Dahi Vada

Ingredients

for vada

Urad daal

oil for deep frying

for yoghurt sauce

Plain yoghurt

red chillie powder

crushed ginger -1 tsp

8-10 curry leaves

corriander leaves-coarsely chopped for garnish

For tempering:

2 tbs oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp urad daal

a pinch of hing

1 tsp turmeric

Method:

Make vada as per this recipe.

Soak the vada briefly for 2 min in hot boiling water. (This step is to make the vada soak faster in yoghurt sauce in the subsequent step and is optional. If you bypass this step it may take sligthly longer for the dahi vada to be ready but will not make a difference in taste)

Take out the vada draining excess water by pressing with a spatula and transfer them to the yoghurt sauce prepared as below.

Yoghurt sauce:

Whisk the yoghurt slightly with a hand whisk to make it homogeneous. Don't overdo..

In a pan heat oil for tempering and add all the ingredients mentioned in order. As the seeds start to splutter stir in the crushed ginger and curry leaves. Take off the flame and mix in with the yoghurt. Adjust the salt in the sauce.

       

Now add the vadas to the sauce and garnish with chopped corriader and chilly powder. Let them rest for about half hour for the sauce and tastes to infuse. Chill before serving if desired. I am too impatient for this step, and the dahi vada are yummy even without this.

Enjoy!

Thanks to friends Esai, Aruna and SH for sharing these cute tokens - the Blogger appreciation award 2009, Esai for the Butterfly award and Aruna for the Cheerleading blog award. I wish to share these with all my followers and blogger friends!

Cheers -:)

 

2009 sure has been quite an eventful year with lots of different tastes and new friends and cheers down the road. I have enjoyed blogging and sharing with you all friends and learnt a lot, although it was diffcult to keep the pace at times.

Wishing all my readers lots of good Cheer in the coming year 2010!

Turnip green rice topped with cashews and cheese

The best part I like about cooking rice with greens is that, the outcome is a wonderful two in one dish saving time and giving a wholesome complete meal with double the nutrition in half the prep time. You can call it a comfort meal cooked up in just minutes with some precooked left over rice and a bag of frozen precut greens. 

I cook a variety of rice dishes with various greens like spinach, cilantro, podina (mint) each having its own flavor. Here I used turnip greens that are low calorie and rich in fiber, vitamin C and folic acid.

Turnip greens are mild in taste like spinach with a faint yet pleasant bitterness. This Freshly fried up rice in sauteed turnip greens spiced with typical Indian spices and topped with toasted cashews and parmesan cheese will make a nice and warm dinner that can be relished simply with some plain yoghurt or raita of choice.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups Precooked rice
bag of frozen or fresh cut turnip greens

1 small onion chopped (optional)

1 tbsp garlic paste

salt to taste

2 tbsp grated parmesan

for tempering:

3 tbs oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp fennel fowder

1 tsp garam masala

1 dried red chilly halfed

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds. when seeds start to splutter add the garlic paste, rest of the tempering ingredients followed by onions. Saute till golden brown and add the greens. If necessary sprinkle a few drops of water and saute until the greens are cooked well. Now stir in cooked rice and mix well and fry a little until the rice brown very slightly on the edges. 

Take of the flame and top with toasted cashews and grated parmesam  cheese and the green rice is ready to serve.

Serving suggestions: Serve with a dollop of creamy plain yoghurt or raita of choice.

This recipe along with the following rice dishes is making its way to Srilekha's event on EFM Variety rice series                        

- Bisebele bath

- Paneer fried rice

- Tricolor fried rice

- Lemon rice

Rice Rava Upma with chana daal and scallion garnish

Hope you all had a great weekend friends! After a short break due to several things that had come up on the way, I am back with recipes. Yeah... I have been longing to comeback and hardly had a chance to go over some of your interesting recipes I had been missing all this while.  
After a hectic couple of weeks, I am here with one of the dishes waiting in my drafts to hit the screen . So here's the simple and yummy variation to the most common South Indian breakfast tiffin "Upma". We all make upma various ways and with different base and accompanying ingredients. Bombay rava, wheat rava, poha, vermicelli being some of the base ingredients we use, the rice rava upma that I  often make is my DHs favorite of all these. It has that unique taste of its own with its more grainy and coarser texture compared to the regular bombay rava. So here we go-

What we need:

2 cups Rice rava
4 cups water
1/2 cup chana daal soaked in water for abt half hr
2 dried red chillies
1 fresh green pepper
1 tabs chopped fresh ginger
chopped spring onions (scallions) for garnish
for tempering:
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad daal

Heres how to make rice rava: wash the rice a couple of times with water, drain and air dry it in a single layer on a clean cloth or paper towels until all the rice is dried out. Coarsely grind the rice using a grinder and sift off the fine flour. The rava that remains after removing the fine flour (which can be stored separately and used in other recipes)  is used here. Rava prepared this way can be strored in an airtight container for a month or more.

Method:
Heat oil in a large pan and add the tempering ingredients. When the seeds start to splutter add the dried red chillies followed by green chilies and ginger. Saute for a few secs and stir in the soaked and drained chana daal. Mix and saute for a couple of mins. Now add water to it and desired amount of salt and cook with the lid closed until the water starts to boil. Stir in the rava and mix well.  Close the lid and let cook for another 8-10 mins on medium flame until all the water is taken up and the rava is cooked well. Stir occasionally while it is cooking.  Turn off the flame and garnish with chopped scallions and rice rava upma is ready to serve.

Serving suggestions: Serve hot with pickel or chutney of choice. I personally prefer ginger pickel with this.

Now I would like to thank the kind gestures and awards shared the by blogger friends 
@ Tasty trix for creative blogger award
Indrani @ Appyayan for the fabulous blog, Inspiration award, Yum Yum blog and I love your blog awards
Thank you! It is very inspiring to recieve these from such wonderful bloggers. I would like to pass these to all my blogger friends.

Boodida gummidikaya koora/ Ash gourd curry

With all the pumpkins and gourds around in season, I thought of posting an Andhra style curry with the Ashgourd also called "Boodida gummadi" in telugu. It is used in various dishes such as daals, sambhar, and even candies (called petha) in Indian cuisine. This simple and quick recipe here involves cooking ashgourd in tamarind sauce with grated coconut and is a yummy and light accompaniment with hot rice or rotis.

Ingredients:

Ashgourd quarter peeled and cut to small cubes

juice from a a small lemon sized ball of tamarind

2 chopped green pepper

1 tbsp grated jaggery

3 tbsp grated fresh or dry coconut

pinch of hing (asafoetida)
salt to taste

for tempering:

3 tsp oil

1 tbsp chana daal

1 tbsp urad daal

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp mustard

2 dried red pepper

1 tsp turmeric

few curry leaves

Method:

In a large pan heat oil for seasoning. Add  all the seasoning ingredients in order mentioned, ending with turmeric so it doesnt blacken. When seeds start to splutter add the curry leaves and chopped green pepper. Sprikle the seasoning with a pinch of hing. Now stir in the cut ashgourd pieces mix and cook with a cup of water.

When the gourd is slightly tender add the tamarind juice and cook until it looses the raw smell and starts to reduce and thicken.  now add the grated jaggery, adjust the salt and mix well. Stir in the grated coconut and take off the flame. The yummy hot and sour ashgourd curry is ready to serve. Enjoy!

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with steaming rice dish or rotis

 

Potato-chickpea- burgers

Ingredients:

2 potatoes boiled and mashed

1 cup of chana daal soaked in water and ground to paste in water

1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, corn here)

2 tsp dhania

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp fennel

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp garlic paste

Method to prepare patties:

Powder together the dhania, cumin, fennel and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic paste, the powdered spice mix and garam masala, mixed vegetables, stir in the ground chana daal paste to it and cook for a few mins. Once cooked well mix with it the boiled and mashed potato. take spoon fulls of this mixture and shape them into cutlet shaped patties. Grill the patties with a little bit of oil on a griddle or a grill to assemble your sandwich or burger. (I also froze a batch in plastic wrap for quickly making up the burgers later.)

                           

To assemble my burger I used here my favorite Arnold oatnut bread, my home made potato-chickpea burgers, some rougly cut iceberg lettuce, store bought pickeled cucumber, pickeled red pepper and a drizzle of lowfat dressing and savored with corn chips on the side.

Sending this off to  Light meal event hosted by Simple Indian Food  

Curried blackeye beans in coconut gravy

Black eye beans are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. They are called “lobia” in Hindi or “alachandalu” in telugu. Like chickpeas they are low fat low sodium and high in protein. They are soft and easy to cook due to a sparse seed coat. The following recipe using cooked blackeye beans in coconut-onion gravy, spiced with coriander is a wholesome combo paired with chapathi/roti or naan and is my family’s favorite dinner menu.            

Ingredients:
2 cups Black eye beans washed and pressure cooked until soft
1 large onion cut to cubes
1 cup fresh or dry coconut
2 fresh green pepper sliced
¼ cup coriander seeds (dhania)
½ cup chana daal
1 twig coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp garlic paste

Method:
Roast the chana daal and dhania in a pan. Grind the roasted seeds, onions, and coconut into paste in a grinder.
Heat oil in a wok, add the cumin seeds, turmeric, green pepper followed by garlic paste. Then add the ground onion coconut paste to it. Let cook for a few mins until the raw smell of onions is gone. Now stir in the precooked blackeye beans. Mix well while partially mashing the beans with the spatula. Cook for a few mins on simmer and turn off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.


Serving suggestions: Serve with chapathi naan or any rice dish

Reposting this recipe for an entry to the following events:

Think Spice corriader seeds hosted by Priya from Priya's tasty and easy recipes and initiated by Sunitha


My Legume love affair - 16th helping hosted by Cook Sister and administered by Susan of The Well seasoned Cook

Dosavakaya (cucumber pickel in mustard and red pepper)

After having posted the Spicy flavorful podina-kobbari chutney coming to the Chilly hot and fiery portion for an entry to the "Spicy and Fiery Chutney event" hosted by Sreevalli at Ammaji recipes. Although I am personally not a great hot and chilly lover myself, Andhra cuisine is popular for wide variety of these  pickels and chutneys and these are a regular affair in my family dining and "ought to be there" dishes in my kitchen.They are certainly relished by the rest of my family crew. So reposting as my second entry to this event the Andhra special hot and fiery Dosavakaya.

Ingredients:

1 large Dosakaya cut to cubes
1 cup red pepper
1 cup mustard powder
1 cup salt
2 tsp methi(fenugreek) powder
3 cups oil

Method:
Cut the Dosakaya (yellow cucumber-sour kind) into cubes, some people deseed it completely but i like to leave in some seeds.
Take the cut dosakaya in a large bowl stir in all the ingredients and mix well.

Close the lid and let marinate for a day or two. In a couple of days the dosakaya leaves out water becomes tender and all the spices infused into it. The pickel is ready to serve.

 

Serving suggestions:

Serve with hot rice and ghee or with roti
The longer you store the pickel the better it tastes. This can be stored in a clean airtight container for months.

Podina-Kobbari Chutney (Mint-coconut Chutney)

Mint is one of my favorites. I often make this spicy, flavorful chutney with mint and fresh coconut, to go with dosa or rice.  Try this refreshing and yummy chutney and I assure you will love it.

Ingredients:

One podina bunch -leaves separated

1 fresh coconut cubed

lemon size ball of tamarind deseeded

1 cup water

for Tempering:

2 tbsp oil

2 tbs chana daal

1 tbsp urad daal

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin

3 whole dry red chillies

1 tsp turmeric

Method:

Dry roast the washed and dried Podina leaves in a pan  and keep aside. Heat oil in  another pan and add the chana, daal urad daal, cumin, mustard seeds. As the seeds start to splutter add turmeric and red chillies. Let them slightly brown and turn off the flame.

Grind together the roasted podina leaves and coconut and tamarind and tempering together with enough water to a paste consistency in a blender. Chutney is now ready to seve with.

Serve as an accompaniment with dosa, vada or rice

This is my entry to Srivalli's event on Spicy Fiery Chutneys 

I am so happy to receive these awards again from lovely blogger Sanjana @ Ko Rasoi,  Do checkout her wonderful posts if you havent already. Thank you so much Sanjana!

Date Peda

After Diwali and savoring all those sweets most of us may have taken the resolution of... Uhem... no more sugar for a while.... Really.... 
And for those of us in West and North America, Halloween is around the corner and kids are all excited about sweets and trick-o-treating. How do we balance our sugar? How about indulging in some healthy treats? How about if it is made with a nutritious ingredient with its all natural sweetness. Umm thats a good idea to trick your Jihva and curb your temptation right!!!

Dates are rich in iron and fiber and are good for heart health.
Since dates are sweet by themselves I did not use any sugar in this recipe. Try and enjoy this treat just anytime or for your next festivity.

Ingredients:

400g- dates

one 14oz can unsweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp maida

2 tbsp ghee

1 tsp cardomon

Method:
Crush the dates to make the cooking easier and faster. (I did by blending them in a food processor lightly in one short run) 
In a large pan heat ghee, stir in the maida and mix well in simmer so that it doesnt brown too much. Now add the dates, condensed milk and cook on medium while stirring constantly. Cook till the mixture blends well and starts to leave the sides. Take off the flame and let cool. Stir in the cardomom powder and mix. When it is warm enough to handle take small portions of mixture into your palm and shape them into balls and pat to make small peda shaped treats. Enjoy!

Rohini from Curries ans Spices has passed me another lovely award. Thank you Rohini for sharing this with me, I am really honoured!

I would like to share this with my blogger friends

Rekha from Plantain leaf

Divya @ Divya's Recipes

Sandhya @ Sandhya's Kitchen

Sowmya @ Visit my Kitchen

Sreelekha @ Sree's Recipes

Simple and Scrumptious - Mamidikaya Pappu & Some awards

Raw sour mangoes make a excellent combination cooked with toor daal. This is a very simple and quick dish, yet when served with hot rice and ghee makes it a mouth watering Yummy meal. Although mangoes are a seasonal tropical fruit, these are made available in our local grocerers almost all year long and I like to have this warming meal for lunch on these chill days. This is a nice way to reminisce those summer tastes in fall and the approaching winter. My kids also love this one and it is an excellent source of protein and vitamins they need.

Make sure to really pick the green raw mangoes for this dish that are really sour, the ones used to make pickels are the best kind for this (The sweet ones do not give this that yummy tangy taste).

Ingredients:

1 big raw mango peeled and cut to cubes

2 cups toor daal

2 green chillies chopped

4-8 curry leaves

corriander for garnish

for tempering:

3 tbsp oil

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad daal

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp hing

Method:
cook together the toor daal and cut mango in a pressure cooker with 4 cups water until soft and keep aside.
Heat oil in a deep pan for tempering and add all the ingredients in order. When the seeds start to splutter, add the chopped green chillies and curry leaves.  Stir in the cooked daal with mangoes. Add more water to desired consistency and cook on simmer for 5-6 min., while stirring occasionally. Adjust the salt. Take off the flame and garnish with corriader. Serve hot with steaming rice and ghee.

Now coming to some post Diwali awards round, my friends Sree and Sarah and Sandhya have showered me with this presentation award. Thank you ladiesI am so happy to receive this award from You!

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I would like to pass these to my friends Dhanya, Malar, Lena, and Esai 

For the second time The creative blogger award passed to me from Sree and I love reading your blog from Sarah and Sandhya and One lovely blog award again from Sandhya.Thank you dearies for passing on these encouraging tokens.