Bhindi Pyaaz fry | Okra Onion fry

Made with bare minimal ingredients into a flavorful side dish. Its a quick fix recipe helps to get your dinner on the table fast.

As it is okra cooks fast they are rally tender. Even when they are cooked on medium-low it takes about 10-15 minutes. In this recipe okra is simply seasoned with turmeric, red chili powder and salt. It taste best when paired with rice and chapathi.

Ingredients

500 gms Okra

1 Onion, cubed

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

a Sprig od curry leaves

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Red Chili powder

1/2 cup water

Salt

5 tsp Oil

Method

• Wash okra in running water. Pat it dry using paper towels. Then cut it into 1 inch pieces
• Add oil on a preheated skillet. Then add mustard seeds and curry leaves
• When it sizzles, add onions. Saute until it it softens
• Now, add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Quickly stir without the powders getting burnt. Add 1/4th cup of water
• Now add okra and mix well. saute for 10 minutes
• Add remaining 1/4 cup of water and season it with salt and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until they are completely cooked
• serve  with steamed rice or chapathi

Red Coconut Chutney

Red coconut chutney - a perfect accompaniment for many south Indian breakfast recipes.
It is made with a combination of fresh coconut, roasted channa, red chilies and ginger; and it is topped with lightly tempered condiments.

Ingredients

2 cups of Fresh Coconut, cut into small pieces or grated

1/2 cup of Roasted Channa or Dalia

A small piece of Ginger, 1 inch

4-5 Dry Red Byadgi chilies

Salt

1-2 cups of water, depending upon thickness

For tempering-

2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Few leaves of Curry leaves

Method

• Grind coconut first until it is coarse
• Next add dalia, ginger, chilies and salt with 1-2 cups of water. Grind it into a smooth mixture
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When it starts to sizzle, pour it on freshly ground chutney

Thakkali vengayam Mutton Kuzhambu

Mutton cooked in a spicy pungent tomato and onion curry. This curry is a easy fix and one pot recipe. There is no grinding of masalas. 

Few weeks back PG asked me to make a simple mutton curry for chapathi. The recipes that I knew involved heavy masalas. Since, I wanted to keep this recipe; I minced ginger and garlic, finely chopped pearl onions and tomatoes. For taste and spice, added chili-coriander powder, turmeric and garam masala. All these ingredients were pressure cooked with mutton.

This recipe has been family friendly meal especially during lethargic weekends :-)

Ingredients

500 gms Mutton (with bones)

6 Garlic, minced

1 inch Ginger, minced

8-10 Curry Leaves

10 Pearl onions, finely chopped

2 large Tomatoes, finely chopped

3 tsp Red Chili- Coriander powder (2:1 ratio)

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

Salt

5 tsp Oil

Method

• Add oil in a preheated pressure cooker
• When oil is hot add ginger, garlic, onions and curry leaves. Saute until onions softens
• Add Tomatoes. Cook until oil separates out from rest of the ingredients
• Add turmeric powder, red chili- coriander powder, garam masala. Mix well
• Add mutton and fry for 10 minutes on medium heat. Add little water to prevent masala from getting burnt
• Now add water and adjust salt as per taste. Pressure cook for 15 -20 min
• If you want to thicken gravy, cook for another 10 minutes without the lid
• It taste best when paired with chapathi, roti, rice, dosa or idli

Carrot Chutney

There are signs of spring everywhere and it feels so good with to step out in warm weather. In celebration  of arrival of spring, here's my first spring recipe - "Carrot Chutney" a vibrant colorful accompaniment for dosa and idli.

Ingredients

2 Carrots, diced

1 Small piece of Ginger

2 Green Chilies

1/2 tsp Bengal Gram (channa dal)

1/2 tsp Urad Dal

2 tsp Oil

Salt

Water as needed

For seasoning-

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

A sprig of Curry leaves

2 tsp Oil

Method

• On a preheated sauce pan; add oil, Bengal gram, urad dal. Saute until it turns golden brown
• Add green chilies, ginger and carrots. Saute until carrot softens. Set aside until it cools
• Adjust salt and grind it into a fine paste. Add water a needed
• Now heat oil in the same pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When it starts to sizzle, pour the contents on top of freshly ground carrot chutney

Beetroot Cutlet

An innovative use of beetroot  transformed into crispy cutlet. When you need easy, simple and healthy family meal; you can reach out for this recipe.

Bring all the ingredients together and shape it into patties . Either bake, pan fry or deep fry. Serve it with chilled dipping sauces or simply place it between burger buns!!

Ingredients

1 Large Beetroot, peeled and shredded

1 boiled Potato

1 cup Bread crumbs, divided

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1/4 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Chat Masala

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

Salt

Oil for deep frying (optional)

Method

• Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl except oil. Divide the vegetable mixture into equal portions. Take each portion and shape it into patties
• The coat each patty in breadcrumbs
• Preheat oven to 350F
• Place beetroot patties in a tray. Drizzle oil all over the patties. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top layer is crusty

                                                             or

• Heat oil in a sauce pan. Gently drop each patty in oil. Cook evenly on both the sides. Use an absorbent paper to drain excess oil
• Serve hot with chilled dips like ketchup or Green Chutney

Sorakaya Verkadalai Poriyal

Sorakaya verkadali poriyal is a TamilNadu delicay served with steamed rice and lentil curry.  Bottle gourd and peanuts are cooked together make a perfect side dish to complete south Indian meal. The peanut powder binds bottle gourd and all the ingredients together.  This is fairly a quick recipe prepared in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

1 Bottle gourd, cubed

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Tomato, finely chopped

1 inch piece Ginger

1/2 cup Peanut

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chili powder

2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

a sprig of curry leaves

1/2 cup water

Salt

Method

• Dry roast peanut and let it cool. Remove the skin and grind it into powder. Keep it aside
• Preheat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When it starts to sizzle, add onions. Saute until onions turns transparent
• Add turmeric powder and chili powder. Give it a little stir
• Then add tomatoes and cook until it softens
• Add bottle gourd and water. Cook for 15 minutes
• Season it with salt and add peanut powder. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes
• Serve hot with rice and curry

Neyveli Eral Kuzhambu | Prawns Curry

Out five star high protein and low calorie shell fish recipe. Neyveli Eral Kuzhambu (prawns curry) is exceedingly fast to cook. My aunt Geetha Suresh shared this recipe. 
I  bought the shrimps at a local Chinese grocery store and made it over lazy Sunday's dinner.

My husband instantly loved this scrumptious recipe.  The flavors of fresh shrimp taker over other ingredients in the curry. Trust me, I have made shrimp curry with frozen shrimp. It is rubbery and doesn't taste as good as the fresh ones. The condiments and raw spices add a very good taste to the pallet. 

This is the recipe for a good pallet.

Ingredients

500 gms deveined Shrimps

5 tsp Oil

1 stick Cinnamon

4 Cloves

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Tomatoes, finely chopped

2 Green chilies, finely chopped

1 Red Chili

3/4 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Red Chili powder

1/4 tsp Pepper Powder

3/4 cup Water

Salt

Handful of chopped cilantro

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds. When it starts to sizzle, add ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, red chilies. Stir for few seconds
• Add onions and saute until it softens 
• Add tomatoes and cook until it softens
• Now add the dry ingredients - turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and pepper powder. Add water and mix well. Cook for 5 minuted until the gravy thickens
• Now add shrimp and adjust salt as per taste. Mix well until the gravy coats the shrimp. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes
• Stir with chopped cilantro
• Serve hot with rice or chapathi