Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog

Last weekend, I got my dosa batter and potato curry ready for the breakfast but to my surprise i found that i didn't have a coconut for the chutney... Hmmm what to do, just called mom for her spicy fresh onion chutney. ( Thank god, i atleast had some sweet vidalia onions on hand ). Yep fresh sweet onion chutney with green chillies, tamarind, cilantro and curry leaves is so easy to make and tastes so yummm!! This chutney goes very well with dosa and idly, i never had it with rice. Mom asked me to make this only if the onions do not have strong flavor and too much water. Best option would be either shallots or red onions and Sweet onions would be the next option. Usually mom prefers mortar and pestle for this chutney instead of regular mixer/blender. One tip from mom, run the blender under pulse mode to get chunky texture you get from using mortar and pestle.

P.S. Everyone has a unique taste palette, so please adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

I have to agree that Simplicity is the Best! And it is very true when coming to my Spicy Tomato Soup flavored with Coriander and Mint. You can happily enjoy this for your lunch or dinner along with some salad and toast. This is one such recipe that boasts of simplicity, flavor, comfort, nutrition and deliciousness. Once you taste this fresh homemade soup, i am sure you will not go for any canned or powdered soups!!

Ingredients:

• 2 large / 3 medium vine ripe tomatoes
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp MTR sambar powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera / jeela karra
• 1 tbsp oil/ghee/butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• cilantro
• mint leaves

Preparation:

• Make slits( like cross ) at the top and bottom of the tomatoes, place in a bowl with very little water and microwave for 3-4 minutes. So that we can easily peel off the skin.
• Alternatively, you can pressure cook or boil these tomatoes as whole
• Once the tomatoes are cooled, remove the peel and run them in the blender and keep aside
• If you are concerned about the seeds, you can strain the juice
• In a sauce pan now do the tadka/seasoning, first add oil /ghee followed by cumin seeds, ginger, coriander seeds and curry leaves.
• Once the garlic is golden brown add the tomato puree/juice, turmeric, sambar powder, mint leaves, slit green chillies and simmer it over medium heat.
• Add salt to taste.
  
• Once the soup starts to bubble, turn off the heat and finish with chopped cilantro.
  

Serve this fresh homemade simple bubbling hot tomato soup with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and papads or garlic croutons.

My simple Mint and Cilantro flavored Tomato soup is on its way to Monthly Mingle - Soups hosted by Meeta

I can proudly declare my mom makes the second best Dhaniyala Karvepaku karam aka Coriander seeds spice powder after my grandma( moms mom). Mom always makes sure a big packet of this aromatic spice blend to be first in my list of moms homemade goodies from India. Thanks Mom, you are the best!!

Avocado, a fleshy fruit that's rich in heart healthy fats is available here( US ) almost all through the year. I came to know that avocado is nicknamed the “alligator pear” because of its shape and leathery skin. These avocados are packed with healthy mono saturated fats that help in reducing the LDL cholesterol levels and potassium in them reduces the risk of cancer. You can eat these avocados right off the branch, whip up some guacamole or just chop them up in salads.



While i was in India i have never heard of this fabulous fruit and the very first bite was very unusual as i was wondering how could a vegetable( or fruit ) could be this creamy, almost as soft as butter. There are two types of avocados, one is a Hass avocado with black hard rugged skin and the other one thin skinned green Fuerte. I found Hass avocados more creamier than the Green Fuertes.

My coworker, when she was pregnant she used to eat the whole avocado just like a fruit every morning along with her breakfast. She asked me to try a piece and let me tell you it was very creamy,lightly sweet and delicious ( until then i ha vent had an avocado directly except for the guacamole ).. In the very next visit to the farmers market i looked for these fruits and couldn't wait to experiment them in salads and dips.. My chunky and spicy guacamole is a perfect healthy dip for those hearty chips, So guys bring on those chips sitting in the pantry!!!

Ingredients you need:

• 2 Hass avocados( ripe but not too soft, press these avocados with a finger and if these make a dent they are too ripened, i would like to use them a day before that )
• 1/2 small red onion( only red onion, no yellow or white please )
• 1-2 green chillies
• 1 Roma tomato
• 1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice( or lemon )
• 1 tsp lime or lemon rind
• half a bunch of coriander( cilantro ) leaves
• 10-15 fresh mint leaves
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to make spicy chunky guacamole...

• Cut avocados in half, remove pit and scoop flesh out of shell with a spoon. Chop up the avocado into 1 inch bites and coat them with half lime/lemon juice, as this prevents from discoloration
• Chop green chillies, tomatoes and onions very finely
• In a large bowl add avocado and mash very little with a fork and then add tomato,green chillies, onions, black pepper and the rest of the lemon/lime juice
• Add chopped cilantro and mint leaves
• Mix in salt just before serving
  

For a pretty presentation , place some corn chips on a serving plate and top it off with a dollop of this chunky and spicy guacamole, liven it up with some cilantro on top and freshen up with some lime peel... Always check for flavorings before you finish and do adjust the seasonings according to your taste.

This recipe is on its way to :

• Monthly Mingle event hosted by Mansi of Fun Food
  
• Herb Mania hosted by Dee of Ammalus Kitchen
  

Note: Guacamole doesnt keep well, so make it at the last moment just before serving..

Tags: Dips, Appetizers, Guacamole, Avacodo, Lime, lemon, Mint, cilantro

Here i am with my simple sumptuous one pot wonder meal with rice, lentils, beans and vegetables warmed up with some exotic spices making it a wholesome, no-fuss, quick and easy meal , fit for any busy day.. When i say quick it doesn't mean any less in flavor and taste..I made this Nutritious fiber and protein rich Bisibelabath / Vegetable Khichidi by adding everything into my pressure pan and bubble into one simple delicious delight .

Parathas hot and fresh from the griddle are always sumptuous and mouth watering. My husband is the first person to be so much content and satisfied when i serve parathas( particularly his favorite aloo parathas ) with some regular plain old home made yogurt, he wouldn't ask for any more, and that makes my job... even easier !

As it was my very first time adding mint and kasuri methi to the parathas , i wasn't sure of the end product... but lemme tell you the parathas were too good to be true.. The nuttyness from the sesame seeds, tanginess from the yogurt n lime, lots of flavor from kasuri methi, ginger, garlic and mint., made these parathas a quick seller... We could finish these parathas just as they are, you don't need any curry on the side.. yep that good...

Potatoes are so much versatile and one can make an array of dishes be it fry, curry, stew, sambar, or raita. Chats and samosas are incomplete without them. Potato curry is bachelors and kids all time favorite. And my sister makes aloo fry atleast twice or thrice a week for sure( yes bava, sis husband loves fry that much and he can live on that for weeks i guess ). Even my husband loves to have aloo curry any meal of the day, but i limit it to once a week.


Coming to the origin of this recipe, my mom used to make this curry when ever we used to have powercut at night. She cooks this along with some sambar or rasam and we kids couldnt be any happier. You can whip up this dish in no time, said so you need not doubt the taste, its simply delicious.


The tangyness from the lime(lemon) and the zing from the mint makes the plain potato irrestible! To add some crunch my mom used to add sood amount of chana dal and urad dal in the tadks or popu. Since potato is every cooks best pal i am sure each one of us have our very own version for the potato fry. Here goes mine.,



You need:
2 or 3 red potatoes
1 lemon or lime
5 strands of mint leaves
2-3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of turmeric
5-10 curry leaves
2 tsp red chilli powder
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste



How to:
Boil the potatoes, i use microwave for 5 min with less than 1/2 cup water cooked covered
Let it cool a bit or you can put in the refigerator until ready
Once cooled to room temperature chop potatoes into 2 inch cubes
In a kadai or pan heat oil and add chana dal, urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds. When they start to pop add curry leaves, potatoes and turmeric
Saute until the potatoes turn to golden brown
Add red chilli powder and salt
Switch off the heat and add chopped( i just tear them apart ) mint leaves and lemon juice
TIP: Never add lemon juice when cooking add them after the heat is switched off or before serving. Otherwise it would make the dish taste bitter-- from my grandmom


I usually serve this with hot rice( and ghee ) or roti/ chapathi. Feel free to add even more mint and lemon juice. This minty and lemony potato fry is so light on fat yet satisfying and tasty. No wonder if you start admiring the combination of lemon and mint and experiment with your cooking!!

This will be entry for weekend herb blogging event started by Kalyns Kitchen and this week hosted by Nami Nami

Tags:Aloo fry, Aloo pudina nimbu curry, Alugadda pudina kura, urlgadda vepudu

Sorry guys, havent posted anything for a week since i wasn't feeling well. Anyway back to blogging with my Hot Pongal!! When it comes to finding alternative food as sumptuous and filling as rice and some curry, i will definitely vote for PONGAL aka Pongali in telugu. It is a simple combination of rice and moong dal( green gram lentils) seasoned with black pepper, cumin seeds, cashews and ghee or clarified butter. It is a common and very popular breakfast in our house( most south indian homes too ). My mom used to make pongal mostly in the weekends . Since pongali doesnt taste good when its cold she wakes up everyone in the early morning and make us relish it once done. At home, Sunday mornings are reserved either for pongal or dosas. My mom serves Pongal with allam pulusu( ginger in tamarind sauce ) and coconut chutney.

I usually use pressure pan/cooker to make pongal / pongali since its very quick and easy to clean. Alternatively you can use electric rice cooker or a big sauce pot/pan. Anything will work.

You need:

• 2/3 cup rice( sona masoori, never tried with american long grain rice )
• 1/3 cup yellow moong dal/ split green gram/ pesara pappu/ Payatham Parippu
• 4 cups water
• dash of hing
• 1 inch ginger piece chopped very finely

For tempuring( required ):

• 15 -20 cashew nuts
• 2 tsp cumin seeds( jeera )
• 2-3 tbsp ghee or 2 inches stick butter
• 10-15 peppercorns
• 2 tbsp oil / ghee
• 10 curry leaves
  
  

How to:

• Wash rice and moong dal and add to any pressure pan/sauce pan/electric cooker
• Add chopped ginger and hing
• Add water
• If its pressure pan cook it with the weight/whistle on for 3 whistles or if use a stock pot just cook them together till rice and lentils are cooked( not too soft )
• Switch off and keep aside
• Lets make the seasoning now. Take a small kadai or pan and add oil, ghee, cashew nuts, cumin seeds and fry until the cashew nuts are browned.
• Ground the pepper corns coarsely ( i use mortar and pestle )
• Add pepper corns and curry leaves and switch off the heat
• When ready to eat open the pressure pan and add the seasoning
• Adjust salt to taste
• Yes it is that simple!!
  

For the best PONGAL / PONGALI:

• Please do not avoid hing
• If u don't have curry leaves / kaju on hand postpone making pongal, yeah its that important
• Always open the pressure pan just before eating and add the seasoning otherwise it would get hard
• Before opening the pan boil a glass of water. When you find that pongal is thick and you want it a little thinner add the boiling water and stir( This works really good and its a tip from my MIL )
  

I usually make this pongal as a weekend brunch. For my husband i serve this with coconut chutney and for me nothing beats allam pulusu( I will post the recipe soon ). My grandma is very clever when it comes to cooking and using the leftovers. She never likes to throw food and towards that goal she comes up with some delicious makeovers for leftovers. For leftover pongali, she mixes some rice flour and makes small rotis with hand and cooks just like chapathi or roti. This tastes so good with any mango pickle. I promise leftovers never tasted this good!!

Tags: Khichdi, pappannam, pappu annam, Pongal, pongali, Rice and dal stew,

Simplicity in this Tomato And Kasuri Methi curry speaks a lot, be it in taste, aroma, flavor, easiness or texture. Usually if we are going to have chapathis i plan ahead for curries like palak paneer, bendi masala, dal makhani, matar paneer. But sometimes out of the blue my husband asks for chapathi., then i have to whip up some simple quick and easy curries. In that list comes first Tomato And Peas Curry. You can play with the herbs, garlic or even kasoori methi , any of these would completely transform the plain tomato curry to a brand new recipe. Usually i add either peas or paneer. This time i added Kasuri methi. This gave unique flavor to the dish and i was surprised to learn adding a couple of tbsps of Kasuri methi enchances so much flavor and wonderful aroma into the dish. Wish i had used kasuri methi long back!

Not many people like Cabbage. Its not the cabbage that tastes bad, since the way it is cooked defines its taste. Cabbage when properly cooked becomes an all time favorite. I myself hated to have cabbage curry when i was a kid and i used to pester my mom a lot. I used to make those faces and eat without any choice. Now i know the reason why i didnt like it. She used to boil cabbage and then saute with tadka. Somehow the smell when cabbage is boiled makes me nauseate. But later my mom started making without actually boiling cabbage.


Cabbage cooked along with potatoes, peas and sweet touch of coconut takes the plain cabbage to the next level. This following recipe is from my MIL and no wonder this curry is my husbands favourite. The funny part is he eats most of the potatoes and i eat the cabbage but we do share peas together in this curry(hehehe). Weird, he likes potatoes but not the cabbage but still wants cabbage in the curry.. CONFUSING right! Moving to the recipe..,


You need:

• 2 cups of tightly packed medium finely chopped cabbage
• 1 large red/boiling potatoes( No Idaho or baking potatoes please )
• 1/2 cup peas
• 4-6 green chillies
• 1/4 cup of grated fresh coconut
• 6-8 curry leaves
• 3 stalks cilantro
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds( jeela karra )
• 1 tsp mustard seeds( Aavalu )
• 3-4 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste
  

How to:

• Chop cabbage finely, potatoes 1 inch cubes and green chillies length wise
• In kadai or pan heat oil and add cumin and mustard seeds
• When they start to pop add curry leaves, green chillies
• Add potatoes and green peas
  
• Saute for a min and then add cabbage
• Add salt and turmeric and mix together and cover with a lid
  
• Cook on medium flame stirring occassionaly. Make sure you dont burn cabbage
• When the potato is cooked add coconut and fry till all the water evaporates
• Adjust salt to taste
• Switch off the heat and add chopped coriander

Yum! Cabbage and aloo curry with peas in cabbage leaf!

Cabbage in this curry isnt overcooked or undercooked its just perfect. I am sure after tasting this dish your taste buds would ask for MORE! Serve this curry with hot rice, chapathi or naan!

Tags:Cabbage Aloo Curry, Cabbage and coconut curry, Cabbage peas potato curry