Hot Rajma Aaloo / Kidney Beans Potato Sabzi

It's winter time and you start looking out for options to make your palate warm with yummy stuffs.
One  of the most sought after staple food for north Indians is Rajma & Chawal otherwise called as Red Kidney Beans with cooked white rice. Made it after a long time last month. Delayed to post.

Ingredients:

200 gms     - Red Kidney Beans / Rajma
3                 -  Big ripe tomatoes
4                 -  Red onions
4                 -  Garlic pods (Optional)
2 inch         -  Ginger
2                 - Cloves/Krambu/Loong
1 stick        - Cinnamon/ Pattai/Dalchini
1                 - Bay Leaf / Biriyani elai/Tez Paththa
1 tbs           - Jeera
1 tbs           - Saunf
1 1/2 tbs     - Dry mango powder / Aaamchoor
1 tbs           - Turmeric powder
2 tbs           - Dry Kashmiri chilly powder
1 tbs           - Dry coriander powder
1/2 tbs        - Dry roasted jeera powder
2 tbs           - Dry fenugreek leaves / kanja vendhaya elai/Kasoori Methi
50 ml          - Tamarind pulp/ Puli thanni/Imli ka pani
3 tbs           -  Channa Masala (Brand of your choice)
2-3             - Green Chillies
4                - Potatoes
700 ml       - Water
3 tbs          -  Oil
1/2 tbs      - Butter
Salt to taste 
Green coriander to garnish


Method/ Vidhiee:
1. Wash thoroughly and soak rajma in 300 ml of water for atleast 7-8 hours.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop 2 onions and keep aside.
3. Grind the rest of the onions with ginger and garlic.
4. Boil the tomatoes and de-skin them. Make them into a puree.
5. In a pressure cooker add in oil. Splutter jeera, saunf, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf.
6. Add in raw onions and saute for 1/2 minute.
7. Now add in the ground onion mixture.
8. Saute until the raw smell of the onion subsides.
9. Now add in the dry masala powders along with kasoori methi.
10. Add in the tomato puree and tamarind pulp.
11. Mix them well. To it add in the rajma, green chillies and medium diced potatoes.
12. Mix well. Add the remaining water and pressure cook them for 20 minutes.
13. 8-9 whistles minimum has to kept.
14. Once the pressure releases put them back on to the fire.
15. Mash half of the rajma sabzi. Add in green coriander.
16. To end add in bit of cream or butter on top.

Serve hot with white rice, chappati, roti, naan, bread etc..
You can chop onions and add on top as a topping before serving.

Yummy Coffee Coco Brownie (Eggless)

Brownies are always the favorite bakery item apart from the cupcakes and the regular ones. This time during the Golu season i happen to make a dark coffee brownie for those who were bored from the regular sundal. 


Ingredients:

•  1 Cup    - Maida / Refined flour
•  1/2 Cup - Buttermilk / (Boiled milk with 1 tbs Vinegar)
•  1/4 Cup - Coco powder
•  1/2 tbs   - Instant coffee powder
•  3/4 Cup  - Powdered sugar
•  1/4 Cup  - Melted butter
•  20 gms   - Walnuts / Almonds
•  1 tbs       - Baking powder
•  A pinch of salt

Method / Vidhiee:
1. Pre- heat the owen at 180 degree centigrade.
2. In a bowl sieve the maida, baking powder, coco powder, coffee powder, salt, powdered sugar.
3. Mix them well.
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter and keep it in room temperature.
5. Add the buttermilk to the butter and beat them well. If, you are using milk then add in the vinegar and beat the milk well before hand.
6. Slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients and mix gently in one direction.
7. Break the walnuts into pieces or semi grind them and add half of them into the batter.
8. In a baking tray add in some butter and grease it well.
9. Pour the batter into it and on top add the remaining Walnuts.
10. Bake the mixture for approximately 25-30 minutes.
11. Check with a thin needle or a toothpick whether they are done. Immerse the toothpick into the brownie if it comes out clean without any batter over it then it means its done.
12. Keep the brownie till it gets cool down.
13. Decorate with the powdered sugar.

Cut into big pieces and serve with tea, ice cream or fruit salads.

Crunchy Yummy Healthy Salad

One of the best options to keep your system functioning is to have salads. Recent times people give importance to healthy lifestyle which in turn calls for a healthy yet yummy diet. Check out this simple salad.

Ingredients:

• 1           - Medium Ice berg lettuce
• 1           - Big carrot
• 1/2        - Cucumber
• 1/2        - Green/Red/Yellow Capsicum
• 1           - Medium Pomegranate
• 200 ml  - Curd
• 1tbs       - Olive oil
• 2 tbs      - Dried mixed herbs
• Salt to taste. ( Put 1/2 tbs less than usual as vegetables itself contain salt in them)

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. In a cup beat the curd. Add in the mixed herbs, salt , olive oil. Mix well.
2. Keep it inside fridge.
3. Meanwhile finely chop carrot, cucumber, capsicum. De-seed pomogranate.
4. In a big bowl and in the chopped vegetables. Over it tare the lettuce into medium peices.
 5. Now add in the curd dressing over the vegetables.
6. Mix them well and cool it in fridge for 10-15 mins.

Serve chill. You can have it as a full meal during evenings.

 

Godumai Rawa Upma / Broken Wheat Upma with Thakkali Thair Patchadi

Off late the broken wheat has taken over the rice meal. Broken wheat considered as a sumptuous, easily digestible and easy to make main course ingredient. Down south of India in Tamilnadu broken wheat has been in used as main ingredient for various main course dishes. One of such is this Upma.

Fresh morning with heavy, healthy breakfast... Try it!!!!

Ingredients:

• 250 gms  - Godumai Rawa / Broken wheat
• 1 tbs        - Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbs     - Cumin seeds
• 3-4          - Dry red chillies
• 2 tbs       -  Sesame oil
• 1 tbs       - Asafatida
• 1 tbs       - Broken urad dal
• 2 arc       - Curry leaves
• 500 ml   - Water
• 100 ml   - Water for soaking
• Salt to taste

Method / Vidhiee:
1. In a pressure cooker add in oil.
2. Once it gets heated up add in mustard, cumin, broken urad dal,asafatida, dry red chillies and saute till they splutter.
3. Do not turn them black. Hence, lower the flame.
4. Add in the curry leaves.
5. Soak the broken wheat for 10 mins before you start this process.
6. Add in the broken wheat after straining the water.
7. Stir well and add salt, 500 ml water to it.
8. Or you can measure it as 1 cup of broken wheat to 3 cups of water.
9. Pressure cook and leave minimum 3 whistles.
10. After the pressure is off open the lid of the cooker. Mix the upma well.

Serve hot with any chutney or with tomato curd patchadi.... see below for the method.

Thakkali / Tomato Thair Patchadi

Ingredients:

• 2         - Medium sized red tomatoes
• 1         - Green chilly
• 1 arc   - Curry leaves
• 1 tbs    - Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbs - Asafatida
• 1/2 tbs - Dry red chilly powder
• 1/2 tbs - Turmeric powder
• 2 cups  - Beaten curd
• 1/4 tbs - Sugar
• 1/2 tbs - oil
• Salt to taste

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. Finely chop the tomaotes and green chilly.
2. In a pan add in oil and splutter the mustard seeds along with curry leaves and asafatida.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and green chilly.
4. Now add in turmeric powder, red chilly powder, sugar and salt.
5. Saute till the tomatoes turn soft.
6. Cool them and add into the beaten curd.

Garnish with green coriander and serve it along with Upmas, dosa, idllies, chappattis.