Raajma / Red Kidney Beans Curry

This is a protein rich curry for being healthy.


Ingredients:
Red kidney beans / Raajma - 1 cup
Onions - 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Chana Masala powder - 1 tsp 
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Cilantro/ Coriander leaves - 1 cup chopped fine
Oil - 3 tbsps
Water - 1/4 cup
Salt - As per taste


Cooking Method:
Soak Raajma / Red Kidney Beans in water for 6 hours. Pressure cook the soaked raajma by adding 1/4tsp of salt until 2 vessels. 
Heat oil in a pan. Add onions to it and wait until it turn golden brown color. Add turmeric, ginger garlic paste to it and mix well. Now add the tomato puree to it, mix it and close the lid and let it cook for 4 minutes. Add red chilli powder, chana masala powder, cumin powder ,coriander powder, salt , 3/4 cup of cilantro and mix well. Add boiled raajma and water to it and mix well. Close the lid and let it cook for 5 more minutes. Now add the lemon juice , garam masala and left over cilantro and mix it. Let it cook for other 1 minute and turn off the stove and take it into the serving bowl.

Sabudhana / Tapioca Vada

This is an excellent easy , crispy and delicious snack that I learned from my friend. Made few changes to the ingredients and turned out good as well. 


Ingredients:

Sabudana / Tapioca - 1 cup 
Potatoes - 2 cups boiled , peeled and mashed
Roasted peanuts - 1/2 cup coarsely crushed
Cumin / Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Ginger - 2 tsp grated 
Green chillies - 6 chopped fine
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup chopped
Curry leaves - few chopped fine
Amchur powder - 1/4 tsp
Chaat masala - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep-frying


Cooking Method:
Clean, wash and soak the sago for about 6 hours.
Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well. If Amchur powder is not available you can substitute it with lime juice. Do not knead too much as it might become sticky. Make medium size balls of it. Deep fry on little hight heat. Do not drop all the bals at once and make sure there is enough spacing between the vadas in each pan. Until the balls turn red on one side , do not turn them or else it might break. So, wait until it turns red and turn on the other side until the other side is cooked as well. Drain on absorbent paper. 
Serve ketchup or with green chutney.

Potato Green peas Kurma

Kurma is a dish that goes well with a pulav or chapatis. Below is one of the recipe for potato kurma. You can add or replace the vegetables from this dish into any other you like as well. But it is the base common recipe.

Ingredients:
Boiled potatoes - 2 boiled and diced
Green peas - 1/4 cup boiled
Carrots - 1/4 cup dices and boiled
Poppy seeds - 1/4 cup
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Dry coconut powder - 1/4 cup
Cashews - 1/4 cup
Onions - 1/2 cup chopped
Green chilli's - 5 slit long
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cilantro / Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch chopped
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust)
Salt - as needed
Oil - 5 tbsps
Water - 1/2 cup

Cooking Method: 

Dry roast poppy seeds, dry coconut and cashews individually and grind them together by adding water to it into very fine paste.
Heat oil in a pan. Add onions, green chilli's, ginger garlic paste, turmeric all together and fry it for few minutes.

Now add salt, red chilli powder to it and mix it well. Let it cook for few minutes.

Now add masala paste to it and fry it until the oil oozes out of it.

Add yogurt  to it and mix it well. Let it cook again until oil oozes out. 

Add boiled potatoes, peas, carrots, coriander powder, garam masala to it. Close the lid and let it cook for few more minutes on medium heat. Its ready to be served.

Dondakaya / Tindora Pulav

Ingredients: 
Basmathi Rice - 2 cups
Dondakaya / Tindora - 3/4 cup cut length wise
Brinjal - 1/4 cup cut into pieces
Mint - 15 leaves
Onions - 1 medium cut into length wise.
Green chilli's - 5 slit long
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cilantro / Coriander leaves - 1/2 nunch chopped
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Salt - As needed
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Dry coconut grated or pieces - 1/2 cup
Red Chilli's - 4 tsp
Dhaniya / Coriander seeds - 4 tbsps
Cumin seeds - 2 tsps
Water - 1/4 cup
Whole spices :
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 4
Star anise - 1
Shahjeera - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Nutmeg - a pinch


Cooking Method:
Cook basmathi rice and set aside.
Dry roast dry coconut, red chilli's dhaniya / coriander seeds, cumin seeds until it starts changing the color. Grind into paste by adding water. You can add more water if needed.
Heat 2 tbsps oil in a pan and roast Dondakaya / Tindora until its cooked soft. Take it into a bowl.
Heat 2 tsps oil, ghee in the same pan. Add whole spices to it. Wait for few seconds. Add onions, green chilli's, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, mint leaves, brinjal, salt and let it cook well. Now add the grinded masala paste and salt to it and mix well. Let it cook until oil oozes out of it. Add Cilantro / Coriander leaves to it and mix it.

Add Dondakaya / Tindora to the mixture and let it cook for other 2 minutes.

Add basmathi rice to it and mix it well. Let it cook for other 2 minutes. Take it into a bowl and garnish it with coriander leaves. Its ready to be served.

Coconut Green Chutney

This is a flavorful chutney that goes well with South Indian breakfast.


Ingredients: 
Fresh Coconut pieces or grated - 1 cup
Whole Peanuts - 1/4th cup
Cilantro - 1/4th bunch
Green chilli's - 7
Yogurt - 1 cup
Water - as needed
Salt - as needed
Oil - 4 tsps
Chana Dal - 1tsp
Urad Dal - 1tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4th tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4th tsp
Dry red Chilli's - 2 cut pieces


Cooking Method:
Dry roast peanuts, chana dal and urad dal in a pan. Cool it and grind it. 
Heat 2 tsps oil in a pan. Add green chilli's and fresh coconut pieces or grated fresh coconut. Fry it for few minutes.
Grind it well. Add the grinded peanuts, fresh cilantro, yogurt and salt and grind it into fine paste. Take this into a bowl.
Heat 2 tsps oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, red chilli's and turmeric. Add this to the bowl with the chutney and serve with any South Indian breakfast items.

Chicken Pulav

This is one of my favorite easy and delicious recipe. I love the flavors of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 2 lbs 
Basmathi Rice - 4 cups
Onions - sliced 1.5 cup
Green chillis - 5 slit
Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
Tomato - 1 cup finely chopped
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 cup
Poppy seeds - 1/4 cup
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Water - 3 cups
Coconut milk - 2 cups
Salt - As per taste
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsps  
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsps 
Cloves - 5
Cardamom - 4
Star anise - 1
Shahjeera - 1/4 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp

Marinade:

Yogurt - 1 1/2 tbsps 
Ginger garlic paste -  1 tbsp 
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp , as needed
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp 
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - few
Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp 
Salt - As needed

Cooking Method:

Marinate the chicken with the ingredients listed under 'Marinade'. Leave it for 30 minutes. 

Wash Basmathi rice and soak it for 30 minutes.
In the mean while, dry roast poppy seeds in a pan and grind it. 

Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add all the whole spices. Saute for few seconds. Add sliced onions to it and mix well. After it turns slightly golden brown color, add turmeric, ginger garlic paste, green chilli's , mint leaves, cilantro and poppy seeds mixture. Mix well and let it cook for 3 minutes. 

Add tomato to it now and stir well. Close the lid and let it cook for 3 minutes until it become a smooth mixture. Add the marinated chicken to it and let it cook by closing the lid. Let the chicken until it is half cooked. Add coconut milk to and rest of the water to it and let the chicken cook in it until its 3/4 cooked. Add salt to this if needed. Now add rice, rest of mint and coriander to it and mix it. Cover the lid and let is cook on medium slow heat for about 20 - 25 minutes (until the rice is cooked). You would see the rice it completely cooked and ready to be served. You can sprinkle some lemon juice on top of rice before serving.

Dondakaya Vepudu

Below is a delicious dondakaya vepudu recipe.
Ingredients:
Dondakaya / Tindora - 1 lb
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Tumeric - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 1/2 cup finely chopped 
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Coriander leaves - finely chopped
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Dry coconut powder - 3 tbsps
Oil - 5 Tbsps


Method:
Clean and cut the tindora into medium thin slices. Heat 5 Tbspoons of oil in a pan and  roast them for about 10 minutes and set aside.
In an another pan heat 1 tsp of oil. Add cumin, mustard, onions and stir well. After the onions become slight golden brown color add turmeric, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, dry coconut powder, salt and cilantro. Roast them for about 2 minutes. Now add roasted tindora to it and mix well. Let it cook for 3 more minutes and its ready to be served.

Baingan Bharta

This is one of my friend's mother-in-law recipe. I loved it so much that I make it too often now.


Ingredients:
Eggplants - 2 (medium Sized)
Tomatoes - 2 large chopped fine
Onions - 1 cup chopped fine
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli's - 5 chopped fine
Black pepper powder - 1/tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1 tbsp chopped fine
Ginger - 1 Tbspoon chopped fine
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - 1 cup chopped fine
Oil - 4 tbsps
Salt - As per taste

Cooking Method:
Roast eggplant on stove top directly on medium heat until it turns black from outside and you would see it as cooked. It become very soft during this process.This process gives egg plant the smoky flavor to it.
You can also roast the egg plant in the oven until it turns black from outside and cooked from inside.
Now cool down the egg plant and remove the skin of it that is black and take the soft part of the cooked eggplant into a bowl. Mash it really well.Heat oil in a pan and add onions to it. After hey turn golden brown, add turmeric, ginger, garlic, chopped green chilli's, pepper powder, red chilli powder , cumin powder to it and mix well.

Roast it for 2 minutes and add chopped tomatoes.

Mix it together and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Add the mashed egg plant to it and mix well. Add red chilli powder, Coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt. Cook it for other 5 minutes and its ready to be served.

Colorful Edli's

My son loves this and I love them too as its healthy for every one. Its the same recipe for edli's but added few ingredients to make it healthy.


Ingredients: 

Edli Batter - 3 cups
Beetroot - 1/4 cup grated fine
Carrot - 1/4 cup grated fine

Cooking Method:

Take 3 bowls and divide edli batter into 1 cup for each bowl. Now add grated beetroot into first cup and mix well.

Now add grated carrot into second cup and mix well. 

You can add chopped Spinach or grinded cilantro, pudina(mint) and green chilli's together and mix the batter or you can just leave the batter by itself without adding anything.
Grease the idle holder or pan and fill each of them with 3/4th full of batter. Steam cook them and serve it with chutney.

Mullangi (Raddish) Tikka

Most of us don't like Mullangi or Mooli or White Radish because of the taste. So, this is one of the evening snack item that you all can try and you don't smell it.Kids would love it too.

Ingredients: 

Mullangi/Mooli/White Radish- 2 cups finely grated

Paneer - 1/2 cup finely grated

Red Chillies - 4 chopped length wise after removing seeds

Potato's - 1 boiled and mashed

Onions - 1/4 cup chopped 

Green chilli's - 4 chopped fine

Salt - As per taste

Garam Masala powder - 1 pinch

Dhaniya powder - 1/2 Tsp

Cilantro - 1 cup chopped

All purpose Flour - 1/4 cup 

Milk - 1/2 cup

Bread crumbs powder - 1 cup

Oil - For deep frying

Tomato Sauce - for serving

Cooking Method: 

Heat 1 tbspoon of oil in a pan. Add grated radish to it. 

Roast it until it turns into creamish colors. Take it into a bowl. Heat 1 tsp of oil again and add the chopped onions until it turns golden brown. Take it into the radish bowl. Now add 1 boiled mashed potato, chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup grated paneer, chopped red chilli's, chopped green chili's, 1/2 tsp dhaniya powder, garam masala powder and salt per taster to it. Mix all of these ingredients well and make into small kababs like pieces and place it in a plate. Heat oil in other pan for deep frying. Once the oil is hot enough, roll the piece first in all purpose flour.

Next dip it in milk.

And next in bread crumb powder.

 Deep fry them in oil and serve it with tomato sauce.