Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog

We @ Curry In Kadai, wish you all a very happy Dasara( Vijaya Dasami ). May this Dusshera light up for you and bring in happiness for one and all! For us Dussehra means celebrating it at ammamma( grandma ) house. Wow, we used to go to Kalikamma temple everyday during dussehra, and amma(goddess) would be dressed in different avatars everyday. I remember, in my grandmas place the goddesses are 5 sisters and each sister will be in different color, like yellow, white, red, etc.,


All these 10 days the goddesses or ammas come out for Oregimpu( a procession ). A person would sit behind the goddess figure and starts dancing according to the music. And sometimes the person would be possessed by the goddess( poonakam ). We when kids used to have mixed feelings, like half scared and half interested in the whole proceedings. We miss all the happenings here in US though!


Here's is a Milk porridge, Paala payasam/sirannam, rice cooked and simmered in whole milk and cooked with raisins, badam(almonds), dried coconut, cashew nuts and elaichi that is mostly offered to god as prasadam. A must in any festival in moms house!


Here are some pictures and i will post the recipe soon!!

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

Happy Navaratri Everyone!! I know, how every ones home is now being swamped with coconuts everyday! Here's one simple dish using coconut that you can bring to the table in minutes, its moms Seema vankaya kobbari talimpu aka Chayote squash with fresh coconut. Ah i love this curry, its not spicy, not fancy but yet bursts with lots for flavor from fresh coconut!

This Seemavankaya kobbari kura / curry would be perfect during these Navaratri days, as people who fast wouldn't eat onion and garlic when they break the fasting at the end of the day. This curry is easy to make , and goes well with rice, rotis, or even better as it is!

Ingredients you need:

• 2 big or 3 small chayote squash/seema vankaya, peeled and chopped into big cubes
• 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
• 3-4 green chillies
• cilantro
• curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds / dhaniyalu
• 1 tsp urad dal / minapappu
• 2 tbsp oil

How to:

• In a pressure pan/cooker, heat oil and add tadka/tempurings, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and urad dal
• Once they start to crackle, add curry leaves, turmeric, green chillies and choppedsquash pieces( seema vankaya mukkalu ).
• Mix them together close the lid and cook for just one whistle. Alternatively you can cook covered until the pieces are softened.
• Once the pressure goes off, put the cooker back on heat and then add salt and coriander, if u you dont like any water in the curry just cook under high heat until the water evaporates, personally i would mind some water!
• Adjust salt to taste and then finish it off with fresh cilantro.

Tada!! Chayote curry with coconut is ready to be relished! you can add more coconut if youd like, also you can reduce the green chillies to one, if you prefer to eat the curry as is. One thing i love about this curry is, i can make this anytime of the day, need not wait for friday( ususally the day we get all Indian vegeatbles ), chayote squashes are abundatly available all through out the year in regualr american grocery stores like Publix, kroger, target..!! Thanks Mom, for this wonderful dish!! love you!

TIP:
Apply some lime juice before handling these squashes, and your hands would come out clean!!

Dondakaya( Tendli ) / Ivy Gourd used to be my favorite veggie when i was kid. There are various variations of cooking Tindora( dondakaya ). You can make deep fried version, saute( stir fry), dondakaya pachadi( chutney ), raw tindora chutney, dondakaya pulusu, dondakaya ullipaya karam, dondakaya with tomato curry, etc., Of all these recipes i like to cook Tindora stir fry, as this takes less oil than deep fried version. As a kid we never had any deep fried veggies except for Potato( once in a blue moon ). For us any vegetable fry means saute or stir fry. I know for some when they mean fry, they literally deep fry veggies like fritters( vadiyalu, appadalu ). And of course fried veggies taste so good, but they are not good for heart though!! Mom makes this simple spicy Dondakaya Stir fry with onions and then spice it up with this garlic chilli powder. This fry tastes so good you can finish the whole bowl as is without any rice..

Its a known fact that everyone has their own ( family ) recipe for potato fry/aloo curry and i don't think there would be any person in this world who wouldn't love potatoes. Here's my Nanamma's simple spicy aloo fry( potato curry ) recipe which is a delicious way of having potatoes without the added fat and cholesterol from the deep frying. My nanamma is very clever when it comes to cooking, she uses a very little oil for cooking but that doesn't mean any compromise in taste. Oh she makes the best chutneys ( chutney out of every vegetable, you name it!! ). Love you Nanamma!!

• 2 red potatoes
• 1 small onion
• Cilantro for garnishing
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• red chilli powder
• salt
• mustard seeds
• cumin seeds
• curry leaves
• turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala

• Peel the potatoes and chop into very small pieces, and add to water in a bowl and keep it aside to stop any discoloration
• In a kadai or skillet add oil, once heated add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and once they start to crackle add curry leaves followed by potatoes, turmeric and salt.
• Cook it covered under medium heat, once they are half cooked add chopped onion and saute for little longer until everything is cooked properly
• Add red chilli powder, garam masala and adjust salt to taste
• Garnish with cilantro and relish right away!!

Coconut and Tamarind In Fresh Coconut Chutney is a delicious marriage made in my mom's kitchen! Yep Coconut and tamarind gel so well in this tangy spicy fresh coconut chutney. I remember my first culinary adventure started with this coconut chutney and potato fry during my school days! This chutney is super simple yet tastes great! You can whip up this chutney in minutes and make sure you keep some of the chutney just for yourself before you bring it to the table, no kidding!! This chutney where Fresh coconut is ground with green chillies and tamarind and topped with tadka along with hing and curry leaves is definitely worth a try!!


Ingredients:

• 1/4 of a shelled coconut
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1 inch of tamarind
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 5 - 10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp oil
• a dash of hing /asoeftedia
• salt to taste

• Chop fresh coconut into thin slices
• In a chopper/blender grind coconut, green chillies, tamarind and salt without adding any water( Note: Use pulse mode in the blender if you have one , and it should be roughly ground )
• In a separate kadai or pan do the tempering or tadka with oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal. Once the mustard seeds start to crackle switch off the heat and add curry leaves.
• Add the above tempering to the ground coconut and chilli chutney and mix everything together, adjust salt to taste and finish it off with cilantro( optional )

This chutney tastes so good with steaming hot rice along with some ghee/ butter. You even have this chutney along with Dosa, Idly, Upma, Pongal or anything you would like to! Don't plan on storing the leftover chutney as you wouldn't end up with some.. yep its that good.. Never forget to add the tempering as it adds so much depth and flavor to the already delicious Fresh Coconut Chutney.

Have you ever craved for the Spicy Tangy Prasadam( Naivedyam ) which we get at any Indian Temple? Yes i am talking about Pulihora, Rice spiced with tamarind and simple spices. I am sure almost every South Indian temple serves Pulihora along with Daddojanam as naivedyam ( offering / prasadam ). We used to travel a lot during the holidays along with our grand parents and our vacation would cover a large number of temples and in every temple the most common and lip smacking prasad would be Pulihora. Pulihora is something you would definitely see in every South Indian Home during festivals. Grandma makes the best pulihora next to temple pulihora prasadam.


Oh this was the first thing i craved a lot when i was pregnant! My sister was so nice, when i told her that i was craving for pulihora( tamarind rice) , she mailed me a thick spicy Tamarind sauce aka Pulihora pulusu( secured with lots of tape ) along with Ravva Laddo, Kobbari Burfi etc., She asked me to refrigerate it and mix it with rice whenever required. It lasted for a month or so. Thanks sis!! So nice of her and we could never get enough Pulihora( at least for me and my sister ). We use tamarind for the sourness, peanuts , cashews and sesame seeds for nuttiness, jaggery/sugar for sweetness and of course chillies for the heat in this Pulihora. Cant ask for anything more in this pulihora( aka Tiger Rice., hehehe )


Ingredients required:

• 1 cup of tamarind juice ( extract from tamarind pulp )
• 1/3 cup peanuts
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds powder
• 5-10 green chillies according to taste
• sugar or jaggery( gur ) to taste
• curry leaves
• cilantro
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tbsp chana dal
• 3-5 tbsp oil
  
• 16 cashewnuts

• First cook the rice according to rice instructions. I would like to add a little less water than usual, as i nee the rice to be separate and not sticky.
• Once cooked let it cool on a mixing bowl or big plate, add turmeric and leave it to dry in open air.

• In a kadai/ heavy bottomed pan, do the tadka ( popu) with oil. Once the oil is heated add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal and peanuts and cashewnuts.
• When mustard seeds started to crackle and peanuts roasted add curry leaves, hing, green chillies followed by tamarind pulp and turmeric
• Once the pulusu ( sauce) starts to bubble and sesame seeds powder, salt, sugar/gur to taste.
• The sauce ( pulusu ) is done when oil starts to separate from the sauce. Add cilantro and the switch off the stove.

• Once the tamarind sauce and rice are cooled, mix both of them together thoroughly. Adjust salt to taste. If you see that oil is not enough, heat oil in a separate pan and mix it with the rice. Please let the pulihora stand for at least one hour before relishing as this makes the rice absorb all the sauce completely.

An Awesome Combo!!! Pulihora and Spinach Vada

• Cooking With Sesame Seeds
• APS-Rice
  
• The Combo Event

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

• 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.
  

This is my second recipe for Thotakura after Thotakura Pappu. This is my husbands favourite recipe since it has been passed down from his mom to me. This is a very nutritious and healthy recipe and it needs very little oil. You can eat the whole bowl of this Amaranth leaves Stir fry even without any rice or chapathi. Yep tastes that good!


You need:

• 4 cups of tightly packed chopped thotakura leaves/amaranth along with tender stalks
• 1 red onion or yellow onion julienned
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp chana dal( Yellow split chick peas )
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 10 curry leaves

• Chop thotakura( amaranth leaves ) very finely. You can chop the tender stalks too but discard the tough stalks( You should remove the stalks skin like you do for beans )
• Bring 1-2cups of water to boil and add chopped amaranth leaves and channa dal
• Cook until the leaves are cooked( TIP: Add 1 tsp of sugar so the leaves retain their green color )
• Drain the leaves thoroughly( You can use the water to make chapathis )
• Heat oil in kadai and add cumin and mustard seeds
• When they start to crackle add curry leaves, turmeric and onions
• Fry onions till golden brown
• Add the boiled thotakura along with chana dal and saute until the the curry looks dry without any water.
• Add chilli powder, salt and sugar and saute 5 more min
• Adjust salt and spice to taste

I know how boring it is to have same old Idly and Dosa for breakfast almost everyday. My moms Pappu Upma and Allam Pachadi aka Rice Ravva( rice couscous ) cooked with moong dal(lentils ) served with Ginger and chilli chutney comes to the rescue .This pappu upma is flavored with ginger, cashew nuts, and green chillies and is packed with lots of protein from the lentils. Mom usually serves this Ravva pappu upma along with sweet and spicy ginger chutney. Ginger has been used for ages for its medicinal benefits. Its aids in digestion and suppresses cold and cough a lot. Mom tries to use ginger in her cooking a lot. In curries, chutneys, and breakfasts like upma, pongal etc. Since this tiffin ( recipe ) is loaded with protein from Moong dal and flavored with fresh ginger, pregnant women can have as much as they want. I remember, mom made this for me whenever i ask for Upma( when i was pregnant ). And the best part its very easily digested.

• 1 cup Rice Ravva / Biyyam Ravva / Rice Couscous
• 1/4 cup Moong Dal / Pesara pappu / Split green gram
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 inch grated ginger root
• 4-6 green chillies
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp chana dal
• 10-15 cashew nuts
• 10 curry leaves

• In a heavy sauce pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dal and cashew nuts.
• As the mustard seeds start to crackle, add curry leaves, ginger green chillies, water and moong dal
  
• Once the dal is cooked, add salt and stir in the rice ravva / rice sooji making sure no lumps are formed.
• Reduce the heat and close the lid.
  
• Once the water has been absorbed completely and the ravva cooked, remove from heat and finish with cilantro( optional )

• 4-6 green chillies
• a big lemon sized soaked tamarind
• grated gur / jaggery / bellam or sugar to taste
  
• 1 inch peeled ginger
• salt
  

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 6 curry leaves

• In a blender add all the chutney ingredients and grind to a smooth paste
• For tempuring or tadka, in a kadai/pan heat oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and once they start to crackle add curry leaves and add the popu/tempuring to the chutney
• You can store this chutney in the refrigerator for upto 3 days.

• My Legume Love Affair started by Susan
  
• Food for 7 stages of life by Radhika
• State Specials by Shanthi
  

Looking for something sweet to be served for the unexpected guests? Here's something quick and easy that can be ready to be relished in a very few minutes with very few ingredients, my favorite Semiya Kesari, aka vermicelli sweet. This recipe is from my sister's MIL. This is a regular item in her kitchen every week, as bava( Brother in law ) loves it. Usually mom makes only Payasam( kheer ), Upma with vermicelli or semiya, but this Kesari is new to us. Toasted Raisins and Cashew nuts in butter add that extra flavor and nuttiness to the Kesari. Vermicelli Halwa tastes so good when hot and stays good in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vermicelli
  
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 of a butter stick
• 1/2-3/4 cup sugar
• a few golden raisins
  
• a few cashew nuts
  
• yellow food color( optional )
  
• saffron

How To:

• In a thick sauce pan / kadai, heat butter and add cashewnuts, raisins and crushed cardamom
  
• Once the cashews( kaju ) turns into golden brown add the semiya aka vermicelli and toast until they turn lightly golden brown.
  
• Meanwhile boil the water along with saffron and food color(optional ). Once the water is bubbling hot, stir in this water into the toasted semiya, reduce heat and close the lid.
  
• Once all the liquid has been absorbed, stir in sugar and let all the sugar dissolve and the vermicelli thicken
  
• Tada, sumptuous ddelicious simple dessert is ready in minutes ready to be relished hot or cold...
  

My simple Vermicelli sweet is on its way to:

• WYF : Quick Meal hosted by EC
• FIC: Favorite hosted by Curry Leaf
• Sweet Time hosted by Shanthi