BASIC ONION CHUTNEY

I am here with an easy and quick post of onion chutney, which is a great accompaniment to idli, dosa, upma, uttapam and even appams. onion chutney is a simple, sounds spicy and real toothsome dish. It doesn't contain coconut, so whenever we travel long distance, can pack this chutney with idlis.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Roughly Chopped Onion
1 Medium Tomato (chopped)
4-5 Curry Leaves
4 Dried Whole Red Chilies
1 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
2 tbsp Roasted Bengal Gram (chana dal)
1 tbsp Jaggery
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

FOR TEMPERING:

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Dried Red Chili
1 tsp Urad Dal
A Pinch of Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
2 tsp Oil

METHOD:

In a pan or kadai, add oil. When it heated, add dried red chilies. Saute for a minute.
Add Onion, fry till onion turns into golden. Sprinkle salt and add tomato and curry leaves in it.
Fry till tomato turns soft, add chana dal, tamarind pulp in it. Fry for another 2 minutes.
Finally add jaggery, mix well. Turn off heat now. Let it cool. Grind it to make a coarse paste. (If required, add little water in it). Set it aside.

For tempering, heat 2 tsp oil in a tadka pan. Add dried red chili, urad dal, asafoetida and mustard seeds. Saute till urad dal changes its colour a little. Add curry leaves, mix and pour it on chutney mixture. 

Fold nicely by using a spoon and serve with idli, dosa, uttapam or upma.....enjoy this flavourful chutney.

OATS MOONG TIKKI

Once when I surfed net, these beautiful healthy tikkis attracted my attention at tarladalal.com. I got impressed and jotted down the recipe, little changes I made, but these flavoursome diabetic friendly tikkis are really awesome! These days, I am always fond of healthy food with very less oil and I prefer to use olive oil in my daily cooking. So, here is the fiber rich, protein pack toothsome tikkis, hope you will like it.

INGREDIENTS (FOR MAKING 12 TIKKIS):

1/2 Cup Quaker Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Split Yellow Gram (yellow moong dal)
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Onions
2 tbsp Plain Yogurt (fresh curd)
1 tsp Finely Chopped Green Chilies
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
1/2 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Chaat Masala
1&1/2 tsp Dried Mango Powder (amchur)
1/4 tsp Garam Masala Powder
2 tbsp Finely Chopped Cilantro / Coriander Leaves
2 tsp Olive Oil (for greasing tawa and brushing tikkis)
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Wash moong dal nicely. Boil it in a sauce pan with 1 Cup of water, till dal is soft, tendered and all the water has evaporated.
Let it cool, drain and blend the dal in a mixer to make a coarse paste.

Transfer the paste to a bowl, add all the remaining ingredients (except oil) and mix everything very well.
Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and shape each portion into 2&1/2" round flat tikki.
Lightly grease a non-stick tawa and brush it with 1/2 tsp oil.
Place 2-3 tikkis on a tawa at a time. Cook each tikki on medium flame using 1/8 tsp of olive oil, till it is evenly cooked and got golden from both sides.

Serve hot with any sauce or chutney, it is filling, fiber rich, protein pack yet delicious.

METE PEYAJKOLI (STIR-FRIED MUTTON LIVER WITH ONION GREENS)

Few weeks before, I seen this recipe in a Bengali Magazine, but made few changes according to my tastebuds. Trust me, it is very delicious with hot phulkas or steamed rice. Just tryout, it will be one of your favourite items.

INGREDIENTS:

250 gm Mutton Liver (goat liver)
500 gm Onion Greens
1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)
1 tsp Ginger Paste
2 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Green Chili paste
1/2 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Cup Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Butter
3 tbsp Mustard Oil
Salt to taste.

METHOD:

Wash mutton liver, cut into 1/2" pieces. Make those pat dry and set aside.
Wash onion greens nicely and chop into 1" pieces. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan or wok. Add chopped onion in it. Fry till onion gets translucent.
Add mutton liver and fry it alongwith onions for 3 minutes. Now add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, green chili paste, red chili powder, tomato and salt in it. Fold nicely till tomatoes get mushy and leave oil from the side of the pan.
At this time, add green onions and mix well. Lower the heat now, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Open the lid now, add sugar and sprinkle little water on it. Fold well and cook covered for another 10 minutes or till mutton livers are tender. Switch off the heat and sprinkle black pepper powder, butter and lemon juice on the top. 

Serve with roti, paratha or steamed rice, it's yummilicious!

LEMON FLAVOURED BROCCOLI RICE

This is a quick and healthy rice dish, very well goes for lunch box too. Some days, I really don't have any mood to cook anything elaborately, just have this healthy rice simply with curd. It contains lots of calcium.Trust me, it is very delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

¾ Cup Basmati Rice

2 Cups Medium Sized Broccoli Florets

½ Cup Fresh Green Peas

2 tbsp Grated Coconut

2 tsp Grated Ginger

1 tsp Finely Chopped Green Chili

Few Curry Leaves (optional)

2 tsp Bengal Gram (chana dal)

2 tsp Urad Dal

½ tsp Mustard Seeds

2 tbsp Chopped Coriander Leaves

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Wash rice nicely. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain water completely and set it aside.

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a pan or wok. Add ginger, green chili and few curry leaves in it. Sauté for 30 seconds. Then add broccoli florets, green peas and salt in it. Fold well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes on medium flame.

Mix grated coconut with it. Saute for 2- minutes, till coconut turns into slightly golden brown, but the vibrant colour of broccoli should not leave. Remove the broccoli coconut mixture from the heat now and set aside.

Heat another tbsp of olive oil in the same pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add chana dal, urad dal in it. Saute till dal turns into golden. Add rice and little salt in it. Fry for 3 minutes.

Add 1&1/2 cup warm water in it. Mix nicely. When it starts to boil add broccoli-peas mixture and sugar in it. Give a nice stir. Cover, lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes exactly. Turn off the heat now. Open the lid and add coriander leaves and lemon juice. Shake well.

Delicious and healthy broccoli rice is ready to serve. I loved to have it with simple yogurt, you may serve it with any curry too.

SURUL POLI - SOUTH vs NORTH CHALLENGE

Most of you know that there is a event going on named 'South vs North Challenge', which is a brain child of my dear friend Divya Pramil of You Too Can Cook....there are two teams South and North. Each team challenge each other in every month. I am so happy to complete this month's challenge recipe. The challenged recipe, 'Surul Poli' is given by my dear friend Shama Nagarajan from easy2cookrecipes. Where as me challenged to my South Indian friends with 'Labongo Latika'. 

'Surul Poli' is a crispy sugar coated roll with coconut filling. This is an authentic preparation of Kaveri delta region, Thanjavur sweet. A very special dessert for festive occassions. I made little changes, but the main flavour and process is almost same. Such a tasty delicious sweet it is, my full family enjoyed it whole heartedly. Thank you so much Shama for sharing this delightful festive sweet.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE OUTER COVERING OF THE POLI:

½ Cup All Purpose Flour (Self Raising Flour / Maida)

½ tbsp Clarified Butter (Desi Ghee)

Pinch of Salt

Water as required

½ Cup Oil for deep frying

FOR THE FILLING:

¼ Cup Roasted Chana (Pottu Kadalai)

¼ Cup Sugar

1 tsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)

2 tbsp Freshly Grated Coconut

2 tbsp Cashew nuts

3-4 Pods Cardamom

1 tbsp Raisins

4-5 Chopped Dates

FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP:

½ Cup Sugar

½ Cup Water

FOR GARNISHING:

3-4 Cherries

1 tbsp Tutti Frutti

METHOD:

Heat 1 tsp clarified butter in a pan, ghee roast grated coconut and cashew nut for 2-3 minutes or until coconut releases aroma and turns slightly brown. Mix ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup roasted chana, coconut, cashew nuts and cardamoms in a chutney jar. Grind in a mixer into a fine powder. Set it aside.

In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, ½ tbsp Clarified butter, pinch of salt. Knead it to make a soft smooth dough by using little water. Divide into 5 equal sized balls. Cover with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a saucepan. Boil till it forms string consistency. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now take a small ball from the dough and spread it like a poori (approx 3” diameter). Heat ½ cup oil in a pan, deep fry poori in oil. Drain poori on paper towel to absorb the excess oil. While it is still warm, dip it in the sugar syrup and place it immediately in the plate with dusted powder. Spread 2 tsp of grinded powder along with few raisins and chopped dates over it. Roll them immediately. Repeat the same for the remaining dough.

While serving, pour extra syrup and grinded extra powder on the top of the polis. Garnish with cherries and tutti frutti. Serve warm. You may store the remaining in an air-tight container.

Sending to: Shama's easy2cookrecipes

Sending to: Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

FULKOPI DIYE BHETKI MACH (BARRAMUNDI IN CAULIFLOWER CURRY)

In my childhood days, my mom used to make this fish curry specially on Winter days when fresh cauliflower and bhetki mach were easily available in markets. Still I remember the taste and flavor of this fish curry and I made exactly like my mom’s way. Bhetki is my favorite fish as it is soft and with very less bones. If you like fish then definitely you love to have this light fish curry with loads of tender cauliflower, new potato, juicy tomato and the touch of coriander leaves, which is always flavorsome and luscious with plain boiled rice.

INGREDIENTS:

7-8 pcs Barramundi Fish (bhetki mach)

2 Medium Sized Potatoes, Peeled & Cut Each Potato in 4 Cubes

8-10 Florets of Cauliflower

1 Finely Chopped Onions

2 tsp Ginger Paste

1 tsp Garlic Paste

1 Medium Tomato (chopped)

Whole Garam Masala (1-2 Bay Leaves, 1/4 tsp Caraway Seeds, 3 Cardamoms, 4 Cloves)

2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Red Chili Powder

1 tsp Freshly Pounded Cumin Seeds

½ tsp Garam Masala Powder

1 tsp Sugar (optional)

2 tsp Clarified Butter (ghee)

2 tbsp Finely Chopped Cilantro (coriander leaves)

½ Cup Mustard Oil

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Wash fish pieces nicely and make those pat dry. Marinate fish with little salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder. Mix well and set it aside for 15-20 minutes.

In the mean time, add cauliflower florets in boiling water. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the excess water. Wash cauliflower once again in cold water, drain water completely and set it aside.

Heat 4 tbsp mustard oil in a wok or kadai. When it is smoking hot, carefully place 2-3 fish pieces on it. Fry till golden brown on each side, it will take 3 minutes to fry each side. Remove from oil and keep those aside. Continue the process with remaining fish pieces.

Smear potato and cauliflower florets with salt and little turmeric powder. Add potato in the same oil and sauté for 4-5 minutes on medium flame. Once potato done, drain those from the oil and add cauliflower florets in the remaining oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes again drain those florets and keep aside.

Heat remaining oil in the same pan. Add bay leaf and whole garam masala in it. Saute for 30 seconds, till a nice aroma comes out. Mix onion in it, fry till it turns golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, sauté for 2minutes, mix cumin paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, salt and  red chili powder. Fry till tomato turns mushy and leaves oil from the sides. Add sugar, clarified butter and 1&1/2 cup of warm water. Fold well. Let it boil. Amount of water depends on the amount of gravy you want to be on the dish.

Now add fried potatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add fried fish pieces and cook for 3 minutes more. Add fried cauliflower, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Finally switch off the heat now. Sprinkle coriander leaves and garam masala powder on the top. Cover the lid and leave it for 5 minutes.

Serve warm with steamed rice.

Sending to:  Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event

VEGETABLE OATS MUFFIN - A VERY LOW CALORIE DIABETIC SNACK

'Oats' have numerous uses in foods, most commonly, they are rolled or crushed into oatmeal or ground into fine oat flour. Oatmeal is mainly eaten as porridge. But may also be used in a variety of baked good, such as oatcakes, bread, cookies and muffins. Oats are a coomon breakfast dish and are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin; also contain antioxidants, that protect the circulatory system from diseases i.e. arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessels. This muffins contain very low calorie and a delicious food for diabetics. I made this healthier snack, savory oven baked treats of vegetables and oats muffins - a delicious and tasty low calorie treat.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour (atta)

¾ Cup Oats (I used Quaker oats)

1&1/2 Cup Vegetables (1/3 Cup C Tiny Cubes  of Carrot, 1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Green Beans, 1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Cauliflower, ¼ Cup Frozen Corn Kernels,  ¼ Cup Frozen Green Peas)

½ Cup Tomato Puree

3 tbsp Plain Yogurt (curd)

1&1/2 tsp Garlic Pepper Powder

1 tbsp Roasted Fennel Seeds

1 tbsp Mixed Herbs (I used basil, parsley, thyme, oregano and rosemary)

2 tbsps Finely Chopped Cilantro (coriander leaves)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add all the chopped vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add little salt and ½ tsp garlic pepper as seasonings. Mix well and sauté for a minute. Remove the pan from heat now and set it aside.

In a large bowl, take whole wheat flour, oats, yogurt, tomato puree, fennel seeds, mixed herbs, cilantro, baking powder, baking soda, remaining garlic pepper, fried vegetables, salt and 2 tbsp water. Mix very nicely so that all ingredients incorporated very well.

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C. Grease 12 muffin moulds. Fill each of the prepared muffin mould with a scoop of batter. Bake muffins in preheated oven about 22 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Insert a toothpick comes out clean means your muffins are ready.

Enjoy these savory muffins fresh as a healthy snack. Though I don’t like to store it for near future, If you wish may store 3-4 muffins in a Ziploc bag, suck all the air out and seal the bag. Refrigerate up to a week, then pulling them out one by one and heat slightly for a snack.

Sending to:  Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event