I learnt this pudalangai kadalai paruppu masala kootu / snake gourd kootu for rice from my friend Megha. This is not like the usual version of kootu. This kootu has a mild masala flavor with ginger garlic paste. I have already shared a brinjal masala kuzhambu learning from my friend Megha. This is also a very similar recipe but I have used soaked chana dal/ kadalai paruppu. In some hotels, they serve this kind of kootu. I make this kootu directly in a pressure cooker to ease my job. I also make it slightly thin like a gravy and mix with rice & ghee. If you make it thick, you can have it as side dish for rice or chapathi. It tastes more like kurma kulambu. Whenever I make this pudalangai kootu, I make some spicy rasam to go with it. It would be a simple but comforting meal for us. Ok, Lets see how to make snake gourd kootu with chana dal for rice.
Grind the items given under “To grind” to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a cooker base and temper mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.
Saute chopped onion, tomato until mushy. Add snake gourd pieces, chana dal and ground masala paste.
Saute till raw smell goes off. Add enough water and salt. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Serve with rice or chapathi.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and soak chana dal in enough water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, wash and chop snake gourd into small pieces. Chop onion and tomato into small pieces and set aside.
Grind all the ingredients given under “ To grind” to a smooth paste adding water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Saute onion and tomato pieces. When tomato becomes mushy, add chopped snake gourd and soaked chana dal.Mix well.
Now keep the flame medium and add the ground masala paste. Saute till raw smell goes off. Add water and required salt.
Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.Remove the lid after the steam is released. If the kootu is watery, boil for sometime to make it thick. If its too thick, add little water, mix well and boil for few seconds.
Enjoy mixing with hot rice adding ghee Or as a side dish for vatha kuzhambu sadam & chapathi / roti. Enjoy !
Note
Soaking chana dal is very important else it won’t cook properly. You should soak at least for 15 minutes,
You can use ridge gourd, bottle gourd or chow chow instead of snake gourd and make the same.
Last Sunday I prepared this Indian style mushroom peas pulao with some leftover mushrooms and fresh green peas in a pressure cooker. Its a very simple and easy pulao recipe just like my vegetable pulao. It can be prepared directly in an Indian pressure cooker. So it gets ready under 15 minutes. No grinding or big chopping works needed. You can prepare it for your lunch box easily and quickly. Since its a mild pulao recipe without much of garam masala powders, you can enjoy it with any spicy kurma as side dish. But my family liked it with simple onion raita. Usually people add coconut milk instead of water. But I used only water to cook the rice. Still it was good with nice flavor. Lets see how to make this simple and quick mushroom peas pulao with step by step pictures.
Heat oil + ghee in a cooker. Saute whole garam masala.
Add onion, gg paste, green chilli, mint leaves and saute till transparent.
Add mushroom, peas and saute for a minute. Add rice, saute for a minute.
Lastly add water or coconut milk and mix well.
Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and clean mushroom with a cloth. Remove the stem and slice it. Keep aside.Finely chop onion and slit the green chilli. Wash the basmati rice and set aside. No need to soak it.
Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Saute cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom and black stone flower. Add fennel seeds, big onion, gg paste and green chillies. Saute in medium flame till onion turns transparent.
Add mint leaves, mushroom and peas. Mix well. Lastly add the washed rice and saute for a minute.
Then add 1.75 cups of water or thin coconut milk. Sprinkle few drops of lemon juice. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. Remove the lid after the steam is released.
Mix gently, fluff the rice and serve hot with any spicy kurma or raita ! Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.
You can use thin coconut milk instead of water.
I used lemon juice. You can saute one finely chopped tomato along with onion.
Try this easy, yummy, healthy mushroom pulao and enjoy ! I served with raita and Paneer 65.
Chow Chow Vegetable( Chayote in English, Ishkus in Hindi, Seemai Kathirikai in Tamil, Seeme Badanekayi in Kannada, Seema vankaya in Telugu) makes its appearance in my kitchen at least twice a week. I make sambar, poricha kuzhambu and kootu with it. Chow chow poriyal was in my try list for long time as I have never seen my mom & MIL making poriyal with it. Here in Bangalore, most of the hotels serve this chow chow curry in their lunch thali. So I wanted to try that way. Its a very simple dry curry recipe but spicy in taste. People call it as Seeme Badanekayi Palya in Kannada. As chow chow vegetable is bland in taste, I have used spice powders to bring the masala flavor. I prepared this chow chow curry directly in a pressure cooker to ease my job. Yes it was done under 10 minutes. This recipe is ideal for bachelors and working women to whip up a quick side dish for sambar rice and curd rice. Do try this spicy chow chow curry for rice and enjoy. If you like, you can have it with roti a well.
Wash and peel the skin of chow chow/chayote. Slice the head and tail portion.
Chop into small cubes.Chop onion and garlic finely.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, urad & chana dal.
Saute onion, garlic and chayote. Add salt and spice powders. Mix well.
Add very little water and pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles.
Boil if there is excess water. Let it become dry. Lastly add grated coconut, mix well and serve !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and slice the head and tail part of chow chow. Peel the skin completely and chop into cubes. Chop onion and garlic cloves finely and set aside.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and curry leaves. When dals turn golden, add chopped onion, garlic and chow chow cubes. Saute for a minute.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder and salt. Mix well.
Add little water say 3 tbsp and mix well. Less water is needed because chow chow will release some water while cooking. Pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles.
Open the lid after steam is released. Mix gently and check for excess water. If its there, boil in high flame for a minute to drain all the water.Do not mix often because poriyal may become mushy. Toss gently. Poriyal should be dry. Lastly add grated coconut, mix well and serve with rice or roti !
Enjoy !
Note
Chow chow needs less water and less time to cook. So do not add more water while pressure cooking.
Chow chow becomes mushy if you cook for more time in pressure cooker. So its better to cook in high flame for 2 whistles. It cooks in the steam itself.
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder to make it more spicy.
You can also skip garam masala powder but it adds a nice flavor to the curry.
You can follow the same recipe and use bottle gourd / sorakkai instead of chow chow.
Try this easy, yummy chow chow poriyal at home and enjoy with sambar rice, rasam rice & curd rice.
Vazhaithandu masala dosa – When we saw this dosa recipe in Salem Saravana Bhavan Hotel menu, Sendhil ordered it immediately. Salem Saravana bhavan restaurant has become our must visit place during Salem trip. Raksha loves their Ghee roast very much. We too like their varieties of dinner recipes with millets. So every time we visit there, we try to order some new and interesting dish. I too have a habit of trying the same at home. I had already tried and shared their Vazhaipoo dosa/ Banana flower dosa recipe recently. This morning I tried valaithandu masala dosa for our breakfast. This masala recipe is very similar to our South Indian style kurma but thick in consistency. I won’t say this banana stem stuffing tasted exactly like hotel recipe but it was close to it. Sendhil liked it a lot. We felt this dosa is one of the best way to consume banana stem for people who doesn’t like to eat vazhaithandu or vazhaipoo in the form of poriyal or kootu. Ladies, do try it for your husband even if he is a hater of banana stem. I am sure he will like the uniqueness and taste of this recipe. Ok, lets see how to make Vazhaithandu masala dosa / Banana stem dosa at home with step by step pictures.
Gingely oil or cooking oil or ghee - to drizzle dosa
HOW TO MAKE VAZHAITHANDU MASALA DOSA
Wash and chop banana stem into fine pieces.Keep in buttermilk or water.
Grind the masala and keep aside. Heat oil in cooker base.
Saute onion and banana stem pieces. When it turns soft, add the ground masala, garam masala powder.
Saute till raw smell goes off. Add very little water and pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles.
Remove the lid after steam is released. Mix well and boil if there is any excess water.
Make the masala thick and spreadable. Keep aside.
Now make thin dosa. After its cooked 3/4th on one side, spread the masala and drizzle oil / ghee around the dosa. Cook for a minute till dosa turns golden in the bottom. Fold the dosa and serve hot with coconut chutney or tomato chutney !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and slice the banana stem into thin rings.Discard the thread like portion that comes while slicing the banana stem. Chop the rings finely and keep them immersed in buttermilk( to avoid discoloration) or water. Chop the onion finely and set aside.
Heat oil in a cooker base.Saute finely chopped onion and finely chopped banana stem till it turns soft. You can add some salt to quicken the process. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Grind coconut,green chilli, fennel, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste. Add this paste to the banana stem mixture. Add garam masala powder. Mix till raw smell goes off.
Add very little water say 3 tbsp and mix well. Pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Remove after the steam is released. Mix well and boil if there is excess water. Make thick masala. You can sprinkle some lemon juice if you like. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and keep the masala ready.
Take 2 cups of dosa batter. Dilute it slightly if the batter is too thick. Heat dosa pan. Spread the dosa batter and make it thin. When the top of dosa is 3/4th cooked, spread 2 tbsp of masala in the center of dosa.
Drizzle two tsp of oil around the dosa. Cook till the bottom of dosa turns golden. Fold the dosa and remove. Serve hot with coconut chutney or tomato chutney. Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.
You can also use red chilli powder instead of green chillies.
You should chop the banana stem very fine else it would be difficult to eat. Actually I couldn’t chop it fine like hotel.
You can use any dosa batter. I used my idlirava idli batter and made dosa with it.
Try this different dosa variety with banana stem and enjoy !
Mushroom 65 / Crispy mushroom fry ( Kalan 65 in Tamil) is one of the easy Indian snacks recipes using mushroom. We have tasted this several times in restaurants/hotels. Many vegetarians avoid mushroom as it gives the smell of taste of eating non-veg food. But I include in my cooking once in a while as it has amazing health benefits. Its low in calories, gluten free, high in anti oxidants, high in potassium to control blood pressure, helps in weight management, boost immunity and much more. But we should be careful while buying mushroom. Always choose fresh ones to avoid ailments like stomach upset, food poisoning etc.
Yesterday I bought a pack of fresh, edible button mushrooms from Metro Cash n Carry. Usually I make biryani with Mushrooms. This time I tried crispy mushroom 65 following my fail proof Gobi 65 recipe. It came out very crispy and tasty. Sendhil & myself liked it a lot. I am planning to try some kurma or kuzhambu with the leftover pieces. I also made Paneer 65 with the remaining batter for Raksha.
If you follow this recipe, you can make crispy paneer 65, baby corn 65 and gobi 65. Its an all rounder recipe. If you want to keep it crispy for long time, you need to deep fry it twice just like the hotels and street side shops. Yes, To make restaurant style crispy mushroom 65, we need to deep fry it twice without worrying about calories. This is the only secret, nothing else I feel. I have shared this point in my Gobi manchurian post too. After all we are going to make it once in a while at home. But don’t feel bad, this recipe itself gives you crispy mushroom 65 even if you don’t deep fry it twice. Ok, lets see how to make mushroom 65 with crispy exterior and soft exterior with step by step pictures.
Wash the mushroom, discard its stem. Chop into cubes.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients given for the batter except cooking oil.
Mix it to thick bajji batter consistency. Add mushroom cubes and marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat oil. Deep fry the marinated mushroom pieces. Cook till bubbles cease.
Drain in a tissue paper and serve hot with tomato sauce. Enjoy !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the mushroom twice and discard the stem. Wipe it dry and chop into cubes.
In a wide bowl, mix maida, corn flour, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, ginger garlic paste, fennel seeds powder, lemon juice, salt and required water. Mix well without lumps.
Make into thick bajji batter consistency. Thin batter makes tails while frying. So batter should be thick and coat mushrooms well. Add the chopped mushroom. Mix well and let it marinate for 30 minutes. You can also refrigerate the batter if you keep it for long time. You can also prepare this batter well in advance, refrigerate and deep fry when needed.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , put a drop of batter and check the oil temperature. If it comes to top immediately, heat of the oil is right. Now take the batter, put the mushroom pieces one by one in the hot oil using a spoon. Do not use your hands for dropping mushroom in the oil because the coating may go off. So its better to use a spoon.
Deep fry in medium flame by tossing it regularly. Flip and cook both sides till golden brown in color. Bubbles should also cease well. No problem if there are one or two bubbles.
Remove using a slotted ladle and drain in a tissue paper. Deep fry few curry leaves for garnishing. Add to fried mushroom. Serve hot for best taste. Kids love to have with tomato sauce.
Enjoy !
Note
Remember batter should be thick and coat able. If its thin, tails may form in oil while dropping mushroom.
You can skip marination if you are in a hurry.
This mushroom 65 stays crispy for 15 to 30 minutes. To make it super crispy that holds for long time, you should deep fry it twice.
No need to use curd in this recipe.
If you don’t have corn flour, you can use rice flour.
You can also add crushed kasoori methi in the batter for more flavor.
Try this easy, yummy , crispy mushroom 65 recipe at home and enjoy !
I am a big fan of hotel kara chutney recipe. Whenever we visit a restaurant for breakfast or dinner, myself and my dad ask for more servings of kara chutney (Spicy chutney in English) than coconutchutney and green chutney even though it tastes too spicy. We call it as red chutney.
Having tasted so many hotel kara chutney recipes, I wanted to try it badly at home. So I came up with this basic version of hotel style kara chutney and got good results. It tasted great with hot idli and dosa. I hope this chutney tastes good with adai, paniyaram, pongal and instant idli varieties. This chutney will surely remind some hotel taste to you.
There are many type of kara chutney prepared in Tamil nadu hotels. Usually Tomato, onion, garlic and red chilli forms the base for this chutney. In some places, its also prepared without onion, with coconut or carrot to get nice orange color. In popular hotels like Saravana bhavan, Adayar Anandha bhavan they put urad dal, chana dal, coriander leaves or mint leaves in addition for more yield.
During my recent trip to Salem, we took a parcel ofidlisambar along with ginger flavored coconut chutney and kara chutney/Red chutney from A2B, Chinnar. I shared a picture in my Instagram page as well. I wanted to replicate its taste at home. I smelt and tasted every bit of the red chutney to replicate at home. I found tomato, onion, red chilli, garlic, dals and coriander leaves were used to make that chutney. This kara chutney tasted so close to it as I din’t add coriander leaves.
If you want to make the original A2B style kara chutney, you can add some coriander leaves in this recipe. I am sure you will get the same taste. Also don’t forget to use Kashmiri red chillies / Byadgi chilli and a small portion of red chilli powder to get bright red color. This chutney stays good for one to two days with refrigeration. Lets see how to make restaurant style kara chutney at home with step by step pictures and video.
Red chilli - 4 nos ( 2+2 - spicy chilli + Kashmiri chilli. add 6 for spicy chutney)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - As needed
Coriander leaves or curry leaves or mint leaves – 1 small sprig (For variations)
To Temper
Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
HOW TO MAKE KARA CHUTNEY
Wash and chop tomato,onion.Peel garlic and keep it ready.
Heat oil and saute dals, red chilli, garlic, onion till transparent.
Then add chopped tomato, red chilli powder, salt and cook till pulpy.
Cool down and grind to smooth paste.
Temper mustard, curry leaves. Add to kara chutney. Mix well & serve with idli, dosa.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and chop tomato, onion. Peel garlic. Keep it ready. Heat oil in a kadai.
Add urad dal, chana dal, red chilli ( I used 2 spicy long chilli & 2 Kashmiri chilli) & garlic cloves. When dals turn golden, add chopped onion. Saute till transparent.
Add tomato, red chilli powder, salt. Saute till tomato turns mushy. Switch off the flame & let it cool down. If adding coriander leaves, you can add now & mix well.
Grind to smooth paste adding water. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves & add to the chutney. Mix well & serve with hot idli and dosa.
Enjoy !
NOTE
Do not add dals more than the mentioned quantity because the taste of dal dominates & chutney looks like a thick paste.
You can also skip chana dal & make only with urad dal.
You can add equal quantity of tomato, onion and try this chutney.
Add more chillies if you want spicy chutney. I made it medium spicy.
For variations, you can add 1 tbsp grated coconut or 1/2 tbsp coriander/mint leaves.
If you like the flavor, you can add few curry leaves or 1 tbsp grated carrot, saute with onion and make this chutney.
Try this yummy hotel style kara chutney at home and enjoy with idli,dosa !
I served it with Instant quinoa idli ;))