Vendakka Ularthiyathu/Okra/Lady's Finger Stir Fry

Credit: http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/vendakka-ularthiyathuokraladys-finger-stir-fry-fid-678870

Ingredients:

Vendakka/Okra - 500gm chopped
Onion - 1 big sliced
Green chillies - 2-3 slitted lengthwise
Curry leaves - few
Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as needed
Oil

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add onions, green chillies and turmeric. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add salt, chilli flakes and okra. Stir fry in medium heat until well cooked and dry. Serve hot with rice/roti.

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Moru Kachiyathu

Credit: http://www.mariasmenu.com/vegetarian/kachimoru-moru-kachiyathu

Ingredients:

Buttermilk/whisked yoghurt and water – 1/2 ltr/ 500 ml ( room temperature)
Red pearl onions – 4-5
Ginger – 2 tsp, chopped
Green chili – 3-4
Dried red chili – 2
Turmeric powder – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – a pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan & splutter mustard & fenugreek seeds. Add dried red chilies, pearl onions, ginger, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry it for 1-2 minutes. Add turmeric powder & salt. Mix well. Once the onions are brown, pour a quarter cup of water to it. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly add buttermilk and stir while pouring (to prevent curdling). Keep stirring on low heat until the steam just starts to come through. Don't let it boil or the yoghurt would curdle. It will take around 5-7 minutes. After removing it from the stove, stir for a few more minutes.

Notes: It can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. It will start to thicken up when its cooled. It’s important that the buttermilk should be at room temperature, otherwise it may curdle. If you are using full fat yoghurt, add about 1/2 a cup of water and whisk it before adding.

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Cabbage-Carrot Thoran

This is a very common dish that I prepare at home. Super easy too. There are 2 different ways of cooking it, and I'm listing both here. But I usually use the second method because I dont need an extra bowl to combine the ingredients first and then add to the pan.

Credit: Giniann's blog

Ingredients:

• Cabbage shredded into small pieces- one small or half of a big cabbage head. I usually cut the whole cabbage into 4 or 8 small quarters, and then slice them at an angle into super fine shreds. My mom is an expert at shredding it by hand. Nowadays I use my food processor for this - give it a quick pulse.
• Carrot 1 small ,cut or shredded into small pieces. Use grater or food processor
• Coconut 1/4 cup shredded
• Shallots - 1/4 cup or 1 large onion diced 
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Greenchillies 5-6( add more or less to suit yr level of spiciness)
• Jeera/cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric 1/2 tsp
• Oil 1 tablespoon
• Curry leaves one sprig
• Salt to taste

Method:

Method 1: 

Combine the cabbage, carrots, coconut, salt, crushed green chillies and cumin. Use your hands to mix them well. 

Add oil to the hot pan. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the onions and stir for 2-3 min. Add the ginger and curry leaves now.Then add the turmeric powder and fry for about 30sec. Then add the cabbage mixture, mix everything well and then close the pan with a lid. After about 2 min, remove the lid, give a light stir and return the lid. Remove the lid and stir the cabbage every 2 min. After about 6-8min, the thoran should be done. There is no need to add any water at all…use a nonstick pan for this recipe. The cabbage will retain some of its color, have a bite to it and wont be all mushy.

Method 2:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.When they pop up add chopped onions , green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute well till they are soft and onions turn translucent.

Add turmeric powder and mix it well. Stir in the chopped carrots and cabbage (I usually grate them in the same bowl and combine them together before putting them in the pan, but you can toss it in the pan as well). Add salt and toss it well. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of water and simmer it covered for 7-9 minutes , until they are cooked and the raw smell disappears, stirring occassionally so that it wont stick to the bottom. Stir in the grated coconut and cook it uncovered for another 5 minutes.

Serve warm.

  

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Tomato Egg Curry

Tomato egg curry recipe is a popular curry recipe from the land of Kerala. Tomato egg curry recipe is a south Indian egg recipe and best served with roti or rice. Tomato curry is prepared with beaten egg. This tomato egg curry recipe is a spicy curry recipe flavored with egg. This tomato egg curry recipe takes on 5 minutes to cook. See how easy and quick are the preparation steps for this south Indian curry recipe i.e. tomato egg curry recipe 

Credit: http://www.merirasoi.com/recipedetail/tomato-egg-curry-recipe.aspx?ci=36

Ingredients:

1.Tomatoes - 3 nos
2.Garlic pods - 3
3.Ginger - 1 small piece
4.Green chillies - 3 nos
5.Onions - 2 nos
6.Eggs - 2 nos, boiled
7.Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
8.Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
9.Garlic powder - ½ tsp (optional)
10.Salt - to taste
11.Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
12.Round red dry chillies - 3 nos
13.Cilantro - ¼ cup, for garnish 

Method:

1.FOR SEASONING, heat a little oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, add dry red chillies, and mustard seeds and fry for a little time. When mustard seeds starts sputtering, switch off the flame and take these ingredients out of the oil. Keep aside.
2.Heat a little oil in a fry pan on medium flame. When the oil is hot, add onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic and fry for a minute.
3.Add tomatoes and fry for one more minute until the tomatoes are well cooked.
4.Now add Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and garlic powder (optional) fry.
5.Add little by little water to form a curry.
6.Cut the 2 boiled egg into 4 equal pieces and add into it(raw)while stirring. Stir well.
7.Season it with spluttered mustard seeds, sautéed dry red chillies and curry leaves.
8.Your tomato egg curry recipe is ready. Serve hot with bread or rice.
9.OPTIONAL: You could also boil sausage rings n add into this to make a different curry recipe altogether!

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Potato Masala for Masala Dosa / Samosa / Poori Masala/Baaji

Credit: http://niyasworld.blogspot.com/2010/01/masala-dosa.html

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
2 teaspoon channa dal
1 spring curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
5 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 - inch ginger, finely chopped
500 g potatoes ( boiled with a little turmeric powder )
3 onions, sliced
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai ( deep pan ). When it is hot enough add mustard seeds. When they start splutter add urad dal, channa dal, green chillies, curry leaves and chopped ginger. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes ( till dals are light brown ).

Add sliced onions. When the onions are light brown in color add turmeric powder and fry well.

Add boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt to taste and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 5 - 8 minutes.

My note: Add green peas too after adding potatoes if you like. Also you can add coriander leaves for added taste.

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Tuna Cutlets

Tuna cutlets are one of my favourite snacks that my mom cooks for us. Whenever I go home on vacation, she'll always make sure she makes these for me at least once. They're just so soft on the inside and wonderfully crisp on the outside. Strangely, I love the combination of these cutlets with laban (that's Arabic for buttermilk). Dunking these hot and crispy cutlets into chilled laban is pure heaven! If you have nothing interesting for dinner, just plain rice and the usual veggie sides, a piece of cutlet on the side with some curd will always make it more enjoyable.

Ingredients:

For the cutlet mix:
Canned tuna - 1 tin white fish
Potatoes - 2
Onions - 1 large
Ginger - 1 inch
Curry Leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
Ground pepper - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Coating:
Egg - whole or egg white - 1
Bread crumbs to coat

Method:

Peel, cut potatoes to 3 or 4 pieces and boil them with some salt until soft and mash it well. Cutting them to small pieces will help it cook easily. Drain oil from canned tuna. I wash the tuna as well but its not necessary. Chop onions, ginger and curry leaves finely.



Heat oil in a pan. Add onions, ginger and curry leaves and saute till onions become translucent. Add the tuna to this. Sprinkle pepper powder and salt. Mix well. Now add the mashed potatoes and combine well to a good mix.
Shape into small cutlets before the mix cools down. Place the cutlets in the refrigerator to become more firm.
When you are ready to fry them, Add oil to cover a skillet (for shallow fry). Beat an egg in a bowl, get some bread crumbs on a plate. Dip the cutlet into the egg and then coat it with bread crumbs. Fry them until they turn golden brown.

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Jungle Time again

Its that time of the year again.. the Indian summer!! best time to hit the jungles.. This time we're goin for 5 nights!! woohooooooo!! And we also got a car.. no more back breaking bike rides, although they were fun and adventurous too.. So with a lot of space in the boot, I've decided to prepare breakfast and tea for our travel.

Our Menu for the drive:

1. Fish Cutlets (from Canned Tuna)
2. Chappatis
3. Tomato-Egg Curry
4. Love-letters for dessert
5. A flask of tea
6. An ice box full of beer cans, bacardi breezer & water
7. Chips: Onion rings

My plan tonight:

• Prepare cutlet mix and shape them into cutlets
• Prepare chappathi dough
• Boil eggs
• Cut vegetables required for curry
• Prepare love letter filling
• Prepare love letter batter

Early monday morning:

• Fry cutlets by dipping in egg batter and bread crumbs
• Roll chappathis and cook
• Make tomato egg curry
• Make love letter pancakes and stuff filling
• Make tea
• Carry tomato sauce sachets for cutlets

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