Bendekayi Palya | Okra fry | Bhindi Sabji

A simple side dish recipe for Chapthi or rice. "Bendekayi Palya" or "Bhindi Sabji" is prepared with sauteed okra, onions and tomato.

Ingredients

500 gms Okra, cut into small pieces

1 Onion, cut lengthwise

1 Tomato, diced

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 sprigs of Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

4 tsp Oil

Salt

Method

• In a heavy bottom vessel, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds starts to splutter, add onions. Fry until onions turn transparent

                           

• Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, and coriander powder

• Add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are completely cooked

• Add okra. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes in medium - high heat setting. 

• Add salt and fry for another 2 minutes

• Serve hot with chapathi or rice

Thindoora Fry | Dondakaya Fry | Thondekai Palya

"Thondekai Palya" is a simple recipe with infusion of  spices with bold flavors like red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala. It is served as a side dish with rice & sambhar or chapathi. 

Ingredients

500 gms Thindoora |Thondekayi, cut thinly lengthwise

1 onion, chopped length wise

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 sprigs of Curry Leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Red Chili powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

Salt

4 tsp oil

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy bottom vessel, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,  and curry leaves. when Mustard seeds start to crackle, add turmeric powder
• Add thindoora | thondekayi and saute for 15 minutes in medium-low heat setting

• Add onions,  coriander powder, red chili powder and garam masala. Fry for another 10 minutes (onions are not added in the picture shown below) 

• Adjust salt as per taste and saute for 2 to 5 minutes until all flavors are absorbed
• Serve with rice and sambhar or chapathi

Mysorean Vegetable Kootu

"Mysorean Vegetable Kootu" is a lentil based vegetable stew in Mysoorean Cuisine. Its a side dish served with rice/ chapthi/ puri. I made this delightful side dish with idly and I was overwhelmed with this great combination. 
This recipe is made with "no onion and no garlic"  and it is mainly served during festivals or any auspicious occasion.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Channa dal  or Bengal Gram, Soaked for atleast 3 to 5 hours

1 small  Bottle Gourd, diced

1 Carrot, diced

1 Potato, diced

For masala powder (spice mix)

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds

2 tsp Rice (uncooked)

1/2 cup, Grated Coconut or desiccated coconut

 4 Red Chilies

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

small piece ginger (optional)

For tempering

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2-3 Red Chilies

6 Curry leaves

Salt

Method

• For masala powder - using a blender, grind all ingredients listed for masala powder.     Make a fine powder. 

                                      

                           

• Using a pressure cooker, cook Bengal gram, vegetables and add little salt. Pressure cook for up to 2 whistles

                   

• After pressure cooker has cooled, add spice powder and adjust salt as per taste. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes

• For tempering -  in a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it starts to crackle, add cumin seeds, red chilies, and curry leaves. Saute for less then a minute and pour the contents on top of Kootu 

• Serve hot with idly, rice, chapthi or puri

Tip :

• I have used odd number of vegetables like Aviyal. For this recipe any vegetable can be used like beans, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. 

Pavakkai Poriyal | Hagalkayi Palya

Bittter Gourd cooked with tamarind and jaggery with sauteed with onions and seasoned with mustard, cumin and fenugreek seeds.

Ingredients

2 Bitter Gourd, diced

1 Onion, chopped length wise

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

3-4 Curry Leaves

1/4 cup Tamarind extract

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Red chili powder

1 tsp Jaggery

3 tsp Oil

Salt

Method

• In a heavy bottom vessel, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, when it starts to crackle, add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds

• Add onions and curry leaves. Saute until onions turn transparent
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Saute for few seconds
• Add tamarind extract and jaggery. Simmer for 3-4 minutes

• Add bitter gourd and mix well. Cover the vessel with a lid and and cook in low heat setting for 10 minutes. Add water if required
• When bitter gourd is fork tender, add salt and fry for 2 minutes

• Serve as side dish with rice or Chapathi

Sundal | Husli

"Sundal" or "Husli" is a vegetarian delight and a healthy side dish or a snack.  Sundal is made with different kinds of lentils, beans and sprouts like green gram, black eyed peas, horse gram, garbanzo beans, black eyed peas and many more. 

Ingredients

2 Cups Kala Channa, soaked overnight 

1 Onion, Chopped

4 Green Chillies, finely chopped

1 tsp Mustard seeds

4-6 Curry Leaves

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/2 Cup Grated coconut

1 small bunch of Cilantro/ Coriander leaves, finely chopped

4 tsp oil

Salt

Method

• Cook kala channa in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to cook Kala channa. Also, add little salt for taste. Drain excess water from channa. (wait!! don't discard water. Use it as stalk to prepare soups or curries)

• In a heavy bottom vessel, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, when it starts to crackle, add asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilies.  Saute until onions turn transparent.

• Add cooked channa and adjust salt to taste. Mix well. Saute for 2 minutes until all flavors are absorbed.

• Turn off heat and add grated coconut and cilantro. Mix well

Potato Garlic fry (Poondu Urulaikilangu Varuval)

Poondu Urulaikilangu Varuval is stir fried garlic and potatoes with spice mix. This recipe is quick and easy to make side dish for rice and sambhar/ rasam or chapathi. My favorite combination is with yougurt rice.

Ingredients

3 Potatoes, cubed

1 Onion, diced

6-8 cloves of Garlic, minced

4-6 Curry Leaves

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

3 tsp Oil

Salt

Procedure

• Heat oil, add mustard seeds. When it starts to crackle, add garlic, curry leaves. Saute for few seconds and then add onions. Fry until it turns transparent.

• Add Turmeric and Pepper. Mix well
• Add Potatoes mix until turmeric and pepper are coated well. In medium - low heat setting fry until roasts on all sides

• Finally add salt and fry for 2 minutes
• serve hot with rice and sambhar /rasam/ yogurt or chapathi

Avarai (Beans) Varupu

Avarai Varupu is an easy way to flavor up green beans. It makes a great combination with any meal. 

Preparation Time - 20 Minutes

Ingredients

500 gms Green Beans, cut into 1 inch 

1 inch piece of Ginger, grated

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red Chili powder

1/4 tsp Kasturi Methi

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

5 tsp oil

Salt

Procedure

• In a skillet, heat oil. Add ginger, turmeric powder, red chili powder, kasturi methi, coriander powder and 2 tsp of water. Stir well
• Add beans and cover the skillet. Cook in medium heat setting for 15 minutes. Stir often
• Add Salt and cook for 3-5 minutes
• Serve hot

Potato Curry

When I think of spicy vegetarian side dish, "Potato Curry" comes to my mind. Its my mother's recipe. 
My Mom used to make this quite often during my school days and it is one my favorite !! 
I  remember during my college days, that this was a popular dish. My friends still do ask for this recipe and that why I am sharing it with everyone !!

Preparation time - 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 Potatoes, chopped 

1 tsp. Mustard seeds

1 tsp. Urad Dal (optional)

1 strand Curry leaves

1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder

3/4 tsp. Red chili powder

4 tsp. Oil

Salt

Procedure

• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and Urad dal. When mustard seeds start to crackle, add curry leaves, turmeric and red chili powder, and then add 2 tsp of water to prevent burning of dry ingredients
• Add potatoes and mix well until masala has evenly coated potatoes. Cover the pan with a lid or a plate and in medium heat setting, cook for 10 minutes. Stir often
• When potatoes are partially cooked, add salt and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes
• Serve hot

Most popular combinations of potato curry are Curd rice, chapati, rice and rasam, rice and sambhar

Brinjal and potato poriyal

Brinjal and potatoes are sauteed with different spices and it is a great accompaniment for sambhar, rasam or curd.

Ingredients

250 gms. Brinjal (purple or green brinjal), cubed

1 potato, cubed

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. oil

½ tsp. mustard seeds

½ tsp. cumin seeds

¼ tsp. turmeric powder

½ tsp. red chili powder

1 string of curry leaves

Salt

Procedure

v  In a sauce pan, heat 2 tsp. of oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add onions. Sauté until onions turns transparent

v  Add turmeric and red chili powder. Mix well

v  Now add potatoes and mix until all spices are coated around potatoes. Add ½ cup of water and in medium heat setting, cook potatoes until they are partially done.

v  Add brinjal and adjust salt to taste. Cook in medium heat setting for 10 minutes

v  Serve with hot rice or chapatti

Sorakaya Kootu (Bottle Gourd kootu)

"Kootu" is a South Indian delicacy served as side dish with rice and sambhar, chapathi, etc. Kootu is like a stew which is prepared by cooking channa or moong dal (yellow lentils) along with different vegetables like cabbage, carrot, beans, bottle gourd and several other vegetables. The base for curry is prepared using coconut, ginger, chilies and cumin seeds.

Ingredients

1 cup Channa Dal, soaked for 3-5 hours

250 gms Bottle gourd (sorakaya), cubed

1 cup grated coconut

1 inch Ginger

2 Green Chilies

¼ tsp. turmeric powder

Pinch of asafetida

½ tsp. Mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 string of curry leaves

1 tsp. oil

Salt

Procedure

v  In a pressure cooker, cook channa dal and bottle gourd along with 2 cups of water up to 3 whistles

v  Using a blender, make a paste of coconut, ginger, green chilies, ½ tsp. cumin seeds and turmeric powder. Add water if required

v  After pressure cooker has cooled, pour the coconut mixture and adjust salt to taste. Bring it boil and cook for 5 to 10 minutes

v  For seasoning- heat 1 tsp. of oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. When it starts to splutter, add it to the curry

v  Serve with rice or chapathi

Moong dal Beans Poriyal

This recipe is another version of beans poriyal. It is a South Indian delicacy served as side dish or accompaniments with rice and dal.

Ingredients

½ kg Beans, chopped into 1 cm

1 cup Moong dal

4 Green Chilies

½ inch Ginger

½ tsp Mustard seeds

½ tsp Cumin seeds

Pinch of Asafoetida or Hing

1/4^th tsp of turmeric powder

1/4^th cup Grated Coconut or Desiccated coconut

1 string of Curry leaves

Small bunch of Cilantro, chopped

2 tsp oil

Salt

Procedure

Soak moong dal for 2-3 hours. Cook beans and moong dal along with 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker up to one whistle. Drain excess water (don’t throw away water. You can always use it for kneading dough,or  can be used as vegetable stock in making soups or cooking pilaf…)

Coarsely grind chili and ginger.

In a hot skillet, heat 2 tsp of oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start to crackle add ground chili and ginger paste, curry leaves, asafetida and turmeric powder. Sauté for a minute in low heat

Add moong dal, beans, grated coconut, salt and cilantro. Mix well. Cook for 2 minutes in medium high setting and turn of flame

Beans Poriyal

Beans poriyal is a common dish in South Indian Cuisine and most predominant in states of Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. Also, it is a common recipe in every household in southern states of India. It is usually served as side dish with rice and sambhar or chapathis. This recipe is one of my favorites and it is very easy to make.

Preparation Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb Beans, chopped about 1 cm 

1/2 tsp. Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Channa dal

4 nos Green Chilies, chopped lengthwise

1 string of Curry leaves

1 Onion, chopped 

1/4th cup Grated coconut or desiccated coconut powder

Small bunch of Cilantro, chopped

Oil for seasoning

Salt

Preparation

• In a skillet cook beans in water and add 1/4th tsp. of salt. Drain excess water from beans (don't throw  this water, you can use it to make curries or soup). I used pressure cooker to cook beans and turned off flame after one whistle

                   

• In a skillet, heat 2 tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, when it starts crackle add channa dal. Leave it for 5-10 seconds. then add green chilles and curry leaves. Saute for few seconds and then add chopped onions. fry onions until it turn transparent (I have used dried curry leaves which I add added it later)

• Add beans, salt and grated coconut. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice and sambhar or Chapathi