Chikkudukaya - Tomato Iguru (Indian broad beans curry)

Ingredients:

3 - 4 tbsps of cooking oil
250 gms Chikkudukaya (about 30)
3 medium sized onions (about 2 cups of chopped onions)
5 green chillies (finely chopped)
2 springs of curry leaves
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds (avalu)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
6 ripe tomatoes (about 2 cups of tomatoes cut into chunks)
1/2 tsp of chilly powder

1/2 tsp of coriander powder
a few coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste         

Preperation Method:

Heat oil in a pan,  add cumin,mustard seeds. When the seeds start   to splutter, add curry leaves, green chillies, turmeric and fry for about 30 seconds. add chopped onions,green chilli. Add salt and fry till onions turn soft and turn to light brown. 

Add beans, chilly powder,coriander powder  Mix well. Cover and cook on medium flame for 8 mts  stirring in  between

 Then add  tomatoes, cover and cook till the tomatoes are soft (about 5 mts) on medium .

 Adjust salt, chilly powder. Uncover and cook on high flame for about 3 mts. Switch of  the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with  white rice 

Sambar

In Gradients:

Kandi pappu (Toor dal) - 1 Cup

1 tsp cooking oil

Shallots/Sambhar Onions - 10 -12

Mullakada/Drumsticks - 1 (Cut into 2 inch pieces)

Sorakaya/Anapakaya/Bottle gourd - 1 cup (peeled & cubed)

2 medium sized tomatoes - cut into quarters

1 carrot - Wash ,peel & cut into thick slices

4-6 green chillies - slit lengthwise (Adjust to your spice levels)

5-6 curry leaves
1 large lemon sized tamarind - soaked in 3 cups of warm water and pulp extracted

Salt to taste

Pinch of turmeric

1 tbsp sugar or grated jaggery

1 tsp grated coconut

2 tbsps sambar powder(I use 777 sambar powder)

For popu/tempering:

Cooking oil - 2-3 tbsps

3-4 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp avalu (mustard seeds)

3/4 tsp jeelakarra (jeera)

3-4 dried red chillies (tear roughly)

2 pinches of hing/inguva/asafoetida

10-12 curry leaves

Freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish - 3-4 tbsps

Preperation Method:

Pressure cook dal with 2 cups of water, 1 tsp oil till 3-4 whistles. Once the pressure leaves, open the lid and mash the dal smoothly or let cool down and grind it in a mixie/blender. Set aside

In a wide bottomed vessel, add all the cut vegetables, tamarind pulp, salt to taste, turmeric powder, curry leaves, green chillies, mix well and bring it boil. Turn  to medium and allow to cook till the vegetables turn soft but not mushy (about 15-20 mts).

Now add in the mashed dal to the boiled vegetables and bring to a boil. Add water if required or to make the sambhar slightly thinner. Add sugar/jaggery. Adjust tamarind pulp, salt if required.

In a small bowl, make a thin paste of the sambhar powder adding little water and transfer this to the boiling sambhar. (Adding the powder directly to the sambhar would’nt dissolve instead forms into lumps and settles down under the vessel.) Cook for around 8 mts on low . Add grated coconut, mix well.

While the sambhar cooks, in another pan heat oil, add crushed garlic and fry for a minute. Add mustard seeds, jeera. As they splutter, add dry red chillies and hing powder. Just before turning off  add curry leaves, toss and turn off the flame. Transfer the popu  to the boiling sambhar.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Turn off  and serve it with hot rice and papad or with idly or dosa

Kakarakaya Vepudu( Bittergourd Fry)

Ingredients:

1/4 kg bitter gourd, peel,  slice into thin  rounds

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp red chilli pwd

1/2 tsp coriander pwd

pinch cumin pwd

1 1/2 tbsps oil

salt to taste

For poppu:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3 garlic cloves, crushed 

10-12 curry leaves

Preperation Method:

peel the bitter gourds, nip the ends. Cut each gourd in to  thin slices. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add cumin and allow to brown, add the curry leaves , garlic and stir fry for 10 secs. Add the sliced bitter gourds and salt,turmeric, saute for a minute. 

Place lid and cook for 10 mts on low . Stir in between. 

Remove lid and saute on medium heat without lid ensuring they don’t burn or stick to the pan.

 Keep frying till they well roasted and this could take about 22-25 mts.

addredchilli,coriander powder.Adjust salt and serve hot with rice

Paneer Butter Masala (Indian cottage cheese curry)

Ingredients:

250 gms paneer (about 24 cubes)
3 medium sized onions
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsps red chilli powder
4 ripe tomatoes
3 tbsps cashewnut (grind to smooth paste with little water)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1 1/2 tsp  garam masala powder
salt to taste
3 tbsps butter
2 pinches of orange food color
Coriander leaves for garnish

Preperation Method:

In a pan, bring about 4 cups of water to boil. When the water starts boiling, drop in the onions, and tomatoes. Let them cook on high for 10 mts.

Drain the water and let onions and tomatoes cool down. Once cool grind onions to smooth paste. Peel the skin of the tomatoes and grind to smooth paste separately. Set aside.

Heat a tbsp of ghee and fry the paneer cubes to golden brown.

In a pan heat 3 tbps of butter on medium.Add the onion paste to the butter, increase to medium, and fry for 5 mts stirring frequently till the gravy starts turning brown in color and the raw smell disappears.

Add ginger-galic paste and fry for another minute. Add chilli powder, turmeric, cashew nut paste, and salt to taste. Combine well.

Add tomato puree, kasoori methi, coriander powder, garam masala. let it cook for 4 mts.

Add fried paneer, mix gently and let it cook for another 4 mts.Now add 3/4 cup of water, and cook on medium till the gravy turns to a thick consistency. Check the salt and add if required.

Add 3 tbps of water to the food color and mix it to the curry. cook for another minute or two before turning off .

Let it sit for atleast 10 minutes and garnish with freshly chopped coriander before serving.

Serve hot with rotis, paranthas/naan or white rice

Tomato Pappu (Tomato Dal)

In Gradients:

Toor Dal (kandipappu) - 1 cup

Tomatoes - 6 (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 4 (slit lengthwise)
Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsps (thick pulp)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste


For Popu:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Dried red chilli-2

Garlic - 4 cloves (crushed)Asofoetida powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch finely chopped for garnish

Preperation Method:
Wash dal, add 3 cups of water, turmeric, 1 tsp of oil, and pressure cook till soft. Once cooked mash dal and set aside.
 Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauce pan. Add mustard seed as they start spluttering add curry leaves, garlic, green chillies and asofoetida powder then add chopped tomatoes.

Cover and cook on medium till the tomatoes turn soft. Add chilly powder, salt, coriander powder and allow to cook for 2 mts.

Add mashed dal, tamarind pulp. Add water if the consistency of dal is thick. Cook for 4 mts on medium then turn off.Garnish with coriander and serve hot with  rice, ghee accompanied with potato fry or papads.