Sambar with Stuffed Bhindi

Ingredients for Sambar

Cooked dal 2 cups
Tamarind juice 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Tomatoes 1
Onion 1 small
Green chillies slit 3
Curry leaves few
Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder 1/2tsp
Cumin & Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp each
Red chillies 2
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

In a kadai add oil, cumin & mustard seeds and once they start to splutter add curry leaves, red chillies. Let them fry for a minute, now add sliced onions, green chillies, gg paste. Once the onions change colour add tomatoes, chilli powder, sambar powder and salt. Cover with lid and let it cook for few minutes. When you see oil floating on top add tamarind juice, water and cook for another 5 minutes. Add cooked dal and cook on low flame for 10 minutes. Add more water as per your consistency. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with steamed ricd and some papad!! 

Ingredients for Stuffed bhindi

1/2 kg tender bhindi (Okra)
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Chopped coriander 2tsp
Aamchur powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 2tsp

Method

Wash and pat dry bhindi. Cut off the tip and the crown. Make a long slit and keep it aside. For stuffing add all the masala powders together with chopped coriander. Now stuff this masala in the slit bhindis with small spoon or hand. 


In a non stick pan add oil and carefully place bhindis one by one. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep checking in between and turn them slowly each side. 

Once bhindi is cooked all sides, serve hot with roti or rice. 

Variations
You can add some lemon juice in the stuffing. 
Besan(2tsp) can also be mixed in the stuffing

Tomato Rice

Ingredients

Oil 2 tsp
Basmati Rice 2 Cups
Tomatoes 3
Onions 2 medium
Ginger garlic paste
Curry leaves few
Mint leaves few (optional)
Coriander
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2tsp
Chana dal 1 tsp
Green chillies slit 3
Salt to taste

Method

Soak basmati rice in water for 30 mins. Cook them separately in a vessel.

Take a kadai add oil cumin and mustard seeds with chana dal, once they start to splutter add curry leaves, green chillies and onions. Once the onions turn into golden colour add ginger garlic paste and fry them for 1 miniute, now add finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, mint and coriander leaves. After a minute add the cooked basmati rice and mix them well slowly(use a flat spatula). Let it simmer on low flame for another 5 minutes and then garnish with coriander and serve hot with raita and papad!!

Egg Biryani

Ingredients

Oil 1 tsp, Ghee 1 tsp
Boiled Eggs 4
Mint leaves 1 cup
Chopped coriander 1 cup
Onions 3 Medium
Green Chillies 2 Slit
Green cardamon 2
Cinnamon small stick
Black cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Garsam masala 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder pinch
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste 
Basmati rice 2 cups
Bay Leaf 2
Clove 3
Curd 1 cup

Method

Wash and peel boiled eggs. Make slits on all sides of eggs, fry them in oil for few minutes and keep them aside. 

Soak basmati rice in water for 30 mins. Drain and cook them in water, 1 clove, bay leaf and 1/2tsp salt. Once the rice is half cooked drain the excess water and keep it aside.

Now take a heavy bottomed vessel or a big handi. Add oil, ghee, cloves, cardamon, cumin seeds and onions fry till they change colour. Then add chillies, 1/2 cup mint leaves and coriander, chilli & turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, curd and mix well. Once the oil starts to appear in the masala add eggs and cover with lid for few minutes. Add 1 layer of the half cooked rice on top of masala and spread evenly. Then add the remaining mint leaves and coriander and add the rice as a 2nd layer. Add some ghee, and saffron mixed milk on the rice and cover the lid. Let it cook on low flame for about 10 mins.

Once done, mix the rice carefully with a thin spatula and garnish with some coriander and serve hot with raita!

Yellow Cucumber Dal

Ingredients

Oil
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few
Hing a generous pinch
Green Chillies slit 3
Toor Dal 2 cups
Yellow Cucumber 1
Salt to taste

Method:

Pressure cook dal (3 whistles) and keep aside. Peel and chop cucumber into fine pieces. Take a bowl and add oil, cumin and mustard seeds, once they start to crackle add curry leaves, hing and green chillies. Fry the for few minutes and then add cucumber pieces, add chilli powder salt and cover with a lid. Once the cucumber is cooked thoroughly add dal and little water and let it cook for fewmore mintues.

Garnish with coriander and serve hot with ghee rice and mango pickle!

Spicy Prawns Curry

P.S Credits for this recipe to my dad,
Who needs a super man when you have the coolest dad home!!

Ingredients

Oil
Curry leaves few
Small Prawns 1 cup
Onions 3 medium
Green Chillies Slit 4
Fenugreek Seeds 2 tsp
Chilli Powder 1 tsp
Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder a generous pinch
Chopped coriander for garnishing

Method

Clean and wash prawns and boil them for 10 mins and keep them aside. Dry roast fenugreek seeds and grind them into a fine powder. Drain prawns and fry them in a kadai with 2 tsp oil. Remove them and keep aside, in the same kadai add some more oil, curry leaves, chillies, ginger garlic paste  and onions. Once the onions turn into golden colour add the fried prwans, salt, chilli, turmeric, coriander, cumin and fenugreek powder. CoveR the kadai with lid and let it simmer for 10 mins.

Garnish with coriander and serve hot with steamed rice!!

Tomato Rasam with Alu fry

Ingredients for Rasam:

Tomatoes 4

Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp

Black Peppercorns

Red Chillies- 3

Curry leaves- few

Garlic- 3 to 4

Urad dal 1/2 tsp

Oil 2tsp

Tamarind Paste- 1tsp

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander for garnishing

Method:

Boil tomatoes with drinking water till they become soft and skin starts to peel off (or you can pressure cook for 3 whistles) and leave them to cool. Then taken the tomatoes into a drainer and squeeze the juice out into a bowl and keep aside.

Coarsely ground cumin, chopped garlic and peppercorns together, Take a heavy bottomed vessel and add oil and put the grounded powder, curry leaves, red chillies, urad dal and fry them for a minute.

Add the tomato puree in the vessel and tamarind paste, add some water and let the rasam simmer for 10 to 15 mins. Garnish with coriander and serve it hot with rice.

Ingredients for Aloo Fry

Oil 2 tsp

Curry leaves few

Potatoes 2

Turmeric  generous pinch

Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder generous pinch

Salt to taste

Method:

Peal, wash and finely chop potatoes into tiny cubes, in a kadai add oil, curry leaves, turmeric powder and potato cubes, stir them continuously so that they don't get stick to the kadai. Now add salt, chilli and pepper powder and fry them on low flame with a lid for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid let them fry for 10 more minutes and keep checking in between.

Use a fork spoon and check if the potatoes are cooked perfectly, once done garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice.

Masala Khichdi with Mint Raitha

Ingredients needed

Raw Rice- 1 cup
Yellow moong dal- 1 cup
Water- 3 cups

Ghee- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Cloves- 2
Cinamon- 1 inch piece
Elaichi- 1
Red Chillies(Optional)
Black Peppercorn- 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
  
For garnishing 
Chilly powder, Chopped coriander leaves

Method

Roast the moong dal in a pan till the colour changes, then soak dal and rice together for 30 mins. Heat 2 tbsp butter +1 tbsp oil, add the dry garam masala(cumin,cloves, cinamon, elaichi,peppercorn) when they start to splutter add curry leaves, red chillies and hing and stir them.

Then add rice and dal and mix them well, after few seconds add water and salt, pressure cook it for 3 whistles and keep it on steam for few more minutes.

Now take the khichdi into a bowl,garnish with some chilli powder for the colour and sprinkle coriander leaves on top. Serve it hot with any Raita or Pickle and papad.

Variations: You can add veggies like carrot, beans, potato for same recipe

Mint Raita Recipe:

Ingredients

Curd- 2 cups
Cucumber- Finely chopped 1/2 cup
Onion- Finely chopped 1/2 cup
Finely chopped coriander
Mint leaves- 1 cup
Chillies-2

Method

Make a paste of  mint leaves and chillies together and add it to the curd with onions and cucumber and garnish with some coriander and mint leaves.