Search Chitra's Food Book

September 19, 2013

Easy Snake Gourd Fry - Pudalangai Poriyal Without Coconut - Poriyal Recipes


Snake gourd - stir fry copy

I usually make poriyal with snake gourd. I was asking my MIL to suggest me some other recipes using snake gourd.She immediately told me about this pudalangai pepper fry and made it for us. As this poriyal is without coconut, we loved it a lot. My MIL told this recipe is specially meant for mixing with plain rice topped with ghee.But I feel it must taste good for rasam & dal rice too.This is very easy to prepare and I am sure pepper lovers would love this recipe a lot..
Snake gourd pepper stir fry copy

INGREDIENTS
  • Snake gourd – 1 no  (medium sized)
  • Pepper corns – 1.5 tsp
  • Cumin seeds /jeera – 1.5 tsp
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
  • Ghee –1 tbsp
  • salt – as needed
Lemon juice – few drops (optional)
METHOD
  • Wash and cut the snake gourd into two vertically. Discard the soft part inside.Chop them into small pieces of finger line size.Add salt , mix well . Snake gourd will release some water. Squeeze them out .After u squeeze all the water , the quantity of snake gourd will be reduced to half..
snake gourd fry tile2
  • Coarsely grind pepper & jeera together..Set aside..
snake gourd stir fry tile1
  • Heat oil in a kadai and add the squeezed snake gourd pieces. Saute well till it shrinks..Simmer the flame completely and close the kadai with a lid .Let it cook well.Mix every now n then.Snake gourd cooks very fastly.  It takes maximum 10-15 minutes in low flame..
  • After the snake gourd is completely cooked add ghee and coarsely ground pepper , jeera powder and salt if necessary..Mix well and switch off the flame. Leave it in the kadai heat for sometime.. Add little lime juice if needed..
snake gourd stir fry tile3
Transfer to a plate ,mix with plain rice adding ghee .Tastes great with papad as accompaniment !!.Addition of ghee is a must for best taste n flavor. It also reduces the spicy taste of pepper.
If u don’t like to mix with rice , enjoy as an accompaniment for paruppu sadam or rasam sadam with appalam papad..

snake gourd stir fry plate
Continue Reading...


September 18, 2013

MURUNGAKKAI PORICHA KUZHAMBU – DRUMSTICK PORICHA KULAMBU

murungakkai poricha kuzhambu

Murungakkai poricha kuzhambu/ drumstick poricha kootu is one of the easiest and delicious gravy for rice which I learnt from my MIL.Whenever I feel lazy to cook, I make this drumtsick gravy alone for rice. I don’t make any poriyal or kootu.We have the drumstick itself as side dish. I just make a thogayal along with this gravy and we have a hearty meal with papad or vadam.

drumstick- poricha - kuzhambu


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Drumstick –2 nos
  • Moong dal – 1/4 cup
  • Sambar powder – 2 tsp
  • Tamarind – Small gooseberry size OR Tomato – 2 nos
  • Salt n water – as required
To grind
  • Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
  • Rice flour – 1 tsp
To temper
  • Cooking oil- 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Jeera – 1 tsp
  • Sambar onion- 15 nos(chopped finely)
  • Curry leaves – few

METHOD
  • Chop the drumstick pieces into finger size.Slit it half way through..
  • In a cooker base take the moong dal with required water.Add 1/4tsp of turmeric powder and a drop of oil.Take a small bowl that fits inside the cooker. In that bowl , put the chopped drumstick pieces.Add very little water (say 2 tbsp).The drumstick pieces gets cooked in the steam itself..Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.( I use the same technique for cooking dal & vegetables for sambar. )
murungakkai poricha kulambu tile1
  • Grind the coconut and rice four to a smooth paste adding required water.
murungakkai poricha kulambu tile`
  • After the steam is released open the cooker , remove the drumstick bowl. Mash the dal well..
  • In a kadai , take the mashed moong dal , drumstick pieces ,sambar powder , tomato pieces or tamarind extract , salt and water.Allow it to boil for sometime..
  • Lastly add the ground coconut mixture.Mix well.Add little water and boil for some more time.
  • Temper the mustard seeds , urad dal , jeera , small onions and curry leaves. Saute the onions till golden brown.
murungakkai poricha kulambu tile2

Tastes great when mixed with plain rice topped with ghee !!
drumstick- poricha - kuzhambu plate

Continue Reading...


September 16, 2013

PALAK KEERAI KOOTU RECIPE – LUNCH RECIPES


palak-keerai kootu copy-002
When i posted keerai kootu recipe , a reader told me to post palak keerai kootu.As i had not tried it before , i asked my MIL on how to make it. She told me to saute the leaves and cook to avoid the slimy texture. I tried that way and it worked great. We loved it with vatha kuzhambu.

palak kootu copy

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml
  • Palak - 2 cups (chopped)
  • Moong dal – 3 tbsp
  • Sambar powder – 1.5 –2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/2tsp
  • Tomato – 1 no (finely chopped)
  • Salt n water – as required
To grind
  • Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
  • Rice flour – 1 tsp
To temper
  • Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1 tsp
  • Jeera – 1/2 tsp
  • Small onions – 10 nos (finely chopped)
METHOD
  • Wash and chop the palak leaves.In a pressure cooker base , heat a tsp of oil.Saute the leaves for a minute till it shrinks. Add moong dal , sambar powder , turmeric powder , tomato ,salt and water. Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
palak kootu tile1
  • Grind the coconut and rice flour to a smooth paste adding required water.
  • Pressure cook it in low flame for one whistle. After the steam is released, add the ground coconut paste.Mix well and boil the mixture.
  • In a tadka pan , heat coconut oil.Temper all the ingredients given under “To temper”.Saute onions till it turns golden brown with a nice smell.Add this to the kootu,mix well and serve !
palak kootu tile2

palak kootu tile3

palak kootu1 copy-001
Continue Reading...


September 14, 2013

Onam Festival Food | Kerala Onam Sadya Lunch Menu

onam sadya --picture

This is my second post on Onam sadya lunch menu with Onam sadya serving order. Basically I love to try other state recipes a lot apart from my usual Tamilnadu recipes .When it comes to regional cuisine , my first choice is for Kerala food. My dad’s mom (my aachi) is from Nagercoil. As it is in kerala border , my aachi’s cooking was very similar to Kerala style. She makes many coconut based recipes like sodhiAvial, theeyal etc. So right from my childhood, I grown up eating those foods. This may be the reason I have a love towards kerala food. But I have never thought I could make authentic kerala recipes in my kitchen.

I must thank my Ex-neighbor Mrs. Prema for sharing all her yummy recipes & inspired me to cook them. Last year I posted onam sadya recipes for the first time from vanitha magazine with the help of her. I should say that was one of the hit posts in my blog. This year I couldn’t try vanitha magazine recipes as she had changed her house. I really miss her and her recipes very badly :( . She was a caring and good friend of me. This time too, before cooking these recipes, I called her over phone to confirm the methods of making..

I must also thank all our Malayali blogger friends because all these recipes are tried from their blogs. I googled the recipes, chose some best recipes based on the comments and tried it. I have given the source of each recipe under the title. Everything came out very well. I felt so happy when I made this platter. I referred Roshni’s blog for serving order. Hope I have served them in correct order. Thank you Roshni :)

Check out my other Kerala recipes too !


I wanted to try the recipes which I din’t post in my last year’s onam sadya platter. So this year I tried paruppu curry , puli inji , Kerala sambar with freshly ground spices  (without coconut), Kerala tomato rasam , Puliserry , Olan , Avial( my mom’s recipe) , Cucumber kichadi , Vendakka pachadi , Beans mezhukkuppuratti , Cabbage thoran , Channa dal payasam  , Sharkara payasam & Naranga achar ( my mil’s pickle)..

U may wonder by seeing the color of sharkara payasam ;). It has to get a brown shade. As my jaggery is colorless the syrup was very light in color. So I added a pinch of red color to it. I thought it will give a brown paagu effect to the payasam but unfortunately it became orange and also it became very thick like pudding. So friends please excuse. I’ll try to update the picture. But the taste was really great. :L)

I’ve given step by step pictures for all the recipes in a simplified manner.  Hope it will be understandable and helpful :)

I wish all my friends a very happy and great onam celebration :)\

onam sadya---platter



KERALA SAMBAR(WITH FRESHLY GROUND SPICES)

INGREDIENTS
  • Toor dal – 1/2 cup
  • Pumpkin – 1/4 cup (cubed)
  • Drumstick – 1 no
  • Potato – 1 no
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
To roast n grind
  • Oil – 1 tsp
  • Dhania / coriander seeds – 1.5 tbsp
  • Urad dal – 1.5 tbsp
  • Red chillies – 5-7 nos
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Hing – 1/4 tsp
Tamarind – Small lemon size
To temper & saute
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Red chilli – 1 no
  • Big onion – 1 no
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Tomato – 1 no
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Salt n water – as needed
Coriander leaves – few to garnish

METHOD
  • Pressure cook dal adding turmeric powder and a drop of oil. Mash it well and set aside. Take extract from the tamarind and set aside.
  • In a pan , heat oil and roast all the ingredients given under “ to roast n grind”. Saute well without burning and switch off the flame. Make them to a paste and set aside.
onam kerala sambar tile1
  • In a kadai , heat oil, temper mustard seeds, red chilli , curry leaves and saute the onions , tomatoes & curry leaves. Saute till tomato turns mushy. Add tamarind extract ,salt  and curry leave. Allow it to boil well, add all the vegetable and boil the tamarind extract till the veggies cook well.
onam kerala sambar tile2
  • After the veggies are cooked , add the mashed dal and spice powder. Mix well and boil for 5 minutes.sambar will thicken, add water if necessary .
  • Garnish with coriander leaves.
onam kerala sambar tile3
Line a bowl with banana leaf and pour the sambar. Close it with a lid. Serve with rice !
  • Any vegetables like yam, carrot , pumpkin , drumstick , radish, lady’s finger and ashgourd can be used in this sambar..

KERALA TOMATO RASAM
Source – Marias menu

INGREDIENTS
  • Tomato – 2 (chopped or crushed)
  • Tamarind  – Small gooseberry size
  • Cooked dal water – 1/4 cup (optional)
  • Black pepper corns –  1 tsp
  • Red chillies – 2 to 3
  • Garlic – 6 cloves
  • Jeera – 1/2 tsp
  • Dhania – 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida– a pinch
  • Salt & water – as needed
  • Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
  • Chopped coriander leaves – 1-2 tbsp
METHOD
  • Fry the dry red chilli for a minute. Grind together fried red chilli, pepper corns, garlic, jeera and coriander seeds slightly coarse in texture  OR U can make it to a coarse paste as per the original recipe.
onam kerala rasam
  • Heat oil , fry ground masala for 2-3 mins. Add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook till tomatoes become soft.
onam kerala rasam tile1
  • Add tamarind extract and salt. Mix well. Add 2 cups of water and coriander leaves. Let it boil, reduce the flame and simmer for 5-7 mins. Add a pinch of hing.Serve hot !
onam kerala rasam tile2

PULISSERY OR MORU CURRY
Source – Pachakam

INGREDIENTS
  • Thick n sour Curd - 1 cup
  • Grated coconut - 1/3 cup
  • Green chillies – 4 nos
  • Garlic pod - 1 no
  • Cumin seeds -  1/2 tsp
  • Small onion – 2 no
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
To temper
  • Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds- 1/ tsp
  • Curry leaves –few
  • Roasted Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar – 1/4 tsp
Salt - As reqd

INGREDIENTS
  • Grind together coconut, green chillies, garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, small onion and turmeric powder into a fine paste.Cook the ash gourd pieces separately. 
  • Beat the curd by adding this paste, salt and sugar. After beating , the mixture should be of medium thick consistency. 
onam pulissery tile1
  • Heat oil in a pan. Temper mustard seeds. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds along with fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and mix it well.
  • Pour the curd mixture  and cooked ash gourd into the pan and keep it on a medium flame, stirring continuously, until it becomes warm.  NEVER ALLOW THE CURD MIXTURE TO BOIL. Remove it from fire and sprinkle roasted fenugreek powder over the Pulissery and mix it well.
onam pulissery tile2
  • Serve hot with rice.
U can also use cucumber , Mango & pumpkin


BEANS MUZHUKKUPURATTI
Source – Spicy chilli

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • French Beans-1 cup ( cut into 1cm length)
To grind to coarse paste
  • Small onions- 6 numbers
  • Garlic – 3 cloves
  • Chilli powder- 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
To season
  • Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
METHOD
  • Chop the beans , add salt and pressure cook it in high flame for one whistle. ( This is for fast quicking & less oil consumption).Drain all the excess water.But make sure beans should be soft yet firm., It should not lose its shape.
  • Coarsely grind the items given under “to grind” without adding water.
onam beans mezhukkupuratti tile1
  • In a pan , heat oil and temper mustard and curry leaves. Now add the beans and saute well in high flame for a minute to absorb all the moisture in them..
  • Now add the coarsely ground paste and saute them till the raw smell goes off. Do it in medium flame.Fry till the beans look dry and shiny..Remove n serve !
onam beans mezhukkupuratti tile2


CABBAGE THORAN
Source – My neighbor Mrs. Prema

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Cabbage - 1 cup
  • Big Onion –2 nos
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
To grind to a coarse paste
  • Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
  • Green chillies – 2 nos
  • Jeera – 1/4 tsp
To temper
  • Coconut oil –2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds –1 tsp
  • Red chillies – 1no
  • Curry leaves - A few
METHOD
  • Grind coconut , green chillies and jeera to a coarse paste without adding water. Set aside. Chop the cabbage and onions. Mix together the finely chopped cabbage, onions, and salt.
  • Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add pinched red chilli and curry leaves to it. Now add the ground coconut mixture, saute for few minutes. Remove and serve !
onam cabbage thoran tile1
onam cabbage thoran tile2


OLAN
Source – Marias menu

INGREDIENTS
  • Black-eyed beans /vanpayar / kaaramani – 1/4 cup
  • Ash gourd -  2 cups, cut into cubes
  • Green chilli – 3-4, slit lengthwise
  • Water – as needed
  • Thick coconut milk – 1/2 - 3/4 cup (adjust)
  • Salt- as needed
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
METHOD
  • Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai and fry the beans till it starts to crackle.( This step is not in the original recipe. But I did it for additional flavor)
  • Pressure cook the beans with 1 cup of water in low flame for two , three whistles. Drain the excess water & keep aside the cooked beans. The beans should not be over cooked and it should retain its shape.
  • Cook together ash gourd, green chilli, salt and 1.5 cups of water, till ash gourd becomes tender. Ash gourd also should not be overcooked and it should retain its shape.
  • Add the cooked beans to the ash gourd and mix well. Add coconut milk and curry leaves. Cook on low flame for 5-7 mins. Remove from the fire and drizzle some coconut oil.The curry has a thick consistency.
onam olan tile

No need to soak the beans if u fry in oil. In the actual recipe , maria mentioned that it is not necessary to soak the beans even without frying..


VENDAKKA PACHADI
Source – My neighbor

INGREDIENTS
  • Thinly chopped Lady’s finger – 1 cup
  • Thick curd – 1 cup
  • Green chilli – 2 nos(finely chopped)
  • Salt – as needed
  • Sugar – a pinch
  • Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves – few
METHOD
  • In a kadai , add oil , temper mustard seeds and curry leaves.Then add the finely chopped lady’s finger & green chillies and saute in high flame continuously .Add salt , sugar and saute till it is cooked well.
  • Remove & add curd to it. Mix well and serve !
onam vendakka pachadi


CUCUMBER KICHADI
INGREDIENTS
  • Cucumber – 1 no
  • Thick curd – 1 cup
To grind
  • Green Chillies  - 2 nos
  • Grated coconut –1/4 cup
To temper (optional)
  • Mustard Seeds - ¼ teaspoon.
  • Coconut       - ¼ tbsp
  • Red Chillies- 1 pinched.
  • Curry leaves   - few  
METHOD
  • Cut cucumber into small pieces and set aside.
  • Grind coconut and green chillies to a smooth paste adding water.Mix this paste with cucumber.Temper mustard & other ingredients and add to the mixture.
  • Lastly add the thick curd , mix well & serve immediately.

CHANA DAL PAYASAM
Source- Vanitha magazine

INGREDIENTS
  • Chana dal – 1/4 cup
  • Grated jaggery – 1/2 cup
  • Grated coconut – 1 cup
  • Salt – a pinch
  • Cardamom – 2 nos powdered
  • Ghee – 1 tbsp
  • Roasted nuts – 2 tbsp
METHOD
  • In a mixie add  1/3 cup of water and take the first coconut milk.Set aside.Again add 3/4 cup of water and take the second milk.Keep aside.
onam payasam tile
  • Pressure cook channa dal adding enough water for two,three whistles in low flame.Open and mash them well. I pulsed it in mixie.
  • In a pan , melt jaggery , make syrup and strain the impurities.Add the mashed dal to the syrup . Add the second coconut milk and ghee & boil till it reduces to half..
onam channa payasam tile1
  • Lastly add the first thick milk , cardamom powder and mix well. Boil in very low flame for 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
onam channa payasam tile2
  • Add the roasted nuts n serve !


SHARKARA PAYASAM
Source – Cheenachatti

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Grated coconut –1 cup
  • Raw rice – 1/4 cup
  • Grated jaggery – 1/3 cup
  • Ghee – 1 tbsp
  • Cashew Nuts & raisins – few

METHOD
  • In a mixie , grind coconut adding 1 cup of water and take the first milk. Again add 1/2  - 3/4 cup of water and take the second milk. Set aside.
  • In a pan , melt the jaggery , make syrup , strain impurities if any. Make jel like syrup..
onam payasam tile
  • Wash n soak raw rice for 20 minutes. Pressure cook it adding 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water. Rice should be cooked but it should not be mushy.
  • Add the syrup to the cooked rice and boil well. Add the second coconut milk an boil for 5-7 mins in low flame.
onam sharkara payasam
  • Lastly before switching off the flame, add the first coconut milk. Mix well. Add the roasted nuts. Serve !
onam sharkara payasam tile1
  • This payasam tends to thicken soon. It will become spoonable. Add more milk to get a thin consistency. U can also add 2 tbsp of roasted coconut pieces if you wish.
Continue Reading...


September 11, 2013

CURRY LEAVES KUZHAMBU | KARUVEPPILAI KULAMBU – LUNCH RECIPES

Curry leaves kuzhambu

Curry leaves kuzhambu / Karuveppilai Kulambu is a very healthy and tasy kuzhambu recipe that tastes great with plain rice adding sesame oil. My in-laws were with me for the past 15 days.We had a nice time together. I tried some interesting and tasty kuzhambu, poriyal varieties by asking my MIL. I wanted to have a record of all those recipes. So I have planned to post them in this week. Let me start with this curry leaves kuzhambu /karuveppilai kulambu. Initially I used to grind the raw curry leaves and make this gravy like my MIL. Recently I started to saute the curry leaves and grind. It comes out very flavorful..

Usually the color of this kuzhambu looks blackish green. This time I used sambar powder with kashmiri chillies. So it was brownish. The color of gravy may vary depending on the sambar powder you use.. It tastes the best when done in advance. Standing time of 2-3 hours is needed to enjoy its actual taste. It stays good for two days even without refrigeration. So Bachelors can make this kulambu and have it for 2-3 days and its apt for travel too..


Do check out my curry leaves podi if interested !


Karuveppilai kulambu

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Fresh curry leaves  - 1/2 cup heaped
  • Tamarind – A lemon size
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Sambar powder – 2 tbsp
  • Pepper powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt , water – as needed
To temper
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Jeera –1 tsp
  • Toor dal -  1.5 tsp
  • Small onion – 10 nos(finely chopped)
  • Garlic cloves – 7-8 nos  (-do-)
HOW TO MAKE CURRY LEAVES KUZHAMBU - METHOD
  • Take 1/2 cup heaped curry leaves and saute them in a tsp of oil till it shrinks little. Soak tamarind in little water. Grind curry leaves along with tamarind to a smooth paste adding required water.
curry leaves kuzhambu
curry leaves kuzhambu 
  • Transfer the ground mixture to a bowl and add 2 cups of water. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Check for taste.Set aside.
curry leaves kuzhambu
  • In a kadai , heat oil and temper mustard seeds , fenugreek seeds , urad dal ,jeera and toor dal..Roast them till golden brown. Next add the finely chopped small onions and garlic cloves and saute till transparent.
curry leaves kuzhambu
  • Lastly add the tamarind mixture and allow it to roll boil in medium flame for 10 –15 minutes till oil starts to float on top and gravy thickens. Add water in the middle if necessary..
curry leaves kuzhambu
  • Before switching off the flame add pepper powder, mix well and transfer to a serving bowl. Close it with a lid to retain its aroma.The gravy thickens when time proceeds.
Mix with plain rice adding gingely oil and enjoy !!

NOTE
  • My MIL usually says the amount of curry leaves and tamarind should be equal. If you add more curry leaves , gravy gets a raw smell. If you add more tamarind , gravy tastes more tangy. So balance them and add.
  • U can also grind the raw curry leaves without sautéing in oil if you have fresh , flavorful curry leaves in hand. I saute and grind because the curry leaves I get here are mostly dry and flavorless .
  • Allow the kulambu to boil well for 10-15 minutes for all the raw smell to leave.
  • This gravy tastes the best the next day. So I make them in more quantity, refrigerate it and enjoy for two days. It stay good for two days even without refrigeration..
Technorati Tags: ,,,,,,,,,
Continue Reading...


September 10, 2013

Soya Chunks Kurma For Rice, Roti - Meal Maker Gravy - Soya Chunks Recipes

Meal maker kurma

Hi friends, hope you all celebrated Ganesh chaturthi very well. We too had a great celebration with my in-laws :)  and back to routine.

I got this soya chunks kurma recipe ( meal maker gravy) from a magazine. It was mentioned that this gravy can be had with dosa , appam , roti and rice. Basically I love soya chunks/meal maker a lot. My Mom used to add them in biryani & kurma. But my MIL never uses it as my husband is not fond of it.
 
Though I like it very much, I couldn’t make often in my kitchen. Recently a reader in Facebook mailed me to post some soya chunks recipe for rice. As I have not yet posted any soya recipes, I really wanted to post one.. So I started searching for some recipes & finally I got this Tamil nadu style soya chunks kurma recipe from Aval vikatan. I have tried this South Indian meal maker gravy twice so far and I loved it with rice, roti and dosa.
 
Basically I like to mix kuruma kind of gravy with rice. I have already posted cauliflower gravy for rice and tiffin, my mom’s recipe very long back. This is also one such kind. Try this Soya chunks gravy and serve it as a side dish for rice, roti / chapathi and dosa !

soya chunks kurma

Soya chunks kurma / Meal maker gravy for rice and chapathi


Soya chunks kurma / Meal maker gravy for rice and chapathi

Soya chunks kurma / Meal maker gravy for rice and chapathi


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


INGREDIENTS

  • Meal maker/soya chunks – 1 cup ( I used big chunks)
  • Big onion – 2 to 3 (use 3 if small in size)
  • Tomato – 3  
  • Green chillies – 2 to 3 (slit)
  • Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Dhania powder – 1 tsp
  • Ginger&Garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
To grind
  • Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
  • Khus khus/poppy seeds – 1/2 tsp (soak in little hot water)
To saute
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 no
  • Cloves – 2 nos
  • Biryani leaf - 1 no
  • Kalpasi / Black stone flower - 1
  • Coriander leaves – to garnish
HOW TO MAKE SOYA CHUNKS KURMA
  1. Wash and soak meal maker / soya chunks in hot water for 20 minutes.
  2. Grind coconut mixture to smooth paste. Set aside.
  3. Heat oil and add whole spices, onion, gg paste, green chilli and saute well.
  4. Saute tomato till mushy. Add spice powders and mix well. 
  5. Add water and cook well. Add coconut paste and some water.
  6. Squeeze the soya chunks and add to gravy. Boil well till thick.
  7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice, roti, dosa !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
 
  • Wash and soak meal maker in hot water for 20 minutes. It will double in size.  Squeeze the chunks and drain the excess water. Grind coconut and khus khus to a smooth paste and set aside.
soya chunks kurma
  • In a kadai, heat oil. Saute bayleaf, cinnamon and cloves. Then add g&g paste. Saute till raw smell leaves in low flame. Then add onions and slit green chillies. Saute well. Lastly add tomatoes and saute till mushy. Add turmeric powder, dhania powder,  red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Mix well .
soya chunks kurma
  • Add 1 cup of water and allow the onions and tomatoes to cook. Lastly add the ground coconut paste.  Add some water to bring in gravy consistency.
soya chunks kurma
  • Boil for sometime. Squeeze the soaked soya chunks well without water and add them to the gravy. Boil for sometime. Adjust the consistency by adding water if necessary. Garnish with coriander leaves.
soya chunks kurma
Enjoy mixing with rice or as an accompaniment for idli , dosa and roti !

NOTE
  • If you want to make for chapathi, add 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder for more flavor. Otherwise it is completely optional.
  • Always soak in water and squeeze the meal maker before adding to the gravy for all the taste to incorporate.
Continue Reading...