Kathirikkai Podi Curry/Eggplant Curry with Freshly ground spice powder

Today's recipe is a flavorful eggplant curry which I make it often with freshly ground masala powder.This curry is served an accompaniment for sambhar rice,rasam rice,dhal  and curd rice or rotis.
It can also me made with sambhar powder in a hurry but the freshly ground masala is an added flavor.We enjoyed this curry for our lunch along with spinach sambhar.Now off to the recipe....................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Small round eggplants/kathirikkai	10nos.
Onion	1no.(medium size)
Curry leaves	1sprig
Oil	2tbs
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/2tsp
Salt	as needed

To roast and grind 

Ingredient	Quantity
Red Chilly/varamilagai	4-5nos.
Coriander seeds/varakothamalli	2tsp
Channa dhal/kadala paruppu	2tsp
Peanuts/verkadalai	1tbs
Sesame seeds/vellai ellu	1tsp

For the tempering 

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Urad dhal	1tsp
Channa dhal	11/2tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch

Method

               Dry roast the ingredients except sesame seeds in a medium flame till the aroma comes out and the dhal turns out golden.Now add the sesame seeds,turn off the flame and roast it.Cool and grind it in a blender to bit coarse powder.Slice the eggplants lengthwise into 4 or 6 pieces depending on the size and put it in water to prevent browning.keep aside.

Heat a pan with oil and add the mustard seeds,once it crackle add the urad dhal and channa dhal and fry it till golden.Now add the asafoetida and saute the chopped onion with curry leaves to transparent.

Add the sliced eggplants,turmeric powder and toss it well till everything gets blend,add the salt and mix it well and cook it covered in a medium flame for 5 minutes.

Once the eggplants get cooked add the ground spice powder and mix it well.Keep it uncovered in a low flame for 2-3 minutes.

Podi curry is ready,serve it rice or roti.

• Do not cook the eggplants for a long time otherwise it will turn mushy and no need to add water for cooking the eggplants.That also make the curry mushy.
• After adding the spice powder,if the curry is too dry the add 2tsp of oil and cook it.
• Adding the onion is also purely optional and this curry can be made without onion also.
• A tbs of fresh grated coconut can be added along with the spice powder for an extra flavor and taste.

Check out my fellow bloggers who are running in Blogging Marathon#18.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Beans Masala Curry(Dry Version)

Another session of blogging marathon has started and for this session I chose the dry vegetable sautee as theme. Today's recipe is a simple and interesting curry with beans which goes very well with rice and roti. We like to have this one as an accompaniment for rasam rice or any variety rice.
Here beans is available in a big pack in the farmers market and cannot consume it in a day.Whenever I buy beans make poriyal for a day and the remaining beans will be used for some variety rice and this dry curry.Now to the recipe.................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Beans	1/2lb
Onion(finely chopped	1no.(medium size)
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1sprig
Oil	1tbs
Salt	a pinch

To grind 

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	3tbs
Tomato	1no.(small size_
Red chilly/varamilagai	5-6nos.
Coriander powder/dhania podi	2tsp
Fennel seeds/sombhu	1tsp
Ginger/inji	1/2inch piece
Garlic/poondu	2-3 cloves
Cloves/lavangam	2nos.
Cinnamon	1/2inch piece
Poppy seeds/kasakasaa	1/2tsp(optional)

Method 

                          Cut the beans diagonally to 1 inch piece and cook in the microwave for 3-4 minutes with little water,a pinch of salt.Grind the given ingredients to a fine paste with water.keep aside.
Start by heating a pan with oil and add the chopped onion,curry leaves.Saute it till transparent.Now add the ground paste and saute it till the raw smell disappears.

Rinse the mixie jar with 1/4cup of water and add it.Add the salt and let it boil for a minute.Then add the cooked the beans and mix it well.

Simmer it and keep it for 5 minutes or  till everything gets blended well and becomes dry.Finally add the coriander leaves and put off the stove.

Yummy yummy beans masala curry is ready.

Enjoy......................................................

• Cooking the beans in the microwave reduces the entire cooking time,otherwise it needs to be added after the onion is done.After the beans cooked add the ground paste.
• Adding the tomato is optional but gives a nice and tangy taste to the curry.

Check out my fellow bloggers participate in Blogging Marathon#18.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Show Me Your Hits-Legumes and Lentils Event Announcement

Hello friends I am happy to announce that I am hosting Sangeetha's Show Me Your Hits event for the month of July which starts from today and ends in 31st July.I am so much thankful to Sangeetha for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

I chose the legumes and lentils for the HITS as a theme,legumes are class of vegetables that includes beans and peas.Lentils are the whole form of dals like whole masoor which are rich in fiber, protein.

Legumes are typically low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium. They also contain beneficial fats and soluble and insoluble fiber. A good source of protein, legumes can be a healthy substitute for meat.

Please send in your entries with legumes and lentils and make the event successful.

Some of the common legumes are

• Adzuki beans/Red chori/Thattapayaru
• Black beans
• Black eye beans
• Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans/Channa
• Cranberry beans
• Cow peas/Vellakaramani/Alasanda
• Fava beans
• Green peas
• Lima beans
• Moth beans
• Mung beans
• Pinto beans
• Pink beans
• Red Kidney beans or Rajma

Lentils include

• Whole Massor
• Black lentil/whole black urad 
• Split Yellow peas

Here are the rules to participate in the event

1. Cook any course of recipe from any cuisine but vegetarian dishes only. Eggs are also included both in baking n as a recipe.
2.  But the recipe should be made with any lentils or legumes or combo.
3. Deep fried entries are not accepted.
4. Use of logo is appreciated as it helps spread the word.
5. All the entries should be Linked to my HITS announcement page and my announcement is mandatory.
6. Only 2 Archived entries are accepted as long as they are linked with both announcements.
7. Multiple New Entries are accepted. 
8. Event runs from July 1st-July 31st.
9. Link your recipes to the linky tool.
 

Looking forward for your wonderful recipes.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Carrot Juice

Today's recipe is a  fresh,colorful,vitamin packed,healthy juice which can be made in a jiffy.The weather is getting hotter day by day here and wanted to drink something cold.
Usually I make carrot juice with apple or lemon but last week in a T.V show,a popular chef made this juice with orange.I wanted to give a try with orange juice instead of lemon juice,came out so delicious and refreshing.Now to the recipe...........

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Baby carrots	20-25nos.
Orange	1no.
Sugar	2tbs
Water	as needed
Salt	a pinch

Method 

             Chop the carrots and put it a blender,pulse it without adding water.

Once it is finely minced add water and puree it till it become a paste. Now strain it using a strainer and extract the juice completely,again pulse the pulp with litltle water,extract it.

Add the orange juice and salt,sugar.Add the ice water and mix it well.Refrigerate for 15-minutes and serve.

Add the ice water and mix it well.Refrigerate for 15-minutes and serve.

Enjoy...................................

• Instead of sugar,honey can be added.If the carrots are sweet enough the no need to add sugar or honey.
• Fresh orange juice tastes better compared to the store bought orange juice.
• For an extra flavor,a tsp of fresh ginger juice can be added. 
• If you are using the regular big carrots 3nos. can be used for the given measurement.

Sending this one to the Show me your Hits event started by Sangeetha of Tomato Blues.


Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Pasta Payasam/Kheer

I tasted this yummy pasta kheer in a restaurant buffet for the first time a year ago.When I saw this kheer in the buffet I had lots of doubts how pasta tastes in a sweet dish,but when I tasted,it tastes divine and started liking each and every spoon.
The next day without any second thought I made this one on my own and came out delicious,shared this recipe with my sister and mom.They also made this one for a family get together and it was a huge hit.Here is the recipe....................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Pasta	1/3cup
Sugar	1/4cup
Milk	21/2cups
Sweetened condensed milk	1/2cup
Ghee	2tsp
Cashews(finely chopped)	3tbs
Almonds or pistachios(finely chopped)	2-3nos.(for garnishing)
Cardamom powder/ellakai podi	1/2tsp
Saffron/kungumapoo	4-6strands

Method 

                        Cook the pasta in boiling water and drain the excess water,grind 1tbs of cashews with 2-3tbs of milk to a fine paste and keep aside.
Boil the milk in a pan and add the sugar,cook it till it becomes thick.Stir in between.Now add the cooked pasta and cook it for 2-3 minutes.

Then add the ground paste and cook it for one boil and add the condensed milk,put off the stove.

Add the saffron and cardamom powder,meanwhile fry the cashews in ghee add it to the kheer.

Serve it hot or cold.

Enjoy..............................................................

• Here I used the 1% milk which can be substituted with whole milk.
• Adding the cashew paste is purely optional which gives a richness to the kheer.
• If you are not using the condensed milk then add 3/4-1cup of sugar according to the preference.
• Use the smaller variety of pasta to get a nice taste and instead of condensed milk,evaporated milk can be used.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other bloggers doing BM#17.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Aval/Rice flakes Payasam(Microwave Method)

For the day 2 of blogging marathon#17 I made this simple aval payasam in microwave oven and it came out super delicious.
This is a easy to make payasam which hardly takes 10-15 minutes and I make it mostly on Fridays for prasadham.
My mom makes this payasam little different using sugar and regular milk but here I used the jaggery and coconut milk.Now to the recipe................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Rice flakes/aval	1cup
Powdered Jaggery/vellam	1/2-3/4cup
Coconut milk/thengai paal	2cups
Ghee	3tsp
Cashews(finely chopped)	2tbs
Cardamom powder/ellakai podi	1/2tsp
Coconut pieces(finely chopped)	2tbs
Raisins(optional)	2tsp
Edible camphor/pacchakarpooram	a small rice grain size

Method 

                              In a microwave safe bowl take the powdered jaggery and add 1/2cup of water, keep it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or till it becomes a thick syrup.Fry the cashews and coconut pieces separately in a tsp of ghee,keep aside.

In an another big wide bowl heat the remaining ghee and fry the rice flakes till it becomes golden color,now sprinkle 2tsp of water and cook it in the microwave for a minute.

Add the melted jaggery  to the cooked rice flakes through a strainer and cook for 3-4 minutes.Now add the coconut milk and keep it for a minute.

Then add the cardamom powder,fried cashews and coconut pieces.Finally add the edible camphor and mix it well.

Aval payasam is ready.

Enjoy.................................

• I used the thin variety,so cooked it for a minute,if it is a thick variety add some more water and cook it for 3-4 minutes.
• Payasam gets thicker on cooling,if it it too thick add 1/2cup of boiled regular milk to get the consistency.
• After adding the coconut milk do not cook for more than a minute or two,otherwise it may curdle.
• The given measurement easily serves for 6-8 people but I halved the quantity and made.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other bloggers doing BM#17.

Also sending this one the Microwave Easy Cooking event started by Srivalli and guest hosted by Priya.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com