Eggplant Thogaiyal ( Kathirikai Thogayal)

MMM...MMM...MMM...Am smelling the aroma of the kathirikai Thogayal,I just prepared. I always end up in creating a simple one yet yummy. Whenever I shop at Indian store, I get eggplant thinking of it to make baigan bartha. But , for a change, I thought to make it as Thogaiyal. You can mix it with rice or make it a side dish for dosai and idly also. Here is the one.


Ingredients:
Eggplant - 1
Tamarind - quarter size of lemon
Mustard - 1 spn
Urad dal/ulutham parupu - 1/2 spn
Long Red Chillies- 2-3
Coriander leaves- 1/2 cup
Curry leaves
Ginger- a little piece
Asafoetida - a pinch


Method:

1)Massage the oil on the eggplant and microwave it for 8-10 mts, till it becomes soft.
Place is aside and let it cool for 10 minutes.

2)By that time, in a Kadai with oil,add
*Long red chillies,
*Coriander leaves,
*Tamarind,
*Curry leaves,
*Ginger

3)Once the fry is done, switch off the flame. Peel the cooled eggplant and take the inside part and put in the mixie along with the fries ones.Grind it with water.


Atlast, temper with mustard and urad dal:)




Ta---Da...Kathirikai Thogayal is done!

Simple yet Colorful Vegetable Rice

When it comes to breakfast, or lunch or dinner,Rice is the word comes in to my mind.Without it, I would be so crazy. Simple my mom and sister calls me "Sadam"...That means Rice in Tamil.I could eat it any time of the day, anywhere on the earth. I would not even think about it ..Just eat eat eat.
Nowadays, things have changed. After marriage, Since my husband loves to take chapati, unfortunately, I love chapatis too.But, will surely end with curd rice.

So , I decided to make a simple vegetable rice, which everybody adores.The beauty of this is,includes all colours which will tempt you so much to have more and more...As you know, whatever I try to make, will keep it simple & delicious. This is one of my husband's favourite vegetable rice.You can make it really fast, takes no time...Except for the chopping of vegetables which you can ask your hubby to do ;) just kidding.

I am sending this to Rice Mela hosted by Sri ( Cooking 4 all seasons).Again, hats off to Sri, who is doing this.



Ingredients:

Beans- 1/4 cup (Thinly sliced )
Carrots-1/4 cup ( Thinly sliced)
Red Pepper- 1/4 ( Thinly Sliced)
Yellow Pepper - 1/4
Green pepper - 1/4
Frozen Peas/Fresh peas - 1/2 cup
Corn - 1/2 Cup
Ginger - Garlic - 1 tsp
Cinnamom - Small Stick
Bay Leaves
Green Chillies- 5-6 (Slit in between and according to your chilliness)
Salt & oil
Ghee- 1 tsp
Ofcourse Basmati/Ponni Raw Rice - 2 cups ( Basmati is good)


Method:

Once you chopped all the Vegetables, here is the step

1) Put Rice in a rice Cooker with 1 : 2 ratio ( 1 cup of rice = 2 cups of Water)
2) In a Kadai, pour Oil,Bay leaves,Cinnamon,Ginger - Garlic paste, Green chillies and fry for a minute and then put all Vegetables and Salt.This will take 15-20 minutes to cook.If you want you can sprinkle some water to it.
3)Once the rice is done, pour it in a big pan or plate and let it cool a bit.Just take a spoon of Ghee and pour it over rice and mix it.
4) By that time, the vegetables will be done and you can mix with those rice nicely and garnish with lots of coriander leaves.


Thats it.Ta..Da...Vegetable rice is done:) So simple and delicious and ofcourse colorful too :)

Njoi making and having it.

Ra..Ra...Rajma!

"Ra..Ra...Sarasuku Ra..Rajma". Remember the song in Rajini's movie. How colorful and stylish it is, the same way I thought to make it .Yes, its Friday night.Well, Its Rajma day. It gives me so much pleasure when I write it, how yummy will it be when I make it? That too, if it is simple and easier than the usual stuff. Not the usual frying of onions,tomatoes and grinding it to paste. This one is much more simple and quick to make it.

My husband's mami has come from China, so her taste of cooking is little bit differnt than our usual cooking. Not only that, she is pakka north indian women:) yeah, they make real ,authentic traditional curries. Well, to make it simple, this was the idea just grabbed from her.Very simple and quicker too.

Ingredients:

Cinnamon - small stick
Onion -1/2 cup
Ginger- garlic paste - 1 tsp
Hunt's tomato paste - a small one ( you get it in store for just $.75)
Dry Roasted Cumin and Coriander - 1 tsp
cooked Rajma - 1.5 cup
Chilli powder - 1 spn
Channa masala - 1 spn
Garam masala - a pinch
Coriander leaves for garnishing.
Salt & Oil



Method:

Before starting, grind Onions,Cinnamon,Ginger-garlic and make it a paste.

1) In a kadai with oil, pour the paste and fry till the raw smells goes.
2) Add the Hunt's tomato paste and the dry roasted cumin and coriander powder and Chilli powder.
3) Let it fry for some more minutes and add the Rajma with Channa masala.
Fry till all those raw tomatoes smell goes away leaving the fragrant of rajma and her spices.
4) Atlast add garam masala and coriander leaves.

Ta..Da. Rajma is done. I know, it is the easiest and simplest way to eat!!!

Enjoy the dish!

Thenguzhal - Diwali Celebs- JFI

Diwali or Deepavali is one of the festival grandly celebrated throughout India. Also called as "Festival of lights" have originated as a harvest festival, marking the last harvest of the year before winter. I really miss India this time.For the past two years, I have been out of my country India and really miss my parents :( Having 6 month old kid at home, my parents and in-laws will enjoy the sweet days of her.
Having all those in mind, I have got something special for this Diwali for not-so-missing India! Yeah, I made thenguzhal

Thenguzhal is one of the snacks made during Diwali!Its yummy and nice to munch in between meals! ;)This one is so easily made and interesting for beginners in cooking too :) Want to impress, Husband or Mother-in-law? Yeah, I know that smile:)




Since this month is celebrating food , I am sending this for JFI Nov '08 Festival Treats. And hats off to our Host : Srivalli.

Recipe as goes:

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 cups
Powdered Urad dal ( You get in stores) - 1/4 cip
Jeera ( Oops, I didn't add.I got to buy it today at Indian store)
Salt
Butter - 2 tsp

Method:

Mix like a dough with water and keep it aside. Heat more oil in a pan, and with that "achu" , you can try doing it directly to the pan, until it becomes nice and crispy :)



Thats it! Isn't simple ?

(Curry Leaves)Karuveppalai Kuzhambu - KK

Karuveppalai is one , which is hard to get for the money. We hardly get 1 or 2 stems for the a dollar or so. So I keep thinking how do it do when I have very small in quantity where I need it to season for others too...Just kept thinking, my bulb over my head worked.

I can do it with curry leaves powder. Yes, we get powder in stores in fine quantity and quality. And it also serves to be a "Pathiya" samayal. Whats that? well, it is the different kinds of food you eat after delivery !


Karuveppalai kuzhambu is very good for health and hair too. So just make it for a week and store in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Tamarind - a size of big lemon ( Make a tamarind juice out of it)
Lond red chillies/ Vathamolaga - 3-4
Ginger - small piece
Store bought Curry powder - 4 spns ( I have got one from Grand sweets in chennai)
Mustard - 1 spn
Turmeric - 1/4 spn
Asafoetida/Perungayam - 1/2 spn

Sessame oil and salt

Method:

Just two things to do. One is to grind and other is to cook.

In mixie:
1) Tamarind juice
2) Curry powder
3)Ginger
4)Long Red Chillies or Vathamolaga


Once it is grinded, put sessame oil or nallaennai in kadai and season with mustard and wait till it splutters.Put the turmeric powder and the grinded thing and wait till it gets thick.

Tadaaaaaaa...


Karuveppalai Kuzhambu is ready.

You can add one full stem of curry leaves to it :)

Its simple and easy.Isnt?