Potato salad

Ingredients

Potatoes, Cubed or wedges    2 large

Chilli flakes                             2 tspn

Oregano                                  1 tspn

Olive oil                                  1 tbspn

Salt as per requirment

Method

Micowave on high the cubed potatoes drizzled with olive oil and salt for 5 minutes

Alternately, may deep fry in oil to cook the potato wedges/cubes

Sprinkle chilli flakes oregano and adjust the salt

Transfer into serving plate, eaten as a snack.

Caulflower and Peas (Gobbi Mattar subji )

Ingredients

Cauliflower florets, blanched 2 cups

Peas                                         1½   cup

Onions, chopped                     1 medium

Green chillies, finely chopped 3-5

Ginger garlic paste                  1 tspn

Salt as per requirement

Seasoning

Mustard seeds                         ½ tspn

Urad dal                      1 tspn

Curry leaves

Oil                               1½  tbspn

Coriander, chopped

Method

Blanch cauliflower florets in turmeric and salt water

Heat oil in kadai and add seasoning ingredients

Add chopped onions, green chillies and saute

Add ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell evoprates

Now add the cauliflower florets, green peas and salt and saute

Cook for 5-10 min with lid covered until soft

Transfer into serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander

Prawn quick fry (Chemmen Varuthadha)

Ingredients

Prawns, de-veined      1 cup

Redchilli powder        1 tspn

Turmeric powder         1/3 tspn

Curry leaves                1-2 strings

Salt as required

Oil                               2 tbspn

Method

Marinate the de-veined prawns with redchilli powder, turmeric and salt

Heat oil in wok and toss curry leaves until they splutter

Add the marinated prawns

Cook until done

Serve with sauce

Prawns in coriander seed gravy (Chemmen Masala kutaan)

Ingredients

Prawns            -deveined                    1 cup

Tomatoes, chopped                 2 medium

Coriander seeds                      3 tbspn

Dry coconut, grated                3 tbspn

Red chillies                             6

Cinnamon                                2 inch stick

Cardamom                              2

Seasoning

Mustard seeds                         1 tspn

Red chillies (optional) 2

Cumin seeds                ½ tspn

Curry leaves                1 stalk

Oil                               3 tbspn

Method

Dry roast grated coconut, coriander seeds, red chillies, cinnamon and cardamom and use a blender to make a fine masala powder

Cook the prawns with ½ cup water, chopped tomatoes and 2 tspns of the masala powder until half done

Now add water and blend the masala powder into a smooth paste

Add this paste to the partly cooked prawns and bring to boil with the required amount of salt

Let it simmer for few minutes until the masala is absorbed into the prawns

Season the gravy with the seasoning ingredients

Serve with hot rice

Potatoes in roasted coriander seed gravy (Aloo Masala Curry)

Ingredients

Potatoes, cubed                       3 medium

Tomatoes, chopped                 2 medium

Onions, sliced                         1 medium

Coriander seeds                      2 tbspn

Dry coconut, grated                1½  tbspn

Red chillies                             4-5

Cinnamon                                2 inch stick

Cardamom                              2

Fenugreek                               5-6 seeds

Cumin seeds                            ½ tspns

Seasoning

Mustard seeds                         1 tspn

Red chillies (optional) 2

Cumin seeds                ½ tspn

Curry leaves                1 stalk

Oil                               3 tbspn

Method

Dry roast grated coconut, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies cinnamon and cardamom and use a blender to make a fine powder

Boil cut potatoes, sliced onions and chopped tomatoes with 2 tspns of the above powder until done

Now add water and blend the powder into a smooth paste

Add this paste to the cooked potatoes and bring to boil with the required amount of salt

Season the gravy with the seasoning ingredients

The potato gravy can be served with hot rice, Indian rotis, puris etc.

Tomato Dip

Ingredients

Butter              2 tbspn

Garlic paste     1 tspn

Tomato puree  1 cup

Crushed pepper ½ tspn

Salt as per requirement

Method

Heat butter in a pan and add saute garlic paste for a minute

Add tomato puree and salt and bring to boil

Add crushed pepper corns and allow it to cool before serving

Potato stuffed Indian Bread (Aloo Parathas)

Ingredients

Wheat flour                             2 cup

Potaotes, boiled and crushed  2 large

Onions, finely chopped           1 medium

Green chillies, finely chopped 3-4

Ginger, finely chopped           1 inch

Turmenric powder                   ½ tspn (optional)

Garam masala                          2 tspn

Chilli flakes                             1 tspn

Coriander leaves, chopped      1 spring

Salt as per requirement

Oil /ghee/butter                       4-5 tbspn

Method

Mix the required amount of salt water into the wheat flour to make firm dough (to minimise spilling of stuffing from parathas)

Prepare stuffing by heating oil in wok

Add chopped onions and sauté

Now add finely chopped ginger and green chillies and saute

Now add the crushed boiled potatoes (salt added) and mix them well

Now add finely chopped coriander leaves and garam masala powder and mix well

Allow the mixture to cool before making medium size balls

Stuff this mixture into the small balls of wheat dough by making a deep depression with your fingers and seal it by pinching the dough to cover the stuffing

Roll the dough balls and ensure the stuffing is completely sealed

Now roll the dough balls evenly into circular shapes

Heat a tspn of butter/ghee on the tava/girdle and fry the parathas on both sides

Serve parathas hot with onion curd raita and pickle or sauce

Stuffing can vary by using cauliflower, mixed vegetables, Indian cottage cheese, spinach, fenugreek leaves, onions, raddish etc.

Wheat Reva Upma Semolina

Ingredients

Wheat Reva                1 ½  cup

Chopped Onions         ½ medium size

Ginger, finely chopped1 inch

Green chillies, slit        5-6

Cashew nuts, roasted  6-8

Curry leaves                1

Chopped coriander     few strings

Seasoning

Mustard seeds                         1 tspn

Red chillies (optional) 2

Urad dal                      ½  tspn

Channa Dal                 1 tspn

Ground nuts                1 tbspn

Curry leaves                1 stalk

Oil                               3 tbspn

Method

Heat oil in kadai

Add seasoning ingredients and roast

Add onions, ginger and slit green chillies and sauté

Add the wheat reva and roast until it give out an aroma

Pour 4 cups of boiling water and add salt and cook in simmer

Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking

Once done, garnish with roasted cashewnuts and chopped coriander

Serve with sauce, pickle or tomato chutney

May even added vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, beans, and peas) to make a nutritious ‘Dhalia’

Green gram Dosa (Pessarattu)

Ingredients

Green gram     1 ½ cup

Rice flour        ½ cup

Green chillies  3-4

Ginger             ½ inch

Method

Soak green gram over night and grind in blender with green chillies and ginger to a coarse paste

Add cup rice flour and the required amount of salt into a smooth batter

Make dosas on hot tava

May use onion, grated paneer and chilliflake mixture as a spread

Serve with chutney or sauce

Soyabean Salad

Ingredients

Soya bean, boiled        1 cup

Tomatoes, chopped     1 large

Onions, chopped         1 medium

Green chillies, finely chopped 1

Chilli flakes                 1 tspn

Peanuts, roasted          1 tbspn

Sesame seeds,roasted  1 tspn

Lemon juice                ½ lemon

Coriander leaves, chopped

Olive oil                      1 tbspn

Method

Add chopped onion, green chillies and tomatoes to the boiled and salted soya beans

Squeeze the lemon juice, add the chilli flakes and drizzle some olive oil and toss geently

Garnish with coarsely ground roasted peanut, sesame seeds and chopped coriander leaves

Serve in a salad bowl or dish as a healty snack

Groundnut Chutney (Palli chutney)

Ingredients

Groundnuts, roasted               1 cup

Green chillies                          3

Tamarind pulp                         1 tbspn

Turmeric powder                     1/3 tspn

Salt  as required

Seasoning

Mustard seeds                         ½ tspn

Urad dal                      1 tspn

Cumin seeds                ½ tspn

Curry leaves

1 tbspn oil

Method

Blend roasted groundnuts for a minute before adding green chillies, salt, turmeric powder, tamarind with a little water

Transfer the groundnut paste into a serving bowl

Add the seasoning ingredients into the hot oil and saute until the dals give out a roasted aroma

Add the seasoning to the ground nut paste

Serve with dosas and idlis

Spring onion fry (Ullichapp Varuthadha)

Ingredients

Spring onions, chopped          2 cups

Green chillies, slit                    4-5

Turmeric                                  1/3  tspn

Pepper powder a pinch

Salt as per requirement

Seasoning

Mustard seeds                         ½  tsp 

Urad dal                                  1 tspn

Curry leaves

Oil                                           1 tspn

 

Method

Heat oil and add seasoning ingredients into the kadai

Add the chopped spring onions, green chillies and turmeric into the seasoning and stir with a little salt

Steam with lid covered

Adjust the salt and stir until extra water evaporates

Scrambled eggs also can be added into this dish

Ready to be served with rice, roti, poori etc

French beans fry (Beans Mezhkvarty)

Ingredients

French beans, steamed   1 cup

Green chillies, slit            4-5

Coconut, 1” thin slices    8-9

Onions, sliced                 1 medium

Turmeric powder            ½ tspn

Seasoning

mustard seeds                ½ tspn

Redchillies                      3

Urad dal                         1 tspn

Curry leaves

coconut oil                     3 tbspn

Salt  as per requirement

Method

Steam the french beans with a little salt, destring and chop into 1 inch pieces

Heat coconut oil in kadai and saute seasoning ingredients

Add slit green chillies and onions and fry till golden brown

Add turmeric powder and the chopped beans and saute

Adjust salt and cook for 3-5 minutes with lid covered.

Garnish with thin 1 inch coconut slices and stir gently

Chinese Noodles

    

Ingredients

Hakka Noodles                       Single pack

Cabbage, shredded                 ½ cup

Carrots, diced                         ½ cup 

French beans, chopped           ½ cup

Spring onions, chopped          ½ cup

Green chillies, finely chopped 5-6

Garlic, finely chopped                        6-8 flakes

Chilli flakes                             1 tspn

Soya sauce                              3-4 tbspn

Green chilli sauce                    2 tbspn

Vinegar                                   1 tbspn

Pepper powder                        1 tspn

MSG (Ajinomoto)                   1 tspn (optional)

Method

Cook noodles in boiling water with a little oil and salt

Strain the noodles, drizzle olive oil and keep aside

Ready all the chopped vegetables and sauces required

Heat oil in an iron kadai or wok (not teflon coated)

Add 2 tbspn of oil until it smokes

Add finely chopped green chillies and garlic and stir

Add all the shredded and diced vegetables one after the other and keep on stirring/tossing to prevent them from burning

Now add the noodles, chilli sauce, soy sauce and vinegar and continue tossing

Add MSG (optional), chilli flakes and some pepper powder

Transfer the contents into serving bowl or plate

Garnish it with finely chopped greens of spring onions

Serve with manchuria/schezwan gravy or tomato sauce

Vermecilli Upma Semolina

Ingredients

Vermicelli                    3 cup

Chopped Onions         ½ medium size

Ginger, finely chopped1 inch

Green chillies, slit        5-6

Cashew nuts, roasted  6-8

Chopped coriander     few strings

Seasoning

Mustard seeds                         1 tspn

Red chillies (optional) 2

Urad dal                      ½  tspn

Channa Dal                 1 tspn

Ground nuts                1 tbspn

Curry leaves                1 stalk

Oil                               3 tbspn

Method

Heat oil in kadai

Add seasoning ingredients and roast

Add onions, ginger and slit green chillies and sauté

Add the vermicelli and roast until it turns slightly white (or use roasted vermicelli)

Pour 3 ½ cups of boiling water and add salt and cook in simmer

Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking

Once done, garnish with roasted cashewnuts  and chopped coriander

Serve with sauce, pickle or tomato chutney

Sardines in tamarind and tomato gravy (Matthi Pulimolg kutaan)

Ingredients

Sardines                      8 whole

Onions, diced              1 medium

Tomatoes, diced          1 large

Turmeric                      ½ tspn

Chilli powder              1 tbspn

Green chillies, slit        3-4

Ginger, chopped         1 inch

Tamarind juice            lemon size

Coconut oil                 1 tbspn

Crushed Pepper corns ½ tspn

Salt for taste

Curry leaves

Method

Marinate the sardines in salt, turmeric and red chilly powder for 10 min

Pour the tamarind juice into an earthen vessel (if possible), add chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger and green chillies and ring it to boil

Add a pinch of turmeric, a tspn of redchilli powder and ½ tspn of salt and cook until the onions and tomatoes are soft

Add the marinated fish pieces and allow the fish to cook in the sauce by reducing heat to a simmer

Once the fish is cooked, drizzle some coconut oil and add fresh curry leaves

Sprinkle some crushed peppercorn and serve with hot rice

Sardine Fry (Matthi Porichadha)

 Ingredients

Sardines                       4-5

Red chilly powder      1 ½  tbspn

Turmeric                      ½ tspn

Ginger garlic paste      1 tspn

Salt as per requirment

Method

Mix red chilly powder, turmeric, ginger garlic paste and salt into a thick paste

Coat the fish pieces into this paste and leave for a 15-20 min

Heat 2 tbspn oil in shallow pan

Fry fish pieces in medium heat

Turn over when one side is done to get a rich  brown crust

Serve hot

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients

Biryani/Jeera  Rice      2 cups

Chicken                       250 gms

Onions                         3 medium size

Chillies                        15        

Ginger garlic paste      2 tbspns

Coriander leaves         2 small bunches

Mint leaves                  4-5 stalks

Fennel seeds (Saunf)   1 tbspn

Poppy seeds (khus-khus)½ tbspn

Cardamom                  3

Cinnamon                    1 inch

Cloves                         2-3

Nutmeg                       1/6 of the nut

Bay leaf                       1

Turmeric                      ½ tspn

Chopped Tomatoes     4 medium size

Curd                            4-5 tbspns

Lemon juice                ½ lemon

Colour (sunset yellow) a pinch

Vanaspati/Dalda         5 tbspn

Cashewnut/rasins        6-7 each

Method

Dry roast fennel seeds, poppy seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and powder.

Add green chillies, 2 stalks of mint leaves, ½ a bunch of coriander leaves to the above powder and blend to a paste

Marinate the chicken pieces with a tbspn of ginger garlic paste, curd, masala paste and some salt for 2-3 hours

Wash and soak the biryani rice

Heat 2 tbspn Vanaspati in a handi and caramelize handful of sliced onion and keep aside. Fry 6-7 cashewnut and rasins too and keep aside for garnishing.

Now sauté the remaining sliced onions in the oil until soft,

Add 1 tbspn ginger garlic paste to it and sauté until raw smell evaporates

Add ½ tspn turmeric and the chopped tomatoes and sauté

Now add the marinated chicken pieces and sauté for a while

Cook with the lid covered until meat is tender

Ensure that the gravy is not runny (let it evaporate)

Heat 2 tbspn vanaspati/dalda in cooking pot

Add 2 each of cardamom and cloves, ½ inch cinnamon stick and bay leaf

Transfer the strained rice into the pot and stir until the rice turns white

Add 4 cups of boiling water and cook with the lid covered

Once the rice is done, separate half the rice for gravy layering

Prepare a bowl of colored rice by soaking rice in a bowl of warm milk in a bowl with a pinch of sunset yellow colour and mix well

Finely chop 1 bunch of coriander leaves and 2 stalks of mint leaves for garnishing

Now spread the chicken & gravy evenly on half the fried rice, add a thin layer of colored rice, then garnish with chopped coriander and mint leave, sprinkle some lemon juice evenly.

Repeat this layering procedure once more and garnish with the caramelized onions and nuts.

Now place on low heat with lid for 10-15 minutes (place weight on lid to enable steaming under pressure-Dum cooking)

Serve hot with curd raita/ beetroot chutney

Rice Rotis ( Patthiri)

Ingredients

Rice Flour                   2 cups

Ghee/cooking oil         1 tspn

Salt                              As per required

Method

Add 1 tspn of ghee/cooking oil and required amount of salt to 3 cups of boiling water

Reduce the heat and add the rice flour gently and keep stirring until the rice flour is cooked

At this stage 1 tspn crushed fennel seeds, 1 tbspn of grated coconut and one small sized onion finely chopped can be added (optional)

Finely blend the rice lumps to ensure that excess water evaporates (cooked well)

Allow to cool by transferring the contents into a wide plate coated with ghee

Blend the lumps smoothly and make medium size balls (cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying)

Dab a plastic sheet with oil and flatten the rice flour balls into rotis

Heat tava and fry the rice rotis evenly until done (apply ghee/cooking oil)

Can be served with chicken gravy, aloo bhaji, or with ghee and sugar