Bindi Masala

I made this yesterday...haven't made this for more than a year now. This is one of H's favorites. I generally make dry veggie with okra but this time I had reserved it for making Gujrati Bindi kadhi. I am not a big fan of kadhi though....but changed the plan of making kadhi at the last minute and resorted to Bindi Masala. It is pretty simple and easy to make and enjoyed it. Will make Bindi Kadhi some other day...

Method:

1/2 Pound Okra (ladies finger) Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Big Onion
1 Medium Size Tomato
1 Tsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Jeera Powder
1 Aniseed
1 Tsp Jeera
10 Whole Cashew
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala Powder
1/2 Tsp Red Chilly Powder
1 Green Chilly
Turmeric a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Take oil in a pan and fry the okra. It need not become too crunchy. Let it retain the color do not over fry it.
Dry roast cashews. Fry the onions till they become translucent.
Grind them together.
Take oil in a pan. Add the aniseed and jeera. Add the green chilly and the tomatoes and fry them well.
Add the grinded mixture to it and boil for few minutes.
Now add the cumin powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, salt and bring it to a boil.
Finally add the okra and boil for few more minutes. Yummy Bindi masala is ready to be served with pulka, roti or even rice .....Enjoy!

Peas Masala

"I take this opportunity to thank to all my dear relatives, friends and blog readers for the encouragement.... my blog has "10000" hits. I am hardly able to believe this....achieving 10000 hits in less than two years of starting this blog... dream come true... I am so happy and "Thanks a ton!" Keep visiting!

Last weekend was loaded with parties and Sunday morning was the only time I had to cook....and the rest of the weekend was spent attending birthday parties and get together. So I planned to make something simple and easy for Sunday lunch....and also we had our Tamil Get Together (Potluck) that evening and we were in for a sumptuous meal. I kept it simple to enjoy the food prepared by my friends that evening. Hence decided to make peas masala and roti.

I have made peas masala on different occasions but this time it came out very well. I have tried different versions of it but this was the best. I have always used frozen peas in previous occasions but this time I used dried peas soaked in water over night. I stopped buying frozen stuff after so many recalls associated with the frozen stuff. I found that using dried peas made it even better and gave more volume to it.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dried Peas Soaked Overnight
1/2 Medium Sized Onion chopped + 1/2 Cup onion finely chopped
4 Tomatoes chopped
1 Inch Ginger Finely Chopped
1 Green Chilly Finely Chopped
1 Tsp Red Chilly Powder
1 Tsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Jeera Powder
3/4th Tsp Garam masala powder
1 Tsp Jeera
Oil
3 Tsp's Butter (unsalted)
Salt to taste

I tried this using the dried peas you may follow the same using the frozen peas too. Pressure cook the peas up to four whistles. It must be well cooked but not get too mashed up that one cannot see the peas in it.
Take little oil in a pan. When the oil gets heated add the onions. Saute the onions till they start turning pink. Add little salt that will help in cooking the onions easily. Now add the tomatoes and let it cook well.
Once they are done, take it out of the pan and allow it to cool. Grind it into a smooth paste.

Take the butter and melt it. Add the Jeera and let it splutter. Add the green chillies, ginger and onion. When the onions turns slightly pink add the puree and cook it for sometime. Add the red chilly powder, coriander powder, jeera powder and garam masala powder. Now add the boiled peas. Boil it untill the peas get blended well in the gravy. Garnish it with cilantro. You can serve it with rotis or even plain rice too. Enjoy!

Creamy Vegetable Kurma

I made this last Sunday, the day after the Tamil Get Together....I had left overs from Saturday's cooking and we had that for lunch and I was not very keen on cooking...just wanted to laze around the house, browse and watch TV...I was also tired after the long Saturday!! So decided to whip up a simple meal yet a delicious one.  I had bought red potatoes and wanted to make something with that....first decided on making potato kurma but later changed it to veggie kurma. I love any type of kurma...I guess thats because I love the creaminess of the coconut milk..any dish with a touch of coconut milk tastes awesome...it is a strenuous job back home - breaking the coconuts, grate them and take milk out of it....but here it is so easy - just open the can and it is ready to be used.....voila!!

3 Medium  Potatoes Cubed
2 Big Carrots Cubed
15 Beans Diced
1 Inch Cinnamon Stick
3 Cardomom
3/4th Tin Coconut Milk
5 Green Chillies
1 Small onion Cut into small pieces
1 Inch Ginger Piece
3 Spoons Dry Coconut
6 to 8 Whole Cashews
1 Tsp Coriander Powder
Oil
1 Tsp Zeera
Salt to taste

As usual I microwaved the vegetables (except onion)! Take a little oil in a pan add the zeera, cinnamon, cardomom and one finely cut green chilly. Add the onion and saute till turns lightly brown. Add the veggies and let it cook.
In the meantime, grind the remaining chillies with ginger, cashew and dry coconut. Add this to the veggies and let it boil for couple of more minutes.
Add the salt, coriander powder and the coconut milk and let it simmer till it thickens a little.
Garnish it with cilantro after it cools down. It goes well with rice and roti.