Cluster Beans Thoran

Ingredients:

• Cluster Beans/Kothavarakkai - 1/2 kg
• Grated/shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1/2 Cup
• Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
• Salt/Suar to taste
• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and peel off the skin from vegetables and boil it till it becomes soft.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds.
3. Add the grated coconut. Now add boiled vegetable to it. Add little salt and Sugar
4. . Mix them well.

Cluster Beans Thoran is ready to be served. Serve it with any rice varieties.

 

Chenai Mizhakkuparatti

Adapted from palakkadchamayal

Ingredients:-

• Chena/Elephant Yam – 500gm
• Onion - 1 Nicely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Chilly Powder – ½ tsp
• Curry Leaves – few
• Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
• Oil – 2 tbps

Method:-

Remove the skin of the yam and cut into small or medium sized cubes. 

Wash well.

Transfer the pieces into a vessel, toss with salt.

Pressure cook the pieces for one whistle.

This will ensure that pieces are cooked yet not mushy.

Once cooked, remove from cooker, and transfer to a wide plate, let it cool for a while.

Now heat a non stick kadai with oil, temper with mustard seeds. Then add asafoetida and curry leaves.

Now add the sliced onon and Fry till golden Brown

Now add the cooled yam pieces and mix gently. Add chilly powder at this stage and mix. Check for salt and add if required.

Let it get roasted well in the open kadai on a medium to low flame. Keep stirring once in a while without breaking the pieces. This may take anywhere between 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Notes:-

You can also parboil the yam pieces in a vessel with water. Take care that the pieces don’t turn too soft.

Aloo Pepper Fry

A quick and a simple Side Dish.. Perfect for Lunch Boxes!!!

Ingredients:-

1. Aloo/Potatoes - 5-6(Medium)/ 3 (Large)
2. Salt -  As needed
3. Turmeric Powder - A pinch (Optional)
4. Pepper Powder - 1 Tbsp (Can be changed according to your needs)

To Temper:-

1. Oil- 2 Tsp
2. Mustard - 1 Tbsp
3. Curry Leaves - A few

Method:-

1. Cook the Potatoes and peel off the skin, Smash and keep it aside.
2. Heat a Wok, and add the Oil.
3. After the oil is heated, add the "To temper" items.
4. After the Sizzling sound subsides, add the Smashed Potatoes.
5. Allow it to Fry for low flaome for 2-3 Minutes,
6. Add the Turmeric Powder, Pepper Powder and Salt.
7. Keep it in Low flame and Fry for 12-15 Minutes till the whole gets fried.
8. Super deliciopus Pepper Aloo Stir Fry is Ready!!!

Beans Usuli Thoran

Paruppu Usili is a very popular South Indian side dish known by various names. Prepared using vegetables like French Beans, Cluster Beans, Flat Beans, Banana Blossom etc and steamed lentils, this dry side dish is one of my favorites.

I prefer this over the regular thorans. I especially love the spiced steamed lentils. Whenever I prepare usili, I soak a little extra dal, so that I get a little more of the steamed lentil cakes. I enjoy eating these as such.

Since this is a dry curry and is very filling due to the addition of lentils, it is perfect with white rice and rasam. This is of course my preference, but it is a great accompaniment to Sambar and Mor Kuzhambu as well.

 

What you’ll need

1. Beans – 5 cups (finely chopped)
2. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
3. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
4. Curry Leaves – few sprigs
5. Salt to taste

For soaking

1. Bengal Gram Dal/Kadala Paruppu – ¼ cup
2. Tuvar Dal – ¼ cup
3. Dried Red Chilly – 2

For Tempering

1. Oil – 1 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. Broken Urad Dal – ½ tsp

Method

1. Wash the dals in 2 or 3 exchanges of water and soak along with red chillies for 30 minutes.
2. Drain completely and grind the dals along with red chillies, asafoetida, salt to taste and curry leaves into a coarse paste. Do not add water while grinding.
3. Grease an idly mould, take a lemon sized ball of the ground mixture and pat into the idly grooves.
4. Steam for 6 to 7 minutes.
5. Let this cool then pulse it in the mixie again, so that it becomes a fine powder. Keep aside.
6. In the meanwhile, heat a kadai with oil splutter with mustard seeds and urad dal.
7. Once the dal turns golden, add the chopped beans, turmeric powder, and salt to taste. Mix well and cook covered, without adding water.
8. Keep stirring once in a while. 
9. Once the beans is done, add the ground dal powder and roast for 6 to 7 minutes on low heat.

         

 

Beans Thoran

Ingredients:

• Beans - 1 kg
• Grated/shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1/2 Cup
• Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
• Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
• Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 3 nos.
• Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
• Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
• Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying
• Onion- 2 Medium Size

Method:

1. Wash and peel off the skin from vegetables and boil it till it becomes soft.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram dal, red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida .
3. Add the sliced onion and grated coconut. Now add boiled vegetable to it. Add little salt. Mix them well.

Beans Thoran is ready to be served. Serve it with any rice varieties.

Aloo Channa Dry

Ingredients:-

 

Potato -  2 large cubed and cooked

Channa / Velai Konda kadalai / Chickpeas – 1 cups cooked

Tomato – 3 large pureed

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp

Amchoor Powder / Dry Mango Powder – 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder / Manjal Podi -1 tsp

Coriander Powder / Malli Podi -1 tblspn

Sugar – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Kasuri Methi Leaves / Dried Fenugreek Leaves – 1 tblspn

Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam – 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tblspn

Method:

Heat 1 tblspn oil in a kadai. Add cumin and allow it to splatter.

Add tomato puree and cook for 5 mins till it gets cooked.

Add in chilli, garam masala, coriander, amchoor, turmeric,pepper powders and mix well.

Add in salt and sugar and mix well. Add kasuri methi leaves and mix well.

Pour enough water and add cooked chana and potatoes and mix well.

Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15 mins till everything gets united.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Dry Potato Fry

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 5 medium size peeled and cut into wedges

Onion – 1 sliced

Green Chilli – 1

Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam – 1 tsp

Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder / Malli Podi – 1 tblspn

Turmeric Powder / Manjal Podi – 1 tsp

Amchoor Powder / Dry Mango Powder – 1 tsp

Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil- 2 tblspn

Coriander Leaves / Cialntro for garnishing

Method:

Add cut up potatoes into salted water and cook for 10 mins. Drain them and set aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add in cumin seeds, Turmeric powder and mix well.

Add onions and green chillies and mix well.Add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and dry mango powder. Mix well.

Add in boiled potatoes and toss well.

Simmer the flame and cook for 20-25 mins tossing often untill the potatoes turn crispy around the sides.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Cauliflower Pepper Fry

Cauliflower is one among my favorite veggies and i love to have this with simple rasam and rice and even as a side dish for chapathis too. Being bored with the usual Cauliflower Curry i was thinking to make some different with cauliflower and tried out cauliflower curry using freshly ground pepper. It turned amazing well

Ingredients:-

1. Cauliflower - 1 Medium Size
2. Onion - 1
3. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Tsp (Optional)
4. Black Pepper - 3/4 Tsp
5. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
6. Salt - To Taste
7. Turmeric powder - a pinch
8. Oil - 1 Tbsp

Method:-

• Wash the cauliflower and cut them into small florets.
• Chop the onions into thin slices. In a pan add oil and add ginger garlic paste.
• Sauté for a while and add the onions and sauté till they become translucent.
• Add the cauliflower florets to this. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely ground the black pepper and cumin seeds separately.
•   Add this to the cauliflower and add salt and turmeric powder.
• Sprinkle little water and cook the florets become soft.
• Switch off the flame once it is done.
• Serve hot with rasam rice or sambar rice. Even this will taste yum with roti also

Note:-

• As my parents are not so comfortable with garlic smell, i usually omit the ginger garlic paste. 

• I added 3/4 spoon of pepper powder, as my hubby is not comfortable with pepper taste. you can increase/decrease the pepper powder according to your taste

Carrot Upperi

Ingredients:
Carrot - 1 kg

Grated/shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1/2 Cup
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 3 nos.
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Onion- 2 Medium Size

Method:

1. Wash and peel off the skin from vegetables and boil it till it becomes soft.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram dal, red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida .
3. Add the sliced onion and grated coconut. Now add boiled vegetable to it. Add little salt. Mix them well.

Carrot Thoran is ready to be served. Serve it with any rice varieties.

You can use any vegetables in place of Carrot. I usually make Cabbage Thoran, beans thoran like this.

Chemb Fry

Ingredients:

Colacasia - Chemb - 1/2 kg
Red chilly powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 2 table spoons
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - 1 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Sesame oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and keep colacasia in pressure cooker. Don't close the lid tightly. Just keep the top inverted. See every 10 minutes whether it is soft. Keep it for atleast 20 minutes. Now take it off, allow it to cool and peel off the skin.
2. Cut into desired shapes, add salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder and mix them well. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, add asafoetida, then the colacasia and mix them well.

Chemb fry is ready to be served. It can be served with rice. It can be served for 2 people. It requires hardly 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Curry should not be smashed. Only required amount of water should be added while boiling. Always add asafoetida to the oil once it is heated. This will add to taste.

Potato Curry

Ingredients:-

• Potatoes - 250 gm
• Onion - 2
• Green chillies - 2
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder -1 tbsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp (Optional)
• Oil- 3 tbsp

Method:-

• Cut onions and green chillies. 
• Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. 
• Heat oil in a pan and add onions and fry till translucent . 
• Add green chillies and potatoes and fry a little.
• Add turmeric, red chilli powder coriander powder and mix well.
• Fry for 10-15 min till it turns Brown Color .
• Mix garam masala and coriander leaves and remove from fire.

5 mts Potato Thoran

Ingredients:-

• 6 potatoes , cut into cubes
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
• 1 green chillies sliced
• 1 cloves garlic
• 1½ tsp shredded ginger
• ½ tsp jeera
• 1 red chiilies
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• 3 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp oil

Method:-

• Heat the oil in a vessel. 
• Add the cumin seeds curry leaves, chilli flakes, mustard and cumin seeds garlic, ginger.
• Fry for about a minute, then add the onions and fry till they become brown.
• Add the potatoes, coriander and the green chilli. 
• Mix well. Cover the vessel slightly. 
• Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender and the Potatoes are ready. 
• Simple, isn't it!