Turmeric and ginger pickle

Turmeric, ginger pickle 

Ingredients 

100 grams raw turmeric 

50 grams Ginger

Two green chilies 

1/4 tsp heeng powder 

2 lemon 

Salt as required 

1 tablespoon mustard oil 

1/2 tsp panch phodan 

Method 

Wash, peel and chop turmeric and ginger finely. Chop the green chilies. 

Squeeze the lemons, remove seeds.

Mix salt, lemon extract and keep it for some time. 

In a small kadai,  pour mustard oil,  bring to a point where it emits smoke, off and add panch phodan.  Let it splutter.  Add chopped green chilies.  Cool and add to the turmeric and ginger. Mix well.

Garlic noodles with vegetables

Mixed vegetable noodles with Ching's Secrect, garlic noodles.

To make the noodles,  a few steps we have to follow for the perfect texture, flavor and non sticky noodles. 

Ingredients 

1 packet Ching's garlic noodles/hakka noodles 

150 grams cabbage 

2 green chilies 

1 carrot 

A few beans 

200 grams Mushrooms 

2 medium sized onion

1 capsicum 

A few garlic pods

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves 

1/2 tablespoon Peppercorns grounded

1 tsp jeera powder 

2 tsp vinegar 

1 lemon extract (if required)

Salt as required 

3 tablespoons of gingly oil 

A handful of soya chunks soaked 

Method 

In a large bowl keep two liters of water, let it boil  Add the noodles in it cook for about 3 minutes.  Immediately drain the water from noodles, transfer in a bowl with cold water, drain, pour a little gingly oil on top of the drained noodles.  Let it cool. 

Wash, peel and cut all the vegetables 3 inches long. Wash and thinly cut the Mushrooms. 

In a big kadai pour gingly oil,  add vegetables one by one, keep tossing. 

Add Mushrooms,  bell peppers and drained soy chunks.

Put the masalas, crushed peppercorns, jeera powder. Mix in. Add chopped coriander leaves. 

Mix well.

Add cooled noodles. 

Toss adjust salt. Add vinegar,  if required add a little lemon juice. 

Gently mix with a fork and  chopsticks. 

Serve hot.

It's a quick dish to make as an evening snack for children. 

PS

Noodles cooking pictorial representation 

Let it cool while you prepare the vegetables. 

Kathrika Podi curry ( Brinjal subzi)

Brinjal podi curry is a delicacy at our homes.

One of my favorite vegetable.  I have used two varieties of Brinjal,  one with tiny stripes, the other one is green Brinjal. 

Let's start making the Brinjal podi curry. 

Ingredients 

500 grams of Brinjal cut into cubes

2 tbsp gingly oil 

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp chana dal 

1 tsp urad dal

For dry roast powder 

2 tbsp peanuts 

1 tbsp coriander seeds 

4 red chillies 

Curry leaves 

A piece of roasted hing cake 

A few methi seeds (10 nos)

1/2 lemon extract 

1 tbsp coriander leaves 

Method 

Wash, trim and cut Brinjal into big cubes

Dry roast all Ingredients from the dry roast list. Cool and make powder. 

In a thick bottomed kadai,  pour oil, let it heat,  add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds,  let it splutter. 

Add chopped cubed Brinjal,  add turmeric powder and salt.  Mix well,  cook till fork tender. You can lower the flame and close it with a lid and cook.

Wait for the Brinjal to cook well and turn brownish. 

Now we can add the dry roast powder and coat well using a spatula. 

Cook it further for a few minutes. 

You can garnish with chopped coriander leaves and squeeze and half a lemon.

Gentley mix and adjust salt,  serve. 

Baby onion sambar, Archuvitta sambar

Making sambar with coconut needs a bit of Preparation especially if you are making small baby onion sambar. 

Let's do the Preparation 

Steps are

Soak tamarind 

Peel onion

Dry roast sambar masalas, powder 

Grate or cut coconut 

Curry leaves 

Roast and crushed hing cake

Now, Let's start making the most delicious sambar. 

Ingredients 

200 grams baby onion ( sambar onion)

A lemon sized tamarind,  soak in water

1/2 of a small coconut,  grate, or cut into pieces whatever convenient to you.

100 grams tuvar dal 

A few curry leaves 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt as required 

2 tbsp ghee or gingly oil for frying onions and for the tadka

For dry roast 

1 tbsp chana dal 

1 and a half tbsp coriander seeds 

3 spicy dry red chilies and 3 non spicy dry red chilies 

A little methi seeds (10 nos)

1/4 tsp roasted crushed hing cake

Method 

Wash, clean trim and peel baby onion 

Squeeze and extract tamarind pulp, pour it in kalchatti adding a glass of water,  add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder,  allow it to boil,  the raw smell from tamarind must go.

Dry roast chana dal,  coriander seeds and red dry chilies in very slow flame, I did it separately so that all Ingredients get roasted well and you get the aroma  of the Ingredients. Cool and make powder in mixer jar.

Add coconut and further make a paste.

Wash and cook tuvar dal in cooker by adding just enough water and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder keep it for cooking. Switch off after 2 whistles. 

In a kadai pour a little oil add the peeled onions and ra pinch of salt roast till translucent 

The tamarind pulp would have reduced and the raw smell must have gone by now,  we can add the roasted onions add little more water, salt and allow it cook further.

Add coconut, sambar powder paste, add a little more water. Bring the sambar  to boil.

Add the cooked tuvar dal, adjust salt and mix well. 

In a small kadai pour oil add mustard seeds allow it to splutter.  Add curry leaves pour on the prepared sambar. 

Serve with hot steaming idli. 

Enjoy delicious aromatic baby onion sambar. 

 

Parippu podi

Parippu podi is a combination of a few lentils,  red chilies, peppercorns and salt.

The measurements are very important while making Parippu podi. Also each dal should be roasted separately for best results. 

Ingredients 

1 cup tuvar dal

1 cup moong dal

1/4 cup chana dal 

1/4 cup gram roasted dal(pottukadalai)

5 red chilies

A few pieces of hing

1 tablespoon of peppercorns 

Salt as required. 

Method 

In a thick bottomed kadai dry roast dals one by one until crispy and it releases its aroma.

Roast hing pieces, chilies and peppercorns. 

In a tray spread all dals, chili and peppercorns.  Allow it to reach room temperature. 

In a mixer jar add all the Ingredients,  make a semi coarse powder. 

In hot rice add required quantity of Parippu podi,  pour ghee or gingly oil,  mix and relish. 

Store Parippu podi in an airtight container for best results.