Aloo Methi tikkis

The ever popular combination of fenugreek leaves and potatoes now in tikki form!!!

Ingredients:

2tsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
2 tsp Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Ginger (finely chopped)
1/4 cup Onions (chopped)
1 cup boiled and mashed Potatoes
1/2 cup Fenugreek leaves (methi chopped)
3 tsp dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) dry roasted and crushed
2 tsp Dry mango powder (amchur)
1/2 tsp Turmeric (haldi powder)
1/2 All spice powder (Garam Masala)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped Coriander leaves
1/4 cup Bread crumbs for rolling
Oil for frying

Method:

Heat 2 tsp oil in a non stick pan, add cumin seeds.
After they crackle, add green chillies, ginger, onions and saute till onions are translucent.
Add remaining ingredients, mix well and saute for 2 minutes.
Remove from flame and allow to cool/ Divide mixture into 8 equal parts and shape each portion into a round flat tikki.
Roll in bread crumbs, deep fry in hot oil till golden brown on all sides.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

Garlic roti with Spicy Kofta Curry

My husband is quite fond of spicy food. So just tried this out... and the result was .... he loved it!!!

I am sending this to 'Just not any other dish' event.

Spicy Kofta Curry

For the koftas
3/4 teacup fresh curds
3/4 teacup gram flour (besan)
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
6 green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 pinches soda bi-carb
salt to taste
oil or ghee for deep frying
For the curry
2 large tomatoes
1/4 teacup milk
2 tablespoons fresh cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons ghee
salt to taste
To be ground into a paste (for the curry)
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons poppy seeds (khus-khus)
25 mm. piece ginger
2 green chillies
6 red chillies
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

Mix all ingredients for koftas, make small balls and deep fry in oil. Keep aside.

Heat ghee in a pan, add little cumin seeds, the ground paste and fry till raw smell goes. Add tomato puree, salt and cook till opil leaves the sides. Add Milk, sugar and cook till thick. Add cream and mix well. Swtich off. Add koftas into the gravy just before serving and garnish.

(Note: this is adapted from Tarladalal's website)

Garlic Rotis

Ingredients:

3 cups maida/whole wheat flour. (i used wheat flour)

3 tsp desi ghee

3 tsp yoghurt

1 tsp garlic

Salt

Water to knead

Method:

Mix garlic, desi ghee, yoghurt and water. Mix flour and salt separately. Add the prepared mixture of garlic and yoghurt and make a dough. Roll into paranthas and cook on a tawa. Serve hot.

Chutneys for Idli

Idlis served with an array of chutneys makes for a wonderful dish and appealing to the eyes too.

check this out...

Tomato Thokku:

Made for days especially when u cant use garlic or onions.

2-3 medium sized tomatoes (pureed)

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1 tsp red chilli powder (can increase as per your taste)

Salt to taste

2-3 tbsp gingelly oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, fenugreek seeds, add tomato puree, red chilli powder, salt and cook till oil leaves the sides. Cool and serve. Can be kept in fridge for upto 3 weeks.

Coconut Chutney

1/2 cup Fresh grated Coconut

2 tbsp chutney dal (pottukadalai)

2-3 green chillies

1/2 inch ginger

Salt to taste

Take all ingredients in a mixer, grind with little water till smooth. Heat little oil in a pan, add little mustard seeds, few curry leaves and pour on top of the chutney and serve.

Green chutney

Same as the coconut chutney except that we add few stalks of fresh Corainder leaves while grinding fpr that lovely green hue. Serve.

Peanut Chutney

1/3 cup - Peanuts
2 tsp - Chutney Dal/Pottukadalai
1 tsp - Coriander seeds/dhania
2 nos - Green chillies
2 Tbsp - grated Coconut
1 Tbsp - chopped, Cilantro/coriander leaves
2-3 pieces of tamarind or 1 tsp - Tamarind extract
Salt to taste

Dry roast the peanuts lightly. Then roast the Chutney Dal, Coriander seeds and keep aside. Blend with the rest ingredients with little water. Give tadka as above and serve.

Dum Aloo gravy with French Beans Buttered Rice

Sunday Lunch calls for something special as all family members are home.

So here goes.....

Dum Aloo

Ingredients:

Potatoes- 2 medium diced or 10 baby potatoes

2 Onion medium chopped

3 Tomato medium pureed

2 Cloves

2 Elaichi (Cardomom)

1 inch Cinnamon

1 tsp Jeera (cumin seeds)

1 Bay leaf

1 Cup Coconut Milk (first milk)

Salt to taste

Pinch Haldi (turmeric powder)

4-5 Dry red Chillies

1 tbsp Ghee (Butter)

1 inch Ginger chopped finely

2-3 cloves Garlic (chopped finely)

1 tsp Garam Masala (all spice powder)

Method:

Peel potatoes, pierce with fork and soak in salt water for 1/2 hour. Drain and sprinkle haldi. keep aside.Grind ginger, garlic, red chillies to paste.

Heat Ghee in a pan or pressure cooker, add whole spices, let it splutter. Add finely chopped Onion, ginger paste and saute till raw smell goes off. Add tomato puree and cook again. Add salt, potatoes, haldi, coconut milk, garam masala, and little water if required. Pressure cook upto 2 whistles, garnish and serve with choice of breads or rice. (you can add little peas if you like for a variation).

French Beans Buttered Rice.

Ingredients:

1 Onion big sliced

1 Tomato big chopped

100 gms French Beans chopped

1 cup Basmati Rice

2 Cups coconut milk (fresh 1st and 2nd milk mixed)

Salt to taste

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

2-3 tsp Ghee/ Butter (can also take oil)

2 Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon (each)

3/4 tsp Garam Masala (all spice powder)

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder or 3 green chillies slit

2 stalks Coriander leaves or Mint leaves for garnish

Method:

Soak rice for 15 mts. Take a pressure cooker, heat butter/ghee, add whole spices and cumin seeds. Let it splutter, add onions, green chillies and saute till light brown. Add tomatoes and saute. Add salt, garam masala, red chilli powder if not using green chillies, french beans and saute. Add rice, coconut milk and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Garnish with coriander or mint leaves and serve hot.

I have taken 1:2 ratio for cooking rice.

Dosa,Sambhar, Chutney

Another staple breakfast item from south, Dosa is a commoner at most households. Served with a variety of Podis, Sambhar, Chutney, even sugar and ghee in some cases, this is one dish that very few people dislike.

Dosa
4 Cups Idli Rice
1.5 Cups Urad Dal
2 tsp Methi seeds
2 tsp Aval/Poha
1/2 cup raw rice

Soak all for 6 hours and grind dal and rice seperately to a smooth batter. Keep for fermenting and make dosas.

Sambhar:
1 cup Toor dal
10 Sambhar onions/Shallots
5 Tomato (medium pureed)
2-3 tsp imli extract
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tsp Dhaniya/Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Haldi
1 tsp Sambhar Powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1 tsp ghee
2 Dry red chillies
Curry Leaves
Pinch of Hing
Mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds, methi seeds to temper.

Cook Dal and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, cumin, methi seeds, dry red chillies and let it crackle. Add curry leaves, hing, onions and saute. Add tomato puree, salt, haldi, red chilli powder, dhaniya powder and saute till raw smell goes. Add imli, dal, sambhar powder, 1 cup water and let it boil for 5 mts. Drizzle ghee on top and serve hot garnished with Dhaniya leaves.

I am sending this to the "Think Spice - Think Red Chillies" event going at lakshmi of KITCHEN CHRONICLES and Sunita's blog .


Onion Tomato Chutney
3-4 Medium sized Onions (chopped)
3 Medium Tomatoes (chopped)
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Haldi
3/4 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
Mustard seeds and Curry leaves to temper.

Take oil in a pan, add onion, saute till transparent. Add tomatoes, salt, haldi, red chilli powder and saute till raw smell goes. Cool and grind to smooth paste. Do not add extra water else chutney will become watery. Temper with Mustard seeds, Curry leaves and serve.

7 Cup Cake

As Navratri approaches, i am all set in the festive mood and geared up for big time celebrations at my home. Many of you might share my views here. The festive season ignites a great amount of happiness in me and lends a new spark in my mind complete with religious fervour. So what better way to start with the festivities than making sweets for the family....

After all, sweets are synonymous with the festive season for us all...

7 Cup Cake

Taught to me by my mom, we call it 'yezhu dhinasu' cake at home. Few years ago, when readymade was not so much easily available, we used to start a month prior to diwali to make sweets and savouries at home. And on Diwali day, a customary ritual after the morning 'Ganga Snaanam' was to visit our relatives one by one and share whatever is made at our place. In return they also used to give us sweets and savouries made at their homes. All homemade, hygienic stuff and not that expensive. But nowadays, due to time constraints, working parents, nuclear families and above all the Idiot Box taking over our lives, has made us very prone to give excuses and buy readymade stuff from the well known eateries. Saravana Bhawan, Adyar Ananda Bhawan, any local market sellers and even salesmen who go door to door to take orders for Mixture, Murukku and Sweets, the most common ones being Jangiri and Badusha. But the amount of satisfaction and happiness that one gets by making these at home and receiving compliments makes up for all the efforts. So give it a try this year....

Contrary to the name, it is as simple as it can be. Try out for yourself and let me know.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Besan (Kadala Maavu)

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Ghee (at room temperature)

1 Cup Coconut (fresh and grated)

3 Cups Sugar

Method:

Combine all in a pan, cook on medium flame as it tends to burn and stick to the bottom. Cook till it starts leaving the sides of the pan. Pour into a gresed plate and cool. Cut into pieces and serve.

Simple Tomato Rice with Spicy Potato Fry

Do you always seem to have leftover rice on hand? If you've got some leftover rice that you'd rather not go to waste, here are some easy ways to turn your plain steamed leftover white or brown rice into a fabulous new meal or side dish! Read on for some uses for leftover rice.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup Leftover rice

1 tomato big chopped

1 green chilli chopped (big)

Curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Urad dal

1 tsp chana dal

1/2 tsp Haldi

5-6 Cashews (optional)

Salt to taste

2 tsp oil

1 stalk dhaniya for garnish (coriander leaves)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, urad dal, chana dal, cashew and saute till light brown. Add curry leaves, green chilli and saute. Add tomato, salt, haldi, cook till it becomes a masala. Add rice and toss lightly. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Note: I have added some boiled peas to make it look colourful. Its completely up to you what all to add.

Potato Fry:

1 Potato (big cut into small pieces)

3 tsp oil

1/2 tsp haldi

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, urad dal and saute. Add curry leaves, potato, salt, haldi, red chilli powder and mix well. Cook covered till done. Serve hot.