Mixed vegetable Chettinad style

     

   There are some gravies that are simple to make if the spice mix is ready and I like to make a few such mixes for the ease of it. These mixes are perfect for days when you are short of ideas and also do well when you have a few guests coming over. They are complete winners! This is one such recipe. I don't need to make too many things with this, it is complete in itself and has a wholesome taste and flavors attached. You can serve with rice, dosas, appams and even hot parathas. It never fails to please. And on cold days, this is a must make recipe, complete in all ways. 

Ingredients

2 cups mixed vegetables (beans, carrots, cauliflower, peas, bell peppers, potatoes)

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1 chopped onion

1/2 tsp each of crushed ginger and garlic

Few sprigs of curry leaves 

2 chopped chillies (optional)

Few halved cashews (optional)

2 tbsp oil

!/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/4th tsp Chilli powder 

1-2 bay leaves

2 tbsp Chettinad masala powder

salt to taste

1/4th cup coconut milk

Juice of half a lemon

coriander leaves to garnish

Method

1. Heat oil and add bay leaves, cashews and saute. Put in curry leaves and ginger garlic. saute.

2. Put in the onions and saute till slightly golden. Put in chopped tomato and cook till soft.

3. Now add all the spices and the chettinad masala powder along with salt. Mix well.

4. Put in the vegetables and on medium heat, saute them for about 2-3 mins to coats well and allow a little water to seep out.

5. Cover and cook until soft. 

6. Now add coconut milk and mix well. simmer on slow heat for few mins. 

7. Pour lemon juice and serve with chopped coriander leaves.

8. Extremely wholesome and 1 pot curry to go with any accompaniment. 

PS- You can also make only potatoes with this. Tastes amazing.

Chettinad Masala powder

     

My favorite thing to do is to try out different ingredients, play around with them and still get authentic tastes which makes meals interesting! What else is life all about! We like things spicy and one needs to keep working on making life spicy no matter what. In Jakarta with so much rice available, I started to make a lot of dosas and then moved to making Aapams. My family was hooked. I made the Chettinad masala aloo with them and the taste was something else! I have been wanting to write the recipe down but somehow life happened and I kind of didn't get the time to post recipes. I still like the old fashioned way of putting down my recipes. Helps me stay calm instead off being stressed with huge pressure of editing. People are doing great and I admire them for the energy it requires.

Ingredients

 3-4 Red chillies with stalks

1 tbsp Peppercorns 

3 star anise

1 tsp cumin

Curry leaves a handful

2 tbsp Fennel/saunf 

2 tbsp poppy seeds/ khus khus

1/4th cup coconut grated ( I used dessicated)

2-3 cloves

1 small stick cinnamon

A few pieces of black stone flower (optional)

Method

1. Roast all the spices on medium flame until brown.  Take care not to over roast.

2. Let the coconut be brown and aromatic. The masala starts to leave oil.

3. Cool and grind to a nice rough powder.

4. Store in a cool place. Add to vegetables of your choice. I make potatoes or mixed vegetables. They taste amazing with rice, dosas, appams and even hot parathas.

Shalgam Palak Bharta

Turnips are flavourful vegetable and I love the variety it brings to the table. I use them even raw to make a pickle besides the typical Punjabi pickle. Dipped in vinegar they taste well with a good hearty dal. Today I wanted to try make something new. I am trying to add more spinach and felt they would come together well. Almost like the way spinach does with radish. So tonight's dinner was about this trial. It was successful and I am glad I tried to do something new. The other one I make is sweeter and great with hot parathas.  Have you ever tasted this delicious vegetable?

Ingredients

1 cup chopped turnip

2 cups chopped spinach

2 pods chopped garlic

1 dry chilli

pinch of hing

1 tbsp mustard oil

1 tsp panchforan (mix of methi, jeera, saunf, mustard, kalonji, whole dhaniya)

1 small tomato chopped

1 chopped green chilli

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp garam masala

1 tsp dhaniya powder

salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Heat oil, add hing, red chilli and paanchforan. let them color and crackle.

2. Add garlic and green chilli, saute until golden. Add the turnip and saute well.

3. Put in the tomato and saute.

4. add all the spices and let them leave their aroma.

5. Put in the spinach and again saute well.

6. Put about 1 tbsp water and pressure cook for about 10 minutes. I used the Instant pot.

7. Crush the vegetables well with the masher.

8. Add the lemon juice. With spinach it brings the best of it out.

9. Serve with hot rice or parathas off the skillet!

Moong dal kadhi

 Often eating kadhi is exciting but due to besan we resist as it’s heavy. A good way to enjoy it is with the yellow moong dal. It not is nutritious an a complete curry filled with tons of taste but lots of protein too. Add spinach or vegetables of choice to add extra fiber and goodness. Try this and modify it further to taste. Enjoy with muthia or rice. 

INGREDIENTS 

KADHI INGREDIENTS 

250 ml sour yoghurt

1/2 cup moong dal soaked 

2-3 garlic cloves 

1 tbsp ginger chopped well 

1 chopped green chili 

1-2 springs chopped curry leaves 

Salt 

1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric 

1/2 tsp chili powder 

1 tsp dhaniya/ coriander powder 

1 tsp jaggery (optional ) 

1 large cup chopped spinach 

TEMPERING 

Hing 

2 tbsp ghee/butter/ oil 

1 tsp mix of cumin, methi & mustard seeds

1 red chili whole 

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish 

METHOD 

1. In a big bowl, add yoghurt, soaked lentils, salt, chili, coriander powder and other ingredients. 

2. Blend well into a smooth mixture. Add extra water to dilute. 

3. Heat oil. Add all ingredients for tempering. Let them pop and pour in the kadhi mixture. 

4. Adjust the water and let it boil. Keep stirring to about splitting and lumping up. 

5. Keep boiling and add jaggery and spinach. 

6. Cook well for at least 30 mins until there is no raw smell. 

7. Top with coriander and add tadka. Serve hot with rice, muthia or soft rotis. 

Waffle chaat

 

Dahi aloo waffle chaat 

Chole aloo waffle chaat 

Chaat is an emotion that’s shared by Indians across the globe. It’s a hot favorite and any weather, reason or mood is good for this! Rarely have I seen anyone refusing to relish. There is so much variety and one can customize it to personal tastes. It’s mostly street food and a good way to enjoy the spices and various flavors. Savory, sweet, sour and spicy…it satiates every need of food cravings. Being overseas, it’s challenging at times to get good chaat. I also like my strong flavors and not depend on others for that perfect plate. This time I decided I need to work on making chaat healthy and also not spend too much time preparing it. Came up with this idea of using my waffle maker! i always try to make use of my gadgets and ingredients to their maximum. And boy….what a fabulous outcome. We all are together and could enjoy without making too much effort. It’s doable more often too. 

INGREDIENTS 

For tikki

3 large boiled potatoes 

1/4 cup Makki atta (wanted avoid cornflour) 

Salt 

Chili powder 

Dhaniya chopped 

1 green chili chopped 

1 tbsp oil 

Accompaniments 

2 bowls of cooked chole

Whipped yoghurt 

Imli chutney 

Green chutney 

Boondi, papdi and sev 

Bhuna jeera powder 

Chili powder 

Chaat masala 

Chopped onions soaked with salt and lemon 

Chopped dhaniya 

Method  

1. Crush the potatoes roughly with skin. Make sure the potatoes are not pasty. But floury in texture. Don’t make a paste. Add ingredients listed and make into rough patty. 

2. Heat waffle iron. Apply oil or butter and pot the tikki on it. Close the waffle maker and let them cook. 

3. Whip dahi and add 1/2 tsp sugar, salt and jeera powder.   Chill until needed. 

4. Once done until crisp, take them out and put them on the plate.

5. Pour hot chole on top, pour couple of tbsp of dahi, imli  chutney, green chutney, onions, boondi, sev and put one papdi. 

6. Sprinkle bhuna jeera, chili powder and chaat masala. Sprinkle fresh coriander and serve immediately. 

7. For dahi tikki, skip chole and just follow the same procedure. You can also sprinkle few boiled chole to add bite. 

8. Enjoy with family and friends without spending too much time in preparing. A tip... keep some left over chole for this short cut and delicious dinner.  

Mix vegetable kootu

I relished this amazing dish once made by a friend and food blogger. She made cabbage and chana dal version. I decided to try another combination which had lots of vegetables and it turned out amazing. I made a few changes but it satisfied the taste buds and was extremely comforting with its soft and smooth tastes. This comes from South of India. 

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup yellow mung dal 

2 tbsp red masoor 

1 cubbed potato

1 cubbed carrot 

1 cup chopped cauliflower 

1/2 cup chopped spinach 

1/2 cup beans chopped 1” pieces 

1 bay leaf 

Salt 

1 tsp haldi 

1 tbsp tamarind paste (optional) 

Ingredients for paste 

1/2 cup coconut shreds(I used dry) 

1” ginger piece 

2-3 garlic 

1-2 green chili 

1 tsp cumin

Ingredients for tadka 

2 tbsp ghee/oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

Pinch of hing 

2 tbsp urad & chana dal 

2 tbsp curry leaves 

1 red chili 

Chopped coriander for topping 

METHOD

1. Wash and soak dals. Add all the vegetables, salt and haldi and pressure cook until soft. You can choose other vegetables. 

2. Grind ingredients for paste with a little water. 

3. Mix the paste in the vegetable and adjust consistency. Add tamarind paste if want at this point. 

4. Heat ghee or oil. Add hing and mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add chana dal, red chili and curry leaves. Sauté for few seconds. Add chili powder if you like. Pour on top of the curry. Top with chopped coriander. Serve hot with rice or even dosa. 

EXTRAS- Make this with Chana dal and cabbage. Use vegetables of choice. It’s a very soft and smooth dish. It’s very flexible. Add tomatoes if you like. You can add little tamarind paste if like a bit if sourness. 

Green apple khatta meetha achar

 

Green apple has a distinctive sweet sour tangy taste. It’s great in salads and baked dishes. I like to use it as a good replacement for raw mangoes. I have made many dishes with them including pickles, parathas, chutney and most popular being muthias. This time I wanted to try using them in mango khatta meetha achaar which my mom makes. Since we were running out of it, I thought I can try making with green apples. These apples are quick in cooking and can get mushy fast. So I had to work cleverly with them. The result was amazing. We relished the pickle with palak paratha and mathris! Family was thrilled. We found a good substitute. 

INGREDIENTS

2 green apples cut into pieces 

2 tbsp raisins 

1/2 tsp crushed pepper and cloves 

1/2 cup sugar or jaggery 

1 tsp chili powder 

1/4 tsp haldi/ turmeric 

1 bay leaf 

1/5 tsp cinnamon powder 

1 tsp crushed fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds 

Salt 

2 tbsp oil 

Pinch of hung 

1 tsp vinegar

METHOD

1. Sun dry the apple pieces for few hours. On touch the pieces should not feel moist. 

2. Heat oil, add hing, cumin, bay leaf, clove mix and sauté for few seconds, 

3. Add all the spices and sauté for 5 seconds. 

4. Pour about 1/4 cup water and the sugar. Mix well and cook on high heat. Let it start to thicken and become a little sticky. 

5. Add the apple pieces and raisins. Mix well and see that the fluid inside coats the apples. It should not be watery. If it’s watery, cook on high heat to caramelize.  

6. Add vinegar and mix well. Put into sterilized bottles and store. Serve it with parathas, theplas and mathris. 

PS: add methi seeds if you like a little taste of it. 

Dal Pachadi

INGREDIENTS 

5 tbsp white urad dal 

2 tbsp chana dal 

Few pepper corns 

3-4 tbsp coconut grated 

2 red chili 

1/2 tsp jeera 

Few curry leaves 

1/2 tsp chopped ginger 

1 tbsp oil 

Pinch of hing

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

1 cup whipped curd 

Salt 

1/4 tsp Chili powder 

METHOD

1. Heat a pan and add dals, peppercorns, 1 red chili, jeera and few curry leaves and sauté until golden brown. Cook and add coconut. You can use fresh or dry coconut as you like. Grind it into a powder  

2. Beat the yoghurt with salt and dilute as much as you like. 

3. Add the powder and mix well. Over time the curd will thicken up. Add yoghurt or water as you like. 

4. Heat oil, add hing, mustard, broken red chili, curry leaves and little urad dal. Sauté. 

5. Add ginger and sauté again. Put in chili powder and pour on top of the yoghurt mix. 

6. Adjust consistency and top with fresh coriander. 

7. Relish with rice, dosas or serve as an accompaniment with upma like I did. It’s highly flavorful and refreshing. 

PALAK PANEER

Palak paneer, rumali roti, raita and mirchi achaar

Palak paneer is a very loved dish and it is a healthy way of getting everyone to enjoy spinach. Nutrition wise it’s a good combination of calcium, protein and fibre besides the vitamins and minerals. It’s easy to make and pleases everyone. I use various shortcuts when in a hurry. Add fried potatoes or green peas for variety along with paneer. 

Ingredients

500 gms boiled spinach

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green chili

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chopped ginger

200 gms Paneer cubed

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

250 ml tomato puree

4-5 tbsp cream

Method

1. Heat oil & butter together, add cumin seeds. Saute until light brown. 

2. Add chopped garlic, chillies & ginger. Saute till golden.Add onions & saute.

3. Add the spices and saute for few seconds until light aroma emits.

4. Now pour in the tomato puree and saute well. Let the spices blend & simmer till oil separates.

5. Add the spinach puree & mix well. 

6. Now put in paneer pieces and stir. 

7. Cover and cook for about 10 mins on low-medium heat.

8. Stir in cream &  let the curry cook & come together well so that it doesn’t leave any water. Add 1 tbsp flour if needed.

9. Pour into a dish. To spice up more, heat butter, add chopped garlic & saute till golden. Put a little chili powder and pour on top of the curry. Pour a tbsp of cream to decorate. Serve hot with rice or naans.

Tips- 1.Use tofu &  rahm spinat instead for a quick meal. Tastes similar ,needs less planning.

2. Saute paneer in butter for added richness.

Chaas masala mix

 I have started enjoying the process of making homage dahi or yoghurt. It’s therapeutic to an extent. The satisfaction of putting jars of fresh yoghurt in the refrigerator and then waiting to cut into the thick chunk…it’s hard to define or describe in words. It’s enjoyed by my family. Lately I have started to make buttermilk for the family. It’s great for the stomach. In Ayurved it’s considered good for digestion. To make it more beneficial and digestible I have started to spice up with a homemade spice mix. This 13 ingredient mix is delicious. I sprinkle it on my yoghurt too and can add on various other dishes including dosas! 

Ingredients 

1 bowl of washed mint leaves 

1 bowl coriander leaves 

1 bowl curry leaves 

1 bowl brahmi( since I had them in my terrace garden. You can use other herbs or skip it) 

4-5 tbsp cumin 

1 tsp peppercorns 

1 tsp carom/ ajwain 

1 tsp rock salt / kala namak

1/4 tsp hing 

1 tsp ginger powder 

1 tbsp garlic powder 

1 tbsp mustard seeds

4-5 tbsp Himalayan salt 

Method

1. Wash and dry the green leaves. Sun dry or put into the microwave until they are crispy to touch. 

2. Roast all the other ingredients until they are lightly toasted and are crisp. Cool  

3. Grind all into a nice fine powder. Store in a dry container. 

4. Add 1/2 tsp in a glass of buttermilk and whisk well. Heat oil and add few mustard seeds. When they pop, add a pinch of chili powder and pour on to the buttermilk. Relish delicious, flavorful and digestive mix of spices.