Corn - bread Kurma - very easy, very delicious ! Corn kernels - 1 cup Bread slices - 4 Curds - ½ cup Onion - 1 – chop Salt Oil - 2 tbsp + enough to deep fry bread cubes Grind together: Coconut - ½ cup Onion - 1 Green chillies 5,6 ( or to taste) Saunf - ¼ tsp Cloves - 2 Cinnamon - ½ “ Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tbsp Khus khus - 2 tsp Cut bread slices into cubes & deep fry. Heat oil, add onions & fry till glossy. Add the ground paste & fry till the raw smell goes. Add some water, salt & boil. Add cooked corn & churned curds. Simmer & remove hot. Add fried bread croutons just before serving & serve hot.
S I Style Cluster bean dishes - Kothavarai ! Always select tender ones. Cut both ends & string on both sides to remove fibre. Chop fine for curries Dry curry:: Cook 1 cup of chopped vegetable with haldi for 2 whistles till soft & drain. Take about 2 tbsp of cooked tur dhal or moong dhal, slightly grainy – they should be just cooked & not soft.. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai, temper 1 or 2 broken red chillies, ½ tsp mustard seeds , 1 tsp urad dhal & a few curry leaves. Now add the vegetable, cooked dhal & little salt. Saute on a low fire till dry, taking care not to mash the dhal. Optionally 2 tbsp grated coconut can ba added just before removing. It is customary to sprinkle just a pinch of sugar for this vegetable since it has a slight bitter taste - again this is one’s choice ! (1) Paruppusili – this is a classic recipe, most famous with this vegetable. Please refer to recipe no: 4 in the Shakambari thread. Use chopped clusterbeans in the place of mixed vegetables & proceed as given there (2) Puli vitta kootu ( with dhal):-- In a pressure pan, lightly saute1 cup chopped vegetable in a little oil.Add 1 tsp tamarind paste, 1 cup of water, haldi, salt, hing & 1 tsp sambar powder. Add 2 tbsp cooked & mashed tur dal. Cook the entire mixture for 1 whistle.Cool, open & add 2 tbsp coconut ground with a pinch of jeera. Alternately, can add coconut & curry leaves fried to light brown in a little oil. Or coconut can be entirely omitted. Temper in 1 tsp oil with ½ tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dhal, curry leaves & ½ tsp hing powder.2 tbsp roasted peanuts added along with the tempering increases the taste. Adding a little jaggery is optional. (3) Kottu kootu - This does not contain dhal. Roast in 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp each of urad dhal & gram dhal, 2,3 red chillies, ½ tsp hing & grind to a coarse paste with 3 tbsp grated coconut. In a pressure pan heat 1 tsp oil, fry the chopped vegetable slightly, add 1 tsp tamarind paste, ½ cup of water, salt, haldi & ground paste. Cook for 2 whistles. Cool, open & temper with ½ tsp mustard seeds , 1 tsp urad dhal & few curry leaves in 1 tsp oil. The photo is posted below.
Dhal Makhni - The Maharani of Dhals ! Black whole urad- 1 cup Rajma - 1 tbsp Gram dhal - 2 tbsp Milk - ½ - 1 cup Cream - 4 tbsp Tomatoes - 4 ( make pulp) Ginger, finely chopped - 1 tbsp Garlic, finely chopped - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1 + 1 tsp Onions - 3-4 – slice long & thin Ginger juliennes - 2 tbsp To Garnish: Chopped coriander leaves - 1-2 tbsp Cream - 2,3 tsp Punjabi garam masala - 1-2 tsp Wash & soak all 3 dhals together for 8 – 10 hrs. Then again wash 3, 4 times with fresh water every time. Drain, add water, little salt, 1 tsp red chilli powder & finely chopped ginger & garlic. Cook this till very soft. Now add milk ( enough to get the required consistency), cream & churned tomatoes. Boil the mixture & simmer for 15 mts till the raw flavour if tomatoes is lost. In another kadai, heat 2 tbsp oil & add long slices of onions. Fry them well, then add ginger juliennes & continue to fry till onions become brown. ( This is important.) Add red chilli powder , mix well & add to the dhal. When everything boils together simmer for a few mts. Garnish with Punjabi garam masala, little cream & chopped coriander leaves.
Banana Flower Kootu - Also called Araipuli kootu This can be made of desired consistency. This goes well with Morkuzambu & mixed rice varieties. Chopped banana flowers - 2 cups Cooked white chawli ( karamani or perumpayru) - ¼ cup Cooked tur dhal - ¼ cup Pepper powder - ½ tsp ( little more is optional) Sambar powder - 1 tsp ( more is optional) Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Salt, haldi Hing - ½ tsp Tomatoes - 2 ( deskin & liquidise) Tamarind paste - 1 tsp Oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Urad dhal - 2 tsp Curry leaves - few In a pressurepan, cook very finely chopped banana flowers with minimum water & haldi for one whistle. Cool, open, add both the cooked dhas, pepper powder, sambar powder, salt tomato pulp, tamarind paste with enough water to get the desired consistency. Cover & cook for 1 or 2 whistles, depending on how soft you want the dish. Cool, open & add raw hing powder. Heat oil, temper mustard seeds& urad dhal, when dhal turns golden, add coconut & curry leaves & saute till coconut turns golden coloured. Add to the kootu. Note: For this particular dish, hing is added raw at the end. You can use either one – dhal or pulse alone. This can be made with bittergourd or brinjal also. Instead of chawli, we can use raw groundnuts, small black whole channa also.
Paneer Tikka - One of the many versions. Paneer from 2 litres milk + 2 cup curds OR 400 gms Red food colour - 2,3 drops Cornflour - 2 tsp Salted butter - 50 gms Salt Grind together: Green chillies - 15 ( or to taste) Garlic - 15 flakes Ginger - 2” Cut soft paneer into 2” long pieces. Add ground paste, colour, cornflour, salt & butter. Marinate for 4 hrs in the fridge. Shallow fry 2,3 at a time in a tava.
Aloo Dum - without onions & garlic. This is one of the many versions of this recipe. Small potatoes - ½ kg Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp Amchur powder - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 ½ tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp Curds - ½ cup Salt Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp Oil - 2 tbsp Boil the potatoes (they should not become too soft ), peel & prick all over with a fork. Mix masalas & salt with the curds. Marinate the potatoes in this mixture for 1 hr. In a kadai, heat the oil, add potatoes & ½ cup of water. Cover & cook on a low flame till the potatoes are well coated with the masala. Remove & garnish with chopped coriander leves.
Sweet & Sour Paneer - fusion dish - Indo-Chini Bhai Bhai ! This is an ideal side dish with chinese fried rice, noodles, peas or corn pulao etc. Paneer - 200 gms Onion, large - 1 Capsicums, medium - 2 Carrots, medium - 2 Salt Aji no moto - ½ tsp ( optional) Oil - 2 tbsp Sauce:: Tomato sauce - 4 tbsp Vinegar - 2 tbsp Soya sauce - 2 tbsp Sugar - 2 tbsp Salt - 1 tsp Cornflour - 1 tbsp Water - 1 cup Oil - 1 tbsp Cut paneer & vegetables into 1” pieces. Heat oil, first fry onion pieces lightly. Then add vegetables, aji no moto & fry for a few mts on a high flame. Add paneer pieces, salt & fry for 2, 3 mts. Mix cornflour with water first. Mix all other ingredients & transfer to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer, add cooked vegetables & paneer cubes. Serve hot with fried rice..
Sundakkai Dry Curry - laden with iron ! Select sundakai which is not the bitter variety. Slit into two or crush lightly & soak in warm water for ten mts. Rinse 2, 3 times changing water every time. Drain well. Prepared sundakkai - 1 cup Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp Salt, haldi Seasame seeds - 2 tsp ( dry roast & powder with the ingredients below ) To fry in ½ tsp oil & powder: Red chillies - 3, 4 ( or more to taste) Dhaniya - 4 tsp Gram dhal - 2 tsp To temper: Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Hing - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few In a pressurepan, mix sundakkai, tamrind paste, 2 tbsp water, salt & haldi. Preesurise for 2 whistles. Cool, open & lightly mash. Prepare the powder & keep ready. In a kadai, heat oil & temper as given. Add the mashed sundakkai & the powder. Saute to desired consistency. If made more spicy, with a little more oil & sauted well, this will keep for a week in the fridge. Goes with mulakootal, curd rice, dosai rtc.
Paneer Butter Masala - Tasty, not spicy, cooked in cream & tomatoes For this, very soft variety of paneer is necessary. Paneer - 200 gms ( cut into 1 cm cubes) Onion - 1 big or 2 medium – chop Ginger - ½ “ Garlic - 2,3 cloves Tomatoes - 5 Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp Cream - ¼ cup Oil - 3 tsp Curds - ¼ cup Water - ½ cup Garam masala - ½ tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Salt Pepper - ¼ tsp Chopped cashewnuts - 1 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves - to decorate Butter - to dot when serving Saute the chopped onion, garlic & ginger in 3 tsp oil till the raw smell goes completely & grind to a paste. Deskin & puree the tomatoes. Mix together the ground paste , puree, sauce, dry masalas, curd, salt & water. Cook on fire till it thickens a little . Add chopped cashewnuts & cream. Simmer, add chopped paner pieces. Simmer for 2,3 mts & remove. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves & dotted with butter. Goes well with naan, parota etc.
Mattar Paneer - yet another recipe of the 60's ! Boiled peas - 1 cup Paneer cubes chopped 1 cm - 1 cup ( chop 100 gms) Tomatoes - 3 – deskin & chop Green chillies - 3-4, slit into two For SBS photos,please go to Mattar Paneer Ginger juliennes - 2 tbsp ( or less) Salt, haldi Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Curds - ½ cup Oil - 2 tbsp Bay leaf - 1 Cinnamon - 1” Cardamom - 3,4 Cloves - 3, 4 Onions - 2 - chop Cashew nuts or melon seeds soaked for 1 hr - 1 tbsp Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Pepper powder - ¼ tsp Garam masala powder - ¼ tsp Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, to garnish Fry chopped onions in 1 tsp oil till light brown. Grind to a paste fried onions, cashew nuts or soaked melon seeds & coconut. In a kadai, heat oil & temper bay leaf, cinnamon , cloves & cardamom. When they are well fried, add green chillies, julienned ginger & finally tomatoes. When the tomatoes become pulpy, add the ground paste, curds, boiled peas, chilli powder salt & haldi. Let everything blend & boil together on a low fire. Add paneer pieces, pepper powder, garam masaa powder & coriander leaves. Mix well & remove. For panner in sabjis, please go to Preparing Paneer Cubes foor Sabjis