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!