OKRA/ LADY’S FINGER FRY

Okra is full of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. The other half is insoluble fiber which helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy, thus decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colon cancer. The superior fiber found in okra helps to prevent diabetes and constipation.Okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including vitamins A, B6, C, iron and calcium.
By the way Appa is now trying hard (very very very hard actually) to do some edible cooking as he’s alone. Hence, here’s a very simple fry that he too could try.

Preparation Time – 10 Mins

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Lady’s finger – 200 grams
Rice flour – 2 Tsps
Besan flour – 1 Tsp
Chilli powder – To taste
Salt – To taste
Garam masala – A pinch
Oil – To deep fry

Method:

Cut the lady’s finger length wise in 2/ 3 piecesMix all the ingredients. Do not add water to mix as the stickiness in the Okra itself will permit proper blending. Leave this mix aside for 5 mins post which you may deep fry this in oil. This is a easy to make ready snack or a side dish for any rice. I had made this along with the Karamani Kuzhambu and the two made a good combo.

KARAMANI KUZHAMBU

Black-eyed peas / Karamani of the tamilians are an excellent source of calcium, vitamin A and folate. They are low in fat and sodium and contain no cholesterol.
Amma’s recipe. Tried it in a simplified version today. It came out pretty well. I had made Okra fry to go with this.

Preparation Time – 15 Mins

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Black Eyed Peas – 100 gms
Potato – 1
Tomato – 2
Coconut Grating – a pinch
Onion – 1
Tamarind Juice – 1 Tsp
Curry powder/ Sambar powder – To taste
Chilly Powder – To taste
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Cumin seeds – a few
Fennel seeds – a few
Curry Leaves – Few
Salt – To taste
Sesame Oil

Method:

1. Soak the black eyed peas for 3- 4 hours and add salt and cook them soft.
2. Pour some sesame oil and add onions, tomato and the grated coconut. Grind this mixture into a soft paste.
3. Now, in a kadai, pour some sesame oil. Add cumin seeds, fennel ( sombu) seeds, curry leaves, potato (cut into medium size pieces)
4. Add the ground paste. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, curry powder and the necessary salt to this. Allow it to boil.
5. Once it is boiling, add the tamarind juice and the boiled Black eyed peas and pressure cook for one whistle.
6. Karamani / Black eyed peas kuzhambu is ready. You may chose to season this at the end. This goes very well with white rice and papad.

THATTU VADA / NIPPATTU

This snack item occupies a good position in Deepavali and other festivals. Though this was not my favorite a few years, now it is. It all began when my hubby took me to Adayar Ananda Bhavan in Bangalore to get ourselves something for our anniversary. He got me those cute little Thattuvadas. And I instantly fell for it and not to mention finished the entire packet.

I am also equipped with a brand “new kadai” and an “ari karandi” . After my choppu saaman games, here comes my real cookery set. So to commemorate all these good things; here we go to make the all easy Thattu Vada.

Preparation Time – Just 15 Mins

Serves – 3

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 Cup
Besan /Chickpea powder – 2 tablespoons
Maida – 2 tablespoons
Fried Rawa – ½ cup
Whole pepper corns – 20 (Can add more depending on the spiciness you want)Sesame seeds or Ellu – 1 teaspoon
Channa dal – 1 teaspoon
Urud Dal – 1 teaspoon
Moong Dal – 1 teaspoon
Chilly Powder – 2 Spoon

Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon

Asafetida – A pinch

Grated coconut – 2 Teaspoons

Curry Leaves finely chopped – ¼ Cup

Hot oil – To deep fry

Ghee – 2 Spoons

Salt as needed

Water as needed

Method:

1. Add all the above ingredients and mix them well using the ghee. Add water little by little. See to that the mixture becomes firm dough.
2. Knead the dough for another minute and divide into small equal parts.

3. Apply some oil to a plastic sheet, place a small ball of the dough and flatten them with your fingers into small discs on plastic sheet.

4. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry these small discs. See to that they are fried in medium flame. I made a variation by making the discs very small and they came out crispier. Thattu vadas are ready to be served. They make a good evening snack.

Kozhukattai

POORANAM KOZHUKATTAI

There are different varieties in this dish that is claimed to be Lord Ganesha’s favorite. However, since I have no blender, here is a simple one. Also, quite easy too for beginners to start with as I am one myself :-)

Preparation Time – 15 Mins
Serves - 2
Ingredients:

Rice flour – 200 gms
Jaggery (Vellam) – 1 cup
Coconut Grating – 2 cups
Cardamom – 2 No.s
A pinch of salt
Saffron – A few strands (Optional)

Method:
1. Put the rice flour in a kadai a fry in sim for about minutes till a good rice aroma comes out
2. To this add 2 cups of boiling water with a pinch of salt
3. Mix with your hands and make dough. Take out small lemon balls and keep aside. Refer image below.
4. Meanwhile put jaggery in a vessel add 150 ml of water. Keep stirring till the jaggery melts. Once the jaggery completely melts add the grated coconut and cardamom powder. This will be a semi dry mixture. This is called pooranam.
5. Using your thumb slightly press the ball in the middle and keep the pooranam in the middle. Refer image here.

6. Bring all the edges and make it a semi circular finish. You may also use a mould to make the same. Refer image.
7. Arrange all of these in a ghee greased idli plate. I sprinkled a little saffron to make it look colorful.
8. Steam this in a idli maker for 10 mins. Your Pooranam Kozhukattai is ready !

MEALS THAT HEAL

The importance of green vegetables has been known for the last few hundred years.
Foods from the "Green" groups are among the best for our health. They typically have a high concentrate of two phytochemicals; chlorophyll and carotenoids. These two have been linked to be a prophylactic to tumors and offer protection to coronary disease.
Green leaf vegetables are our best source of folates and folic acid which is a B vitamin that is essential for cell growth and reproduction. The amount of vitamin C, is a powerful antioxidant is extremely high in leafy greens, especially spinach, kiwi, broccoli and parsley.Other valuable components are carotenoids, highly unsaturated yellow to red pigments occurring in plants which are components of vitamin A. Vitamin A supports the immune system and also fulfils a specific role in our vision. Potassium, calcium, iron and zinc are also present in great quantities, as is magnesium

Again it is a learning from my Mother – in – law to incorporate this vital food atleast 3 – 4 times a week. I am trying different ways and means to cook keerai and will keep posting my recipes.

KEERAI CUTLET

Preparation Time – 20 Mins

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Spinach (Pasalai Keerai) or any bunch of keerai – 1 bunchBig onion – 1
Besan flour – 1 cup
Turmeric Powder – ¼ teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder – ¼ teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste – ½ teaspoon
India green chillies – 1
Maida – 1 teaspoon
Rawa – 1 teaspoon
Salt – as per taste
Oil – five to six tablespoons

Method:
1. Wash the greens carefully to remove all the sand. This is very important when we cook greens.
2. Chop the greens. I have used spinach for my dish today. However, any greens variety can be used.
3. Ina frying pan, add a teaspoon of oil and add chopped onion and fry till they turn golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste & chopped green chillies to this and stir well.4. Add turmeric, garam masala and salt and mix well. Post a few seconds, add the chopped greens. Allow the green to cook well by sprinkling water over them.
5. Once the greens are cooked soft, add besan and make it to a dough. Make small balls out of this and flatten the same.
6. Now add water to 1 tsp of maida and dip these flattened balls in them and sprinkle rawa on top of them.
7. Heat the tawa and grease it with 2 tsp of oil.
Arrange the flattened balls and pur one tsp of oil around the. Turn the cutlets after a few mins. Allow them to become crispy and turn golden brown in colour.

The Keerai Cutlets are ready and can be served with tomato ketchup.

Avial - Reporting from Jeddah :)

Jeddah – Yeah! That’s where I am currently writing from. Me and my hubby are here on account of his office work. And I have limitations in my access to certain Indian vegetables. Most importantly I do not have a blender (mixie) in my kitchen. So, all of my recipes for the next few months will be the ones that do not require a blender.

AVIAL

Avial is a Kerala (A South Indian state) dish. It is a semi dry dish prepared with many vegetables in it. The best part is that we get to add 4 – 5 varieties of vegetables in a single dish. I have prepared this dish in its most simplified version without using a blender at all.

It is one of my hubby’s favorite dishes.

Preparation Time – 15 Mins

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Carrot sliced into 1” length pieces – ¼ cup
Beans sliced into 1” length pieces – ¼ cup
Pumpkin sliced into 1” length pieces – ¼ cup
Yam sliced into 1” length pieces– ¼ cup
Coconut Oil – I Tsp
Corn Oil/ sunflower Oil – 1 Tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1 Tsp
Turmeric – ¼ Tsp
Curry leaves – few
Grated coconut – 1 Tsp
Coconut Milk – 1 Tbsp
Indian Green Chillies – 2
Tamarind pulp – a little
Salt – to taste

Method:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in the cooker. Add a few cumin seeds and turmeric and salt. Add all the vegetables, 1 tablespoon of coconut milk and some water. Cook until the vegetables are almost boiled.

2. See to that the vegetables do not get mashed. In this dish the vegetables should not be cooked soft. (I left the vegetables in the cooker for about 5 mins till the steam came out)

3. In a frying pan add little oil, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and grated coconut and a tiny weeny bit of tamarind pulp.

Mix the vegetables with this. The dish is ready!

Avial goes well with steam rice.