Broccoli salad

Ingredients:
1.)Broccoli - 10 pieces
2.)curd/yogurt- 1 cup(thick)
3.)pepper powder - 1tsp
4.)salt - pinch
5.)cumin powder - 1 tsp
6.)amchur powder - 1/2 - 1tsp(depends on the curd taste)

Procedure:
Take some hot boiling water, to it add some salt and mix well. Into this hot water add the broccoli pieces. Let then stay in for 1/2 min and remove them.
In another bowl take yogurt and add pepper, salt, amchur powder and cumin powder. Mix well. The way to eat this salad is, dip the broccoli into the dip(yogurt mixture) and eat.


Serving Instructions:
To serve, dip the broccoli, with its head down into the curd mixture(as shown in the picture. Make sure while cutting the broccoli, u have long enough stems to hold them.).
The salad is ready to be served.This can be had even as an appetizer.

Shrimp/Prawn Masala

Ingredients:

1.)Shrimp - 450gm

2.)onion - 1 big(chopped finely)

3.)tomato - 1(chopped)

4.)ginger garlic paste - 1 and 1/2 tsp

5.)green chillies - 4(slit length wise)

6.)cloves - 2

7.)cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece

8.)red chili powder - 1/4 tsp(optional,varies on the level of spicy food u can take)

9.)coconut powder - 1tbsp

10.)curry leaves - 6

11.)turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

12.)salt - to taste

13.)oil - 1 tbsp

14.)sugar - pinch

Procedure:

Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add cloves and cinnamon. When they start giving out an aroma, add onions, curry leaves and green chillies and fry till onions get translucent. At this point add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and cook till the ginger garlic paste get cooked. Next add tomatoes and cook till they get soft. Now add salt and red chili powder and mix well. Next add the shrimp and saute it in the mixture without adding water. Make sure that shrimp doesn't burn,because we saute without adding water. Saute the shrimp dry for 5 mins and them add water and coconut powder and let the shrimp cook. Shrimp masala is ready to be served. This goes very well with rice or chapathi.

Fish Fry

Ingredientd

1.)Fish - 225gm(I used Tilapia, proly 9 2 inch pieces)

2.)Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

3.)turmeric powder - 1tsp

4.)Red chilli powder - 3-4 tsp(depending on how spicy u want)

5.)Lime Juice - 2 Tbsp

6.)Salt - 1tsp

Procedure:

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl, except the fish. Coat the fish pieces evenly with the mixture and let it marinate for 30 mins. Fry the fish on a pan with little oil or PAM(cooking spray) by flipping it , so that the fish gets properly cooked.Fish fry is ready to be served. This goes extremely well with sambar and rice, or can be had just as a snack or appetizer.

Collard Green Curry

Ingredients:
1.)Collards - 450gm(Chopped)
2.)onion - 1 medium(finely chopped)
3.)green chillies - 3(slit length wise)
4.)dried red chilli- 2-3
5.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
6.)Tomato - 3(finely chopped)
7.)mustard seeds - 1tsp
8.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
9.)ural dal - 1tsp
10.)garlic - 1tsp(finely chopped)
11.)turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12.)garam masala - 1tsp
13.)amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
14.)salt - to taste
15.)oil - 1 tbsp
16.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
17.)cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Procedure:
Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and red chilli. When they start spluttering add onion, green chillies, garlic and fry till onions get golden brown. Then add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw flavor of ginger garlic paste is gone.Then add tomatoes and salt and saute till the tomatoes are cooked. Next add the collard green and fry for 2 mins. Then add the rest of the masalas, add some water and mix well andLet the collards cook .

Cauliflower curry

Ingredients:
1.)cauliflower florets- 450gm
2.)tomato -3 (chopped)
3.)onion - 1 small(finely chopped)
4.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
5.)mustard seeds - 1tsp
6.)red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
7.)amchur/dried mango powder - 1/2 tsp
8.)garam masla powder - 1 tsp
9.)salt - to taste
10.)ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
11.)lime juice - 1 tbsp


Procedure:
Take oil in a pan. When it is hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and urad dal. When they start spluttering add onions and salt and saute till onions get transparent. To this add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor of the ginger garlic paste is gone. Now add the tomatoes and saute for about 2-3 mins. To this add red chilli powder and mix well. Now add the cauliflower florets and mix well. Close the lid of the pan and let the cauliflower florets cook. Keep checking occasionally, other wise the curry might get burnt at the bottom on the pan.If necessary add a little water to avoid burning of the curry.Once the florets are cooked, add garma masala powder and amchur powder and mix well add cook for another 3 mins and finally add lime juice and mix well. Cauliflower curry is ready to be served. This goes well with chapathi or rice.

Tomato papu

1.)tomato - 4(cut into pieces.)

2.)onion - 1 small chopped(not very finely)

3.)toor dal - 1 and 1/2 cups

4.)green chillies - 5 to 6

5.)curry leave - 6-7

6.)mustard seeds - 2 tsps

7.)cumin seeds - 1 tsp

8.)astefodia - pinch

9.)sambar powder - 1 tsp

10.)turmeric - 1/2 tsp

11.)ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

12.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Wash the toor dal well and soak it in water for about 15 mins to half an hour.Take oil in a pressure cooker.When it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,when they start spluttering add onions curry leaves and green chillies. Saute till the onions get transparent. Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor goes away. then add astefodia and stir for a min. Then add the tomato and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Now add the toor dal and stir for 2 to 3 mins and add approximately4 to 5 cups of water. Ans pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

After4-5 whistles, turn off the stove and let it rest till the steam is completely gone. (Test for this is, try to lift the weight of the pressure cooker.If no steam comes out,or, u do not get a whoosh sound, the steam is gone.Otherwise let it stand for some more time.)

Once the steam is gone completely, open the lid and mash the dal into a semi-smooth paste.Add salt and sambar powder and stir well. If the dal is too thick(dal is generally thick so do not add too much of water), add a little water and let it boil for 15-20mins. Finally take oil in another pan add 2 tsps of oil.When the oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chilli. When mustard seeds start spluttering, pour this over the dal and mix.Garnish with coriander leaves. This goes well with white rice.

Note:
Add water to toor dal in 1:2 proportion(for 1 cup toor dal, add 2 cups water). Here we add a little more, because of the tomato that we added. Anything sour makes the dal take longer time to cook.As a rule of thumb, add water until the ingredients and completely immersed. This rule works pretty well most of the time :).

Pongal

Ingredients:
1.)Rice - 1 cup
2.)pesara pappu - 1/4 the cup
3.)pepper corns- 1tbsp
4.)curry leaves - 10
5.)astefodia - pinch
6.)cumin seeds - 2 tsp
7.)salt to taste
8.)cashewnuts - 8
9.)ghee/oil - 1tbsp

Procedure:
Wash rice and pesara papu. In a pan add rice and pesara papu and add water in the ratio of for 1 cup of rice/ dal 2 and 1/4 cups of water and let it boil(Amount of water may vary based on the rice u use). In a presuure cooker cook it for about 6-7 whistles. Then once the steam is gone add salt and mash the rice and dal mixture to a coarse paste.
In another pan, add ghee/oil. When it is hot add cumin seeds, pepper corns, astefodia, cashews. curry leaves. WHen the start spluttering and the cashews get brown add this mixture to the rice and dal mixtures and mix well. Pongal is ready to serve. this goes well with mango pickle or any chutney.

Carrot and Peas Pasta

Ingredients:
1.)Paste (penne)-1 cup
2.)pasta sauce - 1 and 1/2 cup
3.)peas and carrot - 1/2 cup
4.)salt - to taste
5.)cheese - 1/4 cup(could vary the variety and quantity of cheese according to ur taste)
6.)water - 4 cups
17.)sugar - pinch

Pasta Sauce:
1.)Tomatoes - 2-3 (large)(could use tomato paste instead, about 3/4 cup)
2.)salt-to taste
3.)pepper - 1/2 tsp
4.)garlic - 1-2 tbsp(finely chopped) (could use a little less too, but I like the garlic flavor)
5.)oil - 1 tbsp
6.)italian seasoning - 1 -2tsp(u get this in the super markets. If not this u could use some of the italian spices like basil, oregano etc).
7.)Rose mary- 1/2 tsp

Procedure:
To prepare the sauce, blanch the tomatoes and let them cool(for blanching tomatoes, take boiling hot water and add the tomatoes to it.Let them stay in the water for a minute or so. Immediately get the tomatoes out of the hot water and run them through cold water. Now you will see that the tomatoes skin come off pretty easily.)Remove the skin of the tomatoes. Having remove the skin of the tomatoes , crush the tomato pulp with hand or use a blender to get a paste.do not add water, try to get athick sauce.
Instead of going through the whole procedure you could use the tomato paste instead, whoch generally use. In a pan take oil, when it is hot add onions, garlic and saute well. When the onions get transparent add peas and carrots and saute well. Add salt ans pepper and mix well. To this add tomato paste and mix well. Let it cook till the raw flavor of the tomatoes is gone.Then add the italian seasoning,rosemary and a pinch of sugar and mix well.
If the mixture is too thick and stick to the bottom of the pan, add a little water.
While this is going on, in another pan boil 4 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Once the water starts boiling, add pasta and let it cook.Once the paste is cooked, fish it out from the water and add to the tomato sauce in the other pan and mix well. Let it stay in the pan for about 5 mins. Finally top the pasta with cheese and serve hot.

Note:-Rosemary gives a very nice flavor to the pasta. I generally add a little rosemary in addition ot the italian seasoning. It is optional.

Palakura/Palak/Spinach papu/dal

Ingredients:

1.)Palak - 250gm

2.)onion - 1 small chopped(not very finely)

3.)toor dal - 1 and 1/2 cups

4.)green chillies - 5 to 6

5.)curry leave - 6-7

6.)mustard seeds - 2 tsps

7.)cumin seeds - 1 tsp

8.)astefodia - pinch

9.)sambar powder - 1 tsp

10.)turmeric - 1/2 tsp

11.)ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Procedure:

Wash the toor dal well and soak it in water for about 15 mins to half an hour.Take oil in a pressure cooker.When it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,when they start spluttering add onions curry leaves and green chillies. Saute till the onions get transparent. Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor goes away. then add astefodia and stir for a min. Then add the spinach and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Now add the toor dal and stir for 2 to 3 mins and add approximately4 to 5 cups of water. Ans pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

After4-5 whistles, turn off the stove and let it rest till the steam is completely gone. (Test for this is, try to lift the weight of the pressure cooker.If no steam comes out,or, u do not get a whoosh sound, the steam is gone.Otherwise let it stand for some more time.)

Once the steam is gone completely, open the lid and mash the dal into a semi-smooth paste.Add salt and sambar powder and stir well. If the dal is too thick(dal is generally thick so do not add too much of water), add a little water and let it boil for 15-20mins. Finally take oil in another pan add 2 tsps of oil.When th oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chilli. When mustard seeds start spluttering, pour this over the spinach dal and mix.Spinach dal is ready to be served. This goes well with white rice.

Note:
Add water to toor dal in 1:2 proportion(for 1 cup toor dal, add 2 cups water). Here we add a little more, because of the spinach that we added. The extra water is for the spinach to cook. As a rule of thumb, add water until the ingredients and completely immersed. This rule works pretty well most of the time :).

Arbi/Chammgada fry

Ingredients:

1.)Arbi - 5

2.)mustard seeds - 1tsp

3.)cumin seeds - 1tsp

4.)urad dal - 1tbsp

5.)curry leaves - 6

6.)ginger gralic paste - 1/2 tsp

7.)turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

8.)salt - to taste

9.)chilli powder 1/2 tsp

10.)oil-4tbsp

Procedure:

Boil the arbi(for 3 whistles), peel its skin off and chop into 1/2 inch peices. Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal ,curry leaves and turmeric paste. When they start spluttering add arbi, ginger garlic paste and fry. Next add salt and mix well. Fry till they get golden brown. When it starts getting brown add chilli powder and mix well.Keep stirring frequently to avoid burning of the vegetable.Once the vegetable gets golden brown the vegetable is ready to serve.This goes wel with curd rice,sambar rice or roti

Sakara/Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:
1.)Rice - 1 cup
2.)pesara pappu - 1/4 the cup
3.)cardamon powder - 1tsp
4.)jaggery 3/4 cup(depending on how sweet u want the dish to be vary the amount of jaggery)
5.)Ghee - 1tbsp
6.)raisins - 8
7.)cashews - 8(or any nut that u like)
8.)milk - 2 cups

Procedure:
Wash rice and pesara papu. In a pan add rice and pesara papu and add 2 cups of water and tow cups of milk and let it boil. Ina presuure cooker cook it for about 6-7 whistles.
In the meanwhile take the jaggery and dissolve it it hotwater (to disolve jagerry faster, take jagerry ina bowl add a little water and put it in the microwave for a couple of mins until u find the jaggery dissolved.).Then once the steam is gone add the dissolved jaggery and mash the rice and dal mixture to a coarse paste.Now again put the mixture back on to the stove.To it add cardamon powder and mixwell. Keep mixing occasionally other wise the misture stick to the bottom of the pan. Leave it on the stove for about 5 mins.
In another pan, add ghee/oil. When it is hot add Cashews and raisins. When the raisins and puffed and cashews are brown add this to the rice and dal mixture and mix well. Pongal is ready to serve.

Zucchini snack

This is one of the quick recipes which goes extremely well as an party snack or appetizer. Or it is good even for an evening snack on a rainy day.

Ingredients:
1.)Zucchini - 2
2.)Salt-to taste
3.)oil - to deep fry

Procedure:
Wash the zucchini well and pat dry. Now using a peeler keep peeling the zucchini until u start to hit the seeds(do not peel the seeds part of zucchini, leave the core and use it in sambar.Follow the kheera/cucumber sambar recipe.)
Now heat the oil and fry the zucchini strips till golden brown. Do not brown it much, because it will start tasting bitter. The main thing to get zucchini to right color is to make sure that oil is really hot.
Now remove the golden brown zucchini skins and sprinkle salt. Make sure u sprinkle salt when the zucchini skins are hot. This ensures it sticks to the snack.

Bagara Baingan

Bagara Baingan
Ingredients:
1.)brinjal/eggplant - 6 samll round(slit into four with its stem intact.After slitting put them into salt water.)
2.)onion - 1 medium (pureed)
3.)seasme seeds/til/nuvulu - 3/4tbsp(roasted and ground to powder)
4.)groundut - 2tsps(roasted and made to paste. Can use peanut butter too.)
5.)coconut powder - 1tbsp
6.)tamarind - juice from lime size ball
7.)chilli powder - 2tsps
8.)turmeric - pinch
9.)oil - 2tbsps
10.)salt - to taste
11.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
12.)curry leaves - 5
13.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
14.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

Procedure:
Take oil ina pan.When it is hot add cumin seeds and curry leaves. When they start spluttering add onions(ideally would require onion paste, but can be subtituted with very finely chopped onions).Once the onions get transparent,add turmeic,ginger garlic paste and salt. Saute till they get golden brown.At this point add the add the brinjals and saute till their skin gets discolored and the brinjals get a little soft.keep stiring often to avaoid the onions from getting burnt. To this add peanut,seasmea and coconut mixture and mix well. Now add tamrind juice and mix well. To this add chilli powder,coriander powder and salt. Mix well and close the lid. Keep stiring occasionally.Once the birnjal is cooked, bagara baingan is ready to be served.This goes extremely well with birani ,pulav ,plain rice or roti.

Aloo paratha

Aloo paratha


Ingredients:
1.)Potatoes - 3 large(boiled)
2.)green chillies - 2(finely chopped)
3.)chili powder - 1/4 tsp
4.)garam masala - 1/2 tsp
5.)onion - 1/2 small(finely chopped)
6.)Wheat flour - 2cups
7.)salt to taste
8.) oil

Procedure:
Boil the potatoes and grates them(grating the boiled potatoes helps to simplify the mashing process and ensures that the potatoes are evenly mashed with no lumps). Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry onion and green chillies. Fry till the onion turn golden brown. To this add chili powder and gram masala and fry for a min and add this mixture to the grated potatoes. Add salt and mix all the ingredients to a smooth dough consistency.Now divide the potato mixture into six equal parts and roll into balls.

Take wheat flour and add 1 and 1/4 cup of water and knead the dough(quantity of water depends on the wheat flour u use, so add water little by little.). Make six balls of the dough. Roll each of the dough ball into a circle of 3 inch diameter.Now place the potato ball in the centre of it and make a dumpling. Make sure that the potato stuffing does not ooze out of the dumpling. Now roll out the dumpling carefully into a circle of 6 inch by making sure that the potato mixture does not come out.
Fry the rolled out roti's on a pan with little ghee or oil. Aloo paratha is ready to be served. This goes well with curd, raitha,tomato ketchup, or any curry.

Hyderabadi Chicken Haleem

Ingredients:
1)ground chicken - 1lb

2.)Cracked wheat- 1 and 1/2 cup

3.)Ginger-Garlic paste - 2tbsp

4.)Mixed lentils [urad daal,chana daal]- 1/2 cup

5.)Red Chilli powder -1/2 tbsp

6.)Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

7.)Yougurt-3/4 cup
8.)cinnamon - 1 inch stick
9.)cloves - 2
10.)cardamon -2
11.)garam masla powder - 1 tsp
12.)peper corns -1/4 tsp
13.)green chillies - 5 small
14.)salt - to taste
15.)oil - 1/4 cup
16.)fried onions - 1 cup(ready made or made at home)

Procedure:
First wash and soak the cracked wheat for atleast 1/2 hour.Boil the cracked wheat with mixed lentils,1tbsp ginger-garlic paste,1/4 tsp turmeric powder,3-4 green chillies,1/4 tsp pepper corns in 4-6cups of water until its cooked and mashed completely
Now in another pan add oil and add whole spices and remaining green chillies. To it add ginger garlic paste and and ground chicken and mix well. To this add 1/2 tsp of salt,Red chilli powder,Garam masala powder and mix well.While the chicken it getting cooked try to keep it in shredded state.Add the Yoghurt and saute for another 10- 15 min or until a lil oil starts to float on top. Now at this point add the wheat and lentils mixture to the chicken and mix well. You may add some water if needed. Check for salt and let it simmer for atleast 1/2 hr(the longer it simmers the better it tastes). Keep stirring regularly. Finally top it off with fried onions and let it simmer for another 10 mins.
Haleem is ready to be served. Just berfore serving garninsh with fried onions, coriander leaves and ad rizzle of lime juice.
This is a meal in itself. It can also be served with roti or nan.

Tandoori chicken

Ingredients:
1.)Chicken - 1 kg(about 7 to 8 drumsticks)
2.)Thick yogurt - 1/4 to 1/2 cup(may vary based on how thick the yogurt is.)
3.)salt - to taste
4.)ginger garlic paste - 1tbsp
5.)chili powder - 1tsp
6.)paprika - 1tbsp(this just adds color to the dish, but does not increase the spice level of the dish)
7.)lime juice - 1tbsp
8.)garam masala powder - 1tbsp
9.)food color - 1 pinch(red)
10.)turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
12.)cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
13.)oil - 2 tsps

Procedure:
Wash the chicken drumsticks. Make deep slits(about 1/2 inch slits,this is not a standard size, varies based on the drumstick size) on the drumsticks on three side length wise.(make the slits carefully such that, the drumstick piece does not open out or meat tears apart from the bone. Even after making the slit, the drumstick piece should be intact.)
To make the marinade and curd to a bowl , to it add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chili powder, paprika, garamasala, coriander powder, cumin powder,lime juice, salt, food color and mix well. (If the curd is not thick then the marinade does not stick to the chicken peices well, so while preparing the marinade add curd little by little depending on the consistency of the curd u have)To each drumstick piece apply this marinade thoroughly. Make sure u apply the marinade into the slits that we made. After we coat the drumsticks with the marinade add a little oil and mix well.Having applied the marinade leave the chicken for about 3 hours.(The longer you marinate the better it taste)
Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit, and spread the drumsticks on a tray covered with aluminium foil. Spray cooking spray(PAM) on the drumstick pieces and let it sit in the oven for about 15mins. After 15 mins, flip the drumstick piece and spray PAM and push it back into the over for another 15.20 mins(By flipping the chicken u are making sure that all the sides of the chicken are cooked evenly).Cooking time may vary based on the chicken piece size,but approximately it would take about 30-40 mins.
Once the tandoori is ready, squeeze fresh lime juice over all the pieces and serve it with onions.
This is a great appetizer.

Note:
You could adjust the spices based how how spicy you want the tandoori chicken to be.

Pav Baji

This my sis' s favorite dish. I'm posting this recipe for her.She is a person, who can survive on fast food..:):). I guess it would make sense if add a separate label for her and post her favorite recipes..hehehe.





Ingredients:
1.)Carrots, peas,beans - 1 cup(chopped into small pieces )
2.)potatoes - 3 medium (boiled and mashed)
3.)tomato -2
4.)cloves - 2
5.)cinnamon - 1/2 inch
6.)onion - 1 medium
7.)pav baji masla - 2 tsps
8.)oil - 2 tbsp
9.)ginger garlic paste
10.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
11.)butter - 1 inch cube
12.)lime juice - 2 tsp
13.)bread /pav
14.)salt

Procedure for baji:
Take oil is a pan, when it is hot add the spices. Once the give out an aroma add the onions and saute till golden brown. Now add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw flavor is gone. Next add tomatoes and saute till they get cooked. Now add salt and pav baji masala add mix well. Next add the vegetable and potatoes and cook. Once the vegetables are cooked try to mash it in the same vessel that u are cooking in. mash it coarsely and mix well. Finally add butter and mix well. Just before serving add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.


Procedure for Pav:
For this use either the pav or bread. Toast the pav/bread in ghee or oil on a pan. The other option is toast the bread in a bread toaster.I prefer the bread toasted in the toaster. :)
Now serve the Pav and baji together.

Vegetable stew

Any party that goes on at my home(back in India) was incomplete without "vegetable stew". This was one of the "should be dishes" in the parties, which my granma used to host. I still remember how she would make all her recipes with so much attention to the detail of the ingredients that go into it. And every time she made it it would have the exactly same "yummy" flavor. I would be satisfied if i become half as good a cook as my granma :) .So today i will be sharing the vegetable stew recipe.

Ingredients:

1.)Potato - 3 large(cut into 1 inch cubes)

2.)cauliflower - 6 florets

3.)carrot and peas - 1/2 cup

4.)cloves - 2

5.)cardamon - 3

6.)cinnamon - 1/2 inch

7.)onion - 1 small (chopped length wise)

8.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

9.)coconut powder - 1 cup

10.)tomato - 2(chopped)

11.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup(finely chopped)

12.)turmeric - 1/2 tsp

13.)green chillies - 4 (vertically slit)

14.)curd/yogurt - 1/2 cup

15.)salt - taste

16.)oil - 1tbsp

Procedure:

Take oil in a pan. When it is hot add cloves,cardamon and cinnamon. When they start giving an aroma add onions and green chillies and sauteed till golden brown. Into it add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor goes.Then add tomatoes and saute till they are cooked. Next add vegetables and fry for 5 mins. Next add water and close the lid and let the vegetables cook. When the vegetables are 50 % done , add salt and coconut powder and mix well. Again close the lid and let it cook till the vegetables are done. Once the vegetables are cooked add yogurt and mix well. Let it simmer for 5 mins and finally garnish with coriander and serve. This goes extremely well with vegetable biryani, roti or plain rice.

Kheera/Cucumber sambar

Sambar is one of 'THE' most important dish on south India. Me being from Hyderabad, i do not remember one day at home , that there was no sambar. Today i will be sharing Cucumber sambar recipe.It can be done in two ways. Procedure 1 is an easy and quick recipe, and procedure 2 is a more authentic one. Procedure 2 takes more time to prepare that procedure 1. But in the end, both the tastes are quite comparable.


Ingredients:
1.)Toor dal - 1 cup
2.)dried red chillies - 3
3.)cucumber - 1(skin peeled and chopped into large pieces)
4.)onion - 1 small(cut length wise)
5.)tomato - 2
6.)mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
8.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
9.)sambar powder - 1 tsp
10.)astefodia - pinch
11.)turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12.)oil - 1tsp
13.)coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
14.)curry leaves - 5
15.)salt

Procedure1:
Follow the same procedure as mango dal, instead of mango, add tomato and cucumber and saute.Follow the other steps exactly similar(please omit adding the sugar part, if following the mango dal recipe).

Procedure2:
Wash toor dal well and let it pressure cook with 2 cups of water and turmeric powder for 3-4 whistles. Once the dal is cooked mash the dal into a paste. Take oil in a pan, add a little mustard seeds,dried red chillies and cumin seeds. When it starts spluttering add onion and saute till it gets transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw flavor is gone.Now add salt and tomatoes and fry for 2 mins. Then add the cucumber pieces and mix well and cook with the lid closed till the cucumber pieces are cooked well. Once the cucumber is cooked well add to this mixture the already cooked and mashed dal. Mix well and add water till it gets thin(not very thick not very thin). At this point add sambar powder and mix well. Add salt according to taste and let it boil for 15 to 20 mins. Boil till the raw flavor of dal is gone and all the flavours blend well and turn off the stove.Take oil in a pan, add a little mustard seeds,cumin seeds,curry leaves and dried red chillies, once they start spluttering and this to the sambar and garnish with coriander leaves.
Sambar goes well with rice.

Note:
Add water to toor dal in 1:2 proportion(for 1 cup toor dal, add 2 cups water).

Egg burji

Egg burji is one of my all time favorite recipes which is very simple to make and yet is substantial food to have at any time.


Ingredients:
1.)Egg - 3
2.)Green chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
3.)mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4.)Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
5.)onion -1 small(finely chopped)
6.)turmeric - 1/4tsp(or less)
7.)ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
8.)salt - to taste
9.)oil - 1tsp
10.)chili powder -1/4 tsp (optional)

Procedure:
Beat the eggs well in a bowl. Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When they start spluttering add onions, green chillies and fry till onion gets translucent. next add turmeric and ginger garlic paste and fry till onions get brown. Now add the salt and stir well. next add the eggs and mix well and let it rest for 2 mins. Stir occasionally till the eggs get cooked(Stir to make sure the eggs do not get burnt or stick to the pan). One the eggs are cooked depending on the taste add chili powder if needed and stir well. Cook for a couple of more minutes and Egg burji is ready to be served. This goes well with roti, bread or eat it juz like that..it tastes simply superb!!!