MILAGU KUZHAMBU | PEPPER KUZHAMBU

My hubby loves this milagu kuzhambu a lot. He always used to say that  Iam good in making this. Thanks to the supplementary issue of “Aval Vikatan” . It is the source for this kuzhambu. But I made some modifications according to our taste buds!! Whenever I get up late in the morning and when I run short of time to prepare lunch for my husband, I always do this. Its very easy to do. Lets see how to make this easy pepper kuzhambu for rice with simple ingredients.

Ingredients 

To dry roast and grind

• Pepper corns – 1 tbsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

To saute:

• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Small onions – 5-7 nos ( finely chopped)
• Garlic -  10 flakes (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves – a sprig
• Tomato – 1 no (finely chopped)
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Cooking Oil or gingely oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt and water - as needed

Other ingredients:

• Tamarind – Medium gooseberry size ( 2 to 3 tsp extract)

HOW TO MAKE MILAGU KULAMBU - Method 

• Dry roast pepper and Jeera together just for 1 min in a hot kadai. U’ll get a nice aroma.(Note:Jeera should not be turned black) Grind it slightly coarse.
• Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 –10 mins and extract juice from it. Take 1 cup of juice from it. Add the pepper, jeera powder to the extract. Keep it aside.
• Now heat a wok/pan with 2 tbsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it pops, add the methi seeds. Fry..
• Add the finely chopped onions and garlic pieces along with curry leaves. Saute till they become translucent.
• Now add the tomato and cook till it becomes mushy.
• Add the turmeric powder and tamarind extract along with the required salt.
• Let it boil for 10 to 15 mins in medium flame till its raw smell goes off. Add water in the middle if necessary. You can make it thick or thin as you like. Check for taste and add some raw pepper powder if needed. 
• Now switch off the flame and garnish with  fresh curry leaves and 2 tsp of gingely oil. Cover and rest before you serve. 

If you need it more spicy , you can add the raw pepper powder on top of the gravy. No need to boil. That gives a special flavor to this Kuzhambu. I always do this at the end:)

Yummy ,Spicy Milagu Kuzhambu is ready to serve with plain rice and ghee!! It tastes great when crispy potato poriyal or  simple sorakkai poriyal is served as a side dish!!

My MIL’s Tips:

1.     For initial stages of cold: U can try this kashaayam.

Take 1 tbsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin /jeera and 1 inch size ginger in a blender and crush it into one or two. Boil a glass of water . Add this mixture to it. Boil till it gets reduced into quarter glass. Drink this by adding honey or jaggery.
2. For loss of appetite and Indigestion:
Grind 1 tsp of pepper ,1 tsp of Jeera with salt. Make it a coarse powder by adding a pod of garlic at the end. Mix it with ghee and hot plain rice and have it for 2 days. It improves the loss of appetite.
3.For dry cough: Roast 5 –7 peppers in 2 tsp of ghee till it splutters. Now remove the roasted pepper and eat it as it is. Drink the hot ghee (throat bearable heat).
We usually do all the above remedies at our home and are really beneficial:)

For Weight Loss:
If you drink pepper rasam(without rice) around 11 in the morning regularly, sure you will reduce your weight by at least 1 to 2 kg per month(no dieting is necessary). But please don't add too much of pepper . It may lead to stomach ulcer. Just normal amount of pepper as we use for rasam is sufficient!!

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MALAYSIAN PARATHA AND AWARDS!!

I took this recipe from “Aval Vikatan “ magazine under international cuisine section. I’ve done this 2-3 times so far.Its always a hit !!

Ingredients
For dough:

• Maida / All purpose flour – 1 cup
• Salt – to taste
• Hot water – As needed
• Gingely/Sesame Oil – 1 tsp

For Filling/Stuffing:

• Grated carrot –1 cup
• Grated cabbage – 1 cup
• Grated Onion – 3/4 cup
• Boiled n Mashed potato – 1/2 cup(optional)
• Green chilly – 2 – 3 nos(finely chopped)
• Garlic flakes – 4 nos (Finely chopped)
• Ginger – 1 inch size (finely chopped)
• Ajinomoto – 1/4 tsp
• White pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Soya sauce – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – as needed
• Water – little to sprinkle.
• Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

• Knead the dough using Maida,salt,hot water and a tsp of oil and set aside.
• Heat a wok/kadai with oil and add the finely chopped ginger,garlic and green chilly .Fry for a min.
• Now add the grated onions and saute for a min.
• Then add the grated vegetables and fry for sometime till the raw smell leaves it.(keep in high flame and stir it constantly so that it wont get burnt)
• Now add the salt,soya sauce and ajinomoto.Toss it well.
• Finally add the white pepper powder and mix it well.
• Now sprinkle some water and close the kadai with lid.
• Let it cook for 1-2 mins(mix it once in the middle )
• The veggies will be fully cooked .
• Now switch off the flame and close it with a lid.
• Stuffing is ready.

For paratha:
For 1 cup of Maida,u can make 5-6 chapattis.

• Take the dough and make balls of even size as we make for chapatti.

• Roll it into a thin chapatti.
• Take 2 –3 tsp of stuffing and keep it the center.

• Now close all the sides of chapatti to make it a square and roll it once.I hope the picture gives u a clear idea!!

• Heat a dosa tawa and put the paratha over it.
• Sprinkle some oil and cook both sides till golden brown.

Malaysian paratha is ready to serve with raita or pickle of ur choice!!

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Vegetable Dum Biryani Recipe In Pressure Cooker

I tried this dum biryani using a pressure cooker for the first time. I had an eye on this recipe for long time.I was searching cook books,blogs etc to get the recipe.At last I got it from a book and a blog.I combined both the recipes and made it on my own. It came out very well with a nice color and aroma.We liked it very much!! Most of  you would have tried Dum biryani in different methods.Here I have shared my version.Hope you will like it.Lets see how to make Vegetable Dum biryani recipe in a pressure cooker.

Vegetable dum biryani recipe

Vegetable dum biryani recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Lunch recipes

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Ingredients reqd Vegetables(carrot,beans,potato,peas) - 2 cups Rice – 1 cup Water – 2 cups To Saute Oil /Ghee – 1 tbsp Cinnamon – 1” stick Cloves – 3 nos Cardamom – 1 no Bay leaf – 1 no Star anise/Marati moggu – 2 nos Big Onion – 1 no(sliced) Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp Green chilly – 2 –3 nos(slit) Mint leaves – 10- 15 leaves Coriander leaves – a few Tomato – 2 no (chopped) Turmeric powder – a pinch Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Salt – As needed Curd – 1 tsp Red color – a pinch ( optional) To Grind Cashew nuts – 10 nos To Garnish Roasted Bread/Bun – Few pieces (optional)

METHOD

Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes.Cube cut all the vegetables and keep it aside. Grind the cashews to make a smooth paste.set aside. Heat a cooker base with oil and add all the spices one by one given under “ to saute” in the same order. Once the spices start to splutter,add the onion juliennes' and fry till transparent.Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell  leaves. Add half of the mint & coriander leaves. Fry it. Add the slit green chillies ,fry and add chopped finely tomatoes.Cover Cook till tomatoes become mushy. Now add the vegetables and mix till masalas are well coated on it. Add the chilli powder,cashew paste and salt ,mix well. Now add the remaining mint & coriander leaves and curd.Fry for a min. Drain the water from the soaked rice and add to the mixture. Mix it well and add 2 cups of water.Add a tsp of ghee to it. Pressure cook till it is 3/4th done.(I kept it for 6 mins after putting weight valve.My cooker generally takes 8 mins to cook the rice completely.)So depending on ur cooker,please vary the time.Now open the cooker and mix it once. How to put DUM

• Heat a dosa tawa and keep the cooker on it with weight valve.
  • Once the tawa becomes hot,simmer the flame and let the cooker stand on it for 8-10 mins..
  • The rice will be cooked full using the vapor inside. It wont get burnt.Once the pressure is released ,open the cooker and toss it once. Add the roasted bread pieces and mix it well.

Yummy Veg Dum Biriyani is ready to serve with onion raita.Enjoy !

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Navratan Korma - How to make Navratna Korma

I took this navratan korma recipe from Indian Culinary expert - Mallika badrinath’s “100 Vegetarian gravies/Kurmas” book. First time , I did a recipe with paneer. It came out very well.I was very happy ,everybody ate well in my home :)

Ingredients

• Paneer – 100 gms

To cook:

• Finely chopped Vegetables (Carrot,beans,potato,peas,cauliflower) – 2 cups

To grind:

• Tomato – 3 (Big sized)

To saute:

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Big onion – 2 nos
• Ginger-garlic paste – 1.5 tsp
• Coriander seeds powder / Dhania pwd – 2 tsp
• Red chilly powder – 1.5 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1.5 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

To add finally:

• Fresh cream – 2 tbsp
• Milk – 1 cup
• Ghee /Butter – 3 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

To decorate:

• Chopped Pine apple pieces,apple pieces – Few
• Cashewnuts,dry grapes,tutty –fruity – 1/2 cup
• Chopped Coriander leaves

Method of preparation:

• Cut the paneer into small cubes and fry in oil for 1-2 minutes by flipping it over.Make sure the color of paneer doesn’t change to golden brown/red.
• Immerse the fried paneer in hot water for 5-10 mins and take it out.Keep it apart.
• Pressure cook all the finely chopped vegetables.
• Peel the skin of onions and grate it.Keep aside.
• **Blanch the tomatoes and grind it to a smooth paste.Set aside.
• Heat a wok/pan with 1 tbsp of oil and add the ginger-garlic paste to it.Fry for a minute.
• Now add the onions and fry till turns golden brown.
• Add the tomato puree ,turmeric powder,chilly pwd,dhania pwd,garam masala pwd and salt.
• Fry till the oil leaves separates.
• Add the boiled veggies and fry for a min.Add little water and boil for sometime.
• Then add the fresh cream ,milk and boil for a minute.
• Finally add the fried paneer, fruits ,nuts and remove from the fire immediately.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves !!

Note : While serving ,u can keep chopped onions and lemon on the plate
**Blanch:Boil water and add the tomato into it.Close it for 5-10 mins .The skin of tomato gets cracked.Now remove the skin and grind it to make a puree.
Tastes great with Roti/Chappati,Naan etc…

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Red Coconut Chutney - Coconut Onion Chutney With Garlic

This is my favourite red coconut chutney with onion and garlic. My mom usually prepares this for dinner as a side dish for dosa, idli. I love to have it with curd rice too. She uses green chillies if making for breakfast and red chillies for dinner. Its very easy to make.We all know coconut milk when mixed with honey is good for curing stomach and mouth ulcers. 

Even raw coconut has amazing health benefits. So its better to include coconut in our diet (But in a limited quantity) without hesitation . Lets see how to make this easy red coconut chutney recipe using red chilli, onion & garlic.

Red coconut chutney

Red coconut chutney recipe with garlic for idli dosa

Cuisine: Indian

Category: chutney

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Red chillies - 4 nos (use 2 for less spice, 6  for spicy chutney. Use byadgi chilli to get this color) Tamarind - 1 small piece Garlic cloves - 3 nos ( small) Big onion - 1/2 no (optional, use for variations) Salt & water - as needed

METHOD

Grind all the items given above except garlic cloves.Grind to a smooth paste. Lastly add finely chopped garlic cloves and grind it together. Serve with idli,dosa topped with gingely oil.

Note

U can replace red chillies by green chillies. It tastes great for idli. For variations , you can also add 2 small onion or half of big onion while grinding.

Serve with idli,dosa topped with a tsp of gingely oil. Tastes superb !!

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Very good recipes Tags: coconut recipes, Easy coconut chutney, side dish for idli dosa

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MY SECOND AWARD!!

Iam very much surprised and honoured to recieve this award from my friend akal of akal's saapadu.

Thanks a lot akal for sharing this award with me:)


Sorry for not posting any recipes for the past 10 days..As my baby was not keeping well,i was not in a mood to browse or post anything.Iam extremely sorry,i couldnt see ur posts too:(

I'll be posting the recipes from next week..Thanks to all the viewers of my blog for ur constant support and encouragement:)Love u all friends..Take care..Bye for now..

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