Tariwale Aloo Matar | No Onion-Garlic Recipe

Aloo tari or aloo matar tari is one of my favorite recipe, it’s so simple, easy and quick to make plus goes well with just everything.   I make this for all most all the get-together to balance the meal and the fact that it's a perfect sabzi for paratha, roti, poori, jeera or peas pulav or just any variety rice makes it more appealing.  It’s a no onion-garlic recipe which might interest more some of you.  It also goes so well with pongal, so this pongal give a miss to your usual gosthu, sambar, kuzhambu etc and try this simple aloo matar tariwale with pongal, a mix or north and south and if you have boiled potatoes in hand then this can be done in jiffy.  Here I made this with ajwain paratha and lemon rice for a friend.  Try this and it will become one of your favorite recipe too.

Ingredients for Tariwale Aloo Matar Sabzi

Boiled Potato - 3
Peas - 1/2 cup [ I used frozen]
Tomato - 2
Green Chilies - 3
Oil - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida/Hing - a pinch
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Amchar Powder - 1/2 tsp [optional]
Salt - to taste
Water - 2 Cups
Cilantro - 3 tbsp [chopped]

Method

1. Peel and chop boiled potatoes in to medium size pieces.  Mash one chopped potatoes pieces with 1 cup of water and keep aside. Chop tomato and green chilies.
2. In a wok or pan heat oil, add hing, cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
3. Add chopped tomato, stir and cook cover until tomato gets mashed.
4. Add red chili, turmeric, coriander seeds powders and mix well cook for a minute.
5. Add peas, potatoes pieces, stir and cook for a minute.  Add potato mixed water and another cup of water, salt to taste and bring it to boil.
6. Now simmer gravy for 7-10 minutes, add garam masala powder, amchur (if using) and simmer for another minute.  Garnish with cilantro and off flame.

Our tariwale aloo matar is ready, serve with roti, paratha or any variety rice.

Variations
~ Add ginger-garlic paste if preferred
~ You can skip peas and made this only as aloo tari
~ Add little kasuri methi for extra flavour
~ This curry will be watery and not very thick, it's the way it suppose to be.
~ For nice red color gravy, use good quality of red chilli powder.

Have a nice day ~~

Chow Chow Dal Recipe

Chayote, chow chow or as known as Bengaluru katharikkai (brinjal) in tamil is one of those veggie which makes rare appearance at home. And most of the time I make this simple dal, though the recipe is easy but this dal taste very delicious. It's my sister recipe, I learnt this from her as in our parents place chow chow is total no-no, South Indian vegetables makes very rare appearance in my parents place.

Pappa Al Pomodoro | Tomato Bread Soup

Hope you all had great start of year, I wanted to start this year with a sweet note but then I changed my mind and thought of having a healthy start with this easy and delicious soup.  Pappa al pomodoro or tomato bread soup is one of my favorite and I always make this when I bake my wheat bread, last part of bread always transform into this delicious soup. 

I wanted to post this recipe for years now but never manage until I made this recently for lunch with not home made bread instead I used white & multigrain breads.  You can try this soup with any bread of your choice.   This makes delicious, healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner and if you try once you will sure love this filling soup, the plus point if you have stale bread use it for this recipe and it's a perfect winter soup - filling, warm and comfort ..what say?

Ingredients for Tomato Bread Soup  [ Serves - 2]

Breads - 5 pieces [ I used white and multi grain breads]
Onion - 1 large
Tomato - 2 large
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Minced Garlic - 1 tbsp
Chili Flakes - 1/2 tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp
Italian herbs - 1/2 tbsp
Parmesan Cheese - 2 tbsp (for garnish)
Water - 1 cup

Method

1. Slice onion and chop tomato.
2. Cut bread in to pieces
3. In a wok or pan heat oil add minced garlic and sauté until light brown, keep stirring to infuse oil with garlic flavor.  Add onion and saute until translucent.

4. Now add tomato and cook for 2-3 minutes cover.
5. Add salt, chilli flakes mix and cook until tomato fully mashes.

6. Allow to cool and grind.  We don't have to grind into smooth paste, if you like little chunky.
7. Bring soup back to pan add 1 cup of water, add tomato ketchup, herbs, pepper and bring it to boil.

8. Add bread pieces, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until bread becomes soft in medium heat.  Add more water if required.
9. Adjust salt and pepper.

Garnish with cheese, pepper, herbs (if wish) and serve warm.

Have a nice day ~~

Happy New Year 2013

Wishing Everyone Happy & Peaceful New Year 

In this new year
May God grant you:
Sun to warm you,
Moon to charm you,
An Angel to protect you,
True love to care for you,
A friend to listen to you!

And for your Appetite....I am here :)

Top 10 Favorite Recipes of 2012

I am back from an unexpected break with top recipes of Indian Khana from 2012.   This year has been the most challenging from the year starting to the end now it's just getting painful but these things make us strong and realize everything that which we take for granted.  So I am hanging out there, I know things will change.   In blogging I took couples of unexpected break but other than that I did quite decent I guess.  With hope and wish next year to be a better one here comes top 10 your favorite recipes of this year.

Wish you all a Happy Year End and Great Start of 2013.

Most popular recipe of 2012 is Black Forest Cake, it’s easy to prepare and taste too delicious.

Next up is a simple DIY recipe of garlic powder

Next comes Eggless Butterless ie Vegan Chocolate Cupcake

One of my favorite, the authentic Gathiya recipe made it next in the list.

 Another favorite tea time and festive snack Namak Para

To satisfy sweet cravings in less guilty way is Sweet Potato Halwa

Go royal with rich and delicious Mughlai Mutton Masala

And easy, quick and no cooking sweet for any occasion is Coconut Laddoo

Popular during fasting (vrat) but it’s good for just any day and simple too Singhara Burfi

Ending the top 10 with most unexpected Kutchi Dabeli

Have a great year end.

Eggplant Tomato Curry Recipe

After all the cakes and cookies recipes taking a break with this is a simple eggplant curry with lots of tomato,  it’s tangy and addition of peanuts and sesame seeds adds wonderful flavorful to this simple dish, this curry goes well with rice or roti.  If you are looking for change from your usual brinjal/eggplant curry then you should try this it's delicious and different.  Stay tune to know what I did with leftover of this curry.

Ingredients for Eggplant Tomato Curry [Servers 3-4 people]

Eggplant/Brinjal - 400 gms
Onion - 3 [1 cup chopped]
Tomato - 4 large [2 cup chopped]
Green Chilies - 6
Minced Ginger-Garlic - 1 tbsp
Dry Red Chilli - 2
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil -  4 tbsp
Water - 1/2 Cup
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Chop onion, tomato and green chilies.
2.  Heat 1 tsp oil in pan or wok and sauté peanuts until light brown, add sesame seeds and sauté for 2 minutes, keep aside until cool and grind into powder.
3. In same wok add 1-2 tbsp oil and sauté eggplant until light brown, keep aside.

4. In the same wok add remaining oil, add mustard, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dry red chili and allow to splutter.  Add minced ginger-garlic and sauté until light brown.
4. Add onion and sauté until translucent.

5. Add turmeric, coriander seeds and red chili powders and mix well, cook for a minute.

6. Add tomato and cook until mashed.  Add crushed kasoori methi and cook for a minute.

7. Now add salt, cover and cook until tomatoes get mash fully. 

8. Add sautéed brinjal pieces and mix gently, add water and bring it a boil.

9. Add powdered peanuts and sesame and mix well, simmer for 2 minutes and off flame. 

Serve with rice or roti/paratha, it taste great with anything.

Have a nice day ~~

Spiced Apple Cake Recipe

I love baking with fruits, most of my baked recipes are with different fruits and here again I baked a cake with my favorite bake fruit - Apple.   This cake I baked together with gingerbread man cookies and packed along fruit cake, all these goodies for cuties nibbling.  

Coming back to this cake, it’s very simple cake with minimal ingredients, all the spices makes it very interesting and flavorful plus the aroma is so good, it’s soft, moist and crumbles just a perfect cake packed with apple goodness.   If you like spices then you going to absolutely love this cake and if you don’t like spices then reduce the quantity to get just touch of spices, adjust according to your taste. 

 Ingredients for Spiced Apple Cake

Apples - 4-5 [I used different varieties]
Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 5 tbsp
Plain Flour/Maida - 2 Cups
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
All Spice Powder - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 3
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Vegetable Oil - 3/4 Cup
Milk - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Wash, core and dice apples, we don’t have to peel apples.

2. Toss with 5 tbsp sugar and cinnamon powder and set aside.
~ If you leave aside this for long time or a hour sugar will release water, which happened with me as I got busy with cooking lunch.  But it’s not really a issue, we can use the water.

3.  Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, all spice, nutmeg powder.

4. In a bowl beat eggs and sugar together until fluffy and sugar dissolves.

5. Add vanilla extract, milk and oil mix well.  Now add flour mixture in batches, stir well to incorporated all ingredients.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degree or 180C.  Prepare a 8 inch pan grease and dust with flour or line with parchment paper.

7. Pour half of cake batter into pan, spread half of apple over it. 

8. Pour remaining batter over apples and again arrange remaining apples on top. 
9. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool cake completely on a wire rack before slicing.
~ Check if the cake is baked after an hour. 

Our cake is ready.

Have a nice day ~~

Christmas Cakes & Bakes Recipes 2012

 

Christmas is here and this festive season means baking cakes, cookies, muffins etc for family, friends and enjoy the joy the giving. I am posting collection of cakes, cookies, muffin, cupcakes that I have already in blog here so you can plan your Christmas baking and enjoy with family. Do try the eggless, alocohol-free Christmas Fruit Cake it doesn't require days of soaking fruits too and taste too good.

Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake

December is month of celebration and it’s goes so true for me with my birthday, anniversary, my sis, bro, sil, close friend birthdays, it’s a month long celebration time.  And if your friend bakes a cake for your anniversary and travel all the way to give the cake it’s makes your day super special like we say in hindi sone pe suhaga.

The cake was just so perfect it was dense, soft, moist, crumbly with loads of fruits and nuts making it way too good and I actually didn't believe it’s a eggless cake.  So thank you Prema for the wonderful cake recipe :)

If you planning to try fruit cake/kerala plum cake during this festive season then try this recipe you going to love it, there’s no two away about it.  It's eggless, alcohol free, easy and the best part is just too delicious.  In case you use rum or brandy then just replace fruit juice with that and enjoy your cake.  I packed this cake along with gingerbread man cookies for DH to take India and every one just loved this cake.  Frankly speaking I can go ga-ga over this delicious cake but let me not do this here and check out the recipe.

Ingredients for Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Plum Cake

Brown Sugar - 120g
Butter  (Salt-less)- 120g
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Plain Flour - 125g
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
All Spice Powder - 1/4 tsp
Fruit Juice - 1/3 cup  OR 30 ml Brandy (Used here is apple juice)
Mixed Fruits - 120g (sultanas, raisins, cherries, prunes, dates, mixed peels) roughly chopped
Mixed Nuts - 120g (macadamia nuts, cashew nuts, almonds) roughly chopped

Method

1. Add roughly chopped mixed fruits, fruit juice (or rum/brandy if using) in a bowl and mix well.  Leave to stand for overnight or at least 3 hours.  If you have time soak fruits for 2-3 days for better results. 
2. In a small bowl, mix baking soda and vinegar and keep aside.
3. Preheat oven to 180C, meanwhile in a mixing bowl, beat butter till light and fluffy.  Add brown sugar and mix well.
5. Sieve baking powder, plain flour, salt.  Add flour in batches with butter & sugar mix, beat the mixture just for 1 minute at low to medium speed.
6. Add soaked fruits along with juice, chopped nuts, spice powder, baking soda & vinegar mix and blend well.
7. Grease a 9 inch tin and transfer the cake batter in it.
8. Bake it for 35-40 minutes at 180 degree Celsius or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Once the cake is done, cool on a wire cake.

Our cake is ready, you can dust it with icing sugar.  I didn't do that because I was not in that mood!   Share with your family, friends to double your joy.

Variations
~ You can use orange juice instead of apple juice for soaking.
~ If you don’t have spice powder, use 1/2 tsp mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove powders.
~ Mixed candied peels comes in bottle, you can just add candied orange peel. If you don't have both add 1 tsp heaped orange or lemon zest.
~ Slice cake when it’s completely cooled.  If you find cake getting crumbs, keep it in fridge for 30 minutes and then slice it.

Have a nice day ~~