Mixed Vegetable Kurma (Korma) without Coconut | Hotel Style Veg Kurma

Vegetable Kurma or Vegetable Korma, hotel style mixed vegetable kurma in pressure cooker is creamy, aromatic, popular South Indian spiced curry or side dish with parotta, poori chapathi or even with idli, dosa, idiyapaam, appam, variety rice it gets pair along so well. This kurma is hotel style kurma only difference is I didn't used coconut in this version so if you don't have coconut stock and still want to make some kurma now you know what to do.

Vegetables Semiya Upma | Vermicelli Upma Recipe | Easy Breakfast Recipes

Vegetables Semiya Upma or Vermicelli Upma is popular South Indian breakfast recipe and almost all love semiya upma and adding vegetables only makes it more delicious and healthy. Semiya, Sevia, Seviya, Sevai, Shavige upma/uppittu whatever we may call it this is one of those recipe that we can have as breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack or even it suits perfectly for lunch box.

Mixed Vegetables Dal Recipe | Subzi Dal | Dal Recipes

Mixed Vegetables dal or vegetables mixed dal or subzi dal is easy dal made with lots of dals and vegetables variety. This dal recipe is very good if someone in your family doesn't like any party dal or beans and vegetable. Everything get's cooked and mashed that it's difficult for any one to point the ingredient that they don't eat or like. This dal is protein rich by using variety of legumes and vegetables provides other essential vitamins.

Vegetables Fried Noodles | Easy Veg Noodles Recipe | Indo Chinese Recipes

Vegetable Fried Noodles or veg noodles is an Indo-Chinese recipe popular among all ages and this spicy noodles recipe for the people whom like spicy food unlike Hakka Noodles which is not very spicy. Both the recipes are almost same here we just add lot of sauce to make the noodles more spicy and choice of vegetables still remains to what we like. Now that school holidays going and with kids at home you can try this noodles as kids like noodles and they get variety to eat.

Vegetable Hakka Noodles Recipe | Indo Chinese Recipes

Vegetable Hakka Noodles or veg noodles is an Indo-Chinese recipe popular among kids, adult alike. I make fried rice more compare to noodles but some how veg noodles never made it to blog though I took pictures some time, recently I made lot of Indo-Chinese food for my SIL and niblings and this time again I almost didn't click the pictures but thanks to my SIL whom forced to me take pictures of noodles.

Vegetable Manchurian Gravy Recipe | Veg Manchurian | Indo-Chinese Recipes

Vegetable Manchurian or Veg Manchurian is an popular Indo-Chinese recipe which most of us do like along with a bowl or fried rice or noodles. For those whom haven't tried making veg manchurian at home think it's very difficult and complicated recipe I used to be among them too until I tried it and from then there's no looking back but like most of the Indo-Chinese recipe this veg manchurian was also not able to make to blog as I normally make these things for dinner.

Carrot Beans Poriyal Recipe | Carrot Beans Stirfry

Carrot Beans Poriyal or also known as thoran, stir fry is one of easy side dish recipe which we can make in jiffy and it goes well with rasam, sambar or even any dal tadka/fry. Among all the poriyal carrot beans poriyal must be the most famous one and we can find the same in almost every hotel serving South Indian Meal, in marriages etc. If you want something easy and quick then this poriyal or stir fry is one of the best option.

Broccoli Beans Stirfry (Thoran, Poriyal) | Broccoli Recipe

Broccoli poriyal/thoran or stir fry is very common in our place and I do most of the time stir fry with broccoli and this time I added beans with broccoli for this broccoli beans stir fry, thoran or poriyal whatever we may call it.  After all the diwali recipes, a much needed break from all the sweets and savory snacks is with this healthy and delicious stir fry.

Sindhi Kadhi | Kadhi Chawal |No Onion No Garlic Recipe

In Sindhi cuisine one of famous dish is Sindhi Kadhi, at least I think so! I had first time sindhi kadhi in Kailash Parbat during my friend's birthday lunch meet (this was almost a year and half ago) and I didn't liked it cause they made it just plain bad.  But since my friend was going ga-ga over her neighbor aunt famous sindhi kadhi and how good actually it suppose to be I thought of trying and I have also heard only good things about it.   What makes Sindhi Kadhi unique is no curd(yogurt) is used which is a key ingredient in any kadhi and on the other hand vegetables are added which normally doesn't happens in kadhi so it's very different from any other popular kadhi.

Cluster Beans Stir Fry | Kothavarangai Poriyal

I never used to like cluster beans known as gawwarfali in hindi and kothavarangai in tamil.  In our house only my elder sister used to like this and my mom would make this once in a while for her, that day rest of us will be very upset.  But things changes isn't it? so when DH started to bring cluster beans I had no choice but to to cook and most of the time I do stir fry mostly without coconut and started to eat this nice vegetable.  In my in-laws place they make garwaarfali-aloo sabzi, it's very north style of preparing cluster beans, I should post that some time.   I make this poriyal the most easy way - no onion, no garlic and it goes well with dal/sambar/rasam just with anything.  If you don’t like cluster beans then try this way of preparing this poriyal/thoran and you sure going to like it.  So let’s check out the recipe.

Ingredients:

Cluster Beans/Gawaarfali/Kothavarangai - 250gms [ 2 cups chopped]
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
For Tempering
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds -1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Method:
1. Wash and chop cluster beans into small pieces like in picture below. Add little salt & sprinkle water, pressure cook for 2 whistles or microwave for 10 minutes.

2.  In a pan heat oil and add tempering ingredients - cumin, mustard seeds and allow to splutter.  Add urad dal, curry leaves and roast until golden brown.
3. Add cluster beans and cook in medium flame for 5 minutes, stir in intervals.  If need add few drops of water to cook it well.

4. Add red chili, turmeric powders and salt, mix well and cook for 2 minutes.  Add coconut, mix and cook for 2 more minutes or until poriyal becomes dry.

Our simple and super easy cluster beans stir fry recipe is ready.

Have a nice day ~~

Beans Thoran | Poriyal | Onam Sadhya Recipes

This beans thoran was not made by me but by my ex-colleague for Onam Sadhya lunch, I just happily took the pictures, oh ya I did chop the beans though.   I make beans poriyal same way too except ginger and add carrot most of times.   It makes a tasty side dish for rasam rice than anything, a perfect comfort food and I like this with rasam rice too.   A simple yet satisfying stir fry for any day.  If you want something different then here is my carrot and broccoli thoran.

Ingredients:

Beans - 2 cup [chopped]
Shallots - 4-5 [chopped]
Green chillies - 4 [chopped]
Minced Ginger - 1 tsp ( optional)
Dry Red Chilli - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1/4 Cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water - 2-3 tbsp


Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan add cumin, mustards seeds and allow to sputter, add urad dal, curry leaves sauté until golden brown.
2. Add  dry red chilli, shallots, ginger, beans, turmeric, salt and green chilli, stir well.
3. Sprinkle 2-3 tbsp water and cover the beans, cover and cook in medium flame for 5-7 minutes, stir in 2-3 times in between.
4.  Add grated coconut and stir well.  Cover and cook again for 5 minutes (stirring in intervals) or until beans gets cooked fully.
Serve warm with Onam Sadya or Rice, sambar, rasam. 



Notes~
1. Add 1 cup of grated carrot if you wish, add it in step 2 along with beans.
2.  Skip ginger if you don’t like.
3. Stir in regular interval while cooking to avoid beans from burning.
4. You can make this without coconut too, it still taste great.
5. For authentic Kerala style thoran, use coconut oil.
Have a nice day ~~

Mochakottai Sundal | Val Beans Salad | Navratri Vrat Recipes

How your Navratri Celebration is going?  Hope you are having fun, food and laughter.  Thanks to facebook I’m able to see beautiful Golu setup from other bloggers friends it’s a virtual treat indeed, I hope to see some Durga Pandal pictures too.   We don’t make sundal much, not during Navratri too which is very famous in down South (India).  Sundal is spiced up like Channa Chat recipe or famous Channa Jor Garam, there’s also few old hindi songs goes by same name. 

I hardly make sundal, it’s rare then once in a blue moon, but since it’s sundal everywhere in blogs now a days I wanted to eat some too.  One can make sundal of any beans like chickpeas, black chickpeas, peanuts etc and here am using mochakottai (mochai kottai) aka Val Beans which is delicious option to try. 

Ingredients:
Mochakottai/Val Beans - 1 cup/150gms
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
  For Tempering:
Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 1
Slit Green Chillies - 1
Minced Ginger - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

   Method:
1. Rinse and soak mochakottai/val beans for 5-6 hours or overnight. 

  ~ Mochai kottai double in size after soaking over night, you can see in the below picture the size of beans before and after soaking. 

2. Rinse again and pressure cook with enough water (around 3 cups) and salt for 4-5 whistles, once pressure is release drain water and keep boiled mochakottai aside.

3. In a pan or wok heat oil and add ingredients ‘for tempering’ in order.   Once mustard seeds splutters and urad dal gets light brown add boiled mochakotttai and give a good stir.

4. Add grated coconut mix well (adjust salt if required) and fry for 2 minute, turn off flame.

Our mochakottia.val beans sundal is ready.  A wonderful way to munch on these guilt free snacks.  We had with as always tea.

 Variations:
~ You can add 2 tbsp of fresh cilantro or mint.
~ Add little fresh crushed peppercorn for that extra spicy kick.  I add little pepper for DH and he liked it that way.
~ Fresh minched ginger adds good flavour so try not to skip it.

Have a nice day ~~

Baigan Aur Channa Masala | Eggplant and Chickpeas Curry

This recipe outcome of my mood swings.  I started with making one thing, continue making another and the end product with something else.  I do such things so often now a days that I started to think something is wrong with me, does this happen to you too?    But then I like to try different combination and experiment and so far everything has been successful. Softness of eggplant and crunches of chickpeas is perfectly blended with spices making it a special dish and yet simple to make and it has been one of the regular in my list now.  You don’t have to think too much, just go ahead and try this am sure you will like this too. 

Ingredients
Eggplant/Baigan - 1 Large
Chickpeas - 1/2 Cups
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 1 small
Garlic - 1 tsp chopped
Green Chillies - 2
Oil - 1 tbsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Dry Mango Powder/Amchur - 1/4 tsp
Kasoori Methi(dry fenugreek leaves) - 1 tsp [crushed between palms]
Salt - To taste
Water - 1 cup

Method:
1. Soak chickpeas over night and pressure cook for 2 whistles with enough water (around 2 cups) and little salt. 
2. Chop onion, garlic, green chillies and tomato in chucks.  Cut eggplant in bite size pieces and immerse in water until ready to use.
3. In a pan or wok heat 1 tsp of oil, sauté onion, garlic and green chillies until onion becomes transparent, transfer to mixer jar or blender and allow to cool. Once cool enough to grind, add little water and make a smooth paste.
4. In the same pan add remaining oil, add bay leaf and sauté for 30 seconds.  In medium to slow flame now add prepared paste and fry until paste starts to leave pan edges.  Now add red chilli, coriander seeds and turmeric powders and sauté for 2 more minutes. 
5. Meanwhile we can grind the tomato and keep aside, don’t add any water.
6. Add puree tomato, mix well and cook for a minute. Add brinjal/eggplant pieces and cook for 2 minutes or until brinjal starts to change colour.
7.  Add one cup of water or use the boiled chickpeas water, boiled chickpeas, crushed kasoori methi, salt, amchur and bring it good boil, slow flame and simmer for 5 minutes or until gravy become thick and brinjal cooked well but not mashy. 
Goes well with plain rice, any pulav or roti/paratha.  We had it with Peas Pulav.

Have a nice day ~~

White Melon and Lobia Curry

One of another combo that I have tried and liked it.  DH got white melon I think he must have mistaken that as bottle gourd as it looked exactly like bottle gourd from outside and also inside (it was not the round shape one).  For some time I was confused whether it’s indeed bottle gourd but then it was not, white melon taste is little different from bottle gourd so in this recipe you can use bottle gourd too instead of white melon.  I made this on Sat’day and do it faster I used pressure cooker. I decided to use little of lobia that I had and soaked it to make something else but then it was meant for this curry I guess.  While white melon adds soft touch and lobia adds good crunch to the recipe and both together makes a good combination.  

Serves - 4

Ingredients:

White Melon Cubed -1 Cups

Lobia/Black Eyed Beans - 1/2 Cup

Oil - 2 tsp

Bay Leaf - 1

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

Dry Mango/Amchur Powder - 1/2 tsp

Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp [crushed]

Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak lobia with enough water for 4-5 hours or overnight, drain the water from soaked lobia and keep aside.  I normally soak all beans over night.

2. Wash, peel and chop white melon in to medium size cubes.  Chop tomato.

3. In a pressure cooker heat oil, add bay leaf and sauté for 30 seconds.  Add cumin seeds allow it to crack.

4. Add cubed melon, give a good stir.  Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until raw smell goes away. 

5. Add lobia and stir well.  Add all spice powders and sauté for a minute, now goes chopped tomato, salt and cook for 2 more minutes. 

6. Add 1 cup water, kasoori methi, adjust salt if required and pressure cook for 2 whistles

~ If you are using Futura cooker then cook until cooker starts steaming, it will start steaming in 2-3 minutes. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes in slow flame.

This curry goes well with roti/paratha, or  rice.  Garnish with chopped cilantro if you wish.

Note:

~ You can add chopped onion, I just skipped it.

~ You can use bottle gourd or potato instead of melon.

~ You can cook the curry in pan, in that case pressure cook lobia and simmer until  white melons gets cooked.

Have a nice day ~~

Savoury Barley Cookies

More than sweet I like savoury cookies and the fact that it goes well with tea/coffee is only plus point so when I saw Barley Buttermilk Biscuits in Gayathri blog I decided to give a try as I had to open my barley flour packet :).   I started my work but only to realize I didn't few things mention in the recipe .:( but then that didn't stop me from trying it and I came up with my own.  These is one of those most simple and quick cookie which taste good and spicy, avoid chili powder if you don't like spicy stuff or making for kids.  Also these cookies are towards the crunchy side and not soft, if you want soft cookies then add butter :).    Thanks to Gayathri for sharing such wonderful recipe. 

Ingredients:

Barley Flour - 1/2 cup

Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup

All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp

Garlic Powder - 1/2 tsp [optional]

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp [optional]

Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp 

Butter - 2 tbsp [ I used olive oil]

Buttermilk/Milk - 1/3cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Sieve together all the flours, baking, cumin, garlic, chili powders and salt and preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

2. Meanwhile roast kasoori methi for a mintues and crush with your palms and add in the flour mix.

3. Add butter or oil and mix well until flour becomes crumbles. 

4. Add milk and make a soft and smooth dough.  Try not to have any cracks, add more milk if required.  

5. Roll into thin layer and cut in desire shape with a cookie cutter.   You can keep the thickness to 1/4cm, I prefer to have thin cookies.

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.  Keep eye on oven after 15 minutes.  Remove and cool on wire rack and store in air tight container.

The cookies are real crispy and stays the same for weeks.  As said add 1/4 C butter if you wish to have it softer.   

Enjoy with tea or coffee, dip or dunk :)

And this goes to to WWC- Barley For Breakfast hosted by Priya and started by Sanjeetha

Mix Vegetables Kurma | Mix Vegetables with Cashew Sauce

Remember my Navratan Korma? In that I said I have used my sister method with some modification, so here am posting the original method of my sis.  This is simple curry but taste really good and goes well with chapathi, paratha, pulav or anything.    We can also add any vegetable of our choice ...let's check the recipe now. 

Ingredients:

Diced Vegetables - 2 cups  

[Used here is carrot, beans, peas, red capsicum and potato]

Cashew nuts - 10  

Poppy Seeds - 1 tbsp

[If you don't have poppy seeds then add more 6-7 cashews] 

Oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp 

Cinnamon - 1" piece

Green Cardamom - 1

Clove - 1

Bay Leaf - 1 small

Onion - 1 large

Tomato - 1 large

Green Chilli -3-4 [halved]

Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste 

Water -

Cilantro - 2 tbsp [chopped]

Method:

1. Dice all the vegetables in almost same size and microwave for 5 minutes with little water, 1/4 turmeric powder.  Stir after every minute.

2. Meanwhile Soak cashew and poppy seeds in little warm water for 10 minutes and grind into smooth paste, keep aside.

3. In a pan heat oil, add bay leaf, Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, cumin seeds and allow to splutter.  Add chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes or until it becomes pinkish.  

4. Add ginger-garlic paste, chillies and mix well sauté for another minute.

5.  Add chopped tomato, chilli, coriander, turmeric powder; mix everything and cook for a minutes.

6. Add salt and all the vegetables, give a good stir.  Add 1 to 1.5 cup water and cook for 5 mintues.

7.  Now add the cashew n poppy seeds paste mix everything well and cook for 8-10 minutes in medium flame or until all the veggies gets cooked and gravy becomes thick.

8. Adjust salt if required and garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy with paratha or pulav ...

Have a good Day ~~

Boro Sabji or Longbean Curry, a Award & MeMe

Longbean are a good source of protein, vitamin A, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source for vitamin C, magnesium, and manganese. In spite of all these benefits longbean or Boro is one of those vegetable which doesn't get much space in our fridge.

There is lot of difference between Indian Longbean and the one's we get in Singapore, the first thing you will notice is the size and texture. Indian longbeans are smaller and softer compare to what we get here but neither the less we buy longbean once in a while and most of the time I prepare the same thing. This longbean sabji taste good with Roti or Dal Chawal. Over to recipe now.

Ingredient:

Longbean - 1 bunch (or depending on requirment)
Onion - 2-3 medium chopped
Green Chilli - 4-5 chopped
Tomato - 1 big chopped
Redchilli powder - 3tps
Tumeric - 1/2 tps
Coriander powder - 1tps
Jeera/cumin seed - 1/2 tps
Garlic - 2-3pods crushed
Oil - 4-5 tbs
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Wash & cut longbean in to small pieces.

2. In a pan heat oil add cumin seeds, once cumin turns brown add crushed garlic fry for 30secs.
3. Add chopped onion and green chili and saute it until golden brown.

4. Add chopped longbean, mix and fry until longbean gets soft. Add all the masala powders and fry for 2 more mins.

5. Add the chopped tomato and cook until tomato gets done and oil starts leaving the edges.

6. Add salt and mix well everything. Add water 1/2cup and cook for 5mins. The curry is not wet or dry but just perfect to eat with roti or chawal dal.