Lunch menu 10 ( With south Indian vathal kuzhambu)

      For me, I never like what I cook regularly. Like sambar for lunch. I make vathal kuzhambu very rarely as my family is not a big fan of it, but I love it. In my mom’s place, we make weekly only twice sambar and other days, it will be vathal kuzhambu or more kuzhambu or puli saaru or a variety rice. But at inlaws place, its ulta. Every day it will be only sambar. Other things appear very very rarely. Vj and Aj also no exception, they are convenient only with sambar than any other. Even I forget the other choices and make sambar only often. I can make vathal kuzhambu for myself sure and keep it for 3 days in fridge and enjoy, but I purposely avoid it. I will eat a lot since I like it and add on weight! But when I really get bored or confused  what to make inspite of regular menu, I will make it and enjoy. I really love the tangy and spicy kuzhambu with any thogayal. Any vadams like onion vadam will be more apt. But to keep it simple, sutta appalam will also be a nice accompaniment. My dad always eat sutta appalam for his lunch everyday. I like sutta appalam best with kothamalli podi. Heavenly combination, do try it . Please excuse with the spelling of thogayal in tamil.



  So this week’s lunch menu is my favourite menu. This menu has the following :

1. Vatral kuzhambu 
2. Paruppu thogayal
3. Drumstick leaves poriyal (stir fry)
4. Snake gourd kootu (Pudalangai)

And rice , Sutta appalam (papad toasted directly over fire).

Other kuzhambu in place of vatral kuzhambu are: poondu kuzhambu, Kara kuzhambu, Paruppu urundai kuzhambu.
Instead of paruppu thogayal, you can make coconut thogayal as well.
Kootu can be Cabbage kootu, keerai kootu, bottle gourd kootu, appala kootu, mixed veg.kootu.
You may like  keerai poriyal in place of this drumstick leaves poriyal.

Have a great weekend with homey food .

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Murungai keerai poriyal recipe (Drumstick leaves stir fry)

    Murungai keerai / drumstick leaves poriyal makes its appearance very rarely in my kitchen. That’s coz I rarely buy drumstick leaves. I become lazy when it comes to separate the leaves from the stalk. But recently I am buying very often to consume it for its health benefits. My mom makes very often. Most of the time she makes kootu. And every time she makes kootu, being a picky eater, I used to refuse eating it. She says a song for it. It starts like this “murunga keerai kootu, moonu dhadam potu….”  sorry only that much I remember now. And makes me eat once. When I was asking Vj how he likes it, he said he likes it as poriyal. At my mom’s house, we call it as Murunga keerai thuvattal. So these days I started to buy this keerai often, to make poriyal with it for Vj, but always end up adding in adai. This time too, added a part of it first in adai and made murungai keerai adai and the rest I made it as poriyal. So thought of posting it too.

Murungai keerai poriyal recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 20 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Drumstick leaves - 2 cups tightly packed

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Onion - 1

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Sugar - 1/4 tsp

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Coconut, grated - 1/4 cup

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Salt - As needed

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To temper

Oil - 2 tsp

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Mustard - 3/4 tsp

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Urad dal - 2 tsp

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Red chilli (dry) - 2 or 3

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Method

1. Carefully separate the leaves from stalks. Its always better to leave a tiny bit of stalk in the leaves, but take care no long sticks as well. Wash and drain, keep aside. Heat oil in kadai, temper with the items given under “to temper” table. Add finely chopped onion and fry till transparent.

2. Add the drained leaves, salt and sugar. Keep stiring to mix the salt for a minute, it will leave water, which helps in cooking the greens. Cook in low flame for 5 minutes. The volume will reduce as it is cooking.

3. You can cook covered, but my grandma says do not cook any green covered with lid, it should be cooked open. I dont know the reason, but believe there is some good reason for it. So as it cooks, the water that oozed out from the greens will evaporate apparently help the greens get cooked. Once done, cook in high flame to evaporate excess water. Add grated coconut at last and give a fry for a minute.

Notes

• You can skip onion and add finely chopped garlic.
• We usually do not add curry leaves in greens stir fry or any dish with greens.
•  Adding sugar helps retaining the green colour.
• If too much of stalks left in the green, its not good for your tummy.
• The poriyal by itself has a very very mild bitterness sometimes, depending upon the variety.

You can serve this as accompaniment for rice, sambar or any kuzhambu. You can mix it with steamed rice and ghee and have it as such too.

Technorati Tags: murungai keerai poriyal recipe,murungai keerai recipe,murungai keerai poriyal,murungai keerai thuvattal,drumstick leaves stir fry,drumstick leaves recipes

ALOO BHINDI FRY RECIPE / POTATO LADIES FINGER FRY

        Aloo Bhindi fry is an easy subzi recipe that I want to try for a long time. I checked with my friend Sangeeta quickly for the recipe, it was super easy and tasty too. My family loved it a lot, that Aj wanted to eat it for dinner as well after eating it for lunch. When we went to Pune, where ever we had lunch we ordered for bhindi fry (sukka). We just had it as such and loved the simple ingredients yet tasty. So I wanted to try that way, but ended up making this aloo bhindi fry. I really  enjoyed the food when I was in Pune. My MIL actually warned us when we left to Pune that we will be starving for food. But she doesn’t knows my love towards chaat and north Indian food. So I totally enjoyed the food in Pune. If I visit Pune again, I will enjoy the food more as I know now what we get and where.

Aloo Bhindi fry recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch side
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Potatoes	1
Ladies finger	20
Onion	1
Red chilli powder	3/4 tsp
Amchoor powder	1/4 tsp
Jeera	1 tsp
Oil	2 tblsp
Salt	As needed
Coriander leaves	2 tblsp

Method

1. Clean and chop ladies finger into bite size pieces. In a microwavable bowl, add the ladies finger and toss it with 2 tsp of oil. Microwave high for 2-3 minutes with stirring in between. This will help reduce the stickiness.
2. Chop onions finely, cube the potatoes. Heat kadai with remaining oil and splutter jeera. Add finely chopped onion and fry till transparent. Add cubed potatoes and sprinkle some salt for it. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the microwaved ladies finger. Add more oil if needed and check for salt. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
4. Add red chilli powder and amchoor powder. Give a stir for a minute. Finally add chopped coriander leaves. 

Notes

• Instead of microwaving the ladies finger, you can fry it in oil stove top too. Microwaving is to reduce oil consumption.
• You can add Dhaniya powder along with red chilli powder.
• I dint had tomatoes so added amchoor powder.

We had it with rice and dal. Pair it with any rice variety. Or even you can eat it with phulka/ roti.

Technorati Tags: aloo bhindi fry recipe,aloo bhindi fry,aloo bhindi subzi,north indian subzi recipes,subji recipes,potato ladies finger fry,stir fry recipes

Lunch menu 9 - North Indian lunch ideas

 
         Its almost 2 weeks since I am back from India, but still taking my own time to come back to the routine. I hope I will soon as Aj’s school reopened 3 days back. Its been a long while since I had the different kind of meals, so this weeks meal idea gonna be with North Indian recipes. I tried aloo bhindi fry recipe for the first time(though I have tried aloo bhindi masala) and it was simple and good. Will post the recipe on Monday. Thanks to Sangeeta again for the idea and recipes. And I hogged on both the parathas as soon as I finished clicking as I was really hungry and temped myself with the combination of boondi raita .


There you go, the recipes :

1. Gobi Paratha 
2. Boondi raita
3. Jeera rice
4. Green moong dal fry
5. Aloo Bhindi fry – recipe coming up
6. Instant mango pickle

Browse the other Paratha recipes here.
Other dal recipes that can be made : Dal fry, Dal tadka, rajma masala, dal makhani.
You can replace Jeera rice with Peas pulao too.
Aloo bhindi masala recipe here. Aloo bhindi fry recipe will post on monday .

Technorati Tags: North Indian lunch menu ideas,North Indian recipes,Lunch ideas

     When I posted homemade Pizza, Lavi told to try focaccia. Focaccia, if its new to you is nothing but flat bread. There are a whole lot of variations that can be done with the basic plain Focaccia. It can be as simple as plain with only flour, salt and oil or can be topped with onion (like this recipe I am sharing), rosemary, olives, cherry tomatoes, potatoes or sometimes even cheese. Which one is your favourite? Even the thickness and size can vary. If you are a beginner in baking, you can sure try this as its really a basic recipe to try. I took the recipe from a cookbook and have adapted and changed a lot to suit my taste. So the method may not be so authentic. Please excuse. 

Focaccia recipe (With red onion)

Recipe Cuisine: Continental  |  Recipe Category: Breakfast
Prep Time: 30 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Makes: 9 squares

Ingredients

Bread flour - 1 & 1/2 cup

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Instant yeast - 3/4 tblsp

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Olive oil - 3 tblsp + as needed

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Warm water - 1/2 cup (+ more if needed)

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Sugar - 1/4 tsp

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Salt (sea salt if possible) - As needed

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Onion - 1

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  *You can replace bread flour with all purpose flour / Maida

Method

1. Place flour, yeast, 2 tblsp olive oil, sugar and 1/2 the salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.

2. Mix warm water and gather to make a non sticky dough. Knead well for 5 minutes to make it smooth. Grease the bowl and place the dough covered with a cling wrap. Set aside for 1 & 1/2 hours to let it rise.

3. After 1 & 1/2 hour, the dough would have risen and punch it down again.

4. Roll it to a thick flat bread in desired shape and place it over a lined, well greased baking tray. I used my rectangle baking tray.  Let it sit or another 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, Slice onion and mix it with a tblsp of oil.

5. Till then (1/2 hour) the dough would have risen a little bit and now, make shallow dips using your finger as shown in the picture. Generously drizzle olive oil and spread the sliced onion and sprinkle salt over it.

6. Pre heat oven to 200^o C and bake the bread for 15 – 18 minutes or until the focaccia freely moves in the baking sheet. Let it cool over a wire rack and cut it into squares to serve.

Notes

• Actually, the salt has to be added only as topping, and only a pinch in the dough. But to suit my taste, I added in the dough.
• I tried cooking the onion first and then topping the focaccia and bake, it got burnt, so I recommend to add as such for baking.
• Using any herb will yield a flavourful bread.
• I made it as a whole single bread, but you can also make small round/ oval shaped breads for easy serving.
• If you are using other yeasts such as fresh yeast or dry yeast(1 tblsp), then, dissolve the sugar and yeast in luke warm water and keep aside for few minutes. It should froth and rise, forming froth on the top like a beer mug. then mix this with the flour to make dough.

Makes a wonderful soft and fluffy snack for your kids or for yourself! I had it with strawberry lemonade.

Technorati Tags: focaccia,focaccia recipe,focaccia with onion,onion focaccia recipe,easy baking recipes,yeast recipes,yeast baking

Chilli bajji recipe / Milagai bajji recipe

    
I used to be a great fan of this Ooty chilli Bajji/ Ooty milagai bajji. I think I have had this in exhibitions 2-3 times when I was kid and recently 3 or 4 years back too. I just love it! At home when I buy a pack of this chillies, I make a lot and only me and Vj to eat it, so eat a lot too and got bored of it. We both actually now a days stopped eating this if made at home! Yes, one or two will be fine and tasty too, too much means we run away. So this time, I took only 4 from little India shopping and made it just for blogging sake . There is no such fancy recipe in this one, plain bajji, that’s it. I have not tried the stuffed north Indian version yet. But thought of sharing this simple recipe too as some beginners in cooking may not know how to make this bajjis without too much of hot (spiciness).

Chilli Bajji/ milagai Bajji recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins    |  Makes: 4

Ingredients

Ooty bajji chilli (light green in colour and big) - 4

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Besan/ kadala maavu - 1/2 cup

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Rice flour - 1/4 cup

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Corn flour (optional) - 1 tsp

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Cooking soda (sodium bi carb) - 3 pinches

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Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

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Ajwain(omam) or jeera - 1 tsp

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Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

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Salt & water - As needed

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Hot oil (optional) - 1 tblsp

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Oil - for deep frying

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  Method

1. Wash the chillies and pat dry with clean kitchen towels. Slit them each lengthwise with a pairing knife (small knife), without completely split them into two. Carefully remove the seeds inside completely with the help of the knife. Just scrap away the seeds with the knife.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, sodium bi carb, asafoetida, salt, corn flour and hot oil if using, ajwain or jeera. Add water little by little and mix well with a whisk and make a thick batter. The batter should easily coat the chillies, not too thick.
3. Mean while, heat enough oil to fry the bajjis in a kadai. Dip one by one the chillies and drop carefully in to hot oil. Cook both sides for 2 minutes a side or until golden brown and crisp. Once done, drain in paper towels.

Notes

• If you are not comfortable of slitting without splitting and taking out the seeds, then you can slit and split into two each chilli and take out the seeds easily.
• Seeds should be removed completely for reducing the spiciness. Otherwise it will be too spicy and no good for your tummy too.
• The batter should be in correct consistency so that it spreads over the chillies easily and forms a thin layer. If the coating is too thick, i.e; if the batter is too thick, it will take time to cook and the bajjis inside will not get cooked.
• Cook in medium flame to ensure the bajjis get cooked inside.
• Mix the batter and keep it ready, once the oil is hot, you can add a laddle full of hot oil carefully in the batter and mix. This is to avoid sucking of oil in the bajji.
• If your chilli is still spicy after removing the seeds, then you can keep it immersed in water mixed with salt and a lemon squeezed in it.
• Bachelors can try the same with ready made bajji mix. 

Serve immediately, hot hot, with thick coconut chutney the best, remember, if its not hot, its not molaga bajji, its paper bajji . I had it with chutney, tea (which is said to be the perfect combination) and rusk. But when I was a kid, I used to have aavin icecream after bajji .

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Lunch menu 8

     This is also one of the meal I cooked when I was in Chennai. So please excuse the Picture and presentation quality :) We were just planning for a south Indian meal, while some guests came, so we added on a fried rice. Just 3 days before the wedding, so we wanted to empty the fridge ;)  I was supposed to post it yesterday, but posting it late today, sorry bout that!



         That day, we had the following for lunch :

1. Vellarikkai Thayir Pachadi
2. Mango sweet pachadi
3. Vazhai thandu poriyal
4. Keerai kootu
5. Avarakkai Sambar
6. Rasam
7. Fried rice
8. Plain Rice

And some potato chips, appalam and cut ripe mangoes as sides too. Most of the day's lunch will be having mango pachadi in the menu because its a family favorite there :) I was not a big fan, but now a days slowly developing taste for it!

Soon will come up with exciting lunch ideas, stay tuned.