Schezwan Pasta

Whenever I prepare ven pongal or upmas, my children have no choice but to end up searching for pickles and sambar.  Even if I make chutneys as side dish, they'd prefer left-over sambar (or freshly made) or pickle.

But if the meal is pasta, there wouldn't be any noise in kitchen and no searching around. I just happen have store-bought sauces and various types of pastas in handy. They're all cooked with fusion most often.

Ingredients:
Bow-tie pasta - 3 cups
White onion - 1 (chopped)
Garlic - 4 cloves (peeled & finely-chopped)
Green bell pepper- 1 (chopped in small pieces)
Desi coriander leaves - few (finely-chopped)
Tomato ketchup - 1 tsp.
Schezwan sauce - 3 tbsp.
Oil -  1 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Pasta seasoning
Garlic herb seasoning

Method:
Cook the pasta in water with required salt and few drops of oil till they become soft.
Drain the water and keep the pasta aside.
Heat the oil and add onions, garlic and bell pepper and sauté for 2 minutes (no need to brown the onions).
Sprinkle pasta seasoning, garlic herb seasoning, tomato ketchup, Schezwan sauce, coriander leaves and sauté.
Finally add the pasta and mix well.

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Amaranth Leaves and Potato Stir- fry

These days, my hubby insists on adding greens in meals everyday. I didn't want to bore him with plain stir-frys and masiyal, since I got bored of cooking them as well. Since then, I have started to mix greens with vegetables and made sure enough that they are tasty.

Yesterday, I prepared lemon rice for lunch and for side dish, this stir fry. Even though I have cooked potatoes with spinach and methi, this is my first time I've actually cooked them with amaranth leaves. Any greens that are edible are fine with potatoes.

Moreover, I didn't entertain the idea of adding  more greens as my children are quite repulsive to them. My children ate without any fuss and nothing was left in the kadai, which was slightly surprising.

Ingredients:
Amaranth leaves - 2 fistfuls.
Potatoes - 4 (medium-sized, boiled, peeled and diced)
Shallots - 10
Garlic - 4 cloves
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds -1 tsp.
Dry red chilli - 1
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)

Method:
Peel the shallots' skin and wash the shallots. Chop them finely.
Peel the garlic and crush them with the help of a knife.
Wash the amaranth leaves and chop them.
Heat the oil in a kadai and add mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard crackles, break the dry chilli into three pieces and add them to the kadai. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add the shallots and garlic and sauté till the shallots change colour.
Add the leaves and sauté.
Sauté now and then to avoid burning.
After few minutes, sprinkle a little water and continue cooking.
When the leaves are fully cooked, reduce the flame.
Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and sauté for a minute.
Sprinkle a little water and mix.
Add the diced potatoes.
Mix the greens and potatoes.
Finally sprinkle garam masala and mix.
Serve as a side dish for lemon rice, sambar rice, rasam rice and chapathi.

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Baby Corn, Capsicum and Paneer Gravy

Ingredients:
Baby corn pieces - 100 gm (boiled)
Paneer cubes - 200 gm
Capsicum - 1 (diced)
Onions - 2
Garlic - 6 cloves
Ginger - 3/4 inch
Tomatoes - 2
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Roasted and powdered cumin - 1/2 tsp.
Kasoori methi - 1 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp.
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - few

Method:
Peel the onions and wash. Cut them into halves and boil them in water for 5 minutes. Remove and cool them. Grind the onions into a paste.
Peel the garlic and ginger. Wash them. Crush both in mortar with pestle.
Chop the tomatoes and grind them. Keep aside.
Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. When they crackle, add crushed ginger and garlic and sauté till golden colour.
Now add the onion paste and sauté till light brown colour along with the release of oil.
Add the tomato paste and sauté till the oil  separates.
Now add red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and mix well for a minute.
Crush the kasoori methi and add. Toss in the baby corn, capsicum and paneer. Sprinkle required salt.
Pour required water and allow the gravy to boil for 3 to 4 minutes.
Now add garam masala powder and coriander leaves. After a minute remove from flame.
Enjoy with toasted pavs or chapathi or roti or naans or plain kulchas.

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Karuvepillai/Curry Leaves thuvaiyal Version 2.0

Ingredients:
Curry leaves - 1 3/4 cups
Bengal gram - 1 tbsp.
Black gram whole (dehusked)- 1 tbsp.
Dry red chillies - 3 (or per taste)
Salt (to taste)
Garlic - 6 cloves
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
Sesame oil

Method:
Wash the curry leaves and keep them aside.
Heat 1 tsp. of sesame oil and add Bengal gram, black gram and garlic.
Sauté till they turn golden colour. Remove. Add red chillies sauté till crispy. Remove.
Add a little more oil and sauté the curry leaves for 2 to 3 minutes.
Grind all ingredients including tamarind, salt into thick paste by adding only little water.

For rice:
Mix the thuvaiyal with rice along with ghee.

For idlis and dosas:
When served with idlis or dosa, do add a few drops of sesame oil to enhance the taste.

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Vankaya Kothimeera Vepudu/Brinjal With Coriander Leaves

Ingredients:
Brinjal - 9
Salt (as required)
Oil - 2 tbsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Whole black gram (dehusked) - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - 10
Turmeric powder - a big pinch

For paste:
Coriander leaves with tender stalks - 1 cup (firmly packed)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 6 cloves
Ginger - a small piece
Green chillies - 3

Method:
Wash the coriander leaves and keep aside.
Slice the brinjals and drop them in a bowl of water.
Heat oil and add mustard, cumin seeds and black gram. Allow the seeds to 'crackle' and add the brinjals without any water.
Sauté for 3 minutes. Now add the turmeric powder, salt, curry leaves and start to sauté in low flame.
Meanwhile grind the given ingredients into a paste.
When the brinjals are 70% cooked, add the paste and mix well.
Now start sautéing till the brinjals are cooked well and dry along with the coriander paste. The raw smell of the paste should disappear while sautéing continuously.

We enjoyed the side dish with tomato pappu and curd rice.

Note: Sauté the brinjals periodically to avoid burning.

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Murunga Keerai Poriyal/Drumstick Leaves Stir-fry

Ingredients:

Drumstick leaves - 2 cups
Shallots/china vengayam - 12
Garlic - 10 cloves
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
White whole urad dal - 1 tsp.
Bengal gram - 1 tsp.
Dry red chillies - 2
Oil - 1 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.

Method:
Peel the onion skins. Wash the onions and slice them. Peel the garlic and crush them.
Wash the leaves and keep aside.
Heal the oil and add the mustard, cumin, urad and bengal gram. Allow the mustard to crackle and dals to change into golden color. Break each chilli into halves and sauté for a minute. Now add the shallots and garlic. Sauté till the shallots become translucent. Now add the leaves and continue sautéing. Sauté in between till they are completely cooked. Now sprinkle required salt and mix. Finally add the coconut. Remove and seve with sambar or rasam rice.

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