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July 25, 2012

ANDHRA THALI | ANDHRA LUNCH MENU | ANDHRA VEG MEALS

ANDHRA THALI
Its been my long time wish to try other state foods. I really got bored of making my usual sambar, vathakulambu etc.. So with my hubby’s acceptance and guidance, I tried Andhra meals / Andhra lunch menu as a first step. He had tasted andhra food in some restaurants like Nandini, Nagarjuna. So he told me the names of dishes they serve in the platter. I googled and found good recipes from some of the blogs. They came out very well. 

My hubby thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes I made. I too loved it. My daughter who is a fussy eater loved the food. I was very happy that my first attempt in andhra food was a big success at home. While cooking I found some ingredients, they use commonly in almost all the recipes. They use Red chillies , Ginger & Garlic paste , Hing and ajwain. I think these ingredients gives the aroma and spiciness in their food. My house was filled with nice aroma when I prepare all these dishes. People who love spicy foods must try Andhra food. Ok, coming to the platter.

In the above picture you can see Andhra Sambar , Tomato Rasam , Mamdikaya cauliflower pachadi , Ivygourd poriyal  ( Tindora curry) , Palakura pappu . I tried Andhra style paruppu podi /Kandi podi too but I forgot to mention in the thali. I will make a seperate post for it. 

PALAKURA PAPPU / DAL PALAK

My hubby told this recipe tasted exactly like the one he had in restaurants. Thanks a lot sailu’s food .

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

  1. Toor dal/red gram dal/kandi pappu – 2 handfuls or 1/4 cup
  2. Palakura/palak/spinach leaves –2 small bunches ( washed and finely chopped)
  3. Big onion – 1 no ( chopped)
  4. Turmeric powder -  a pinch
  5. Green chillies – 2-3 nos ( slit lengthwise)
  6. Ginger – 1/2 inch piece ( chopped)
  7. Thick Tamarind extract – a tsp ( soak berry sized tamarind and add the extract)
  8. Salt & water – as needed
For seasoning (Use a tsp of ghee)
  1. Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  2. Cumin seeds/jeera – 1/2 tsp
  3. Urad dal- 1/2 tsp
  4. Garlic cloves, crushed – 3-4
  5. Red chillies – 2 nos (pinched )
  6. Curry leaves – few

METHOD
  1. In a pressure cooker, place dal, washed and finely chopped palak leaves, onions, green chillies, ginger and turmeric powder. Add 1 to 2 cups of water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles.
  2. Heat ghee in a kadai, add mustards seeds and after they start to dance , add cumin seeds, urad dal,  crushed garlic, pinched red chillies and curry leaves and fry for half a minute.
  3. Add this to the pressure cooked dal along with salt and combine. Add the tamarind extract and cook on slow to medium flame for 5-7 mts without lid or till you get the consistency of your choice.Add water if necessary
Enjoy mixing with plain white rice and ghee !!
NOTE
  1. For variations u can try sauting the onions , green chilles , palak leaves in little oil before pressure cooking with dal.
  2. Always do the seasoning in the end.
  3. If you want, you can do the seasoning using oil and add little ghee on top of the dal.
  4. Give a standing time of at least half an hour before serving for all the tastes to blend.

  ANDHRA SAMBAR

I got the following recipes from here. If you want to try varieties of Andhra thali, you must visit this blog to get a good idea. She has given a nice collection of recipes. Thanks Srinithya.


ANDHRA SAMBHAR
INGREDIENTS
  1. Carrot,potato – 1 no each
  2. Drumstick- 1 no
  3. Tomato  - 1 no (chopped)
  4. Big onion –1 no ( chopped)
  5. Toordal- 1/2 cup
  6. Gooseberry sized tamarind – soak in warm water.
  7. Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
  8. Madras sambar masala / any sambhar powder – 1 tsp
  9. Poppy seeds/gasalu-1 tsp
  10. Coconut dry / kobbari –2tsp
  11. Ginger garlic paste- 3/4 tsp
  12. Oil-2 tbsp

To temper

  1. Mustard seeds -1 tsp
  2. Jeera / cumin seeds –1 tsp
  3. Hing -2 pinches
  4. Red chillies – 1 no ( pinched to two)

coriander leaves – to garnish.
METHOD
  1. Pressure cook toor dal and the vegetables . Set aside.
  2. Dry roast poppy seeds, grated coconut and grind it to make a paste along with sambhar powder. keep aside.
  3. In a wide mouthed kadai , add oil and temper the mustard seeds , jeera , hing and turmeric.
  4. Add the G&G paste and saute well. Add the chopped onion and tomato pieces.
  5. Saute till tomato turns mushy. Add the tamarind extract and salt , few curry leaves.Allow it to boil for few mins.
  6. Now add the cooked dal and veggies along with ground poppy seeds paste.
  7. Boil for 10 mins in medium flame. Remove and add coriander leaves.
Serve with hot , plain white rice adding little ghee !!
NOTE
  1. The vegetables should not be over cooked.
  2. As per the original recipe , madras sambar masala is used . But I used my home made sambar powder.
  3. I also used red chillies while tempering and i tempered at the end.

MAMDIKAYA CAULIFLOWER PACHADI | RAW MANGO CAULIFLOWER PACHADI

Thought she has given varieties of pachadi in her blog, I chose this one just becoz of this combination. I wanted to try this combo and as it sounded unique and different. I’ve got an yummy raw mango dish to add in my mango recipes list.
MAMDIKAYA PACHADI
INGREDIENTS
  1. Green Raw mango pieces  - 1 no ( medium sized)
  2. Grated cauliflower florets -1/2 cup
  3. Garlic cloves – 5-6 nos ( chopped)
  4. Red chilli powder –  1 to 2  tsp
  5. Roasted cumin fenugreek powder - 1/8 tsp
  6. Turmeric powder -1/8 tsp
  7. Chopped garlic pods-3 tbsp
  8. Salt- to taste
  9. Water – As needed.
To temper
  1. Oil-1 tbsp
  2. Mustard seeds-1 tsp
  3. Jeera – 1/2 tsp
  4. Curry leaves chopped – few
  5. Hing-2 pinches

METHOD
  1. Peel the skin of raw mango and chop it finely. (Its better if you grate it )
  2. Remove the cauliflower florets and add in boiling water along with little turmeric powder and salt.
  3. Remove and grate it. Set aside.
  4. Heat oil in a pan add mustard, jeera , curry leaves and hing
  5. Add garlic and fry till brown.Now add veggies and fry for 2 seconds
    and close lid and cook till soft,stir in middle to avoid burning. Add little water if necessary.
  6. Add chilli  powder , turmeric powder and salt.
  7. Mix and cook for sometime.
Serve with rice as a side dish !!

TINDORA TOMATO CURRY | IVYGOURD TOMATO STIR FRY

I have never used tindora in my cooking. For a change, I tried this curry . My husband who hates tindora loved this a lot. 
TINDORA FRY
INGREDIENTS
  1. Dondakaya/ivy guard chopped length wise-1 cup
  2. Chopped tomato –1 no
  3. Chopped big onion – 1no
  4. G&G paste – 1/2 tsp
  5. Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
  6. Salt-to taste
  7. Curry powder-2 tsp ( i used garam masala powder)
  8. Dry coconut powder-1tsp ( i used grated coconut)
  9. Turmeric-1/8 tsp
  10. Oil-3 tbsp
To temper
  1. Mustard seeds-1 tsp
  2. Jeera  - 1/2 tsp
  3. Curry leaves- few
  4. Coriander leaves- few to garnish

METHOD
  1. Pressure cook ivy guard pieces till done, drain excess water and set aside.
  2. Fry the pieces in 1 tbsp of oil until crisp and set a side
  3. Heat oil in a pan and  temper all the above ingredients. Add onion  , ginger garlic paste and fry for 5 minutes till raw smell emanates.
  4. Then add tomatoes and cook till soft.
  5. Add all the powders, salt and ivy guard pieces. Fry for 5 more minutes.
  6. Add coriander leaves and serve.
It smells and tastes gr8 with rice as well as roti. !!
NOTE
  1. I dint deep fry the tindora pieces instead I shallow fried it for sometime and proceeded the recipe.
  2. Make sure the tindora is not overcooked while pressure cooking.

TOMATO DAL  RASAM

I made slight changes in the actual recipe to suit my hubby’s taste. It tasted excellent and flavourful the next day. I reheated the rasam and used the same for two days.

ANDHRA RASAM
INGREDIENTS
  1. Finely chopped tomatoes-3 nos
  2. Berry sized Tamarind
  3. Cooked tuvar dal -1/4 cup
  4. Ajwain/vamu /carom seeds/omam-1/2 tsp
  5. Hing-2 pinches
  6. Crushed garlic- 4 cloves
  7. salt-to taste
  8. Red chillies-2 nos
  9. Turmeric powder -2 pinches
  10. Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
To temper
  1. Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  2. Jeera – 1 tsp
  3. Curry leaves – few
Coriander leaves – to garnish.

METHOD
  1. Pressure cook toor dal with little turmeric powder till mushy and set aside.
  2. In a cooking bowl,  add water, tomatoes and tamarind.
  3. Cook till soft and reserve the boiled water. 
  4. Grind the tomatoes and tamarind to make a paste.
  5. Crush ajwain with hands and set a side.
  6. Heat oil in a pan add cumin, mustard, hing, ajwain and dry chillies.
  7. Fry well and add garlic pieces.saute till golden brown.
  8. Now add mashed dal, tomato paste, water, crushed ajwain, pinched red chillies, salt and pepper powder.
  9. Boil for sometime. I added little sugar while boiling.
  10. Garnish with coriander leaves. 
Serve hot !!

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July 17, 2012

HARA BHARA KABAB | SPINACH PEAS KEBAB


hara bhara kebab
As I had mentioned in my previous baking posts, I recently started experimenting recipes in my microwave oven . I had tried recipes using convection and microwave modes. But one mode which I want to try for a long time is GRILL mode. When I was searching for recipes that use grill mode , I got this one. Though I got the actual recipe from net , I had the same in the microwave manual too. So i just went through both the recipes, tweaked a bit and made my own. My hubby dear liked it a lot. He said its better than the ones served in restaurants. 

I was also very happy with the outcome. We enjoyed as a evening snack. Its a zero oil crispy kebab. I am sure most of you make it. Try my version, you’ll love it..

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml
  • Boiled green peas – 1/4 cup
  • Palak / spinach– 1/2 cup
  • Boiled potato – 1 no
  • Boiled carrot – 1 no
  • Corn flour – 1/8 – 1/4 cup ( adjust)
  • Maida – 1 tbsp(optional)
  • Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder -  1/2 tsp
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
  • Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt – As needed
  • Bread crumbs – 1/4 cup
  • Oil – 1tsp
METHOD
  • Pressure cook peas, potato, carrot and set aside.
  • In a kadai, add a tsp of oil and saute the washed, cut palak leaves till it shrinks and reduces to half in quantity.
  • Now take the cooked vegetable and sautéed palak leaves in a mixie and grind smoothly without adding much water. ( No need to add water . If necessary add very little.)
  • Take the paste in a mixing bowl and add corn flour , red chilly , coriander powders , GG paste, salt and garam masala powder.
  • Make a dough. If the dough is sticky add more corn flour or little maida to get a whole mass. Apply little oil if needed.
  • Take a small ball shaped dough and pat it to make a round shape.
  • Roll this in bread crumbs and arrange everything in a metal plate .Sprinkle little oil on top of kebab.
  • Now set the grill mode and bake it for 10 mins.
  • Remove the metal plate and turn the kebabs upside down for the other side to cook.
  • Again bake in grill mode for 9 mins.
  • So the total time would be 19 mins. Please adjust this time according to ur microwave.
Tasty , hot kebab is ready to eat !
NOTE
  1. The actual recipe called for deep frying the kebab. But I  tried in grill mode as suggested in my manual. Deep fry if you make it for kids.
  2. The outer layer was very crispy and inside it was very soft.
  3. If you don’t want to make it in microwave, just toast this kabab in dosa tawa by drizzling little oil.
  4. U can also try coarse grinding the vegetables and palak leaves if you wish.
  5. Try adding the finely chopped palak leaves as it is instead of grinding with vegetables.
  6. Kids will enjoy this snack with tomato sauce.
  7. Instead of garam masala powder,  you can add chat masala  & amchur powder.
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July 12, 2012

VENDAKKAI MASALA FOR RICE, ROTI / BHINDI MASALA / LADY'S FINGER MASALA

bhindi masala

I usually make Bhindi curry/ vendakkai curry with sambar powder .. For a change I tried this method for our lunch . I got this vendakkai masala recipe from a book. I think most of you make this for roti. This masala goes well for roti as well as dal rice & mild pulao varieties. It tastes and smells great.

INGREDIENTS
  • Ladies finger / okra – 12 nos
  • Big onion – 1 no
  • Tomato – 1 no
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp (adjust)
  • Coriander powder – 3/4 tsp
  • Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt – As required.
  • Water – just to sprinkle.
To temper
  • Oil – 1 tbsp
  • Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish
METHOD
  • Heat oil in a kadai and add the cumin seeds. Then put the chopped onions and ginger garlic paste.
  • Saute till the raw smell emanates.
  • Then add the cut okra pieces and saute well for few mins.
  • Now add the tomato pieces and saute till it turns mushy.
  • Finally add all the dry powders.Toss well for few mins.
  • Sprinkle or add little water and close the kadai with a lid.
  • Keep the flame low and allow the okra to cook well.
  • Toss in between to avoid charring.
  • Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
Enjoy with roti, dal rice or pulao !!

vendakkai masala
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July 3, 2012

ASSAM TEA RECIPE


ASSAM TEA
I love to try varieties of tea. Ginger tea is my favourite among all.I came across this Assam tea recipe in “Aval vikatan “ magazine.The original recipe is shared by Mrs.Revathi shanmugam.This title attracted me &I tried on the same day .I loved its flavor. The addition of cloves gives a nice aroma. Do try this. U’ll love it.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml
  • Fresh milk – 1/2 cup
  • Water – 1/2 cup
  • Tea powder – 1.5 – 2 tsp ( based on the color & strength u need)
  • Ginger – 1 inch piece( 1 tbsp)
  • Cardamom – 2 no
  • Cloves – 2 nos
  • Sugar – 1.5 tsp or as needed.

METHOD
  • Crush ginger , cardamom and cloves together.
  • Boil the milk along with water , tea powder, sugar and crushed spices for 5 mins in low flame.
  • U’ll get a nice color. Strain it and serve !!
  • Method :2 Boil cardamom, cloves and tea powder in 1/2 cup of water till it reduces to 1/4 cup. Then add 1/2 cup of milk, boil for 2 minutes and strain it.

Tips:
  • For variations, try adding  a piece of cinnamon along with spices.
  • For spiced chai or masala chai , add 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper corns.

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June 25, 2012

Chettinad Style Appam Recipe Without Yeast-South Indian Breakfast Recipes

Appam recipe

I got this South Indian( chettinad style) appam recipe from here. But i did not follow the same method which was given there instead i used my mom’s method for ease n convenience.The result was fluffy,soft aapam which we had with vegetable stew. We loved it.Thanks to solai aachi for this wonderful recipe. This is sure a keeper. There are so many aapam recipes on net. Even i had posted some from my friend. Most of the recipes have urad dal , methi seeds and coconut milk.I was also making aapam using these ingredients. But my mom said that appam batter would smell more like dosa.She also said aapam has a typical coconut flavor and taste. So this time i used only rice n coconut. As my mom said , it smells and tastes great. Next time i am planning to try solai achi’s authentic method and post it HappyLets see how to make appam recipe with sweet coconut milk for breakfast !!

Chettinad Appam Recipe


Chettinad Appam Recipe Chettinad Appam Recipe Without Yeast
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 10-12 nos
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

  • Raw rice – 1 cup
  • Boiled rice / idli rice –1 cup
  • Cooked rice - 1/4 cup
  • Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
  • Cooking soda – 2 pinches
  • Salt – As needed
  • Sugar – 1 tsp
  • Coconut water – little
**  For Sweetened coconut milk
Grind 1/4 cup of grated coconut with 1/4 cup of warm water and take the first extract.Add 3- 4 tsp of sugar and 2 crushed cardamom pods.Mix well , heat for few secs. Pour it on top of appam and enjoy..
METHOD

  • Soak both the rice together for 2-3 hrs.
  • Break the coconut and take the water.Set aside.Grate it and keep aside.
Appam recipe 1
  • Grind the rice together adding the coconut water & cooked rice.
  • Add half of the required salt.After the rice starts to grind , add the grated coconut.
  • Add water if necessary. Make sure the batter is not too watery.It should be thick.Allow it to ferment overnight or 8 hrs.
  • The next day morning , add 2 pinches of cooking soda , sugar and little salt.Mix well and keep aside for 10 mins.
Appam recipe 2
  • Heat the aapam skillet (aapam chatti) and pour a ladleful of batter in the centre.
  • Now swirl the aapam skillet in a circular motion so that the sides would be thin and center portion would be thick.
Appam recipe
  • Cover with a lid and cook in medium flame for few mins.
  • The sides will raise and center portion will be cooked with holes on it.
  • Remove the aapam and enjoy with stew !!
Appam recipe without yeast
We had  appam with **sweetened coconut milk and vegetable stew.

**  For Sweetened coconut milk
Grind 1/4 cup of grated coconut with 1/4 cup of warm water and take the first extract.Add 3- 4 tsp of sugar and 2 crushed cardamom pods.Mix well , heat for few secs . Pour it on top of aapam and enjoy..

Note
TIPS from Mrs.Mallika badrinath

1. When bubbles does not form in the dosa, add little more cooking soda.
2. If the bottom of the dosa sticks to the pan and doesn’t come out well that shows coconut milk added is more than the required measure.
Enjoy soft n spongy appam with sweet coconut milk ! Tastes yummmm..
Appam recipe without yeast
 
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June 18, 2012

ALMOND COOKIES – NO EGG NO BUTTER - BADAM BISCUIT

aLMOND COOKIES 1

This is my second post on cookies/ biscuits. After trying multi grain nankhatai , I got the confidence of making varieties of cookies. I got this eggless almond cookies recipe from here.. Thanks a lot Anu, it tasted great. We loved it so much. I have done this badam biscuits thrice so far. When I tried this recipe for the first time i dint have butter in hand. So i just replaced the butter with cooking oil doubtfully. But to my surprise, it tasted great.

I started making it with cooking oil every time. I halved the original recipe and tried for the first time , but then I adjusted the recipe for smaller quantity. Here I’ve given the recipe for small quantity which yields around 10 biscuits. It will finish off in no time, try this. U’ll come to know.

 Two readers from Sweet n Spicy mobile app tried this biscuit with wheat flour and liked it very much. Here is what they quoted:

"amazing.. yummy n awesome... evryone loved it... made two batches on first day itself... 4 stars" -  Ayfoona311


"Tis s my 1st cookies.. luckily  dnt ve maida @home.. i substitue wit wheat flour i added raisins too.. came out crispy n tasty.. i cant believe myself.. really wonder tat my hand done a cookies... :-):-) 5 stars" -  Krithiga2232 

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml
  1. All purpose flour /Maida – 1/2 cup
  2. Almond / Badam – 1/3 cup
  3. Sugar – 1/2 cup
  4. Cooking oil – 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
  5. Honey – 1 tsp (optional)
  6. Vanilla essence – 1/4 tsp
  7. Salt -  a pinch
  8. Cooking soda – a pinch

HOW TO MAKE ALMOND COOKIES - METHOD
  • Take the all purpose flour in a wide bowl and mix the salt , Baking soda / cooking soda & vanilla extract.
  • Microwave almonds for 1- 2 mins to roast it. Almonds start to crackle and nice aroma wafts around.
  • Remove the almonds and allow it to cool. Powder it nicely. U can powder the sugar along with almonds. (i.e. run the almonds and make it to a coarse powder, then add the sugar and grind it well ..)
  • Mix this mixture to the all purpose flour and add the cooking oil.
  • Make it into a soft , non sticky dough. This dough would be crumbly in texture.
  • Roll it tightly. Pinch a small ball sized dough and flatten it with your palm. Cracks may appear. Just seal the cracks with your fingers by patting it in the sides.
  • In the meantime preheat the oven for 10 mins in 180c convection mode.
  • Take the baking tray or cookie pan and arrange the cookies with an inch gap. Cookies will raise and spread well. So leave some gap between each cookies. 
  • Bake it in convection mode at 180c for about 20 – 22 mins. Time depends upon your oven setting. Please have an eye after 10 mins. Remove once the top starts browning.
  • It will be very soft to touch immediately after baking. Take out the tray. Don’t try to remove the cookies. Let it cool down completely in the tray itself. Then remove it. It would become crispy and hard.
  • Keep the remaining dough covered. Do the same procedure from steps 7-9.
  • Store it in an air tight container after it cools down.
Enjoy the cookies with tea/ coffee !!

My first attempt picture :)
almond cookies


TIPS
  1. Honey is optional to use. I used honey for the first time but then I completely forgot it the next time. There is no difference in taste or texture.
  2. U can replace honey with golden syrup as mentioned in the original recipe.
  3. If you want to use butter in place of cooking oil, add 4 tbsp ( 60 gms) of melted butter or soft butter at room temperature.
  4. U can reduce the oil and add little water if necessary. 
  5. Please do not add milk because the cookies turns soggy the next day.
  6. Mild cracks will be there in the cookies. Its unavoidable. So don’t panic.
  7. Here I’ve mentioned the almonds to grind nicely. U can also coarse grind the almonds as given in the original recipe. U’ll get small pieces of almonds while eating which also tastes good. I had tried in that way too. U can see the cookies in the second picture in which I coarse ground the almonds.
  8. I added equal amount of roasted walnuts and almonds and tried once. Try if you wish. 


almond cookies

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June 11, 2012

VERMICELLI BIRYANI | SEMIYA BIRYANI RECIPE WITHOUT ONION GARLIC




Vermicelli biryani ( semiya biryani in Tamil) recipe is an yummy, kids friendly breakfast and dinner recipe. I got this semiya biryani recipe from my brahmin neighbour. She makes it without onion & garlic. But I used onions as per my liking. I have tried without onions too. I would say this recipe suits well for potluck as well as lunch box. Your guests would be amazed by its taste. They’ll sure ask you for the recipe. I had tried this recipe many times and it never disappointed me. Its very simple to prepare too.. I have used water to cook the semiya, u can also use coconut milk or water & coconut milk half n half to cook the vermicelli. It makes the dish very rich. Lets see how to make semiya biryani in detail.

Sorry for the poor picture. I will try to update it.

INGREDIENTS

  • Short Vermicelli / Semiya – 1 packet or 200gms ( Roasted would be much better. I used bambino roasted short vermicelli)
  • Big onion –  1 no (slice cut , optional)
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
  • Carrot – 2 nos
  • Beans – 5 nos
  • Green peas –  handful
  • Potato – 1 no
  • Water – 1.5 cups ( As mentioned in the packet)
  • Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
To grind
  • Grated coconut – 2 tbsp
  • Green chillies – 2 nos ( use 3 for spicy taste)
  • Ginger – 1 inch
  • Cinnamon – 1 small piece
  • Cloves – 2 nos
  • Fennel – 1/2 tsp
To temper
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
  • Jeera – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish
Lime juice – few drops
Ghee – 1 tsp
Cashews – to garnish (optional)

HOW TO MAKE VERMICELLI BIRYANI - METHOD

  • Cut all the vegetables into small cubes and add all the 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
  • In a wide mouthed kadai , heat oil and add jeera.Then add the onion slices ( if using) and saute well.
  • Add the ground coconut paste and mix well for few mins till raw smell emanates.
  • Next add all the veggies along with the water and add the turmeric powder and required salt. Let it boil for few minutes.
  • Finally add the roasted semiya and mix well. Cover & cook for sometime in low flame. Toss in between.
  • Make sure the water is sufficient for the semiya to cook.. If not,  add more and mix well. Use a fork kind of ladle to mix the mixture so that the vermicelli wont break much.
  • Finally add the lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
Roast cashews in  a tsp of ghee and add it on top before serving !
Serve hot with simple onion raita!

TIPS

  • Here i’ve used green chillies for grinding. So use red chilly powder only if necessary. OR if u don’t want to use green chillies , use red chilly powder alone while sautéing onions.
  • U can use garam masala powder at the end if necessary.
  • Add all the water ( i.e the water needed for cooking vermicelli ) while cooking vegetables in the pressure cooker.
  • No need to pressure cook after adding the vegetables. Just cover the kadai or cooker with the lid.Open in between and stir the mixture well to avoid over cooking or burnt smell.
  • Add water if necessary. Usually vermicelli takes 10 mins to cook well.
  • This biryani looks mushy after cooking. U may feel it dint come out well .. But it needs some time to become flaky. Make sure you add correct quantity of water & use a fork to stir the mixture.
  • Please prepare this dish at least 1 hour before serving.
  • Sooner you prepare better the taste would be. If you want, you can reheat it by sprinkling little water and serve hot.

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June 4, 2012

Avial Recipe - Tirunelveli Aviyal Recipe - Mixed Vegetable Curry

Avial recipe
 
Avial is my mom’s signature dish. I am a big fan of this mixed vegetable curry. It tastes great with sambar rice. Its a famous recipe among South India especially in Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu and Kerala..We make this specially for guests. I think most of you make this at home. Every time when I try to make this, I never get it perfect like my mom.
 
Recently when my parents visited me, I told my mom to make it , I stood nearby and noted down all the steps which I should have done this before my marriage. I want to record this recipe in my blog with all the tips from my mom for my future reference. Hope it will help beginners like me. Friends, Do try this Tirunelveli style perfect avial recipe with simple tips I learnt from my mom. U’ll love it .
Kerala avial recipe

Avial recipe - Tiruneveli Avial recipe


Avial recipe - Tiruneveli Avial recipe

Avial recipe - Tiruneveli Avial recipe / Mixed vegetable curry for rice


 
Cuisine: Tirunelveli
Category: Side dish
Serves: 3
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes
 


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250ml
  • Mixed vegetables ( carrot, beans, raw banana, Brinjal, Drumstick, Potato) - 2 cups
  • Salt & water – As needed
  • Turmeric powder - a pinch
  • Curry leaves – a few
  • Fresh curd –1 tbsp
To grind
  • Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
  • Green chillies – 3 
  • Small onion – 5-6
  • Jeera / cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
To temper (optional step)
  • Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds– 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves – few
  • **Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
HOW TO MAKE AVIAL RECIPE
  1. Wash and chop the vegetables of 1.5 inch size thick. Keep in water till use.
  2. Grind all the items given under “to grind” to thick paste.
  3. In a bowl, cook the carrot, beans and drumstick first.
  4. After its half cooked, add remaining vegetables. Cook till soft.
  5. Do not over cook. Vegetables should retain its shape.
  6. Now add the ground coconut paste, turmeric powder, salt, curry leaves and coconut oil.
  7. Mix gently and boil in low flame for 5 minutes. Lastly add the curd, mix gently and switch off the flame. Tempering is optional.
  • Serve with rice and sambar. Tastes great !
  •  METHOD - STEP BY STEP
    1. Cut all the vegetables of 1.5 inch size. Put everything in water until use.
    2. Grind all the items given under “to grind” with little water. First run the coconut & chillies together to make a paste. Then add the small onions & jeera and run the mixie once or twice to crush it.
    3. In a wide mouthed bowl, take the carrot, drumstick and beans. Add water just for the vegetables to immerse and allow it to cook for sometime by covering the bowl with a lid.
    4. After it is half cooked, add the potato, raw banana, brinjal. Make sure the vegetables are not over cooked. It should not be mushy. Total cooking time would be 20-25 minutes in medium flame.
    5. Check the amount of water in between otherwise the veggies would be burnt.
    6. After all the veggies are cooked, if there is remaining water allow it to drain by boiling well for few mins. If you are using pressure cooker, just cook all the vegetables in high flame for 2 whistles. (Tips: Add a pinch of sugar and turmeric powder to retain the colour of vegetables). Release the pressure immediately so that vegetables will be cooked perfectly.

      How to make avial

    7. Finally add the ground coconut paste, turmeric powder, salt, curry leaves & coconut oil. Toss gently and simmer the flame. Allow it to boil for 5 mins.
    8. Before switching off the flame add the curd, use a fork like ladle to mix well and switch off the flame.

      How to make avial
    9. Temper the mustard seeds and add to avial.
    10. Cover it with a lid to retain the flavor and aroma.

      Last but not the least ,when you make it for your guests and if the avial lefts over , you can use it the next day by making pazhang curry.
    TIPS TO MAKE PERFECT AVIAL
    1. As I mentioned in the method, just grind the small onions and jeera coarsely by running the mixie once or twice. This gives the nice flavor. Also add the small onions in the mentioned quantity. Please do not reduce it.
    2. Pinch the curry leaves and add it raw while adding the coconut paste.
    3. The vegetables should not be over cooked. Please take care while it cooks. my mom tells me to cook the vegetables one by one in a separate bowl . So the aviyal looks more like a dry curry as we see in marriages and hotels. All the veggies should be visible and separate.
    4. I have also tried pressure cooking the vegetables but cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Remove the whistle quickly by releasing the steam. Veggies would be cooked perfectly.
    5. Don’t forget to add the coconut oil. Its very important for the flavor.
    6. Tempering is purely optional. Even my mom does not do the tempering part always. But the tempered mustard seeds gives a unique, nice smell. So its better to temper I feel.
    7. If you have raw mango in hand, you can add it to the vegetables while cooking but add it at the end as it cooks fast. In that case, please do not add curd. It makes the avial sour.
    8. If you don’t use mango , you should add fresh curd. Curd should not be too sour.
    9. My mom never makes aviyal if there is no raw banana and drumstick. So please make sure to use those veggies when you make.
    10. I’ve mentioned the veggies as 2 cups roughly.. In specific, I used 2 small carrots, 1 big potato, 1 medium raw banana, 10 beans, 1 drumstick and 2 small brinjals.

    Yummy, aromatic, flavorful avial is ready to enjoy with sambar rice..!!

    How to make avial

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