Masala or Curry are popular terms used in reference to Indian cuisine. Every household has its own ways of preparing the basic gravy. The basis of the gravy is how onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes are incorporated with a bunch of spices. Some like to cook the raw paste of these veggies in oil while another method is to cook them and then make a paste. Once the gravy is made any vegetable or paneer can be added to bring out different flavors. One basic and easy gravy that I often prepare is the one I have presented below.

Gadgets:

Blender
Wok
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring spoons

Ingredients:

Veggies:Red Onions - 1, Roma Tomatoes - 1, Ginger - 1/2 inch, Garlic Powder - 2 tsp, Kasthuri Methi - 1 tbs, Green Chilli - 1 (without seeds for less spice), Veggies ( used bell pepper mixed colors - 1 cup)

Whole Spices: Shah Jeera - 1 tsp, Cardamon- 1 pod, Cinnamon - 1 inch stick, Cloves - 2
Powdered Spices:Turmeric - 1/2 tsp, Cumin Powder - 1 tsp, Coriander Powder - 1 tsp, Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp, Pepper

salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sliced almonds for garnish - 1/4th cup



Preparation:

1. Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a wok and add the whole spices to it except the shah jeera or cumin to it. In 20 seconds add garlic powder, onions, green chilli and onions to it and cook it until the onions are translucent.

2. Add tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes or until the tomatoes are well incorporated with the onion. Add all the powders and cook it for 4 minutes. Transfer this mix into a blender jar and blend into a paste.

3. Reheat the wok add oil and add shah jeera and kasthuri methi and allow them to mix in the oil for 20 seconds and then add bell pepper. Add a little salt and cook the peppers.When they are well cooked and slightly toasted add the paste and 1/2 - 1 cup of water and allow it to simmer covered for 5 minutes and serve it hot with rice or roti.

It has been a while since I checked on blogs or blogged. Been busy packing up boxes to move. There are some recipes that I had intended on posting last month but somehow it has been pushed to this month. One evening I wanted to cook something very fast to go with roti and I set out to prepare aloo gobi. This is a little different from the traditional method. I broiled the potatoes and cauliflower which came out very crunchy. I saved a lot of time by cooking the masala separate and the veggies separate. Not kidding the whole thing was done in less than 20 minutes.

Gadgets:

Heavy Wok
Spatula
Baking Trays
Cutting Board
Knife
Peeler


Ingredients:

Red Potato - 4
Cauliflower heads - 2 cups
Green Chili - 1
Red Onion - 1
Tomato- 3
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Kasthuri Methi - 1 tbsp crushed
Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Salt
Pepper
Oil - 3 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Peal the potato and cut into big cubes. Mix the cauliflower, oil, salt and pepper and broil in the oven for 15 minutes making sure to toss them in between.

2. Heat the wok and add oil to it.When that heats up at cumin seeds and allow it to pop and add green chilli's.

3. Add onions, garlic, ginger, salt and cook. When that is well cooked add tomato and cook it well with the onions.

4. Add the powders and cook until the tomato and onions are well mixed.

5. When the potatoes are well cooked add them to the mix in the wok and coat it well. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of water to allow the flavours to get absorbed.

6. Garnish with kasthuri methi and cilantro and serve it hot with roti or rice.

One of the best snacks to prepare is vadai. Its so common to south Indian cuisine and is often served for celebrations, offerings and snacks. To most people it is very simple to make vadai's but for me it has been a big struggle. For years I have tried many recipes and instead of making mini doughnut shaped vadais I would often make mini balls out of them. Apart from the shape the texture and taste was another thing I struggled with. The reason being,I wanted to recreate a particular taste and texture. My appa used to buy us some out of the world vadai's, bonda's and baji's from the guy who sold it next to Cross cut road Canadra Bank in Coimbatore. Its easily the best medhu vadai's I have ever tasted.

Gadgets:

Food Processor
Wok
Spatula
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Platter
Paper Towel


Ingredients:

Udad Dhal (I used the broken one) - 1 cup
Rice Flour - 1 - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - a few shakes
Salt
Pepper - Crushed
Green chillis - 2 sliced
Red Onions - 1/3 cup
Water for soaking and grinding - 5 cups
Cilantro - a bunch

Preparation:

1. Soak the udad dhal in water for over 2 - 3 hours.

2. Place the udad dhal in the food processor and blend it adding maybe 1tbsp water at a time. The dough has to be thick and not watery so that is why the food processor helps. Allow the dough to fluff up and double.

3. Add sliced green chillis, onions, asafoetida, cilantro salt, powdered pepper and rice flour to the dough and mix well. Mix the dough with your hands well for about 25 times to allow air to move well through the dough.

4. As per grandma's tip drop a small ball of dough into water and see if it floats. If it does them you can start making vadai's.

5. Coat your hands with water and take half a golf ball size dough in your hands. Pat it with your tumb and make a hole in the center. Slide the dough into oil that has been heated for frying.

6. Fry on both sides until golden brown.Transfer into a paper towel and serve hot.

This bhel is some thing that I wanted to recreate from memory. My uncle used to treat my sister and me to the healthy version of bhel from street vendor. The way he had the ingredients arranged in his cart is something that I still remember. It contained veggies, puffed rice, some magic powder ( mixed spices) ,sauces, crunchy stuff like chips and nuts. He would mix all these ingredients skillfully in his steel bowl and parcel it off into paper cones. What a delight I used to experience when I took a mouthful of the bhel. After big discussion with my sister we decided on the possible ingredients he would have used. Too bad he no longer sells this in my neighborhood to verify. But I made it 3 days in a row and in the end got it close to the vendor.

Gadgets:

My chopper
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Steel Bowl
Spatula
Wok


Ingredients:

Puffed Rice - 2 cups
Tomato - 3 roma
Cucumber - 2
Red Onion - 1/4 cup
Spring Onion - 2
Pepper - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Chat Masala - 1 tsp
Sweet Sauce - 3 tbsp
Green Chilli Sauce - 3 Tbsp
Salt
Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Chips - 1/2 cup
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Any other crunchy snack like mixture.


Preparation:




1. Cut the veggies into smaller pieces and place it in the chopper to make it into even pieces.







2. Heat the wok and roast the puffed rice if it has a smell to it or if you want to make it crunchy.






3. In the steel bowl add the puffed rice, the crunchy mixture and 1/2 the powders.








4. Add the chopped veggies and remaining powders to it.










5. Mix the veggies and puffed rice when you are ready to serve.











6. Add the sauces and crunched peanuts, chips and cilantro and serve.

As promised here is the post with the left over orange peel syrup. I had an option of using the orange syrup as a topping for pancakes or waffles. Instead I decided to bake a cake. Before I write down my recipe I have to tell you all that I might have baked many cakes in the past but none turned out like this one. The texture is what I am talking about. It was very soft and moist and melted in my mouth. I am wondering as what caused this. Was it the use of kitchen aid mixer or the sugar syrup. If anyone can give me an explanation I would understand maybe the science behind the formation of this cake.

Gadgets:

Measuring cups and spoons
Oven
Muffin pans
Muffin pan liners
Electrical mixer

Ingredients:

APF - 3/4 cup
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour- 1/4 cup
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
White Chocolate - 4 ounces
Sour Cream - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup
Eggs - 2
Orange peel melted syrup - whatever is filtered
(please refer to point 4 in Candied Orange Peel )


Preparation:

1. Add the sugar, butter and sour cream to a bowl and mix well with an electrical mixer.

2. Add eggs one at a time and incorporate well.

3. Melt chocolate in the microwave with 1 tbsp of butter, cool and add to mixture.

4. Add dry ingredients in 2 batches. Pour the batter into prepared muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

5. Garnish with candied orange peel and serve.

A few weeks ago my sister gave me a bag of home grown oranges from her backyard. It has been sitting on my counter for weeks. Inspired by Cooking Light magazine's recipe on how to prepare candied orange peel, I made optimum use of the fruit by making orange juice and using the skin to make candied orange peel. The orange peel is wonderful to use as a garnish or as an ingredient in desserts. On this Earth Day I thought it would be appropriate to post on ways an orange can be used. After extracting the juice and using the skin to make candied orange peel, the remains were put into the sink disposal to clean and act as an air freshener.

Gadgets:

Heavy Bottom pan
Spatula
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Sieve
Peeler
Cutting Board
Knife


Ingredients:

Oranges - 2
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 tbsp


Preparation:





1. Using a peeler, peel only the zest of the orange carefully and cut into think strips.







2. Heat 1/4 cup of sugar and water and allow the sugar to dissolve completely.

3. Add the orange zest to the sugar liquid and allow it to cook for a few minutes.

4. Pass this mixture through a sieve and drain the zest.

Note: Do not throw the syrup away. Please wait for my next post to see what I created with it.




5. Spread the candied zest on to a parchment paper taking care to see that each zest is separated and allowed to air dry for some time ( took me over night to dry them, it all depends on the weather).










6. Toss the dried zests with 1/4 cup of sugar and store in air tight container and use it for desserts.

Cilantro paneer is the perfect side dish for someone who likes the taste of cilantro. I have been pondering over how to incorporate cilantro into preparing something interesting. I had a purpose to make this for lunch instead of any other paneer dish.The reason being that Cilantro is hosting JFI event with Cilantro as the theme ingredient. I must say it came out better than I expected. Personally, I would have enjoyed it without toasting the paneer but everyone other than me liked it toasted. My entry to WYF side dish event hosted by Simple Indian Food.

Gadgets:

Heavy bottom pan
Blender
Bowl
Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife
Colander

Ingredients:

Paneer - 350 gms
Cilantro - 3 bunches ( only the leaves)
Onion - 1
Garlic - 4 pods
Tomato paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 3 chopped
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chilli - 1
Salt
Kasthuri Methi- 1tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 3/4 cup

Preparation:






1. Heat the heavy bottom pan with 2 tbsp of oil and toast the paneer cubes. Transfer into a bowl.





2. In a blender add onion, garlic, cilantro, ginger and water and blend into a fine paste.


3. Heat the pan again with 1 tbsp of oil add chillis and roast them a bit and then add the paste. Allow it to cook for 15 minutes covered.

4. Check to see if the raw smell of onion and garlic disappeared. Then add the powders, tomato paste and tomato and cook for 5 minutes.





5. Add milk and sugar and cook for 5 minutes.


6. Add roasted paneer and cook for 4 minutes. Garnish with kasthuri methi and serve it hot with roti or naan.






7. Voila! Cilantro Paneer

A very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all.

For new years I decided on making Kesari. Served on a banana leaf hot it is an out of the world sweet to enjoy. Its something I really look forward to having at weddings where they focus on taste than health benefits and use a lot more ghee than I would use in my kitchen. Another reason why this sweet is very popular in my household is that my daughter loves it and calls it prasadham and does not need to be pushed to consume it.I think its the easiest sweet for me to prepare as it would be done in less than 10 minutes. I must confess that I make it milder so that I can eat a lot more. So if one is a true sweet lover please add 1/4 cup or more sugar to this recipe.

Gadgets:

Heavy bottom pan or wok
Kettle or saucepan with hot water
Spatula
Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients:

Rava/Cream of Wheat - 1 cup
Sugar- 1 1/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cups
Water - 3 cups
Camphor - less than a pinch
Saffron - 1/2 tsp
Cardamon - 2 pods
Kesari Color ( optional)
Cashew Nut - 1/4 cup broken
Raisins - 1/4 cup


Preparation:

1. Boil the water in the kettle or saucepan.

2. Heat the heavy bottom pan and melt the butter.

3. As soon as the butter is melted and bubbles start to form toss in the dry fruit and nuts an roast it on medium high and drain them and keep it aside in a plate.

4. Add rava and roast it until all the raw smell leaves about 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add water and cook the rava. The water will get absorbed.

6. Add sugar and mix well and allow it to get from melted form to thicker consistency.

7. Add saffron, cardamon, camphor and kesari powder and mix well.

8. Garnish with nuts and dry fruits and serve them hot.

It was two years ago when I first tasted the stuffed Mirchi (Peppers) at my friend Geetha's place. Her mother was visiting her and invited my friend Sheeba and me to lunch. She had made us a huge spread of south Indian food and along with it was this stuffed peppers. It was so spicy that I imagined that I was a cartoon and saw smoke coming out of my ears. But I loved the super spicy nature of it. From then on I have been hooked on it. I often make a milder version with some gravy for those who cannot handle spice but the taste and flavor is maintained. I think the peppers determine the level of spice and adding more spice to the stuffing takes it to another notch. So for all those who love spicy spicy food please do try this simple easy dish and you would make it often.

Gadgets:

Heavy Iron pan or any pan
Wok
Spatula
Cutting board
Knife
Bowl
Measuring Spoons and cups



Ingredients:

Chillies - 12
Besan Flour / channa Dhal flour - 8 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tbsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - a few shakes
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - 1 tbsp
Salt
Chilli Powder ( For more spice optional)
Oil - 4 tbsp



Preparation:

1. Heat the wok and add 2 tbsp oil to it. Mix all the dry ingredients well and add it to the oil and roast it on medium low for 5 minutes to remove the raw smell and to cook the stuffing.

2. Wash each pepper and make a cut lengthwise. Remove all seeds (optional again) and fill it with 1 to 2 tbsp of the filling.

3. Set the oven to 350 degrees and heat the iron pan or wok with it. (If you do not own an oven skip this step) On the heated iron pan add 2 tbsp of oil and place the stuffed chilli in it and cook stove top covered or put it in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 and allow the chillies to get roasted a bit first and then place them on stove top to get them roasted evenly. This method works well when you are making a huge batch. Otherwise please use the stove top and roast the chills well and serve then with any kind of food.

One of those recipes that just hit me out of nowhere. I had no idea why I thought of potato or rava(semolina) at any given time. Sometimes it is good to experiment with our ideas. So I made the rava dough and used the leftover potato in the fridge as fillings. Ever since I came across Red Chillis idea of using the dutch oven or kuzhi appam vessel I have become such a big fan of it and have used it in various recipes. Once again I used it to make these bondas.

The benefits from this recipe is that oil is not wasted, it does not use more than 1 tsp per bonda and very eco friendly. Usually when you deep fry the remaining oil has to used up in one shot or have to be discarded as it has health consequences. That leaves us with the option of dumping when not used and that is not good for the environment. But rest assured that you don't have to compromise on the taste.

Next time you make potato curry or have any form of left over potato try this and in minutes you would have golden and crunchy bondas to snack on any time. I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

Gadgets:

Dutch oven or appam vessel( if you dont have it use regular wok)
Measuring Spoon and Cups
Table spoon
Bowls
Cutting Board
Knife
Wok
Aluminum foil

Cream Of wheat/ Rava dough:Ingredients:

Semolina/ Rava/ Cream of Wheat - 1 cup
Salt
Asafoetida - a few shakes
Green Chilli's - 1 tbsp finely chopped
Ginger- 1 tsp
Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped
Butter Milk - 1/4 - 1/2 cup (depending on course or fine variety of Rava used)


Preparation:

1. In a bowl mix all the above ingredients and make a dough and allow it to rest covered for 10 minutes.



Potato Filling Recipe:

Ingredients:

Potato boiled - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 2 cloves
Green Chilli - 1 (add more for spice)
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a few shakes
Oil - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Curry leaves and Cilantro a little for garnish.

Preparation:

1. Heat the wok and add oil. Add asafoetida, green chilli's, onions and garlic and cook with a little salt.

2. When the onions are cooked add potatoes mashed a little and turmeric and cook to incorporate it well with the onions. Add lemon juice, cilantro and curry leaves. Allow this to cool and make into small balls.

NOTE: Please note if you are not using the kuzhi appam vessel then you can make the balls any size that best fits yous needs. But if you are using the vessel please see if it will fit it.



1. Spread out the aluminum foil on the counter. Place the rava dough in the size small lime or smaller than golf ball on it. Cover with another foil and and press with you hand so that you get a thin disc shaped dough.

2. Place the potato ball in the center and cover it with the rava dough. See that you seal the potato with the rava dough. Make the balls and heat the dutch vessel/kuzhi vessel with less than 1 tsp oil in each on medium high.

3. Place each bonda into the respective kuzhi and allow it to roast on one side before turning it over with a spoon on the other side.

4. When you see golden bonda remove and serve it with any chutney of your choice or sour cream mixed with some salt and pepper.

Paneer Makhanwala has always been one of my favorite side dishes in Indian cuisine. My sister and I would always order this to go with Naan or Kulcha. For the last year or two I have been trying to recreate the same taste and flavor that we used to enjoy in our neighborhood restaurants in India. Parampara mix came close to the ones we had tasted but I did not like the prepackaged mix and wanted to reproduce it from scratch. I remember that it had a reddish orange color creamy sauce with paneer floating over it. In my recipe I did not focus on the cosmetic part by adding red color but rather on the flavor and taste. I think I have come close to it.

Gadgets:

Mixie or Blender
Cutting Board
Knife
Onion Chopped
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Heavy Bottom Wok
Spatula

Ingredients:

Red Onions - 2
Tomato Paste - 2 tbsp
Green Chili - 1 (de seeded for mild spice)
Garlic - 6 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch
Kathuri Methi - 1 tbsp
Dry Cilantro Powder - 1 tsp
Fresh Cilantro - 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Pepper
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cardamon - 1
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Fresh Cream - 1/4th cup
Paneer - 450 gms

Preparation:

1. Chop the onions, garlic and ginger in the onion chopper.

2. Add butter and 2 tbsp oil to the wok that is heated. Add cloves, Cinnamon and cardamon to it. Follow this with the chopped onion, ginger and garlic with some salt and cook until onion loses raw smell. Add tomato paste and cook well with turmeric, salt, cumin powder for 4 minutes.
Cool and blend with 1 cup of water to a very fine paste.

3. Heat the wok and add the ground paste and allow it to cook on low flame for 2 minutes. Taste to check for salt and then add the fresh cream, sugar and mix well and cook on low heat. Crush the kasthuri methi and dry cilantro in between the palms and add to the sauce and cook for 3 minutes.

4. Grate 2 tsp of paneer and add to the sauce and allow for it to cook on low flame. Meanwhile cut the paneer into 2 inch long rectangles. Heat a smaller wok, add 2 tbsp of oil and roast the paneer and add to the sauce.

5.Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve it hot with naan, roti, paratha, kulcha or rice.

The best brownie I have ever tasted or baked is the one using Ina Garten's recipe. Her recipe produces very rich and delicious brownies but over the years I have changed a few things here and there and often made brownies that I now call my own version. I was thinking of making some brownies for a very long time and finally with the use of a kitchen aid mixer I had the pleasure of making brownies last Sunday. It makes all the difference with an good electric mixer for it makes the end product amazing. The major ingredient change I made to the recipe was substituting brown sugar for white sugar. The brownie had a milder sweet and it highlighted the taste of chocolate which i thought was very interesting. 

Gadgets:

Baking Tray
Kitchen Aid Mixer
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cookie Tray 13 x 9 x 2
Parchment paper
Spatula

Ingredients:

APF - 2 cups
Brown Sugar - 4 1/2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Semi- Sweet Chocolate - 12 ounces
Eggs - 6
Vanilla Essence - 2 tsp
Butter - 2 cups
Black Coffee - 2 tsp
Chopped Walnuts - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - For sprinkling on top

Preparation:

1. Melt 1 cup of butter and chocolate over low heat on the stove, melt and allow to cool.

2. In the kitchen aid mixer with flat beater add to the bowl 1 cup of butter, sugar and vanilla essence and beat it on lower speed for 2 minutes and increase to a higher speed and beat for 1 more minute.

3. Add one egg at a time and incorporate the each egg well before adding the next. Using a spatula inspect to see if the mixture is well mixed.

4. Add the cooled chocolate, coffee and mix it on low speed for 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients of APF and salt mix for 30 seconds. Using the spatula scrape off the sides and see if all the flour is mixed well.

5. Remove the bowl from the stand add 1/2 cup walnut and mix well and pour into the baking tray lined with parchment paper.

4. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on the top and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

5. Cut them into squares and eat them hot. YUM-A-LICIOUS!