Avocado Chammanthi

Avocado is counted against one of the healthiest foods in the world. I was not a big fan of avocado until I started feeding it to my little girl. Now we have a family full of avocado fans! So when my friend S told me about making chammanthi with avocado, I decided to give it a try. And guess what, the results were awesome, especially for an almost zero effort recipe.

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Serves around 2-3 people

Avocado	- 1
Green Chilly	- 1
Ginger	- a small piece
Salt	- to taste

1. In a mixer make a fine paste of the ginger and green chilly.
2. Scoop out the avocado from the fruit and add it to the mixer along with the salt.
3. Combine the avocado well with the ginger and green chilly in the mixer.

You can adjust the green chilly and ginger according to your spice level. The suggested quantities will make a medium spicy chammanthi.

This chammanthi goes well with dosa and idlis. Also you can use it as a spread for the bread or even chapathis.

Mushroom Spring Onion Masala

Mushroom has always been a favorite vegetable of mine. Hence when I happened to see this recipe in Vanitha magazine, I could not resist trying it out. Since then I have been making this dish every time I buy mushrooms, or rather I have been regularly buying mushrooms so that I can prepare this dish. So here is the recipe for you with a few variations from the original!

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Serves around 4-5 people

Oil	- 3 tbsp
Spring Onion	- 8 stems
Onion	- 1 (around 0.9 lb)
Ginger Garlic Paste	- 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder	- 1 tsp
Chilly Powder	- 1 tbsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder	- 1 tsp
Coriander Powder	- 2 tsp
Cumin Powder	- 1 tsp
Tomato	- 1 (0.2 lbs - chopped)
Cashew nuts	- 15 no:s (1.1oz.)
Mushroom	- 1 lbs (each cut into 4-5 pieces)
Whole Milk	- 2 tbsp
Salt	- to taste

1. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions and the white part of the spring onions (chopped).
2. Saute until they turn to a slight brown color.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell is gone.
4. Add the chilly powder (both regular and kashmiri), coriander powder, turmeric powder and cumin powder to the sauteed onions and mix well until the raw smell is gone.
5. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan and saute until they turn mushy.
6. Boil the cashews in 4-5 table spoons of water for 2-3 minutes in a microwave and make a paste of it.
7. Add the cashew paste to the pan and mix to combine well.
8. Add the mushrooms and salt to the pan and mix well. 
9. Cook it covered for 5-6 minutes.
10. Add the milk and the green part of the spring onions to the dish and turn off the stove.

This dish goes well with special rice dishes like Ghee Rice, Fried Rice, Vegetable Biryani, Pulao etc as well as with Roti and Naan.

One Pot Vegetable Biryani

Its been a long time since I had a post in this space. Hoping addition of a little one to the family is a good enough excuse for the long absence! Its been a roller coaster ride this whole time with 2 kids. I am hoping I could post at much frequent intervals now, provided my laziness would give in :-)

I was thinking as to what my first post should be after this break. Given that getting things done much quicker is a bigger priority for me now, I look for extra quick dishes. This One-pot Vegetable Biryani is one of that kind - flavorful, yummy and quick at the same time. This can be eaten on its own and does not need a side dish, which is an added bonus! Also a good lunch box option for kids.

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Serves around 5-7 people

Oil	- 2 tbsp
Cardamom	- 5
Cinnamon	- 2 - 1" pieces
Cloves	- 5
Onion	- 0.5 lbs (1/2 of an onion - thinly sliced)
Ginger Garlic Paste	- 2 tbsp
Tomato	- 0.3 lbs (1 tomato chopped)
Turmeric Powder	- 1/2 tsp
Chilly Powder	- 5 tsp
Coriander Powder	- 4 tsp
Garam Masala	- 1/2 tsp
Mixed Veggies	- 2.25 cup (12oz.)
Paneer	- 0.5 lbs (small cube sized pieces)
Water	- 5 1/2 cup
Lemon Juice	- 1/2 tsp
Ghee	- 2.5 tbsp
Basmati Rice	- 2.5 cups
Salt	- to taste
Cashews	- handful
Raisins	- handful

1. Wash and soak the rice as the first step.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add Cardamom, Cinnamon and Cloves when the oil is hot and saute for a few seconds.
3. Add onions and saute until they start to turn brown.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and ginger garlic paste and saute until the tomatoes are mushy.
5. Add the turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala to the onion and saute until the raw smell is gone.
6. Add the mixed vegetables and saute well with the masala.
7. Add 1 1/2 cup of water and salt and let it cook for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables are half done.
8. Add the cubed paneer to the gravy and give it a stir.
9. Add remaining water and lemon juice and let the water boil. Adjust the salt to taste.
10. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling water.
11. Add the 1 1/2 tbsp of ghee after adding the rice and mix well without breaking the paneer.
12. Check in between and mix a little to make sure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom.
13. Once the water is almost gone, turn off the stove and close the pan with a tight lid. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
14. Open the lid and just stir it to make sure that the rice is cooked and the grains are not sticking together.
15. Fry the cashews and raisins until plump in remaining ghee and add that to the rice for garnish.

It is a complete dish on its own. For an elaborate non-vegetarian meal or for serving to guests, add in dry chicken dish or beef dish which will complete the menu.

Malai Vegetable Curry

I am always in search of veg curry options, especially the quick and easy ones with a "different" taste. There are a lot of them that I am familiar with like the Errisery, Kalan, Pachadi, Sambar, etc., which are part of the yummy Sadya (Traditional Kerala Feast). I love all these curries, but I am more of a roti eater and these curries don't go well with rotis (at least for me). So this is one of the attempts to create a veggie dish that will go well with rotis and is easy to make as well.

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Serves 6-7 people

Oil	- 2 tbsp
Onion	- 1 (around 0.75 lbs)
Ginger Garlic Paste	- 1 1/2  tbsp
Tomato	- 0.25 lbs
Turmeric Powder	- 1/4 tsp
Chilly Powder	- 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder	- 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Powder	- 1 tsp
Mixed Vegetables	- 18 oz.(1 1/8 lbs)
Heavy Cream	- 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup
Kasoori Methi	- 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt	- to taste
Water	- 1/2 cup + 4tbsp

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the sliced onions.
2. Saute the onions until they are transparent.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, mix the chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and cumin powder with 4 tbsp of water.
6. Add the powder paste to the sauteed onions and continue to saute for 5-10 minutes in a medium heat.
7. Add the mixed vegetables and salt to the pan and mix well to coat the masalas. I used frozen vegetables that had vegetables like peas, zucchini, cauliflower, carrot, green beans, red pepper and Baby Lima Beans. You could use any vegetables of your choice.
8. Add the remaining water and let it cook. Add more water, if needed to cook the vegetables.
9. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the cream and cook for 3-4 minutes in a medium heat.
10. Turn off the stove and crush the kasoori methi with your hands and add to the curry.

The addition of kasoori methi makes this dish all the more flavorful. Add more colorful vegetables to make a more colorful feast! This is a perfect combination for Chapathi, Roti, Naan and Ghee Rice.

Inji Curry/ Inji Puli

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Onam is Onasadya (the feast). If someone would make me sadya everyday, I would be glad to eat it on a daily basis. I love everything about the sadya, especially the Payasam round (dessert round). Another one of my sadya favorites is Inji Puli or Inji Curry. This is one of the sadya specialties that I never thought I would be able to make at home. For some reason, it always sounded complicated to me. Then I happened to see Sunitha's recipe for Inji Puli at Collaborative Curry and decided to try it out. It came out excellent. I have made very slight changes in the measurements according to my taste.

Ginger	- 1 1/2 cup (thinly chopped)
Coconut Oil	- 4 to 5 tbsp
Green Chilly	- 9 (thinly chopped)
Red Chilly Powder	- 1 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Powder	- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp
Turmeric Powder	- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp
Asafoetida	- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp
Tamarind Paste	- 2 tbsp (used ready made pulp/concentrate)
Brown Sugar	- 4 1/2  tbsp
Curry Leaves	- 1 twig
Salt	- 1 tsp
Water	- 1 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp

1. Heat oil in a Pan and fry the chopped green chilly and ginger until slightly brown.
2. When slightly brown, take the ginger and green chilly out of the oil and let the oil drain.

3. Mix the Chilly Powder, turmeric powder, fenugreek powder and asafoetida with 1 1/2 tbsp of water.
4. In the left over oil (from frying ginger) in the pan, add the powder mix and curry leaves and keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes in medium flame.
5. Add the tamarind paste also to the oil and mix well. You could also use normal tamarind. If using this adjust water accordingly.
6. Smash the fried Ginger-Chilly mix using a mortar and pestle a little.
7. Add this fried Ginger-Chilly mix to the pan and combine well.
8. Add the brown sugar, salt and water and let it cook and reduce to a thick consistency.

This could also be used as a pickle with Biryani or with a normal lunch. It will stay good for a couple of weeks even when not refrigerated.Thanks to Sunitha for the recipe!

Chana Masala / Chickpeas Curry

Chana Masala is a North Indian Dish, more popular in Punjab. The most popular accompaniment for this curry is Batura. Together Batura and Chana Masala duo is referred to as Chole Batture. Per Wiki, it is sold by roadside eateries in North - meaning North Indian Thattukadas :-) and is a heavy breakfast accompanied by the cooling 'n refreshing lassi. In Southern India, the most commonly used Chana is the Kala Chana and the preparation is slightly different as well. I am slightly biased towards the Chickpeas (White Chana), may be because they look more beautiful to my eyes. Anyways here is my version of the Chana Masala.

Oil	- 2 tbsp
Onion	- 1 (chopped)
Channa (Chickpeas)	- 1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste	- 1 tbsp
Tomato	- 1
Turmeric powder	- 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder	- 2 tsp
Chilly Powder	- 1 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala	- 1/2 tsp
Aamchur (Dried Mango powder)	- 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder	- 1/4 tsp
Water	- 2 1/2 cup

1. Soak the Channa overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
2. Heat oil in the pressure cooker and saute the onion till transparent.
3. Add Ginger Garlic paste and chopped tomatoes and saute for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the powders - Turmeric, Coriander, Chilly, Garam Masala, Cumin and Aamchur to this and saute for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the soaked chana and the water to this and mix well.
6. Close the pressure cooker and cook the chana until 2-3 whistles.

Wait for the pressure to go before you open the cooker. Your chana masala is ready to serve. You could garnish with some corriander leaves (I ran out of them). Even though the perfect accompaniment is Batura, it also goes well with Chapathi, Poori 'n Roti.

And now it is award time! Shahana of Me 'n My Apron has shared 3 beautiful awards with me. Thank you Shahana!

I would like to share these  3 awards with:

1. Namitha and Sunitha of Collaborative Curry
2. Cicily of Spices from the Queen of Arabian Sea
3. Aparna of Ladies Special Adukkala
4. Bharathy of Spicy Chilly


Cicily of  Spices from the Queen of Arabian Sea has shared 2 beautiful awards with me. Thank you Cicily!

I would like to share these 2 awards with:

1. Sarah of Vazhayila

2. Shahana of Me 'n My Apron

3. Rahin of Lazzat

4. Faiza Ali of Faiza Ali's Kitchen

5. Katy of Food for Hungry Soul

6. Deepa and Tanu of Hamaree Rasoi

7. Aquadaze of Served with Love

Pepper Rasam

Rasam is a comfort food for my family and I would say for any malayalee. It is also served as part of the Kerala Sadya. Another good thing about this dish is that it is good for digestion and may be one of the reasons that it is served as one of the last courses of the traditional sadya. It is considered as a soup as well.

When I started cooking I used to use the rasam powder that you get ready made and it never yielded good results; may be I was not making it right. Now this one here is a simple and quick recipe with no ready make rasam mixes.

Oil                           - 2 tbsp
Mustard                   - 1/4 tsp
Pepper                     - 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste   - 1 1/2 tbsp
Green Chilly              - 1
Cumin powder          - 3/4 tsp
Tamarind                 - small lemon size ball
Water                      - 5 1/2 cups
Curry Leaves            - 1 twig

1. Heat oil in a vessel and splutter the mustard and curry leaves.
2. Add split green chilly, ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell is gone.
3. Add Pepper powder and cumin powder and saute for a minute.
4. Extract tamarind juice in a cup of water and add it to the vessel.
5. Add the remaining water and let it boil.

Your rasam is ready. You could drink it as a soup or have it with plain rice.

Vegetable Pulao

Vegetable Pulao or Pilaf is a rice dish mixed with vegetables and mildly flavored with the spices like Cardamom, Cloves and Cinnamon to give it an aromatic flavor. Here is a little bit on the history of Pulao/Pilaf (Source:Wikipedia):

The English term pilaf is borrowed directly from Turkish, but all these terms ultimately derive from (Classical) Persian پلو , which is pronounced [paˈlau] in Persian (Dari), and in standard Iranian Persian, polów. In Urdu is pronounced pulāo پلاو. Depending on the local cuisine, it may also contain a variety of meat and vegetables. Pilaf and similar dishes are common to Middle Eastern, Central and South Asian, East African, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines.


The recipe I have here is the Indian version of the Pilaf. I got the basic version of this recipe from one of my friend's mother (Thank you Thankam Aunty!). We had a dinner at their place where aunty made this Pulao and my son could not stop eating it. So I had to get the recipe from her.
 

Basmati Rice            - 2 cups

Onion                       - 1 (medium sized)

Ginger-Garlic Paste   - 1 1/2 tbsp

Tomato                     - 1

Green Chilly              - 2

Cardamom                - 5

Cloves                      - 5

Cinnamon                 - 1.5inch stick 

Oil                            - 5 tbsp

Mixed Vegetables      - 1 1/2 cup (Corn, Green Peas, Corn & Green Beans) 

Coconut Milk            - 1/2 cup

Water                       - 3 3/4 cup

Salt                          - to taste

 
1. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes
2. I used the frozen mixed vegetables. So I microwaved the vegetables for 5 minutes.
3. Using a mixer, make a fine paste of the tomato and green chilly.  
4. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan in medium heat.
5. Add the spices (Cardamom, Cloves & Cinnamon) to the oil and saute for a minute.
6. Add the Onions and saute until they start turning brown.
7. Add the Ginger-Garlic paste and saute until the raw smell is gone.
8. Add the tomato-green chilly paste and saute for 2 minutes.
9. Add the water and thick coconut milk and mix well.
10. Add enough salt (could be more on the higher side, as the rice and veggies have to cook in this) and let the water boil.
11. Add soaked rice and microwaved vegetables to the boiling water.
12. Add 2 tbsp of oil to the water as well. This will prevent the rice from sticking together.
13. Once the rice is almost cooked and very little water is left, turn off the stove and close the pan with a tight lid.
14. Open the lid after 30 minutes and the Pulao should be ready.

You could garnish with nuts and raisins, if needed. This is a quick and easy recipe, especially if you are using the frozen mixed vegetables.

Potato Bhaaji

Poori used to be one of my favourites as a kid, and still too. I think most kids like poori. It is something I rarely make, coz of my lazines to knead the dough and roll it out :-). So my son is not familiar with this favourite of most kids. Now it dawned on me that I should introduce my son to this dish. 

Eventhough all I have been talking about is Poori, that is not the dish in the limelight. Its the Bhaaji that goes with Poori. Poori Bhaaji.... I am still drooling :-)



This is the list of ingredients that I used to make my version of bhaaji:

Potato                  - 3 (Medium sized - cut into cubes)
Onion                   - 1 (Big one - finely chopped)
Mustard               - 1 tsp
Chilli powder        - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder  - 1 tsp
Carrot                  - 1 (Grated)
Green Chilli          - 2 (Cut lengthwise)
Curry leaves         - 1 twig
Salt                      - to taste

1. Heat little oil in a pan and splutter the mustard and curry leaves.
2. Add the Onions and saute till transparent.
3. Add Green Chillies, Turmeric powder and chilli powder and saute for a minute.
4. Add potato, salt and grated carrot and enough water to cook.
5. Close the lid and cook until the potatoes are done.
6. Mash the potatoes and turn off the heat.

Your Bhaaji is now ready to be served with the puris.