Dried Peas Masala Recipe

I always make Ragda Patties of my full dried peas stock, there's no other better way to use dry peas for me and ragda patties is family favorite that's helps more to prepare that.  One in a blue moon I try to do other things with dried peas and this curry is one such recipe.  Usual like any other curry with onion and tomato base with flavorful roasted spices takes this curry to new levels.  This goes well with roti/paratha or steamed rice.  We had it with steamed rice, those days I don't feel like cooking dal such recipes comes to my rescue, hope you like this easy peas curry too.  

Ingredients for Dried Peas Masala [ Serves - 4-5]

Dried Peas - 1 Cup
Onion - 2  Large
Tomato - 2 Large
Green Chilli - 2
Oil - 1 tbsp
Asafetida/Hing - A Pinch
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste

To Roast & Grind
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds/Sanuf - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Peppercorn - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds/Methi - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Wash and soak dried peas over night, rinse 3-4 times in water and pressure cook with water and salt for 3 whilstles.
2. Finely chop onion, tomato and chilli.
3. Roast all the ingredients under "To Roast & Grind" until light brown for about a minute and grind into powder, keep aside.

4. In a wok heat oil add hing, onion, chilli, ginger-garlic paste and saute until onion becomes soft.
5. Add red chillli, turmeric and coriander powders, saute for a minute.  

6. Add chopped  tomato, stir and cook with lid until tomato gets mash. Add powder masala and saute for a minute.

6. Add boiled peas along with water & salt.  Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until oil starts to separate.

Serve warm with roti or rice.

Variations ~
 ~ I didn't add any extra water, just used boiled peas water.
~ You can add less water.
~ Add potato along if wished.
~ Add little coconut paste if you like gravy to be on thicker side.
~ You can add little tamarind water if preferred to have it South Indian Style

Have a nice day ~~

Cabbage Carrot & Sprouts Stirfry

This easy cabbage, carrot and sprouts stir fry recipe is in line with healthy recipes series I started.  There is no such big recipe here it's a normal stir fry pr poriyal but I am posting this recipe just to give you guys idea of different combinations we can try.  You can same recipe with any other vegetable combination of your choice and also add few other ingredients like curry leaves, coconut etc to jazz up the recipe more, same like beets & sprouts recipe it's also a wonderful combination with steamed rice along with dal, sambar or rasam. You can also use this stir fry to make chapati roll  for lunchbox.

Ingredients for Cabbage Carrot & Sprouts Stirfry

Chopped Cabbage - 3 Cups
Grated Carrot - 1 1/2 Cups
Sprouts - 1 Cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Hing - A Pinch
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 1
Green Chilli - 2
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:

1. Chop cabbage, green chilli and peel & grate carrot.
2. In a wok or pan heat oil add hing, cumin seeds and allow to crack.  Now add dry red and green chilli saute for a minute. Add cabbage and sprouts.

3. Mix well and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring in intervals.  Add red chilli and turmeric powder mix well.

4. Add carrot, salt and stir, cook in medium flame for 4-5 minutes or until every thing is cooked but not soggy.

Serve warm with rice dal/sambar or rasam.

Have a nice day ~~

Egg Kurma Recipe

I try to make different egg curry if am not making usual egg burji and this is one of those things that I tried which is more of south indian style of egg curry.   This egg kurma is easy to make and taste just too delicious with steamed rice, paratha or any variety rice.  There are many versions of egg kurma/muttai kurma  and this is something similar to chettinad egg curry but with little less spices, a good recipe to make weekend lunch special or even for lunch box.  If you also look for new things to try then you will sure like this aromatic egg kurma.  I didn't click step wise pictures but you if wish you can refer to the chettinad egg curry recipe for that.  So let's just check the recipe ...

Ingredients for Egg Kurma

Eggs - 6
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - a Sprig
Onion - 2 Large
Green Chillies - 3
Tomato - 1 Large
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Cilantro - 2 tbsp [chopped]

To Roast and Grind
Poppy Seeds/Khus Khus - 1 tsp [Or Cashew nuts 7-8]
Fennel Seeds/Saunf - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1" pieces
Green Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2
Fresh Grated Coconut - 4 tbsp

Method

1.  Boil or pressure cook eggs, remove shell and make small slits in egg with knife, keep aside. 

2. Finely chop onion, tomato, green chilli, cilantro and keep aside.

3.  Dry roast all the ingredients listed under 'To Roast & Grind' and grind to paste using little water if required.

4. In a pan or wok heat oil add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.  Add onion, green chilli, curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste and saute until soft.

5. Add chilli, coriander and turmeric powder mix well.  Add chopped tomatoes and cook until it gets mashed.

6. Add grounded paste, salt and saute until oil starts to separate around 8-10 minutes in medium flame.
7. Add boiled eggs and mix, now add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes or until gravy becomes thick with lid on.  Garnish with cilantro and off flame.

Serve warm with roti/paratha, rice and enjoy this delicious egg curry.

Have a nice day ~~

Eggless Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I have posted before eggless chocolate chip cookie recipe, this recipe is almost similar to that, different is I used wheat flour instead of plain flour here and added cocoa powder to make it double choco chip cookies. The result - chewy, soft, delicious cookies.  I adapted this recipe from one of the cookies box that I got few days back, it was so good that I check list of ingredients and follow procedure from my previous choco chop cookies and came up with this one.  

Fish Curry with Coconut Recipe

I am not cooking anything interesting nor I am taking any pictures for a long time now, thanks to my draft pictures am running this blog from couples of month.  This fish curry too I made quite a long ago and forgot to post,  to be precise I made this along with Pineapple Fried Rice and actually this was my first attempt in fish curry not the Fish in Mustard Gravy from there it took off.  This curry was so delicious that after that I made this multiple times but ya I never tried to take some decent picture again so you have to deal with this pictures only and not to mention I I'm bad with taking fish curry photo, you will know in my future fish curry posts too, the trend continue.  But then the focus is more on the recipe than the pictures right?  So if you like fish or never tried making a curry then try this and I am sure you going to love this one too. 

Ingredients for Fish Curry

Fish – 500 gms (I used Seer Fish/ King Mackerel/Vanjiram Meen variety)
Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
Salt – To Taste
Oil – 3-4 tbsp
Onion – 2 Large
Green Chilli - 3
Tomatoes – 4 Large
Water – 1 Cup
Coconut Milk – 1/2 Cup
Chopped Cilantro – 2 tbsp

To Grind
Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
Pepper Corn – 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds/Methi – 1/2 Tsp
Fennel Seeds/Saunf – 1/2 tsp
Minced Garlic – 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Clean and cut the fish into medium pieces.
2. Marinate fish with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder for 10 minutesand rinse.  [This is optional step but I normally do this to remove fish smell]
3. Grind together all the ingredients listed under ‘To Grind’ with little salt and water.  Grind tomato to make puree, keep aside.
4. Marinate fish pieces with half of grinded masala for 30 minutes and shallow fry, I normally pan fry like we do for fish fry (meenu varuval).
5. Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion and chilly until translucent, add remaining grinded masala and sauté until oil starts to separate. 
5. Now add tomato puree, salt and cook for 2-3 minutes, add 1 cup water bring it to boil, simmer for 2-3 minutes. 
6. Add coconut milk and bring it to a boil, add fried fish pieces and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until gravy becomes thick.  Adjust salt if required, garnish with cilantro and off flame.
 
Serve warm with steamed rice. 

Have a nice day ~~

Lobia and Potato Masala Recipe

Lobia or jurga as it's called in my in-laws place end up most of the time as lobia masala or some time I pair it up with any other vegetables.  This time paired lobia with classic potato to make a dry curry. This goes well with roti/paratha or great with rasam rice.  I have mashed potato since I wanted lobia to be blend well with potato but if you wish you can just chop boiled potato and add.  You can use this recipe to make roti wrap perfect for kids lunch box.  

I also used panch phoran in this recipe which created magic, basically I have anything with panch phoran it's always enhance taste of any dish, I have give list of spices used in panch phoran just add equal amount of all spices to make your very own panch phoran, store and use as required.  

Ingredients for Lobia & Potato Masala

Lobia/Black Eyed Beans /Jurga - 1 Cup
Potato - 2 large
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Cardamom - 1
Cloves- 2
Onion - 1 large
Tomato - 1 large
Green Chili - 2
Oil - 1 tbsp
Asafetida/Hing - A Pinch
Panch phoran - 2 tsp
Minced Ginger-Garlic - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder  - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped

Panch Phoran ~ Equal portion of below spices
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds/Rai - 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds/Saunf -  1/2 tsp
Fenugreek/Methi -1/2 tsp
Nigella/Onion Seeds/Kalonji - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Soak lobia over night, rinse in water and pressure cook with little water, salt, bay leaf, cinnamon  cardamom, cloves for 3 whistles along with potato, discard all the garam masala once cooked.  

2. Peel and mash boiled potato.
3. Chop onion, tomato, chilli.
4. In a pan heat oil add hing, panchphoran and saute until splutter. Add ginger-garlic and saute until brown, add onion, chilli cook until onion becomes soft.
5. Add chilli, turmeric, coriander powders and cook for a minute.
6. Add tomato and cook until mashed for 3-4 minutes.
7. Now add poato, lobia, salt, garam masla, mix well and cook for 5 minutes in medium flame, stirring in intervals.  Garnish with cilantro.

Serve warm with roti or rice.

Have a nice day ~~

Tindora Pulao | Ivy Gourd Pilaf Recipe

We all love one pot meal, don't we?  I know most of you going to say yes.  So here is another easy and different pulao withTinora/Ivy gourd/Kundru using our very own pressure cooker.  If I don't have enough of tindora in hand to make a curry by itself then I do either dal, or pair it up with anything else like I did with badi sabzi or sometimes I do this pulao - easy, quick and delicious done in less than 30 minutes for me it's a perfect for weekend when I don't feel like cooking much which is happening too much these days! For dinner or lunch box it's a great option too.  And before moving on to the recipe - Wishing All Happy Chinese New Year, may the year of Snack be more joyful.  Gong Xi Fa Cai

Ingredients for Tindora (Kundru) Pulao

Rice - 1 1/2 Cup [ I used Sona Masuri]
Ivy Gourd/Tindora/Kundru - 1 Cup [sliced]
Onion - 1
Green Chilli - 3
Minced Ginger-Garlic - 1/2 tbsp [or used ginger-garlic paste]
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Briyani Masala/Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 2 1/2 Cups
Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped

For Tempering
Oil - 2 tbsp
Bayleaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1/2" piece
Mace - 1 small piece
Star Anise - 1
Cloves - 2
Shahi Jeera - 1 tsp [or use cumin seeds]

For Garnish [optional]
Granted Coconut - 2 tbsp
Cilantro Chopped - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and  Soak rice in water for 20 minutes or until needed. [I normally soak rice first then do cuttings and start preparing pulao]
2. Chop onion, slice green chilli.  Cut both edges of tindora and slice in roundels or cut it into 4 pieces.
3. Heat oil in pressure cooker add all the ingredients under 'for temper' and saute until jeera cracks.  Add minced ginger-garlic and saute until golden brown.

4.  Add onion, chilli and cook until onion becomes soft.

5. Add ivy gourd and saute for 3 minutes.  Add red chilli and turmeric powder and saute for a minute.

6  Now add rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add water, salt, briyani masala or garam masala, cilantro and mix well.  Close cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
7. Once pressure released gently mix rice with fork and garnish with cilantro and coconut.

Serve warm with any raita of your choice, pickle etc.

Have a nice day ~~

Sweet French Toast Recipe

One of the most quick, easy and delicious breakfast has to be french toast (also known as Eggy Bread) and I like french toast very much. It's good breakfast option for me whenever I am in hurry or simply in no mood to do something elaborate.

We can make savory french toast too but I hardly do that, I stick with sweet version to indulge always.   So leaving you all with a good, quick weekend breakfast option here.

Other Sandwich & Toasts Recipes you can check out

• Eggplant Curry Sandwich {Leftover Magic}
• Open Rava Sandwich
• Vegetable Sandwich {Street Style}
• Murukku Sandwich
• Tomato Toast
• Vegetables and Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients for French Toast [Serves 2]

Bread - 4 pieces
Eggs - 4
Milk - 1/8 Cup
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Butter - To Toast

To Serve [optional]
Icing Sugar - To Dust
Maple Syrup

Method:

1. Beat egg & sugar well.
2. Add milk, essence extract and mix well.

3. Heat a tawa or griller, apply 1 tsp of butter and melt.
4. Soak bread in egg mixture for 30 seconds in both sides and carefully place in heated pan.

5. Cook both sides until golden brown in slow-medium flame, repeat same for rest of breads.

Sprinkle icing sugar and maple syrup before serving warm or just have as it is.

Notes
~ Cook only in slow to medium flame otherwise toast will get burn and not cooked properly.
~ Use stale or old bread so it can soak the mixture.  Fresh bread might break in pieces.  You can keep bread in fridge for some time too before using.
~ You can add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder.

Have a nice day ~~

Beetroot & Sprouts Stirfry Recipe

As promised here is one of the most easy and healthy way to include sprouts in our diet, a very simple recipe nothing complicated or hi-fi here.  Beetroot is one of my favorite vegetable and you can guess that by the number of beets recipe I have blogged so far.  Here again is a usual beetroot stir fry or poriyal with extra sprouts goodness.  As I mention in my "How to Sprouts" post eating it raw is the best thing but if you are one of those people whom doesn't like to eat raw sprout then try this recipe.  We add sprouts just before finish cooking and it's get cooked by steam itself, which keep sprouts nutrition intact up to a certain level and also adds wonderful crunch to the stir fry, it goes well with rice-sambar-dal-rasam combo or even roti.

Ingredients for Beetroot & Sprouts Stir Fry

Beetroot - 1 Large
Green Bean Sprouts - 1 Cup [click on link for homemade green bean sprout recipe]
Green Chillies - 4-5
Oil - 1 tbsp
Asafetida/Hing - A Pinch
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - a sprig
Salt - To Taste

Method:

1. Wash, peel and grate beetroot, chop green chillies.
2. In a wok heat oil, add hing, mustard seeds and allow it to crack.
3. Add curry leaves, urad dal, green chilli and saute for a minute.
4. Add grated beetroot and mix well, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until cooked in medium heat, stir in intervals.
5. Add salt, sprouts and stir well.  Cover & cook for a minute and off flame, leave wok covered for 5 minutes for sprouts to gets cooked from steam.

Our easy, quick, healthy and delicious stir fry is ready.

Have a nice day ~~