Madhu's Recipe: Vegetable kuruma

Ingredients:

1.Carrot - 1 (chopped)
2.Beans - 100 grms ( Chopped)
3.Potatoes (small) - 3 (Chopped)
4.peas 1/4th cup, cauliflower, brocoli 1/4th cup
(Cut the veggies in chunks if cooking in pressure cooker.Or else veggies will be mashed.)
5.Garlic - 1 pod
6.whole black Pepper - 1 tspn
7.Ginger - small piece
8.Big Onions - 2 (Chopped)
9.Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
10.Chilly powder - 1 tsp
11.Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12.Coriander powder - 2 tsp
13.Salt - To taste
14.Coriander leaves - 1 hand full
15.Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
16.Oil 2 tblspn

Masala Items
Sombu - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 2 small peices
Green Cardamons - 3
Cloves - 2
Bay leaves - 1


Procedure:

1.Take a heavy bottomed vessel or pan, add oil, add the whole pepper and fry it.

2.Now add the onions , fry till golden brown, then add the chopped tomatoes.

3.Now add ginger and garlic. Can use paste also.keep it aside and let it cool.

4.Now grind the above fried items with a handfull of coriander leaves by adding little bit of water.

5.Now take another pan, add all the masala items.i.e. Sombu - 1/2 tsp,Cinnamon sticks - 2 small peices,Green Cardamons - 3,Cloves - 2,Bay leaves - 1.

6.Now add the grinded masala and fry it for 5 min.

7.Then add water as required for gravy also add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and salt and mix well.

8.Then add the chopped vegetables.

9.Cook till the veggies are cooked. If using pressure cooker, cook it till 2 whistles.

10.Finally garnish with coriander leaves.

Madhu's recipe: Paneer tikka masala

Ingredients:

1.Paneer 200 gms Cut into cubes

2.Onion 1

3.Tomatoes 4 or 5 (pureed)

4. Chilli powder 1tspn, Coriander powder 2 tspn, Turmeric a pinch

5. Salt to taste

6. ginger garlic paste

For Paneer tikka:

1.Take the above mentioned 200 gms of paneer, to it add 1 tspn chilli powder, 1 tspn coriander powder, Salt to taste , 1/2 tspn garam masala powder and mix well.

2.Marinate for 30 min. After that, Shallow fry these paneer till they turn light brown in colour. And soak it in warm water for 5 min. This will soften the paneer.

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil, then add finely chopped onions, saute well. Then add ginger & garlic paste. Fry for few seconds.

2. Now add tomato puree, and all the above mentioned powders (as in step 4). Mix well, cover and cook for 10 min till raw smell disappears.

3.Now add the above fried paneer to this and let it cook for 3 or 5 more minutes.

4. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve it with roti/parathas/ any kind of pulao rice.

Madhu's recipe: Potato & Capsicum Gravy

Ingredients:

1. onion 1

2. Tomatoes 3

3. Fennel seeds 1/2 tspn

4. Cumin seeds 1/2 tspn

5. Cloves 3

6. gree chillies 2

7. Coriander powder 2 tspn, chilli powder 1 tspn, turmeric a pinch, garam masala 1/2 tspn.

8. Ginger garlic paste 1 tspn

9. potatoes 1/2 kg (Boiled and chopped in cubes or medium bite size chunks)

10. Capsicum 1 medium

11. Salt to taste


Method:

1. In a pan heat oil, add cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds. fry for few seconds.

2. Now add green chillis, onion and fry till onion is translucent. Now add capsicum. Cook for 3 min.

3. Now add tomatoes. You can puree it if you want. I pureed them. since it gets cooked faster. add water according to your required consistency.

4. Now add ginger garlic paste and all the powders and cook for 10 or 15 min till the raw smell disappears.

5. Finally add the boiled potatoes, cook for further 1 or 2 min till it gets well mixed and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with paratha or roti.

Madhu's recipe: Methi dal

Ingredients

1. moong dal and toor dal together 1/2 cup

2. cumin seeds 1 tspn

3. onion 1

4. methi leaves 1 cup

5. pinch of turmeric

6. peas 1/2 cup

7. mustard seeds 1/2 tspn

8. Green chilli 1

9. Chilli powder 1tspn, coriander powder 2tspn

10.Salt to taste

Method:

1.In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it splutter add cumin seeds,

2.Now add green chillies and onion. Cook till onions are translucent.

3.Now add all powders (chilli, coriander, turmeric)

4.Next add the cooked dal. Cover and cook for 10 min till raw smell of powders are gone.

5. Once the raw smell disappears, add the methi leaves and peas and salt. I used frozen peas. It cooks faster so can be added finally also.

6. let it cook for 3 min. Switch off the flame and serve.

Hema's recipe: Kurma for Idiyappam

As for as weekends comes, I like to prepare different and variety dishes which are quite heavy.
This is because of two reasons. one, I can prepare it leisurely and two, my husband can eat it leisurely. This applies both to breakfast and lunch.

This week I had bought frozen idiyappam from Indian stores. So just thought why don't we do kurma for this idiyappam and keep it for breakfast.

I had once seen this kurma recipe in a tv show and as per that I had prepared this recipe.

The coconut and poppy seeds as a paste gives a nice flavour to this dish.

Both myself and my husband enjoyed the breakfast with Idiyappam and kurma.


INGREDIENTS:

1) Onions - 2
2) Tomatoes -2
3) Carrot - 1
4) Beans - 10 to 15
5) Potato - 1 (small)
6) Peas - handfull
7) Cardamom - 1 pod
8) Cloves - 3
9) Green chillies - 2
10) Coconut - 2 tbsp
11) Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp (khuskhus)
12) Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
13) Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
14) Turmeric - a pinch
15) Curd - 1/2 cup
16) Milk - 1 cup
17) Oil - 2 tbsp
18) Salt - to taste
19) Coriander leaves - a few


METHOD:

1)Finely chop onions and tomatoes.
2)Chop the vegetables and steam them.
3)Grind together coconut and poppy seeds to a fine paste.
4)Heat oil in a pan. Add cardamom, cloves and green chillies.
5)Add onions and fry till they are golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook them till they are pulpy.
6)Add chiili powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt. Mix them well.
7)Now add grounded paste and cook till it becomes thick.
9)Add 1/2 cup curd and boil for a minute.
10)Now switch off the flame and add 1/2 cup milk.
11)Garnish with coriander leaves.
12)Serve hot with idiyappam.

Hema's recipe: Aloo Gobi

I wanted to try this aloo gobi for long time. But I wanted to do it along with any pulao.

So I did this with vegetable pulao and it was just great. The potato and cauliflower with the gravy was so aromatic.

And this recipe is little different from my previous gobi mutter

INGREDIENTS:

1) Potatoes - 2
2) Cauliflower - 2 cup (florets)
3) Onion - 1(finely chopped)
4) Tomatoes - 1
5) Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
6) Garlic - 2 pods
7) Green chilli - 2 nos.
8) Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
9) Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
10) Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp
11) Turmeric - a pinch
12) Oil - 2 tbsp
13) Salt - to taste
14) Coriander leaves - a few

METHOD:

1)Wash the potatoes, peel them , cut into cubes and boil them.
I microwaved them for 4 mins. Keep it aside.
2)Cut the cauliflower into florets and boil them. keep it aside.
3)Please see that these both are not overcooked.
4)Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds.
5)When they sizzle, add finely chopped onions and fry till they are golden brown.
6)Put tomatoes, ginger, garlic, greenchillies to a blender and blend it.
7)Now when onions are done, add this tomato paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
8)Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt and mix them well.
9)Keep stirring it well so that it does not stick to bottom. A nice aroma will come from the gravy.
10)Now add the boiled potatoes and cauliflower. Add water if needed.
11)Cover and cook in the medium flame for about 10 minutes.
12)Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
13)It goes well with chapathi, poori or any pulao.


TIPS:

1) Mushroom lovers can add mushroom to this gravy.
2)Adjust spice according to your taste.

Hema's recipe: Shahi Paneer

When I made paneer myself, I wanted to do paneer butter masala. when I was searching the net, I came across this recipe in Sanjeev kapoor's collection.

I found it quite interesting & wanted to try it out. The dish came so nice and it was so aromatic that it filled all my rooms.

The cashews when soaked in milk & added as a paste gives a nice flavour.

Actually I did this dish with naan for dinner. But the gravy was left over and I did not want to waste it. So the next morning I made chapathi and ate with this gravy. It was even more tastier.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Onions - 1(medium size)
2) Tomatoes - 3
3) Paneer - 15-20 cubes
4) Cashews - 10 nos.
5) cloves - 2 nos.
6) green chillies - 2 nos.
7) Ginger - 1 inch piece
8) Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
9) Coriander powder - 3/4 tbsp
10) Garam masala powder - 3/4 tbsp
11) Turmeric - a pinch
12) Curd - 1/4 cup
13) Milk - 1/2 cup
14) Cardamom seeds - 1 pod
15) Salt to taste
16) Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp

Method:

1)Cut onions and tomatoes and keep it a side.
2)Soak cashews in milk.
3)Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add cloves, onions, green chillies, ginger and cardamom.
4)Saute till onions become translucent. Now add toamtoes and saute them for few seconds.
5)Add the curd now to this mixture and let it cook for 3-5 mins.
6)Let the mixture cool and blend it in a blender to a fine paste.
7)Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan.
8)Add this blended paste to the pan.
9)Add chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder , garam masala, salt and 1 tbsp tomato sauce.
10)Boil till it becomes thick.
11)Now add 1/2 cup milk and the paneer cubes. Let it boil for 5 mins and switch off the flame.
12)Garnish with coriander leaves.
13)Serve it with chapathi, naan or phulka.

Madhu's recipe: Methi Malai Mutter

Ingredients:

1) 1 bunch of methi leaves
2) 1/2 cup mutter/peas
3) 1 onion (finely chopped)
4) 1 tomato (finely chopped)
5) 1.5 tspn coriander powder
6) 1 tspn chilli powder
7) 1 tspn cumin seeds
8) 1/4th tspn turmeric powder
9) 1/2 tspn ginger gralic paste
10) fresh cream 1 tblspn
11) 1 tspn garam masala
12) Salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean methi leaves , soak them in water with little salt for 10 min. This will take out the bitterness from the leaves.
2. In a pan add oil, once its hot, add cumin seeds, fry for few seconds, then add chopped onions. fry till onions are translucent.
3. Now add ginger garlic paste, fry for few seconds, then add tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are cooked.
4. Now add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, fry for few seconds. Add enough water and cover it and cook it for 10 min.
5. Now once the raw smell disappears, add peas, methi leaves, enough salt, cook it for further 3-5 min.
6. Finally garnish with fresh cream on top. Serve hot with roti/paratha.


Please note: If Frozen peas is used, it can be directly added to the gravy as mentioned above.
If fresh peas is used, it has to be pressure cooked first, then add it to the gravy as mentioned.

Hema's recipe - Gobi Mutter

GOBI MUTTER is a north Indian dish consisting of cauliflower and peas in a spicy sauce.

Most of them would put onion & tomato finely chopped. But i like to blend it and add like a sauce that doubles the flavour of the dish and smells great. It goes well with roti, chapathi, phulka etc. It can also be had with variety rice like pulao or veg briyani.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Cauliflower florets - 1 cup

2) Green peas - 1/2 cup

3) Onion - 1(medium)

4) Tomato - 1(big)

5) Greenchilli - 2 to 3

6) Ginger - a small piece

7) Garlic - 2 pods

8) Jeera - 1 tsp

9) Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

10) Chilli powder - 1 tsp

11) Dhaniya powder - 1.5 tsp

12) Garam masala - 1 tsp

13) Coriander leaves - a few

14) Salt to taste

15) Oil - 2 tsp

METHOD:

1)Wash the cauliflower florets and green peas and boil it in water. See that it is not overcooked.

2)Now in a blender, put onion, toamto, greenchilli, ginger, garlic and grind it into a fine paste.

3)Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. when they splutter add this blended paste & cook untill the raw smell goes off.

4)Add salt, chillipowder, dhaniya powder, turmeric powder & mix well. Add the chilli powder according to your spice level, since we have already added green chilli in the grounded paste.

5)Add water as required for gravy.

6)Now add the cooked cauliflower & the peas & mix everything well, so that the gravy gets coated in them and cook for about 5 minutes.

7)Finally garnish with coriander leaves.

Hema's recipes - Dal Tadka

"DAL" is a preparation of pulses/lentils. "TADKA" means seasoning with spices. Dal can be prepared with toordal, masoordal (red colour dal), moong dal (yellow dal) chana dal etc. It goes well with rice and chapati. Here is the simple recipe of 'yellow moong dal'.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Yellow moong dal - 1 cup

2) Onion - 1

3) Tomato - 1

4) Greenchilli - 3-4

5) Mustard - 1/2 tbsp

6) Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

7) Curry leaves - a few

8) Coriander leaves - a few

9) Oil - 2 tbsp

10) Salt to taste

METHOD:

1)chop tomatoes, slice onions into long pieces.

2)Take a veseel, add the moong dal, sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt. Add required amount of water. Pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles.

3)Now heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, urad dal, curry leaves & green chillies. when they splutter add it to the cooked dal.

4)This dal can be had for sidedish to chapati, phulka, paratha.

Hema's recipes - Green Moong Dal Gravy

Normally, dal for chapatis are made with toor dal or yellow moong dal but whole green moong dal also makes a great side dish.Whole green moong dal is the most popular sprout worldwide. It is a protein rich diet.

The recipes is as follows:

INGREDIENTS:

1) Whole Green Moong dal - 1 cup
2) Onions - 1

3) Tomato - 1
4) Green chilies - 4
5) Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6) Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
7) Ginger - a small piece finely shredded
8) Garlic - 1-2 pods finely shredded
9) Curry leaves - 3 to 4
10) Milk - 1 cup
11) Oil - 1

METHOD:

1) Soak the whole moong dal for over night or if you are in hurry soak it in hot water for 1-2 hrs.
2) Then pressure cook the soaked moong dal with 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water.
3) Heat oil in a pan. add cumin seeds and curry leaves. when they splutter add green chilli.
4) Now add the shredded ginger & garlic and fry them till the raw smells goes.
5) Then add Onion and fry them till it becomes golden brown .
6) Now add the cooked whole moong dal in to it with little turmeric powder and salt.
7) Mix it well and add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk.
8) At this stage add tomatoes now .
9) And close the lid let it boil for 10 minutes in medium flame
10) After that remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves

Beans-potato Masala

This simple and easy recipe was given to me by my SIL. She is a great cook. I tried this recipe and was very pleased with the outcome..So i thought i will post it in my blog.

The recipe is as follows:

1) Boil 1/2kg green beans (cut them into size of finger chips) and 2 medium sized potatoes(cut as cubes) with salt and turmeric powder

2) Grind the following ingredients raw into a masala paste: 1tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp Black pepper, 2tbsp shredded coconut, 2 green chilies, 2 cloves, 1 pod cardamom, 1/2 a bunch coriander leaves

3) In a kadai, add 1tsp oil, saute 1 medium sized chopped onion and 2 tomatoes,till tomatoes are mushy, and now add the boiled veggies(beans and potatoes) and then add the ground masala.

4) Let it cook till the raw smell disappears.
You can remove from fire either dry or if you want it to be a gravy, you can add 1/2 cup water and let it boil for for few minutes and then garnish and serve with roti.

your comments/suggestions are most welcome.