Weekend Brunch 3

I was busy posting all other kinds of recipes that I almost forgot about the weekend brunches......So here I go with another weekend brunch recipe........Rice with Keerai (spinach) milagootal, maangai(raw mango) curry and vazhaikai(raw banana) curry. Keerai milagootal (also called poricha kootu in tamil) and mangai curry are famous dishes in Kerala which is also made in Tamilnadu under different names....Not sure why it is called milagootal(milagu means pepper) when the recipe doesn't really call for pepper in it........But driven by the name I do add 1/2 tsp of pepper bcos its anyways good for health.....my hubby loves keerai milagootal and I try to cook spinach every weekend......about vazhaikai (raw banana) even though it is has a lot of potassium, Vitamin B6, etc and is good for health, it takes time to digest and can sometimes lead to gastric issues.....so I would always recommend you use some ginger, hing or garlic(if u like it)......this definitely aids in digestion......and mango curry goes well even with plain curd rice, upma or chapathi and this can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a week like other home made pickles.
Keerai milagootal:
Spinach- 1 bunch
Tur dhal- 1/4 cup
moong dhal-1/2 cup
coconut- 2 tbsp
urad dhal- 1 tbsp
pepper- 1/2 tsp
red chilly- 3
Cumin seeds -1 tbsp
Rice flour- 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Hing- a pinch
salt
oil
Method:
Pressure cook the dhal with little turmeric powder, hing and mash it nicely & keep it aside. Cook the chopped spinach with little water, salt & a pinch of turmeric powder. Once the spinach is cooked well, slightly mash it with the back of the laddle and then add the mashed dhal to it. In the meantime in a drop of oil slightly roast the urad dhal(until golden brown), red chilly & pepper and grind it with coconut, cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp of rice flour. Add this paste to the spinach + dhal and add water if it is too thick & let this cook nicely for 5 mins. Then in a tsp of oil splutter mustard seeds & hing and finally add it to the spinach and serve with rice with a tbsp of ghee.
Vazhaikai (raw banana) curry:
Ingredients:
Raw banana- 1 big
Onion- 1/2 of big onion
Tomato- 1/2
sambar powder- 1 tbsp
turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1 /2tsp
salt
Hing- 1 tsp

For tempering:
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
Urad dhal- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Ginger/garlic grated- 1 tbsp
Method:
Slice the raw banana into circle or semi-circle pieces and put it in a bowl filled with water.
Add all the tempering items one by one to hot oil, then add the chopped onions, tomatoes & saute till the onion gets cooked. Now add the sliced raw banana pieces.
Add salt, sambar powder,turmeric powder, red chilly powder & hing. Sprinkle some water to help the raw banana get cooked and close the lid of the pan. After 2-3 mins, open the lid and see if the banana pieces are cooked. Then saute them for another 2-3 mins and then serve hot with rice.

Maangai(mango) curry:
Raw mango- 1
Red chilly powder- 2 tbsp( add to taste)
Salt- to taste
Asafoetida (Hing)- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tbsp
Oil- 2tbsp Method:
Chop the mango into small teeth like pieces and put it in a bowl along with required chilly powder and salt. In the meantime, temper the mustard seeds in hot oil, when the mustard seeds splutter add the hing also to the hot oil to get a nice aroma and pour this over the mango pieces in the bowl and mix nicely. give it 20-30 mins and then serve with rice. According to me, hing is a must in this recipe and is what gives the pickle a nice flavor.

Wacky Banana Cake

Many thanks to Nandita of Saffrontrail for this wonderful recipe.click here to view her recipe...
I have followed the recipe exactly the same way...the only difference is I avoided the nuts...Also, instead of banana you could use apples or any other fruit and add nuts based on your choice......what I luv the most abt this recipe is, it is not only very very simple to make but also quite healthy since it has no eggs, no butter and has mostly whole wheat flour........I made this cake at the perfect time when three of my friend's little girls are celebrating their 1st birthday this month....ok so this simple healthy cake is for the three little angels Nadhi (Dec 5th), Anvita(Dec 6th) & Shakthi (Dec 10th).....Happy Happy B'day little ones.....I'm going to make a note of the recipe here for my future reference......
Ingredients:
1.Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
2. All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
3. Sugar- 3/4 cup (Powder this in mixie)
4. baking soda- 1 tsp
5. Salt- 1/2 tsp
6. Cinnamon powder- 1 tsp

7. White vinegar- 1 tbsp
8. Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
9. Canola oil- 5 tbsp
10. Cold water (not iced)- 1 cup


11. Banana or apple- sliced- 1
12. nuts- optional
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and take ingredients 1 to 6 in a flour sifter and sift it into a 8x8 square baking pan ( After using this though, I thought it might be better to use a loaf pan to get more thickness/depth of the cake). Pour ingredients 7 to 10 and mix well without any lumps. Now add ingredients 11 & 12 and shake the pan to level off and sprinkle some cinnamon powder. Now bake in the oven for 30 mins or till done (when the top of the cake turns golden brown & a fork comes out clean). Cut into square pieces and serve warm.

White Kurma

White Kurma with idiyappam is my all time favorite tiffin item that I usually order whenever I go to Saravana bhavan and Balaji bhavan in chennai......the specialty of this is the slight sweet taste of the coconut & cashews used......it can be had with idiyappam, chappathi, appam or even rice......so here goes the recipe for White Kurma....
Ingredients:
Onion- chopped- 1 big
Tomato- chopped- 1/2 tomato
vegetables- 2 cups-(cauliflower, peas, potato,carrot, beans)
chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Dhania powder- 1 tbsp
Green chilly- 3 or 4
coconut- 3 tbsp
cashewnuts- 4
Poppy seeds- 1 tbsp
coconut milk- 1 /2 cup
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
salt to taste

For tempering:
oil
Fennel seeds/ Saunf- 1 tbsp
Curry leaves- few
cinnamon stick- 1 piece

Method:
Add the saunf & cinnamon to hot oil and when nice aroma comes, add the curry leaves followed by chopped onions, green chilly and ginger/garlic paste. Saute' this nicely. then add chopped half a tomato(do not add more tomato in order to get the white color for the kurma). Then add the chopped vegetables, salt to taste, dhania powder & a pinch of chilly powder. cover and cook for 3-5 mins. In the meantime, make a paste of coconut, poppy seeds and cashwenuts & add to the cooked veggies. Cook this for about 2 mins. Then in the end add half a cup coconut milk and turn off the stove in a min. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
Yummy white kurma is ready!!!

Soraikkai(Bottlegourd) kadalaiparupu Kootu

When I was looking for a different recipe for soraikai(Bottlegourd/Dhudhi) from my usual kootu recipe, I came across this really nice recipe in google video in the jaya tv cookery show suvayo suvai. Click here for the video. I'm going to make a note of that recipe here.....The variation I have made is to reduce the qty of coconut paste used. I just added a tbsp of coconut paste as against the 1/2 cup coconut paste in the recipe...
Ingredients:
1.Soraikai/Bottleguard- 2 cups
2.Channa dhal- 1/2 cup (soaked in water for half hour)
3.Onion- finely chopped- 1/2
4.Tomato-finely chopped- 1/2
5.Ginger/Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
6.Chilly powder- 1 tsp
7.Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
8.Dhania powder- 2 tbsp
9.Green chilly- 1 or 2 slit lengthwise
10.Curry leaves
11.Salt
12.Hing or Asafoetida- 1 tsp
13. coconut - 2 tbsp (grind it with some water to get the paste)
For Tempering:
oil
Mustard seeds-1 tbsp
Jeera seeds- 1 tsp
Red chilly- 1 or 2
Curry leaves- a few
Method:
Add ingredients 1 to 12 in a pressure cooker. Add some water until the veggies are immersed and pressure cook for 3 whistles and then reduce the flame and cook for 5 more mins. Once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker and mash the veggies slightly with a ladle. Then in a wok heat the oil and add the tempering items and when the mustard splutter, add the veggies from the pressure cooker and cook for 2-3 mins. Then add the coconut paste and cook for another 2 mins and garnish with curry leaves , coriander leaves & serve with rice or roti.
My recipe for kootu usually doesn't have onion, tomato & garlic, but trust me this new way of making kootu was delicious and not to mention healthy too.

Ghee rice

This is a very simple & easy to make rice item that can be done in a jiffy in the morning to pack for lunch. Some call this as Brinji rice too. This goes well with some nice spicy channa masala or any Kurma. Though this looks plain, trust me it tastes soooo rich & tasty
So here goes my recipe....
Ingredients:
Basmathi rice- 1 cup
Coconut milk-1 cup
Water-1/2 cup (I use 1:1.5 as ratio for rice to water,
so took 1 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup water)
Onion(thin sliced lengthwise)- 1
ginger/garlic paste- 1 tbsp
salt to taste
Ghee- 3 tbsp
Green chilly- 3

For tempering
cloves-2
cinnamon- 1 big stick
bay leaf
cardamom- 2
star anise- 2


Method:
Heat ghee/oil in a skillet add the whole masala(mentioned above) for tempering. when the nice aroma of the spices come add the green chilly, ginger/garlic paste & onion and saute' it. Sprinkle some salt to help the onions get cooked faster. make sure the onions don't turn brown as this will change the color of the rice. Now wash the rice and add to this and saute' for a min. Then transfer this to a rice cooker and add salt to taste, coconut milk and water and cook. Before serving add another spoon of ghee. ...This is ghee rice so you cannot avoid the ghee part unfortunately :)
Ghee rice is ready! See I told u it's real easy...isn't it?Do try it and let me know how it turns out.
This is my entry to Srivalli's Rice mela.

Based on the valuable suggestion received from Srivalli, I'm also sending my already posted old entry 'Poha' to the Rice mela event. Thanks Srivalli for the encouragement.

Vegetable Pakoda

This last Friday evening I wanted to make a quick snack to serve with tea when my hubby dear got back from work......Onion pakoda was what came to my mind immediately..just to create a variation to that, I decided to make vegetable pakoda using just corn flour and a little maida.......this was done in about 20 mins.......real quick...and to my surprise it turned out sooooooooo well just like the crispy pakodas we get in India......so here goes the vegetable pakoda recipe.....enjoy with a cup of tea/coffee.
Ingredients:
Vegetables chopped- 2 cups (I used thinly sliced red onions, cabbage & cauliflower)
Corn flour- 4 or 5 tbsps
All purpose flour- 1 tbsp
baking soda- 1/2 tsp
chopped ginger- 1 tbsp
chilli powder-1 tbsp
salt to taste
curry leaves
cilantro leaves- 2 tbsp (chopped)
Green chilly- 1 or 2 chopped
Hing - a pinch
Oil
water to sprinkle
Method:
Put all the cut veggies in a bowl. Add all the above mentioned ingredients to it and sprinkle some water little by little to mix it(just enough water to help the flour and spices stick to the veggies).....it should not be diluted or too thin like baji flour.....in the meantime heat oil in a pan to deep fry the pakodas and add 1 tbsp of that hot oil to this pakoda flour mix(this makes the pakoda crispier).....once the oil is hot put in the pakodas slowly and when u drop it into the oil make sure you separate them with ur fingers so the pakodas will turn out crispier....keep in medium flame and cook until the pakodas turn light brown and crispy...Drain it in a paper towel and then serve hot.

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is one of the most famous chaat items known to south indians.....I have always enjoyed watching the way they mash the bhaji usually outside the chaat shops on a big tawa and add some butter to it while serving.......lip smacking ah?.....I learnt the authentic recipe for Pav Bhaji from one of my roomies in Tampa, a girl from Bombay and it sure is the best recipe I have come across till now......pretty simple and a good change too from the usual rice varieties when u invite some people over ....I usually get the whole wheat dinner rolls or whole wheat hamburger buns for the Pav from the regular American grocery store and u can vary the proportion of potato as per ur taste,though it is usually made with potatoes, I just add half or 1 potato and add more of other veggies such as carrots, cauliflower .....soo here is the recipe for Pav bhaji..Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Potatoes- 1 big
carrots- 2
Gobi- 1 or 2 cups of florets
Green pepper (capsicum) - 1 big
frozen green peas- 1 small cup
Onion- 1 big
Tomato - 1 big
Tomato paste- 1 tbsp (optional)
Ginger & garlic paste or grated- 2 tsp
green chilly- very finely chopped-2
Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric poweder- 1/2 tsp
Pav Bhaji masala powder(Any brand, I usually use EVEREST or BADSHAH)- 2 tbsp
Butter
Oil
Salt to taste
Cilantro leaves
For tempering:
Butter & oil -1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
Method:

Peel the skin of potato & carrot, dice them, add to a pressure cooker along with cauliflower florets, 2 tbsp of the cut onion & green pepper, a pinch of turmeric powder, a pinch of salt & hing(I add hing to everything specially when using potatoes it is a must). Just adding a piece of onion & green pepper while cooking the veggies will give a nice flavor to the bhaji. Pressure cook this for 4-5 whistles or until the veggies get cooked really well. Open the pressure cooker when ready & mash the vegetables with a potato masher &keep it aside.
Heat oil/butter in a skillet and season with cumin seeds. Then add finely chopped onion, ginger/garlic paste & green chilly and sauté until the raw smell of ginger/garlic goes away. Now goes the finely chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. I add tomato paste to get the texture & color. But if u don't have tomato paste you could used an extra tomato instead. Now goes the mashed veggies, finely chopped green pepper, green peas, salt to taste, red chilly powder, & 11/2 tbsp of Pav bhaji masala. Add 1 tsp of butter(if u wish ) at the this point too. Cook this for 2-3 mins. Add the other half tbsp of Pav bhaji masala powder at the end before turning off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with toasted Pav(toasted with butter), finely chopped onions and a piece of lemon.