BRINJAL CURRY/PODI THOOVAL

Though this is simple and common curry, everyone knows. I have no option to post new one since my hubby has taken our digi cam with him to Canada. I could not take photos of my latest preparations as well having the typical Indian gal’s mentality, no mood n mind to prepare new dish in absence of hubby dear. Aeh?!...

This is my daughter’s favo curry. She will have this with white rice as curry sadham or side dish for rasam sadham. My mom prepares this curry spicy and crispy which tastes heaven. Here is recipe…
INGREDEIENTS FOR CURRY POWDER

Gram dhal 3 tsp
Urid dhal 2 tsp
Dried red chilli 5 to 6
Hing a pinch
Coriander seeds (dhania) 2 tsp
In a little oil fry all above said ingredients, cool them and then make a coarse powder by grinding them in mixer. (First grind the chilly to nice powder then add all others.)

INGREDIENTS FOR CURRY

Brinjal 6 to 8
Salt to taste
Oil to saute
Turmeric a pinch

METHOD

Wash the brinjal and cut in to thin length wise pieces. Take a pan, add oil pop up mustards and hing. Add brinjal sauté them in medium flame for few mts. Add turmeric, salt and cook them until it become soft. Add the curry powder, fry them for few mts.

This iron rich curry goes very well with all rice (sambar/rasam/curd/ plain rice).

PEA NUTS IN MASALA GRAVY

So long days over, nearly a month!..I have taken and stayed away from my blogging and missing all my sweet buddies cool recipes in this hot summer. Busy in settling the things in our new house even though it’s very next to my old house, had lot more things to do. Atlast I got settled in my new home and got one more interesting hobby made me busy next to blogging. That’s gardening. Yuppie!!!!... I got more space in this house and me n my daughter who is much interested gardening, started planting some seeds n plants of flowers, vegetables etc in our new garden.

Ok ok let’s come to the topic. This gravy I suddenly prepared for my dinner on the second day of my shifting, where there is no veg in my fridge. My hubby dear wanted to have Masala Pea Nuts that eve for snacks. So I soaked them in the noon for eve snacks then changed the plan of preparing snacks to side dish for my Roti. It came out well and we both liked it. U too Give a try and let me know dears….


INGREDIENTS

Boiled pea nuts – 1 cup
Tomato medium -2
Onion big -1
Green chilli 3
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric a pinch
Garam masala 1 tsp
Garlic pods 3
Ginger ½ inch

METHOD

Soak the raw pea nuts for 5 to 6 hrs or even over night. Pressure Cook them with half salt. Keep aside. Grind half onion, one tomato, ginger, garlic, chilli to make a thick paste. Chop remaining half onion, tomato in length wise. Take a pan. Pop up jeera/ani seed/mustard then add onion and tomato, saute them well. Add turmeric, salt, red chilli powder and garam masala. Add the ground masala paste. After couple of mts add cooked pea nuts. Sauté until the oil leaves. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Goes well with Rottis/stuffed chappati/parathas.

AFTER A BREAK!.......

Hi Friends

Its me!... After a long gap of blogging and browsing. Quite busy in shifting to our New Home and settling all the things one by one. Jus got some breathing time, cant resist and my fingers started dancing on the key board once my system get connected. Hooreh! i came to blog world again. Catch u all soon with my new recipes and pic of new backround.

Missed all your yummy things and summer specials my dears. Thanks for visiting and giving yr comments n feed back thro mail and in comnt box. Coming soon with something spl buddies.....

Until then Bi from

Hema.....

hema....

hema...

( Yeh!... echo effect pa.....)

QUICK FIX DISHES FOR THE EVENT

I am sending all these dishes to the Event 15 minute cooking @Spices etc hosted by Mahimaa of Mahimaa's kitchen.


1.SEMIYA UPPUMA
2.RAVA KICHADI

3.SPICY CHAPPATI

4.PEA'S UTHAPPAM

5.TOMATO DOSA (ITS TANGY & TASTY)

6.GHEE PODI DOSA

7.GHEE ROAST - A CUTE CONE OF DOSA

8.RED ORANGEE ROTI

9.RED ORANGEE ROTI

10.POHA UPPUMA

Click the link for the recipes.

CURRY LEAVES ADAI AND AN AWARD

Adai in any form we love to have. I already posted the recipe of vegetable adai. Click here for the recipe. Now this time I prepared with curry leaves. Curry leaves has lots of medicinal values and most of us jus using it for flavor and garnishing the dish, at the time of eating the stuff we jus throw it beside our plates instead of consuming. This is wat we do in our routine right even from kids to elders.

My daughter is fond of long hair. She won’t allow me to even trim her hair at least once in six months. She needs long, thick hair like Barbie Rapunzel . I got a trick to make her eat the curry leaves; saying that the amount u consume the curry leaves the long u ll get thick hair. Mostly I used to grind them and add into my dishes. Finally jus touch up with few leaves for garnishing.

This time we had them with Adai.

INGREDIENTS

Raw rice 2 cups
Toor dhal 1 cup
Chenna dal ½ cup
Urid dhal ¼ cup
Dried red chilli 10
Salt to taste
Hing a pinch
Ginger 1 inch piece
Curry leaves a hand full.
Coconut oil for sprinkle

METHOD
Wash and soak all dhals and rice together for 2 to 3 hrs.
Grind them to batter adding chilli, ginger, curry leaves, salt and hing.
If u want u can add chopped onions to this batter.
Make thin adai in dosa griddle, sprinkle with coconut oil in and around the adai. Make 4 to 5 holes on the top of adai with the dosa ladle to make the adai more crispier.

Goes well with any chutney/Jaggery/avial/butter

This Adai happily running to the Event 15 minute cooking @Spices etc hosted by my dear friend Mahimaa of Mahimaa's kitchen.

Priya Sriram passed me this sweet lovely award to me. I m so honored and feel so soo happy to get this from her.

I would like to pass this Award to Divya Vikram, Mahimaa's kitchen, Madhumathi, Ramya Vijaykumar, Lavanya,Varsha Vipins, sriharivatsan, rekhas kitchen, ARUNA,RAKS KITCHEN and Kitchen Flavours.

BOUNCY PANIYARAMS

This is the one neither our favorite nor dislikes. Once I had in hotel and then I got attracted towards it. I got the recipe from friends’ long time back, but unfortunately have no paniyaram pan to experiment it. I utilized the chance when we went for shopping to buy return gift articles for my sil son’s poonal function. The moment I saw the paniyaram pan, I ran and grabbed it and handed over in the bill section. Hurray! At last I too have the pan and the next day I prepared the paniyaram. Oops…. But as it was my first time I could not get the perfect shape and nice color. Though I did not lose my heart and with confident I tried 2, 3 times within a week itself and at last I got perfect balls out of it... Cho Chweet and thanks to my hubby dear and darling kids who were patiently tolerated all my experiments with my paniyarams and tasted thrice within a week without saying anything as a testing rats.

Here the recipe of my bouncing balls

INGREDIENTS
Raw rice 1 cup
Boiled Rice 1 cup
Urid dhal ¼ cup
Grated vegetables 2 cups(carrot, onion, cabbage, green chilli)
Salt to taste
Curry leaves few
Mustard, Urid dhal, Chenna dhal and oil for tampering.


METHOD
Soak rices and dhals for 4 hrs and grind it to dosa batter.
Add grated vegetables along with 2 tsp of grated coconut and tamper with the tampering items and pour into the batter.
Mix well. Heat the paniyaram pan. Pour the batter in each kuzhi. Cook it in medium flame and after few mts turn the balls with the stick. Let it cook for few more mts.
Serve hot with any chutney. Goes will with red chutney.

Hope u all have enjoyed my story as well the browny balls.

And this balls bouncing to the Event of 15 minute cooking @Spices etc hosted Mahimaa of Mahimaa's kitchen.

TOMATO GRAVY/THAKKALI THOKKU

As i said in my previous post of TOMATO/THAKKALI KOOTU, this is also my families fvrt dish. we all die for this. we never miss the chance of making this on tomato seasons. That too specially prepared in my mom's hand Mm.... that tastes really heaven. My mom prepare and give me in big bottle saying that Hema i prepared a lot for you especially for your hubby, it will sure come for another 15 to 20 days ma. I will get that one with a big smile on my face and my mind will say Ayo amma 15 to 20 days a... seri seri parthunde iru. Analum Ipadi oru emaliya irukiye!.... After a week or 10 days i ll call amma and say amma yr thokku was very tasty and its over.. can u tell me the recipe I m planning to make it now. Ha ha ha imagine how my mother could be on that side. This is my Mom's signatured dish. Here u guys go for the recipe da......

INGREDIENTS

Red ripped Tomatoes 20
Red chilli powder 1/2 cup or less according to yr spice taste.
Hing a pinch
Fenugreek powder 2 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 2 cups

METHOD

Finely grind the 15 tomatoes and finely chop remaining 5 tomatoes. Heat the oil in a pan. Pop up mustard, add hing and all tomatoes. Add salt. Sauté for 20 to 25 mts until the tomato gravy gets thicken. Add chilli powder and fenugreek powder, again cook for 10 to 15 mts covering with lid. Mean time not to forget to stir so that it should not get stick with pan or get burnt.

U can have this with dosa/idly/chapatti/parathas/puri

DRUMSTICK MASALA - This is my daughter's favo curry. I m dedicating this to her.

HOT N SOUR TOMATO SOUP- Both my kids are lover of soups. This one dedicated to both of them.

TOMATO THOKKU -Though its all our favrt... my hubby and my sister Vasu craving for this. I m dedicating the spicy thokku to both of them.

All these Entries goes to Sanghi ‘s Fall in love – Tomato Event.

MY NEW TEMPLATE AND A THANK YOU NOTE

Everyone visiting here will get surprised on seeing my new template…. This is normal thing… now I come to the real story. Can u believe this that I too got surprised on seeing my blog bright n colorful with new template? Ha ha ha that’s true dears… me too got surprised. The surprise was given by Mahimaa of Indian vegetarian kitchen.

It’s a long back longing (pls ignore the grammar here let it be rhyming ok) of me to change my template. I too change often from the bloggers template and by changing the font color, size and style and maximum adding of back rounds to my knowledge that’s all. But I was scared to experiment with my more than 100 posts by down loading from other site and installing all widgets again as I m much ignorant on tech side of computer. I was telling all these stories to Mahima dear when we were chatting on line. She said she will help me after finishing her course and gets free time. So I have given my password, she send me some site addresses and header link to select me. I have selected some and send her thro mail. More than months over and I totally forgotten that one.

3 days back when I was login to my blog with morning fresh filter coffee in my hand, with that tinge of coffee in my tongue and my eyes got bloomed n forget to blink on looking into my changed template.. Cho Chweet surprise Mahima has given me. Thank u so much mahimaa……Really I feel very happy and I should appreciate her for her effort and time spent for me in her busy schedule.

Thanks a ton darling. I am Proud to have u as my friend.

TOMATO/THAKKALI KOOTU

This is my favrt.. My mom prepares both the tomato kootu and tomato thokku tasty and yummy. Probably my next post will be tomato thokku. Whenever I go to my mom’s place I go by with a lengthy list to make her do for me. And my gal now doing the same prepares two tooooo big lists for her patti and thatha.

Her list for patti is cookery things and for thatha is purchase list. One more spl list she brings to her chitti for handy craft work things and fancy items. We go with two bags and return home with min 4 bags. Ok ok these are all practice in politics ma… hope everyone do the same. Ha!Ha!Ha!....


Lets come to Today’s menu

INGREDIETNTS

Moong Dhal ½ cup
Ripped red tomatoes 3
Onion big 2
Grated Cabbage and carrot each ½ up (optional)
Green chilli 2
For Grinding
Grated coconut ½ cup
Cumin seeds/jeera ½ tsp
Black pepper ¼ tsp
Dried red chilli 3 to 4

METHOD

Par Boil moong dhal and keep aside. Cut all the vegetables and add into the par boiled dhal and cook till everything done. Mean time add necessary salt and turmeric. Grind the ingredients said under for grind. Add the paste into the kootu. Cook for another 8 to 10 mts. Now the tasty kootu is ready to have with hot white rice.

Accompanies well with all thuvayal rice/plain rice/chappati.

Sending this kootu to Sanghi ‘s Fall in love – Tomato Event.

Here i served this kootu with hot white rice along with SEPPANKEZHANGU FRY . Enjoy the platter dears. Dedicating this to my cousin Padmaja who loves this kootu with this curry very much.

THOSE MADE MY DAY BRIGHT AND PROUD

Again the shower of Awards. here comes the list of buddies and dearies who are all made me wet by their rain of Awards. Thank u all i m so happy and honored.

This cute goodie Basket comes from Varsha . She honored me as FRU Topper for sending more Recipes to her Event Recipes for rest of us dessert. Cho Chweet my darling thank u so much da.

Those comfort hugs of friends comes from Vibaas. Thank u for honoring me dear.

This lovely Sister Hood Award is from VG. Thank u for considering me as yr sister VG and Its my pleasure to be your sister.

All these following Awards showered by my dearies Jaishree, Pooja n Gita's Kitchen join her hands in giving me the little hearts.

Thank you so much my dears. My joy has no bounds. Cant express my happy thro d simple word T H A N K Y O U. It really mean a lot.

I would like to pass all those Awards to all my blogger buddies. Pls Feel free to pick them dears.

BRINJAL KOTHSU

This is everyone’s favorite dish. We usually prepare this with venpongal and Rice uppuma. This tastes heaven with these two main dishes.

INGREDIENTS

Brinjal 3
Onion 2
Tomato 2
Tamarind paste 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric a pinch
Hing a pinch
Curry powder/sambar powder 3 tsp
Oil, mustard seeds, and curry leaves for tampering.

METHOD 1

Cut the brinjal to fine pieces, length wise the onions and tomatoes.
Pressure cook the brinjal, onion and tomatoes to two to three whistles.
In a pan pop up mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the cooked mixture. Add salt, turmeric, tamarind paste with little water, hing and curry/sambar powder. Bring to boil for 8 to 10 mts.

METHOD 2

Take a big size brinjal and grill deeply on the stove top. The outer skin of the brinjal should turn black. Peal the skin and smash the flesh of brinjal.
In a pan pour oil and pop up mustard seeds.
Add onion, tomato sauté for a while and add the smashed brinjal. Add tamarind paste with little water.
Add turmeric, salt, curry powder/sambar powder hing. Bring to boil about 5 to 8 mts. keep stirring on and off. If the Kosthu is too thick add little water.

Now the simple yet tasty kosthu is ready.
Accompanies well with Rice uppuma and pongal

RED GARLIC CHUTNEY/THUVAYAL

This is my favorite chutney would like to have with any Tiffin items. Since my hubby doesn’t like garlic flavor much in any dishes, I used to do it when he is out of town. My kids also love this. It is very easy to prepare and tasty too.

INGREDIENTS

Garlic pods 10
Onion 1
Tomato 1
Dried red chilli 6
Tamarind extracts ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 3 tsp
Mustard 1 tsp

METHOD

Grind all above said ingredients by adding little water, salt and tamarind to a thick paste.
Take a pan, pour oil liberally and pop up mustard seed.
Add the chutney paste in to the pan and sauté till the raw smell goes and it leaves oil.
Accompanies well with Dosa/Idly/Chappathi/Parathas/Bread

SHOWER OF AWARDS

Its again a flow of awards in our blog world I think.. So many Awards from sweeties. Almost i can see all these awards are roaming around and keep every ones blog fresh and bright as they are twinkling in mine now. we keep on passing them to our lovely friends.Its a wonderful feel, that someone thinking about us and take an effort of adding our name in their list. This time Everyone of you made me so happy and honored by giving these cute and sweet Awards. Thanks a ton dearies. It mean a lot lot to me....

These Awards are coming from Sanghi and Shama Nagarajan . Oops I m loosing my conscious seeing this sweet attacks from them.

Oh my dear Divz ... u jus made my day and my blog so bright and beautiful by passing this to me. And recently got this from Sanghi, sriharivatsan and Shama Nagarajan too... so lovely dears.

These cute little hearts are from Varsha Vipins n Shama Nagarajan. Hooo HOO i m flying like these hearts.Thanks darling.

These friendly hugs coming from AnuSriram , Jaishree , Akal's Saappadu, Shama Nagarajan, sriharivatsan and Divz. I feel so comfort my dear friends.. thanks a lot lot and a lot.


And here comes the special Award from Shama Nagarajan , especially for my daughter's Art work which has participated in her Event. Here is the link of it.

KIDS FRIENDLY CRAFTS EVENT - ROUND UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! . She made every participants happy with this Award. This is for my daughter Lakshana. Thank shama dear.

Thank u all. I would like pass these awards to all my sweet friends who are all visiting and leaving their lovable comment in this post. Its waiting for u dears pls pick up.

GOBI AND CHICK PEA GRAVY

My hubby asked(insists) me to make cauliflower Kurma instead of Gobi manzurian which is the default dish when I have a first look into the Gobi without getting second doubt.. I already have prepared Gobi Kurma and looking for panchangam (good time)? !.. to post it. Ha! Ha! Ha! This time I made this in different way, it came out very well and tasty too. Wonder thing is I got orange color and imdtly I have a thought of sending this to FIC Orange. He! He! he!

INGREDIENTS

Gobi florets 1 cup
Cooked chick peas (optional)
Potato 1
Carrot 2
Tomato 2
Onion 1
Green chilli 3
Cumin ½ tsp
Any seeds ½ tsp
Cinnamon 1 inch
Cloves 2
Grated coconut 3 tsp
Turmeric a pinch
Salt to taste
Garam masala 1 tsp
Chilli powder ½ tsp

METHOD

Cut the carrots and potato in desired shape. Soak the cauliflower florets in warm water for 10 mts.
Grind green chilies, cloves, cinnamon, coconut, any seeds, onion and tomatoes in to a thick paste.
In a pan pour some oil pop up jeera and add the veggies. Sauté and cook well for 10 mts until it done and soft. Mean while add salt and turmeric.
Now add the ground masala paste, cooked chick peas, chilli powder, Garam masala powder and combine well till the oil leaves and aroma spreads.
It u get too dry of this u can add some water to make a thick gravy.
Garnish with cilantro.

Goes well with chappaties/puries/parathas.

Sending this to

1. FIC - Orange hosted by Aparna started by Harini.

2.Mythreyee's JFI: Cauliflower Event.

TWO DIFFERENT SAMOSAS ON A DIFFERENT NOTE

Who doesn’t love samosas, from kid to king fond of this snack? It plays a major role in Birth day parties, Tea parties and when we are in the mood of munching and crunching something in the cold winter or in rainy season even in hot summer.. Holding a cuppa hot tea or homemade Filter coffee beside the samosa plate.. Hm… imagination itself tastes yummy right?!..

Come let me show the two varieties of samosa I made for my cousin sister when she visited my home 4 months back.(Yeah its my long pending to blog even I thought of sending this to savories Event of Srilekha ha ha ha).

VEGGIES STUFFED SAMOSA WITH SLIGHT MASALA FLAVOUR

And believe me for the first time I tried this at my kitchen without any big disaster but for the shape. I learnt this from my mami who made for me some years back.. so I couldn’t recollect the exact idea of folding the samosa in to cone ie triangle shape.. somehow I managed after trying 3 to 4 pieces.. Here u go dears.

INGREDIENTS

Maida/all purpose flour 1 cup
Wheat flour 2 cups
Butter (melted) 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

FOR VEG MASALA

Onion 1
Thinly grated Cabbage 1 cup
Grated carrot ½ cup
Frozen Peas ¼ cup
Green chilli 2
Salt to taste
Garam masala a pinch
Turmeric a pinch

FOR ALOO MASALA

Onion 1
Potato 2
Green chilli 2Peas ¼ cup
Turmeric a pinch
Garam masala a pinch
Salt to taste

PREPARATION

Combine maida and atta with salt nicely and add melted butter and water slowly and knead the dough. Set aside for 15 mts.
Divide the dough into small round balls
Roll into a perfect round like chappathi.
With a knife or pizza cutter make 2 semi circles with the round.

Take one half

Fill the masala in a side

Cover the one part fixing to the center of the semi circle.

Then bring the other side to next corner to make triangle shape and press gently the three sides with very little water to seal the edges.

Repeat the same procedure to the entire rolls as shown in the pics and deep fry it till it turns golden brown and crispy.



METHOD FOR MASALA STUFFING

cook and peal the potato skin and smash it. Finely chop the onions and green chillies. Take a pan in a little oil splutter ani seeds and saute onions, frozen peas and chillies till it translucent. Add smashed potaots with turmeric, salt and little garam masala. combine well and cook for some time. granish with cilantro.

FOR VEGGIES STUFFING

Make a thin slices of onion, carrot and cabbage (length wise) and finely chop the green chilles. In a pan splutter jeera and fry the veggies to golden brown along with peas. add salt, turmeric and masala. combine well and saute for few mts. Now the masalas are ready.

ALOO STUFFED SAMOSA
Sending these samosas to Sunday Snacks:Hot and Spicy event by pallavi.