Mixed vegetable salad

Hello, 

Let me share with you a simple but delicious filling salad. You should pick the best and fresh vegetables for salad. 

Ingredients

English Cucumber - 1 ( I prefer the long dark green cucumber for its crunchy, crispy texture)
Carrot - 1 ( Select juicy tender carrot)
Tomato - 1
lime juice - 1 tsp
crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
salt - to taste

Method of Preparation

Wash and peel carrot. Cut all three vegetables in which ever shape and thickness you prefer. I like it long and thin. Gently add lime juice and crushed pepper, hing and salt. Mix well and consume when they are fresh and juicy.  

Bindi/Ladies finger masala fry

Bindi my most favourite vegetable! Let me share with you Bhindi masala fry. Make this curry when you have enough time. Because I marinate bindi  before making this curry for better enhancement of flavours.  Select fresh and soft bindi/ladies finger for this curry. 

Bindi masala fry

Ingredients

Fresh soft bindi - 1/2 kg

Onion - 1 no.( medicum size)

Tomato - 2 nos.

Green Chilly - 2 no.

Ginger - 1 one piece

Roast and powder

1.Whole dhaniya - 2 tsp

2.Jeera - 1 tsp

3.Black pepper - 1 tsp

4.Red(dry) chilly - 2 nos.(1 for colour* 1 for spice)
Red chilly for bright colour we call it badagay in Karanataka

5.Turmeric power - 1/2 tsp

6.Salt as required

7.Chat masala - 1/4 tsp (Optional)

8.Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (Optional)

9.Lemon juice - 1 lime

For frying

Sunflower oil - 3 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp

Method of Preparation

Wash and spread bindi in a clean cloth/towel. Allow the water to completely dry from bindi. Trim both edges and slit into two if very small bindies or slit into 2 inch length.  Mix one by one each ingredients from 1 to 4 into the cut bindi. Mix well. Now add rest of the masalas from 5 to 8. On top sprinkle lime juice and Gently mix and keep aside for half an hour. 

Cut rest of the other vegetables like onion and tomato,ginger, green chilly into thin slices lengthwise.

Heat a thick bottom pan/kadai pour 1 tbsp oil and add jeera to splutter. Add sliced onion, ginger and green chilly allow the onion to turn golden brown. Now add the marinated bhindi and mix gently allow oil to coat evenly in bhindi. Add tomato and keep the flame high and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure you mix the bindi now and then. Adjust salt. Allow the bindi to turn slightly golden brown. Off the stove serve hot with rice, pepper papad, pickle, punjabi khadi or with freshly made roti. 

Palghat Iyer Samayal e book available on dc books and amazon.com

Hello,

I have written a book to nurture traditional Palghat Iyer cooking. It took about 3 years for me to finally complete the book as I have to do a lot of research and practically do everyday cooking before I write the recipe.

 I thank many of my elderly relatives and my mom and dad for helping me out with compilation of this lifeline book!  You can buy this online. Its available in amazon.com and in DC books. I have posted the link. Please check it out. You can download and refer it when ever you are looking for some yummy vegetarian palghat recipes. Please share with your friends and relatives.

I currently working on my next book its about North Indian cuisine. 

Since I am  doing my Ph D in management which actually takes much of my time! 

Yes, you all are encouraging me to complete my second book and gift to you. Thank you folks for your motivation and encouragement. With your blessings I am confident I will complete it soon.


Here is the link for PALGHAT IYER SAMAYAL 

http://www.amazon.in/Palghat-Iyer-Samayal-Jayanthi-Narayan-ebook/dp/B0083867QM

http://ebooks.dcbooks.com/ebook/index/detail/view_ebook/ebook/497933/Palghat-Iyer-Samayal

Baby Aloo Chat with coriander chutney

I am encouraged to share more yummy recipes with foodies all over the world. Would really appreciate if you leave a comment so that I can come out with some more interesting recipes!!!  

Thank you foodies from India, USA, UAE, Vietnam and Germany! Wow my humble effort to reach many foodies is whole heartedly viewed by lovely people. Great! Thank you folks. 

I tried to make an interesting chat for children as evening snack. Baby aloo chat. Let me share the recipe with all of you.

Baby Aloo Chat
Photo courtesy : taste 

Baby aloo cooked. peeled and cut into small pieces or halves - 2 cups

Chop the following ingredients

Capsicum - 1 no.

Tomato - 1 no.

Corriander leaves - 2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Chat masala - 2 tsp

Salt - required

Few whole olives (If your children are fond of it)

Method of Preparation

Put carefully each ingredient in a bowl and gently mix using a ladle. Adjust salt. Serve chilled. 

Variation for the family!!

Baby Aloo Chat

Cook, peel and cut into halves - 1/2 kg baby aloo

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Til /Sesame seeds - 2 tsp(white one taste great)

lemon juice - 1 tsp

salt - required

chopped coriander leaves - 2 tsp

curry leaves - few 

Sunflower oil - 2 tbsp

jeera/cumin seed - 1 tsp

Method of Preparation

In a deep pan add oil allow it to heat, add jeera allow it to splutter. Add baby aloo. turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Now add til seeds. Mix gently. Let oil and til coat evenly in aloo and allow aloo to become little golden brown. Off the stove add lemon juice, chat masala,  chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves. Serve with your favourite dip!! 

Coriander chutney

Fresh coriander leaves - 1 bunch

green chilly - 2 nos.

lemon juice - 1 tsp or raw mango - 1 small piece

salt - as required

Method of Prepartion

Wash and chop coriander leaves into small pieces. In a mixer grind all ingredients together add very less water. Blend into a smooth paste/coarse paste. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with you baby aloo chat!!!

This dish can be served as a starter for your weekend party. 

Chow Chow Kootu.

Hello.

Today I am going to share with you a simple kootu. This is a side dish which is very easy to make an taste yummy!!! 

Chow Chow kootu:

Ingredients

Chow chow - 2 nos.
Yellow moong dal - 1/2 cup
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt - as required

For tadka:

Coconut oil - 1 spoon
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Rai/Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilly - 1 no.
curry leaves - a few

Method of Preparation:

Wash and peel, de-seed and chop chow chow into small cubes. In pressure cooker add chow chow cubes. washed moong dal, turmeric powder  and enough water for cooking and keep it for 2 whistles. If you wish you can cook in kalchatti(thick stone vessel) 

Its a traditional Palghat way of cooking tasty delicious food using kalchatti(stone vessel)

In a small pan add oil allow it to heat add mustard and jeera(cumin) let it splutter. Finally add the red chilly off the stove add curry leaves. Transfer the tadka into the prepared kootu adjust  with required salt. Serve hot with rice/ roti (flatbread).

Happy Cooking!

Gooseberry Pickle

Now I am going to show you how to make an all time favourite- Gooseberry Pickle. This pickle is usually eaten with curd (yoghurt) and rice.

Gooseberry / amla / nellikai pickle

Ingredients:

Gooseberries - 1/2 kg

Turmeric powder -1 teaspoon

For dry roast:

Dried red chillies - 150 gm ( I used 50 gm long, 50 gm badigay n 50 gm gunttur chilli)

Kayam / hing - 20gm( a large piece)

Methi / fenugreek leaves - 1 teaspoon

Salt - as required

For tadka (tempering)

Gingelly (til) oil - 3 table spoon

Mustard seeds -1/2 teaspoon

Method of preparation:

In a thick bottom vessel cook the amla along with half a teaspoon turmeric powder for about 10 minutes, while adding water.

Make sure the amla is completely soaked in water.

Once cooked remove it from water. Do not throw the boiled water, keep it in a cup. Now de-seed the gooseberries and cut them into small pieces. Keep aside.

In a clean kadai/pan at a slow fire put the dried red chillies, methi and hing and the rest half of the teaspoon of the turmeric powder. Fry it till all ingredients release their aroma. 

Note:  fry each ingredient separately for best flavor.

 Grind to a fine powder in a mixer.

Now place a thick bottom kadai and pour the oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and wait for it to crackle. Now carefully add the chopped gooseberries and mix well.  Make sure the oil has been coated on all the pieces by mixing it with a dry,clean, ladle.

Add salt and the roasted powder. Mix it well. Allow the gooseberries to completely get coated in the ground spices. Remove the pan from the flame and wait for the gooseberry pickle to reach room temperature.

Store in clean glass jars and make sure they are air tight. For a long shelf life, refrigerate it. 

 Remember!! never leave steel spoon inside the pickle...

Serve it with curd rice and enjoy!!

Gajjar Halwa

Hello! Today I am going to share with all of you readers my recipe for Gajjar Halwa. It is an India sweet savoured by all. It is mainly prepared in the Winter season, when Delhi carrots (red, long, thin) are available. I hope you can make a very good halwa using my recipe. Thankyou!!!


Gajjar Halwa

Ingredients:

Carrots - 2 kg
Milk - 1 litre
Sugar - 400 gm
Cardamom - 3 crushed
Cashew nut - 10 nos. (broken into halves)
Ghee - 100 gm




Method of preparation:

Wash, peel and grate carrot. In a thick bottom vessel ( I used pressure pan) pour milk and add the grated carrot. Allow it to cook at a low flame for about 45 minutes. Stir it gently. You will see the milk reducing to 1/4 of the amount it was before. Now add the sugar and the cardamom. Allow it to cook further for about 30 minutes. Stir the halwa and simultaneously add a spoonful of ghee.
By now you will notice that the ghee is separating  from the halwa in the vessel. Remove it from stove. In a small pan add a spoonful of ghee and the broken cashew nuts and allow it to roast till it turns golden brown. Add the cashew nuts to the halwa and serve hot. 

The aroma of the fresh ghee and the luscious halwa makes it a tempting dessert.