Pepper Chicken

PEPPER CHICKEN:

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken
1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp pepper powder (coarsely powdered)
a pinch of turmeric
3 tbsp oil


For paste:

1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced and browned) (To brown onions, fry onion, on medium flame, in oil)
4-5 chillies
1/2 cup coriander
Blend all the above ingredients to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a kadhai and add the onions. Fry the onions till they turn translucent.
2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add chicken pieces and stir fry for a minute. Add turmeric, mix well.
4. Add the paste, mix well and close with a tight lid. Keep stirring every 5 mins. Once the chicken is cooked, add the pepper powder, mix and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander and a wedge of lime.

I have added potato to this recipe, which is optional.

Serve with chapathi, as a side dish with rice and dal or just enjoy it as an appetizer.

Uddin Vade

My daughter's absolute favorite. If only for her, i usually get it from a sagar hotel near my place and prepare at home only on special occasions. This time i prepared when i did hanuman pooja at home.

UDDIN VADE:

Ingredients:

2 cups urad dal
1 inch piece ginger (chopped fine)
3-4 green chillies (chopped fine)
1 tsp peppercorn (kept whole)
1 big onion (optional, i don't use onions when i keep the vadas as offering to god)
coriander leaves (chopped fine)
curry leaves (chopped fine)
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying.


Method of preparation:

1. Soak the urad dal for 2-3 hours.
2. Grind this to a fine paste without adding much water. The batter should be very thick, not of pouring consistency. (If you made the vadas immediately after grinding, it will be very crisp)
3. Take the batter in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, except oil.
4. Now head the oil in a kadai, Now wet a plastic sheet/betel leaf/banana leaf on your left palm and take a lemon sized ball of this batter.
5. Flatten this slightly on the leaf and make a hole in the middle. Slide this gently into the oil.
6. Deep fry till golden brown on both sides.

Once you get the hang of this, you can make the vadas in your one hand itself without the use of the leaf, as mentioned in step 4.

Brinjal and Potato fry

This dish is so simple and easy and yet tastes very good. It requires minimal energy and ingredients to prepare and tastes very good with phulkas, chapathis and as a side dish with rice and dal. The potato is this dish is optional.

BRINJAL AND POTATO FRY:




Ingredients:

1/2 kg brinjals (preferably the long green ones)
1 medium sized potato
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tbsp dhania powder
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
1 tsp mustard
3 tbsp oil

Method of preparation:

1. Cut the vegetables evenly and wash well.
2. Heat oil in the kadai and splutter the mustard.
3. Add the vegetables and stir fry for a minute.
4. Add the spice powders and mix well. Close the lid and let it cook.

Goes very well with phulkas/chapathis.

Kumbalakayi palya (Yellow pumpkin side dish)

Very easy dish to make which goes well with chapathis. I usually make it in the nights when chapathis are a must for everyone at home. This dish goes excellent with plain akki roti as well.

KUMBALAKAYI PALYA (YELLOW PUMPKIN SIDE DISH):

Ingredients:

1/2 kg yellow pumpkin
3 large onions
6-7 green chillies (use according to taste)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
curry leaves
2 tbsp oil
Method of Preparation:

1. Cut the pumpkin evenly, keeping the skin on and wash it well.
2. Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, add the curry leaves.
3. Add onions and fry till it turns translucent, now add the vegetable and salt.
4. Mix well and close a lid. Cook on medium flame. Add water only if you feel the vegetable is st
icking to the bottom of the pan. Closing the kadai with a tight lid usually helps cook without water, using the vegetables moisture itself.

Serve this hot with chapathis.

Anapakaya, alu and vankaya thalimpu (Flat beans, potato and brinjal sabji)

Another dish with avarekayi. We can make this dish with variety of vegetable combinations. I use vegetables based on seasonal availability. Some yummy combinations:

1. Alu, brinjal and drumstick
2. Heerekayi and Avarekayi/Thogarikayi (Ridge gourd and flat beans/tuvar lilva)
3. Thogarikayi, Alu and badanekayi (tuvar lilva, alu and brinjal)
and many more...... Will keep posting as i prepare

ANAPAKAYA, ALU AND VANKAYA THALIMPU:

Ingredients:

100 gms Anapakaya/Avarekai/Flat beans
2 medium sized alu (cut lengthwise)
4-5 green round brinjals (cut lengthwise)
2 medium sized onions
3 tomatoes
7 cloves of garlic
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp dhania powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp mustard
curry leaves
coriander leaves (dhania leaves/cilantro)
salt to taste

Method of preparation:

I use the pressure cooker instead of pan as it saves time and i don't have to keep stirring it.

1. Heat oil, splutter mustard, Add garlic, add onions and fry till translucent
2. Add the curry leaves and fry for a minute. Now add the tomatoes.
3. Fry the tomatoes for a minute and add the flat beans. Fry for 2 minutes and then add alu and brinjal.
4. Mix well and fry for a minute.
5. Add all the spice powders and coriander leaves, a little water. Check taste and close the cooker lid.
6. Cook for a whistle. Open the lid when the pressure goes down. there will be a little water in the vegetable so cook the vegetable without the lid for a further 2 minutes till the vegetable is semi dry. Take care not to stir it a lot as it will mash the vegetables.

Enjoy this with hot rice, chapathi or as a side dish for rasam rice.

Bangala Dumpa Puttu (Potato dry sabji)

There are so many different ways of preparing potato dry dish. The recipe given below is my favorite. This combined with dal and rice is comfort food for me.

BANGALA DUMPA PUTTU:

Ingredients:

1/2 kg potatoes (boiled and cubed)
2 medium sized onions
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp dhania powder
a pinch of turmeric
curry leaves
salt to taste
Oil

Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a kadai, add urad dal and as it grows slightly brown splutter mustard.
2. Add the onions and fry till they are translucent.
3. Now, add the curry leaves and all the spice powders.
4. Add the boiled and cubed potatoes and mix well.
5. Fry well stirring gently.

Goes very well with dal rice and rasam rice.

Masala Pongal

I call this pongal because of the main ingredient moong dal which is used in this. This is a slight variation of the traditional pongal and it also dry whereas pongal is semi-liquid. A one dish meal on lazy days.

MASALA PONGAL:

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
1/2 cup moong dal
1 inch cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
2 tbsp grated coconut
2 medium sized onions (sliced)
2 tomatoes (cut)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp jeera powder
1/2 tbsp pepper powder
5-6 green chillies
curry leaves
dhania leaves (coriander/cilantro)
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
4 cups of water (the rice i use needs 1:3 proportion of rice to water)


Method of preparation:

1. Wash the rice and dal seperately and keep aside.
2. Heat oil. Add clove and cinnamon, fry onions till translucent. Add chili, ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add curry leaves and stir fry for a minute and then add tomatoes and fry for a further min.
4. Now add the drained dal to this and fry for a minute. Add the spice powders to this and stir fry. Add the rice to this and mix well. Now add water and either pressure cook to 2 whistles or cook it in a rice cooker.