Quick Egg Curry for Chapathi / Muttai Kurma

Muttai Kurma

Ingredients

Boiled eggs – 6 nos

Onion chopped – 2 nos

Tomato chopped – 1 no

Curry leaves – few

Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 and ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Fennel powder – 1 tsp

Grated coconut -1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Oil – 4 tbsp

Cinnamon stick – 1” piece

Cloves – 2 nos

Cardamom – 2 nos

Egg Curry for Chapathi

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, chopped onion, ginger & garlic paste, chopped tomato, curry leaves, red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and fennel powder, sauté everything on low heat for 6 to 7 mins until all the spices, onions are cooked and oil oozes on the sides of pan.

2. Remove pan from heat, allow the tomato and onion mixture to cool and grind this mixture along with grated coconut until smooth paste.

3. Add the ground masala paste to the same pan, return to heat, season with salt and add required water to loosen the gravy.

4. Bring the gravy to boil, add the boiled eggs to the gravy and simmer for few  more minutes.

5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Biryani Raita / Vengaya Pachadi / Onion Raita

Biryani Raita

Ingredients

Minced onion – 2 nos

Tomato chopped ( seed and pulp removed) – 1 no

Thick curd / yoghurt – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves chopped – 1 tbsp

Onion and Tomato Raita

Method

1.     In a bowl combine all the ingredients, mix well and serve.

Whole Wheat Naan - Healthy Naan Recipe

Whole Wheat Naan

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour / Atta flour - 4 cups

Thick Curd - 4 tbsp

Warm milk - 1/2 cup

Dry yeast - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Water if required

Garnish: Butter, Chopped garlic, Chopped coriander, Sesame seeds etc to spread over Naan

Naan with Atta Flour

Method

In a bowl add yeast & sugar to warm milk and mix well.

Cover the bowl and set aside to rest until the yeast in milk ferments and becomes frothy.

In a large bowl add flour, salt, curd and fermented milk. 

Mix the flour and knead dough well for 7 mins until dough becomes soft. 

Cover the dough in the bowl with damp cloth and set aside for atleast 4 hours or until the dough to raise & double in size. 

Once naan dough doubles in size divide the dough into equal sized balls. 

Roll the dough into oval triangular shapes.( to get the oval triangular shape of naan, first roll the dough in oval shape then at one oval end roll the dough in opposite direction so that one end gets wider and other end gets narrow). 

Pre-heat oven to 180C to 200C depending on your oven, place the rolled naan on greased cookie sheet.

Place the cookie sheet in the top rack of the oven and bake for 3 mins on each side or until golden bubbles appear on top of naan.

Transfer the baked naan to a plate and generously spread butter on top on hot naan. 

Serve hot butter naan with palak paneer, butter chicken etc.

Tips

While finally rolling out naan sprinkle chopped garlic and coriander for garlic naan or sprinkle chopped dried fruits and nuts for Kashmiri naan or sprinkle some sesame seeds to keep it humble.

Indian Style Empanadas

Indian Style Empanadas

I adapted the empanadas dough recipe from here laylita.com since dough making details are already given in the link I just go ahead with potato stuffing.

Potato and pea stuffing ingredients

Potato ( boiled, peeled and diced into cubes) – 2 nos

Dried green peas ( soaked overnight and cooked) – 1 cup

Red chilli powder – 1 and ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves ( chopped) – few

Oil – 1 tsp

Potato Empanadas

Method

1. Prepare the empanadas dough and set aside.

2. To make filling. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and when they crackle add  boiled potatoes, peas, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Stir well until everything is mixed well and potatoes are slightly mashed. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Roll out empanadas dough into small discs like making puris, spoon pea and potato filling onto each disc and seal the edges. Bake in pre-heated 200c oven for about 15 to 20 mins depending on your oven settings.

4. Serve hot.

Empanadas Recipe

Indian Egg Rolls with Curried Chicken

Egg Rolls with Curried Chicken

Ingredients for eggs

Eggs – 4 nos

Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil to make egg wraps

Ingredients for stuffing

Boneless chicken ( cut into tiny bites) -250 gms

Celery ( chopped) – 1 cup

Tomato chopped ( remove the seed and pulp) – 1 no

Capsicum chopped – 1 no

Red Chilli sauce – 2 tsp

Tomato sauce – 1 tsp

Curry powder -  1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tsp

Egg Wraps

Method

1. To make chicken filling. Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add celery,   capsicum and sauté for few seconds. Next add chicken pieces, sauté until chicken turns white in color.

2. Now add the chopped tomato, red chilli sauce, tomato sauce, curry powder and required salt, stir fry for a minute. Sprinkle some water to the pan, stir well, cover the pan and cook chicken on low heat for 5 mins. 3. When the chicken is cooked increase the heat and cook chicken filling until dry.

4. To make egg wraps. Beat eggs, red chilli powder and salt in a bowl with a tsp of water until frothy.

5. Heat oil in a non stick pan and make thin omelets. Remove each omelet to a plate spoon chicken filling in one corner of omelet and roll.

6. Cut egg wraps into half and serve hot.

Egg wraps

Indian Style Egg Pasta with Olives

Egg and Olives Pasta Indian Style

Ingredients

Pasta shells – 2 cups

Pimento stuffed olives ( sliced) – 6 nos

Eggs – 4 nos

Onion minced – 1 no

Any veggie minced – 1 cup( optional to make it healthy)

Garam masala powder – 2 tsp

Red chilli powder – ½  tsp

Salt to taste

Oil required

Indian Style Egg Pasta

Method

1. Cook pasta shells in salted water until al-dent( almost cooked), drain the pasta, rinse in cold water, mix with 1 tsp oil and set aside.

2. Beat eggs with salt and pepper, make scrambled egg and set aside.

3.Heat oil in a sauce pan add onion and sauté for few minutes, add the minced veggie and sauté for few more minutes. Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and required salt, stir fry for few seconds.

4.Now add the scrambles eggs, pasta and chopped olives to the pan and toss well.

5. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Egg Dum Biryani

Egg Dum Biryani

Ingredients for rice

Basmati rice – 2 cups

Cinnamon stick – 2” piece

Cloves – 4 nos

Cardamom – 4 nos

Shahi jeera – ½ tsp( optional)

Bay leaf – 1 no

Oil – 2 tsp

Water to boil rice

Ingredients for Egg gravy

Boiled eggs – 5 to 6 nos

Onion chopped – 2 nos

Tomato chopped – 2 nos

Ginger and Garlic paste – 2 tsp

Green chilli broken – 2 nos

Red chilli powder – 1 and ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Chicken stock cube or Vegetable stock cube – 2 nos( optional)

Mint leaves chopped – ¼ cup

Coriander leaves chopped – ½ cup

Curd – 2 tbsp

Water – ½ to ¾ cup

Salt to taste

Saffron strand 6 nos soaked in 2 tbsp milk( optional)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Dum Egg Biryani

Method

1.     To cook rice. Boil water in a large pot to cook rice, in a small pan heat oil add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and shahi jeera, fry for a minute and add this tempering and required salt to boiling water. When water starts to boil add the basmati rice and cook the rice until 3/4^th done. ( To check if the rice is 3/4^th done, take a single grain and pinch it between your index finger and thumb the grain will break into 3 pieces).

2.     When the rice is 3/4^th cooked, drain rice in a colander, mix 1 tsp ghee or oil to the rice and spread it on large plate to cool .

3.     To make the egg gravy. Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add the chopped onions and fry till browned, next add broken green chilli and ginger & garlic paste, sauté until the raw smell of ginger and garlic paste leaves.

4.     Now add the chopped mint leaves and tomatoes, fry on medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked and slightly mashed.

5.     Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, chicken stock cubes, curd and required salt to the pan, fry for few more mins.

6.     Add ½ cup water to the gravy and bring to boil, add boiled eggs to the boiling gravy and simmer on medium heat for 3 mins.

7.     To assemble and dum the biryani. Take a thick bottomed pan with tight lid, grease pan with ghee or butter, spoon and layer egg gravy along with few eggs on the bottom layer of the pan, spoon the ¾ cooked rice and layer on the top of gravy, sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves on top of rice, again spoon some egg gravy mixture along with eggs on the rice layer and continue to spoon rice layer. The final top layer should be the rice layer, sprinkle chopped coriander and saffron milk along with saffron strands on the rice layer.

8.     Cover the pan with tight lid and keep pan on low heat for 7 to 8 mins.

9.     Serve hot with Onion Raita or with Chalna.

Tips: Since the eggs do not have flavor for itself I have used chicken stock cubes to flavor the gravy.

Egg Biryani

Vegetable Wonton Soup / Short Soup - Indian Chinese Recipe

Vegetable Wonton Soup

Ingredients for wonton wrap

All purpose flour / Maida – 1 cup

Butter – 2 tsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Cold water as required

Ingredients for filling

Grated carrot – ¼ cup

Grated cabbage – ¼ cup

Grated tofu or paneer – 2 tbsp

Chopped spring onion whites – 2 tbsp

Dark soya sauce – ¼ tsp

Salt and Pepper to taste

Ingredients for soup

Vegetable stock – 5 cups

Light soy sauce – 1 tsp

Ajinomoto - pinch

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped green onions ( spring onions) - few tbsp

Vegetable Dumpling Soup

Method to make wontons

1.     Combine maida, butter and salt in a bowl. Rub the mixture with fingers until the flour resembles bread crumbs. Add water little by little to the flour mixture and knead to a smooth and tight dough. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and set aside for 10 mins.

2.     To make the filling. Squeeze the grated carrot and cabbage to drain any liquid from it. Combine squeezed and grated carrot, cabbage, tofu, chopped spring onion whites in a bowl, drizzle some soya sauce and sprinkle little salt and pepper. Mix everything well with a fork.

3.     Roll out the prepared wonton dough into thin sheet, dust with some flour and roll out.

4.     Cut the dough into equal sized squares.

5.     Fill each square with prepared wonton filling and seal the wonton edges with water. Seal it securely so the filling doesn’t come out while boiling.

Method to make Wonton Soup

1.     Add vegetable stock to a large pot and bring to boil, season with soy sauce, ajinomoto, salt and pepper. Simmer the stock on low heat, gently add the prepared wontons to the stock. Cover the pot with lid and let the wontons cook in the soup for 5 mins.( do not overcook the wontons in soup for longtime as they will get soaked in the soup and tear, then filling will drop all over the soup ).

2.     Add the wontons along with soup to the serving bowls, garnish with chopped spring onion greens and serve hot.

Curd Vadai / Thayir Vadai

Curd Vadai

Ingredients

Medhu Vadai( click here for the recipe) – 6 nos

Curd – 1 cup

Warm milk – 1  cup

Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos

Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no

Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Chana Dal – 1 tsp

Asafetida / hing – pinch

Salt to taste

Minced coriander leaves – few tbsp

Thayir Vadai

Method

1.     Prepare medhu vadas as per my medhu vadai recipe and set aside.

2.     Soak fried medu vada in warm water for 5 mins, drain vadas, squeeze excess water from vadas and set aside to make vadas soft.

3.     In a large shallow dish combine curd, warm milk and salt, mix well.

4.     Heat oil in a tadka pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, fry until dals are browned.        Add curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing to the pan, fry for few more seconds and add this tempering    to the curd mixture in the bowl.

         Soak the vadas in this curd mixture for 1 hour and serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Curd Rice / Thayir Sadam

Curd Rice

Ingredients

Curd / Yoghurt – 1 cup

Cooked rice – 1 cup

Warm Milk – 1 cup

Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos

Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no

Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Asafetida / hing – pinch

Salt to taste

Thayir Sadam

Method

1.     Sprinkle salt to the rice and mash rice with potato masher or dal masher.

2.     Add curd to the mashed rice and mix well, add warm milk little by little to the rice and mix well until required creamy consistency is reached.

3.     Heat 1 tsp oil in a tadka pan or small pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing. Fry for few minutes and add this tempering to the curd rice. Mix well everything and serve.

Chicken Soft Tacos

Chicken Soft Tacos

Ingredients

Tortillascooked ( click here for the recipe) – 4 nos

Gucamole (click here for the recipe) – 1 cup

Boneless chicken ( cooked and shredded) – 250 gms

Cabbage / Lettuce ( shredded) – 2 cups

Thick cream – 1 cup

Salt and Pepper to taste

Jalapenos ( chopped) – 1 no

Soft Chicken Tacos

Method

      Place cooked shredded chicken, thick cream and chopped jalapenos in a pan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to the chicken, stir well. Simmer the chicken on low heat for 5 mins until the cream is absorbed by the chicken.

      To serve. Take an cooked tortilla, spoon some chicken mixture in the middle of tortilla, top chicken mixture with guacamole and shredded lettuce.

      Serve at once. 

Chicken Tacos

Bonda Soup / Bonda Rasam

Bonda Soup

Bonda (click here for the recipe) – 8 nos

Ingredients for making soup

Water – 2 cups

Red chilly broken – 2 nos

Garlic cloves crushed – 2 nos

Tomato crushed – 1 no

Tamarind paste – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – few

Rasam podi /Rasam Powder( click here for the recipe) – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Asafetida / Hing – ¼ tsp

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

To garnish Bonda Soup

Minced onion - 1/2 no

Minced coriander leaves – few tbsp

Bonda Rasam

Method

11. Make bondas as per my bonda recipe and set aside.

22. To make the soup / rasam. Add 1 cup water, red chilli, crushed garlic cloves, curry leaves, crushed tomato, tamarind paste and salt to a bowl. Stir well and bring the mixture to boil.

33. Let the rasam boil for 3 mins on medium heat, then add rasam powder and rest of 1 cup water to the rasam, mix well and remove from heat.

  4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small tadka pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, hing and turmeric powder. Add this tempering to the rasam and stir well.

  5.While serving bonda soup. Place 2 to 3 bondas in a bowl, add enough rasam and top it with minced onion and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Broccoli Parmesan Pasta

Broccoli Spaghetti

Ingredients

Spaghetti ( cooked in salted water) – 2 cups

Broccoli florets ( par-boiled) – 1 cup

Garlic cloves ( minced) – 2 nos

Parmesan cheese ( grated) – ½ cup

Dried Red chilli – 2 nos

Butter – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Broccoli Parmesan Pasta

Method

1 1. Heat butter in a pan, when butter starts to melt add garlic cloves and red chili, sauté for few seconds.

2 2. Add par-boiled broccoli and spaghetti to the pan, toss well until butter is well coated. Sprinkle few pinch of salt if required.

3 3. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on the pasta and serve.

Broccoli Pasta

Khaman Dhokla Recipe ( A tribute to Tarla Dalal)

Dhokla Recipe

Recipe adapated from Tarla Dalal.com

Ingredients for Dhokla

Besan Flour ( Bengal gram flour) – 1 cup
Rava ( semolina) – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 3 tsp
Green chilli and ginger paste – 1 and 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Eno ( fruit salt) – 1 and ½ tsp
Oil to grease pan

Ingredients for tadka
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilies ( finely chopped) – 2 nos

Asafoetida / hing – few pich

Curry leaves( chopped) - few

Oil – 1 tsp

For The Garnish
Chopped coriander leaves – few tbsp

Grated fresh coconut – few tbsp

Khaman Dhokla Recipe

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients given for dhokla together, except the fruit salt in a bowl and mix well adding water as required (approximately ¾ cup) to make a thick batter.

2. Just before steaming dhoklas, mix eno fruit salt to 2 tsp of water and pour over the batter. When the bubbles form, mix gently.

3. Pour the batter immediately into a oil greased cake tin or deep plate and shake the tin to spread the batter in an even layer.

4. Steam dhoklas for 12 to 15 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Keep aside.

5. Heat oil in small tadka pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the sesame seeds, green chillies and asafoetida, mix well and sauté on a medium heat for few seconds. Add few tbsp water to the pan, mix well and add this tadka over the steamed dhokla.

6. When dhoklas are slightly cooled cut them into pieces and garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Khaman Dhokla Tarla Dalal

Happy Deepavali 2013

Wishing all my readers, friends and followers a very happy and prosperous deepavali

Diwali sweets and snacks

Recipe links

Diwali snacks

Besan Murukku - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/kadalai-maavu-murukku-besan-chakli.html

Nylon Thenkuzhal - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/arisi-maavu-thenkuzhal-murukku-nylon.html

Ribbon Pakoda - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/ribbon-pakoda-ribbon-murukku-diwali.html

Diwali Sweets

Soan ladoo - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/soan-ladoo-recipe-chana-dal-laddu-recipe.html

Maida cake - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/maida-cakemaida-burfi.html

7 cup Burfi - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/7-cup-burfi-seven-cup-sweet.html

Arisi Maavu Thenkuzhal Murukku / Nylon Thenkuzal / Thenkuzhal Type 2

 In this method of making Thenkuzhal the murukku will be very light, airy, crispy and not hard to chew. And we do not add chilli powder or any flavoring to this Thenkuzhal, we particularly make this Thenkuzhal for our grandparents and small childrens.
I would suggest you to use 3 hole Thenkuzhal plate in murukku press, because if you use single hole plate the murukku is very delicate and will break into pieces easily.

Arisi Maavu Thenkuzhal

Ingredients
Rice flour - 2 cup
Urad dal - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Hing / Asafetida - less than 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Water required

Thenkuzhal Murukku

Method
1. Roast urad dal until golden brown and nice aroma rises, allow to cool and grind to very fine flour.
2. Combine rice flour, urad dal flour, ghee, hing and salt to a bowl, mix well and knead to a soft and slightly sticky dough by adding required water.
4. Grease murukku press with little ghee, place 3 hole Thenkuzhal plate inside press and fill murukku press with prepared dough.
5. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan to deep fry, grease a 2 to 3 thick plastic cover or ziplock bags, squeeze murukku dough onto plastic covers.
6. Gently flip the squeezed dough from plastic cover to your hand and Carefully drop into hot oil, continue with rest of dough.
7. Deep fry murukku on low heat until golden color and until bubbling stops.
8. Drain murukku onto paper towel and once it is cooled to room temperature store it in airtight box.

Nylon Thenkuzhal

Kadalai Maavu Murukku / Besan Chakli

Pepper Murukku

Ingredients
Besan flour - 1.5 cups
Rice flour - 2.5 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Black pepper corns - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water required
Oil to deep fry

Kadalai maavu murukku

Method
1. Grind pepper and cumin to powder in a mixer grinder, let it be slightly coarse.
2. Sieve besan flour and rice flour in a bowl, add powdered pepper & cumin, ghee and required salt to sieved flour.
3. Knead to soft and slightly sticky dough by adding required water.
4. Grease murukku press with little ghee, place Mullu Murukku( star hole) plate inside press and fill murukku press with prepared dough.
5. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan to deep fry, slightly grease slotted ladle( jalli karandi) with oil, squeeze murukku dough onto ladle in round shape.
6. Carefully drop mullu murukku into hot oil, continue with rest of dough.
7. Deep fry murukku on low heat until golden color and until bubbling stops.
8. Drain murukku onto paper towel and once it is cooled to room temperature store it in airtight box.

Besan Chakli

Paal Kesari / Milk Rava Kesari / Melting Kesari

Milk Kesari

Ingredients
Coarse Semolina / Rava - 1 cup
Milk - 1 and 1/2 Cups
Water - 1/2 Cup
Sugar - 2 and 1/4 cup
Ghee( melted) - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts broken - 10 nos
Raisins / Sultans - 2 tbsp
Kesari color - few pinch

Rava Kesari

Method
1. Roast Rava until aroma rises and set aside.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashewnuts and raisins.
3. Bring water and milk to boil in a pan.
4. When milk and water mixture starts to boil add roasted rava slowly and keep stirring to avoid lumps, reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes in milk.
5. Add sugar, cardamom powder, food color, fried cashewnuts and raisins along with ghee to cooked rava.
6. Now rava kesari will loosen as the sugar starts to melt, at this point remove pan from heat.
7. Allow the paal rava kesari to warm, scoop out kesari with round ladle and place on serving plates.

Paal Rava Kesari