Peas butter masala

Tasty peas butter masala .. Can be taken as a side dish for poori or rotti. It can also be used for sandwiching in between breads .

Serves - 2-3 people
Preparation time - under 10 minutes
Cooking time - under 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Frozen or fresh green peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (If using Indian onion, you can use 3 medium no.)
Tomato - 2 (chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Curd - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

METHOD:
1. In a pan, add 1 cup of water and add green peas and allow it to cook for 5 minutes(If you are using fresh green peas, it may take longer time to cook..Wait until the green peas are cooked). Filter the water and keep aside. You need this water later for the gravy.

2. In the same pan, add a teaspoon of oil , and add onions. Add pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Fry onions, till it turns golden brown.

3. Allow the onions to cool down. Grind them to a paste . You can add 2-3 table spoon of water, if you find difficult to grind (Use the filtered water which you have kept aside after cooking green peas).

4. In a pan, add a tablespoon of butter. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of ginger garlic is gone. Then add the onion paste to that. Also add turmeric powder,red chilli powder and corriander powder. Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, till the raw smell is gone.

5. Now add chopped tomatoes,salt and fry for 5 minutes, till the tomatoes turn soft.

6. Now add the curd, cooked green peas, garam masala powder and the filtered water which you have kept aside after cooking peas. Allow all the contents to boil for 2 minutes and then switch off the gas stove.

7. Peas butter masala is ready ! ..Garnish with fresh coriander leaves!

8. Serve with rotti or poori !.

Green Pea Soup

Rich, healthy and filling soup made  from Green peas !

Serves - 3-4 cups
Preparation time - Under 10 minutes
Cooking time - 10-15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh or frozen green peas - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Tomato- 1 no.
Onion - 1/2(If using Indian onion, use 1 medium no.)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Corn flour - 1 tablespoon
Butter -1 teaspoon

METHOD:
1. Cut tomato, onion in big pieces. Prepare ginger garlic paste. Prepare all ingredients and set ready .

2. In a pan, add 3 cups of water and add green pea. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes(for frozen pea, 5 minutes is enough to get it cooked. If using fresh peas, boil it till the peas turn soft).

3. Once the peas are cooked, filter the water. Do not throw away the water. You can use it later for making soup.

4. Now in the same pan, add 1 teaspoon butter and add cooked green pea,tomato and onions .Fry for about  4 minutes.

5.Allow the contents(Green pea,onion and tomato) to cool completely. Grind them in to a smooth paste by adding 2 to 3 tbsp of water( You can use the filtered water which you have kept aside when you cooked green peas.) . Keep few green peas separately without grinding. You can add it later as whole in the soup.

6. In the mean time, add 3 tbsp water to cornflour and make a creamy paste.

7. Now , take the filtered water which you have kept aside after filtering the green peas. Pour it in a pan, and also add the ginger garlic paste and allow it to boil together for 4 minutes, till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes.

7. Now add the green pea paste, corn flour paste to the boiling water and mix well and allow the contents to boil for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then turn off the stove.

8. Green pea soup is ready!

HOW TO SERVE:

Before serving, take some soup in a bowl, heat it well. Add some black pepper powder,salt and some butter. Garnish with coriander leaves . 

Rasam

Rasam is a south indian soup usually made from Tomato, Tamarind juice and with pepper,cumin seeds and essential spices. It is very popular in southern part of India. Rasam is usually taken by mixing with rice . The spices in rasam helps in improving digestion and the pepper in rasam improves cold or any nasal congestion.

Serves: 2-3 people
Preparation Time - Under 10 minutes
Cooking Time - Under 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Rasam powder - 2 teaspoon
Water- 1 cup
Tamarind - 1/2 lemon sized
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder -1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves - for garnishing.

METHOD:
1. Soak tamarind in hot water for about 10 minutes. Extract juice from tamarind and throw away the pulp. You need about 3/4 cup of juice. Take it in a bowl.

2. Now mix salt,rasam powder ,pepper powder and asafoetida powder in to the tamarind juice and also add 1 cup of water.

3. Cut tomatoes in big pieces and add it to the above mixture(Squeeze the tomatoes in hand little bit and add it to the mixture.. So that the tomato pulp gets mixed well with the rasam). In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil, add mustard seeds. Once it crackles add cumin seeds and sprinkle some asafoetida powder.

4. Now pour the rasam mixture in to the pan and cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.. Not more than that.. Else, the flavour may get lost due to  too much boiling. Switch off the gas stove.

5. Add some fresh chopped corriander leaves and sprinkle some more asafoetida powder. Rasam is ready !

6. Mix the rasam with rice and have chips as side dish and eat !!!.

NOTE: check my blog for how to make rasam powder 

Panchmela Dal

Panchmela dal is a rajasthani recipe . Also called as "Five lentil stew". It is made of five different types of lentils ( Tuvar,Moong,channa,masoor,urad dals) and goes well with plain rice or rotti.

INGREDIENTS:

Mixed Lentils - 1 cup( Toor dal (split pigeon peas), moong dal(split yellow lentil), urad dal(split    
                                   black lentil), masoor dal(red lentil), channa dal(bengal gram))
Water - 3 cups
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Oil- 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder -1 teaspoon
Dry mango(Amchoor) powder - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida -1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt- 1.5 teaspoon


SEASONING(OPTIONAL)
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chilli - 1 chopped.

METHOD:

1. Soak the mixed lentils for about 1 hour in normal water. Then take a 3 liter pressure cooker and mix lentils,spice powders,Ghee,oil in 3 cups of water (no need to add salt now). Close the lid. Keep in the gas stove at medium flame(see below pic) for about 5 whistles ( It takes about 16 min approximately). Then switch off the gas stove.

2. Wait for about 10 minutes for the pressure to settle in. Open the lid. add the salt and mix well. This dal taste better if they dont get mashed up too much and if you could see the lentils separately(as in below pic) . If you want more mashed up dal, then increase the water quantity and cooking time.

(If you are unable to watch the video , click here - https://goo.gl/photos/eX6UaNDrD54x9gWg8)

3. Seasoning is optional for this dal , as we already added all the spices.. Still if you prefer, in a teaspoon of oil, add mustard and once it splutters, add cumin seeds and dry red chilli. Pour it over the dal and mix well. Panchmela dal is ready!. Serve with plain white rice or rotti .

Butter Murukku(chakli)

Tasty and easy butter murukku ! ..

INGREDIENTS:

Rice flour - 3 cups
Gram flour(Kadalai maavu) - 1/2 cup
Roasted gram flour(Pottukadalai maavu) - 1/4 cup

(Dry roast pottukadalai for two to three minnutes and powder them fine )
Butter - 3 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (Optional)
Salt - 1 1/4 teaspoon

Water - as required

METHOD:
1. In a vessel add rice flour,gram flour,roasted gram flour and mix well. Then add melted butter, cumin seeds,salt and mix well again.

2. Then add water little by little and make dough. The dough shouldn't stick with your hands and should come together as a ball. It should be in the rotti dough consistency .

3.  In murukku maker, add any desired design plate . Insert orange sized dough  and make murukku and deep fry in oil. Please be careful that, one or two cumin seeds may crackle in the oil sometimes.. 

Padar Peni

It is a tasty sweet dish made of all purpose flour,sugar. It has very minimal ingredients, but the dish is made in a very detailed manner. There are many variations of padar peni available on the net. Below is my version .

Cooking Time : 45 minutes
Serves - 33 pieces

INGREDIENTS:
All purpose flour/maida - 500 gms(If you measure in a 240 ml cup, you will get 2.5 cups)
Sugar - 300 gms
Food colour -a pinch( I used sunset orange color)
Ghee - 3 tablespoon
Rice flour - 1 tablespoon
Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom powder - As required.

METHOD:
1. Prepare all ingredients and set ready.

2. In a bowl, take all purpose flour. Add a pinch of salt, food color and mix well. Then add water little by little and knead to form a dough as that of rotti dough. If the dough is  too sticky, add some oil, so that it doesn't stick with your hands.

3. Keep aside the dough covered. Now it is time to make the "padar" paste. Take a bowl and add 3 tablespoon ghee , 1 table spoon rice flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda  and mix well without any lumps.

4. Now take the dough and make orange sized balls, as big as shown in below pic . It comes around 4 big pieces.

5. Take a ball of dough and roll it flat. Do not make it too thin. Keep this rotti aside.

6. Similar way make rotti of all the dough balls. (Note: Do not stack all rotti one above the other . All purpose flour is very soft and sticky.. So if you place one above other , they will stick each other. So keep each rotti separately) . Now take one rotti and apply the "padar" paste

7. Place another rotti above it. Apply the "padar" paste again and place the next rotti . Place all rotti one above other this way.

8. Now roll it all together as shown below.

9. Cut them in to equal parts.

10. Now take the first piece. The cut portion should come in the top. Press it and it will look like a flower with petals.

11. Repeat this process for all the pieces. 

12. Keep those dough balls aside. It is time to make sugar syrup. In a vessel, add 300 gms of sugar and add 150 ml water and place it on the stove.

13.Allow the sugar syrup to come to boil.Keep stirring constantly with a wooden spatula. In about approximately 8 minutes, the sugar syrup gets sticky. When you touch the spatula, you can feel that syrup is sticky. When you pour it in a plate which has water, the syrup should not get dissolved immediately. Please check the below video for the syrup consistency.

(If you are unable to watch the video, please click here -> https://goo.gl/photos/efmsa8Ki2sS8T48Q8 )

14. Once syrup is ready. Switch off the gas. Now take  one dough ball which you have kept ready. Roll them flat  to the size as shown below. As we have padar paste inside, do not roll them thin. Then the paste would starts to ooze out. 

15. Flip the top side to the bottom and you get a semi circle.

16. Flip the left side to the right and you get a traingular shape . Now using the chapati roller, flatten it little bit. Then using fork, prickle all over it. It helps the padar peni to absorb the sugar syrup.

17. Deep fry them in oil and then immediately put  the padar peni in the sugar syrup using a tong. Allow it to stay in the sugar syrup for 2 min approximately. Do not allow the padar peni to stay for long. It will get soggy. Remove and place it on a plate.

18. You get about 6 nos. of  big padar peni as shown below. 

19. Cut them in to pieces. You will get about 33 pieces.

20. Padar peni is ready.. Keep it outside for 2 to 3 hours to cool down. The sugar syrup gets thicken. Then refrigerate it.