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!!

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!

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.

Minestrone Soup

My friend was the reason behind trying this one. During one of our phone conversations she mentioned about the recipe and informed that she makes the stock and stores it for a week and it helps in making soups whenever needed. Hence, last week I got leeks during my visit to Walmart...was not even sure whether I will be making this though!! I started the prep work for making the soup ....telepathy a call from the same friend who inspired me to try the soup. Hence, I made this chatting with her over the phone... it was pretty useful to get the doubts cleared then and there...she told me the process and I made it ..of course we chatted about "myraid things". ranging from whether their project would get extended till end of May to tips on getting free passes to the zoo's and museums in Chicago ...The process of telling the recipe triggered her taste buds to have the soup...and she was saying that she does not have all the ingredients to make it and she has to wait until Sunday to make this

She then asked me did you buy celery...I said "No"... then she asked me do you have "fresh fennel"...the answer was again a big "NO"...still it did not deter me from trying it and I went ahead and prepared the soup with the ingredients I had. It was not bad after all...it turned out good.

Ingredients:

1/2 Onion
1/2 bunch leeks
3 Tomatoes
2 Carrots
1 Zucchini
3 Tbspn Rajma
3 Tbspn macaroni
2 Bay Leaf
1/2 Tsp Dried Parsley (you can use fresh ones)
1/2 Tsp Dried Basil (you may use fresh basil)
1/2 Tsp Fennel Powder
1 Tsp Pepper Powder
1 Tsp Olive oil
Salt to taste

Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Pressure cook the Rajma.
This was the first time I used leeks and when I cut it.... it smelled more or less like spring onions. Hence, when I went and looked for it in wikipedia it did say that it belonged to the family of onion and garlic!
Cut Carrot, leeks into small pieces and microwave them for few minutes (not until tender).
Reserve some carrots to be added to the soup.
Then take a heavy bottom pan and add these microwaved vegetables with enough water. You may add more water later. Cook for an hour. By now the vegetables would have cooked nicely. Then use a colander and to separate the vegetables from the stock. This stock can be preserved for a week or two.

Take a teaspoon of oil and add bay leaf.
Saute the Onion. Add the Carrots and  Zucchini. When they are half cooked add the tomatoes. After they are cooked add the boiled rajma and pasta to it.
Add salt, pepper, parsley (dried or fresh), fennel powder and basil (dried or fresh).
I did not have celery and fennel with me. You may add Celery while preparing stock and fresh fennel leaves while preparing the soup.
Add the stock and simmer it for half an hour.
The yummy minestrone soup is ready to be served....
Enjoy!!

Pav Bhaji

I went shopping and was looking at the list of things that I needed for the week. I read bread from the list and went to pick one from the shelf...and suddenly my attention got diverted to the next shelf...my son was pulling the pav buns from the shelf. He likes sandwiches but never given pav bhaji for him. Hence, I planned to make it for him.
This dish reminds me of the good old days….(back to yester years) my college days!! Our College canteen was famous for the Chat items. It used to be so good that even people from outside of our college used to come and have it here.
Our Class was situated right in front of the canteen and the smell from the canteen used to always linger in our class room!! The smell itself was enough to kindle our taste buds and we will be waiting for the classes to end (we were never allowed to go to canteen during college hours…prohibited!!) to enjoy the Chat items.
I make this dish at home for my cousins, nieces and nephews. It became a big hit in our household.
Pav Buns Potatoes – 6
Carrots Peas – 1/2 cup
Beans – 10
Capsicum – 1
Tomatoes -2
Amchur powder – ½ tsp
Coriander Powder – ½ tsp
Jeera Powder – ½ tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 3
Ginger – 1 tsp (cut into small pieces)
Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (use less if the chilly powder is hot)
Onions – 1 medium size
Lemon
Pressure cook all the vegetables except Capsicum and Tomatoes with little turmeric. Take oil and butter in a pan. Add Jeera, Onions, Green Chillies and Ginger. Fry till the onion starts turning slightly brown in color. Now add the cut tomatoes and fry it well (adding water as and when needed).
After the pressure gets released –mash the vegetables with the masher and add it. Add all the masala powder and let it boil for some more time. If the gravy is becoming too hard add water to it. Garnish it with Cilantro.
Spread butter in the tava and toast the pav buns. Serve it with finely cut onions and small lemon pieces. It tastes yummy when the gravy is complimented with onions and lemon juice.