Gosht is a popular meal of Pakistan that is a necessity of any special occasion. This recipe has a different special taste which you never want to miss. It goes perfect with naan, roti and raita. 

So enjoy this easy homemade chicken karahai recipe now.


INGREDIENTS :
1/2 kg Chicken
1/2 Tomato
1/4 Oil
2 tbsp dry red chili
1 tbsp Suki mehte
1 tsp sabit dhanya(grinded)
1 tbsp mix Garam masala(grinded)
2 tbsp yogurt
Salt(as you like it)
5 green chili large
2 tbsp Ginger paste
1 tbsp chopped Ginger
2 tbsp Butter

How To Cook Special Chicken Karahi :
First heat the oil, then add chicken and (bhoonlain)
Add ginger paste.
Now mix it for few mints, then cut and add tomato, Mix it.
Now add all the masalas and mix it well until the tomatos add mix and (galjayen).
At the end add yogurt and green chili.
Let the water be dried out,and add butter and now low the temperature of your stove
Now slice the ginger and green chili and add it to you karahi.
your special chicken karahi is ready.
Enjoy it.

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Oven Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore with carrots, potatoes and

 sausage makes this a great one-pot complete 

dinner. It's a family favorite pot luck recipe 

from my nieces. It's so easy to put everything

 together and just pop it in the oven. 

I love dinners like this.

Everything is prepped ahead of time and it makes

 your whole house smell wonderful.

You can use any chicken pieces you want,
or use a whole cut-up chicken and increase

 the other ingredients depending on how many
 people you are feeding.

 No need to measure the seasonings,
just be generous.

 Add the cut-up vegetables.

 Combine the tomato sauce and water.

 Pour the sauce over.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for
1 hour at 350 then 1 hour at 275.

The chicken and sausage stewing in the 

tomato sauce gives it lots of flavor.

Here it is using a whole cut-up chicken.
This is how I usually make it. Plenty of
leftovers for us. A great fall
and winter dinner

Oven Chicken Cacciatore

2 large chicken breast halves 
or cut-up pieces, skinned

4 Italian sausage links, cut in half

4 carrots, peeled

4 potatoes, scrubbed not peeled

1 L yellow, red, or orange pepper

1 t Italian seasoning

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1  L can (16-oz) tomato sauce

1 can water

Lay the chicken in a 9x13 casserole. Sprinkle with 

about half of the seasonings. No need to measure.

 Add the sausage. Cut the vegetables into large 

chunks; add to the casserole. Sprinkle with the 

remaining seasonings. Combine the tomato sauce

 and water; pour over all and cover tightly with  

foil. Bake for 1 hour at 350 then reduce to 275

 and bake another 1 hour. To make serving easier; 

remove the bone from the chicken breast and

cut in half. Serve 1/2 chicken breast with

 sausage, vegetables, and plenty of sauce.

....4 servings....

Enjoy!

Link: No Minimalist Here,
Savvy Southern Style, Stone Gable,
Between Naps On The Porch,
Rattlebridge Farm, Common Ground,
My Romantic Home, The Charm Of Home,
French Country Cottage

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Tomato Onion Chutney | Side dish for Idli Dosa

When asked "What side dish shall I make for Dosa?", Tomato chutney will be the first reply from DH. Since I almost never run out of onions and tomatoes, this chutney is pretty easy to make and is very tasty. I added a red bell pepper to increase the veggie quotient and hey, Red bell peppers are a storehouse of Vitamin C and antioxidants. So Easy-to-make - check, Tasty - check, Healthy - check!

Ingredients:
Cooking Time - 30 mins
Onion - 1 - approx 1 cup cubed
Tomato - 4 - medium sized
Red bell pepper - 1 - cubed (optional)
Red chillies - 4
Garlic - 3 cloves
Oil - 2 tbsp
Tempering:
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai and fry the red chillies, onions and garlic cloves until the onions are three-fourth cooked. Add the cubed red bell pepper (if using) and fry for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow it to cool. In the same kadai heat the remaining oil and fry the tomatoes with a pinch of salt until mushy. Allow it to cool. Blend the onion mixture until smooth. Now add the tomatoes with salt and blend again. Transfer to a serving bowl. Heat 1 tsp of oil and splutter the ingredients for tempering. Pour the tempering over the chutney and serve for idli, dosa or as a spread for bread. It is also a great dip for celery sticks or bell pepper strips.

I am linking this up to Vardhini's Dish It Out happening in my space and also linking this to Srivalli's Summer Special Mela.

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Broccoli flan Eid Recipe

Ingredients for 4 people:
- 2 heads of broccoli
- 20g of thin strips of almonds
- Flan mixture: 250ml of milk, 250ml of cream, 3 eggs, 4 egg yolks, 1 pinch of nutmeg
Preparation:
1. Separate the broccoli into small florets, cook them for 5 to 6mins in salted boiling water, drain carefully and pat dry with a tea towel to remove as much water as possible.
2. Prepare the flan mixture by combining all the ingredients together.
3. In a large bowl, incorporate the broccoli, the flan mixture, the almonds, the salt and pepper.
4. Pour into individual ramekins and place on a deep sided oven dish, add hot water to half way up the ramekins and cook in a 'bain marie' at 160°c (gas mark 5) for 30 to 35mins.
5. Turn out on to plates or serve in the ramekins.

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Beef samosas Recipes

Ingredients for 6 people:
- 5 filo pastry sheets
- 500g of minced steak
- 2 onions
- 200g of plain tomato coulis
- 165g of plain coconut milk
- 4 tbsp of frozen peas
- 3 tbsp of curry
- 20g of melted butter
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp of oil
- 4 tbsp of finely chopped coriander
Preparation:
1. Peel and finely slice the onions and garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a high sided frying pan and lightly brown the onions for 5mins, stirring constantly.
3. Add the meat and cook whilst breaking it up with a spatula until it has all separated.
4. Add the curry and the garlic and mix together.
5. Pour in the tomato coulis and the coconut milk, add the peas and leave to simmer for 15mins, until the meat is cooked and lightly coated with the fragrant sauce.
6. Then add the coriander, stir in and remove from the heat, stir once more and leave to cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 175°c (gas mark 5).
6. In the meantime, cut each filo pastry sheet into 6 strips widthways and place 1 tbsp of the mixture on the end of the pastry strips closest to you.
8. Fold the pastry over the meat, to form a triangle, then continue folding the pastry strip, keeping to the triangle shape.
9. Put the finished triangle on a non stick oven tray, and continue in the same way with the remaining strips and ingredients.
10. Brush all the triangles with melted butter, slide the tray into the oven, and leave to cook for about 20mins, until the pastry triangles are golden brown.
11. Arrange on a serving dish and serve warm.

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