Monday, May 31, 2010

Dark Chicken

Monday, May 31, 2010
This recipe, as I remember was the first one i learnt to cook.Thanks to my aunt for teaching me this :) I named it Dark Chicken :)
It's simple and tasty.. You should definitely try it..

You will need :

Chicken - 2lbs/1 kg Boneless or with bone cut into eatable sizes
Ginger garlic paste - about 1tbps
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 2tsp
Chilli powder
Salt
Curd - about 1/4th -1/2 cup
Lemon - one med squeezed
Oil

For Garnish :

Onions 1 big cut into rings
Green chillies - about 6-7 chopped or sliced
Garlic cloves - about 5-6 finely chopped
Curry Leaves - optional
Cilantro
Oil

This is how you do it :

1. Mix all the above ingredients and marinate for atleast an hour.
2. In a kadai, heat oil and fry the marinated peices on a medium flame till the chicken is cooked.(keep stirring in between)
3. In a seperate pan heat oil and saute the garnish ingredients.( It ll be good if the onions are crisp)
4. Add this to the chicken and mix well.


So here you go :)


This goes well as a side for Rasam/Sambar rice. It also tastes good white plain white rice/Jeera rice.

Enjoy :)

Friday, May 28, 2010

Coconut Rice

Friday, May 28, 2010
Here's one more easy and a tasty recipe

You will need :

Rice - 1 cup soaked for atleast 30 min and cooked
Coconut - 1 cup grated
Green Chillies - 4- 5 slit
Dry Red Chillies - 4-5
Channa dal - about 1tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Cumin - 1tsp
Curry leaves
Cashewnuts (optional)
Hing
Salt
Oil

This is how you do it :

1. Heat oil in a kadai and add everything except for rice and coconut and fry well.
2. Add the grated coconut, salt and fry for about 1-2 min.
3. Add the cooked rice and mix well.

And here you go...




Have Fun :)

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Simple Raitha

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
This is one very simple side dish for many varieties. 

Here's what you need :

Mix all of these well  :)

Curd (not too thick)
Onion - finely chopped
Pepper powder or green chillies (i like the pepper powder though:))
Cucumber - chopped (optional)
Tomato - chopped (optional)
Carrot scrapped
Cilantro finely chopped
Salt

Lemon Rice/Nimmakaya Pulihora

This is one food i used to hate.. but eventually started loving it. This is also very easy to  make. Actually this reminds me of the prasadams we used to get in the Temples back in India ;)

You will need :

Rice - 2 cups (soaked and cooked and let it cool down)Tip: add some oil while cooking.. this helps in the grains not sticking to eachother :)
Lemons - 1-2 medium sized squeezed (or more if you like it more sour)
Green Chillies - 6-7 slit
Dried Red Chillies - 4-5
Groundnuts
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Channa dal - 1tbsp
Curry Leaves
Hing
Turmeric Powder - about 1tsp
Salt 
Oil

You will need to do :

1. To the cooked rice, add salt and lemon juice and keep aside.
2. In a small kadai or pan heat some oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal, dry red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves, groundnuts, hing and turmeric powder and fry well. (Make sure you don't burn them).
3. Add this seasoning to the rice and mix well.

Enjoy it with pappad and you will really love it :)

Cheers!!!

Mint Rice/Pudhina Rice

Here is one more easy and tasty recipe. Mint.. mmm the name itself sounds refreshing.. so here we go...

You will need :

Mint leaves - 2 bunches
Rice - 2 cups (soaked in water for atleast 30 min)
Green Chillies - 4-5
Cumin seeds - about 1tbs
Cashew Nuts (optional)
Green Peas (optional)
Salt
Oil

To be done like this :

1. Grind the mint leaves, green chillies and some cumin seeds (add as little water as possible) and keep aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and add cumin seeds and fry.
3. Add the mint paste and fry well for about 2 min an o low flame.
4. Add salt and add the soaked rice and mix well and fry for about 2 more min.
5. Add water (Measure : for 2 cups of rice add 3 cups of water including the mint paste).
6. Pressure cook on high for about 3 whistles.
7. Mix well and serve hot.

This one tastes really good with a raitha.


P.S I'm sorry I will be unable to post the pictures because I happened to misplace my camera charger :( 


Thursday, May 20, 2010

Vellulli Avakaya/Garlic Pickle

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Well i am like getting too addicted to garlic. So i thought i'll make some pickle out of it.So here it is.This recipe was provided by my cousin Roopa.Thanks to her :).It is pretty easy to make.And its tasty too :)


Ingredients :

Garlic - 150 grms(coarsely gring some pods and the other pods,slit by using the fork or knife)
Red Chilli Powder - 3 Tbs
Mustard seed powder - 3 Tbs
Fenugreek Powder (Dry Roast and powder) - 1 Tbs
Lemon/Lime - 1 juiced
Salt -2-3 Tbs or to taste
Sesame Oil - 6-7tbs (until the garlic soaks)


Here's how to do it :

1. Add Red chili powder ,Mustard seed powder  , Menthi/ Fenugreek Powder, salt, lime/ lemon juice mix well and the add the garlic pods. 
2. Add sesame oil until the garlic soaks.
3. Rest it for 4 days in a dry place and enjoy.



P.S  Donot use a steel container to store it.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Rava Upma

Monday, May 17, 2010
I used to hate upma when i was small. But now i don't know why i love this :).Especially the one my mom makes..After many attempts i got this one close to my mom's(finally!!)

So here's how it is done..

You will need :

Rava/Sooji - 1cup    Water - 2 cups (ratio sooji : water = 1 : 2)
Onions - 1 big sliced
Green Chillies - 5-6 big ones sliced
Ginger - about 1inch finely chopped
Mustard Seeds - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Chana Dal - 1tbsp
Curry Leaves
Cilantro
Cashewnuts - few roasted in oil/ghee(optional)
Hing
Salt
Oil

You will have to do :

1. Dry roast the sooji on a medium flame till the raw smell is gone(Don't burn it) and keep it aside.
2. In a kadai heat oil and fry the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, channa dal, curry leaves and hing.
3. Add the cashewnuts, green chillies and onions and fry (they don't have to turn golden brown).
4. Add water and let it boil.
5. Add sooji and stir well so that no lumps are formed.
6. Let it cook on a low flame for about 10 min with the lid on.
7. Garnish with cilantro.

And here it is..

                                     
Enjoy it hot with tamarind pickle or tomato pickle..It should taste awesome :)  

Neelu Challa on Foodista

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Bellam Dosalu/Jaggery Crepes

Saturday, May 15, 2010
Nothing comes close to spending a pleasant evening over the weekend with my husband and hot Bellam dosalu :).
Very easy to make (except for scrapping the jaggery :( ).

This makes 4 crepes

You will need :

Jaggery - 1/2 cup scraped (you could even use more if you like it sweeter)
Wheat flour - a little less than 1 cup
Warm water- about 1 1/2 cup
Oil

This is how you make it :

1. Add warm water to the jaggery and mix well so that the jaggery is completely dissolve and there are no lumps.(use your hand to mix)
2. Add the wheat flour little by little and mix well so that no lumps are formed.
3. See that you don't add more water.
4. Heat the griddle, brush some oil and pour about 2 ladles of batter. 
5. Cover with lid and cook on a low flame till both sides are golden brown.
                            

So there you go..Enjoy when they are hot :)

P.S You can add elaichi powder for a good aroma:)
Neelu Challa on Foodista

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Pasta -- Mamma Mia!!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
This is one thing you can have fun with :).I never like Italian much.But with a little desi touch.. this is one thing i would die for ;).Easy to make. You can just thrown in any spices you have in your pantry or any sauce you have in your refrigerator. Add some veggies hmm yumm. It would taste good :)

I have not given the measurements for this one.So you can go ahead.. mix n match and play around :)

Here s how i made my pasta :)

Pasta
Onions sliced
Green chllies sliced
Garlic finely chopped
Cumin seeds
Mustard seeds
Amchur powder(like a substitute for lemon :))
Oregano
Dry Parsley
Some Marinade which was sour( u can put in soy sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup or any other sauce you like)
Red chilli powder
Salt
Olive Oil

1.Cook pasta in boiling water(don't cook for too long as they can get mushy).Add some salt to the water so that they don't stick together and get some flavor.Drain water and keep aside.
2. In a pan heat oil and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, chillies and onions.
3. I like my onions crispy.So just stir fried them.
4. Add the oregano parsley salt chiili powder and other spices and mix well.
5. Add the marinade(or sauce)
5.Add the pasta and sir well.

 So here's how it came out


P.S The other time i added dry red chillies, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, corriander powder and it tasted awesome.

Enjoy:)

Neelu Challa on Foodista

Monday, May 10, 2010

Vada Pulusu

Monday, May 10, 2010
So I  made Masala Vadas the other day... I had some of them left.So i made Masala vada pulusu which is made using tamarind sauce. It s simple and delicious. You should try it out :)

You will need :

Masala Vadas - 5
Onions - 2 finely chopped
Tamarind - big lemon sized soaked in water and juiced(or more if you like it sour)
Green chillies - 4 big ones chopped finely
Curry Leaves
Ginger garlic paste - 2tsp
Cumin powder - 1tsp
Corriander powder - 1tsp
Red chilli powder 
Turmeric Powder
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2tsp
Dry red Chillies - 2-3
Cilantro
Salt
Oil

This is how you do it :

1. Heat oil in a kadai.Add mustard seeds(let them splutter) Red chillies and Cumin Seeds
2. Add the chopped Onions and fry till they are light brown.
3. Add the chopped green chillies and curry leaves and fry.
4. Add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and fry for about 2-3 min or till the raw smell is gone.
5. Add some water and mix well.
6. Add Cumin powder, corriander powder, chilli powder and salt and mix well.
7. Pour in the tamarind juice and mix well and let it cook for abot 10-15 min on a low flame.
5. Add the vadas and cook for another 5 min.
6. Garnish with cilantro .


This tastes good with hot rice.I love it as a side for dosas too :)


P.S : Vadas in this recipe can be replaced with any other vegetables like the drumstick, okra or even egg :)

Ragi Dosa

Here s one health recipe which tastes just awesome

You will need :

Ragi Flour- 2 cups
Urad dal - 1/2 cup 
Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
Salt

For Garnish :

Onions chopped
Green Chillies chopped
Cilantro

This is how you do it :

1. Soak urad dal for 3 hours and grind it to a fine paste, 
2. To this paste add the rice flour, ragi flour and salt to taste and mix well. 
3. The batter has to be like that of dosa. This has to ferment overnight or for 6 hours.
4. Do it just like you do the dosas and sprinkle the onions, chillies and cilantro on the dosa.
5. On a low flame, cover it with a lid and let it cook well.
4. Serve them hot with any chutney of your choice.


P.S u can make the batter a bit thick and make uthappams as well :)

Eat healthy Stay Healthy :)

Friday, May 07, 2010

Masala Vada

Friday, May 07, 2010
I love my mom's masala vadas. I was missing her so much today.And also with  Mother s day this weekend, i thought i'll make something and dedicate it to here:). Well i was a bit worried about the outcome.. but they turned out just fine :).So here you go..

You will need :

Channa dal - 3 cups soaked in water for about 3-4 hrs
Onions - 2 large ones finely chopped
Green Chillies - 6-7 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch peice
Curry Leaves
Cilantro
Dried red chillies - 6-7
Salt
Oil for deep frying
Patience ;)

This is how you do it :

1. Grind together dried red chillies ginger and channa dal coarsly without adding any water.(dont grind it too smooth :))
2. Take it in a separate bowl and add the onions, chillies, curry leaves, cilantro, salt and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a kadai.
4. Now wet your hands with water and take small balls of the mixture, flatten them and put them in the oil.
    ( Be careful with the hot oil.I ve had very bad incidents :) )
5. Fry them on both sides till golden brown.

This is how they look :)



How about having them with a cup of hot tea or coffee ??

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Tomato Dal/Tomato Pappu

Tuesday, May 04, 2010
This one is my all time favourite. This is the first time i made it and it turned out awesome.you should try it too.It is very easy to make :)

You will need :

Toor Dal - 1/2 cup boiled (see that you don't mash it)
Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
Tomatoes - 2 medium finely chopped
Green chillies - 5-6 sliced
Garlic - 4-5 cloves chopped finely
Red Chilli powder
Turmeric Powder
Salt
Oil

For the Tadka :

Dried red chillies - 4-5
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal - 1tsp
Curry leaves
Hing
Butter about a tsp (optional)
Cilantro

This is how i made it :

1. Heat oil in pan and add chopped garlic and fry till light golden color.
2. Add chopped onions, green chillies and fry for about a minute or two.
3. Add salt turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix well.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and let them boil well.
5. Now add the boiled dal and mix well.

6. In a separate pan heat oil and add red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal , cur ry leaves hing and fry well (make sure you don't burn them)
7.Then add butter.

8. Add this mixture to the dal and stir well.
9. Garnish with cilantro.

And there you go :)

                      

Have it with hot rice and with a hint of ghee.. you will not stop licking up your fingers ;)

Monday, May 03, 2010

Potato Fry

Monday, May 03, 2010
Yesterday being a weekend, I had some friends over for lunch.So i thought i ll prepare something quick.I made potato fry. My friends loved it and coudn't resist eating more :)

Ingredients :

Potatoes - 2 large peeled and chopped finely
Red Chilli powder
Turmeric Powder
Cilantro
Salt 
Oil

For Tadka :

Dry red chillies - 4-5
Garlic - 4-5 cloves chopped
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1tbsp
Hing
Curry leaves

Do like this :

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add all the tadka ingredients ad fry.(make sure you don't burn them)
3. Add the potatoes and stir well.
4. Add salt turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder and fry on medium heat well till the potatoes are done.
5. Garnish with Cilantro.

Have it with hot rice and it just tastes awesome. It goes well as a side for rasam/sambar rice too :)

Have fun

Sry, I din't take a picture of this :(
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