Broccoli Egg Dry Fry

Normally steaming is the best option to consume broccoli in a healthy way, stir-frying also helps.. Experimenting on whatever ingredient you cook may bring out nice results, some times.. This simple dish was born once when I got bored of our ordinary veg curries. Serve this with rice or roti, your kids may let you fill their lunch box with this... :)



Ingredients,
broccoli 1 medium
egg 1
onion 1
ginger chopped 1/4 tsp
curry leaves few optional
pepper powder 1 tsp
salt
oil



How I made it,
Chop broccoli into small florets.
Heat oil, saute chopped onion in a pan.
When it is semi transparent, saute ginger and curry leaves.
Saute for few seconds, and break egg into that.
Stir, and make like scrambled egg dish.
Add pepper powder and salt, along with broccoli pieces.
Mix well, place the lid, cook on a low flame.
Open the lid and stir occasionally.
Cook for only few minutes.

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Pepper Mushrooms

You all might be aware of the fact that mushrooms are highly nutritious. Recent studies shows that it also acts against Alzheimers disease. You should buy fresh muhrooms for getting its health benefits. Here, mushrooms would appear in the land around home, especially on rotten branches or around the "virakupura" (a room for storing firewood) etc. No body here knows that they are edible. So we should depend the canned mushrooms or buy fresh mushrooms only when some one visits the supermarkets in the city. I prepared this with canned mushrooms, I think this dish will be more tasty if you replace it with the fresh one.



Ingredients needed,

mushrooms 200 g

onion 2

tomato 1 big and ripe

garlic paste 1 tsp

ginger paste 1 tsp

green chillies 2

pepper powder 2 1/2 tsp

turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

garam masala powder 1/4 tsp

coriander leaves few chopped

salt

oil

How I Prepared,
Wash mushrooms.

Chop onion and tomato.

Marinate mushrooms with garlic ginger paste, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Keep aside.

Heat little oil in a nonstick pan, roast mushrooms on a low flame.

Allow it to brown little on either sides.

Then take them out and keep aside.

In the same pan pour little more oil, and saute onion.

when it turns brown, add tomatoes , pepper powder, and enough salt.

Allow the tomatoes to be mashed well, then add garam masala , coriander leaves and mushrooms.

Mix well.

Serve hot.

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Okra Masala / Vendakka Curry

See, what's your father doing!! At least he would think of his age, what will people think ...??? The words were daubed with love, I looked ahead and saw him plucking grass, removing rotten branches from the ground... oh, he is working as usual, nothing special, I smiled. I didn't feel anything bad but moved forward to stop him though am sure he won't. He would say he will be sick soon if he stops working, but only few understand, others try to prevent.. I think this is a big problem of our people,this what others will think.. lead them. I am not arguing, this attitude might be good in some decisions or acts..
A little about the okra masala, the recipe is from vanitha, prepared for an okra lover, and he loved it, loved it..........



Ingredients needed,
okra / Vendaka 1/4 kg
onions 2 medium size
tomatoes 2 medium size
coconut grated 1 cup
cumin seeds 1 pinch
mustard seeds 1 tsp
corinader leaves chopped 1 Tbsp
curry leaves 1 or 2 stalks
asafoetida / kayam 1 pinch
red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
coriander powder 1 Tbsp
green chillies 2 chopped
oil
salt



How to prepare,
Blend coconut in little water to get a fine thick solution.
First cut the washed okras.
Heat oil in wok, and saute the okras until they become not sticky.
Remove from fire and keep aside.
Heat little oil in the same pan.
Allow mustard seeds to splutter, put cumins also.
Then add chopped onions, and allow to cook until semi transparent.
Saute tomatoes, curry leaves and green chiliies also.
When tomatoes are cooked add salt and sauteed okras with all the powders and mix well.
Then pour the coconut solution with coriander leaves and allow to boil on a low flame keeping the pan closed.
Mix well and switch off fire.
Check the okras are cooked before you finish cooking.

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Tomato Chutney

Ladies of our neighbourhood would have a usual talk when they see each other, "innentha meen kittye?"(Which fish you bought today?).Recently a lady commented that she didn't like the way those ladies talk and these kinds of inquiries are not sincere! I always believed ladies from the village areas start a healthy conversation by asking such silly matters. And their relationships get stronger because of these regular chitchats! It is difficult to understand for those who live in cities especially who thinks that the world is me and my family only..
If we didn't get fish, mom makes this curry for lunch as a side dish with other vegetable curry.. She creates such simple side dishes if she gets some chillies, tamarind or tomatoes and few shallots.. :)

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Beetroot Pachadi

"I hate Elmo's mummy's hair", this is what my little boy comments if he sees some beetroot or red cabbage dishes!
Actually, I had never listened Elmo's mom.But after hearing his comment , I understood how much children notice their surroundings and other people.I believe kids always make their parents or other people as role models.So am trying my best to "behave well" in front of the kids,(we all are actors / actresses on one side, correct? ) And I am almost satisfied in that.I remember once I asked my daughter, why did you do this, she attacked me with the same question.. After that I tried to hide all my angers and other bad feelings from them. It was a success, and I could find out a mother can do lot of things in developing a child's behaviour.Now seeing other kids, I can analyse the character of their parents or the atmosphere where they grow.
Kids always love their parents or any other one, who play with them like a child.So don't be always serious in front of your kids and try to go to the level of the children in your behaviour, at least in your leisure.

This pachadi is simple but delicious and royal, which goes well with rice or chapathi.
I would like to send this to Ramki's blog event, hope this may be considered as a not complicated recipe.(Please skip the grinding step and just add curd instead) :)



Beetroot Pachadi Ingredients
Beetroots 2 medium size grated
small onions 5
green chilly 4
curry leaves 2 stalks
mustard seeds 1 tsp
uluva / fenugreek seeds 1/4tsp
dry red chillies 1
salt

Grind together
curd 1 or 11/2 cups
coconut grated 1 cup
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
garlic 1 clove
ginger 1/4 " piece



How to prepare
Heat oil. Allow mustard seeds and fenugreeks to splutter.
Break red chillies into two. Put them in the oil with curry leaves and crushed small onions.
Add chopped green chillies too and saute for a while.
Put grated beetroots and salt, stir and allow to cook on a low flame.
When it is cooked, pour the ground solution to the above cooked beetroots.
Mix well, when it is hot , remove from fire. No need to boil.
Add curd according to the thickness and taste as you desired.

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Vazhappoo Thoran / Banana Flower Dry Curry

I hadn't seen any one used vazhappoo for cooking in our place during my child hood.Though they know it is edible, no one attempted to use it.Only use of it was for drinking honey from the small flowers inside the purple colored petals.We were not allowed to cut the banana flower from the banana tree, there may be some reasons for that, like it may affect the growth of fruit...Anyway we used plenty of banana stems in various forms.When I made banana flower cutlets for the first time, no one could find out what was it.Every one said it was chicken! If it is cutlet or vada or thoran, vazhappoo tastes great in any form! You can prepare this dish in gravy or dried form.



Ingredients for making this tasty thoran
Chana dal 1/2 cup
banana flower 1
onion 1 or small onions 10
coconut grated 2 Tbsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds powder 2 pinches
chilly powder 1 tsp or crushed dry chillies 2
crushed garlic cloves 2
curry leaves few
mustard seeds 1 tsp
uzhunnu parippu / black gram dal 1 tsp
salt
coconut oil enough for seasoning



How to cook this
Cook chana dal in enough water with salt. Remove outer parts of banana flower and chop the inner part. Cook this using enough salt and water.
Mix coconut, chilli powder, chopped onion, cumin powder, curry leaves and salt, crush them together using hand.
Heat oil splutter mustard seeds and uzhunnuparippu.Fry crushed garlic in this, and when it turns slightly brown add the crushed mixture.
Saute for a while until it becomes dry and add cooked chana dal and banana flower into this. Mix well , check salt.

Snacks prepared using banana flower,

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Tomato / Thakkali pachadi

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What about a lunch with rice, curd, green chillies, mashed tomatoes and little salt? It tastes wonderful and it is H's favourite! Some times when getting bored of our usual curries, I prefer taking the tomato,green chilly, curd plus salt mixture with well cooked rice. So some one loves those ingredients may surely love this pachadi too..!



Ingredients
Tomatoes 3
green chillies 3
salt

Crush,
small onions 4
ginger 1/4 " piece

Blend,
coconut grated 3/4 cups
curd 2 or 3 Tbsp
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Garnish,
curryleaves few
mustard seeds
red chillies
coconut oil



How to prepare
Chop tomatoes. Crush them with hand. Cook this with chopped green chillies , salt , crushed ginger and shallots with enough water to cover it.
Blend coconut with curd to a smooth paste. In the end add mustard seeds and just crush it.
Pour this solution to cooked hot tomato gravy. Mix well and remove from fire.
Season with curry leaves, mustard seeds, and red chillies in coconut oil.

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Cabbage Thoran - Two Types

Thoran / stir fry is a common side dish for a Kerala meal. The red cabbage thoran is little different, since I have added egg in that. You can try both recipes for both types of cabbages.



Cabbage stir fry / thoran Ingredients and method
Cabbage 1/4 kg
onion 1
coconut grated 2 tbsp
green chillies 2
curry leaves few
ginger 1/4 inch piece
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
mustard seeds
coconut oil
salt

Clean and chop cabbage finely. Chop onion into very finely. Cut green chillies length wise into two. Crush ginger. Mix coconut, green chilies,ginger, turmeric and salt together.
Heat oil, allow mustard seeds to splutter. Then saute onion for few seconds.Add the mixture and stir well. Add cabbage too and mix. Cook on a low flame, keeping the pan closed. Stir occasionally. If needed sprinkle little water. You can add egg in this too if you like.. :)
See more about cabbage here.

Red cabbage keeps changing it's color depending on the ingredients you used to cook with it. When I added egg, the egg white (albumen) changed to green color. It is because of the alkaline nature of egg white and red cabbages usually alters alkaline substances green.This is because red cabbage contains a pigment called anthocyanin. I think the other ingredients like egg yolk which are neutral, made red cabbages retain it's purple color.

Red cabbage stir fry / thoran Ingredients and method

Red cabbage 1/4 kg

onion 1

green chillies 2

curry leaves few

egg 1

pepper powder 1 tsp

mustard seeds

salt

oil

Chop onion and slit green chillies. Heat oil splutter mustard seeds. Saute onion with green chillies. Add cabbage and pepper powder mixed with salt. Sprinkle little water if needed and cook. When it is about to finish, break one egg into it. Stir well until the egg turns like granules.Remove from fire.
Read about red cabbage here.

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Vazha pindi Muthira Thoran / Banana stem Horse gram Dry curry

Ingredients
Vazhappindi / banana stem 1
horse gram / muthira or red cow peas 1 cup
dried red chillies 3 or more
small onions / shallots 1/2 cup peeled
garlic cloves 2 big
mustard seeds
curry leaves
coconut oil
salt

Method
Remove the outer coverings of the stem and take out the edible part. Cut them into rings. Then again chop them into small pieces. Remove the fibers (naaru). (You can remove them while cutting into rings.)

Wash and cook vanpayar or muthira. when it is nearly cooked, add chopped pindi pieces. Cook till done. Add salt while cooking.Reduce water.

Crush dry red chillies, small onions, garlic cloves together. Heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, saute the crushed ingredients with few curry leaves. Satue until the raw smell of the ingredients go, and about to get a little brown color. Add the above cooked mixture and check for salt. Mix very well. The banana stem / pindi I used was about a forearm length. You can prepare this using coconut also. Will post it later insha Allah.



A simple and delicious green peas saagu from Asha. Please visit foodies hope for the recipe..

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Elephant yam / Chena Undhiyu

My sister has a great collection of magazine recipes. Last time when I visited her she gave me a book made with some of her collections. I haven't bought a cook book yet except the one which I brought from home which is really a simple one with only 5o pages.. :) That one they bought just to help an old man who was selling it..I plan to try out some recipes from sis' collection and to post them here for my readers. I have few special readers , some newly wedded girls who do not know much cooking and would send lovely messages for helping them.
I prepared this for lunch and when DH came home, I told him to guess what is the main veg in the dish. He said many vegetable's names except the real one. That time a friend phoned him and so he said to him that he couldn't understand what is the veg in the dish. The friend R said - just say Chena (chumma chenannu parayeda.. :D) ...and it was correct!

Yam / Chena Undhiyu ( A Gujarathi dish )
Yam / chena 250 gm
shallots / chuvannulli 10
green chilly 4
curry leaves 1 fig
garlic cloves 2
coconut grated 1/2 cup
mustard seeds 1 tsp
coconut oil 2 tbsp
salt

Peel,chop and wash yam. Peel shallots and garlic. Crush them together.Crush or pound yam, green chillies, curry leaves and coconut together. The original recipe says to pound them in a mortar.Mix with salt.I just chopped them in the food processor. Heat coconut oil, allow mustard seeds to splutter.Saute small onion-garlic mixture in this for a while. Add the pounded mixture into this and stir. Keep covered on a low flame stirring occasionally. Have with rice or kanji..!!
Recipe from - Aramam magazine
Recipe by - Mrs. Shareefa.
Sent to RCI Gujarat hosted by Orugallu.net

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Chena-Muthira / Yam-Horse gram Erissery

How to prepare Chena Muthira erissery
Chena / elephant yam 2 1/2 cups
horse gram 3/4 cup
coconut grated 1 cup
small onions/ chuvannulli 4
cumin seeds / jeerakam 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
pepper powder or chilli powder 1 tsp
curry leaves few
dried red chillies 1 or 2
mustard seeds
coconut grated 1 tbsp
coconut oil
salt

You can cook this in two methods.
Boil horse gram with little salt until half cooked.
Cut and clean yam. Add to the half cooked horse gram with turmeric and chilli powders and enough salt. Cook until done.

Heat little coconut oil. Roast the grated coconut with chopped small onions , cumin seeds until the coconut is slightly brown. Don't roast for too long. Blend this with little water and pour to the cooked yam - horse gram mixture. When it begins to boil remove from fire.

Heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, saute curry leaves and dried red chillies and 1 tbsp grated coconut. Do this for a while until the coconut changes color and pour the mixture into the curry.

You can do this without roasting coconut. For that recipe follow the Pumpkin/red cow peas - Mathanga payar Erissery recipe..

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Bittergourd Mango Dry Curry / Manga Pavakka Vattichathu

Bittergourd mango dry curry / Manga kaippakka vattichathu

Ingredients and Method
Bittergourd 1
raw mango / pachamanga 1
tomato 1/2
small onions 10 or onion 1
crushed garlic cloves 2
green chillies 2
curry leaves few
turmeric powder 1 tsp
chilli powder 2 tsp
coconut oil
mustard seeds
salt

Clean and cut bitter gourd into small pieces. Chop small onions, tomato and green chillies. Peel and cut mango. Cook everything together expect oil, curry leaves and mustard seeds in water enough to cover it. Cook and reduce water. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil. Dark green bitter gourd may taste more bitter than the light green one. So choose light green if you don't like more bitterness.If the mango is too much sour avoid adding the whole mango pieces.
Other bitter gourd recipes
Kaipakka Curry
Kaipakka varutharacha curry
Pavakka Pachadi
Pavakka Achar

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Mango and Cucumber Pachadi / മാങ്ങാ വെള്ളരിയ്ക്കാ പച്ചടി

Manga vellarikka pachadi
Raw mango 1 peel and chop into very small pieces.Cook it with salt and little water.

To grind,
coconut grated 1 cup
mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon
cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon
green chilly 1
ginger a small piece crush and add to the cooked mango.

Grind them together using little water. Pour this solution into the cooked mango when it is hot. Mix well. Heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves,dry red chillies and pour it into the mango pachadi.


manga pachadi

For making manga vellarikka pachadi, chop cucumber / vellari into small pieces. Add this too mango pieces and cook together. You can make vellari pachadi using curd / thairu instead of mango.
My third entry to RCI Kerala hosted by Currybazar

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Ash Gourd Peel Fries / Kumbalanga Tholi Kondattam

Before going to the recipe, you have a request from my little poetess to visit her blog. Hope you all will encourage her by leaving your valuable comments.

Kondattams / vattals always take me back to the home courtyard. Except in Monsoon season, there would be a kaitholappaya (mat made with the leaves of a plant like pineapple plant which produces a a very pleasant smelling leaf like flower kaithappoovu) or a vattoram / muram ( a flat shallow basket type sieve to winnow grains which is made with bamboo) in the courtyard of every house. The product may be different in each house, it might be spices like coriander, chillies, turmeric, kondattams , paddy, dried coconut etc. If it is mango season, then it would be naturally mango pieces! Can't forget the taste of salted, little bit dried raw mangoes..:) The mat would be moving wherever the sunlight falls until late afternoon! And this is the one my mother used to make while making other kondattams like bitter gourd / pavakka vattal or chilli / mulaku kondattam.
A very tasty one, if dried or not. I prefer the raw peel fries which goes well with or without rice!



Ash gourd Peels Fry/Kumbalanga Tholi Varuthathu

Kumbalanga tholi / ash gourd peels 1 cup
chilli powder 2 teaspoons
turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
salt
oil

Mix everything together except oil. Do shallow fry in oil.



Ash gourd peels / Kumbalanga Tholi Kondattam

Peel ash gourd. Wash and mix the peels with salt. Let it dry in sunlight. You can fry them when it is too dry or not. You can store it when it is very dry.

See the pumpkin peel / mathanga tholi recipe here!

This goes to Currybazar for RCI Kerala Event!

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Brinjal Chammanthi / Chutney

Brinjal / Egg plant / Vazhuthananga / Kathirikkai

Ingredients and method
Brinjals 3 medium size
small onions 4
garlic cloves 2 small size
ginger 1/2 inch
green chilly 2 or 3
coconut oil
curry leaves few
tamarind 1 small gooseberry size or as desired
salt

Cut brinjals into small pieces. Heat coconut oil, saute small onions and garlic cloves until small onions are transparent(don't think about garlic). Take them out and keep aside. Saute the brinjal pieces till they are cooked. Crush green chillies, small onions and fried brinjals. Grind garlic and ginger with curry leaves and tamarind. Mix them with the above crushed preparation. Add salt. Mix well and pour little fresh coconut oil over it.

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Pumpkin peel / Mathanga tholi thoran with dry red beans

Don't discard your pumpkin peels next time, just cook a delicious side dish..

Ingredients
Pumpkin skin 1 cup
Dry red beans 1 cup
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Small onions chopped 4
Coconut grated ½ cup
Garlic cloves crushed 2 big
Green chillis 2
Curry leaves
Salt
Coconut oil
Mustard

How to prepare
Wash and chop pumpkin skin. Cook dry beans. When it is over, cook pumpkin peel with it adding little salt and water. Reduce water. Chop small onions, mix it with grated coconut, turmeric powder and curry leaves by crushing well with hands. Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, and fry crushed garlic and green chillies, for few seconds add coconut mixture. Stir well for few seconds also. Add the cooked red beans, pumpkin peel preparation to this and mix well .check salt.

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Chilly Cauliflower

Ingredients
Cauliflower 1 medium size
onion 1
ginger 1/2 inch piece julienned
green chillies 2 slit
pepper powder 2 tea spoons
garam masala 2 pinches
tomato sauce 2 table spoons
soya sauce 2 1/2 table spoons
chilli sauce 2 tea spoons
garlic and ginger paste 2 teaspoons
coriander leaves few chopped
egg 1 optional
cornflour 1/4 cup
salt

How to prepare
Remove cauliflower florets and soak them in boiled water for ten minutes. Mix cornflour,egg, garlic ginger paste, 2 table spoon soya sauce, chilly sauce, pepper powder, salt and garam masla in a bowl. Add little water to make a thick batter. Put the cauliflower florets in this and mix very well. Keep this for half an hour. Deep fry them.
Chop onion as big pieces. Take little oil from the remaining oil that we used for frying cauliflower. Heat oil, saute onion for few seconds. Don't saute too much as we do for curries. then saute ginger and green chillies, for few seconds too. Add fried cauliflower, tomato sauce and remaining soya sauce into this. Stir very well. Check salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.You can add capsicum and spring onions too.

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Mathan / Pumpkin Pachadi

HAPPY ONAM!
Here is a simple side dish for Onasadya.

Ingredients
Pumpkin ½ kg
Small onions 4
Garlic 1 clove (avoid if you don’t like)
Coconut grated 1 cup
Curry leaves few
Green chilly 3 chopped finely
Cumin seeds ½ tea spoon
Mustard to grind 1 tea spoon
Curd ¾ cup
Salt
Coconut oil

How to prepare
Peel and cut pumpkin.
Cook with chopped green chilies in water just enough to cook.
Grind small onions, garlic, mustard, cumin seeds, coconut grated etc with little curd.
Make a smooth solution.
Mix this with cooked pumpkin.
Heat it, don’t boil.
Add remaining curd and salt.
Mix well.
Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves, pour in to the curry.

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Muringakka / Drumsticks Curry

Ingredients

Muringakka/ drumsticks seven
Onion one
Tomato one
Green chilly two
Curry leaves few
Turmeric powder half tea spoon
Chilly powder half tea spoon
Salt
Coconut milk one cup thick
For seasoning
Coconut oil
Mustard seeds half tea spoon
Red chilly one cut into three pieces

How to prepare
Cut and peel drumsticks , wash it.
Cook the chopped onion, tomato with salt and all powders and enough water to cover it.

Cook till the onion is done.

Add green chilly slit and drum stick pieces.

Mix and let it cook.

When the drumstick pieces are done add coconut milk.

When it begins to boil switch off fire.
Heat oil in another pan, add mustard seeds.

Let it splutter.

Add curry leaves, red chilly pieces.

Stir and pour into the curry.

Cover.
You can cook ash gourd, cucumber and other veggies like this.

Since drum sticks need less cooking time, don’t add it in the beginning.

But for other vegetables you can add in the beginning.

This is a very tasty curry. You can add more chilies if needed.Usually I prepare less spicy dishes.

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Bitter gourd / Kaippakka Pachadi

Ingredients

Bitter gourd 1 big
Cut bitter gourd into half in lengthwise. Make this as small pieces. Marinate this with half tea spoon chilly powder, ¼ tea spoon turmeric powder and salt. Fry these pieces in coconut oil.
Other ingredients
Coconut grated 1 cup
Curd half cup
Small onions 3
Green chilly 1
Mustard seeds half tea spoon for grinding
A pinch of cumin seeds

For seasoning
Mustard seeds, Curry leave red chilly, coconut oil.

How to prepare
Blend coconut with shallots, green chilly, mustard seeds, cumin and curd. Make a fine smooth solution with this. Pour this solution in to fried bitter gourd pieces, add enough salt and just heat this. Don’t boil. Season with mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilly in coconut oil.

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