- Very healthy recipes from the kitchen to the table in minutes

This recipe was created at one of the sleep overs my nieces and nephews had at our home. They always expect me to make them something exot...

Caramelized Figs : An Awesome Topping

This recipe was created at one of the sleep overs my nieces and nephews had at our home. They always expect me to make them something exotic when they come to stay. Usually I have it all planned as they always are very excited to know what I would make for them. It was almost midnight when they wanted something awesome for dessert. It was summer and I did not want to turn on the oven and get the kitchen hot, so I suggested some cool toppings to go with their ice cream. We had some figs from Trader Joe's and we decided to make something elegant with them. It is not a traditional caramel recipe, but I thought it turned out to be a great hit with the kids. I made them again yesterday and enjoyed them with cottage cheese.


Gadgets:

Saute Pan
Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Spoons


Ingredients:

Butter - 2 tbsps
Brown Sugar - 2 tbsps
Fresh Black Figs - 1 pound cut into four quarters
Fresh Cream or 2% milk - 1/4 cup

Preparation:


1. Heat the sauté pan and add butter. As the butter starts to melt, add brown sugar and mix well. As the butter and sugar comes together, add fresh cream and give it a toss. Add the figs and mix. Allow it to soak some of this butter and sugar. Remove from heat ( make sure not to over cook the fig, just enough to get it lightly warmed up) and serve it over ice cream, cottage cheese, rice pudding etc. 

3 Comments:

Sometimes when I shop at Indian stores and find some rare vegetables that my Amma used to make in India, I get super excited. This week ...

Avaarakai Poriyal / Satued Flat Beans

Sometimes when I shop at Indian stores and find some rare vegetables that my Amma used to make in India, I get super excited. This week I found some very fresh flat beans at the local Indian store.  I decided to make poriyal/ curry out of it for dinner. The flat beans cooks very fast but prepping it takes some time. Otherwise it is just like cooking any regular south Indian vegetable. Had avaarakai curry with sambar and it was yum.


Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Saute Pan
Spatula
Colander


Ingredients:

Flat Beans/ Avaarakai - 1 pound
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Udad Dal - 1 tsp
Dry Chillies - 2
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt
Curry Leaves - a few

Preparation:

1. Nip the edges of the flat beans. When you nip you will see that a string peals from both the sides of the flat beans, Remove that as they will make the vegetable cook faster. Cut the beans finely, add to colander and give it a good rinse.

2. Heat the sauté pan with oil. Add mustard seeds, let it pop and then add udad dal and dry chillies. When the udad dal gets golden brown, add the flat beans and give it a good toss. Cover and cook for a few mites.

3. Add salt and cook for another 5 minutes covered, It will become very tender. Add the coconut and curry leaves and give it a mix.

4. Serve it as a side dish with any meal. 

1 Comments:

For Varalakshmi Nombu, I was rushed for time and could not make the regular medhu vadai for prasadham, instead I made the rice flour vadai...

Instant Rice Flour Vadai

For Varalakshmi Nombu, I was rushed for time and could not make the regular medhu vadai for prasadham, instead I made the rice flour vadai. I had to make two portions of the recipe as it disappeared very fast. Usually I make it for an afternoon tea and add onions to it, but since it is for prasadham I made it without onions. It tastes delicious and has a crunchy texture when it is hot off the stove. When it cools down, it is still a little crisp and delicious. A simple and gluten free vadai to make anytime. 


Gadgets:

Frying Pan
Slotted Spatula
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Cutting Board
Knife
Bowl


Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Salt
Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger Grated - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - a few
Cilantro Chopped - 2 tbsp
Green Chillies - 2 finely chopped
Yogurt - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tsp plus 1 cup for frying the vadai
Water - Enough to form firm dough

Preparation:


1. Heat the oil in the frying pan on medium high heat. Mix all the dry ingredients together and add curry leaves, cilantro and ginger to it. Mix well and add two tsp of oil to it.

2. Add yogurt and give it a mix. Add water a little at a time and bring the mix together to form a dough.

3. Make quarter cent balls and flatten it and make a hole in the center. Fry the vadai's and serve it with chutney or ketchup.





8 Comments:

We often make rotis for lunch or dinner and it always comes in circle shape. My daughter gets excited when I make her triangle roti's ...

Square Roti

We often make rotis for lunch or dinner and it always comes in circle shape. My daughter gets excited when I make her triangle roti's and so I was wondering about a square roti. Looks like there is such a roti that already existed and people make them often. They stuff the rotis sometimes with eggs, veggies or sprinkle sugar or spicy powders and make them. They resemble the triangle roti and has many layers of dough in each bite which adds a different texture and taste to the roti. For lunch today, I made square rotis for my daughter and enjoyed them with stuffed eggplant an mutter paneer.


Gadgets:

Rolling Pin
Iron Griddle
Spatula
Board
Measuring Spoon


Ingredients:

Prepared Roti Dough - 2 lemon size balls
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Whole Wheat Flour - a few Tbsps for making rotis

Preparation:

1. Take one portion of the dough and dab in a little bit of the whole wheat flour. Start to roll out the dough to 5 inch circle . Spread some ghee just enough to cover the roti roughly.

2. Fold the edges from two opposite side. Make sure that the folds touch each other. You will have a rectangle shape. Fold the other two sides to form a square.

3. Dab some flour and roll our the roti so that you maintain the square shape.

4. Place the rolled roti on the heated tava and cook on both sides. Remove from heat and spread some ghee and serve them hot.



2 Comments:

It feels so awesome to blog after all these months. Today, my daughter wanted to have a tea party and invited her cousins over. Since my n...

Gluten/Wheat/ Egg/Dairy/Nut Free Sugar Cookies From Mix

It feels so awesome to blog after all these months. Today, my daughter wanted to have a tea party and invited her cousins over. Since my nephew has allergies, we had to make something special that he would enjoy at the tea party. His favorite cookies are the ones made from all natural cookie mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen (you can find at Target). My daughter made this cookie and I decided to document it. The cookie was good for being allergy free and had the nutty flavor from ghee. Next time you have a party and need to provide gluten free cookies, please give this one a try. Super easy to prepare and tastes delicious.


Gadgets:

Bowl
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Baking Sheet lined with Parchment Paper or Foil
Whisk
Spatula

Ingredients:

All Natural Cherrybrook Kitchen Brand Sugar Cookie Mix - 1 box
Rice Mix - 1/4 Cup
Vanilla Essence - 2 1/2 tsp
Warm Melted Ghee/ Earth Balance Dairy Free Butter - 1/2 cup

Preparation:




1. Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a bowl, measure out the liquid and mix well with a whisk.

3. Add the cookie mix and bring the dough together with a spatula.

4. Make a square and cut them into cubes.

5. Take each portion and make a ball and lightly flatten them and place on the lined baking sheet.

6. Bake for  12 to 15 minutes or until the corners are lightly browned. Remove from sheet allow to cool and store in an air tight container.

3 Comments:

Back to blogging after a while. Just got a first hand experience of having my blog being hacked. It was crazy. Initially I had no clue as ...

Sandesh

Back to blogging after a while. Just got a first hand experience of having my blog being hacked. It was crazy. Initially I had no clue as to what was happening to the blog. After great thought I decided to log into the admin page and to figure out what was happening. For some reason one post got over 50,000 visitors in a day and that was odd to start with. If you see this happening to your posts keep an eye on it, remove the post for sometime and maybe that will help.Also changing your pass word is what really matters to protect your computer and your blog. I contacted google and I do not know if they fixed it for me or something magical happened, my blog was fine yesterday.

Anyways, I made this sandesh to celebrate the comeback of my blog. It is such a relief I must add to be able to share what I love creating. The recipe is from my family folder, my aunt Saroja manni gave it to me 6 years ago and I found it when I was looking through my recipes. A simple sweet very special to me and super easy to make. For all those milk sweet lovers, here is one Bengali sweet for you to prepare. 




Gadgets:

Frying Pan
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Grater

Ingredients:

Freshly Prepared Paneer - 1 cup
Sugar - 3 tbsps
Cardamom - 3 pods powdered
Saffron - a generous Pinch
Pistachios - a few

Preparation:


1. Heat the stove to medium heat. Add fresh paneer, sugar and mix well. Allow it to cook for 10 minutes until all the liquid and wetness disappears.

2. Add saffron and cardamom powder and mix well.

3. Allow to cool, using your palms take a small portion of the sandesh and roll it within your palms, until they form a smooth ball. Press it into mini tart mold to form shapes.

4. Grate pistachios and place them in the fridge in an air tight container for the sandesh to set before serving. 

3 Comments:

I remember having this kozhambu often as a child. Amma would always make this as we all loved it in our household. It is like vathal kozha...

Arai Puli Kozhambu

I remember having this kozhambu often as a child. Amma would always make this as we all loved it in our household. It is like vathal kozhambu with garbanzo and bits of coconut. They often make this kozhambu either using senai kazhangu/elephant foot yam or eggplant. I enjoy having dishes prepared with senai and since I found frozen senai at the local Indian store, I was elated and have already made it twice. The last time I made it I documented it and decided to share it on the blog. 


Gadgets:

Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cutting Board
Knife
Wok
Spatula
Bowls


Ingredients:

Garbanzo Beans - 1 cup cooked
Coconut - 1/4 cup cut into small thin bits
Senaikazhangu - 1 packet Frozen
Salt
Sambar Powder - 2 tsp
Tamarind - 1/2 a lime size
Curry Leaves - a few
Gingily Oil -1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a small bit
Water - 4 cups
Jaggery - a pinch

Preparation:













1. Take some warm water in a bowl and add the tamarind to it. Prepare the tamarind juice and set it aside.

2. Cut open a coconut and thinly slice the coconut into bits and set aside.

3. Heat the wok with some oil, add asafetida, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies. Allow the mustard seeds to pop. Add curry leaves, frozen senai and mix well on high heat.

4. Add the sambar powder, and mix for a few seconds. Add tamarind water  and salt. Bring this liquid to a boil. Add the garbanzo beans, coconut pieces and allow it to reduce. Serve it with hot rice and a side vegetable.

5. Incase you have to make a larger quantity, after the liquid reduces a little, take a few tsps of rice flour, mix with a few tbsps of water and pour it into the kozhambu. Allow to cook and you will see that the liquid will start to thicken.


0 Comments:

Sometimes, we plan on making certain things for dinner and then our plans go through the roof. So the vegetables that we plan on using for...

Roasted Potato and Eggplant With Swiss Chard

Sometimes, we plan on making certain things for dinner and then our plans go through the roof. So the vegetables that we plan on using for that dinner remains unused. Such was the case last week. I had the eggplant, swiss chard and some potatoes that needed to be used. So the next day for dinner, I decided to roast the eggplant and potatoes and add the swiss chard to make a subzi which we all enjoyed with rotis. 




Gadgets:

Baking Sheet
Foil
Wok
Spatula
Measuring Spoons
Cutting Board
Peeler



Ingredients:

Organic Red Potatoes - 4 Peeled and cut into chunks
Eggplant - 1 Large into big chunks making sure every piece has skin on one side
Organic Swiss Chard - 1 Bundle cut into think ribbons.
Dry Red Chilies - 2
Cumin Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp


Preparation:

1. Make sure the the oven rack is inserted to the second level in the oven. Set the oven on broil high.

2. In a baking tray, add the chopped potatoes and eggplant. Drizzle a tbsp of oil and broil for 10 minutes. By this time the top of the veggies must appear golden brown and roasted.

3. Gently flip the veggies using a flat spatula and broil the other side for another 6 minutes. Remove from the oven.

4. Add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan. Add mustard seeds, allow it to crackle, add asafoetida, chilies and cumin seeds. Add the swiss chard and cook until the swiss chard starts to wilt.

5. Add the rest of the broiled veggies, salt and mix well with the swiss chard. Allow it to cook on medium low for a few minutes, and serve them hot with roti, rice etc.

2 Comments:

To go with the karuvepalli kozhambu  I made paruppu thogayal. Traditionally, paruppu thogayal is always made with thoor dal, but I was out...

Paruppu Thogayal: Using Moong And Channa Dal

To go with the karuvepalli kozhambu I made paruppu thogayal. Traditionally, paruppu thogayal is always made with thoor dal, but I was out of thoor dal. Checking out my pantry cupboard I found moong and channa dal and decided to use them in the preparation of thogayal.  Soon I started roasting the mixed dal and making the thogayal. I was kind of curious as to how the thogayal was going to turn out. To my pleasant surprise the thogayal turned out really delicious and one did not miss out on the taste of thoor dal in it. Next time you are facing a " lack of thoor dal in the pantry" situation, give moong and channa dal a shot in preparing thogayal.


Gadgets:

Blender
Spatula
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Wok

Ingredients:

Moong Dal - 1 cup
Channa Dal - 1 cup
Coconut ( dry or fresh) - 1/4 cup
Dry Red Chillies - 2
Asafoetida - a small bit
Salt
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - Enough to grind into a thick paste


Preparation:

1. Heat the wok with oil. Add asafoetida, red chillies and dal and roast on medium heat until the dal turns golden brown and the aroma of the dal can be smelt.

2. Place the dal mix in the blender and grind to a thick paste with enough water.

3. Serve on the side with karuvepplai kozhambu and rice. 

1 Comments:

With Amma visiting, we always start making very healthy and traditional recipes. Amma always loves medicinal vegetables and makes sure tha...

Karuveppilai Kuzhambu

With Amma visiting, we always start making very healthy and traditional recipes. Amma always loves medicinal vegetables and makes sure that it is incorporated into the diet. Some months ago my sister called me to find out the easy version of the karuvapillai kozhambu that Amma used to make. I told her I had no clue and she told me that I need to blog it next time because it very delicious. So this time my Amma helped me make this kozhambu and I loved it. It was super easy and I loved the saucy texture of the kozhambu. It paired very well with moong and channa dhal paruppu thogayal. 


Gadgets:

Blender
Wok
Measuring Cups and Spoons



Ingredients:

Curry Leaves = a big fist full
Whole Black Pepper = 1 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Dry Red Chillies - 1 
Asafoetida - a small bit
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Salt
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Ginjili Oil - 2 tbsp
Jaggery - a pinch






































Preparation:

1. Add curry leaves, pepper, chilies, tamarind, asafoetida and water in a blender and make into a fine paste.

2. Heat the wok with oil. Add mustard and fenugreek seeds, as soon as the mustard seeds pop add the paste along with some salt.

3. Bring the sauce to a boil and you will see it thicken in a few minutes, add jaggery and mix well. Serve it over hot rice. 

2 Comments:

For a change for dinner instead of making the same old chapathi , I decided to make dosti roti. Dosti roti is made by rolling two portions...

Dosti Roti

For a change for dinner instead of making the same old chapathi , I decided to make dosti roti. Dosti roti is made by rolling two portions of dough, stacking it one on top of the other with a thin layer of ghee in-between and rolling it out into a single roti. When the roti gets cooked on both sides it gets puffs up and roti can be easily pulled apart into two individual rotis that are super think. I found that it was best when eaten hot off the taw a with some delicious side dish.


Gadgets:

Rolling Pin
Bowl
Tawa
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons


Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Four/ Atta - 1 cup
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Warm Water - Enough to make a soft dough
Ghee - 2 tbsp



Preparation:

1. Divide the dough into four equal parts. Divide each of this portion into two equal parts.

2. Roll out two portions into a 4 inch circle. Spread some ghee on one roti and place the other roti on top of it. Roll the dough into a 8 inch circle.

3. Heat the tawa and place the roti and cook evenly on both sides.

4. Remove from heat, separate the rotis into two equal parts, spreading some ghee keeps it moist and flavorful.
Serve it hot with your favorite side dish. 

3 Comments:

A very fast dish to serve or carry to any potluck is puli sevai. It gets done under 15 minutes and is always popular among adults and kids...

Puliyodharai Sevai/ Rice Sticks With Puliyodharai

A very fast dish to serve or carry to any potluck is puli sevai. It gets done under 15 minutes and is always popular among adults and kids. With ready made rice sticks available in our grocery stores, it becomes very easy to prepare it in a jiffy. Sometimes, when we travel and we do not store vegetables at home for use on our return, these rice sticks become very handy. For dinner I made puliyodharai sevai  as per my daughters request. 


Gadgets:

Stock Pot with a lid
Spatula
Colander
Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients:

Gingelly Oil - 2 tbsp
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
777 Puliyodhari Paste - 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves - a few
Water - 1/2 stock pot
Rice Sticks - 1/2 packet

Preparation:

1. Bring water to a rolling boil in the stock pot. Add salt and the rice sticks. Allow it to boil for a few minute. Turn the heat off and cover the pot with a tight lid. Drain after 5 minutes.

2. Heat the saucepan with oil. Fry the peanuts and add the curry leaves.

3. Add the puliyodhar paste and mix well. Turn the heat off and add the rice sticks and mix well, serve hot with some yogurt or raita.


2 Comments:

I was looking through my cook books and I found my diary of recipes. I had some of these recipes copied from my sister in law,Renu Manni. ...

Peas Masala

I was looking through my cook books and I found my diary of recipes. I had some of these recipes copied from my sister in law,Renu Manni. She always made interesting food and it always inspired me to learn from her. She let me have some of her recipes and this is one of them. I used to like this peas masala a lot and decided to make it for dinner. I served it over quinoa and bhindi fry which was very comforting. It goes well with roti's, naan and any rice preparation.


Gadgets:

Blender
Cutting Board
Knife
Frying Pan
Spatula

Ingredients:

Green Peas - 2 cups Soaked overnight and Pressure cooked with salt and water to 1 whistle.
Onions - 2 onion chopped
Tomatoes - 2 roughly chopped
Ginger - 1 inch grated
Garlic - 3 pods finely minced
Tamarind - small lime soaked in 2 cups of water
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon Sticks - 2 inch sticks
Cloves - 3
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 thsp
Cilantro


Preparation:

1. Heat the pan with 1 tsp of oil. Add coriander seeds, cloves, cumin seeds, cinnamon and told until you smell the flavors from the spices and seeds. Add the 1 onion and cook before adding the coconut. Blend to a paste.

2. Heat the pan again and add 2 tsp of oil and add the onions, ginger and garlic. Cook until it starts to brown. Add the blended paste, along with chili and turmeric powder and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes covered.

3. Add the mix to the peas in the pressure cooker. Add salt and tomatoes, cover and pressure cook on medium low to a whistle.

4. Garnish with cilantro to garnish and serve it hot.





4 Comments:

A new year is born and the festivities include making some traditional food items to celebrate the new year. Apart from the traditional pay...

Manga Vepampoo Pachidi /Raw Mango Neem Flower Pachadi

A new year is born and the festivities include making some traditional food items to celebrate the new year. Apart from the traditional payasam and vadai, a manga pachadi with vepampoo is made to make us realize that life can be sweet, salty, spicy and bitter and we need to accept all in life. This recipe is super special to me because it was given to me last new year by a very special person. It is very important for me to have this documented and shared in my blog for everyone to prepare and enjoy.

                                         Happy( Jaya) New Year!




Gadgets:

Mandolin
Sauce Pan
Seasoning Wok
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Spatula


Ingredients:

Raw Mango - 1
Water - 2 Cups
Jaggery -  1 1/2  cups
Salt
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 1
Dried Neem Flower - 2 Tbsp


Preparation:

1. Cut the mango into wedges. Using a mandolin thinly slice the mango into slices. Add water , a little salt and allow it to cook. 

2. When the mango slices start to disintegrate, add powdered jaggery ( sediment free kind) and cook for a few minutes. The sauce will start to thicken. Remove from heat.

3. Heat the seasoning wok with oil. Add mustard seeds and chillies allow it to crackle. Add dry neem flowers, allow it to get dark brown and add it to the pachadi.


2 Comments:

Though it is spring time here, the weather has suddenly turned very hot. It feels like summer almost and I wanted to have yogurt rice wit...

Organic Carrot Thokku : Spicy Carrot Pickle With South Indian Flavors

Though it is spring time here, the weather has suddenly turned very hot. It feels like summer almost and I wanted to have yogurt rice with a pickle for dinner. My daughter wanted some pickle and since I was out of all pickles. I happen to borrow a cookbook from my sister in law a week ago called "Ellorum Sappada Vanga". It contains a lot of traditional south Indian recipes of Mrs. Jayalakshmi Ramachandran that is very well documented in Tamil by Pujashri Mathioli Saraswathi. I happen to look through the recipes and I liked the idea of carrot thokku. Decided to make it for my daughter. Super easy to make and absolutely delicious. I had it mixed with rice and also with curd rice. Loved the natural sweetness from the organic carrots, the heat from all the spices and salty nature of the pickle.




Gadgets:

Blender
Wok
Spatula
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Grater

Ingredients:

Organic Carrots - 3 grated ( Use fine grater, it works better I think than the one I used)
Gingily Oil - 3 tbsp
Asafoetida - a penny size 
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp ( add more if you can handle more spice)
Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
Tamarind - lemon size soaked in 2 cups of water. I used Joy tamarind pulp - 4 tsp in water.



Preparation:

1. Dry roast the asafoetida and fenugreek seeds and powder. 

2. Heat the wok with oil, mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Add the grated carrots, salt, turmeric powder, salt and chilli powder. Mix well and cook the carrot well. 

3. Add the tamarind water and cook until all the water disappears and the carrots all gets mushed up and get to a thooku consistency. 

4. Add the powdered asafoetida and fenugreek seeds and mix well. The oil will start to leave the carrot. Remove from heat, allow to cool and store in a bottle for a few days.

6 Comments:

If there is one thing that I will enjoy everyday, its rasam. Its is very comforting to mix rasam with rice on any given day. I think if yo...

Lemon Rasam or Soup / Elimichai Rasam

If there is one thing that I will enjoy everyday, its rasam. Its is very comforting to mix rasam with rice on any given day. I think if you can make a good rasam you have comforted many people and the taste will always linger in their memory. I make rasam often but I have not been able to document for blogging. A good rasam recipe is something to treasure. On Monday for dinner I made lemon rasam and I was able to at last document it for blogging. The perfect season to make lemon rasam as you can find some awesome lemons and limes in the market. A great thing to have when you have a stuffy nose or when your sinus flares up. Also you need not have rasam powder or tamarind to make this rasam.


Gadgets:

Saucepan
Seasoning Ladle
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cutting Board
Knife


Ingredients:

Lemon/Lime - juice of 1 ( might need more if the lemons are not tart enough)
Green Chillies - 2
Ginger - 1 tbsp finely chopped
Tomato - 2 chopped into chunks
Cilantro - 2 tbsp minced
Curry Leaves - a few
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp for seasoning and 2 tsp finely powdered
Pepper - 2 tsp whole finely powered
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Moong Dhal - 1/4 cup cooked
Water - 4 cups
Jaggery - a pinch

Preparation:

1. Heat the saucepan with 2 tsp of ghee. Add green chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Add turmeric powder and chopped tomatoes give it a mix. Add water and bring it to a boil of medium heat.

2. Add cumin and pepper powder, 1/4 tsp of asafetida powder, salt and allow it to cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add the moong dhal and cook until it starts to froth. Add lemon juice, and jaggery.


4. Check to see if the lemon/ lime juice is tangy enough or else add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of juice.

5. Heat the seasoning ladle with the remaining ghee. Add asafetida, mustard seeds, allow them to pop and then add cumin seeds. Remove and add it to the rasam. Add cilantro for garnish and serve hot with rice or as an appetizer.


7 Comments:

The story of preparing rajma masala goes a log way.I remember the last time I had prepared Rajma I was not that big into cooking and I thi...

Rajma Masala

The story of preparing rajma masala goes a log way.I remember the last time I had prepared Rajma I was not that big into cooking and I think I made a rajma that was not edible. Very embarrassed with the preparation, I decided to stay away from it. I have always looked at all posts that mentions rajma masala over the years and at last got an idea as to how this beans needed to treated. This recipe is my own understanding of rajma masala which I prepared for dinner last week. This time it got very good reviews and I decided to document for my reference. 



Gadgets:

Pressure Cooker
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cutting Board
Knife
Blender
Bowl


Ingredients:

Kashmiri Rajma - 2 cups soaked in water overnight
Onions - 2
Cherry Tomato - puree 2 cups
Garlic - 5 pods
Ginger - 2 inches
Cilantro - 1/2 cup chopped
Kasturi Methi - 2 tbsp crushed
Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Rajma Masla Powder - 3 Spoons
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Bay Leaves - 2
Black Cardamom - 4
Salt to Taste
Onion Slices - For Garnish


Preparation:

1. Pressure cook on medium heat, the soaked rajma with 4 cups of water, salt and 2 tsp rajma masala unto 3 whistles. When the pressure is released transfer the contents into a bowl. 

3. Reheat the the pressure cook with 1 tbsp of oil. Add bay leaves and black cardamom in them and after 30 seconds add diced onions and cook until they turn golden brown. Add garlic and ginger and cook for a few more minutes. 

4. Add the pureed tomatoes and mix well. Add cumin, coriander, rajma, chilli, gram masala powders to the tomato  puree mix, cover and cook on low heat for 5-8 minutes until the raw smell leaves. 

5. Add the rajma and the liquid and mix well. Add salt as per requirement and pressure cook on medium low for 2 whistles. 

6. When the pressure is released, mix well and mush some of the rajma to get it to the right consistency. Add kasturi methi and cilantro. Mix well. 

7. Garnish with onion rings and serve them hot.




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