Pavakkai Ellu Kuzhambu

Searching for a perfect blend of tasty and healthy dish? This is one such treat! Very healthy and very very tasty!!!

Ingredients:

Method:

First, slice bitterguard, coat with salt and soak in water. After 30 mins, rinse in same water and then wash again in clean water, squeeze and keep it ready.

Meanwhile in 30 mins, pop out sesame seeds in dry heat pan, with some oil, dry roast coconut, toor - urad dhal, dhaniya, red chilly. Grind them coarsely. This is special masala powder.

After 30 mins of pavakkai, heat kadai, add sesame oil, temper mustard and methi seeds, fry pavakkai along with curry leaves and turmeric powder.

Add tamarind extract, tomato paste, special masala powder, hing, boil and cook them.

Add salt and jaggery, cook for 5-8 mins until you reach kuzhambu consistency.

Serve hot!

Click below for video:

VadaCurry

"South-India's most popular gravy, crave side-dish for idly, dosa, chappathi, poori, etc, lets see how shall we make it as simple as possible"

Ingredients

For Steamed Vada

   Bengal gram dhal/ kadala paruppu: 1/2 cup [or] Toor Dhal/ thuvaram paruppu: 1/2 cup
   Chilli powder -1/2 tspn
   Turmeric powder - a pinch
   Onion: 2 big, finely chopped

   Salt: as req

   

   For gravy
   Onion - 2 big, sliced
   Tomato - 3, finely chopped
   Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn
   Kashmiri Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn

Medium Thick Coconut milk[2nd milk]: 1/2 cup

Special Masala Paste for gravy
   Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
   Green chilli -1-2
   Fennel seeds/Sombu -1/2 tsp
   Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
   Cloves -2
   Cardamom -1 

Sambhar powder: 1/4 tspn

   To temper:  Oil+Ghee: 2-3 tbsp and  Bay leaf -1

 To Garnish
   Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp finely chopped

Mint leaves - 2-3 leaves

Curry leaves: few

METHOD

Primary prepartion: First keep the following ready

1. Wash and soak dhal for 30 mins in warm water. Extract the soaked dhal. Coarsely grind it by adding very little water to make as a thick vada batter.

In the vada batter, add salt [for vada], tumeric powder,chilli powder, chopped onions. Mix well, make it as balls, grease idly plates, place the vadas, steam it in idly pot.

"You can also fry vadas instead of steaming: if you wish"

Once vadas are cooked, cool it and crumble it. Keep it ready. 

2. Grind all items mentioned under Special Masala Paste for gravy

3. Prepare coconut milk and keep it ready.

Curry Preparation

Heat a kadai, add items mentioned under "to temper", saute very well: onion, tomato, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder,  Add special masala paste, mix and saute well so that oil releases the gravy.

Add coconut milk, salt and cook well. Add the crumbled vada. Add water if needed for the gravy, close pan with the lid and cook for 5 mins in low-med flame. Once done, garnish and serve hot!

Vadacurry is ready!!

Dahi Puri

Ingredients

Panipuri- as req

Green chutney: as req

Sweet chutney: as req

For chutneys, click here "Chat Chutneys"

Onions, Coriander leaves: finely chopped

Carrot: grated

Rock salt/black salt: as req per taste

Fresh thick dahi/card: as req

Sprouts mixed with Black/Rock salt: for stuffing

Kashmiri Red chilli powder: for garnishing

METHOD

First, make a hole in the center of each puris.

Place the poked puris in a plate, stuff the sprouts mix. Add a tspn of mint and sweet chutney.

 Garnish, onions, coriander leaves, carrots and sev/ompodi. Sprinkle black/rock salt.

Take thick curd, whisk well upto creamy. Dress up with curd, sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves, sev/ompodi, kashmiri red chilli powder.

Serve immediately after curd dressing so that puris wont turn soggy!

Enjoy Dahi Puri!

Chat Chutneys [mint/green chutney and sweet chutney]

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

Green Chutney:

Mint leaves: a bunch

Coriander leaves: a bunch

Ginger: 1/2 inch

Garlic: 3-5 pods

Green chillies: 2 nos

Lemon juice: 2 tspn

Roasted jeera/cumin powder: 1 tspn

Black/rock salt: 1/2 tspn

Water: to grind

• In a mixie jar, add all the above ingredients and grind well to a chutney consistency. Filter it  and keep it aside. Green Chutney is ready.

 Sweet Chutney:

Tamarind: a medium gooseberry size

Dates: 5-6 deseeded

Jaggery: partly crushed- 3 tspn or as shown in pic

Roasted cumin/jeera powder: 1/2 tspn

Rock salt: 2 pinches

Water: to boil

 
 
In a pan, add all the ingredients and boil, mash the contents. Turn off the flame, once cooled, grind it in mixie, strain it well using filter and keep it aside. Sweet chutney is ready!!