Methi Matar Masala

I came across the delicious recipe for Methi Matar Malai at Mahimaa's blog. I made few changes to it by adding tomatoes, using cinnamon stick, cloves for tempering and I didn't have half & half so just added 2% milk instead. Since I didn't add any cream, I just wanted to drop the 'malai' part from the name and just called it Methi Matar Masala. Thanks a lot Mahimaa for the wonderful recipe.
It tasted sooo good with chapathis and definitely is a great way to eat Methi.
Ingredients:
Methi- 1 bunch (1 cup)
Frozen green peas- 1 cup
Grated ginger & garlic- 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Garam masala powder- 1 tbsp
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
Green chilly- 1
Onion- chopped-1
Tomato- 1
Salt to taste
yogurt- 1 tbsp
2% milk -1/2 cup
Kasoori methi (Dried Fenugreek) leaves- 1 tsp
For tempering:
Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1
Cloves- 2
Oil
Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add the tempering items. When the cumin seeds begin to crackle add the chopped onions, green chilly & ginger garlic paste and saute till onion turns light golden brown. Now add the methi leaves and saute well. Then add the frozen green peas, salt,turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder & garam masala powder. Saute for 1-2 mins and then add the 1tbsp of yogurt. Add some water and cook for a min. Now add the 1/2 cup 2% milk and slow cook for 5 more mins. You will get a creamy gravy at this stage. In the end add some crushed Kasoori methi and serve hot with chapathis.

Aloo methi

I had bought a bunch of Methi leaves from the indian grocery store and was wondering what I could make different with it & when I saw some potatoes sitting in my vegetable basket, in a minute I decided to make Aloo methi....Methi has a lot of medicinal value as a lot of you know....it is especially great for diabetic people.
Ingredients:
Methi- 1 bunch
Potatoes- 2
Onion- 1
Tomato- 1
Ginger/garlic grated- 1 tbsp
Green chilly- 1
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1 tbsp
Dhania jeera powder- 1 tbsp
Hing- a pinch
Salt
Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp

Method:
Pluck just the leaves of methi and leave the thicker stem behind. Wash the methi leaves about 3 times nicely and then chop them & keep it aside. Heat oil in a skillet, temper with cumin seeds and then add finely chopped onion, ginger/garlic, green chilly & saute them nicely......then add chopped tomatoes & saute until soft...now add the potatoes(skin peeled & diced to cubes)...sprinkle some water, cover & cook for 3-4 mins until potato is slightly cooked(don't overcook the potatoes). Now add the chopped methi leaves, Turmeric powder,Red chilly powder,
Dhania jeera powder, Hing- a pinch & Salt to taste.Mix nicely and sprinkle water if needed and cover & cook for another 4-5 mins until it gets cooked. Again, potato should be cooked well at this stage but not overcooked or mashed.
Serve Aloo methi with roti or rice.
Note:
To avoid the bitter taste of methi, I found a great tip from showmethecurry.com after chopping the leaves, sprinkle some salt, ,mix it well and keep it aside for 10 mins. Then before adding the methi squeeze out all the water from it and just add the leaves. This will take away all the bitterness from the methi.

Palak Dhal

I had some fresh organic spinach(Palak) in my fridge which was calling out to me.....I wanted to make some side dish using spinach which would go well with chapathi.....so I came up with my own simple recipe for Palak dhal using moong dhal and pearl onions (just for a change against the usual onions) and it turned out excellent......one thing I need to share here with the readers, my mom always used to make spinach for lunch and never for dinner...not sure why, but I have also heard from a lot of other people too that it is best to eat spinach during daytime or in other words avoid it at dinner time......
Ingredients:
Spinach- 1 bunch
Moong dhal- 1/2 cup
Pearl onions- 4 or 5 (cut each into half)
Tomato- 1 small
Ginger/Garlic (grated)- 1 tbsp
turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
garam masala powder- 1 tsp
hing- a pinch
salt to taste
For tempering:
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
Red chilly- 1
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Hing- a pinch
Oil- 1 tbsp
ghee- 1/2 tsp

Method:
Pressure cook the moong dhal along with a pinch of turmeric & hing and keep it aside.
Temper the above mentioned items in hot oil (I also added very little (abt 1/2 tsp) ghee to give a nice flavor)....when the mustard seeds splutter, add the pearl onions & grated ginger garlic and saute till the onion turns golden brown....then add the tomatoes & saute till tomato becomes pulpy...now add the chopped spinach & saute till the spinach shrinks. Now add the mashed cooked moong dhal, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt, hing & garam masala powder. add some water so that it doesn't get too thick.Cook for 2-3 mins and serve hot with roti or rice.

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.

Potato Stew

This is a traditional Keralite dish that is usually served with Appam, Idiyappam or Dosa. I prepared this today with some frozen idiyappam that I had in my freezer. It is absolutely a heavy, creamy and high calorie food...so save it for a special weekend when u want to treat ur tastebuds....if u look at the picture posted here u would know what I mean....and it sure was a treat for us....
Ingredients:
Potato- 2
Green chilly- finely chopped 2 or 3
Ginger- finely chopped (1 tbsp)
Onion- 1 finely chopped
Curry leaves- few
Green peas- 1/4 cup (optional)
Coconut milk- 1 can
salt
Coconut oil- 1 tsp

Method:
Saute' chopped onion, green chilly, curry leaves and ginger in some canola oil and fry till onion gets soft..make sure the onions do not turn brown....u can sprinkle some water and salt to help the onion get cooked fast and not turn brown....In the meantime, peel the skin of the potatoes and chop into cubes and microwave for 10 mins... take 1/4 cup of coconut milk from the can dilute it with some water and add it to cooked onion. Also add the cooked potato, frozen peas(optional) salt to taste and let this boil in the diluted coconut milk for 5-7 mins. Then add the rest of the thick coconut milk(without diluting it) from the can and cook for 2 mins. Add a tsp of coconut oil and serve hot with Appam or Idiyappam.

Mutter Paneer

Ingredients:

Paneer – 200 gms

Green peas (frozen)- 1 cup

Onion- 1

Tomato- 2

Green chillies- 4

Cashewnuts- 5

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Coriander powder-1 tbsp

Cumin powder- 1 tbsp

Chilli powder- 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tbsp

Kasoori methi- crushed (1 tbsp)

Salt

For Tempering:

Cloves- 2

Cinnamon- 1 big stick

Cardamom- 1

Bayleaf-1

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Oil

Sauté sliced onions+ tomatoes+ green chillies+ ginger garlic paste+ cashews +turmeric powder really well.

Let this cool and then blend it to a fine paste.

In a pan, add the tempering items to hot oil & when you get the nice aroma of spices, add the blended paste.

Add Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Chilli powder & salt. Cook this is medium flame for about 5-7 mins.

After the 1^st boil, add the green peas & then finally cubed paneer, salt & cook on medium flame for about 2 mins & then cook on slow flame for another 5-7 mins.

Finally add crushed Kasoori methi & cream (optional- I didn’t add any cream, it was still good) & serve with chapathis.

Rajma

Rajma

Rajma/Kidney Beans- 1 Can

(or if using dry rajma 2 cups)

Onion- 1

Tomatoes- 2

Potato – 1 small

Ginger/Garlic grated- 2 tbsp

Green chilli- 3 or 4

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Dhania Jeera powder-1 Tbsp

Kitchen King Masala or Garam masala- 1 tbsp

Hing- a pinch

Salt

Oil

For Tempering

Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tbsp

Curry leaves- few (optional)

1. In a pressure pan, add the tempering items to oil and when the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves & the grated ginger/garlic.
2. Sauté these for a min, then add the onions (cut thin & lengthwise), slit green chillies and sauté it.
3. To this add the cut tomatoes and sauté it until the tomato gets mushy.
4. Now add the cut potato pieces. Sauté the potato for about 2-3 mins.
5. Now add turmeric, chilli powder, dhania jeera powder, kitchen king masala & salt.
6. To this add the rajma/ kidney beans (wash the canned kidney beans thoroughly before you add it), add a pinch of hing and add little water. Now pressure cook this for two whistles.
7. When the pressure is released, open the pan and mash the potato pieces with the back of your ladle. This is to get the thick consistency. Cook the rajma for another min or so and then add a teaspoon of ghee before turning off the flame.
8. Garnish with Cilantro leaves and serve with Chapathi or some jeera rice.

Channa Masala

Channa masala:

Channa/Chick peas- 1 Can

(or if using dry channa 2 cups)

Onion- 1

Tomatoes- 2

Ginger/Garlic grated- 2 tbsp

Green chilli- 3 or 4

Coconut- 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Fennel seeds- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Dhania Jeera powder-1 Tbsp

Channa masala powder or Garam masala- 1 tbsp

Hing- a pinch

Salt

Oil

For Tempering

Cloves- 2

Cinnamon- 1 big stick

Cardamom- 1

Bayleaf-1

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- few (optional)

1. In a pan roast the coconut, green chillis, cumin seeds and make it into a paste by adding 1 tsp of fennel seeds.
2. In a pressure pan, add the tempering items to oil and when the nice aroma of spices come, add the grated ginger+garlic and sauté it really well for a min, then add the onions(cut thin & lengthwise) and sauté it.
3. To this add the cut tomatoes and sauté it until the tomato gets mushy.
4. Now add the coconut paste and sauté it till oil floats on top.
5. Now add turmeric, chilli & dhania jeera powders & salt.
6. To this add the chick peas( wash the canned chick peas thoroughly before you add it), add a pinch of hing and add little water. Now pressure cook this for two whistles.
7. When the pressure is released, open the pan and mash few of the chick peas with the back of your ladle. This is to get the thick consistency. I do this so I can avoid adding potatoes to get the thickness. Cook the channa for another min or so and then sprinkle channa masala or garam masala before turning off the flame.
8. Garnish with Cilantro leaves and squeeze some lemon.

This can be served with Chapathi, Puri, or Idyappam

Vegetable Kurma

Vegetable Kurma

This is a recipe from my friend Kavi from MI who makes delicious Kurma. This can be prepared using any vegetables. I had used carrots, broccoli & peas for the veggies.

Ingredients:

Onions-2

Tomatoes- 3

Ginger/Garlic grated- 1 tbsp

Vegetables- Beans, Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, potato, Peas (Any of these veggies should be fine)

Coconut- 2 or 3 tbsp

Khus Khus- 1 Tbsp

Green chillies- 3 or 4

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Dhania Jeera powder-1 Tbsp

Salt

Oil

For Tempering

Cloves- 2

Cinnamon- 1 big stick

Cardamom- 1

Bayleaf-1

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- few (optional)

1. Slightly roast the coconut, khuskhus, 1 tsp cumin seeds and green chilies and make it into a paste
2. In a pan add the tempering items to oil and when the nice aroma of the whole masala comes, add the grated ginger+garlic and sauté it really well for a min, then add the onions(cut thin & lengthwise) and sauté it.
3. To this add the cut tomatoes and sauté it until the tomato gets mushy.
4. Now add the coconut paste and sauté it till oil floats on top.
5. Now add turmeric, chilli & dhania jeera powders & salt.
6. To this add the pressure cooked (or cooked in microwave) veggies and add little water. Let this boil in medium flame until oil floats on top and the veggies get cooked in the gravy.
7. Now garnish with fresh cut coriander leaves.

This can be served with Chapathi, Puri, or Idyappam.

Note:

1. Any veggies can be used for this Kurma based on what is readily available.

2. I used grated ginger/garlic because my hubby doesn’t like the raw taste of ginger garlic paste. But ginger/garlic paste should work too.