Chickpeas Curry Pic: Priya Q

Successful experiment by fluke is how I would describe this recipe. I had soaked chickpea the previous night and my maid didn’t turn up the next day. I was not in a good mood with so much of unexpected work thrown at me. Least to mention the chickpea I had planned for breakfast with some steaming puttu. So instead of usual recipe I decided to go an easy route…and it turned out quite delicious )

Black Chickpeas – 2 cups (soaked overnight)

Chilli powder – 1 tsp + a pinch

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp + a pinch

Coriander powder – 3 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil

Onion – 1 no. (big sized – sliced fine)

Coriander leaves for garnish

1. Pressure cook chickpeas with a pinch of turmeric and chilli powder till soft and done
2. Soak the masalas in few drops of water. Masala should be nicely damp
3. In a pan add few tsp of oil and add mustard seeds when hot
4. Once they splutter add the soaked masalas and fry for few seconds
5. Add sliced onions and fry for few minutes
6. Add the cooked chickpeas into the above pan and mix well
7. Season and garnish with fresh coriander

Now wasn’t that simple!!? It tastes simply delicious. Serve it with out of rotis / bread

* the onions will be quite crisp and add a different texture to the dish

Till next time….happy cooking!

Absolutely love the smokey flavor of the roasted baingan (aubergine / eggplant) used for this recipe. I had some how forgotten to post the recipe for Baingan Bharta till someone recently asked me for it! So here goes….:)

Baingan Bharta ...Pic Credit - Priya Q

Baingan (brinjal) – 1 big sized
Onions – 2 medium sized (finely chopped)
Tomato – 1 big (finely chopped)
Ginger – ½ inch (finely chopped)
Garlic – 3-4 flakes (finely chopped)
Green chilli – 1 nos (finely chopped)
Coriander / Cilantro – for garnish (finely chopped)
Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
Chilli powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Dry Mango Powder (Aamchur) – ¼ tsp (optional)
Salt to taste

1. Roast the aubergine directly over flame along with its skin
2. Keep changing sides for even roasting
3. Dip the aubergine in cold water (this helps in easy removal of the charred skin)
4. Remove skin and mash the aubergine nicely
5. In a pan heat oil and add cumin; once you get the cumin flavor add onions, ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry well
6. Add tomatoes. Keep frying
7. Add turmeric, chilli powder and mix well
8. Add the mashed aubergine and salt
9. Fry well till the aubergines nearly leave sides and you get a nice aroma
10. Add dry mango powder and stir well
11. Keep stirring in intervals so that the aubergines don’t stick to the pan and get burnt
12. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves
13. Serve with roti / naan or any other Indian bread

Till next time….. happy cooking!

Cashew-cheese curry Pic credit: Manish

This simple paneer (Cottage cheese) recipe is made more nutritious with the addition of some cashew. Another delicious contribution by Manish…

Cashew 150-200 gms (ideal for 4-5 people)
Onions – 1/2 kg
Green Chili – 2 nos (or according to taste)
Tomato – 4-5 nos (medium size)
Capsicum – ½ no (chopped) ..optional
Paneer (Cottage cheese) – 200 – 250 gms
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Coriander leaves – for garnish

1. Grind onions (in a mixer) along with chillies( fry it with oil (as per the requirement ) for 5 mins on medium flame.
2. Add turmeric powder and salt then keep frying for next 10 mins
3. Add tomatoes (or 1 cup of tomato puree) and continue frying for next 5-7 mins
4. Add garlic-ginger paste and garam masala (as per the taste buds) slurry  into it while frying.
5. Keep the burner on low flame and fry continue frying
6. Add capsicum and continue frying until the mixture turns golden brown.
7. Slowly add water and let the mixture boil on low flame. Allow some of the water to evaporate, to make the curry thicker.
8. Fry the semi broken cashew in butter in a low flame till golden brown color .
9. Cut cottage cheese into 1 sq inch pieces and fry it in butter ,not necessarily golden brown
10. Garnish with coriander
11. Serve hot with Indian bread

* make the curry thick for better taste

PRECAUTIONS:-

• Fry the cashew and cheese separately.
• Fry cottage cheese gently (other wise the cheese will break into small pieces) Cheese may stick to the pan but don’t worry keep frying at low flame with light hands.
• Fry in batches (take small quantity at a time ) –of both cottage cheese and cahsew
• And put the fried cottage cheese immediately into the curry otherwise the cheese will become hard to chew.

Manish is practicing banker  who likes traveling , cooking , gardening and reading books, he holds a mechanical engineering degree and likes changing hobbies.

egg curry pic credit : Manish

Egg curry can be made in so many different ways…here’s one shared by a bachelor who loves to cook. Thanks Manish for sharing your recipe.

Eggs- according to the number of people (2 per person)
Onions- 1/2 kg per 6 eggs
Green Chili – 2 nos (or according to taste)
Tomato – 4-5 nos (medium size)
Mustard Oil – 3 Tbsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Chicken masala – 2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves – for garnish

1. Take the hard boil eggs and poke with a fork (this is to pass the steam out from the hard boiled eggs and avoid sudden splash of heated oil on face or hands)
2. Fry the eggs till brown and keep them aside

For curry

1. Grind onions (in a mixer) along with chilies
2. Fry above paste in mustard oil for 5 mins on medium flame
3. Add turmeric powder and salt then keep frying for next 10 mins
4. Add tomatoes (or 1 cup of tomato puree) and continue frying for next 5-7 mins
5. Add garlic-ginger paste and chicken masala and continue to fry
6. Keep the flame low and continue frying until the mixture turns golden brown.
7. Slowly add water and let it boil. Allow some of the water to evaporate to make the curry thicker.
8. Put the eggs inside the boiling curry and leave it for next 10 mins on a low flame in order to absorb the gravy.
9. Garnish

*Served with Roti or Rice.
*The curry can be made thick or runny depending on what you serve it with if served with Indian bread – thick, if with rice – runny)
*For better results prepare the egg curry 2 hours in advance and keep in fridge. Serve after re heating.

Meet Manish!..

Manish is practicing banker  who likes travelling , cooking , gardening and reading books, he holds a mechanical engineering degree and likes changing hobbies.

photo credit: rovingI

Chemmeen in Malayalam Prawn is quite a sought after seafood amongst malayalees

Prawns – 250 gms (with heads removed, deveined and washed)
Coconut oil or any cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds (sarson)  – 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds (methi dana) – a pinch
Onion – 1 no (finely sliced)
Green chilies – 3-4 nos (slit length wise)
Garlic – 10-12 flakes (finely chopped)
Ginger – 1 tbsp (sliced)
Tamarind – golf ball sized (soak it in water)
Coconut milk – ¾ cup
Salt to taste
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Red chili powder – ½ tsp
Water – 1 tbsp

1. Combine together last three ingredients and keep aside (spice paste)
2. In a pan heat oil and tip in mustard seeds. Post they sputter add fenugreek, onion, garlic, ginger and green chili and fry till onions turns translucent
3. Add in the spice paste and fry further
4. Extract the tamarind pulp and salt. Stir nicely and bring to boil
5. Add prawns and cook till they are half done *
6. Add coconut milk, mix and bring to boil
7. Remove from the heat
8. Serve with rice, appam or puttu

*as the prawns cook very fast and over exposure to heat might make them turn rubbery

Till next time…happy cooking!

If you in a mood for something light…try this out. No use of lentils, no masalas! Tastes yummy. Anyways, you must also be looking for some change, some variety in your daily cooking don’t you? Here’s what you need to do to make tasty buttermilk or curd based curry.

Golden cucumber (Vallari) / Raw banana – 1 cup diced
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Chilli powder – ½ tsp
Coconut – ½ portion (of the whole coconut)
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Buttermilk – 1 cup
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 pinch
Red chilli – 2-3 nos
Curry leaves – ½ to 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Water – 1.5 cups

1. Add water, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt to golden cucumber and pressure cook for 1 whistle only
2. Grind coconut and cumin to fine paste
3. Add ground paste and buttermilk to the pressure cooked cucumber
4. In pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek, red chilli and curry leaves and temper the curry.
5. Serve hot with rice and papaddam

For those who don’t know what a papaddam is a side dish that is crispy. It can either be fried or roasted. It can be made with different ingredients as well! Like potato, rice, sagoe, etc….each one of them tasting equally good.

Till next time….happy cooking!

Recipe credit : Ms Swarnlatha NT, a home maker and a specialist in simple and tasty cooking

This is the south Indian preparation which I learnt from my my mom-in-law. Very simple preparation, not too much of masalas used yet this recipe of beans is a great eat. I am using the white variety here called Lobia in Hindi. (you can use chickpeas or any other variety of beans as well…just experiment!)

Black eyed beans (Lobia) – 1 cup
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Coconut – ½ cup
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Dry red chilli – 3-4 nos
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – ½ to 1 sprig
Onion – 1 no (big) finely chopped
Garlic – 1 flake
Salt to taste

1. Pressure cook Black eyed beans along with turmeric powder till Lobia is cooked
2. Dry fry – coconut, coriander seeds, red chillie, curry leaves and ½ onion
3. Grind to paste the dry fried items alongwith cumin and garlic flake.
4. Add ground paste to boiled Black eyed beans
5. Add salt and let it boil
6. For Tadka – Temper above with ½ fried onion
7. Serve with rice or Indian bread

and that Ms Swarnaltha who shared this recipe with me. She is a good cook hence you will find many of her recipes on my site

Till next time….happy cooking!

Come mango season there is so much you can do besides eating fresh ripe mangoes. You can make varieties of pickle out of raw mango or you can make tangy fish curry…have a look!

Fish – 5-6 pieces (sardine)
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Onion – 2 nos medium (finely sliced)
Tomato – 1 big (finely chopped)
Ginger – ½ inch piece (finely chopped)
Green chilli – 2 nos (slit)
Raw mango – ½ portion of a medium sized mango. (should be really sour)
Desiccated coconut – 2 tbsp
Red chilli – 2-3 nos
Cumin seeds – 2 pinches

For tempering
Oil – 1-2 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Red chilli – 1-2 nos
Onion – 1 small (finely chopped)

1.    Clean fish and marinate with salt, ½ tsp chilli powder and 2 pinches of turmeric.
2.    In a cooker add onions, tomato, ginger, green chillu, raw mango, remaining turmeric and chilli powder, half cup water and pressure cook upto 3-4 whistles.
3.    Open cooker and add fish and leave it to boil. Remember fish takes less time to cook
4.    Grind to a smooth paste desiccated coconut, red chilli, cumin seeds in a mixer. Add this paste to the boiling fish mixture.

Tempering

1.    In a small pan heat oil and add mustard seeds.
2.    Post it splutters add red chilli, onions and let it brown
3.    Add this to the cooked fish and add curry leaves.
4.    Immediately close the lid to contain the aroma.

Serve with rice. If you need the curry to be a tangier you can add little tamarind juice!

Till tomorrow….. happy cooking!

This one dedicated to Meenu, our friend’s 7 year old daughter, who we have fondly named Princess pea! All she wishes for is to have peas for breakfast, lunch and dinner Dry peas curry recipe is an easy recipe anybody can make. Try it out and do give me a feedback!

Dry peas – 1 cup
Onions – 2 nos medium sized
Garlic – 3 flakes
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Tomato – 2 nos
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Dry mango powder (aamchur) – 1-2 tsp
Garam Masala – ½ tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves – for garnish

1.    Soak peas for 2-3 hours
2.    Pressure cook the peas with a pinch of turmeric powder.
3.    Grind to a fine paste – onions, garlic, ginger and tomato.
In a wok heat oil and add cumin seeds
4.    Add the ground paste as soon as you get the aroma of the cumin and add all spices except Garam Masala
5.    Fry till oil is visible.
6.    Add the fried masala to cooked peas and bring to boil
7.    Sprinkle garama masala and garnish with coriander.
8.    Serve with rice or chappati (Indian bread)

You can also use fresh peas in place of dried ones except that pressure cooking the peas is not required.

Till tomorrow…. Happy cooking!

photo credit: avlxyz

There are two kindsa people who loves their fishes…Bengalis and Malayalees…I fall in the latter category! Well, surely its an advantage to be staying in a coastal area, Kochi has so much of sea food to offer…and so fresh. I remember, when I stayed up north, the only fish we could get to buy and was tastier was Rohu, a fresh water fish. Rest everything they imported was stale and uniteresting… my favorite now is Seer/King fish and Pomfrets. Yumm! . Here’s one simple fish curry recipe you can try out and dont forget to give me your feedback

Washed and cleaned fish pieces – 8- 10 Nos
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Onion – 1 No. big (finely chopped)
Tomato – 2 Nos (finely chopped)
Ginger – 1 inch piece (finely chopped)
Green chilli – 2-3 Nos
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Tamarind (without seed) – a small piece
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coconut shavings – 3 tbsp
3 cups water
Oil – 1 tbsp

1. Grind to a paste – coconut, cumin seeds, tamarind, and ¼ tsp turmeric powder
2. In a bowl marinate the fish with ¼ tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt
3. In a separate bowl add onions, tomatoes, ginger, green chilli and water and bring to boil
4. When the onions are nicely cooked, smash the whole thing with the help of a ladle.
5. Add the marinated fishes and stir slowly.
6. Close the lid of the vessel and cook on slow flame for 5 minutes
7. Check with a toothpick or a fork, the fish if it’s cooked; it should be flaky
8. Add the coconut paste, curry leaves and bring to a boil.
9. Take oil in a small pan and when hot add mustard seeds. Temper the fish with mustard seeds.
10. Serve hot with rice.

Till tomorrow…Happy cooking!