Kumbalanga pulisseri/ Kumbalanga moru curry/ Ash gourd buttermilk curry

As I promised in my previous post, I am posting Kumbalanga pulissery recipe today.
Kumbalanga pulissery is a common dish in every malayalee household. It is a yet another onam sadya recipe. I am including this recipe in my blog for my non malayalee friends.

My son loves this curry and he eats little more than his routine serving whenever I make it.

Off to the recipe now:

Ingredients:

Ash gourd/ Kumbalanga- 1 cup, peeled and diced into small pieces

Sour Curd/ yogurt- 11/2 cup

Green chilli- 2, slit lengthwise

Turmeric powder-3/4 tsp

Fenugreek powder-1/4 tsp

Grind to a paste:

Shallots-5

Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

For tempering:

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Dry red chillis- 2

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Oil

Method:

Beat the curd, grind everything under “grind to a paste” into a fine paste.

Cook ash gourd, green chilli, curry leaves with turmeric powder, salt and 3/4 cup of water until ash gourd becomes soft. Now add in grounded coconut paste and cook for 3-4 mins stirring occasionally.

Pour beaten curd, sprinkle fenugreek powder, stirring continuously, and heat the curry but don't boil it. Curd will curdle if you boil it. Remove from flame and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, throw in red chillies and switch of the stove. Pour this into curry and close the lid to let the aroma stays in.

Yummy kumbalanga pulisseri is ready to serve with rice. Enjoy!

I will be back soon with another delicious recipe.

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, Facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!

Tweet

Soya chunks dry masala

Soya chunks is a substitute for chicken for  vegetarians. Soya is the king of beans and is a good source of calcium, protein, iron, fiber etc which are essential for your kid's healthy growth. This dish is very spicy  but I have made it very mild so that my little son can enjoy it.

Ingredients

Soya chunks- 1cup

Onion-1 big, thinly sliced

Tomato-1, finely choped

Coriander powder-11/2 tsp

Chili powder-1 tsp

Ginger-1 tsp, finely chopped

Garlic- 1tsp finely chopped

Green chilli- 1, thinly slit

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder-1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Boil water in a pot and add soya chunks, cook for 5 mins. Drain them and wash in cold water. Squeeze out thoroughly. Repeat washing in cold water and squeezing for 2 more times. Squeeze out all water.

Marinate soya chunks with  chili powder, turmeric powder, a little garam masala and salt.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and shallow fry marinated soya chunks for 5 mins or until it starts to roast. Take the soya out of the pan and keep aside . Use less oil to saute soya since it absorbs all the oil.

Add 2 tsp oil in the same pan and saute ginger and garlic for 2-3 mins on low flame. Now add onion, curry leaves and green chilli and saute till onion turns translucent. 

Add coriander powder, pepper powder and saute till raw smell goes and oil separates.

Add in tomato, stir well and cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Check the salt and add more if needed.

Now add fried soya chunks and stir fry for 4-5 mins. If the masala is too dry , add 3-4 tbsp water and fry till all the water gets evaporated.

Sprinkle garam masala, cumin powder, lemon juice. Mix well and stir fry for another minute. Remove from the stove. Let it sit for 10 mins to absorb all favors.

Note: 1) If you want you can add roasted coconut slices on it .

2) If you want semi gravy form, add 1 cup water and cook until desired consistency in reached. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapatis/ rice.

See you all with another yummy recipe.

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, Facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!

Tweet

Instant fenugreek/methi/uluva leaves dosa

When I am bored of making regular dosa, I look for some variety. Who doesn't like changes? Methi leaves dosa is one such dosa I make at home once or twice a month to make my little son happy. This dosa is my son's one of the favourites. When my son relishes the food I make, I will be satisfied. Methi leaves have many health benefits. This leaf is good for curing stomach problems and indigestion. It cuts down cholesterol levels and controls glucose metabolisn thereby treating diabetes. It is also good for skin and long lustrous hair.

Lets take a quick look at the recipe

Ingredients:

Rice flour- 2 cups

Fenugreek/ Methi/ Uluva leaves- 1 bunch

Onion- 1 ,finely chopped, optional

Ginger- 1 inch long

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Asafoetida-1/4 tsp

Red chili powder- 1 tsp

Salt-to taste

Oil/ghee

Method:

Wash the leaves thoroughly and strain the excess water. Chop the leaves and ginger finely. I used dry methi leaves.

Make a batter(not too watery) of rice flour, turmeric, asafoetida, chili powder and salt. Mix methi leaves, ginger, and onion with the batter. If you want you can blender all together in a blender except methi leaves and onion.

Heat a dosa pan, grease it with a few drops of oil. Pour and spread the batter, add ghee/oil on all sides. Cover and cook. When one side is done, flip it over. Remove from the flame when the other side is done.

Serve with chutney of your choice. Tastes best when eaten hot.

Note: If you have dosa batter, you can use it to make methi dosa.

See you all soon with another yummy recipe.

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!

Tweet

How to make cottage cheese or paneer at home

Cottage cheese or paneer is an Indian cheese used in appetizers, curries, snacks, desserts etc. I have been making paneer at home for many years because we used to get horrible paneer where we were living in, so I had no option but to make at home.

I make paneer dishes once a week because everyone in my family loves paneer.

Believe me once you taste the home made paneer, you will never go back to store bought again.

Ingredients:

Whole/full cream milk- 2litres

Lemon juice/vinegar/curd- 2-3 tablespoons

Things you need:

2 deep heavy bottomed pan

muslin/cheese cloth

wooden laddle

Method:

Bring milk to a boil in a  pan stirring occassionally. Once the milk rises to the top, simmer the flame and add 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar/curd. The milk would start curdling now. Add some more juice until it curdled completely, stirring continuously so that it doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the pan. Switch off the stove when you see a lump of crumbled cottage cheese separated from light greenish water/whey. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

Now line a sieve with a cheese cloth or muslin keeping another pan underneath. Pour the curdled cheese over the cloth letting all the whey strain through. When the whey is strained completely, tie up the cloth and let it drain for 30 minutes. Now place a heavy weight on the cheese to get it to be flatter for 1 hour. I keep a plate and pressure cooker with water on top of it. If you keep the weight for too long, cheese will loose the moisture thereby making it hard and crumbly.

Remove from the cloth and cut into cubes or you can keep it in the fridge for 3- 4 days.

If you feel your paneer is hard, immerse it in warm water for half an hour.

Now your home made paneer is ready :)

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!

Tweet

Pineapple chicken fried rice

Whenever we I dine out in a Chinese or Thai restaurant, I admit I drool over fried rice and so should you. I used to wonder how those guys  make it perfectly. I tried making several times but always ended up with a mushy greasy fried rice( name it Deepa's special Mushed Fried rice :)) until one of my friends shared the secret behind the awesome fried rice. Since then there is no looking back. I have mastered it and now I want to pass it on to you guys
.

The key points to  make a restaurant style perfect  fried rice are:

1) Heat- maintain a medium-high heat throughout  with out getting the ingredients burnt.
2) Always try to use left over or overnight rice. If you are using fresh cooked rice , spread it in a plate and keep in the fridge to cool off. But don't use ice cold rice, always bring it to room temperature. Else it will cool down the pan  and rice will get greasy and mushy.

3) Use a large wok/kadai to toss to avoid overflowing and overcrowding of the ingredients.

Fried rice is a great way to use left over vegetables in your fridge. So whatever vegetables you have(peas, bell peppers, beans, carrots, green onion..), grab them and get ready to cook.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sizes

1 large egg or 2 medium eggs

1 cup chopped pineapple

1 medium onion, diced
1 green onion choped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cooked long grain rice- white/ brown

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp red chili flakes

Pepper

Salt to taste

Cilantro/corainder leaves- to garnish

If you want you can add carrots, bell peppers, peas ....

Method:

Marinate the chicken with 1 tsp oil, salt and pepper. Beat the egg lightly with a pinch of salt.

Heat a pan over medium-high flame. Add little oil, pour in the beaten egg and make scrambled eggs. Remove egg from the pan and clean the bottom of pan with a paper towel.

Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Now add remaining oil, add onions, chili and garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Remove and keep aside. 

Add rice, and fry evenly, else rice will get mushy. Once the rice starts to pop up, add back chicken, garlic, onion, pineapple, scrambled egg, drizzle soy sauce and pepper. Stir fry gently to combine. Check for salt and pepper , add more if needed. Remove from flame and garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy hot yummy fried rice with some side dishes or eat as it is. 

See you all!

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!  

Tweet

Am I nostalgic?

Today I was reading a book in the morning, suddenly I smelled a strong aroma and sensed taste of some food I had had many years ago, for a sec or so. But I couldn't recollect  what was the food.

How many of you had such food memories? I had experienced  this many times before also and I rewound my memory fast but all in vain. It always ended up in disappointment.

Today I didn't want to get disappointed so decided to put conscious effort to remember the food. I wished I could give a big blow to my head.

Suddenly, the memory revealed itself. The taste was of  Mango curry( Mango Pulissery). The memory took me back to my old days when I was in India with my parents. I love the curry my mom makes, she has magic in her hands. I must confess that I can't recreate her magic So I wish if I could warp back time....

I wanted to make Mango pulissery but I didn't have ripe mangoes on hand. So I compromised and made Curd curry instead :) I will post the recipe for curd curry( Kumbalanga Pulissery) soon.

It is so good that we find time to reminisce in spite of our busy lives :)

Update: Check out my Kumbalanga Pulissery recipe 

Tweet

Vegetable Upma

Another weekend knocking on your door. Weekend means sleep late, late breakfast, late lunch,and the list goes on.... I woke up very late today and it was already  9 o'cock. While brushing my teeth I was wondering what to make for breakfast, something quick but healthy. So I decided to make vegetable upma. When I came out, my dearest hubby was in the kitchen ready to make vegetable upma. Wow!! we both thought alike :)

Coming back to upma, lets take a quick look of this colorful and healthy recipe:

Ingredients:

Semolina/rava/sooji- 1 cup

Onion-1

Ginger- 1 inch chopped

Carrot chopped -1/4 cup

Beans chopped- 1/4 cup

Tomato-1

Peas- 12-15 nos

Asafoetida powder-1/4 tsp

Green chillies- 1 no

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Urad dal-1/2 tsp

oil-2tsp

Ghee-1tsp, optional

Curry leaves- A few

Salt- for taste

Method:

Chop all vegetables. Keep aside

Add 1 tsp oil/ghee in a wok and roast semolina until a nice aroma fills the kitchen, say for 5- 6 minutes. Make sure not to burn it. Transfer the semolina to another plate and keep aside. You can skip this step if you have double roasted semolina.

In the same wok heat another spoon of oil, throw in mustard seeds. When mustard sizzles, add urad dal, asafoetida powder, curry leaves. And saute for a min. If you crush curry leaves with hand and add in, it enhances the flavor.

Add onion and sauté until translucent. Throw in ginger, green chillies and tomato and sauté for a minute. Add all vegetables , salt and sauté for 4- 5 minutes. Now add 2 cups of water and boil. Add semolina slowly to the boiling water stirring continuously to avoid forming lumps.

Cook on low flame until done.

Serve the upma with sambar or chutney of your choice.

If you want to make masala upma, add 1 tsp garam masala/sambar masala/rasam powder and follow the above method.

You can make plain upma without adding vegetables and masalas.

See you all soon with another yummy recipe :)

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!  

Tweet

Fruit salad with creamy banana dressing

Fruit salads are perfect for summer snacks or easy and quick night desserts. This salad is colorful and full of nutrients.

Ingredients:

Fresh pineapple chunks -1 cup
Cantaloupe/muskmelon cubes -1 cup
Seedless green/red grapes - 1 cup
Apple diced - 1 cup
Blackberries - 1 cup
Strawberries sliced- 1 cup
Bananas sliced- 2

Vanilla Greek yogurt- 1/2 cup
Honey- 2 tablespoons
Fresh lemon juice- 1 tbsp
Ground nutmeg- 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Gently mix pineapple, muskmelon, grapes, apple, strawberries and blackberries in a large bowl.

2. Combine bananas, yogurt, honey, lemon juice and nutmeg in a blender. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour this banana dressing over the fruits and gently toss to coat evenly.  Serve immediately.

Kids love this delicious yummy fruit salad. Do try this  and let me know.

See you soon.....

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!

Tweet

Kerala style sambar

Sambar is a south Indian dish(curry) made from split pigeon peas and mixed vegetables. Unlike in Tamilnadu or other Southern states, Keralites use all vegetables  to make sambar. This is one such a curry that goes with steamed rice/vada/idli/ dosa and can be served in breakfast, lunch and dinner :)

Ingredients:

Split pigeon peas( Toor dal/ tuvara parippu)- 1/2 cup
Onion- 1 no
Tomato- 2nos
Potato- 1 no
Brinjal/Egg plant- 2 nos
Carrots- 2 nos
Beans- 5 nos
Ladys finger/Okra- 3-4 nos
Drumsticks-- 2 nos  cut into 4" pieces

Masalas:
Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp
Corainder powder- 2 tsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Fenugreek powder- 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing/kaaya podi)- 1/4 tsp
Tamarind water- 1/4 cup or as required( Follow step 2).
Salt as required.

For tempering:
Coconut oil/ Vegetable oil
Black mustard seeds (kaduku)
A few curry leaves


Method:

1. Cook the split peas/dal and diced vegetables with water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles or until done.

2. Soak a gooseberry sized ball of tamarind in water and squeeze to extract the juice. Discard pulp and seeds.

3. Add tamarind juice and salt to the cooked vegetables and cook on low flame for 2 minutes. Remove from flame.

4. Heat the oil for tempering in a wok. Add the mustard and when they pop, add the masalas and fry for 2 mins on low flame.

5. Pour the sambar to the wok, add curry leaves and cook for 3-4 mins on low flame stirring in between till the desired consistency is reached. Remove from the flame.

Enjoy the kerala sambar with dosa/idli/vada/rice :)

If you liked this post, please spare a little time to pin it, share it with twitter followers, facebook friends or Google + circles using pin it,  tweet, like, share, or Google + button below the post. It will make me happy. Thank you!!!  

Tweet