Babycorn & Paneer Balchao - I think it is a Goan dish ? I learnt this from a Konkani friend long back. Paneer - ½ kg , chopped fine Babycorn - 10, slit long Oil - 2 tbsp Brown vinegar - 2 tbsp Onion - 2, chopped Tomatoes - 2, chopped Tomato puree - ¼ cup Salt, little sugar To grind using brown vinegar; Red chillies - 4, 5 (or to taste) Garlic - 3,4 pieces Ginger - 1 “ Cinnamon - 1 “ Cloves - 3 Jeera - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Heat 1 tbsp oil, fry chopped onion first & the tomatoes. When well fried, add babycorn, tomato puree, paste, salt & sugar. Cover & cook adding little water. Add paneer & shake the vessel for uniform mixing. Add little more brown vinegar & mix well.
Jain Corn Kurma - simple, but superb taste Boiled corn kernels - 2 cups To temper: Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Chopped green chillies - 2 tsp Hing, curry leaves Mix together & keep ready: Milk - 1 cup + maida - 2 tsp Grind together: Coconut - ½ cup Pepper - ½ tsp Heat oil & temper as given. Add the paste, stirring on low fire till cooked. Add corn, salt & the paste. Simmer till well blended. Goes well with a spicy pulao.
Special Sweet & Sour Vegetables ideal for all Chinese dishes. In this, pineapple & bean sprouts are added. Carrot - 1 French beans - 16 Cucumber - 1 medium, peeled & cut into 1 cm pieces Bean sprouts - 1 ½ cups Spring onions - 2, cut into 4 Ajinomoto - ¼ tsp (optional) Oil - 3 tbsp Pineapple cubes - ½ cup Tomato sauce - 1 cup Vinegar - ½ cup Sugar - 4 tbsp Pepper powder - ½ tsp Salt Cornflour - 3 tbsp mixed with ½ cup water Scrape the carrot, string the beans & drop in boiling water to which ½ tsp salt is added. Boil for 1 mte, drain & cool. Cut carrot into 1 cm flowers & beans into 1” pieces. Heat the oil in a pan. Add bean sprouts & onions. Stir fry on a high flame for 3 mts. Add carrots, beans, cucumber, ajinomoto & salt. Stir fry on a high flame for 3 mts. Add pineapple cubes, tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, water, pepper & salt. Bring to boil & stir well. Add cornflour mixed with ½ cup of water, stirring all the time. Simmer for 2 mts, stirring continuously. Serve with Chinese Noodles Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice Fried rice with Beansprouts & Nuts Schewzhan Rice Schezwan Noodles
Jain Jeera Potatoes - do potatoes ever tire us?? NO! Boil, peel & cube potatoes. Boiled potatoes - 3 cups Mix together: chilli powder & dhaniya powder, 2 tsp each + haldi + hing + salt To temper: Oil - 2-3 tbsp Jeera - 2 tsp Heat oil temper jeera & add masalas. Saute for a minute & add potatoes. Simmer on a low fire till well roasted.
Kovakai Podi potta Curry - deliciously crunchy! Kovakai - ½ kg (slice or cut into long strips) Fry in 1 tsp oil & powder little coarse; Red chillies - 5,6(or to taste) Dhaniya - 4 tsp Gram dhal - 4 tsp Roasted peanuts - 4 tsp Seasame seeds - 4 tsp (roast dry separately, powder & add ) Hing - ½ tsp Salt Oil - 3 tbsp Steam the vegetable till soft, in a steamer or MW. Heat oil in a tavva, temper mustard seeds & add the vegetable. Sprinkle salt & the made powder. Mix well & roast on a low flame. Goes well with mulakootal, morkuzambu etc & parathas.
English Aviyal - Oops, aviyal made with only English Vegetables!! For this, the vegetables, I used are: Carrots, French beans, chow chow/zuchini, cauliflower, peas, baby corn, potatoes – use broccoli, if available. I added a few pieces of mango to get a slightly sour taste – this is optional, but very tasty. You can make this dish to your desired consistency. Cut the vegetables as for aviyal. Vegetables - 3 cups Slit green chillies - 4,5or to taste Thick coconut milk - one carton Salt, curry leaves Cook all vegetables + green chllies + salt in a pressure pan with JUST ½ CUP OF WATER for one whistle. Cool, add the carton coconut milk & mix well. At this stage, you can strain & remove the wat before adding coconut milk, depending on the desired consistency. Add curry leaves & a tsp of coconut oil for a typical aviyal flavour..
Jain Dahi alu - Goes with puri & rotis. One can use marble potatoes or regular ones also. Boil & peel. If latter, cut into cubes. Potatos - 2 cups Curds - 1 cup Besan - 2 tsp Green chilli-ginger minced - 3 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Dhaniya powder - 2 tsp Haldi, hing, salt Bayleaf - 1 Jeera - 1 tsp Onion seeds - ¼ tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Curry leaves - few Coriander leaves - to garnish Heat oil & temper bayleaf, onion seeds & jeera. Add green chilli-ginger minced & curry eaves. Next add hing, haldi & both the spice powders. Finally add besan & fry lightly. Add curds, cook on a low fire, stirring to prevent lump formation. When besan is cooked, add potatoes, salt & simmer to blends. Add coriander leaves & serve hot.
Jain Tomato-Boondhi Curry - an interesting sabji! Tomatoes - 1 kg (blanche, peel & blnd) Ghee + oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Jeera & methi seeds - ½ tsp Potatoes - 2, boiled, peeled & cubed French beans - 10-12, chopped 1” long & boiled Coriander leaves - ½ cup Green chillies - 6-8 or to taste Curry leaves - few Besan - 2 tbsp Kara boondhi - 1 cup(can be store-bougt) Sugar - 1-2 tbsp Salt Tamarind - 1-2 tsp Heat oil & put in mustard seeds, methi & jeera. Add some curry leaves & stir in besan. When it turns light brown, put in tomato puree, green chillies, boiled vegetables, tamarind paste & 1 cup of water. Stir continuously to prevent lump formation. When well boiled & blended, add coriander leaves. Add boondhi, sugar & simmer for 5 mts Remove & serve hot with rice or rotis.
Whole moong-Payathangai Curry - full of fibre! Whenever I make it, I end up making a full meal of it!! Payathangai is also known as karamanikai, s thin, 8-10” long & green. Chop it fine. Whole moong - ½ cup Vegetable, chopped - 1 cup Salt To temper: Oil - 1 tsp Red chillies - 2-3 Mustad seeds - 1 tsp urad dhal - 2 tsp Hing,curry leaves Soak moong in plenty of water for 4-5 hrs. Drain, add just enough water to immerse, in a small pressure cooker. After the first whistle comes, simmer & cook for 5 mtes. Cool, open & add the vegetable & little salt. Cook for one wistle &switch off. Cool, open & drain. Then temper as given in a kadai & add themoong-vegetable mixture. Saute for a fewmtes & remove. Goes best with vathakuzambu & morkuzambu.
Mushroom Sabji (masala) - A delicious blend of mushroon with spices ! Quartered mushrooms - 2 cup Tomatoes - 2 medium ( blanche & liquidize) Onion - 1, finely minced Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Dhaniya-jeera powder - 1 tsp Kasuri methi - 1 tsp Cream - 1 tbsp (optional) Salt Oil - 2 tsp Heat oil, add onion minced & ginger-garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes. Add tomato puree & simmer to boil. Add other ingredients except mushrooms & simmer till cooked. Finally add mushroom, cover & cook for 2-3 mts. This is to make sure that the mushroom remains soft. Garnish with coriander leaves.