Hot & Sour Chutney

Ingredients:
Green chilies - 10
Onion - 2 (small)
Tomato - 2 (medium)
Tamarind - gooseberry size
Jaggery - 1 tbsp.
Salt
Oil

Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 2 pinches
Cumin seeds - 2 pinches
Urad dal - 2 pinches
Curry leaves - 6

Method:
1. Heat the oil in pan and add the onions. Fry till they become soft.
2. Add the green chilies (slit length-wise) and fry.
3. Add the tomatoes & salt and fry till they turn soft.
4. Grind the green chilies, onions, tomatoes, tamarind & jaggery in a blender.
5. Temper the chutney.

Sent off to "Spicy Fiery Chutneys" event hosted by Sreevalli.

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Vendhaya Keerai (Fenugreek Leaves) Masiyal

I’m writing this post for my own food collection. This dish is not a ‘special wannabe’ or something except the fact that it has a lot of nutrients. Usually this dish is prepared with amaranth leaves, I just replaced it with fenugreek ones. My mom taught this recipe before my marriage.
Ingredients:
Fenugreek leaves - 1 bunch (medium)
Moong dal - ¼ cup
Onion - 1 (small)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Tomato -1
Salt

Tempering:
Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp.
Dry red chili - 2
Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp.
Asafetida - 1 pinch

Method:
1. Boil the moong dal in a pan.
2. When the dal is half done, add the fenugreek leaves, onion, garlic and tomato.
3. When the leaves and dal are fully cooked, remove from heat.
4. When it is slightly warm, grind them coarsely with salt in a blender.
5. Temper the greens.

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Oats Methi Chapathi

Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Oats flour - ½ cup
Fenugreek leaves (methi) - ½ cup
Red chili powder - ¼ tsp.
Amchur powder - 1 pinch
Cumin powder - 1 pinch
Salt - ¼ tsp.
Oil

Method:
1. Mix wheat flour & oats flour in a bowl.
2. Add red chili powder, amchur powder, cumin powder & salt and mix.
3. Add fenugreek leaves and mix.
4. Now add water little by little and knead it into a soft dough.
5. Divide the dough into equal-sized balls.
6. Roll the balls into circles with a rolling pin.
7. In a tawa, cook the chapathi on both sides by adding a very few drops of oil.
8. Enjoy with your favorite side dish!

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Tomato Rice and Cabbage Poriyal

There are way too many different versions of this tangy tomato rice. This version is a very simple one and is easy to make.

Ingredients:
Rice - 3 cups (cooked)
Tomatoes - 4 (small & ripe)
Onion -1 (chopped)
Ginger - 1 tsp. (chopped)
Garlic - 1 tsp. (chopped)
Red chili powder - ½ tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Salt
Oil
Curry leaves - 5
Coriander leaves - 2 tsp. (chopped)

Method:
1. Grind the tomatoes in a blender and keep it aside.
2. Heat the oil and add the cloves and cinnamon.
3. Add the onions, curry leaves and fry till they change to a golden color.
4. Add the ginger and garlic and fry.
5. Add the ground tomatoes and sauté till the raw smell fades away and oil oozes out.
6. Add the red chilies, coriander and turmeric powders & salt and mix well.
7. Finally add the coriander leaves and remove the mixture from heat.
8. Add the rice and mix well.

Cabbage Poriyal

Ingredients:
Cabbage - ½ (shredded)
Green chilies - 3 (slit lengthwise)
Chana dal - 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp.
Urad dal - ¼ tsp.
Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp.
Curry leaves - 5
Coriander leaves - 2 tsp. (chopped)
Coconut - 1 tbsp. (grated)
Salt (to taste)
Oil

Method:
1. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and chana dal.
2. When the mustard seeds crackle, add the green chilies and sauté well.
3. Add the cabbage.
4. Cover and cook it for 7 minutes.
5. In between, sauté the cabbage.
6. Add salt & curry leaves.
7. When the cabbage is cooked, add the coconut & coriander leaves and mix well.

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Coconut-Free Kurma

Whenever there is no time left to cook breakfast, my mom cooks this kurma in a jiffy. It’s my mom’s favorite. This is one of the fast-paced kurmas and saves a lot of time. It’s a good side dish for idli, dosa, idiyappam and roti. If you like meat, you can add them in this kurma.

Ingredients:
Onions (medium) - 2 (thinly sliced)
Ginger (finely chopped) - 1 ½ tsp.
Garlic (finely chopped) - 1 ½ tsp.
Tomatoes (chopped) - 2
Green Chilies (slit into halves) - 2
Red chili powder -1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp.
Pottukadalai powder - 1 ½ tbsp.
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Fennel seeds - ½ tsp.
Cinnamon sticks - 2 inches
Cloves - 2
Oil
Salt (to taste)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves (chopped)

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and add fennel seeds, cloves and cinnamon sticks.
When they start shaking, add the onions and fry till they become golden color.
Add ginger, garlic and green chilies and fry for a minute in medium-low flame.
Add the tomatoes and fry well.
Now add green chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and mix well for 30 seconds.
Add 3 cups of water and mix well.
Add salt and mix well.
Let it boil for 7-8 minutes.
Now add the pottukadalai powder and mix without any lumps.
Let it cook for 2 minutes in low flame.
Finally add the curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Notes:
Adjust the green chilies and red chili powder according to your taste (whether you have a taste for extremely hot or mild ones).

Sent off to Priya's "Think Spice: Think Coriander Seeds" event. Think Spice series is originally started by Sunita Bhuyan.

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Layered Rajma Biryani

Ingredients:
Rajma - 1 cup (soaked & boiled)
Onion - 2 (medium-sliced thinly)
Garlic - 1 ½ tsp. (grated)
Ginger - 1 ½ tsp. (grated)
Green chili - 2 (slit half)
Red chili - 1 tsp.
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
Curd - 5 tbsp.
Biryani masala - 1 ½ tsp.
Basmati rice - 1 ½ cup
Oil
Salt
Brown onions
Chopped coriander leaves

Method:
1. Cook the rice separately.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the sliced onions. Fry till they change to a golden color.
3. Fry the garlic, green chilies & ginger.
4. Add the tomatoes and sauté till they become mushy.
5. Add the red chilies and mix.
6. Add the boiled rajma (without water) and let it blend well with the masalas.
7. Add 1 tbsp curd and biryani masala and mix (in low-heat).
8. Now in a deep bowl, first arrange the cooked rice.
9. Spread the curd on the top of the rice.
10. Then spread the rajma masala. And sprinkle coriander leaves & brown onions.
11. Continue the spreading with rice, curd, rajma masala, brown onions & coriander leaves.
12. Serve immediately with your favorite side dish and enjoy!

Sent off to Divya's 'JFI-Rajma' event. JFI series is originally started by Indira of Mahanandi.

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