Tips , tips , tips.

Discussion in 'Ask ChitVish' started by Chitvish, Sep 27, 2005.

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  1. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Ami, Thanks for the tip !

    Dear Ami, Just to answer your query, I tried the curryma podi with a pinch of salt, hot rice & ghee. it really tasted excellant. I think I should thank you for giving me this tip !
    Love & regards,
    Chithra.
     
  2. Ami

    Ami Silver IL'ite

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    oh, Mrs.Chithra, it is my pleasure and you are most welcome!!!
     
  3. meenu

    meenu Bronze IL'ite

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    dear chithra

    dear chithra,
    i tried the following recipes in the past two days.baby potato maal cury. easy wheat halwa.mysorepak.pokoda. mixture,an vathal kuzhambu. the sweets andsavouries were appreciated by my family and friends unanimously.all dishes were hits. kudos to you. shall try more. also the potato sambar was super. meenu
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2005
  4. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Tips on Vegetable Curries

    For South Indian meals, a dry vegetable curry, very often with a green vegetable is a must. There are many varieties of making curries & I will give an outline of the general recipes followed.

    I have already given in the tips, how to cook green vegetables in the pressure cooker.All vegetables except, brinjal, ladies’ finger, potatoes, seppankizangu etc can be cooked by that method.

    The tempering is generally, 1 red chilli, mustard seeds, urad dhal + hing powder & curry leaves ( optional ).

    (1) Curries with boiled dhal ( paruppu ) & grated coconut:

    The boiled dhal can be moong or tur dhal, boiled grainy, not mushy.

    Avarakkai, clusterbeans, bananastem, banana flower, cabbage, carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower, banana, keerai, chenai are some, suitable for this method.
    Bananstem curry:
    banana stem curry.jpg
    The above can be:
    Cooked by one whistle method-
    Retain green color of Vegetables
    Or
    MW in a steamer for 5-6 mts, depending on how fresh the vegetable is.

    All the above can be prepared thus also:

    1- plain after tempering

    2- with grated coconut only
    30th chowchow curry.jpg
    orange curry.jpg
    3- with grated coconut ground (for just 2 secs ) with green chilli

    4- with grated coconut ground (for just 2 secs ) with red chilli + a tiny pinch jeera

    5- with curryma powder

    6- with curryma powder + coconut.

    (2) Vegetables like brinjal , kovakkai & ladies finger can be lightly steamed either in microwave or steamer so that less oil can be used.
    For ladies' finger, first wash the vegetables, pat dry with a towel, chop, smear 1 tsp lime juice to prevent stickiness & steam for 5-6 mts.

    Potatoes & seppankizangu must be boiled, peeled & cubed.

    The above mentioned 5 vegetables can be lightly roasted with curryma powder.

    An alternate powder particularly for brinjal, kovakkai, banana etc

    Roast & powder coarse

    Red chillies – 6

    Dhaniya – 2 tbsp

    Peanuts – 2 tbsp

    Seasame seeds – 2 tbsp

    Small brinjals slit into 4 can be filled with the above powder mixed with salt, steamed for 6,7 mts & then roasted on a low fire. This way, oil is cut down.
    If you want to add onions, cut them into thin slices or cubes & after tempering saute them on medium flame for 5 mts. Then add the steamed (or boiled) vegetables (well drained) & fry on a low fire.

    Potato roast :

    Boil potatoes till just soft. Cool, peel Cube.

    Marinate them in a mixture of 3 tbsp curds, chilli powder, haldi, hing powder & salt.

    After 30-40 mts it will turn dry. Now roast it as usual on a low fire.

    For a very crisp roast, oil cannot be compromised.
    Potato Roast
    Madurai Kizangu Special
    Masal Kizangu
    Cheppankizangu Roast:

    Wash thoroughly & Cook till ¾ done. Take care to see that the vegetable does not become too soft & hence mushy. Peel cut each into 2 halves LENGTHWISE.
    Now follow either method:
    1 Marinate the pieces in tamarind paste+red chilli powder+salt +hing for 30 mts. Then shallow fry in a (preferably) non-stick pan. For 1/2 kg vegetable, the minimum oil required is 3 tbsp.
    sembu roast.jpg
    OR
    Deep fry in oil.Grind red chillies, ½ tsp saunf & salt. Apply this paste with haldi on the vegetable. Keep aside for 15 mts. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan & add the vegetable. Fry on a low fire till the masala becomes dry.
    Also go to
    Seppankizangu(Sembu) fry

    Chenai Roast:

    This method is applicable only to best & non-itchy variety.

    Cut the vegetable into very small cubes, add salt & haldi.

    Rest for 30 mts. Drain the excess water & squeeze the vegatable lightly. For 1 cup of squeezed chenai, you can add upto ½ cup grated coconut. In a kadai, heat 3 tbsp oil, , temper mustard seeds,add both chenai, coconut, haldi & salt. Roast on a low fire till crisp & done.

    Grated Bittergourd fry;

    Grate bittergourd, add salt & haldi. Rest for 30 mts. Drain the excess water & squeeze the vegatable lightly. For 1 cup of grated vegetable you can add upto equal amount of finely chopped small onions & upto ½ cup grated coconut. In a kadai, heat 4 tbsp oil, temper mustard seeds, add all the above ingredients, salt Roast on a low fire till crisp.

    In any of the above vegetable curries, you can add finely chopped onions, when tempering. It is particularly good for brinjal, potato & kovakkai.

    Paruppusili:

    The basic recipe for usili is given in Navaratna Paruppusuli.

    You can make with vegetables like banana flower, cluster beabns, cabbage, beans, cauliflower, karamani, capsicum etc. The usili can be stuffed fro small round brinjals & small capsicums, the whole vegetable steamed & then roasted.

    How to freeze Paruppusili?
    Paruppusili Parade

    Some curries given are:
    Agathikeerai Poriyal
    Drumstick leaf-Onion Curry
    Banana Podi
    Cabbage-Stirfry
    Bittergourd Chips

    Party Karela (Bittergourd)
    Babycorn Roast
    Cauliflower-Pepper Fry
    Micro Stuffed Brinjal
    Masal Mochai
    Navaratna Paruppusili
    Puli Kuthina Upperi
    Idichakkai Thoran(kathal or jackfruit dry curry)
    Bittergourd Roast
    Ways with Raw Banana
    Stuffed capsicum
    S I Style clusterbean dishes

    MW:
    Raw banana curry
    Paruppusili
    Keerai Sundal ( Poriyal)
    MW Stuffed Bhindis
    MW Capsicum Sabji
    MW Ridgegourd Dry Sabji
    MW Manathakkali Poriyal
    MW Besan Stuffed Brinjals
    Bharwan Bhindi

    The photo given below is carrot + grainy moong dhal + grated coconut.
    carrot curry.JPG
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2010
  5. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Tips on Kootus.

    Kootu has been a favourite item in South Indian cooking & now is very popular because, the importance of adding more vegetables & dhal in our daily food is very much stressed on medical grounds.

    A well prepared kootu forms the bulk in any meal.

    The general classification is

    (1) without tamarind

    (2) with tamarind called puli kootu

    (3) with sour buttermilk called morkootu besides masiyal, palkootu etc

    Without tamarind:

    Many vegetables can be used for this type. Some are white pumpkin, chow chow, snake gourd, banana stem, avarakkai, cabbage, potato (yes !), keerai, mixed vegetables like chow chow, carrot, beans, peas & potatoes in combination etc.

    Dhal combinations can be

    1 – moong dhal

    2 - moong dhal + gram dhal

    Only gram dhal (pumpkin, snakegourd, chowchow etc)

    3 – more moong dhal + little tur dhal

    Now, from the “fibre point of view “, we use perumpayuru ( karamani ) in many kootus.

    The grinding combinations are also many:

    1 – coconut + green chilli + jeera + little rice flour (optional)

    2 – coconut + red chilli + jeera (specially for keerai)

    3 – green chilli + little udad dhal fried in ½ tsp oil + coconut

    4 – coconut + jeera (little sambar powder is added to boiling vegetables)

    This varies with households.

    Kootus with coconut & without onions:

    Boil the vegetables with salt & haldi in just enough water ( kootu is generally thick) – add cooked dhal, boil – finally add the ground paste, give a boil & remove. Temper in oil with mustard seeds, udad dhal & curry leaves.

    Some people do not add coconut, hence add more moong dhal & for thickening, add little rice flour mixed with water. Instaed we can add multipurpose powder for thickening, which will give a good flavour. For this kootu, vegetables can be boiled in a mixture of milk & water for a creamy consistency.

    Normally tomatoes are not added for kootus.

    For potato alone, boil chopped small cubes with salt & water, dhal need not be added & just add the second grinding combination.

    Kootus with moong dhal & onion – no coconut

    Moong dhal, lightly roasted & presoaked in boiling water for 1 hr is cooked in a pressure pan for one whistle. Then add chopped vegetables, chopped onions (small onions are particularly good), slit green chillies, salt & haldi . Cook till done. Temper in 1 tsp ghee, mustard seeds, udad dhal & curry leaves.

    This method is very good for, snakegourd, tender beans, lauki, banana stem, chow chow, white pumpkin, cabbage & avarakkai.

    Puli kootu:

    Generally gram dhal, small brown channa (konda kadalai), & ofcourse tur dhal & moong dhal are used. A little jaggery is usually added to puli kootus.

    Suitable vegetables are brinjal, clusterbeans, raw banana , white pumpkin etc.
    Banana kootu
    banana kootu.jpg

    For the above, boil vegetables with salt & haldi in minimum tamarind water, add cooked dhal & add either curryma podi plain or ground with coconut. Traditionally, hing, red chiili, dhaniya &gram dhal are fried in little oil, ground with or without coconut & added..Now curryma podi substitutes well for that.

    Some traditional combinations are

    1 – banana + small brown channa

    2 – clusterbeans + gram dhal

    3 – white pumpkin + channa

    4 – brinjal + gram dhal.

    Some prefer to roast little coconut in oil to golden colour & add at the end to puli kootu for a nice flavour.

    Some add sambar powder instead of grinding fresh. In that case more dhal has to be added for thickness. This is particularly good for banana & clusterbeans.

    A less common combination is gram dhal + sambar powder + tamarind + well fried ladies’ finger cut to 1 cm thick.

    Another grinding combination for puli kootu:

    Fry in little oil, red chillies, dhaniya, urad dhal, gram dhal, little pepper, little jeera hing powder, curry leaves & coconut.

    This is good for, seppankizangu (boiled, peeled & cut), snakegourd, clusterbeans & potato – for these, besides tamarind water in which vegetables are boiled,cooked tur dhal is added in small quantity & then the ground paste.

    Temper in oil with red chilli, mustard seeds & urad dhal.

    This is an Andhra method shared by a friend & it is very good.

    Morkootu;

    Suitable for banana stem, cabbage , seppankizangu, chow chow, white pumpkin & keerai – vegetables are boiled with salt in minimum water, ground paste of coconut + red chilli + jeera + rice ( the last two are optional ) added to boiled vegetables & thick sour buttermilk is added just before removing. Some add soaked gram dhal to grind with coconut to give thickness.

    For morkootu the tempering is red chilli, mustard seeds, a pinch of methi seeds & curry leaves.

    Since keerai kootu can be prepared in3,4 different ways, I shall post that separately – this has become long enough !
    Ways with Keerais
    One Whistle Greens

    Parangikkai Pal Kootu
    Malabar Kootu Curry
    Rasavangi
    Ridge Gourd / Peerkangai Masiyal
    Mullangi Masal Kootu
    Beans kootu
    Karunaikizangu Masiyal
    Yam(chenai) Masiyal
    Cauliflower Palkootu
    Ways with Raw Banana
    Brinjal Gravy Curry

    S I Style clusterbean dishes
    BananaFlower Kootu
    Beetroot Kootu
    Ways with Clusterbeans
    Brinjal Kootu
    Broccoli Dishes
    Green Tomato Kootu
    Clusterbeans Kootu
    Clusterbeans Poricha Kootu
    Bottlegourd Morkootu
    Ladies' Finger Kootu
    Diet Kootu
    Whole Moong Diet Kootu
    Peas Palkootu
    Thani kootu
    Knolkhol Poricha Kuzambu
    MW:
    Ridge gourd masiyal
    Banana-Stem Morkootu
    MW Puliyitta Keerai
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2011
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  6. Chilbuli Imli

    Chilbuli Imli Senior IL'ite

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    Dear Chitvish!

    Hello!

    I liked the salad which is shown in the picture. Will it be possible for you to put the recipies of this bread and bean salad as i cant get it from Tarla Dalal's website.

    Thanks

     
  7. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Bread & bean salad posted.

    Hi, I have posted the Bread & Bean Salad recipe of Tarla dalal, on your request in the salads thread.

    Regards,
    chithra.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 7, 2005
  8. Induslady

    Induslady Administrator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dishes dressed up for an Occasion!

    Here are the few dishes dressed up for an Occasion by Chitvish


    Damrot Halwa is the one below - Check out the recipe here

    [​IMG]

    Potato Halwa follows

    [​IMG]

    Shahitukre is decorated as shown below

    [​IMG]

    Finally take a look at the "Dinner Decorated"

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2005
  9. Kamla

    Kamla IL Hall of Fame

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    Yummieee!

    The idea of posting the pictures of those simply delicious dishes, that too, decorated to kill, was a real mean one!! We still don't have the technology to grab at the food on the monitors, so, that was bad:(
    Jokes aside, they all looked so good and congrats to the cook:))
     
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  10. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks for your message.

    Dear Kamla,
    Thanks for the flattering compliments. Hello, the cook was none other than me, ably helped by my daughter Ruby.
    Regards,
    Chithra.
     
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