Beans Paruppu Usili

I guess paruppu usili is unheard of in any other place other than Tamil Nadu. I am not sure whether this dish is made in any other part of India....whenever I used to take this to work..everyone used to wonder whether  it was made mixing besan with the vegetables and after tasting it they say....it does not taste like besan at all!! Everyone loves this....in our house everyone is a fan of this. This way of preparing the vegetable is part of every occasion be it marriage, seemantham, ayushhomam!!

Traditionally people use lot of oil to make this crispy and roasted. But I try to make it the healthier way! This base paruppu usili can be mixed with any of these vegetables Capsicum (bell pepper), Cabbage, Beans,  Kothavarankai (Cluster Beans) etc. This goes well with vetha kuyambu.

You may even make this usili and store it in refrigerator for future use...it comes in handy.

Ingredients

For making paruppu usili:

Toor Dhal 3/4th Cup
Channa Dhal 1/4th Cup
Red Chillies 3
Salt ot taste

Tempering
Mustard, Urad Dhal, Hing, Curry Leaves, Turmeric

Any vegetable as mentioned above - I used beans

Soak the dhal in enough water for couple of hours along with the red chillies. Grind it without the water into a  coarse form.
Steam it in a shallow vessel in a cooker upto 2 whisltes.
After the presurre is released. Take a pan and heat the oil. Add the items listed for tadka (tempering).
If the paruppu usili that has been steamed is slightly in the form of lumps. Try to loosen the lumps with your hands.
Add this to the pan and saute it. Add Salt. You may cool it and store in zip loc boxes in the freezer section (whenever you are making it....do a little bit more since it is the same effort and store the extra in the freezer it comes in very handy). If you are planning to use the same day. Make the beans vegetable separately the way you make it and mix this paruppu usili to it.  The yummy beans paruppu usili is ready to be served...i just to mix it with rice and ghee and eat it!! Enjoy!!

Readymade Kootu Podi

Whenever I visit India...I bring lot of podis back with me...they are simple and easy to make...but still it is always nice when someone does it for you, packs it and gives it to you...ready to be used when you get back here. They are so handy. Though I like to use my own podis which are fresh...I tend to get lazy about it...mostly I end up using the kootu podi I get from India. Since they grind it in the mill they have a very good texture to it rather than what we grind using a mixie/blender. For my non Tamil speaking friends who peep into my blog...kottu means vegetable and dhal cooked together with spices added to it.

Ingredients:

Urad Dhal 1/2 Cup
Kadala Paruppu (Bengal Gram) 3/4 Cup
Red Chillies 5 - 7
Milagu - 5 Teaspoons (25 Gms)
Hing

Dry roast the above ingredients and grind it in a mixie in the form of powder. You may dry roast the coconut and add it along with the other ingredients and grind it for making kootu podi. You can store it in ziploc covers/airtight container in the freezer for months together!

Note: If you are using the componded hing (not the powder one)..then roast it in oil and then add it while grinding.

PS: The measure shown in the photo does not depict the exact quantity as set out in the ingredients section. It was just done for the photo.

Karamadhu (vegetable) Podi

This is also one podi which my perima makes it for me whenever I visit India. It goes so well with cabbage fry, carrot fry, raw banana or potato podimas, beans and even add it while making sundal (for boiled lentils). Hence, wanted to share it with you all....

Ingredients:

Dhaniya 1 1/2 Cups
Red Chillies 10
Bengal Gram (kadala paruppu) 1 1/2 cups
Urad Dhal 1 Cup
Hing 1 Tsp

Dry Roast the above ingredients (except hing) and grind it together in the form of powder. Add the hing powder and mix well. Store it in ziploc covers/airtight container in the freezer for months together! Remember to mark the name since it gets pretty confusing in finding the right powder when we want to use it.


Spice up your vegetables with this powder....it adds a good flavour to it!

Note: If you are using the componded hing (not the powder one)..then roast it in oil and then add it while grinding.
PS: The measure shown in the photo does not depict the exact quantity as set out in the ingredients section. It was just done for the photo.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

My son came with a pretty card from the school for the Father's day (he got a card for Mother's day too but I could not bake anything special since we were on our trip to Vegas during that weekend) and that lifted my spirits to make a cake for my family on the occasion of Father's day..I have been (for a while) thinking about baking a chocolate cake. H and myself are fond of chocolate cakes and it looks my son is also following the suit. If you ask him what he wants for his birthday he will say "brown cake" and I am guessing that he is looking for a chocolate cake! When I had this cake it reminded me of my child hood days..I remember baking this cake along with my perima in an oven not the conventional one .."we used to keep the biscuit box on top of the stove and bake"...it tasted the same way....I used to bake it along with her and used to enjoy decorating it with an icing cone...good old days! Thank Goodness I baked it on Friday itself....will you believe it we were without power for almost a day (from Friday evening to Saturday evening) due to severe thunderstorms ...my friends have experienced it earlier....but this was my very first time in the US without power for a day!!..in India it is not that difficult to manage without power but here....everything comes to a grinding halt...you can't even make a cup of coffee without power (wish I had a stove that runs on gas rather than coil!)...back home my folks were hardly able to believe it and asked me questions like..where on earth are you living??,,is it the US and they were proudly saying in Chennai they hardly have power cut these days....All I could think was - "glad I baked it on Friday afternoon"

So with my spirits lifted high I open my beloved perima's notes in search for a chocolate cake and found one.
I made some modifications to it though!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup maida

1/2 tsp Baking Powder,
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 stick butter at room temperature
1/2 cup refined oil
1/2 cup Soda
1/2 Cup Water
1 1/2 cup Sugar (you may add little bit more if you have a sweet tooth)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
Macadamia nuts roasted and cut into small pieces- sprinkle on top

Sieve Maida, Baking powder, Cocoa Powder and Baking Soda together into a bowl.
Add the butter and refined oil (I use canola).
Mix it well. Add the sugar and mix it well.
I got the tip of using soda from the food network and other food related shows. So I used that too.
Add a teaspoon of vanilla essence and again mix it well.
Pre-heat the oven upto 350 Degree.
Grease the pan and pour the mixture. Top it with macadamia nuts.
Bake it for about 30 minutes or until the fork comes clean!
Enjoy!

When my son got up from his nap he was so happy to cut the cake and he had a piece of it too...Happy Father's day...yesterday we had been invited to one of our friend's son's birthday in Chicago and we had a whale of time ..my son enjoyed the party as well as painting the fish at "color me mine" the place where the party was hosted!

Rava Idli and Peanut Chutney

As mentioned in my previous posts my family is recovering from bout of cold and related stuff. We have kept ourselves busy by making visits to the Doc and pharmarcies!! We just want to get better and we are looking forward to it. All that said....it was one of the days after our visit to the doc...I did not have much choice and was pretty tired too and with one big goal "to make my son eat" since he was going with out food .. I decided to make the rava idli...I was scared to give it an attempt since that was the first time I was making it and also scared what if it does not turn out well...I would have to make something all over again and keep my family waiting at the table for dinner...but left it to God and ventured to make the idlis.

After all it turned out good...I made sambhar and the peanut chutney (it is always a good hit in our house) to go with it!

Ingredients:
Rava - 2 Cups
Curd - 2 Cups (Back home they use the sour curd to make the idlis...but I some how do not like to use sour curd.)
Carrots - 1 Grated
Tadka - Green chillies, Mustard, Curry leaves, Urad dhal, Channa dhal and Cashews
Onions - 1/2 Cup (optional)
Oil
Salt to taste
Idli Plates

Take a pan and roast the rava with little ghee. (Do roast it for a while even if you use pre-roasted rava)
Before you start mixing the batter. Prepare the tadka and fry the onions for few seconds and add it to the rava.
You may use the raw grated carrots...but since my son may not feel comfortable that way. I microwave the grated carrots for couple of minutes before using it in idlis.
To the rava add the curd and salt.

I learnt from my folks that we need to make the idlis then and there and it should not be allowed to stand in the curd for a long period of time. It yields 16 idlis.
Grease the plates and add the carrots (you may alternatively add it to the dough too) and steam the idlis...serve it with sambhar or chutney of your choice..

Peanut Chutney

Dry roast  Peanuts with skin (about a handful).. and 1 1/2 red chillies I always made it without the skin but recently my friend passed me the tip of making the peanut chutney with the skin...indeed it tastes better!  and grind it well with water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve it with idlis.

Carrot Lentil Soup

I have been thinking of making the carrot lentil soup for a long time....but never got the oppurtunity to try it out...today I got the time to do it. I have severe cold and nothing I eat tastes good to me. I was looking forward to the hot soup to go with my ciabatta bread. I feel soups are the easiest thing to make and keeps you filling for a long time and healthy too. when we were in the UK I used to have it. They were readily available in the super markets like Morrisons and Sainsburry...but it came with a big tag...it was pretty costly. Today when I had it ....it tasted the same way...I did not expect it to be this good..happy it turned out well!!

I always like to write my posts immediately after making it. Today after a long long time I am getting time to do that. It feels good to post the recipe as soon as you make it.... I neither have a big network of people looking at my blog now and then nor do I make elaborate recipes ....but I have a small group of friends and relatives who turn to my blog now and then. I do not want to let them down. Thanks to those who take time to read my blog and try out recipes. I am glad you like them. So it feels good to post the recipe then and there...fresh in your mind and with the same warmth as the way you cook and serve!

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

4 Medium Sized Carrots
1/2 of the big Sweet Potato
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
1/2 Tsp Fennel Powder
1/2 Cup Cooked Masoor/moong dhal
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Tsp Pepper Powder
Olive oil
1 Bay Leaf

Pre-heat oven upto 400 degrees. Chop the Carrots and Sweet Potato into big pieces.
Place it in a baking tray. Spinkle salt, pepper powder, fennel powder and oil for 30 minutes (till the veggies or tender).
After it is cooked well and it cools down. Puree it in the food processor/mixie.
Take oil in a pan and add the bay leaf and the onions.
Add the puree and add the mashed dhal.
Add more salt and pepper powder.
Boil it for some more time.
Garnish it with cilantro....and serve it as is or any bread of your liking!
Enjoy!

Pudina (mint) Thokku

I had called my manni a month ago (she is in Chennai)...I always keep in touch with all my relatives....I give them a call atleast once in every few months and when I had called her she was busy preparing dinner. She informed that it had been raining heavily and she was preparing satruamudhu (rasam), pudina thokku and a kootu. The minute she mentioned about this pudina thokku (mint chutney) my mouth started watering...you know I felt like having it too on the spot. I found out the recipe from her for making this and since then I have made it couple of times! This time I took pictures of it and wanted to post it in my blog!

Ingredients:

Mint a big bunch
3 Red Chillies
Small Marble Size Tamarind
Hing
Seame Oil
1 Tsp Mustard
Salt to taste

Take the leaves of the mint and wash it well. Grind it together with red chillies, tamarind and perunkayam (hing).  Heat the oil in the pan and add the grinded mixture. Add salt. This goes well with rice as well as dosa/idly/upma! Enjoy!

Gongura Pulippu Kuyambu and Pavakkai Fry

After a long long time I visited the Indian Store to buy the Pooshani kai (ash gourd) to make the tasty kootu (with a difference) which my cousin always makes back home. I even got the recipe to make the kootu but since then we have not been getting ash gourd in our Indian stores.....but when I peeped into the refrigerator section of the store I found gongura leaves and also smell of the fresh mint lingered through my nose. So I bought them. I have not been feeling well for the past few days and my son has also been sick...so the mint is still in my refrigerator and I am planning to make thokku (one variety of chutney) with it to go with rice or any other tiffen. Will post the recipe for it soon.

Last Wednesday I made gongura pulippu kuyambu and pavakkai fry (bitter gourd) the recipe as follows. This was pretty simple to make and yummy to eat. I always buy spinach or use beet greens/turnip greens. So this was different...in the sense truly desish!

Ingredients:

Fresh Gongura leaves 2 to 3 cups
Toor Dhal 1/2 Cup
Methi seeds 1/4 Tsp
Red Chillies 3
Sambhar Powder - 1 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 Tsp
Tamarind Paste 1 Tsp (Optional) - Gongura by itself has the sourness in it so you may skip adding the paste
Oil 1Tsp for Tadka (tempering)

Take the leaves of the Gongura from the stem. Wash and Chop the Gongura leaves.
Pressure cook the leaves and toor dhal. Always while making kootu or other sabzi involving dhal and the veggies - "first put the dhal in the bottom of the vessel and then top it veggies/green leafy veggies". Allow  upto 3/4 whistles.
After the pressure is released. Take little oil in a pan. Add mustard, methi seeds, urad dhal and the red chillies (you may use green chilles alone or combine both the chillies..leaving it to your choice).
Add the cooked dhal and gongura leaf with sambhar powder and tamarind paste.
Add water if it is too thick. Let it boil for some time.
Gongura pulippu kuyambu is ready to be served with hot rice.

Now coming to Pavakkai (bittergourd) fry

I was so bored of making pavakkai pitlai with it. My husband has taken a sudden liking towards this vegetable. I always liked it but since he did not like it till date ...I never ventured to make it.

Now that he likes it ...I am planning to try different recipes with it. For the past few months whenever he got this veggie from the store it has been pavakkai pitlai only and I got bored of it. Hence, set out to make dry veggie with it.

Wash and cut it into small pieces. Microwave it for about 8 minutes. I used 4 medium sized bittergourd. The bittergourd you get here is not that tender so I always microwave it before making the veggie.

Take oil in a pan - roast 1 1/2 tsp channa dhal, red chillies (2) and 3 tsp dry coconut ( you can use dried, fresh or frozen) . Grind it after cooling it.

Take a tsp of oil in a pan and add mustard, urad dhal, curry leaves, turmeric, salt and bitter gourd. Fry it for a while. Add the powder that was made as mentioned above. It gives a better taste to it than by making it just by adding chilly powder to it. Enjoy!

Couscous Pudding

I made this desert on the day I made the "Bow Tie Pasta Salad". I have never made anything as simple as this one.

I used the East End Couscous (plain) for making the pudding. Soak the cherries and raisins in some orange juice. It is so fluffy and tastes so good with the orange juice fully absorbed in it.

Prepare the Couscous as mentioned in the package. I used 1 teaspoon of butter and followed the instructions in the package. Add the cherries and raisins and cook for some more time. The delicious Couscous is ready to be served. Since this was my first attempt I made this only with half cup of Couscous. You may also add dried cranberries, dried apricots and other nuts while making this.

Couscous can be used for making salads and main course too....Let your imagination run wild and try delicious recipes using this.

Bow Tie Pasta Salad

We had been to Lake Geneva and Chicago for the Memorial day weekend...I had been looking forward to the trip since my friend and her family joined us for the trip to Lake Geneva and we got to spend couple of days with her in Down Town Chicago....it was my dream to stay in down town Chicago and roam around Michigan Avenue!! It was a dream come true and the kids (my son and her son) had a whale of time....We got to taste the best food in town! I got to visit my fav Whole Foods - it was in the same building and I was looking forward to it....went on a shopping spree 'buying all kind of stuff - pine nuts - the one I was looking for, macadamia nut, arugula ...etc etc'...

When we came back from our trip...I whipped up a nice Italian meal...with arugula salad, pasta and couscous desert pudding.  I love the pine nuts - the crunchiness from it....I have never seen such a costly nut...we paid around $ 10 for it! Saved the rest in my freezer for future.

All of us loved the pasta..it was simple yet delicious ..in the sense  though it did not have the usual sauces....it  tasted better...my husband just loved it.

Ingredients:

Farfalle Pasta 2 Cups

Any Vegetable of your choice - I used broccoli, peas, beans, colored bell pepper and spinach

3/4th Tsp Dried Basil

1/2 Tsp Dried Parsley

3/4th Tsp Pepper powder

Parmesan Cheese

Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Boil the water and add salt and pasta to it. Cook it al dante (to the bite). After about 8 minutes turn off the gas and use a colander to drain the water (but save the water).

Take oil in a pan and add the vegetables and saute it. When they are cooked add the dried basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper and pasta to it. Cook for couple of more minutes. Add the pepper and the parmesan cheese.....Pasta is ready to the served.

If you are planning to serve it later. Heat the pasta by sprinkling the water that you reserved while draining the pasta and you can add little bit more cheese and serve it with focaccia bread for the side. Focaccia bread is my favorite...We buy it all the time from panera!  In one of the restaurants that we visit they serve this bread with a dip by combining - "olive oil, pepper and parmesan cheese". You can cut the bread into a long piece wrap it in a kitchen towel and microwave it for few minutes and serve with the dip as a side for your pasta...Enjoy the delicious, simple pasta!