Vazhaikai Milagu Kari / Plantain Pepper Curry | South Indian Curry Recipes

When we were produce shopping before a few weeks, DH saw me buying plantains and was excited that I was going to make Bajjis. Yeah, he loves any food deep fried. He forgot about that and when the next time when I bought them, he asked "Didn't you buy one last week. What happened to that one?" I said I put them in the kootu I made for Thiruvadhirai (a religious festival). I assured him this time the plantains will go into making bajjis, but instead I made this pepper curry. No, I didn't break the promise, I reserved some for the bajjis, which I hope I will make soon :).

Also do check out my other recipes with Plantain, Vazhaikai Podimas and Vazhaikai Varuval.

Ingredients:

Adapted from Mallika Badrinath cookbook

Serves -  3

Vazhaikai / Plantain - 2 small

Fresh Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp

Black Peppercorns / Milagu - 3/4 tsp

Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Water - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

Grind the peppercorns and cumin seeds into an almost fine powder in the mixie / coffee grinder. Add the grated coconut and 2-3 tbsp of water and make a smooth paste. Peel the plantains and cut them into approximately 1 cm cubes. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the plantains and stir for about a minute or two. Add the ground paste,salt and water and cover and cook in medium heat until done. Stir occasionally to prevent the curry to stick to the bottom of the pan. When the plantains are fully cooked, remove to a bowl and serve. 

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Kale Stir Fry / Keerai Poriyal

Honestly, I have not heard about something called "Kale" when in India. In India we get a variety of greens, totally different from the ones we get here. I remember the Keeraikaramma (meaning greens selling lady) selling a bunch of different greens. She used to yell "Araikeerai, Mulaikeerai, Sirukeerai, Ponnanganni keerai, Manathakkali keerai". Those are few of the tamil names of the keerai I remember. But Kale, Chards, Arugula etc.,. are not so common there. After coming to US I missed all those keerais (sshh, hope my grandma doesn't hear me saying this), but I still got access to fenugreek leaves, spinach and even drumstick leaves sometimes. 
After I bought Kale for the first time, I was doubtful on how to cook it, to be more precise how to convert it into an Indian dish. I remembered Denny's recipe on Kale Molagootal which I tried time and again and fell in love with. Slowly I started using it in soups and omelets. Kale could particularly be a difficult ingredient to cook with but, given a little time and care it tastes really good.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3
Kale - 1 bunch - I used purple kale
Toor dhal - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch optional
Onion - chopped - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 3 cloves - chopped
Dry red chillies - 2 - broken
Oil - 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup plus more to cook the dhal
Salt - to taste

Method:
Heat 1 cup of water and toor dhal in a saucepan with a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of salt. Cook the dhal until it still holds its shape but mashed when pressed. Drain the water and set the dhal to cool.
Remove the hard stems of the kale and cut the leaves to small bite sized pieces. In a wide pan, heat oil and fry the onions, garlic and red chillies until the onion is cooked through. Add a pinch of salt and the kale leaves and mix well. Add the water, cover and cook until the leaves are fully cooked. It took somewhere around 15-20 minutes for me. Remove the cover and mix once in every 3-4 minutes. If the water is evaporated but the kale is still not cooked, add more water as needed to cook. When the kale is cooked add the cooked toor dhal and mix well. Serve as a side. If you are on a health kick, it is great as a snack too with a cup of greek yogurt.
Linking this up to Nayna's Let's Cook - Green Vegetables; Vardhini's New 'U' 2014.

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Oats Upma & Winner of Blog Anniversary Giveaway!

I had been meaning to make upma with oats sooner. After having about 9 upmas in my bounty (read as My Menu) including the not so common Barley Upma, making Oats Upma should be easy, right? Yeah, You would think. I have 2 persons to convince. Firstly, me. Aren't oats supposed to be gooey when cooked, how can I make them to be less gooey in the consistency of upma. Secondly, my 1.5 yr old son. Kavin is ok with experimenting anything new, BUT it has to be tasty. I also have to remember that he is not a fan of oatmeal. DH does not want to do anything with oats, so I have not included him in the "persons to convince" list.
There started my venture of making Oats Upma for a Saturday morning breakfast and I would say it was pretty successful with two happy tummies.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Rolled oats / Old fashined oats - 1 cup (160 ml cup)
Onion - chopped - 1/2 cup
Carrots - 1 - finely chopped
Green Beans - 6 - finely chopped
Green chillies - 2
Water - 2 cups (see notes)
Salt - to taste (see notes below)
Oil - 2 tsp
Tempering - optional
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Method:
Dry roast the rolled oats until it is warm to touch. Remove to a plate to cool. Heat oil in a wide pan and add the ingredients for tempering, if using. Add the chillies and onions. Saute until the onions are cooked through and add the chopped vegetables and salt to taste. Add about 1/2 cup of water and cover and cook until the vegetables are fully cooked. Add the remaining water and allow it to boil. When it boils add the oats and mix. Cover and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the oats is fully cooked. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the pan. If the oats is cooked but there is still some water left in the pan, remove the cover and cook until all the water evaporates. Serve with coconut chutney, pickle or with some sugar sprinkled over.
Notes:
If using quick cooking oats using equal parts of water since they cook faster than rolled oats. Also, while adding salt make sure that you add the right amount of salt. In other upmas, like rava upma we have to add more salt in the water to have it bit salty, so that it evens out when rava is added. Not the case here.
Linking these up to Vardhini's Dish It Out - Light Dinners; New U - 2014;

Now the interesting part. I celebrated my blog's three year anniversary with an event and a giveaway. I received 33 total entries and I used random.org to select the winner. The lucky winner is Sharanya of Just not the cakes. Congratulations Sharanya! I have sent you an email and please respond with your address. You will be receiving a copy of Dakshin - Vegetarian Cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanaban.
Thank you everyone for the enthusiasm and support!

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Seppankilangu Masala Varuval

This is one of those addictive, no-one-can-eat-just-one kind of dish. Seppankilangu Masala Varuval (Taro Masala Fry) is a spicy shallow fried version of the arbi/taro root and is a tasty side dish for dhal rice or curd rice. 
I also have posted another version of this Seppankilangu Varuval earlier.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Taro / Arbi / Seppankilangu - 6
Corn Starch - 2 tsp
Sambar Powder - 2 tsp
Curry powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Pressure cook the arbi for 2 whistles. When done, drain, cool and remove skin. Slice into thin discs and set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients with water to make a thin paste (except oil). The paste should be in a batter consistency, not too thin. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a flat, wide non-stick pan, coating the pan evenly. Dip the cut arbi discs into the spice paste and shake off excess. Place in the heated pan. Repeat for the other pieces until pan is full. Fry until it is golden. Flip over and continue to fry the other side. When full done and crispy remove and drain on a kitchen tissue paper. Repeat for the next batch with remaining oil if needed. This fry is a great snack in itself, but I served with sambar rice.

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Mixed Vegetable Kuruma / Kurma for Pulao | Indian Curry Recipes

As a home cook, my simple dream is to provide healthy wholesome food to my family yet spend less time in the kitchen. Sounds confusing I know, it may not come true everyday, but is possible some days. One of those days are when I make this universal side dish, Vegetable kurma. It is a multi-purpose accompaniment to almost all the Indian main courses, Idli, dosa, rice, Poori, Chapathi, Paratha. I make it in the morning for dosa, and it pops up for lunch with Thengaipal Sadham and does not fail to make an appearance for dinner with chapathi. Now that is a win-win for me.  It is also a great way to use up all those leftover veggies before you go on a trip :).

Ingredients:
Serves - 4-6
Potato - 1
Turnip - 1
Carrots - 2
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onion - sliced thin - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
To Grind:
Garlic - 5 cloves
Green Chillis - 4 or 5
Grated Coconut - 4 tbsp - heaped
Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds / Sombu - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp

Method:
Make a smooth paste of the ingredients under 'To Grind' in a blender. Cut the vegetables in little, almost equal sized pieces. Boil them in salted water, about 4-5 cups until done. Drain and reserve water. Heat oil in a kadai and add the sliced onions. Fry until they are soft and add the ground masala with salt and half a cup of water. Allow it to cook for about 2 minutes. Now add the water from the vegetables and allow it to boil. When it starts to boil, simmer for about 5 minutes and add the vegetables. Continue to simmer in low heat until the desired thickness is achieved. Serve with chapathi, idli, dosa or rice.
Pressure cooker method:
Heat oil in a pressure cooker add add the onions. Fry until they are soft and then add the cut, raw vegetables and salt. Add the ground paste and about 4-5 cups of water. Cover and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Open after the pressure is dropped. Serve.

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Top 10 Recipes For 2013

These were the top 10 most viewed posts for 2013.

#1. This one's a winner.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

#2. Turkey anytime with no fuss.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Cranberry Gravy

#3. Stir in cooked pasta at the end for a one pot dinner.

Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers

#4. Love using my favorite cast iron skillet to make this easy cake.

Chocolate Skillet Cake

#5. Jazz up plain rice.

 Homemade Rice-a-Roni

#6. Starts with a mix and my favorite pan makes it so pretty.

Lemon Lovers Bundt Cake

#7. This one has a secret ingredient.

Oh Baby! Bundt Cake

#8. Served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Apple Cobbler

#9. This ultra moist cake has a glossy fudge frosting.

Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake

#10. When we are craving comfort food.

Hamburger Pie

Click on any of the pictures for the recipes.

Enjoy!

Links: Designs By Gollum,
Common Ground,
Between Naps On The Porch

 Under The Table and Dreaming,

Blue Roof Cabin, Dwellings,

My 1929 Charmer, Coastal Charm,
A Stroll Thru Life

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Thengaipal Sadham / Coconut Milk Pulao | Indian Rice Recipes

A simple rice dish that is rich and delicious. Perhaps those words are  just enough to introduce this tasty Thengaipal (Coconut Milk) Sadham. With just a few ingredients it is truly a mystical food. I made this for lunch the other day with Vegetable Kurma. Great Pair I would say!

Ingredients:
Recipe source - Mother-in-law
Serves - 3
Rice - 1-1/2 cups
Thick Coconut milk from can - 1 cup (See notes below)
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 cup - sliced
Garlic  - 5 cloves - sliced
Green chillies - 2
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and soak rice in water for 15 mins. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and splutter the cumin seeds and green chillis. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion turns light brown. Add coriander powder, salt and mix well. Add the coconut milk, water along with the drained rice. Cover and cook for 2 whistles. Serve with any spicy kurma of your choice.
Notes:
If using home made coconut milk, add 2 cups coconut milk with 1 cup water. If not cooking in pressure cooker, cover and cook for 15 minutes in medium-high heat.
Linking it to Priya's Vegan Thursdays.

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