Vegetarian Recipes - No comments - Page 10

Oru rendu nal-a konjam busy agitten ... Ippa finally got some time to post few of the recipes which I cooked during my 'Mega cooking' session past weekend!! 😊
Vanga konjam ungalai TN pakkam kootittu poren... 😉

Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Small Indian Eggplants/Brinjals - 10 to 12 count
Onion (Big) - 1 (chopped)
Tomato (Big) - 1 (Chopped)
Tamarind - A small lemon size
Garlic gloves - 4 to 5
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil (preferablely sesame oil/Nallannai)
Mustard   ; - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:
First cut the brinjals (crosswise from one side) so that they are open on the top but not pully cut into pieces. Soak the tamarind in the water and squeeze out and extract the juice Now put oil*, when it's hot add the splited eggplants to it carefully and cook them in oil. They will turn into a beautiful purple color and at that time take them out and keep them aside.

Now to the same pan, add a little more oil and when it;s hot add mustard seeds, when the seeds pops out, add the cut onions, curry leaves, garlic, Green chillies..one by one sauteing in between. Then add the finely chopped tomato pieces and add all the powders. (last 3 items from the Ingredient list.) Add salt too and add the tamarind juice at this time and mix them well.

When it starts to boil slightly add the fried eggplants and let them cook in the sauce for another 10-15 mins or until the eggplants are tender and absorbed the sauce.
That's all. It's ready now and it goes very well with white rice and it's great curry for spicy lovers. Enjoy!!

*Unlike sambar, any other curries I use a little more oil for this one which would enhance the taste of the kuzhambu 😃

Keerai Satham


Actually the recipe is for Vendhaya Keerai (Methi) but I replace it with regular spinach often and it comes out great.

Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups
Spinach - 2-3 cups (chopped)
Onion (chopped) - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 cups
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sombhu/Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Pattai, Krambhu & Ellakkai
Oil
Salt

Method: First wash and drain the rice. Then with a little ghee in a pot, fry the Pattai, Kirambhu, Ellaikkai and add rice and fry it for few mins and keep it aside.
Then in a pot (Either Pressure cooker OR a pot with a tight lid to close*), put oil and when the oil gets hot, add the sombu and then the onion & GG paste.
Fry it for few mins till the onion becomes a light brown in color. Now add the Tomatoes and add spinach after the tomatoes are done a bit.
In this mixture, add all the powders plus salt and let it boil together for few mins.
Add water (1: 1.5 ratio) to the pot and cover and cook it untill the rice is done.

* If you are using a pressure cooker you are all set, you can get this cooked in it.No problem.
In case, if you don't have one, here is a trick I would like to share with you all....
When the mixture boils nicely, open the lid and add the fried rice to it and mix well. Now again when the rice mixture starts to boil, cover it with lid and reduce the flame to low and set the timer for 20 mins. Do not open before the 20 mins time is over. Exactly after 20 mins, switch off the stove and after leaving it for few mins, if you open and see, the rice would have cooked perfectly.

This is a trick my husband taught me, and is very useful to make a bigger quantity of rice, Briyani (when I invite people) which can't fit in my cooker/pressure pan!! The other plus here is, you don't need to wait for the pressure to get down completely to open the lid like youdo if it's pressure cooker, but enjoy your food immediately!!

Payatham paruppu Keerai Kootu

Ingredients:
Spinach - 2 cups (chopped)
Payatham paruppu - 3/4 cup
Onion (Big) - 1
Tomato (Big) - 1
Garlic gloves - 4 or 5
Curry leaves - a few
Red chilly - 2 or 3 (more if you want it to be more spicy) Salt Oil
Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Kadalai paruppu - a little

Method: First you take a small pan and dry roast the payatham paruppu in it. When you smell a nice aroma, stop roasting and instead add 1 cup of water and cook it halfway (Killu patham) and take it off the fire.

In a separate pan, put oil and when it;s hot add the following in this order, Mustard seeds, Kadalai paruppu, cumin seeds, Red chiilies - broken into pieces, then garlic. Now after a few secs. add the onion and curry leaves and saute well. When the onions are close to be done, add the cut spinach and salt to taste and let it cook for just 2-3 mins. At this time add the half cooked p.paruppu and let the mixture cook nicely. If you think the mixture is too tight, you may want to add little water to match your consistency. When you see them cooked together for few mins, add the cut tomatoes as the last item and cook it for about 5 mins, until the tomatoes are cooked along with the dal. Now it's ready. This can be served with hot white rice & ghee or even goes well with chappathis.

Easy breezy Broccoli curry

This will be the easiest curry you ever made in your life, but still it's tasty and very healthy!!

Ingredients:
Broccoli (florets) - 2 cups
Red chilly - 4 to 5 (or more if you want it to be really hot) Salt (to taste)

That's all..just 3 items. Yes. Here comes the method,

Put Oil (ok, it's another item and makes it 4! 😊 in a wide open pan which has a lid to close.
When the oil is hot, add the red chillies. Keep the flame in medium fire, you do not want to burn the chillies.
After the chillies look fried enough, add the Broccoli florets and mix well in that oil.
Add salt per taste and mix well again. Close it with a lid and let it cook in it's own steam.
No water and nothing... keep stirring the broccoli though and check for the tenderness. When the veggie is cooked to your expectation* switch off the stove and enjoy the broccoli!

* I like mine to be on a little crunchy side (like how they are in chinese fried rice, noodles etc.) not too soft or mushy.

Zucchini Raita

Ingredients:
Zucchini - 2
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly - 1
Turmeric pwdr - a pinch
Oil - 3/4 tsp

Method:
Cut the Zucchini into thin pieces.
In a pan put oil, when it's hot add mustard seeds.
When the seeds pops add the red chilly broken into 2 pieces, then add the Zucchini pieces and saute it.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste.
The veggies will be done very quickly.
Now switch off the stove.

Just before serving, add Curd and more salt and mix well and serve!

This will be a different raita and goes well with spicy rice items (like briyani, tomato rice..etc.) Try it out for a change.

Dear Jenim, just to show you dosa pizza being cooked.
Sorry I did not have much ingredients, onions, tomato, cheese and dosai podi.

Originally posted by: Kavitha Ravi

I made Roti Jala or Malaysian lacy pan cake.
ROTI JALA.
Ingredients:
240 grms plain flour
2 eggs beaten
2 1/2 cups coconut milk from 1/2 grated coconut
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
Put flour into a bowl, add salt, beaten eggs and the coconut milk. Beat until smooth.
Put the dosai kal on fire.
Put a big ladleful of batter into the roti jala cup with five funnels.
Move it in a circular motion over the dosai kal
to give pancake a lacy pattern.
Cook till set. Turn pancake onto a plate.
Cook until all the batter is used up.
Fold pancake into two or fold and roll up.
Serve with chicken curry.

Roti Jala Mould

Friends do try making this delicious lacy pancake - its Roti Jala - Roti means bread and Jala means net - coz of its lacy design it also looks like a fishing net too. Normally ppl over here enjoy it with chicken/mutton/beef curries, sambal or even sambar.

But I was thinking whether these moulds are available at your ends? The only alternative is to trying making a roti jala mould yourself :-

1. Firstly get an empty condensed milk tin or any small tins that's available.

2. .Makes holes at the bottom of the tin using a 1/2cm nail. (Do not use bigger nails coz batter simply flows without control and you cannot get that lacy design)

3. Make about 3 to 5 holes - if 3 holes make it in a triangle shape but if its 5 holes follow Kavi's mould pattern.

4. Wash the tins clean and dry it.

5. To test if the batter flows well thru this holes - pour a ladleful into the tin and try making a lacy pattern.

6. Hold the tin close to the dosa kal and move in a circular motion as instructed by Kavi.

SPICY CHANNA DAL

Ingredients:
2 cups channa dal soaked over night
tsp tumeric powder
cup grated coconut roasted to a light brown colour
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chillie powder

To season and garnish:
1 tbs oil
tsp mustard seeds
2 dried chillies cut into pieces
tsp asafetida powder ( optional )
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tbs finely cut coriander leaves.

Method:
Boil the channa dal, with tumeric powder, till the dal is tender.
In a blender grind the roasted coconut, chillie powder
And coriander powder to a thick smooth paste.
When the paste is stirred in the curry, it should be fairly thick.
So if there is excess water in the boiled dal, drain some of it.
Add the ground paste and salt to the boiled dal.
Simmer for about six to eight minutes.
Heat oil in a saucepan, add the mustard seeds, dry chillies
Asafetida, and curry leaves. Stir for a moment.
Pour it over the cooked dal curry. Garnish with chopped
Coriander leaves. Goes well with chappatis.

PUMKIN ERISSERI

Ingredients:
2 cups pumkin cut into 1 inch cubes
cup moong dal
tsp tumeric powder
tsp chillie powder
1 green chillie slit and cut across
salt to taste

To season and garnish:
tsp cumin seeds
1 tbs oil
tsp mustard seeds
1 dried chillie cut into pieces
1 sprig curry leaves
2 tbs grated coconut, toasted until light brown

Method:
Dry roast the dal until golden colour.
Wash and add I cup of water. Green chillies
Chillie powder, tumeric powder and cook
Until it can be mashed well.
Add another cup of water and add the pumkin cubes
And cook until they are fork tender.
In a saucepan heat oil, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds
Curry leaves, and dry chillies.
After a second pour the tempering on the cooked pumkin.
Now add the toasted coconut to the cooked pumkin.
Stir gently. Remove and set aside for 10 minutes
Before serving.

I wanted to share a very simple yet tasty recipe with mushroom. I'm a vegetarian and eating mushroom was a big NO when I was in India. But after I came to the US, I tried it in the kitchen of a Malayalee friend, after a lot of hesitation. It had a knock out taste and I got hooked to it. After I saw that it's pretty much cultivated like any vegetation, I was even more clear on the concept. But still, I can't get my Mom to eat it, but that's a different story 😃

Mushroom Fry

What do you need
- An 8 or 10 oz box of FRESH button/ Portabella mushroom
(OR any quantity of any kind of mushroom, you prefer)
- 3 Dried red chillies (more if you want extra hot)
- 1/2 inch ginger, 2 pods of garlic cut into small pieces.
- little asafoetida
- salt to taste
- a few tspns of oil
* I use Olive oil for all of my cooking.

I usually cut about half an inch from the stem of the mushroom and discard it, when using whole mushroom. I would then slice the mushroom tops and remaining stem for this recipe. If you have sliced mushroom in the box, then just follow these steps below.

* Wash mushroom in running water.
* Try to squeeze out as much water as you can.

How do you make it

First, break red chillies in half and fry them in few tspns of hot oil.
Add to it quickly - asafoetida, ginger and garlic and fry a little.
** Add cut up onion too if you like extra flavour and fry a little more.
Add the sliced musroom and fry till oil is coated evenly. Keep frying every once in a while. It cooks rather quickly, if you cover it with a lid and cook in its own water and steam.
You can add desired salt in between the process.
If you are using the portions I've mentioned, it should be done cooking in about 10 minutes.

IMPORTANT Tips that I learnt when cooking this:

- Do not add any water to the mushroom, as it lets out water when being cooked. If there's excess water in this dish after it's cooked, keep the stove in high heat and let the water evaporate from this dish.

- Try to add a little salt at a time and then keep checking for taste till you think it's enough. That's because it kind of fools you - For beginners with mushroom, when you put the mushroom in the pan it looks like a lot and within minutes it shrinks to about 1/10th quantity. That's why, add only a little salt.

** For extra flavour, I some times add about half a medium sized onion cut into small pieces along with ginger and garlic and saute for a bit. And then add the sliced mushroom to this.

It's quite tasty and I usually love to eat it with Rasam sadham.