Channa/Chole Masala

It’s a popular Punjabi dish and most popular in Indian and Pakistani cuisines. The color and the flavors are just phenomenal.

This is a spicy, delicious and healthy dish… As per your wish, you can add chilli powder.

This goes well with fluffy poori, chapatti, naan, roti, samosa, idli, dosa…

Ingredients

Channa /Chole/Chick Pea – 1 and ½ cups

Finely Chopped Onions – 2 cup

Finely Chopped Tomatoes – 2 cup

Channa Masala Powder – 2 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Chilli Powder – 1 ½ tsp

Chopped Green chilli – 2

Kesari Powder (red) – a pinch (optional)

Kasoori Methi Leaves – 2 pinch

Oil – 2 tsp

Lemon Juice – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

(To Temper)

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Cinnamon Sticks – 2

Curry Leaves – few

Chopped Coriander Leaves – few

Finely Chopped Onions - 3 tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Method

Soak channa dal through overnight and pressure cook it for 5 to 7 whistles comes out with little salt.

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions, green chillies and fry till it becomes translucent.

Then add finely chopped tomatoes and fry till it becomes mushy.

Now add ginger garlic paste, salt and fry for a min.  Then add chole or channa masala, chilli powder and drained water from cooked channa dal.

Close the lid and keep cook on a low flame for about 2 to 3 min.

Add cooked dal and let it cook for about 5 to 10 min on a low flame.

Add kasoori methi leaves and kesari powder (red) gives a nice flavor and color to this dish. Then switch off the flame and transfer into serving bowl.

Finally add lemon juice and mix well. This give tangy and good taste to this dish.

In a pan, heat oil. Add the ingredients one by one which are under “to temper” and transfer into serving bowl.

Serve this delicious channa masala with hot fluffy poori!!!

Broccoli Biryani

Broccoli is one of the healthy veggie. I have prepared Indian style biryani using this veg. It‘s a great dish and perfectly suit for your lunch box.

This goes well with onion raita, papad, chips and any fry/varuval dishes.

Ingredients

Broccoli Florets – 2 cup

Basmati Rice – 1 ½ cups

Sliced Onions – 1 cup

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Biryani Masala – 2 tsp

Chopped Mint Leaves – ½ cup

Chopped Coriander Leaves – ½ cup

Chopped Tomatoes – ½ cup

Curd – 2 tsp

Chopped Green chillies - 2

Lime juice 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

(To Temper)

Cardamom – 2

Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp

Cashew Nuts – 2 tsp

Cloves – 3

Anistar – 2

Cinnamon – 2

Cashew Nuts - 3 tsp

Method

Soak basmati rice at least for an hour. Wash broccoli, and cut into medium sized pieces.

In a pressure cooker, add the ingredients one by one which are under “to temper” and saute for a min.

Then add sliced green chillies, onions, ginger garlic paste and fry for few min.

Now add chopped tomatoes and fry well till it becomes mushy.

Then add broccoli, cashew nuts, mint and coriander leaves. Now add biryani masala and mix well. Then close the lid.

Add basmati rice, salt, curd, lime, and water (for 1 cup rice – 1 and ½ cup water) and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Then switch off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Rava/Sooji Puttu

It is a delicious and tasty snack for everyone. I hope the kids love this dish very much. This can be prepared instantly. This gives different taste. I have used only few ingredients to prepare this sweet. You can use puttu maker or idli cooker for preparing this dish.

Normally puttu is used to prepare with rice flour. But you give a trial with rava. I have already posted wheat puttu. I will post ragi and rice flavored puttu recipes later in my blog.

http://shanuskitchen.blogspot.com/2014/03/wheat-puttu.html

Here is the recipe…

Ingredients

Rava – 1 cup

Sugar – 1 ½ cups

Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Grated Coconut – ½ cup

Cashew Nuts and Dry Grapes – ½ cup

Ghee – 3 tsp

Warm Water – 1 cup

Method

In a pan, heat ghee and roast rava till the raw smell goes well. It should not burn.

Now sprinkle warm water and mix the rave with little salt. The water should spread with rava.

In a idli cooker, spread this rava into idle plate by using clean washed cotton cloth.  Cook it for 10 to 15 min on a medium flame.

Once it done, transfer the cooked rava to the bowl.  Try to avoid the lumps by using hands or blender.

In a pan, heat ghee. Add cardamom powder, cashew nuts and dry grapes then fry for a min.

Then add grated coconut and fry for few minutes. Now add the cooked rava into this.

Now add sugar coarse powder and mix it well. It should evenly mix with other ingredients.

Wow….Yummy rava puttu is ready to serve!!! Enjoy it :) 

Mint/Pudina Chutney

It’s a popular flavorful chutney can be prepared with fresh mint leaves. It has the aromatic freshness. 

This goes well woth idli/dosa/samosa/puffs/steamed rice. Even this should be perfect combo with chicken/panner tikka/bread sandwich…

Ingredients

Mint Leaves – 1 cup

Chopped Onions – 1 cup

Chopped Tomatoes – 1 cup

Grated Coconut – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

(To Roast)

Channa Dal – 2 tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 5

(To Temper)

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Urad Dal – 1tsp

Curry Leaves – 1 sprig

Hing – a pinch

Oil – 2 tsp                                                              

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add red chillies, channa dal and fry for a min. 

Then take it out and let it cool for few min.

Add chopped onions, and fry till gets translucent. Then add mint leaves fry for few minutes.

Then add chopped tomatoes and grated coconut then fry till it becomes mushy. Let it cool down.

In a blender, add the roasted items, with onions, tomatoes, and salt while grinding

Grind it as a smooth paste, and then keep it aside in a separate bowl.

Heat oil in a pan, add the ingredients which are under “to temper” then transfer into chutney.

Serve with hot idli/dosa…

Eggplant/Brinjal Kothsu

It is a typical south Indian dish. This goes well with idli/dosa/pongal/upma/rice…

In restaurant also you can get this kothsu with chicken biryani. It looks yummy and gives nice taste. If you wish, you can add more water.
I just prepared this like as semi gravy. Here is the recipe…

Ingredients
Chopped Brinjal – 2 cups
Chopped Onions – 1 cup
Chopped Tomatoes – 1 cup
Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
Chilli Powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala – 1/4 tsp
Sliced Green Chilli – 4
Tamarind water – ½ cup
Salt to taste
(To Temper)
Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds – 1 t
Hing – ½ tsp
Red Chilli – 4
Channa Dal – 1 tsp
Coriander Leaves – few
Curry Leaves – few
Oil – 2 tsp
Method
Heat oil in a pan, dry roasts the ingredients which are under “to temper” and let it cool down then grind it as a coarse powder.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilly, hing, curry and saute for a min.

Then add green chilli and chopped onions and fry till it becomes translucent.

Now add turmeric, chopped tomatoes, egg plant pieces, salt, tamarind juice, put the lid on and cook this till raw flavor goes well completely.

Add the ground masala, and other spices then keep cook for few min.

Finally switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Elephant Yam 65

It is another easy and simple veggie fry. As per my knowledge, most of people don’t like this veggie, because of itchy feel. While eating this yam curry, you can feel in your tongue. But do you think it’s not changeable???

Of course, if you follow the right way to handle and cook this veggie, you can simply avoid this itchiness.Sometimes yam can cause your hands to itch if cut with bare hands.

Either wear disposable gloves when cutting or keep both your hands and the knife as dry as possible when cutting; once you touch water, the itching occurs.

Before using this veggie, you have to cook it with tamarind juice; water, turmeric, and salt cook it and drain the excess water.

This goes well with fried rice/biryani/curd rice/kuzhambu (or)rasam sadam…
Ingredients
Chopped Elephant Yam – 1 cup
Tamarind Water – ¼ cup
Gram Flour/Besan - 2 tsp
Fennel Powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder – a pinch
Red Chilli Powder – 1tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
Pepper Powder – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for fry
Method
Remove the skin of yam and wash it. Then cut into small cubes.
In a pan, add tamarind water, turmeric and salt to boil. Then add cubed yam pieces for half cook. (You should not fully cook it)
Drain excess water. Spread the boiled yam in a plate. Let it cool for few min.
In a medium bowl, add gram flour and spices with half cooked yam. Mix well to coat evenly. Sprinkle some water into it.
Heat dosa tawa, spread some oil into it. Then place the marinated yam and cook in medium flame until it changes the color to brown.
Otherwise you can deep fry fully in oil. It’s absolutely your wish.
Once it done, switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves and lemon.
Serve with hot steamed rice…

Schezwan Fried Rice

It is a very easy and quick Indo Chinese dish. I have prepared homemade sauce using the simple ingredients. While preparing this sauce, you can remove seeds of red chillies before soaking in water. You can keep this for long days and refrigerate it for feature use.

 This is a spiciest food and goes well with any varuval or fry. Even you can have this with tomato ketchup/papad/chips...

Ingredients

Basmati Rice – 2 cups

Finely Chopped Onions – 1 cup (big)

Spring Onions – ¼ (cup)

Chopped Ginger and Garlic – 2 tsp

Chopped Carrots and Beans – 1 cup

Schezwan fried rice masala (or) sauce – 2 tsp

Chopped Capsicum – ¼ cup

Pepper Powder – ½ tsp

Fried Cashew Nuts - 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

oil - 2 tsp

(For Schezwan Sauce)

Finely Chopped Garlic – 10 tsp

Finely Chopped Ginger – 5 tsp

Red Chilli – 12

Soya Sauce – 1 tsp

Tomato Ketchup – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Pepper Powder – 1 tsp

Water – ¼ cup

Method

(For Schezwan Sauce)

Soak the red chilli in hot water for an hour. And grind it into a smooth paste. Then add a few tsp of water if necessary while grinding.

In a pan add the oil and add the finely chopped ginger and garlic. Saute for few minutes till the garlic turns golden brown color. Saute in a low flame, else it will not get cooked.

Add the ground red chilli paste to this. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Add the soya sauce and pepper powder.

Add tomato ketchup and salt as needed. Add 1/4 cup of water to this and cook for few minutes till it reaches a saucy consistency.

Soak rice in water and add water for ratio (1:1and1/2) then pressure cook it for 3 whistles. In this method, the grains are separate.

Then spread in on a plate and let it cool for about 15 to 20 min.

Heat oil in a pan; add chopped onions, ginger & garlic and sauté till onions turn transparent.

Then add the chopped carrot and beans, spring onions, and stir for few minutes on medium flame.

Add schezwan fried rice sauce, salt needed and stir fry for 3 min. Then add cooked rice and mix well.

Add pepper powder and switch of the flame. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and green onions.

Moong Dal Vada

This is a spicy delicious snack crispy outside and soft inside. Moong dal vada is a popular tasty treat. 

                                 MOONG DAL VADA

This goes well with ketchup, coconut chutney, green chutney and sambar.

Ingredients

(To Grind)

Soaked Moong Dal – 1 cup

Red Chilli – 5

Garlic – 5 pods

Anise – ½ tsp

Ginger – 1 inch

Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp

Hing – ½ tsp

(To Mix)

Rice Flour – ½ cup

Finely chopped Onions – 1 cup

Finely chopped Coriander Leaves – ¼ cup

Finely Chopped Curry Leaves – few

Salt to taste

Oil for deep fry

Method

Soak moong dal for about an hour and grind it as a paste with the ingredients which are under “to grind”.

In a medium bowl add this moong dal batter, and mix this with the remaining ingredients which are under “to mix” and make it as lemon sized balls.

In pan heat oil, on a medium flame fry the vadas/pakoras. Drop spoonfuls of the batter in the oil.

Fry the vadas till crisp and golden brown and drain on a tissue.