POHA WITH CUCUMBER AND WALNUTS
Serves 3
Preparation time 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 and 1/2 cup Flattened Poha*
3 tbsp of Oil
1 fist full of Peanuts
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 sprig curry leaves
3 tbsp of freshly chopped Coriander leaves
Salt as required
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 Cup Grated Cucumber

Grind together:
fist full of Walnuts
3 tbsp of dry Coconut (copra)

METHOD:
Grate Cucumber and keep aside, Chop Coriander and keep aside.
In a Pan dry saute walnuts for a couple of  minutes, when it cools down, Grind it with grated dry copra into a coarse powder do not grind too much it will become sticky as the walnuts release oil of their own. Keep them aside.
In the same Pan heat oil add all the seasonings one by one in a low flame, Mustard seeds after they splutter add Peanuts and saute them when they start crackling add the dals and fry for few minutes when they change colour, add curry leaves and switch off the stove give a quick stir and add this to Poha then add the Grinded walnut and copra powder add required amount of salt and Lemon Juice then add grated cucumber to it.
Mix well and serve it immediately.
Do not leave it for a long time, it becomes a bit hard..
Enjoy...
will post the other recipes soon.., stay tuned in....

The post Poha with Cucumber and Walnuts appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Everybody has favourite food and relish them right ? As for me, Lemon Rice is my all time favourite, If I see it in any blog post I immediately make it :)).  I know I am so crazy of this rice, After started blogging and taking interest not only in cooking, but everything about it like the facts and figures about every Ingredient used, I sometimes feel why I tend to eat spicy and tangy food more often, is it because I lack something in my body which craves for tangy food..?, whatever it is I love this rice, even if given to me everyday I really don't mind. I suddenly realized I have never posted my favourite Rice dish of all time.
I have little story to tell you, Long back when I was doing my SSLC (10th), I was living in my Aunt's house, My Aunt made Lemon Rice and Curd (yogurt ) Rice and asked me to have food and said she would be back after her shopping and said she would come back and eat.  I always adored Radha perimma's cooking, she was my first Guru who taught me cooking from those days. coming back I ate and sat their studying in the lounge, I don't know how or why,  every now and then I must have got up went to the kitchen and kept eating it, God knows how I did it, I had completely emptied the whole bowl, even today when I think how I managed to eat so much rice!!, when she returned she was so upset that nothing was left and she had to eat only curd rice. She is no more but memories like these are my little treasures with her, who was my favourite periamma.
My mom makes the best chitranna according to me, we are all alike right ?, our Mom's are the best cook in the world and to their Grandchildren too.. :).  I have planned to post a few savouries and sweets when my mom is here with me. Her best recipes which she makes most of the times like day to day are the masala vada, Panniyaaram,Thenga burfi etcc..,
Coming to this recipe, it is kannada influenced lemon rice, which amma makes  when it is any special day like festivals or some kind small celebrations when you get bored of vangi bath, puliyodarai etc..,
In karnataka people use coconut just like keralites they use coconut in most of their dishes especially form Mangalore, sringeri and udupi.  we here in karnataka love coconut so much we tend to use it everything possible, sweets to savouries :).  This Masala chitranna is one such dish as it says in kannada coconut grinded with masala has been used to flavour this rice variety..

KAAYI MASAALE CHITRANNA / COCONUT SPICED LEMON RICE

INGREDIENTS:
1 and 1/2  Cups Rice
4 and 1/2  cups Water*
3 Capsicum
1 Cup Fresh Peas
Required quantity of salt
1/4 cup Lemon Juice

FOR SEASONING:
1/4 oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tbsp Channa Dal
1/2 tbsp Urad Dal
Fist full of Peanuts
2 twigs of Curry leaves (10-15)

FOR THE SPICY MASALA TO BE GRINDED
5 to 6 Green chillies (depending on the spiciness)**
1/4 (10 to 12 twigs) cup of Coriander leaves
1/2 tsp Jeera
2'' Ginger pieces

FOR THE SECOND PASTE
1/2 cup Fresh Coconut
1 tbsp of Poppy seeds
15 Cashews

METHOD:
Wash Rice and with a tsp of oil***, cook Rice with the right amount of water. for 2 Whistles switch of the stove, and leave the pressure cooker to cool. (see notes)
The First Paste:
Meanwhile, roast poppy seeds in a dry pan for a few minutes in a low flame, stop when you start hearing it spluttering , and then your broken cashews just for 2 minutes, let it not change colour.  Allow it cool and grind it with fresh coconut with a little bit of water if needed into a smooth paste and keep aside, until needed.
The Second Paste:
Grind every thing under the spicy masala  to be grinded into a smooth paste.

Chop Capsicum/ Green Bell peppers into small chunks.
By this time your Rice would have cooled down, Remove it from the container and spread it on a large plate or something similar, to cool down, Just fork it through so it is nice and fluffy. Do not mix too much, just spread it around carefully.
Take a Large wok or pan heat the oil keeping it in a low flame, from the Seasoning list, add mustard seeds, once it splutters add Peanuts saute for a minute then add the dals until they change colour to light golden, by that time your peanuts would have started making noises be careful some times they might fly !!, so, that is why I ask you to keep the flame low, if you are not used to this kind of cooking.
Then add the Second paste and saute for 2 minutes, then add Capsicum and fresh peas mix them well together, cover it with a lid , keep the flame low. Leave it until both of them are cooked well if the capsicum is a little bit crunchy it is fine, but let the peas get cooked, (you can even cook the peas separately and add it to the pan by draining the water completely) by mixing now and then to make sure it is not stuck.
Once they are done, then add the First  masala paste and mix well, here you can increase the flame to medium but keep an eye on it and leave it for few minutes until the water content is almost dried up.  Do not allow it dry up too much as the coconut will start sticking to the wok.
Bring the flame down to low then add the required quantity of salt and Lemon Juice mix well then add the cooked rice, combine them all well together.
Taste it and adjust salt and Lemon Juice to your liking Leave the wok on the stove for 5 minutes with a closed lid and in a low flame.
Switch of the stove and remove it on to an other base, mix them once again, so it is all well distributed. Serve it warm and Enjoy....

NOTES:
* I have indicated this mark on the rice, Just to mention that I use Sona Masoori, The quantity of water depends on the Rice you use. Your Rice when cooked should be fluffy and beautiful for making Rice varities.
** My Green chillies were quite spicy so I have used 1/4 cup Lemon juice, what you need to observe is these two should balance there must be spiciness and the tangy flavour to it.

sending this to Vardhini's show me your hits - Rice started by sangee
Anu's Healthy kitchen South Indian Cooking - Series Event #1

The post Kaayi Masaale Chitranna / Coconut Spiced Lemon Rice appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Hi Everybody, Hope you are all doing well, It's so cold and a very wet weather here, hope you all have a wonderful weather out there, It's been quite a long time I participated in Blog Hop Wednesday started by Radhika of Tickling palates, I have joined back again to enjoy this fun game. It's fun to be a part of this group, as I love trying new recipes from other blogs, this is a great opportunity to enjoy everybody's blog, this time I was grouped with Lazy cooks Kitchen by Simran.
She has a lovely blog with varied recipes, she is a good baker with lot of lovely designed cakes, she writes very nicely and I enjoyed browsing through her recipes.  I selected this recipe as it was quite different and thought my kids would love it.., It's so easy to make and not too sweet, A simple and delicious recipe.
She calls it Chocolate Salami, I did not want to call it so, as it has a Non-vegetarian name, reading through lot of blogs, books and shows I have heard and read people asking why do you need to use fake meat, fake names if you are a vegetarian, so I don't want anybody saying so.
I have tweaked a bit in this recipe like I have reduced butter, added more nuts and used evaporated milk as I was short of condensed milk, Here goes the recipe hope you all enjoy trying so...

CHOCOLATE NUTTY ROLLS





INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup Condensed Milk
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
100 grms Digestive Biscuits
3 tbsp Cocoa powder
1/2 + 2 tbsp Dessicated Coconut
1/4 Cup Sweetened dessicated Coconut
150 grms Nuts ( Mixture of Cahews, Walnuts, Almonds, Roasted Peanuts and Pistachios)
25 grms + 2 to 3 tbsp unsalted Butter
1 or 2 tbsp water

METHOD: 
First of all chop all the nuts using a mixie / food processor or by hand.
Take a Deep Pan / Wok (thick bottom), add both the Milk and start heating it up in a low flame and stir continuously other it will start thickening at the bottom.
Then dissolve Cocoa powder in  1 or 2 tbsp of water (which I didn't do as you can see so I had to use the back of a spoon to dissolve it completely) add it to the cooking milks.

Then add Roasted and Chopped nuts to it and mix well,
Then add powdered digestive Biscuits and mix well and add Butter
Next add Dessciated Coconut and mix well it becomes thick by this time, add an extra 1 or 2 tbsp Butter and keep stirring for an other few minutes until it doesn't stick to the bottom and comes out clean Keep the flame low, this way you will not burn the mixture.
Take it out and place it in a bowl, until it easy to handle, but still warm.

Then spread sweetened coconut on your kitchen slab, I divided the mixture into two parts, Roll each part on the spread coconut and roll it over so it coats completely.
Then spread a Cling film place each of the rolls and cover them completely and twist both the ends and freeze it for at least an hour
Take them out and cut them into discs and serve.

MY VERDICT:
This chocolate rolls were not too sweet, kids were not happy with walnuts, if you have a sweet tooth use condensed milk completely or other wise add some sugar  which would bring out the sweetness.  They were very tasty and delicious..

Check out Radhika's blog other bloggers Blog hop...

The post Chocolate Nutty Rolls appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Hi everybody, this is third day post for BM #15, I had to post this yesterday, could not do it for uncalled circumstances, any ways better late than never.
Bitter Gourd is one of my favourite vegetables, I know you would think I am totally crazy, It's just that I think I like Tangy, bittery and spicy  than eating sweet food.
Bitter Gourd is filled with Medicinal Qualities, they belong to the family of Cucurbitaceae. They are 3 varieties, the chinese variety is not as much as the Indian ones.  If you have never eaten this vegetable before and want to try it out, you must be quite daring try them in very small quantity, My eldest, My Husband and me are the only ones who eat this vegetable, My twins hate them, But I always insist that they should at least eat a spoonful to try and get used to the veggie, they hate me so much when I serve it :), Nevertheless, they have no choice, sorry went way out of the topic., Coming back to its Medicinal properties, it is Antiviral, Antithelmintic, Antimalarial, Cardioprotective, and mainly and widely used for Diabetes.
The Juice of the Bitter Gourd, which is full of goodness, so try not to throw it away while cooking this veggie. This is so delicious you won't find it too bitter. try it out and tell me if you like it.

BITTER GOURD CURRY

INGREDIENTS:
1 Bitter Gourd
1 Onion
2 tbsp oil
1 stalk of curry leaves

For Grinding:
1/4 bunch (say around 12 stalk) of coriander leaves with the stalk
2 fist full (say around 1/4 cup) Roasted peanuts*
8 Byadgi and Guntur chilies
1 and 1/2 tbsp Coriander seeds
3 to 4  flakes  (around 10 grams) of Tamarind
1/4 cup pressed or 50 grams Copra/Dry coconut

Seasoning:
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp Channa dal
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

METHOD:
Cut Bitter gourd into half and cut it horizontally again, remove all the seeds and cut them into thin slices as shown in the picture.
(If you want to remove the Juice : Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt and turmeric and leave it for an hour, then squeeze the juice out of it and wash it and squeeze the juice again).
Cut onions into thin slices and keep aside.
In a pan heat a tsp of oil, fry coriander seeds and chilies until a nice aroma comes out and the coriander seeds change colour to golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Fry Tamarind flakes and keep aside.
*Roast Peanuts or as use roasted peanuts which is readily available in shops, I get roasted peanuts with salt and spice here so, if you are using ready made ones, just remember to use salt as required as the peanuts have already got salt in it.
Wash and dry Coriander leaves, chop them with the stalk and fry them in the same pan until they wilt 3/4th.
keep aside.
In the same pan heat around 1 and 1/2 tbsp of oil, when it hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, and channa dal, fry them until they change colour to golden brown.
Then add the chopped vegetables and curry leaves and fry them until they are well cooked.
While it is cooking, Grind the ingredients under for grinding except Copra, when it is powdered coarsely and Copra and grind once more, keep aside.
Once the veggies are done, add this powdered mixture to it, and saute well, until well combined, adjust salt and use the rest of oil remaining and close the lid and leave it in the low flame for at least 5 to 10 minutes.
Now your Dry curry is ready to be served.
This curry stays for 2 days at least.

When I am making any Bitter gourd recipe, I never squeeze and throw the juice out. so if you like to do so, please check above for that method.
Another thing is at the end of the grinding after the copra has been added you can  add a tbsp of grated jaggery and give a whisk and then add it to the curry. The sweetness, spicyness and the tangyness makes the curry less bitter.

Check out the other bloggers who are running the BM with me here.....
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#15

The post Bitter Gourd ( Kakarkaayi / Haagalkaayi / Paavakka) Dry Curry - 1 appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Hi everybody back again, this will be my second post of the day!, and today is SRC, every month checking out recipes from one of the bloggers and deciding what to do is a big question, feel like trying out everything, and this month I was paired with Wholesome RD :)), isn't it interesting, shall I say very interesting, I love cooking and baking without eggs and with wholesome goodness!, and here is a blog who seems to be having the same notion like me, So, So, I was in such dilemma which to choose, asked my kids and they wanted to try these cookies, as they are the ones who enjoy the most of what I do.., they wanted to try out this Almond Butter Cookie Dough Balls. As Erin Lerner says if you like cookie dough this recipe is for you!, I have 3 cookie dough monsters so here we ended up with this recipe.

Erin Lerner, is a wonderful blogger with healthy recipes, she is awesome with all those activities she participates and working and manages a very healthy life style, by cooking and baking with whole some goodness, she has got some vegan and vegetarian recipes too. I wanted to try her Meyer Lemon and poppy seed cake, I have Book marked it. as my daughter loves anything tangy, I have never used poppy seed in baking so I would love to give this a try. Thank you Erin and suzanne for this lovely blog.

Here is how the recipe goes...

The things I changed in this recipe is I have used whole wheat flour and not whole wheat pastry flour, as I didn't know where I could get it, and used oats instead of All purpose flour and I don't know where I could get almond butter so I have just used  almonds powdered and I haven't found any peanut butter chips so I have used peanut butter. Hope you all like it as did we...

EGGLESS ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES DOUGH 

Recipe adapted with minimal changes from Wholesome RD

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 th cup creamy almond butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup ( 150 gms) Whole wheat flour

1/2 cup (50 gms) Oats

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup chocolate chips

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 deg/ Gas mark 

Using a mixer beat all the butter, sugar, vanilla extract together until everything is well incorporated.

In an other bowl, combine all your flours, salt, Baking soda and powder.

To this dry Ingredients add the wet ingredients and combine them well together, 

Then add your chips and combine once again , If you find that the dough is not coming together as a ball add a tbsp of water at a time.until they all combine together.

Chill this dough in the fridge for 30 minutes

Make small balls out of it, and place them on a cookie sheet giving space for them to expand then bake them in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes,

Do not over bake them they might look soft but they are going to be fine.

Leave them on the sheet  for few minutes then take it out and leave them on the wire rack.

Enjoy them..

Did I tell you, you need to check her blog for all the nutritional facts on every recipe she makes.

Check out all the other bloggers who joined me in this SRC marathon with me....

The post Whole wheat & Oats Almond butter cookies - Eggless appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Hi everybody, can you believe I just made my assignment just now this month, I wanted to make it today, as today my dear girl turns 18 :), Yup.., My daughter is eighteen and I can't still able to digest this..., My Angel, My little girl is all grown up. I have been is so busy from morning , I still have to cook, I still have  to make her favourite cake, Pulav, Manchurian and her Gulab Jamoons.., so now you know my menu for today.., that is all her wish and doesn't want anything else! , she is not a chocolate person.., but other family members are die hard fans of chocolate, So not to make them feel bad we decided to go for this one.., The only thing she wanted me to do was write her initials on everything i make for her today!, silly girl.., Anyway I have done as you can see.  It was quite in a hurry I made all these, I was so tensed thinking last minute if I don't do this properly Amanda is going to kick me out of the club and a blog will be orphaned!, Oh! my No.., thanks to Heather this quick recipe turned out perfectly..,  (not exactly there were little tiny holes though).

Sorry I need to get back to this posting right ? well, today is SRC .., The Secret Recipe Club of Amanda's has grown up to a very big family and has hostesses to take care of her little club grown to be a big one now.., This month I was assigned to It's Yummy to my tummy of Heather's from my Hostess Suzanne who blogs at Thru the Bugs on my wind shield.

Heather is such a sweet heart having two little kids she finds her way through cooking from lot of sources and a baker just like me.., she loves baking and shares it with her friends.., I wanted to try her pumpkin scones and few others but my daughter wanted me to try this out.  I just couldn't say no to her as it is her day to day.., She has tried and tested lots of recipes.., hop on to her blog and check out some fabulous recipes you may want to try out!
Coming to the recipe.., it was a very easy one, only thing I had to restrain from myself was not trying to lick them of my fingers.., even though I am not a big fan of chocolate, I like dark chocolates the chocolates I have used here are 70% Cocoa Lindt chocolate and Swiss Milk Chocolates.
Here goes the Recipe hope you all enjoy just as we did and enjoy the whole group who have tried out many reicpes you might like to give a peek..., I made a little change or should I say addition to the recipe, just to make it more healthier., even thought it is not completely made of chocolate..

CHOCOLATES AND NUTS SWEET HEARTS

INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE CHOCOLATE COATING:
8 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate ( I used 70% Cocoa Lindt)
8 oz Milk Chocolate ( I used Swiss Chocolate)
1 tbsp Shortening

FOR THE FILLING
1/2 Cup Chunky Peanut butter
2tbsp Unsalted butter
3/4th Cup Nuts ( Pecan, Pistachio and Hazelnuts)
1/8th tsp salt (I just omitted)
3/4th Cuip Powdered Sugar
2 tbsp Honey

METHOD
First of all in a double boiler method or in a microwaveable method ( 20 -30 seconds) melt both the chocolates with the shortening, I used double boiler method as i was multi tasking. Keep a bowl with quarter of water say around 1or 2 cups and allow it boil, meanwhile chop or break into pieces your chocolates into an other bowl with the shortening then keep this bowl on top of the boiling water bowl, before keeping completely reduce the flame, it should be simmering, place the chocolate bowl and start mixing, slowly it would have started dissolving completely.., Meanwhile when this process is going on....
I took the extra nuts I used chopped them up and gave a toss on a tawa (girdle) with 2 tbsp of Honey and lightly roasted them for few minutes and kept them aside.
Meanwhile take an other bowl add peanut butter, butter, chopped and honey roasted Nuts and powdered sugar and mix them well completely well combined, Keep it aside.

Now take whatever desired pan, cup liners of any shapes and sizes you would want to make these and line them with melted chocolate paste.., She says coat them up completely so the peanut butter filling doesn't peep out.., for that she had refrigerated the liners for few minutes so she was sure.., I took her advice because mine was a lot more filling and the Heart shape I used were quite big.

So I coated them and left them in the fridge for few minutes when I took them out they were almost getting to dry, Now I spooned the filling up to the brim, and poured the chocolate over the filling, I still had lot of chocolate left over!, I think my coating of the chocolate was quite thin.., Just now when I was typing I realised, well it has not gone for a waste as I am using it for my daughter's  birthday cake!.

Thank you Heather, Suzanne and Amanda for making this a success... , do you want to join click here

The post Chocolate & Nuts Sweet Hearts appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Curry Leaves Powder

The most beautiful, gorgeous and rich herb with amazing flavour and  or shall I say to the Asian countries.  The most aromatic herb I would say in my kitchen or should I say in every  Indian kitchen.  

Coriander and Curry leaves are a must in every Indian kitchen, I just can't live without them!. 

First time when I came to UK I went and bought Coriander leaves for the first time, I was so shocked it was a small bunch,  and costed a fortune (£1), for a few days I used to use it scarcely but couldn't stay away from it for a long time, even if it was very expensive.

But, when I go to London, I act as if I have won a bumper prize I pick up at least 4 bunches, and with that I get few greens which I never get it here. I envy people living in India are lucky they get so many types of keerais (green leaves), aren't they lucky ?.

Murraya Koenigi is the botanical name and colloquial name for this herb is called Curry leaves, Kadi Patta-Hindi, Karivepillai- Tamil, Karibevu- Kannada, Karapincha - Sinhala, Karivepaku- Telagu... Check out this website you can find the name of this leaf in 52 different Languages/countries.

Curry Leaves has a great medicinal value, which is why it is widely used in Asian Continents, Curry leaves are also used in Ayurvedic medicine (alternative medicine), Curry leaves are rich in minerals, Iron and vitamins -  

Check out the websites at the bottom of the post for lot more information on curry leaves.
From Wiki:The leaves of Murraya koenigii are also used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine. They are much valued as an anti-diabetic,^[2] antioxidant,^[3] antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholesterolemic etc. They also contain iron.
This recipe I got basically from Kusuma aunty, my sis's MIL, when she came to visit here, she served this and my H and kids loved it, I tweaked  it a little bit and here is my version, Thanks to her this is our family favourite now....

This is my version:

INGREDIENTS:

I have measured the ingredients in gms
60 gms Curry Leaves
80 gms Garlic Cloves
100 gms Dry coconut /Copra
60 gms Tamarind
140 gms Peanuts
40 gms Dry Red Chillies (Badgi)**
Salt as required
1/4 cup Grated Jaggery

SEASONING:
1 tbsp Oil
1tbsp Channa dal
1 tbsp Urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds

Take curry leaves and just pluck the leaves out, wash them and wipe them clean and dry them with a tea towel or kitchen towel. Once they are dry, Crush the Curry Leaves by grinding them in a mixie in 1 minute turning (Or shall I say in short bursts). just like the above click.

Take a wok or a wide pan add 1/4 tsp oil, once it is hot add the seasonings, once the dals change colour, to this add the Crushed Curry Leaves and fry them in a very low flame, keep on frying until they are nicely roasted, just like the above click.
It should not loose its colour, but should be dry.

Then peel the skin of the Garlic cloves fry them in the same wok for just 2 minutes then grind them in a mixie again with short turns and keep them aside. (sorry forgot to click this step next time I will update).

Then as always when I  am using Tamarind I always roast them on stove top, once they are cool I cut them them little pieces so the mixie will not get into problems and them I grinded them, Just once then grind them with curry leaves and keep aside.

Then Roast ground nuts remove the skin once they are a bit cool, then as I have told in my earlier post, after the skin is peeled, break them open and remove the pod from each peanut, as they tend to give a bitter taste. just like I have shown above.

Grate Jaggery and keep aside (sorry no click will update soon)

Grate Dry copra/ Dry coconut, fry them 2 minutes in the same pan without any oil.

Once every thing is ready grind the roasted curry leaves with this grind Dry chillies, Roasted Tamarind, Roasted peanuts and Copra.
Once they are well grinded together with required quantity of salt, finely add garlic and Jaggery give one more turn in the mixie do not over do it, if you grind garlic too much it becomes like paste, so be careful.

Take them out from the mixie, mix them well in a big bowl with your hand or with a spatula so they are well combined together taste and adjust salt.
and your very Nutritious Curry leaves powder is ready to eat with hot rice and Ghee... Enjoy
I will post few more versions of my curry leaves powder I make...
Check out these links to know more about Curry leaves

Kusuma Aunty's version wasn't too different, as hers was the basic recipe.., what I tweaked about this was I just added Groundnuts, as they have lot of proteins in them. If you want to skip it that makes Kusuma Aunty's recipe! 🙂 enjoy however you like....

http://www.prokerala.com/health/medicinal-herbs/curry-leaf.php
http://ayurvedichomeremedies.blogspot.com/2011/08/ayurvedic-home-remedies-medicinal-uses_14.html
http://www.diabetesmellitus-information.com/diabetes_herbs.htm
http://www.health-enz.com/herbs/curryleaf.shtml
http://www.diethealthclub.com/health-food/curry-leaves-health-benefits.html
http://jaiho-dubai.blogspot.com/2011/07/curry-leaves.html
http://www.diethealthclub.com/health-food/curry-leaves-health-benefits.html
http://benefitsofindianfood.blogspot.com/2007/03/curry-leaves.html

I am sending this to Walking through memory lane of Gayatri's event

The post Curry Leaves Powder appeared first on My Veg Fare.

USAL/MISAL GRAVY (MATKI/MOTH BEANS GRAVY)



First of all you need to sprout the Matki/Moth beans here is a picture of Moth Beans/Matki and its sprout 🙂

Soak the Matki/Moth Beans over night, drain out the water, tie it in a muslin/cotton cloth and keep something heavy on it and sprinkle water now and then within 2 days you can see the sprouts this is an old method sprouting happens depending upon the legumes you use, otherwise, buy a sprouts maker (sold in India/Bangalore which I bought for 200/-, which has two tiers and you can sprout two at a time)
Coming back to the recipe :
Recipe Source :  Nupur's - One hot stove

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Matki/Moth Beans (yields about 3 to 4 cups of sprouted beans)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 large onion (2 medium onions)
1/2 cup Peanuts (raw/roasted)
2 Medium potatoes
3 to 4 flakes of Tamarind
1 tbsp of Jaggery
salt to taste

MISAL PASTE 
This is her mom's method of making this usal which I thought very authentic, than Nurpur's short cut method, so as she was kind enough to post it, I was quite happy using this method.
Here it is how she makes:
2 Chopped Onions
1/2 cup fresh coconut
1 tbsp Kollapuri Masala

METHOD:
Heat oil in a kadai, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds once they splutter, add onions and saute them, until they change colour, then add potatoes, Sprouts and Peanuts ( I precooked them, as I did not know how well they cooked this way).
Simmer and cook all the above said Ingredients with 3 to 4 cups of water until they are well done.
soak Tamarind in 1/2 cup of water and microwave for a minute, remove it from oven and keep it aside until you are able to squeeze the juice out of it.
Meanwhile saute onions until brown and then add the fresh coconut and kollapuri masala, grind them to a smooth paste.
Add this Masala paste to the cooking gravy with Tamarind  and Jaggery, Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste, cook them until the gravy thickens and  the seasonings are perfect, Garnish with Cilantro (coriander leaves) and then switch off the stove.
Ready to serve with anything you wish.
If you want to turn this into a chat, all you have to do is go to her blog :)), she will tell you what to do, I will try to post it an other time, as I did not make it as a chat but had it with my pulkas!

Sending this to PJ who is hosting Flavours of Maharashtra started by Naina
I would like to send this to AWED - Indian Cuisine, hosted by Taste of pearl city

The post Misal/Usal from Matki/Moth Beans gravy, Authentic Maharastrian style appeared first on My Veg Fare.

BLACK GRAPES PULIYODHARAI / BLACK GRAPES IN TANGY SPICY SAUCE RICE



INGREDIENTS FOR PREPARING THE PULIKAACHAL
Black Grapes 400 to 450 gms (1and 3/4th Cup Juice)
3 tbsp of  Thick Tamarind Juice ( from 15 gms of Tamarind)
3 tbsp Salt
80 gms Jaggery
60 gms Rasam Powder (Molagapudi)
1 tsp of Asafoetida
1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds/Menthya/Methi seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of Pepper corns
SEASONING:
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
few curry leaves
METHOD:
First of all pluck the grapes from their stalks, Immerse them in salted water for at least half an hour, clean the water and use fresh water and rinse them again, this is the way I always use my Grapes just to make sure that  If it is been treated with Insecticides or pesticides are removed for good.
Microwave Tamarind  for a minute with 1/2 cup of water and allow it to cool .
Meanwhile try to find seedless Grapes, which makes your job much easier, other wise find some body to help you with removing the seeds, mine had single seeds, some were seedless too, so it was quick for my family to remove the seeds. (Just be cautious like me, that they slice one and eat the next one in the process! even then I lost few grapes :)).
Once the Grapes are done, run them in a mixie, and make juice, filter it and you would be left with pith, using some of the juice with the pith again blend it well into a smooth puree. I got exactly 1 and 3/4th cup of Juice, If you have more juice either you drink it or you can use it to make the Pulikaachal only adjust the Ingredients by tasting it now and then :)).

Then take a big pan/wok, heat oil, once it is hot add the sesonings in the list above, once the mustard seeds spluttter, Add the Grape juice and allow it boil, for few minutes until it reduces a little bit, now add the Tamarind juice and allow it boil, once it starts boiling vigorously, be carefully as it starts splattering every where, so I always reduce to a medium flame, and keep stirring around very often which reduces the splattering,
Meanwhile in a pan heat 1/4 tsp of oil and  fry fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and pepper corns, then grind it into a fine powder and keep aside.
When the Juices are boiling add the Rasam powder and the powdered Masala to it and salt and keep boiling for few more minutes, then add Jaggery and now it starts thickening very soon, so be careful keep stirring and it starts to thicken and becomes like a Gojju or should I say kind of lehya (sauce).

Once the Gojju or Pulikaachal is ready as you can see above it was quite tasty.

TO PREPARE BLACK GRAPES PULIKAACHAL/TANGY SAUCE RICE


INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Rice
5 to 6 Cups of Water (use it according to your Rice )
Salt as per taste
SEASONINGS:
3 to 4 tbsp of Oil
2 to 3 Red Chillies
1 tsp Mustard seeds
few curry leaves
one fist ful of groundnuts/Peanuts
1 tbsp channa dal
1 tbsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp of Asafoetida
EXTRA SEASONING FOR THE RICE
3 to 4 tbsp of Til seeds
1/2 cup of Dry Copra/Dry coconut

METHOD:
Now go ahead and prepare the Rice,
First of all Prepare the Rice, Make rice like you make for Chitranna/ or for any Rice bath, allow it cool and separate the grains.
Take a pan and dry fry the Til seeds once they start to splutter, switch off the stove and keep aside when it is cool, Mix it with Grated Dry copra and make it into a powder, this powder will be little moist, no need to panic it is how it is meant to be, Because Till seeds and Dry Copra release their oils when grinding :), Keep this powder ready to use later.
Take a big pan or wok heat oil then add mustard seeds once they splutter add the Ground nuts and fry for few minutes, keep the flame low the peanuts start breaking up or making noises,add the Red chillies, now add the dhals and curry leaves once they change colour put of the stove, I usually add the Pulikaachal to this and loosen it, so it is easy for me to mix it with rice, My mom she spreads the rice on a large plate, top it with the required quantity of pulikaachal/Tangy Sauce needed to the amount of rice we are using and  pour this hot Seasoning on to it. Either way it doesn't make any difference, I prefer to do it like this.
To this Seasoned Pulikaachal add Til and Copra powdered and required amount of salt, then mix it with rice throughly well incorporated.
Once it is well and evenly covered with the Tangy Sauce leave it at least for an hour before serving, this way the rice absorbs the Flavours well and will taste very well.
Serve it with popadoms or Cucumber Raitha or as I love to eat it with Carrot Kosumbari.
Here is an other click of Grapes Rice.

MY VERDICT: When I made it, I asked my Hubby to taste it, he said it has come out very well, only my friend knew I had used Grapes instead of Tamarind, I saw my H raising his eyebrows and said it was really good, My girls were very happy that their favourite puliyogarai still tastes like puliyogarai :)!, and My Son who love and can live on puliyogarai everyday said - Wow mum, an amazing creation, our favourite dish made with healthy Ingredients, He only came to know when I asked him to put the left over pulikaachal into a box and keep in the fridge.
NOTES: Pulikaachal made with tamarind usually stays up to 6 months to an year. I don't know how long this one stays, This kind of Rice, tastes better the next day!, Use pulikaachal to your taste and to the amount of rice you are using.

I like to thanks Satya, for hosting this event Twist the traditional - Puliyogarai, otherwise I would have never thought of trying this out!, Many many thanks to you Satya, this is for your event, I am also sending this to Nivedita's Original Recipes only started by Pari of Food delicious.

C u soon with a new recipe , take care , bye...

The post Black Grapes Puliyodharai / Black Grapes in Tangy Spicy sauce Rice appeared first on My Veg Fare.

TAMARIND RICE /PULIYOGARE WITH PULIKAACHAL

INGREDIENTS:
1 big lemon size Tamarind
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Jaggery
Salt as required
1 and 1/2 cup water
curry leaves
1 fist full of peanuts/ground nuts

TO TEMPER
1 tbsp mustard seeds
7 to 8 Red chillies (she uses 10-15)
4 tbsp Urad dal
3 tbsp Channa dal
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
curry leaves
5 to 6 tbsp Sesame oil

TO ROAST AND GRIND
2tbsp of Channa dal
4 Nos Red chillies
3/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds/Venthyam
1 tbsp Urad dal
1 tsp Pepper

METHOD:

Take a pan fry all the Ingredients under to roast and Grind with a tsp of oil and roast them until the colour changes and allow it to cool, then grind to a smooth powder.
Meanwhile take the lemon sized ball of Tamarind in a 1 and 1/2 cup of water put it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 1 minute. ( I always do this as it is so fast method when I am in a hurry to make sambhar, Rasam etc.., when I decide what I am going to make first thing I microwave Tamarind in water and allow it cool until I require it,  by that time it would have a cooled for our hand to handle this is the quickest way to make the tamarind soft and easy to handle).
Squeeze the lemon juice and keep it aside filtering the pith.
Take a large pan heat oil and add all the things under the heading to temper when they change colour,  add the Tamarind juice, allow it boil until the raw smell disappears.
Now add the  powder to the boiling tamarind water, now keep a careful eye on it turn the stove into a medium flame and keep stirring it and it starts thickening and becomes like a paste (rather should say like lehyam).
Switch of the stove, now add it to the cooked rice ( with another 2 tbsp of oil).
I grated 100 gms of dry coconut and 4 tbsp of Black Sesame seeds (fry the seeds in a wok till it starts spluttering now take it of the stove) grind both of these into a powder.
Add this to the Rice with the Pulikaachal mix well with Rice.
Do not serve it immediately, leave it at least for 1/2 an hour, this helps the rice to absorb the paste well into it and it tastes gorgeous.

I am sending this to my own event Blogger Marathon from Raks kitchen....

The post Tamarind Rice/Puliyogare with pulikaachal appeared first on My Veg Fare.