No Dal Sambar

 This is a quick sambar that can be made without any dal . It goes well with dosa, idly . 

INGREDIENTS:

Tomato - two medium sized

Onion - 1/2 cup chopped

Roasted gram or pottu kadalai -  5 to 6 teaspoon

Tamarind - 1 large lemon sized

Coconut Powder or fresh grated coconut - 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Sambar Powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Coriander leaves - For garnishing 

SEASONING:

Oil - 2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds  - 1 teaspoon

Methi seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilies - 2 to 3 no.s

Channa dal - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - a few

Asafoetida powder - a pinch 

METHOD:

1.  Make ground paste of tomatoes, sambar powder , coconut, pottu kadalai .

2. In a pan, add some oil. Add mustard seeds , methi seeds, channa dal, dry red chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida powder. 

3. Add chopped onions. Fry till they change colour.

4. Add tamarind water, turmeric powder and salt. 

5. Now add the ground paste prepared in step 1. Mix well. Add required water for desired consistency. Allow it to boil for sometimes , till the raw smell of ground paste in gone. 

6. Garnish with coriander leaves 

7.Serve with dosa or idly.

Tawa Masala Sandwich

 

Serves - 2 to 3 no.s of sandwiches

Preparation Time - 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Wheat Bread - 4 no.s

Capsicum - 1 medium sized , chopped fine 

Onion - 1/3 cup chopped fine

Tomato - 1 small sized chopped fine 

Tomato Ketchup - 2 teaspoon

Pav Bhaji Masala - 1 teaspoon

Chili powder - 1/4 teaspoon (Optional. Can use , if you like spicy )

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Lemon juice - few drops

Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Cucumber slices - as required

Black pepper powder - as required

Butter - 2 teaspoon

Oil - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a pan, add butter and oil. 

2. Add chopped onions . Fry for some time. Do not fry for too long and don't turn the onions to brown. 

3. Now add chopped capsicum. Saute slightly. 

4. Now add chopped tomatoes. Saute, till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. 

5. Now keep the flame in low. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder , pav bhaji masala and salt. Mix it well . Sprinkle some water and saute for a minute or two, till the raw smell of masala powder is gone. 

6. Now add two teaspoon of tomato ketchup. Mix well, and switch off the stove. Add some lemon juice and also garnish with fresh coriander leaves. 

7. Take whole wheat bread. slightly toast the bread on a tawa. No need to add any butter or oil while toasting, because we have already added butter and oil in the masala. Spread the masala, on one side of toasted bread. Also arrange cucumber slices above the masala. Sprinkle some black pepper powder above the cucumber slices. 

8. Cover with another bread and cut them diagonally. Tawa masala sandwich is ready !. Tawa masala can be prepared and kept in fridge for two days to make sandwiches !. 

Peanut Chutney (Another Version)

 Here is another version of peanut chutney , that doesn't uses coconut . It goes well with dosa , idly or upma. It is quite easy to make and taste very good . 

INGREDIENTS:

Peanuts - 1/2 cup

Roasted gram dal / pottu kadalai - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - small ball sized

Green chilli - 2 

Dry red chilli - 1

Ginger - small sized

Jaggery - 1 teaspoon

Salt - as required

SEASONING:

Oil - 2 teaspoon

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 1

Few curry leaves

pinch of asafoetida powder

METHOD:

1. Dry roast peanuts, until you see dark spots on its skin. Do not over roast it , as it may get burnt. Also dry roast roasted gram dal for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are hot to touch.

2. Prepare the other ingredients - chillies, ginger,  jaggery.

3. Grind peanuts, roasted gram dal, chillies , ginger, jaggery, tamarind in to a smooth paste by adding sufficient water. Also add required salt. 

4. Now in a separate pan, take some oil. Add mustard, cumin, urad dal. Then add dry red chilli and curry leaves. Pour it over the chutney  and mix well. Sprinkle some asafoetida powder. 

5. Serve chutney with dosa, idly or upma !.

Avocado Spinach Pasta

 Avocado is considered one of the healthiest fruit with abundant of nutrients and health benefits. Today I have prepared an home made sauce using avocado and spinach and mixed it with pasta ! It was very delicious !. Please  try and leave your comments ! 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Pasta - 2 cups ( Penne Pasta)

Garlic - 2 to 3 pods

Carrot - 1/2 cup  chopped lenghtwise

Broccoli - 4 to 5 florets

Olive oil - 1 teaspoon

AVOCADO SPINACH SAUCE :

Avocado - 1 medium sized

Spinach - 5 to 6 leaves

Garlic - 2 pods

Green chilli - 1 no

Olive oil - 2 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a vessel, add sufficient water and little salt. Once it starts to boil, add penne pasta and cook for 11 minutes. You can check the pasta package for the cooking time. Filter the water from pasta and add some oil to the pasta, so that they don't stick each other. 

2.  Meantime, in a pan, add 1 teaspoon of  olive oil.  Now add  2 to 3 garlic pods. 

3. Now add carrots and broccoli. Add some salt. Sprinkle some water and cook till they are 3/4 th cooked. The veggies need not be too soft. 

4. Now it is time to prepare the sauce. Take medium sized avocado and cut longitudinally.

5. Scoop up the contents of the avocado in the mixer.  Also add few spinach leaves, garlic pods, salt, pepper powder, green chili, 2 teaspoon olive oil, lemon juice. Also add some water and grind them to a smooth paste.

6. Now in a pan, slightly heat the cooked veggies and pasta. Once they are slightly hot, switch off the stove. Add the sauce prepared in step 5. The sauce should not be heated or cooked. 

7.  Avocado spinach pasta is ready ! .  The dish should be consumed with in 1 or 2 hours once prepared. Else the avocado sauce may turn brownish color .

 

Tomato Garlic Paruppu Rasam

       Rasam is  a south Indian spiced soup and is an important item in south Indian meals.  It has pepper , coriander seeds, chili, tamarind and essential spices that helps improve your digestion and also a very comforting dish, when taken during cold or stuffy nose. 

      Usually rasam is made using rasam powder. This time , I made a special rasam called dal rasam (paruppu rasam) which is made using spice powder prepared on that moment and added to the dish. This rasam will be more flavorful and tasty than regular rasam, because ,all the spices are dry roasted and freshly grounded to give a nice aroma and taste ! 

Preparation Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Serves - 2 to 3 people

INGREDIENTS:

FOR DRY ROAST AND GRIND:

coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon

cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 3 no.s

Few curry leaves

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

Ghee - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds -1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - few

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Dry red chilli - 2 no.s 

Garlic cloves - 3 to 4 no.s

Tamarind extract - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Tomato - 1 medium size, chopped fine

Toor dal - 1/4 cup 

Coriander leaves - For garnishing

METHOD:

1. In a pressure cooker, cook 1/4 cup of toor dal and mash them well and add some water .

2. In a pan, add the items mentioned in the "dry roast and grind" section, dry roast until nice aroma comes. Allow them to cool down and grind them to a fine powder. This will be like a rasam powder.

3.  In a pan, add some ghee.  Add mustard, cumin seeds, dry red chilli , asafoetida powder. Also add some curry leaves, garlic cloves.

4. Now add the spice powder which you prepared in step 2 and sauté, till it turns aromatic. 

5. Now add 1 cup of tamarind extract water, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Cover with lid and let it boil for 10 minutes. 

6. Now, add mashed toor dal and required water to your desired consistency. When it starts to boil and turn frothy as shown in below picture, add chopped coriander leaves. Do not let the rasam  boil for too long after adding toor dal . Tomato garlic paruppu rasam is ready. Serve with hot rice and some curry ! 

Arisi Paruppu Saadham(Masala Dal Rice)

 Today I would like to share a famous recipe which is very popular in Coimbatore. Arisi paruppu saadham, a one pot dish made with rice, lentils and spices . I happened to know about this dish through my friend Pavithra, who is from Ooty. It was absolutely delicious and quite easy to make for lunch. 

INGREDIENTS:

Parboiled Rice - 1 cup

Toor Dal - 1/4 cup

Water  - 2 cups

Sesame or gingely oil - 3 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry Leaves - a bunch

Dry red chilli - 2 no.s

Onions - 1/2 cup finely chopped

Tomato - 2 medium sized chopped fine

Garlic - 3 to 4 pods

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Sambar powder - 1 teaspoon

Ghee - 2 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. Soak parboiled rice and Toor dal for about 30 to 45 minutes.

2. Chop tomatoes, onion and garlic into fine pieces.

3.  In a pressure cooker ,add sesame or gingely oil.  Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and dry red chilli . Now add garlic and fry till they change color.

4. Now add chopped onion and fry till they change colour. 

5. Now add chopped tomatoes . add turmeric powder, salt and sambar powder. For this recipe, store bought sambar powder tastes better. Fry, till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.

6. Now add 2 cups of water . Also add soaked and drained  rice and toor dal . 

7. When it starts to boil, cover with lid. Cook for 3 whistles on medium flame. Switch off the stove. Let the pressure settle by itself. Arisi paruppu saadham is ready .

8. Serve with any dry curry of your choice !