Vegetable Soup

This soup contains a lot of mixed vegetables. I grabbed whatever vegetable was there in the refrigerator-Carrot, beans, green peas, yellow pumpkin and red capsicum. Adding capsicums in this soup give a sweet taste. It's a very easy and a simple soup to make. I didn't fry or roast any veggies. I just directly boiled them.



Ingredients:
Yellow pumpkin - 1/3 cup
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Carrot - 2 (medium-sliced)
Beans - 5 to 7 (cut into pieces)
Red capsicum - 1/2 (diced)
Corn flour - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tsp
Salt (as per taste)
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp (coarsely crushed)

Method:
Boil all the veggies in a vessel and cover it with a lid.
When it is half-boiled, add the salt.
When the veggies are boiled, cool it.
Blend them in a blender.
Again boil them.
Meanwhile mix cornflour in little water without any lumps.
Add it to the soup and stir.
Then add butter and stir.
Now remove from the heat and add the pepper powder.

This is sent off to Sireesha's "Soup 'n' juice" event.

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Walnut Halwa

Ingredients:
Walnut - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 5 tsp
Complan - 2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashews - 10 (roasted)

Method:
Lightly toast the walnuts, cool and powder them.
Now add little water to the walnut powder to form a thick batter.
In a non-stick pan, add 2 tsps of ghee and add this batter.
Start to fry the batter till it becomes thick (medium flame).
At this stage, add the sugar and mix well.
Stir continuously till it becomes thick.
Now add the complan and mix well.
Add the remaining ghee, cardamom powder, cashews and stir.
When the halwa leaves the side of the pan, remove and place it on a well greased plate or vessel.
Cool and enjoy the halwa!
Recipe Source: Recipe Book

Note: I didn't add too much ghee in this sweet.

This is sent off to Saraswati Iyer's "Sweet & Savouries" event. Click on the link for details.

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Mosambi Juice

Mosambi is also known as 'Sathukudi' in Tamil. This fruit contain a lot of Vitamin C and Iron

Ingredients:
Mosambi - 5 (medium)
Mint leaves - 5 to 6 leaves
Cumin powder - 2 pinches
Pepper powder - 2 pinches
Black salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar as per taste (optional)

Method:
Squeeze the juice from mosambi in hand juicer or electric juicer.
Cut the mint leaves or crush them.
Add the mint leaves, black salt, cumin powder, pepper powder & water in the juice.
Mix well and drink.

This is sent off to Sireesha's 'Soup n Juice' event. Click on the link for details.

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Kuzhambu and Fry

It always feels good when you recollect interesting nostalgic events. This interesting incident happened in my life during 8th standard. It was a weekend. My mom had to visit one of our relatives in the neighbouring town. My dad was working in the morning shift. My mom said she will return by the end of the day. She told me to take care of myself and left. I was reading comics all day long till I realized that I was hungry. When I went to the kitchen to grab something to munch, nothing was there. My mom also had not returned till then. But I desperately needed something to eat. So I had to make whatever possible. This was my starting point in my culinary expedition. I took some rice and potato and cooked in the pressure cooker. That was the first time ever I cooked a dish in my life. I soaked tamarind for kozhumbu and the hardest part was peeling the shallot skin. I hardly finished peeling one shallot and tears came rolling down my cheeks. Then I chopped some brinjals which was very difficult. Somehow I finished cooking brinjal kozhumbu and potato fry. By the time my dad came and I served him food. He finished the food silently and smiled at me. And then he started to watch TV. After sometime, my mom came back with some unexpected guests-my uncle and my aunt. My mom was surprised at first when I told her I cooked food. She was proud of me. When my aunt and uncle started to eat they were LOL. The kozumbu was watery and spicy. My mom told them not to make fun of me. She said that at least I tried to cook. Whenever I think of that incident, I smile. At that time it was hard, and now it's easy for me to cook these dishes.
Now I added black chickpeas and amaranth stems with brinjal.

Ingredients:
Brinjal (small) - 4
Black chickpeas - 1/3 cup
Amaranth stems - 1/4 cup (cut into pieces)
Onion - 1 (medium - thinly sliced)
Garlic - 3 cloves (crushed & chopped)
Tomato - 1 (diced)
Tamarind - lime size
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Salt (as required)
Sesame oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp (crushed coarsely)
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 10

Method:
Cut the brinjals and drop them into a bowl of water.
Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure-cook them.
Cut the Amaranth stems about 1 1/2 (one-and-a-half) inch length.
Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water for 2 hours.
Heat the oil in a pan.
To the oil add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds & asafoetida.
When the mustards crackle, add the garlic and fry.
Add the onion, curry leaves and fry.
Add the tomato and fry.
Add salt.
Now add the brinjals and fry. Then add the amaranth stems.
Add the sambhar powder and saute for a minute.
Now extract the tamarind juice and pour.
Mix well.
Let it boil.
When the gravy comes to half, add the boiled chickpeas .
Let it boil for another 5 minutes.
Serve with hot rice.

Potato fry:

Potatoes - 5 (medium)
Garlic - 4 cloves (finely chopped)
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Oil
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves

Method:
Cut all the potatoes into halves.
Boil them in a pressure cooker.
Peel the skin.
Cut them into any desired shape.
Heat the oil in pan.
To the oil add the mustard, cumin, fennel seeds.
Add the garlic and fry.
Now add the potato pieces and saute.
Add the sambhar powder, salt and mix well.
Finally, add the curry leaves .

This is sent off to Shama's "First Cooked Food Event".

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Bottlegourd/Lauki/Doodhi Kofta Curry

I got the kofta recipe from my friend (long back!). While going through a recipe book, I came across this sauce which I liked it very much and tried it on the koftas.

Ingredients:

Bottlegourd - 1 lb
Gram flour - 4 tbsp (plus for dusting)

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder -1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 2 pinch

Salt (as required)

Coriander leaves -1 tsp (chopped)

Oil (for deep frying)

Sauce/gravy:

Onions - 2 (medium-chopped)

Tomato puree - from 3 medium tomatoes

Garlic -2 cloves (crushed & chopped)

Grated coconut - 2 tablespoons

Yogurt - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 1 (optional)
Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Cream - 2 tbsp

Oil (as required)

Salt

Coriander leaves (chopped) - as required

Method:

Peel the skin and remove the seeds from the bottlegourd.

Grate the bottlegourd.

Add salt and let it be for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, squeeze out all the water from the grated bottlegourd.

This water can be used in gravy later.

Now add the chillipowder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander leaves and mix with the grated bottle gourd.

Then add 4 tbsp of gram flour and mix.

Now heat the oil in a frying pan.

If you want you can a little more salt to the above mixture and divide and shape them into balls.

Now dust the koftas with the gram flour.

Slowly drop them in the medium-hot oil and fry them.

Once they are done remove and keep it on a kitchen towel paper.

Method for sauce/gravy:

Grind the coconut, green chillies and yogurt into a paste.

Heat the oil in a pan.

To the oil add the onions and fry.

Add the garlic and fry.

Then add the tomato puree and mix well.

Now add the salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.

Mix well. Now add the bottlegourd water and little water and mix.

When it starts to boil, add the ground paste and mix.

Add the cream and stir.

Now add the fried koftas and cover and cook for 3 minutes.

(OR) Add the koftas in the gravy while serving and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with chapathis, rice or naans.

This is sent off to Viki's "Side dish for Chapathi" event.

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Pizza Omelette

WARNING! This dish is for those who like eggs in any form.

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4

Pizza sauce as required

Mozzarella cheese grated as required

Onion - 1/4 diced

Tomato - 1/2

Capsicum - 1/2

Method:

Cut the tomato into half and scoop out the seeds .

Cut the capsicum in any desired size.

Beat the eggs with a fork.

Whites and yolks should be mixed well.

Pour this mixture on a hot tawa.

Cook on both sides.

Remove and keep it in a oven-proof plate.

Pre-heat the oven.

Meanwhile, spread the pizza sauce on the omelette.

Sprinkle the grated cheese.

Add the onions, tomatoes & capsicum pieces on the top of cheese.

Now place this in the oven till the cheese melts.

Enjoy the pizza omelette.

Note: If you want you can add salt in the egg mixture. You can also sprinkle little olive oil on the top of the veggies.

This is sent off to Divya Vikram's "Show me your Omelette" event.

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