Mangalorean Tomato Curry in Coconut Milk

This apparently is a Mangalorean/Konkani delicacy that is had along with Neer Dosa

( http://www.awesomecuisine.com/recipes/177/1/Neer-Dosa/Page1.html ), yet another Mangolerean delicacy.

My husband loves this and my mother in law made it when I went there the first time after marriage. I loved this and asked her for the recipe. She started laughing saying there is hardly a recipe for this cos it is so simple to make. And trust me, when I heard of the recipe then, I was like this can't be so tasty for such a simple preparation! But trust me it is.

This also goes along well with Appams and Puttu as well. I made this when I had my friends over and served it with Appams and they all loved it.

Ingredients

1. Garlic - 7-8 cloves chopped finely
2. Onions - 2 big ones chopped finely or into thin long slices
3. Tomatoes(Finely chopped) - 3 Big ones or 4 small ones (If you are using more onions, use more tomatoes)
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Chilly Powder - 3/4 tsp
6. Thick Coconut milk - 200 ml - 1 glass (I use 1 Dabur Hommade Coconut Milk carton) If you are using the powder, you could use 2 sachets.
7. Water - 200 ml (1 glass)
8. Oil - 2 tblsp
9. Salt to taste

(Yeah, thats it...i told you its fairly simple na!!! :-) )

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and fry till golden brown.
2. Add onions and fry till translucent.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook till they become pulpy and lose shape.
4. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and some water and allow to boil till it becomes half its quantity.
5. Add coconut milk and simmer till it thickens.
6. Increase the heat, allow to boil and remove from flame.

That's it! The result is lip smacking yummy and a not so masaledar accompaniment to Appam, Puttu or Neer Dosa!!!!

Mathan Erisheri (Yellow Pumpkin and Dal Curry)

When I was young, I used to hate erisheri, but somewhere along the line, I began to love it. From then on, my experiments with this dish did not cease. I usually make erisheri with raw plantain, for two reasons

1. I love raw plantains


2. I can pressure cook the raw plantains, so making this dish saves me time.

Despite my reflux and acidity, I prefer having erisheri with heaps of pickle. Since we do not add tomatoes or tamarind to this, the sour quotient is missing in this dish. So I add pickle to it. But the best combination is Erisheri with curd (yogurt) and Payar & Kai (Long Beans and Raw Plantain) Mizhikkuperati.

My husband is from the Konkan side and he prefers a tinge of sweet in his food, a complete contrast to my ultra spicy taste. He usually adjusts to my spicy food, but this time I thought I would make Erisheri with Mathan (Yellow Pumpkin) as it is slightly sweet. Here goes the recipe. Note, the recipe is the same for any kind of erisheri, you just have to substitute the pumpkin with raw plantains/yam/peerkinga (ridge gourd I think).

Ingredients:

1. Yellow Pumpkin - 100 gms


2. Tuvar Dal - 1 cup


3. Grated Coconut - 1 cup


4. Jeera - 1 tsp


5. Green Chilly - 2


6. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp


7. Chilly Powder - 3/4 tsp


8. Salt to taste


9. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp


10. Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs


11. Red Chilly - 2 broken


12. Shallots - 2-3 finely chopped


13. Coconut Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Wash and Pressure cook dal with a pinch of turmeric powder and a drop of oil


2. Cut Yellow Pumpkin (or any other veggie you are using) and cook them in an open vessel with turmeric. If you are using Yam or Raw Plantain, you can pressure cook them for 1-2 whistles.


3. Grind coarsely coconut gratings, jeera and green chilly.


4. Mix dal to the vegetable and allow to cook.


5. Add ground paste, red chilly powder and mix well.


6. Add salt and let it boil and cook till it is of a fairly thick consistency.


7. Remove from flame.


8. Heat coconut oil in a small pan.


9. Splutter mustards, add curry leaves and red chilly.


10. Add to the cooked gravy.


11. Finally, deep fry chopped shallots in remaining coconut oil and when it is blackend and appears burnt, add it to the curry. This is optional. My mother does not do it, but I liked the smoked flavour the burnt shallots generate.


12. Serve with Rice.

Aviyal

A signature dish from Kerala and popular in Tamil Nadu as well, Aviyal is a must for any Kerala "Sadhya". We mallu's actually do not need a reason to prepare this dish. This is a must have dish for every occasion and is also made on normal days to be had along with Rice and Sambar.

It is supposed to have been invented by Bhima (one of the Pandava brothers) during his agnaathavaasa. According to the legend, Ballav (Bheem's name during this time) when he assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviyal)

Well, needless to say, the end result is yummilicious!

Sprouts and Paneer Masala

This is very simple, easy to make and is not too heavy on your intestines. It is a good source of proteins for school and office goers. Since this is a dry item, you could roll it inside the roti's and pack it for lunch. When it is mixed with paneer, eating sprouts does not seem as bad either to the ones who otherwise avoid it!

Ingredients

1. Paneer - Freshly made from 1 litre milk (to be crumbled)
2. Sprouts - 2 cups
3. Onion - 1
4. Tomatoes- 2
5. Green Chilly - 2 (or as per taste)
6. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
7. Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
9. Dhania Powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Channa Masala - 1/2 tsp
11. Jeera - 1 tsp
12. Oil - 4 tsp
13. Asafoetida Powder (hing/perungayam) - 1/4 tsp
14. Salt to taste

Method

1. Boil milk, add vinegar and make paneer. Crumble and set aside
2. Microwave sprouts in water on HIGH for 1 minute
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter jeera.
4. Add onions and green chillies and saute till onions are transparent
5. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes (You could add tomato ketchup instead of ginger garlic paste if you are making it for children - they prefer ketchup taste to pungent ginger garlic taste)
6. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes lose shape and become mushy.
7. Add sprouts, salt and dry masala powders (including hing).
8. Cook on high till water from tomatoes evaporates.
9. Add crumbled paneer and cook well till it is completely dry.
10. Garnish with chopped shallots and serve with rotis.

Note: You could add an egg before you add the paneer. Adds to the protein quotient of this dish. This is low on oil and spices and hence a very light and easilly digestable accompaniment.

Onion-Tomato-Corriander Chutney

I love this one and given this, I could eat a ton of idly's or dosa's any day.

Ingredients:

1. Shallots (Small Onions) - 100 gms (or) Big Onions - 2


2. Tomatos - 3 big ripe ones


3. Red Chilly - 3-4 depending on your taste


4. Green Chilly - 1-2 depending on your taste


5. Corriander Leaves - 1 small bunch


6. Curry Leaves - 1 sprig


7. Tamarind - 1 inch piece


8. Coconut Oil - 5-6 tblsp (You could use any oil of your choice, I prefer coconut oil for this chutney)\


9. Salt to taste.

Method

1. Heat coconut oil in a pan.


2. Add curry leaves, red chilly and green chilly and saute.


3. Add shallots/onions and saute till translucent.


4. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft and mushy. I add salt at this stage as it helps cook the onions and tomatoes quicker.


5. Add the tamarind piece and corriander and cook for 3-5 minutes.


6. Take off flame and cool.


7. Beat in blender till smooth. You could check salt at this stage and adjust.

This goes very well with Idly's and Dosa's. I also like it with Upma.

Egg Plant Fry (Brinjal Fry)

I made this last night. My father was not too thrilled. My mother enjoyed it. My daughter thought it was fish fry (she loves fish fry) and she had 2 of them. I couldn't try this dish on my husband as he was on a night shift yesterday.

Ingredients:

1. Eggplant (Brinjal) - 5-6 (the purple one)


2. Shallots - 6-8 (You cound use 1-2 onions instead)


3. Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp


4. Chilly Powder - 3 tsp


5. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp


6. Rice Flour - 2 tblsp


7. Oil for frying


8. Salt to taste


9. Optional - Corriander Powder/Pepper Powder

Method

1. Grind the shallots (or onions), ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and red chilly powder to a fine paste without adding water.


2. Slice the eggplants (brinjals) into fairly thin slices. If you make them very thin, they will turn crispy, and if you make them very thick, they will absorb a lot of oil while shallow frying)


3. Marinate the eggplant pieces with the ground paste.


4. Add Salt and set aside for 1 hour.


5. Heat oil in a shallow pan and fry the egg plant.


6. Turn over and fry the other side as well.


7. Serve Hot.

Note: If the marinade contains too much water content, the eggplant will absorb extra oil. In that case, smear the marinade on the eggplant slices after you place them in oil, just before you turn them over.

Corn and Peas Salad

The recipe is a lot similar to the earlier salad preparation I made. I just reduced some of the ingredients from that to make this and added heaps of mayonnaise to get this.

Corn and Peas Salad per say is not rocket science (Well, for that matter, cooking anything else is not either). It is the combination of corn and peas and mayo that gives it this unique taste. Add some chopped garlics and chopped onions and it is a crunchy salad. It takes 10-15 minutes of your time and if you have guests over for dinner, you would definitely want to have this on the menu.

You could spice it up by adding salsa sauce or barbeque sauce instead of the mayonnaise. I remain faithful to good old mayo and hence my loyalty shows in my recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Corn - 100 gms/2 cups


2. Peas - 50 gms/1 cup


3. Sprouts (Optional) - 1/2 cup


4. Onion - 1


5. Garlic - 7-8 cloves


6. Olive Oil - 1/4 cup


7. White wine/White wine vinegar - 2 tblsp


8. Mustard Sauce - 3 tblsp


9. Coarsely ground pepper - 2 tblsp


10. Italian Seasoning (Paprika, Thyme, Oregano, Basil) - 2 tblsp (totally)


11. Mayonnaise - 5 tblsp


12. Salt to taste


13. Olives/Jalapenos - for dressing - 1 tsp. (Optional)

Method

1. Make the salad dressing in the following way:


2. Chop garlics, add Olive Oil (save 1 tsp. for tossing),white wine/white wine vinegar, mustard sauce and pepper powder and mix well.


3. Set aside for an hour. 


4. Wash, Clean, (Thaw) corn and peas (if frozen).


5. Steam Corn, peas and sprouts together.


6. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan.


7. Add steamed sprouts, corn, peas and toss.


8. Add dressing, toss well and remove from flame.


9. Slit Onion lengthwise, add to the salad.


10. Add olives, jalapenos (optional).


11. Let it cool.


12. Add mayo, mix well and refrigerate for 3 hours.


13. Remove and Serve.

Red Pepper (Capsicum) Chutney

I got this recipe from a recipe blog that I regularly follow. (http://sugarandspiceandallelsenice.blogspot.com). This is the original recipe. I made mine with mild variations to suit my taste, but it came out very well. Tasted yummy infact.

Ingredients

1. Red Pepper - 2


2. Garlic - 3 pods


3. Onion - 1


4. Tamarind - 1 inch piece


5. Curry Leaves -  a handful


6. Corriander Leaves - a handful


7. Red Chilly - 3


8. Green Chilly - 1


9. Salt to taste


10. Oil


11. Urud Dal and mustard for seasoning.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai.


2. Saute onions till translucent.


3. Add curry leaves, garlic, red chilly and green chilly.


4. Fry for 1-2 mins.


5. Add cut red pepper and tamarind.


6. Add salt and cook till red pepper is done (you may decide if you want it crunchy or soft).


7. Add corriander leaves and toss for 2-3 mins.


8. Remove from flame and cool.


9. Puree in a mixer/blender.


10. Heat oil in a small frying pan.


11. Splutter mustard and urud dal.


12. Add to the chutney and serve.

Note: You may not want to add the onions - depends on your liking and taste.

Paneer Makhani (Cottage Cheese in a rich and creamy tomato and cashew sauce)

Those were the days when I used to post recipes without taking pictures of the food. I made this dish again today, so I decided to take a picture and upload it to this post. :)

This is for dinner tonight and the first review was from my 3 year old who simply loved it. I'm already on cloud nine!!!! Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

1. Paneer - 250 gms (cut into squares)
2. Tomatoes - 7 ripe
3. Cashews - 5 tblsp
4. Kasoori Methi - 1 1/2 tblsp
5. Tomato ketchup - 1 tsp
6. Chilly Powder - 1.5 tsp
7. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Dhania Powder - 3/4 tsp
9. Garam Masala - 1.5 tsp
10. Jeera Powder - a pinch
11. Hing - a pinch
12. Salt to taste
13. Jeera - 1/2 tsp
14. Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
15. Oil - 5 tblsp
16. Butter - 2 tblsp
17. Milk - 300 ml (or more if you require more gravy)
18. Cream - 1/2 cup
19. Ginger - 5-6 thinly sliced pieces
20. Corriander Leaves

Method:

1. Soak Cashew in warm water for 30 minutes and grind to a fine paste
2. Cut tomatoes into 4 and boil them for 3-4 mins and then place on simmer with lid for 10 mins.
3. Cool the tomatoes and grind to a fine puree.
4. Fry Paneer in butter and keep aside.
5. Heat oil in the kadai.
6. Splutter jeera and when brown, add ginger garlic paste and fry till the color changes and raw smell disappears.
7. Add tomato puree and cook till all water has evaporated and begins to leave the sides.
8. Add kasoori methi and tomato ketchup.
9. Add dhania powder, red chilly powder, turmeric, hing, jeera powder and salt and mix well.
10. Fry till the oil separates.
11. Add the cashew paste and water and allow to boil.
12. Add paneer pieces and cover with lid and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
13. Remove from flame and allow to cool completely.
14. Once the paneer gravy has cooled fully, add the milk, mix and place on low flame.
15. Keep stirring till the gravy is hot (do not allow to boil as the milk will curdle)
16. Add cream (optional) and stir for another 5 minutes.
17. Remove from flame, transfer to another vessel.
18. Garnish with corriander leaves, ginger and cream and serve.

Note: Do not add milk when the paneer curry is warm. It has to be cooled fully before adding milk.

Idli Upma

This is a quick fix dish that you can make from the left over idli's from breakfast. I usually make this for dinner if there are left over idlis at breakfast. Atleast husband dear cannot complain that he is being served the same dish 2 times a day.

Ingredients:

• Cooked idli's -  6-7
• Onions - 2
• Green Chilly - 1
• Frozen green peas - thawed - 1 cup
• Curry/Sambar Powder - 1 tsp
• Chicken Masala Powder - 1 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Cashew Nuts - 3 tbsp
• Jeera -  1 tsp
• Urud Dal - 1 tsp
• Channa Dal - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
• Cinnamon - 1
• Cloves- 2
• Corriander Leaves - Chopped
• Oil
• Salt to taste.

Method:

• Dip each idli in water, squeeze the water out and crumble.
• Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds. 
• Add the cashew nuts and fry.
• Add Jeera, cinamon and cloves.
• Add red chilly, urud dal and channa dal
• When seasoning becomes brown enough, add curry leaves and cook.
• Add onions, chilly and peas and cook.
• Add salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder, chicken masala and curry powder and mix well.
• Add the crumbled idly and cover on low flame for 5 mins.
• Sprinkle corriander leaves and serve.

Note: You may add vegetables like carrots and potatoes if you want, but you will have to wait till it gets cooked before adding the idli.

Homemade Mayonnaise

[caption id="attachment_89" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mayonnaise with lots of mustard and pepper"][/caption]

Ingredients

1. Egg Yolk - 3


2. Mustard Sauce - 1 tsp


3. White Wine Vinegar - 1 tsp


4. Oil - 200 ml


5. Lemon Juice - 1 tsp


6. Salt/Pepper - to taste

Method

1. Place the egg yolks in a bowl.


2. Mix the mustard sauce, vinegar and mix well


3. Slowly add the oil and keep blending (preferably in a blender/processor) (If you dont mix well, it could separate).


4. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well


5. The mayonnaise is now ready to be served.


6. You could add chopped garlics or herbs or onions as you wish.


7. 
   
   [caption id="attachment_90" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Homemade Mayonnaise"][/caption]

Note: Since this is prepared with raw egg yolk, it can be refrigerated and used for 2-3 days, not more.

I followed the recipe on one of the You Tube videos, but somehow, it always remains yellow for me. I use olive oil though. It could be because of that or else, I haven't figured out why it doesn't turn white like in the video. You could take a look at the video yourself.

BBC Good Home - Mayonnaise Recipe

Rajma/Channa Masala

Ingredients

1. Rajma or Channa - 2 cups (soaked for 8 hours)


2. Onions - 3


3. Tomatoes - 4


4. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp


5. Bay Leaf - 1


6. Cinamon - 1 stick


7. Cloves- 4


8. Cardamom - 1


9. Oil


10. Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp


11. Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch


12. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp


13. Garam Masala Powder  - 1 tsp


14. Jeera - 1 tsp


15. Channa Masala Powder - 2 tsp


16. Hing (Asafoetida) - 1 pinch


17. Salt to taste


18. Green Chilly - slit lenghtwise - 6


19. Chopped Corriander leaves


20. Cream - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Pressure cook Rajma or Channa (Rajma takes longer to cook) and set aside


2. Grind 3 onions and 4 tomatoes.


3. Heat Oil in a kadai


4. When the oil is heated, add the bay leaf, then the cinamon, cloves and cardamom.


5. When color changes, add jeera and fry.


6. Add ground onion-tomato paste and fry.


7. Add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste.


8. Add red chilly, turmeric powder, corriander powder and garam masala powder.


9. Add salt to taste


10. Fry till the paste is fully cooked and oil separates.


11. Heat oil in a separate kadai.


12. Slit the remaining onion lengthwise and fry till it becomes soft.


13. Add the prepared masala, rajma and water.


14. Add hing and channa masala powder and allow to cook.


15. Cook till it boils well. Add salt if needed.


16. Add the slit green chillies and corriander leaves and cover with a lid for the aroma to settle.


17. Finally decorate with cream and serve.

Note: Kabuli/Black Channa may cook in 5 whistles in the pressure cooker. Rajma would require atleast 10 whistles after which you have to place in low flame for 30 minutes. Open only after the pressure has completely gone. Else the rajma would be hard and it wouldn't go with the masala.

Egg and Tomato Stir Fry

This is a mild variation of a Chinese recipe my cousin sent across. I made this at home today and got rave reviews from all at home. Fairly simple and altered to Indian taste, this is a quick fix recipe that you could make when you have Fried Rice or even Bread toast.

Ingredients

1. Eggs - 4


2. Tomatoes - 5 Chopped


3. Garlic - 15 cloves finely chopped


4. Soya Sauce - 1.5 tsp


5. Salt to taste


6. Butter - 3 tbsp


7. Cooking Oil - 3 tbsp

Method

1. Beat the eggs, toss half the chopped garlics and add salt.


2. Heat a wok, add the butter and when melted, add the beaten egg and garlic mixture.


3. Once the eggs are nearly done, remove from fire and set aside in a plate.


4. Heat cooking oil in the wok, add the remaining garlic and fry a little.


5. Add the chopped tomatoes and 1.5 tsp Soya Sauce.


6. Saute and add salt.


7. Cook till tomatoes are done. (I prefer them to be mushy, you may stop when they are still firm.)


8. Add the scrambled eggs and cook till it is dry.

This is a simple recipe that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare - and tastes quite yummy too. I read another recipe that says you can add sugar to the tomatoes - I have not tried it as I do not like the sweet taste. I avoided ketchup too. Its up to you if you want to add them.

Pepper Mushroom

Ingredients

1. Button Mushrooms - 20


2. Coarsely Ground Pepper - 2 tbsp


3. Soya Sauce - 1 tsp


4. Olive Oil - 3 tbsp


5. Garlic -  4 cloves sliced


6. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp


7. Egg - 1


8. Oregano and Thyme for seasoning.


9. Salt to taste

Method

1. Clean and cut mushrooms. Microwave on high for 5 mins or till soft.


2. Heat olive oil in Kadai, add chopped garlic and fry.


3. Remove the garlic from the oil, add mushrooms, soya sauce and ginger garlic paste.


4. Add salt and let mushrooms cook.


5. When mushrooms are cooked, add pepper and 1 egg and toss till egg is cooked.


6. Add oregano and thyme and remove from flame.


7. You may add corn or olives for extra taste.

Power Packed Sundal

Ingredients

1. Kabuli Channa/Black Channa/Lobia/Rajma (any bean of ur choice) - 2 cups


2. Onion - 1 large (chopped)


3. Green Chilly - 1 (chopped finely)


4. Carrot - 1 grated well


5. Raw Mango - 1/4 grated


6. Oil - 2 tbsp


7. Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

1. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp


2. Jeera - 1 tsp


3. Hing - 1 pinch


4. Curry Leaves - 1 sprig


5. Red Chilly - 2


6. Urud Dal - 1 tsp


7. Channa Dal - 1 tsp

To be ground to a fine paste (without adding water)

1. Raw Mango - 1/4 sliced


2. Grated Coconut - 1/4 shell


3. Garlic - 1 clove


4. Small Onion - 1


5. Jeera - 1/2 tsp


6. Pressure cooked sundal(what you use above)

Method

1. Soak the beans of your choice overnight and pressure cook them. Set Aside.


2. Grind the coconut, raw mango, garlic , small onion and 1/2 tsp jeera to a fine paste adding some cooked beans. (Do not add water)


3. In a Kadai, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, add jeera, urud dal, channa dal, curry leaves and red chilly.


4. Add Hing and let the seasoning become brown in color.


5. Add onions and green chilly and saute. (Do not cook the onions - Sundal tastes better when it is crunchy)


6. Add the pressure cooked beans and mix well.


7. Add the ground paste and  salt to taste and mix well.


8. Add grated carrots and raw mangoes and allow it to cook on low flame for 5 mins with the lid on.


9. Remove from fire and serve.

Stuffed Omelet

Ingredients

Eggs - 3
Butter - 2 tsp
Grated Cheese (you could also try the flavored ones) - 6 tbsp
Boiled Sweet Corn - 4 tsp
Onions Finely Chopped - 1
Tomato Finely Chopped - 1
Green Chilly Finely Chopped - 1
Red Pepper Finely Chopped - 4 tbsp
Coriander Leaves Finely Chopped
Oregano, Thyme, Basil and Pepper for seasoning
Salt To taste

Method
1. Beat the eggs and add salt to taste.
2. Heat the girdle, add 1 tsp butter and pour half the beaten egg.
3. Place a layer of onions, tomatoes, chillies, peppers and corn
4. Add required amount of seasoning
5. Cover with Grated Cheese.
6. Sprinkle coriander leaves and fold omelet in half.
7. Cook till sides are firmly close
8. Remove from girdle and repeat for the next omelet.

Serve with toast and hash browns.