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 post wedding. 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. I have included a picture of the beans at the end of the post for reference sake. However, nothing stops you from usins any variety of beans! Just experiment!

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 Lobia 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 Lobia
5. Add salt and let it boil
6. For Tadka – Temper above with ½ fried onion
7. Serve with rice or Indian bread

Btw this is how lobia looks like…just in case you don’t know…

and that Ms Swarnaltha who helped me with this recipe. 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!

photo credit: naotakem

Animal protection activists will hate me saying this…but I love my chicken ya! What to do? Are you bored of cooking chicken in same old fashion?…then try this chicken curry recipe out and watch your dear ones licking their fingers … and hey don’t forget to give me your feedback

Washed and clean chicken – ½ kg
Onions – 2 Nos large – (sliced)
Ginger – 1 inch – (sliced)
Garlic – 4-5 cloves (sliced)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coconut milk – 200 ml
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 3-4 Tbsp
Coriander powder – 3 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Black pepper – 1 tsp

1. Dry roast coriander powder, red chilli powder and pepper and grind it to a fine paste with some water.
2. Heat oil in a wok and add mustard seeds. Wait till its splutters.
3. Add all sliced ingredients and sauté well
4. Add curry leaves and stir.
5. Add the roasted and ground paste and fry till the oil separates.
6. Add the chicken and coat each of the pieces nicely with the fried mixture (masala). Cook for few minutes
7. Cover the vessel and cool till chicken is cooked and tender.
8. Pour the coconut milk, simmer and take off the burner.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves
10. Serve with rice / chappati (Indian bread)

Till tomorrow….. happy cooking!