SPICY CURRIES

Jun 21, 2010

Bobbatlu

INGREDIENTS:
Chana dal : 1 cup
Jaggery : 1 cup powdered
cardamom : 2 pods powdered finely
Saffron : a pinch
edible camphor : a small pinch
maida / sooji fine / wheat flour : 1 cup
oil : 1/2 cup
DIRECTION TO PREPARE :
Pressure cook the chana dal and drain off the excess water. Do not throw away as u can use it to make rasam/soup if u wish. Now sprad the dal on paper towels inorder to remove the excess water. After some time grind it into a fine paste without adding water. Keep aside.

In a bowl mix the sooji/maida/wheat flour with water to make a smooth dough like a chapati dough and smear it with oil and keep covered for about 30 minutes.

In the meanwhile put a thick nonstick pan on the stove and add in the jaggery without adding water. Keep stirring until the whole jaggery is dissolved. Now add the ground chana dal paste and keep mixing so that no lumps are formed. Add in the cardamom, camphor and saffron also. Cook until the raw smell goes off and cool for sometime. Make small balls of this mixture and keep aside.
Now make small chapati with the flour with ur fingers spreading it on a polythene sheet or plastic cover. U can use the oil for spreading. Now put the sweet ball in between and cover from the sides. Again press down with ur fingers to make round shape like a chapati. Heat a tava and fry this chapati on both sides until brown spots appear on both sides. Add oil to the chapati while frying. Repeat the same with the other balls. Remove and serve along with ghee.

Bendi with tomato fry

Ingredients:

½ lb Okra (Cut in two pieces each okra)(bendi)
½ Cup onion and tomato paste
3/4 cup grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 + 1/2 tsps fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 bowl tamarind paste (or a marble size ball of tamarind soaked in water)
salt & jaggery to taste
Curry Leaves
2 tsp Sesame Seeds Powder
1/2 tsp Pulusu Podi
oil

Method: 

Cut okra in two pieces (each). Toast a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in a pan until aromatic. Grind along with coconut and cumin seeds into a smooth paste, adding water as required. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add onions and toast them till they become golden brown. Now Grind them with tomato and make a paste.
Heat oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, turmeric powder, curry leaves and asafoetida.Once the seeds begin to pop, add the Okra pieces and let it stay till they kind of fry. Now add tomato and onion paste and stir once. Add red chilli powder, sesame powder, pulusu podi, coconut powder tamarind paste and jaggery; Add little bit water and cover the pan. After some time add little bit Coriander powder and Mix well. Adjust seasoning. Bring to a boil on low heat. When the pulusu becomes bit thick garnish with coriander leaves.
Bendakayi Pulusu goes really well with vegetable pulav

Jun 20, 2010

Dum aloo

Ingredients:
Brown onion paste – 4 tbsp
Brown cashew nut paste – 1 tbsp
(Take 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry 7-8 cashews till golden and keep aside. Chop 2 medium size onions and fry in the pan till golden brown. Grind with cashews to make a fine paste)
Tomato puree – 3 tbsp
(Use canned or prick one tomato with a fork and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Blend in the mixer to make a puree. NOTE – do not forget to prick the tomato)
Red chilli paste – 1 tbsp
(The best chillies to use in Indian dishes are Kashmiri, which give a lovely color but arent too hot. Use 2-3 red chillies, break into pieces and grind with water. If you do not have Kashmiri chillies, use less)
Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tbsp
Jeera powder – 1/4 tsp
Clove powder – a pinch
Cinnamon powder – a pinch
(If you have a pestle and mortar grind the three ingredients together or put them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin)
Salt To taste
Oil – 1 tbsp
Baby potatoes, par boiled and deep fried – 5-6
Oil to fry potatoes

Method:
Cover potatoes with water in a pan and bring to a boil. Don’t boil them completely. Prick and fry potatoes till golden brown in 2 tbsp oil. Mix 1 tbsp chilli paste and 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste with water. In a fry pan take 1 tbsp oil and add above paste. Cook till water evaporates and the contents look like a paste. Add salt, jeera,clove and cinnamon powders. Add brown onion and cashew nut pastes mixed with 4 tbsp water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add tomato puree and cook till oil leaves sides of pan. Add fried potatoes and cook until potatoes are done.
The dish goes well with rotis, not rice as it is dry. You can increase onion and tomato paste to get more gravy.I like to have it with rotis and viki likes to have with rice, So I tried to make it little bit dry and little bit gravy so that it will perfect to go with roti’s and with rice…
Enjoy!!!!

Greenpeas stir fry

Ingredients:
2 cups green peas
1 medium size onion, chopped fine
3 green chillies, slit
2 tbsp grated coconut
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste
For seasoning -
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
oil
Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds; once they begin to pop add asafoetida and cumin seeds. Let the cumin sizzle then add onion and chillies. Saute until the onion turns slightly golden.
Add peas and turmeric and season with salt. Add a little water and cook until peas are tender.
Sprinkle grated coconut and cilantro on top and serve hot

Cabbage stirr fry

Ingredients:
1 small cabbage
cut finely 1 medium sized onion
5-6 green chilli (coarsley grind it with one pinch of salt)
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
a pinch of hing
salt to taste
2 tblsp cooking oil

Method: 
Heat up the oil and mix in the turmeric powder,cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves.
Now mix in the onions and fry till the onions turn translucent and start turning brown and add ginger-garlic paste.Mix in the cabbage, salt to taste,green chilli and some water and cover cooked on a small flame till the cabbage is done.Add the chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with chapathi’s

Aloo gobi curry

Ingredients:
2 cup diced potoes
1 chopped Onion
3 chopped Green Chillies
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 medium head of cauliflower
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds(optional)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp Refined Oil
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
As required Salt
2 or 3 Curry Leaves
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp corainder powder

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan over a gentle flame.
Add the mustard seeds,cumin seeds,turmeric when they crackle, add the chopped onions, green chillies,ginger-garlic paste and the curry leaves.
Fry for 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes,potatoes,cauliflowe,salt,chilli powder and very little water to cook.
Cook till the potatoes are soft then add mint leaves,garam masala and coriander powder and rest it for 2 more minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and Serve the dish with chapathi’s or pulka’s.

Rajma

Ingredients:
1 can Rajma ( Red kidney beans)
Salt To taste
1 Pinch Turmeric powder
1 Onions, chopped
5 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch Ginger, chopped
3 Green chillies, chopped
3 Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp Corainder powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
2 tbsp Oil
Handful Corainder leaves

Method:
Wash and pressure cook the rajma. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and chillies. Fry until they turn brown.
Add onions and tomatoes. Cook until masala separates from oil.
Add salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
Add the boiled rajma, red chilli powder, corainder powder, garam masala and stir.
Simmer the flame and cook until a thick gravy is formed.
Remove from fire. Garnish rajma with corainder leaves and serve hot with chapatis or with jeera rice.

Cholai

Ingredients:
1 tin Chick Peas
1 Onion
1tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
½ can Tomatoes
1 Potato (nice small pieces)(Optional)
1tbsp Cumin powder
1tbsp Coriander powder
1tbsp Chili powder
1tbsp Garam Masala
1tbsp Grated coconut
½ bunch Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
¼ bunch Mint leaves (finely chopped)

Method:
Sauté onions, add ginger-garlic paste and potatoes. Fry for about 5 minutes then tomatoes, and continue frying.
Add cumin, coriander and chili powders, and some salt. Fry for another 5 minutes.
Add chick peas (wash it properly before adding), boil for a few minutes.
Add garam masala powder, let mixture simmer.
Sprinkle grated coconut, cilantro and mint leaves on top and serve hot

Beans fry

Ingredients:
2 cup stringed and cut into small pieces French Beans
1 chopped Onion
3 chopped Green Chillies
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds(optional)
1 tblsp Refined Oil
5 tblsp grated Coconut
As required Salt
1 sprig Curry Leaves

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan over a gentle flame.
Add the mustard seeds.
When they crackle, add the chopped onions, green chillies and the curry leaves.
Fry for 3 minutes.
Add the sliced beans, salt and just sufficient water to cook the beans.
Cook till the beans are soft and the water has evaporated.
Add the grated coconut.
Serve the dish with hot pulkas.

Potato fry

Ingredients:
2 large Potatoes – peeled and cubed
4 tablespoon Oil
½ tablespoon cumin seeds
2 Onions (chopped)
5 Green Chilies (chopped)
1 inch Ginger (finely chopped)
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
¼ tsp Turmeric powder

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and crackle cumin seeds.
Add onions and fry till light brown.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Add salt and a little water.
Cover and cook them in their own moisture till the potatoes are done.
Best served with puris.

Bendakaya fry

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon oil
4 big green chilies (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
½ tsp turmeric powder
500 grams (about 20 oz.) okra washed, pat dried and sliced into fine strips lengthwise or cut into rings
salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and fry the green chilies and ginger briefly till the ginger turns brown. Add the turmeric powder and mix well. Mix in the finely sliced okra stirring gently and briefly on high heat till it is well coated with the oil and looks glossy. Mix in the salt, cover and cook on low for about 12 minutes or till the okra is tender and well cooked. Sauté briefly and gently till the okra is well fried and starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Chapathi

Ingredients:
1 cup Wheat Flour
As required Salt
2 tblsp Ghee
3 tblsp Ghee for shallow frying

Method:
Sift the flours together along with the salt in a basin.
Add the ghee and mix thoroughly.
Add a little warm water and form a stiff dough and set aside for at least half an hour.
Form into balls.
Roll the balls into rounds 3″ in diameter for chapatis.
Cook on both sides on a tawa using a little ghee on a medium flame till cooked and brown spots starts appearing on the roti.

Instant Dosa

Ingredients:
1 cup plain rice
1 cup puffed rice
1/4 cup white udad dal
2 cups curds
10-12 tsps. ghee or oil as preferred

Method
Wash the rices and dal together.
Add Curd and allow to soak for 2 hours or overnight.
Grind to a paste. Rawa -like grains should be felt in the batter. Add salt and mix well add more water/curd if required.
The consistency of the batter should be thick enough to thickly coat on a spoon when dipped.
Heat the iron griddle or non-stick tawa well.
Pour a spoonful of batter in the centre, spread with the back of the spoon to a thin round.
Pour a tsp. of ghee or oil over it.
Remove with spatula when crisp.
Serve hot with chutney and/or sambar.

Sorakaya (bottle gourd)pappu

Ingredients:

Meth1 medium size Bottle gourd (outer skin peeled, then cut into small cubes).
1 cup Moong dal
1 small onion (chopped)
2 Green chilli (slit)
¼ tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
½ tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Chilli powder
¼ tsp Cumin powder
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tablespoon Oil
Salt to taste
od:
Wash and soak dal in water for 10 minutes. Later drain.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard. Add ginger garlic paste,green chili and onions, sauté for a few seconds.
Add bottle gourd cubes, Cover and cook them in their own moisture. When they are little bit softened, add the daal,coriander powder, chilli powder,salt and cumin powder.
Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the daal and bottle gourd pieces turn soft.
Garnish with Coriander leaves


Best served with rice or roti.


Pachi pulusu

Ingredients:
1 Big marble size Tamrind
2 Shallot (chopped)
4 Green Chillies
1 Clove Garlic
4 -5 Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Oil
3 Cups of water
Few strings of coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak the tamrind ball in water for 20 minutes.Take a pan and roast the green chillies till they loose the little green color. Add them in marble grinder with salt and grind it for few minutes. Now Extract the tamrind juice and discard the pulp. Add the Onions , green chilli paste , coriander leaves to the tamrind juice.
Heat oil and turmeric,mustard seeds,Cumin seeds, Curry leaves and one smashed garlic clove. Now add it to the tamrind juice. Ready to serve.

Jun 19, 2010

Tandoori chicken


Ingredients:
1 (800 gms) of chicken
1 tspn of kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tblspn of lemon juice
Salt to taste

For Marination
200 gms of yogurt
1 tspn of kashmiri red chilli powder
Salt to taste
2 tblspns of ginger paste
2 tblspns of garlic paste
2 tblspns of lemon juice
½ tspn of garam masala powder
2 tblspns of mustard oil

For basting of butter:½ tspn of chaat masala
For garnishing: Onion rings and lemon wedges
Method:
Clean the chicken. Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces.
Apply a mixture of kashmiri red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and keep it aside for half an hour.
Remove whey of yogurt by hanging it in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes. Mix Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and mustard oil to the yogurt.
Apply this marinade onto the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours.
Put the chicken onto the skewers and cook in a moderately hot tandoor or a pre-heated oven (200 degrees Celsius) for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done. Baste it with butter and cook for another four minutes in the broil.
Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.


Sprinkle chaat masala powder and serve with four onion rings and lemon wedges.

Cabbage with Channa daal

Ingredients:
1 small cabbage
cut finely 2 medium sized onion
1 tsp channa dal (Soak them in hot water for some time)
5-6 dry red chilli
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
2 tblsp coconut , shredded (optional)
a pinch of hing
salt to taste
2 tblsp cooking oil
Method:
Heat up the oil and mix in the turmeric powder,Channa daal,mustard, red chillies dals, hing and curry leaves.Fry till the mustard crackles
Now mix in the onions and fry till the onions turn translucent and start turning brown.Mix in the cabbage, salt to taste and some water and cover cooked on a small flame till the cabbage is done.Add the shredded coconut.

Beerakaya & Pesara Pappu (ridge gourd & moong daal)

Ingredients:
1 cup split moong dal (pesara pappu)
2 cups water
1 Medium Ridge Gourd (peel and cut into cubes)
1/4 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
1 small onion (cut into lengthwise)
1 garlic (smashed)
few curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric
big pinch asafoetida (hing)
salt

Method:
Soak the moong Daal for few minutes in water
Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot and add the cumin seeds,turmeric,garlic,onions,asafetida; cook them until they brown, but be careful not to burn. Add the green chilies, curry leaves and ridge gourd and cook for a few seconds. Then add the daal stir. Check to make sure there’s enough water, and if not, add some.
Add salt to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Just before serving, add chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with rice or pulka’s

This is a flavorful daal but not too spicy. To make it more spicy, include the red pepper or little red chili powder.

Mamidikaya Pappu (mango daal)

Ingredients:
1 Cup Toor dal
1 Medium size raw mango
5-6 Green chillies ( Cut them into lengthwise)
1 Garlic clove
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil
2 Strings curry leaves
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 Small Onion (chopped)

Method:
First wash toor dal and add 2-3 cups of water, turmeric powder, green chilies and chopped chunks of mango in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.
After the cooker is cooled dont mash the dal just add salt and little bit of water in it.
Now heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves when they splutter add mashed garlic clove and chopped onion pieces.
Saute them till chopped onion pieces turn light brown in color.
Now add the dal and allow it to cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Serve ‘Mamidikaya Pappu’ (Mango Dal) with steamed rice with some ghee on it.

Though it will be little bit spicy and tangy, but it sure is a treat.

Palakurra Pappu (spinach daal)

Ingredients:
1 cup Toor Dal (wash it and soak it for 1-2 hr with hot water)
1 cup Spinch leaves (wash it and chopped it)
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
2 tbsp of Lime Juice
2 table spoon Oil
1/2 tea spoon Jeera
pinch of asafoetida
2 Green Chillies (finely chopped) or Red Chillies
Salt to taste

Method:
Take a vessel and cook toor dal in it. When it cooked 3/4 then add spinch leaves, onion, salt, turmeric powder, garlic paste and asafoetida. Now cook all the things till they are cooked completely.
In a frying pan heat the oil and add all above mentioned ingredients (except lime juice) and pour it over cooked dal.
Now add lime juice in it and mix it well.
Serve hot with Rice.