Ladies Finger / Vendakkai / Okra / Bhindi - Tamarind Stir Fry Recipe

Tamarind pulp keeps the ladyfingers firm in this delicious dish !!

This is the 1st post that I am posting stir fry recipe. My Hubby and me both likes this type of making bhindi very much. This is my Mom-in-law's recipe. Here ladies finger is cooked nicely in tamarind juice, yet the crunchiness remains with a good taste. It pairs very well with plain rice with sambar or rasam. This recipe is very simple, but many of us end up making it very sticky and mushy. Here I have given some basic steps to make Ladies finger for Beginners.

Ingredients:

1. Ladies Finger - 1/4 kg
2. Big Onion - 2 tbsp chopped
3. Tomato - 1 medium size
4. Green Chilli - 2 nos
5. Tamarind - 2 tbsp
6. Mustard - 1/8 tsp
7. Sambar powder - 2 tsp
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Oil for cooking - 2 tbsp
10. Salt as per taste

Cooking Method:

• Wash it thoroughly and wipe it nicely using kitchen towel and dry it in a wide plate or any newspaper for at least an hour before you make this.
• Cut the Ladies finger into 1/4 inch size or less. It should not be thin sliced. 
• Heat Oil in a pan add mustard. let it splutter. 
• Then add Onion, Tomato, Green chilli and saute for a minute. 
• Add the Bhindi and saute in medium flame till in half cooked. 
• Then add sambar powder, turmeric and then saute for some time.

Click the Image and zoom you will get clear stepwise pictures

• Soak tamarind in hot water for about 10 mins and extract juice from it. 
• Add this tamarind juice to the bhindi fry along with some salt and cook it all the tamarind water gets absorbed. 
• stir often, so that it may not stick to the pan. saute for some more time in medium high flame. 
• Ladies finger is cooked in tamarind water and sauted in oil itself. 
• No need of additional water to be added. now the crunchiness remains and it is time to switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes:

• If you are doing it in the morning, wash ladies finger the before night and just spread it in a newspaper. It will get dried nicely and while cooking it may not stick to the pan. no need to wipe.
• Do not over cook the ladies finger. It will become mushy and does not give crunchiness.
• You can replace sambar powder with coriander powder, red chilli powder and jeera powder. 
• Adding more oil gives great taste.

Apple Fried Rice - Kids friendly Recipe

Bored of Usual Veggie fried Rice .... ??? Here is a little twisted Vegetable fried Rice recipe ... Try it Out friends :)

Apple fried rice is Vyshu's favourite in her lunchbox menu. This fried rice is healthy too since we have included Bell Peppers, cashews and raisins. This recipe is somewhat different to normal veggie fried rice. This fried rice recipe  is hot and sweet mixing of ingredients and the sweetness is more dominant here. So kids love it very much. It will be yummy when had with my favourite Crispy Potato Wedges recipe. Let's see how to do ...

Ingredients:

1. Cooked Basmati Rice - 1 Cup
2. Apple - 1/2 
3. Capsicum / Bell Peppers - 2 tbsp chopped legthwise
4. Big Onion - 2 tbsp chopped
5. Spring onion white part - 2 tsp finely chopped
6. Spring onion green part - 1 tsp finely chopped
7. Garlic paste - 1 tsp
8. Soya Sauce - 1/8 tsp
9. Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
10. Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
11. Raisins - 1 tbsp
12. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
13. Salt as per taste

Cooking Method:

Be ready with the Ingredients. This pic does not represent the actual measurings and Ingredients for fried rice. 

Chop the Onion, Bell Peppers and Apple. Be ready with the Cooked Rice.

• In a Cooking pan add little oil and fry the cashews and raisins. 
• Transfer it to a plate. 
• In the same pan add some more oil, onion, spring onion white part  and garlic paste. Saute it for a minute. 
• Then add the capsicum and saute it for some seconds. 
• Add soya sauce and then cubed apples. Give a quick saute for about 5 secs. (The apples must not get cooked. It should be crunchy).
• Immediately add the cooked rice, pepper powder and salt. Saute it for few seconds.
• Finally add the cashews and raisins and mix everything with along with the rice quickly. 
• Switch off the flame. Garnish with spring Onions green part and serve hot.

Click the Image and zoom you will get clear stepwise pictures

You can have this fried rice along with Crispy Potato Wedges or any Hot n Spicy Chips of your choice. This is a lovely, tasty and colourful lunch box recipe for kids.

Notes:

• Overcooking of apples turns mushy. So be careful while sauting. 
• You can increase the quantity of apples, capsicum and nuts according to your taste.
• You can even add finely chopped garlic instead of garlic paste.
• You can add Bell Peppers of different colours, so that kids love eating the fried rice and complete the lunch box quickly. 

Broken / Cracked Wheat Dosa Recipe

Broken wheat Dosa is my Mom's Recipe which I was having from my childhood days. Those days am not much interested in this wheat dosa. But after my marriage when I prepared this Dosa on my own, I loved this Dosa very much and began to prepare frequently. Though it is a healthy Dosa recipe which is made only with whole wheat grain without any addition of rice, anybody can have this Dosa very well. 
I have heard some people will be mixing Idly batter for crispiness, but in this Dosa we cannot get that much crispiness as normal thin Rice Dosa. If rice or Idly batter is included, we cannot get the real flavour of whole wheat and the taste is lost. I prefer grinding only with Whole Wheat grain. Usually my Mom prepare this Dosa for dinner. Since it is a heavy Dosa compared to normal Dosa, she prepares at night time. As soon as the batter is grounded we can make Dosa, no need of fermentation. I love to share this recipe for my readers. 

Ingredients:

1. Broken / Cracked Wheat - 1/4 kg
2. Shallots / Small Onion - 10 nos
3. Big Onion - 1 large size
4. Red Chilli - 4 nos
5. Cumin / Jeera - 2 tsp
6. Curry Leaves - 2 sprig
7. Coriander leaves - Fistful
8. Salt as per taste

Cooking Method:

Wash the cracked wheat nicely and soak it in water for atleast 4 hours. 

Click the Image and zoom you will get clear stepwise pictures

Grind onion, red chilli, curry leaves, jeera in a mixer grinder.

Then add the soaked wheat along with the above ingredients. Add some salt and grind to a smooth batter. Then add some water and grind once again. It becomes like a thin batter. Add the Chopped Big Onions and Chopped Corainder leaves along with the batter and mix well. 

• Check for Salt. If needed we can add at this time also. Spread the Dosa slowly with the laddle.
• (Care must be taken the dosa pan should not be too hot while spreading the Dosa. If it is too hot sprinkle some water over it and then spread the batter). Drizzle oil over the Dosa and wait for some time to cook.
• It takes more time than normal dosa.
• Flip it to other side and reduce the flame to medium. 
• Now your tasty Wheat Dosa is ready to have as such. No need of any side dishes. 

My hubby prefers coconut chutney for this Dosa. Our dinner is ready today and now we are going to have this delicious Dosa. 

Notes:

• Instead of broken wheat whole wheat can be grounded in a mixer grinder. 
• Samba Godumai can also be used for this Wheat Dosa recipe.
• You can even grind the big onions along with the wheat, so while spreading dosa's you will get smooth crispy dosa's. 
• Do not add too much water, the batter should be slightly thick.
• Care must be taken this batter must not get fermented. If some batter is left over, keep it immediately in fridge and you can use it the next day.

Mixed Green Chutney

Healthy Herbs Chutney !!!

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Be Healthy !!!

Usually we prepare Coriander or Mint chutney, but if we combine both with addition of curry leaves gives a nice flavour and very healthy herbs chutney compared to other chutney's. Including curry leaves in our day to day life have lots n lots of health benefits and for digestion too. Wherever possible pls do include curry leaves. Do not neglect curry leaves in food. Just have it as such as other foods. This chutney can be kept as side dish for rice, Idly, Dosa etc and it can be kept under refrigeration for upto 3 days in good condition.

Ingredients :

Coriander leaves - 3 to 4 Cups 
Mint Leaves - 2 Cup
Curry leaves - 1 Cup
That is 3 : 2 : 1 Ratio 
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup (depending on your need)
Tamarind - 2 seed size (approx)
Green Chilly - 2 
Ginger - 1 tbsp or 1/4 inch size
Channa Dal - 1 tbsp
Urad Dal - 2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil for Sauting

Directions to make Green Chutney:

Wash thoroughly all the herbs and drain it well. Cut all the leaves, so that it will be easy while sauting. Be ready with the Ingredients.

• Add Oil in a pan followed by channa dal, urad dal, ginger, green chilly, tamarind. Saute till aroma comes in a low flame. 
• Then add all the Herbs and saute till it shrinks well with nice flavour.
• Finally add the grated coconut and saute for few mins. 
• Add salt and switch off the stove. 
• Let it cools down for a while.
• Now add in the mixer jar and grind it to a fine paste. 
• You can add some water while grinding. Check for salt after grinding the chutney. If u need some more water you can add at this stage and grind it once again smoothly. 

Click the Image and zoom you will get clear stepwise pictures

Now the tasty and flavourful mixed green chutney is ready and you can have it with rice, idly or dosa. 

Mushroom Curry / Kuzhambu / Gravy - Village Style Recipe

Mushroom is almost everybody's favourite option for Vegan's. Everybody in our family like this Mushroom Curry, as it is an alternate dish whenever we do not prepare Non-Veg curry. Usually gravies are done with heavier spices and masala powders for taste purpose and sometime it may lead to stomach upset. This Kuzhambu is prepared with easily digestible spices in a village touch. Even old age people and kids can have this curry without any fear for masala's. It tastes good even without the addition of special masala Ingredients and it goes well with Idly, Dosa, Chapati, Roti and Rice. 

Ingredients:

1. Button Mushroom - 200gms
2. Shallots / Small Onion - 10 to 15 nos
3. Tomato - 1 medium size
4. Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
5. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
6. Jeera / Cumin - 2 tsp
7. Dried Red Chilli - 2 to 4 nos according to size
8. Whole Black Pepper - 2 tsp
9. Channa Dal - 1 tsp
10. Rice - 2 tsp
11. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
12. Curry and Coriander leaves
13. Salt as per taste
14. Cooking Oil - 2 tbsp 

Cooking Method:

Be ready with the Ingredients. Cut the shallots in to half. Cut the Tomatoes. Wash the Mushroom thoroughly and Cut into small pieces.

Click the Image and zoom you will get clear stepwise pictures

In a cooking Pan add oil followed by rice. The immediately add the spices one by one and saute in low flame till nice aroma comes. finally add curry leaves and saute for a while. Transfer it to a bowl or plate. In the same pan add some more oil, cutted shallots, tomatoes and grated coconut saute for about 2 to 3 mins and switch off the flame.

Grind the spices first in a mixer to a fine powder and then add the onion tomato and coconut mix and grind altogether to get a fine paste. 

In a pressure cooker add the Mushroom and the grounded paste with required salt, add some water and close the lid and give 2 to 4 whistles. After pressure leaves the cooker temper the curry / Kuzhambu with mustard and curry leaves.

Notes:

You may include more spices like cinnamon, cardamom, clove etc while frying the spices and can be grinded. It will be more flavour ful Curry.