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February 28, 2014

PURPLE CABBAGE/RED CABBAGE SALAD RECIPE


This post was lying in my drafts for long time.As i mentioned in my Purple Cabbage Poriyal recipe, i tried poriyal and salad with this cabbage for the first time.I must thank my friend Shalini for telling this simple and easy Indian style salad recipe.It was very nice and we just loved its crunchy taste.The same recipe can be followed for Red Cabbage too.U have to consume this salad immediately to enjoy its Fresh,crunchy taste.As u all know,Purple Cabbage is loaded with Anti oxidants which helps the body to fight against diseases and also makes our skin clear & flexible .I have used Olive oil and pepper powder for salad dressing.U can also try adding Roasted & chopped Almonds or ground nuts to make it more crunchy with nutty flavour.By this way,kids may like it.

Purple Cabbage Salad Recipe


Purple Cabbage Salad Recipe Purple Cabbage Salad – Easy,Colorful,healthy salad recipe !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Salad
Serves: Serves 2
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Purple Cabbage - 1/2 cup
  • Carrot - 1 no (small)
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • Sweet corn – a handful (optional)
  • Tomato (Deseeded) - 1 no
  • Coriander leaves- a tbsp (optional)
  • Pepper powder - as needed
  • Olive oil – 2tsp
  • Lemon juice – few drops
  • Salt - as reqd
METHOD

  • Wash and chop all the vegetables into thin long strips.
  • In a bowl,take olive oil,salt,Pepper powder and lemon juice.Mix well.
  • Now add all the chopped vegetables.Mix well and serve immediately.
  • Add sweet corn and coriander leaves to make it more colorful and flavourful..


Note


  • I used white pepper powder here.U can use black pepper powder too.
  • Use deseeded tomato.I used Bangalore tomato in this recipe.
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February 26, 2014

Thandai Recipe - Maha Shivaratri Prasadam Recipes, Holi Recipes



Maha Shivaratri 2024 falls on 8th of March. So I thought of sharing this yummy, healthy Thandai as Shivratri prasad recipe which is famous in North India.We South Indians, usually make Sweet puttu with rice flour and jaggery on this day. This time I tried thandai as well as arisi vella puttu for a change. Please find the updated Sweet puttu recipe here if interested.

For this recipe, I referred  Sanjeev kapoor and Tarla dalal’s site. I just combined both the recipes and tried. It was very tasty. We loved it a lot. I have used Melon seeds and other nuts & spices. If you don’t have them in hand, you can make it very simple by making Thandai powder using almond, Cardamom, fennel seeds and peppecorns. I used Rose essence instead of Dried rose petals. I read bhang is mixed with this drink. But this one is bhang free/ no alcohol drink. 

Do offer this healthy, tasty drink for Maha Shivaratri and get the blessings of Lord Shiva!!


Thandai recipe


Thandai recipe Thandai recipe for Maha shivratri prasadam
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Dessert
Serves: 3
Prep time: 2 Hours
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 2H20Minutes


INGREDIENTS
To soak in water
  • Almond/Badam - 8 nos
  • Cashews - 4 nos
  • Pistachios - 6 nos
  • Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
  • Melon seeds - 1 tbsp
  • Water - as needed
To powder
  • Green cardamom - 3 nos
  • Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
  • Peppercorns - 10 nos
To boil
  • Milk - 1/2 liter (500ml)
  • Sugar -1/3 cup
  • Saffron - to garnish
  • Rose essence – few drops Or Dried Rose petals – few 
HOW TO MAKE THANDAI - METHOD

  • Soak all the nuts, poppy seeds, melon seeds in water for two hours. Grind it to a smooth paste adding the required water. Boil milk , add sugar, dissolve and set aside. Add the ground paste to the milk and boil for 3-4 minutes in medium flame.
Thandai-recipe-Step11
  • Now grind the ingredients given under “To powder”. Mix this powder to the milk and boil for a minute. Add few drops of rose essence and mix well.
  • Let it cool down well. After it completely cools down, strain the milk and discard the residue.
Thandai-recipe-Step2
  • Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight and serve chilled !

Note

  • Skip melon seeds if you don’t have. Poppy seeds and badam is more important. Poppy seeds is the best coolant too.
  • Adding rose essence gives a nice flavor. So please add it
  • Pepper corns gave a mild spicy taste to the milk. Do not add more.




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February 25, 2014

GUJARATI THALI RECIPES- Dal, Sev Tamatar Curry, Kadhi, Green Chilli Pickle

Gujarati-thali-recipes

In the above Gujarati thali recipes picture, I have plated Rice, Methi thepla, Moong Dal khichdi, Dahi kadhi, Gujarati Sev Tameta nu Sak / Sev and Tomato Curry, Green chilli pickle, Masala chaas, Oven roasted papad & curd.

Gujarati recipes were in my try list for long time. As I had bookmarked Gujarati Kathiyawadi thali from Ezcookbook, I thought of trying them and share it for their event. 

Last weekend, I prepared all these recipes for the first time and everything came out very well. In this post, I have shared the recipes of few dishes. I have made a separate post for Sukhdi/Gud papdi, Khichdi and Masala chaas recipe

For this Gujarati thali, I chose simple and authentic Gujarati recipes that needs very less chopping, less oil and moreover all these are No onion No garlic No coconut recipes. I took nearly one hour 30 minutes to prepare them. I followed my own recipe for thepla. While cooking, I found Hing and Jaggery are widely used in all their dishes. Most of them are tomato based gravies. Thank you Ishita for these wonderful recipes. We thoroughly enjoyed Gujarati food in my home.

Do check out my other Gujarati recipes



Shakkar para

Gujarati-food

Gujarati thali


Gujarati thali Gujarati recipes - Methi thepla, Dal khichdi, Dahi kadhi, Gujarati Sev Tameta nu Sak / Sev and Tomato Curry, Green chilli pickle, Masala chaas and Oven roasted papad. 
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves: Serves 2
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 70 Minutes
Total time: 90 Minutes

Gujarati dal tasted mildly sweet. I have used peanuts in this recipe which was the highlight. The crunchy peanuts while eating gives a nice taste. So do not avoid Peanuts when you try this recipe. The consistency of dal should be slightly watery than punjabi dal as Ishita mentioned. But I made it thicker to suit my family’s taste. We loved it!

Gujarat-dal-recipe

Tamatar sev curry was a nice combo for thepla. It was mildly tangy and addition of sev made it more tasty. I used MTR Sev, store bought ones. It was slightly thicker than the usual sev. We had this curry as an accompaniment for curd rice too..

Tamatar-sev-curry

I prepared Kadhi  as an accompaniment for moong dal khichdi. It was very nice. We also had this  mixing with plain rice and roasted papad.

Dahi-kadhi-recipe

Last but not the least, here comes my dish, Green chilli pickle. I made it specially for me as Sendhil is not fond of pickles. It had a very different taste. As I tasted it instantly, I felt it more spicy. I think it will take another 3-4 days to get soaked and for the flavour to get balanced. I had it with curd rice and thepla. It was yummy.

Green-chilli-pickle


Enjoy making Gujarati thali in your home.U’ll love its taste . 
Gujarati-lunch-menu


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February 22, 2014

Ulutham paruppu sadam, Ellu thuvaiyal, Avial recipe -TIRUNELVELI LUNCH MENU

உளுந்து சாதம் , எள்ளு துவையல் , அவியல் - Urad dal rice, Sesame seeds chutney and mixed vegetable curry is a famous lunch combo in my native place, Tirunelveli/ Nellai. We usually prepare this lunch menu for teen aged girls during their puberty. On those 5-7 days, these dishes will be in their menu for sure. I have used black urad dal here. You can use white urad dal or split ones too. 

Ulundhu paruppu sadam / Ulundu sadam is for strengthening the bones and nerves, Ellu thuvaiyal is to flush out the toxins from Ovaries giv,es a good amount of calcium and Avial/Aviyal to include the goodness of all vegetables. We never make this rice without this thogayal and avial. Its a very tasty and flavourful meal combo. 

My mom makes it at least twice in a month when we were teens. Mom usually makes this with split white urad dal. But I used whole black ones with skin as it is considered to be more healthy. I tried this menu last weekend for the first time. Sendhil loved it a lot. People from South ( Madurai, Tirunelveli) must have known about this lunch menu very well.
 
Girls, do try this authentic, healthy Nellai style lunch menu for your family. Everybody will love it.

Ellu thogayal

Urad dal rice & Sesame seeds thuvaiyal


Urad dal rice & Sesame seeds thuvaiyal Urad dal rice/Ulundu sadam & Sesame seeds/Ellu thuvaiyal recipe
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch menu
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
URAD DAL RICE
  • Rice - 1 cup
  • Black or white urad dal - 1/2 cup
  • Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
  • Garlic cloves - 20 nos
  • Salt - as needed
  • Water – 4 cups
SESAME SEEDS THUVAIYAL
  • Black or white sesame seeds - 3 tbsp
  • Red chillies - 5-6 nos
  • Tamarind - Small gooseberry size
  • Salt & water - as needed
  • Oil - 2 drops
METHOD

URAD DAL RICE
  • In a kadai or cooker base, add a tsp of oil and roast the urad dal for 3-4 minutes till you get a nice aroma. Add this to the rice and wash them.
Urad-dal-rice-step 1
  • In a pressure cooker, take the washed rice and dal. To this, add garlic cloves, grated coconut, salt & the required water.
  • Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. It looks mushy initially but it turns fluffy as it cools down. So this water quantity should be added else urad dal won’t be cooked well.
Urad-dal-rice-step 2
SESAME SEEDS/ELLU THUVAIYAL
  • In a kadai, dry roast the sesame seeds till it splutters. Do in medium low flame. Make sure it don’t burn because thuvaiyal will taste bitter if you burn them. It takes nearly 3-4 minutes. Do it patiently. Remove in a plate. Wash the seeds through a sieve. Muds will settle down. (Washing is optional)
  • To the hot kadai, heat a tsp of oil and roast the chillies. Soak tamarind in very little water.
  • In a mixie jar, take the sesame seeds, tamarind, red chillies & salt. Grind it to a smooth, thick paste adding the soaked tamarind water. Remove and serve with rice.
Sesame-seeds-thuvaiyal-step

Please click this link for Tirunelveli style Avial recipe.





Note


  • Use white urad dal in place of black dal. Broken / split or whole variety, anything would be fine.
  • Ellu thuvaiyal can be made using different methods. I’ll soon post the version with coconut & garlic which we make for idli, dosa.
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February 20, 2014

INSTANT KADALAI MAAVU BONDA RECIPE | TEA KADAI BONDA | TEA SHOP STYLE BESAN FLOUR BONDA

Kadalai maavu bonda recipe

I love this instant bonda recipe which is fondly called as tea kadai bonda in Tamil nadu that is made of kadalai maavu ( Besan flour). Some people call it as medhu bonda. I wanted to try this tea shop style bonda recipe for long time. Nowadays Raksha asks me to prepare some snacks to munch after coming from school. So I keep searching and thinking about instant snacks recipes. I am trying to make it healthy too by adding vegetables. This besan flour bonda is a very easy and instant bonda recipe.

Usually bondas are made with leftover idli, dosa batter or urad dal, maida. But this version is with besan flour/kadalai maavu. Most of you would have seen these bondas in Tea stalls ( Tamil nadu tea kadai).

 An interesting thing is that it is also called as”South African chilli bites”. Usually I make this kind of bonda with leftover bajji bondabatter by adding onions. It tastes great only when eaten hot hot ! Do try this recipe for your kids after they come from school. They’ll love it for sure ! U can also make it more healthy by adding vegetables and make it like vegetable bonda. Lets see how to make this instant bonda recipe with step by step pictures.



Besan flour bonda

Instant bonda recipe


Instant bonda recipe Instant bonda recipe with besan flour /Tea shop style bonda recipe
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Snacks
Serves:8
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1cup - 250ml
To make the batter
  • Besan flour - 1/2 cup
  • Rice flour - 1 tbsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1/2  tsp
  • Green chilli – 1 no (finely chopped)
  • Big onion - 1 no (finely chopped)
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Asafetida / Hing - 1/8 tsp
  • Coriander leaves - few
  • Cooking soda - 1/8 tsp ( a big pinch)
  • Salt and water - as needed
  • Cooking oil - to deep fry
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT BONDA - METHOD

  • Mix all the ingredients given above except cooking oil. Add water to make a thick paste. No problem if it is slightly sticky.
Instant-kadala-maavu-bonda-step1
  • Heat oil, make balls from the batter and deep fry in batches till it turns golden brown. Drain in a tissue paper and serve hot hot. Else it may turn hard.
Instant-kadala-maavu-bonda-step2

tea kadai bonda recipe

Note

  • U can reduce rice flour and try the same. It would be softer.
  • For variations, you can add vegetables like grated carrot and peas.

Enjoy eating hot bonda with coffee/Tea !
Instant kadalai maavu bonda

TRIED and TASTED BY READERS

Our fellow blogger Sailaja Damodaran tried this recipe and shared this picture with me :)




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February 19, 2014

Vermicelli Upma Recipe - Semiya Upma Recipe With Vegetables


semiya upma recipe
Semiya upma recipe

Semiya upma recipe (Vermicelli upma) is one of the easy and instant South Indian breakfast recipes. Tamil people make this upma and rava upma at least once in a week ;). I usually make this vermicelli upma adding vegetables and sometimes without vegetables adding tomato, onions alone for guests along with idli or poori.

Cooking semiya / vermicelli perfectly is the trick here. Its cooking time and preparation time is very less. So its ideal to make quick breakfast and not high in calories too. Mostly I use Anil semiya(fine variety) and very rarely I go for MTR or Bambino as they are thick. I feel thick vermicelli would go well for Semiya biryani/Pulao more than upma. Usually the ratio of semiya and water would be 1: 1 for fine vermicelli and 1:2 for  thick variety. Always add the correct water quantity to get soft and non-sticky vermicelli strands. It doesn’t need more oil or salt like rava upma. Yet it tastes great.

Sometimes I pack this for Raksha’s lunch box too. She loves it very much. I don't make any side dish for semiya upma. If you wish, you can make coconut chutney which tastes the best. Bachelors can also try this recipe for breakfast. Your job will become much easier in busy mornings. Ok, Lets see how to prepare semiya upma recipe at home perfectly with step by step pictures and video.

Check out my Rava Upma,  Rava Kichadi,  Rice upma, Fine Vermicelli upma, Wheat rava upma,  Instant upma mix recipes too.

Semiya upma with vegetables 

Vermicelli upma recipe
Semiya upma with vegetables

Semiya upma recipe - Vermicelli upma recipe


Semiya upma/Vermicelli upma

Semiya upma |Vermicelli upma recipe with vegetables - Easy, instant breakfast recipe


Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: Serves 2 to 3
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml
To temper
  • Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Urad dal - 2 tsp
  • Chana dal - 1 tbsp
  • Big onions - 1 no
  • Green chillies - 2 nos ( use 4 for spicy upma)
  • Ginger – 1 inch piece
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Carrot - 1 no ( medium, finely chopped)
  • Green peas - a handful

For upma

  • Roasted vermicelli - 2 cups ( I used Anil roasted short vermicelli)
  • Water - 2 cups ( use 1.5 cups water without using vegetables)
  • Salt - as needed
  • Lemon juice - few drops
  • Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

How to make semiya upma with vegetables - METHOD


  • Slice onions. Finely chop ginger and vegetables. Slit green chillies or finely chop it and set aside.
  • In a kadai, heat oil and temper all the ingredients given above.
Semiya-upma step 1
  • Saute onions, carrots and peas till vegatables are half cooked. After onions turn transparent, add 2 cups of water and salt. Cover the kadai with a lid.
Semiya-upma step 2
  • When the water starts to roll boil, check for taste.  If Cover cook till carrots and peas get cooked.  It takes 3 minutes maximum in high flame.
  • Now reduce the flame completely and add the vermicelli. Stir well with a fork like ladle.
Semiya-upma step 3
  • Make sure the level of water and vermicelli are equal. Water should not be excess. Mix well, press it and cover cook for 4-5 minutes in very low flame.
  • By now all the water will be absorbed by the vermicelli. Stir it once in the middle and check if it is cooked by tasting some. If you feel it is very stiff, hard and needs more water, add little more water ( few tbsp or 1/4 cup). Mix well and again cover cook in low flame for 2-3 minutes.
  • Now it will be done. Take a strand of vermicelli and press it. If it becomes mushy, it is cooked well. Lastly add 1 tbsp of coconut oil (if you like) and drizzle few drops of lemon juice. Mix gently and serve hot.
Semiya-upma step 4

How to make vegetable semiya upma
How to make semiya upma

Note

  • Always add 1:1 cup of water initially for Anil vermicelli. Add more water only if needed.
  • For other thick varieties, 1:2 or 1:2.5 ratio of vermicelli and water would be needed.
  • Addition of vegetables is completely optional. Sometimes I make it plain like rava upma.
  • You can replace lemon juice by one tomato. It would be more colorful too.
Serve hot with coconut chutney or sugar. Enjoy !
Vermicelli upma recipe
Vermicelli upma recipe


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February 17, 2014

GULAB JAMUN KOFTA CURRY RECIPE-SIDE DISH FOR ROTI


Last week i made Gulab jamun using instant mix and i had some leftover dough lying in my pantry.My MIL had told me once about jamun kofta.So i thought of using the leftover  by making this gravy.I googled and got this recipe from Cook at ease.I followed the same recipe with some changes.It came out very well.Its taste and texture reminded my paneer butter masala recipe.We all enjoyed with chapathi.Raksha ate half of the jamuns before adding to the gravySmile.She liked it very much.I coudn’t bring round shape to the balls as i made with the leftover wet dough.But i am sure u’ll get nice shape as in the original recipe if u try with mix powder.Do try this for ur kid’s get together or birthday parties.They’ll love it for sure!

Gulab jamun kofta curry recipe


Gulab jamun kofta curry recipe Jamun kofta curry - Blended with mild sweetness,tanginess.Kids would love it.
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Side dish
Serves: Serves 3
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
To make jamun balls
  • Instant gulab jamun mix - 100 gms
  • Big onion - 1 no (finely chopped)
  • Boiled & Mashed potato - 1 no
  • Green chilli - 1 no
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
  • Oil - to deep fry
To grind - 1
  • Tomato -1 no
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • Green chilli - 1 no
To grind - 2
  • Cashews - 10 nos
  • Poppy seeds- 1 tsp
To saute in oil
  • Cooking oil+ghee - 2 tbsp+2 tsp
  • Jeera/Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
  • Ginger&Garlic paste – 1 tsp
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • Red chilli powder – 1-1.5 tsp
  • Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
  • Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
  • Fresh curd - 1/3 cup
  • Milk - 1 cup (add more if needed)
  • Kasuri methi - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt -as needed
METHOD

  • Grind all the ingredients given under”To grind-1” to a smooth paste and set aside.Soak poppy seeds and cashews in little water and set aside.
  • In the mean time,add all the items given under “ To make balls” to the jamun mix.Mix well to make the dough.Make balls and deep fry them till golden brown.Remove and set aside.
Jamun-kofta-curry-step1
  • Next,grind the soaked poppy & cashews to a smooth paste adding little water and set aside.
  • In a kadai,heat oil+ghee and splutter the jeera,Saute the onions,g&g paste for a minute.Then add the ground tomato paste.Add all the spice powders & salt.Mix well and saute for few minutes till raw smell emanates completely.
Jamun-kofta-curry-step2
  • Now add the ground cashew paste and curd.Mix well.Add little water if necessary.Allow it to boil for few minutes in medium flame till oil separates.
Jamun-kofta-curry-step3
  • Lastly add milk and boil for another few minutes.Adjust the consistency of gravy as u need.Add more milk if necessary and check for the salt & spices.
  • Add crushed kasuri methi, boil for few seconds and switch off the flame.Garnish with coriander leaves .
Jamun-kofta-curry-step4
  • Add the deep fried jamun balls only 10 minutes before serving because the balls may dissolve as they are very soft.




Note

  • Adding the cooked & mashed potato acts as binding agent.So do not skip it.
  • No problem if the jamun dough becomes slightly watery.No need to rest the dough.U can deep fry them immediately.
  • The consistency of the gravy can be adjusted by adding more milk.Make the gravy slightly thin as it will thicken after it cools down.
  • Using fresh curd is important else gravy will taste tangy.

Serve with roti/Naan/Chapathi. Tastes yummy  and creamy !


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