Coconut and Coriander chutney | South Indian chutney

Another form of chutney made with coconut and coriander which goes well with Idli, Dosa, Vada.

Ingredients:

For Grinding:
1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup coriander / cilantro leaves
1 inch ginger
1 clove of garlic
2-3 green chilles
salt
water

For Tempering:
coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
generous pinch of cumin seeds
few curry leaves
dry red chilli

Method:

• Grind all the ingredients with little water (mixture should be little thick) into smooth paste. 
• Pour it into a serving bowl. Add required salt and mix well.
• Next for tempering, take a pan add oil and mustard seeds.
• Once the seeds splutter add curry leaves, cumin seeds and dry red chilli.
• Stir for second then switch off the flame and pour the tempering over the chutney.
• Mix everything and serve with Idli, Dosa or Vada.

Pictorial:

Grind all the ingredients with little water (mixture should be little thick) into smooth paste.

                          Pour it into a serving bowl. Add required salt and mix well.

For tempering, take a pan add oil and mustard seeds.Once the seeds splutter add curry leaves, cumin seeds and dry red chilli. Stir for second.

Pour the tempering over the chutney. Mix everything and serve with Idli, Dosa or Vada.

Moong dal dosa | Pesarattu dosa | Ada Thattu dosa

This is one of the recipe which my Mother-in-law taught me when she visited us. This dosa is very healthy and nutritious rich in protein, vitamins and easy to digest. There are many many varieties of dosa but this does not require any fermentation. Easy to make, it's a healthy meal and makes a great lunch box for kids.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of  Moong dal / Green gram
2 tablespoon raw / uncooked Rice
1/2 onion
1 inch ginger
2-3 green chillies
few curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
oil / ghee
water

Method:

• Wash and soak moong dal and rice together overnight or for 5-6 hours.
• Then next day or after few hours drain out the water.
• Now grind soaked moon dal, rice, onion, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves to a coarse to fine paste by adding little water.
• Pour the batter into the mixing bowl and add salt and asafoetida.
• Next heat a non-stick pan and pour ladle full of batter and spread the batter in a circular motion.
• You can add finely chopped (curry leaves, dry red chilli, cilantro or onion as a topping) since i was making this for my toddler i did not add. It give extra flavor when added, make sure to press gently with back of the spatula.
• After few minutes when the top portion of the dosa starts cooking drizzle or spread little oil / ghee onto the side of dosa.
• Once the lower or bottom part of the dosa turns golden brown flip the dosa and cook for another few minutes.
• Serve hot or warm with chutney of your choice. ( This dosa taste great when served hot or warm)

Pictorial:

                             Take half cup of moong dal and 2 tablespoon of rice.

                Wash and soak moong dal and rice together overnight or for 5-6 hours.

Take half medium size or one small onion, 1 inch ginger, few green chillies and curry leaves chop roughly.

Now grind soaked moon dal, rice, onion, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves to a coarse to fine paste by adding little water.

                   Pour the batter into the mixing bowl and add salt and asafoetida.

                                              Batter should be in pouring consistency.

Next heat a non-stick pan and pour ladle full of batter and spread the batter in a circular motion.

After few minutes when the top portion of the dosa starts cooking drizzle or spread little oil / ghee onto the side of dosa.

Once the lower or bottom part of the dosa turns golden brown flip the dosa and cook for another few minutes. Serve hot or warm with chutney of your choice.

Notes:

1. You can use whole or half split moong dal.
2. You can add finely chopped curry leaves, dry red chilli, cilantro or onion as a topping, make sure to press gently with back of the spatula.

Thenga chammanthi | Red coconut chutney for Idli, Dosa or Appam | Kerala style coconut chutney

There are many varieties of coconut chutney like coconut with coriander, peanut, walnut, dal etc. But this chutney is made with red chilli powder. This is most popular chutney at our home. I think this is the only chutney where tempering is not poured on top of the mixture instead the mixture is poured into the tempering. Hope you like this chutney.

Ingredients:

For Grinding:
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder ( as per your taste)
1/2 shallot or pearl onion
few curry leaves
1-2 pinch of cumin seeds (optional)
water
salt

For Tempering:
2-3 whole dried red chilli
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
few curry leaves
1-2 shallots or pearl onion finely chopped

Method:

• In a mixer jar add grated coconut, red chilli powder, shallot, curry leaves, cumin seeds, salt and little water.
• Grind everything to fine to coarse paste.
• Pour it into a separate bowl. Check for salt at this point.
• Next is tempering, for that take small pan add coconut oil and mustard seeds. Let it splutter.
• Once mustard seeds starts popping, add finely chopped shallots, curry leaves and whole red chillies.
• Saute till onions are all golden brown.
• Then turn the flame to low and add the wet coconut mixture to the pan.
• Mix everything together and switch off the flame.

Pictorial:

For grinding you need grated coconut, red chilli powder, curry leaves, shallot and cumin seeds, salt and water.

For tempering you will need mustard seeds, curry leaves, whole red chilli, finely chopped shallots and coconut oil.

Now grind all the mixture into coarse to fine paste with little water and keep it aside. Check for salt.

               Next for tempering take a small pan add coconut oil and mustard seeds.

              Once it starts popping throw in the shallots, curry leaves and red chillies.

                                                       Stir till the onion turns golden brown.

                           Turn the flame to low and add the mixture into the tempering.

                                         Simmer for 1 second and switch off the flame.

                                                          Red coconut chutney is all ready.

Notes:

1. You can also use whole coconut if you do not have a grater but cut the coconut into very small pieces for easy grinding.

Sambar recipe | Kerala sambar with home made masala | South Indian sambar

Sambar is very popular dish in South India. It's a spicy lentil soup with variety of vegetables. This is one of those dish which i make regularly at home.In different regions sambar is made with the paste of fresh roasted coconut instead of sambar powder. This goes well with Idli, Dosa,Vada or even plain Rice. Sambar with plain rice and Kerala pappadum's is a comfort food for me..Yum..!! My Mom and My Mother-in-law they never use store bought sambar masala so do i now. Trust me making fresh Sambar masala is better than using ready made sambar powder. Hope you enjoy making..

Ingredients:

For sambar:

1 cup toor dal / pigeon pea lentils / thoran parippu
1 small onion (cut into cubes) or 10-12 shallots (whole or halved)
1 tomato (cut into 8 cubes)
2-3 green chilllies slit
generous amount of asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 carrot (cut into 2 inch pieces)
2 drumsticks / moringa
salt
water
tamarind pulp

For sambar powder:

3 tablespoon coriander powder
2 tablespoon red chilli powder ( as per taste)
2 pinch of fenugreek powder

For tempering:

2-3 shallots or pearl onion finely chopped
2-3 dry red chilli whole
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
sprig of curry leaves
oil (coconut or vegetable)

Method:

• Soak some tamarind in little water and keep it aside.
• Take a pressure cooker add washed toor dal, onions, tomato, asafoetida, turmeric powder,green chillies, salt and water. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistle or until dal is nicely mashed.
• Once the pressure settles down open the lid and add in the vegetables carrot and drumstick ( can use okra, beans, eggplant, radish make sure to cut into cubes)
• Cook till the veggies are half cooked.
• Meanwhile prepare sambar powder,in a separate pan add little oil once it's hot add red chilli powder, coriander powder and fenugreek powder.
• Roast them on low flame till it turns golden brown do not burn them.
• Once the veggies get half cooked add in the prepared sambar powder.Mix well.
• Then add tamarind pulp mix again and cook on medium to low flame till the ingredients in the sambar have nicely infused with one another. Add water if you feel sambar is too thick.
• Keep the sambar closed with a lid on low flame.
• Next step is tempering, for that take small pan add some oil ( coconut or vegetable), mustard seeds let it pop, then add curry leaves, finely chopped shallots and dry red chillies.
• Saute them till the onions become nice golden brown.
• Then add the tempering into the Sambar, give a nice mix.
• Switch off the flame, and keep the lid on for sometime. 
• You will have a lovely sambar aroma all around your kitchen. You will also notice that after few hours sambar become bit thick. If it becomes too thick add little water and simmer for few minutes.

Pictorial:

                                Soak some tamarind in little water and keep it aside.

Take a pressure cooker add washed toor dal, onions, tomato, asafoetida, turmeric powder,green chillies, salt and water. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistle or until dal is nicely mashed.

Once the pressure settles down open the lid and add in the vegetables carrot and drumstick ( can use okra, beans, eggplant, radish, yellow cucumber but make sure to cut into cubes).Cook till the veggies are half cooked.

Meanwhile prepare sambar powder,in a separate pan add little oil once it's hot add red chilli powder, coriander powder and fenugreek powder.

                Roast them on low flame till it turns golden brown do not burn them.

              Once the veggies get half cooked add in the prepared sambar powder.Mix well.

Then add tamarind pulp mix again and cook on medium to low flame till the ingredients in the sambar have nicely infused with one another. Add extra water if required or if you feel sambar is too thick.

 Final step is tempering, Take a pan add some oil and mustard seeds. Allow it to pop.

                               Then add curry leaves, dry red chilli and finely chopped shallots.

                                          Fry till they are golden brown do not get burnt.

                            Add the tempering into the sambar and simmer for few minutes.

                                                      Sambar is all ready to be served.

Notes:

1. You can add more veggies like okra, dosakai (yellow cucumber), bottle gourd, beans, eggplant as such.
2. Make sure to cut into cubes.
3. Once sambar gets cooked, after few hours it becomes thick so add water as per your gravy consistency.

Chicken Pasta | Easy Pasta recipe

Pasta is an Italian cuisine. It's a quick fix meal. Kids love pasta and won't it be great to add little protein to it. You can try various flavor combinations. More variety of veggies can be added to suit ones taste. But today i am posting simple and easy chicken pasta. This will leave kids craving for more.Can use any pasta of your choice.

Ingredients:

1 cup pasta ( any pasta of your choice, here i am using penne pasta)
3 cups water
1 chicken breast (boneless)
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon oregano (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato puree
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes  (optional)
oil
some shredded cheese

Method:

• Boil 3 cups of water with little salt.
• Once it's boiled add in the pasta and let it cook. Then with the help of colander drain out the water and keep cooked pasta aside.
• Meanwhile in a sauce pan heat some oil.
• Add finely chopped garlic and saute till it turns golden brown.
• Then toss in the finely chopped onions.
• Then add washed chicken pieces (cut into bite size)
• Cook chicken with closed lid. Will take few minutes as chicken pieces are very small.
• Then goes in the tomato puree mix everything for few minutes.
• Add some salt, pepper powder and some oregano and some chilli flakes (optional).
• Lastly add cooked pasta and give it a last mix. Can also add cheese for some rich flavor.
• Serve it with some shredded cheese on top. Once it's cooled doesn't taste great so have it hot or warm.

Pictorial:

                                               Boil 3 cups of water with some salt in it.

Add pasta to the boiled water. Once it gets cooked drain the water in colander and keep it aside.

                  Heat a sauce pan, add some oil. Once it's hot add finely chopped garlic.

                         Once garlic turns golden brown toss in the finely chopped onions.

Then add the washed and cleaned chicken pieces ( cut into bite size). Mix everything and let it cook with lid on. Will take 3-4 minutes.

                                    Once chicken is all cooked add tomato puree mix well.

                        Add little salt, pepper powder, oregano and chilli flakes to it and mix well.

                Lastly, add cooked pasta, give it a nice toss. You can add cheese at this point.

 Splendido..!! Pasta is all ready. Have it hot with some shredded cheese on top of it.