Cauliflower Masala/Gobi Masala - No tomato Version

Coming to day 2 recipe for the blogging marathon#62,themed under no tomato gravy is a rich and creamy cauliflower aka gobi masala.
As my family loves cauliflower,so it appears in my kitchen frequently in some form.I tried this cauliflower curry without tomato and used yogurt and cashews paste.The result was such an awesome and creamy curry.
The chilly powder I used was bit spicy so the curry was in the spicier side so squeezed some lemon juice in the end.So adjust the spice level according to your family preference.Lets move on to the recipe.........

                                                                      

                                                            

                                          Cauliflower Masala/Gobi Masala

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 15 minutes
   Cooking time 30 minutes

   Serves 3(generously)

  Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Cauliflower florets	2.5 cups
Onion(very finely chopped)	2 medium size
Ginger&garlic paste	1.5 tbs
Green chilly/pacha milagai	2-3 (slit into 2)
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	2 tsp
Garam Masala powder	1/4 tsp
Yogurt/curd/thayir	1/4 cup
Cashew/mundiri	5-6
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/4 tsp
Salt	1.5 tsp
Coriander leaves(finely chopped)	1 tbs
Milk	2-3 tbs
Oil	2-2.5 tbs
Lemon juice	1 tsp(if needed)

 
  

   Method 

• Put the cauliflower florets in a boiling water along with 1/2 tsp of salt and pinch of turmeric powder.Cover it with lid and let it be for 3-4 minutes.Drain the water and keep the blanched cauliflowers.Grind the cashews to a fine paste by adding the milk and set it aside.

• Heat the oil in a pan and crackle the cumin seeds.Add the chopped onion and green chillies along with a pinch of salt and saute till the onion becomes golden.Add in the ginger&garlic paste and fry it for couple of minutes or the raw smell goes away.Now add in the red chilly powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and salt.Fry it for a minute.

• Add the yogurt and mix it well,cook it till the oil separates.At this stage add around a cup of water and allow it to boil in a medium flame.

• Now add the blanched cauliflower florets  and cook it for few minutes.Add in the cashew paste and mix it well.Let it cook for couple of minutes.

• Now sprinkle the garam masala powder and coriander leaves.Mix it well and put off the flame.

• Serve it along with naan,phulka or roti.

• Chop the onion very finely to get a nice creamy texture.
• Use thick and fresh yogurt.
• After adding cashew paste mix it well to prevent sticking to the bottom. 

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

Check out the blogging marathon page for the fellow bloggers participating in BM#62.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Stuffed Baby Eggplant Curry/Stuffed Brinjal Curry

We are entering the 62nd edition of Blogging Marathon with  many interesting themes.For this edition I chose no tomato gravies and will be showcasing of the no tomato version of gravies for next few days.
Addition of tomato gives a nice thick creamy and tangy taste to the gravies,but it can be substituted with other ingredients to get the exact taste and texture.
Today's recipe is a stuffed eggplant curry where no grinding of masala involved.It is a simple curry in which eggplants cooked in a onion and coconut paste.For the tangy taste used a little amount of tamarind.Off to the recipe................................

                                                                      

                                                            

                                        Stuffed Baby Eggplant Curry

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 10 minutes
   Cooking time 30 minutes

   Serves 3(generously)

  Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Baby Eggplants	8-10
Onion(very finely chopped)	2 medium size
Ginger&garlic paste	1 tbs
Sambar powder	2-2.5 tbs
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Tamarind/puli	small gooseberry size
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2 tbs
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig
Salt	1.25 tsp
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1/4 tsp
Oil	2 tbs

 
  Grind to a smooth paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs
Poppy seeds/kasakasa	1 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1 tsp
Cashews(optional)	2 -3

   Method 

• Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup of water and extract the juice and keep it aside.Grind the given ingredients to grind to a fine paste.Mix a 2 tsp of of sambar power with a generous pinch of salt.

• Trim the stalks of the eggplant and make  X cut on the eggplant as shown.Stuff the sambar powder in the slits.Set it aside.Heat the oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds and fennel seeds.Add the chopped onion,curry leaves along with a pinch of salt and saute till transparent.Add in the ginger&garlic paste and fry it for couple of minutes.

• Add in the stuffed eggplant and saute it till it changes the color.Add in sambar powder,turmeric powder and salt.Give it a mix,add around a cup of water and cook it covered in a slow flame till the eggplants are almost cooked.

• Now add the tamarind water and cook it for few minutes.Add in the coconut paste at this stage.

• Let it cook for 5 minutes or till the raw smell disappears.Add in the chopped coriander leaves and put off the flame.Mix it gently.

• Serve it along with rice or roti.

• Onion needs to be chopped finely.
• Do not use more of tamarind .
• The curry tends to thick after cooling so adjust the consistency as per need. 

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

Check out the blogging marathon page for the fellow bloggers participating in BM#62.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Microwave One Minute Mug Cake

This post is for a special person,yes it's Srivalli who is the master brain for the Blogging Marathon series.
Today is her birthday and our Blogging marathoners wanted to shower her with a surprise.So we decided to share some of her recipes.
She is such a wonderful and active person blogs at Cooking4allseasons and Spicing your life
Though she doesn't eat non- vegetarian she cooks amazing non- veg recipes and shares in Cooking4allseasons.
The second blog Spicing your life is with vegetarian recipes which are kid friendly and healthy diet.Most of her recipes are simple and she is an ardent fan of chocolate,that reflects in most of her baking recipes.
Though I had bookmarked so many recipes from her blog but due to my personal work I made it so simple.
As she loves to cook in Microwave a lot I chose to share a simple one minute Microwave chocolate mug cake.This mug cake recipe is a real quick dessert for sudden cravings and it takes only one minute.She used some chocolate chips but as I ran out of it,skipped it.

                                                                   

                                                            

                                      Microwave One Minute Chocolate Mug Cake 

     

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 2-3 minutes
   Cooking time 1 minute

   Makes single serving

   Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
All purpose flour	2 tbs
Sugar	2 tbs
Unsweetened cocoa powder	1.5 tbs
Baking Soda	1/8 tsp
Milk	2 tbs
Oil	1.5 tsp
Icing sugar/powdered sugar	for dusting

  

    Method 

• Take all the dry ingredients in a microwavable mug and fluff together well,so that everything combined well.

• Add the milk and milk it well with no lumps,finally add the oil and mix it well.If you are using any chocolate chips add it and mix it well.

• Microwave it for a minute and let it rest for few minutes.

• Dust it with icing/powdered sugar and serve it.

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

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Sambar Sadam / Restaurant Style South Indian Mini Meals

For the final day blogging marathon#61 themed under meals dishes is sambar sadam.This post with step wise picture were lying in my drafts since 3 years,could not find the main pictures in my drive.
Also I wanted to share the restaurant style mini meals and finally made it.
I am a great fan of this mini meals available in most of the South Indian Vegetarian restaurant chains.
The menu is with tomato rice,sambar rice,curd rice,fryums,raita,potato fry,pickle and kesari.
This version of sambar rice is slightly different from bisebelabath and uses sambar powder also some freshly ground spice powder.

                                                                      

                                                            

                                           Sambar Sadam/Sambar Rice

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 20 minutes
   Cooking time 30 -40 minutes

   Serves 3-4

   Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Raw rice/pacharisi	1/2 cup
Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu	1/2 cup
Shallots/chinna vengayam	10
Onion(chopped)	1(medium size)
Tomato(chopped)	1(large size)
Carrot(cubed)	1/2 cup
Beans(chopped into 1 inch)	3/4 cup
Small round eggplant/kathirikkai(cubed)	3/4 cup
Chayote/chowchow(cubed)	1 cup
Drumstick/murungaikkai(1 inch piece)	10-12
Sambar powder	1.5 tbs
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/2 tsp
Tamarind/puli	a big gooseberry size
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves
Coriander leaves(chopped)	1-2 tbs
Cashews/mundiri	2 tbs(optional)
Oil	2 tbs
Ghee/nei	1 tbs
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1 tsp
Urad dhal/uluthamparuppu	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeergam	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Dried red chilly/varamilagai	1-2 (broken)

 
  To roast and grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Dried red chilly/varamilagi	3-4
Whole coriander seeds/dhaniya	11/2 tbs
Channa dhal/kadala paruppu	2 tsp
Desiccated coconut	11/2 tbs

    Method 

• Pressure cook the rice and dhal separately in a pressure cooker 3-4 whistles in a medium flame.Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice and keep it aside .
• Heat few drops of oil in a pan and add the red chilly,coriander seeds and channa dhal.Fry it for couple of minutes then add desiccated coconut.Fry it till the coconut turned golden brown.Put off the flame and powder it once it becomes cool down,set it aside.

• Heat a pan with 2 tsp of oil and saute the shallots and chopped onion,till translucent,then add in the chopped tomato and cook it for couple of minutes.Now add in all the chopped veggies and mix it well.Saute it for 2-3 minutes.

• Now add in the sambar powder,turmeric powder,salt and give it a mix.To this add the cooked dhal along with 2-3 cups of water.Let it cook till the veggies become tender.

• Once the veggies turned tender and raw smell goes off add in the tamarind water and let it cook for one boil.At this stage add in the ground spice powder and let it simmer it for 2-3 minutes.Now take a cup of sambar and keep it aside for later use if the rice become thick after cooling.

• Now add the cooked rice to the sambar and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.Stir it in between to avoid sticking in the bottom.Meanwhile in a separate pan heat the remaining oil and ghee,crackle the mustard seeds,urad dhla,cumin seeds.Add in the broken red chilly and asafoetida.Fry the cashews,and curry leaves.Add it to the rice mixture and mix it gently and put off the flame.

• Serve it hot with potato fry and pappad

• After cooling the rice may get thicken,so add the reserved sambar and mix it well.
• Here I used both shallots and onion,it can be made with shallots or onions.
• When the rice is hot it may be watery but after cooling it would thicken. 
• Here I used the frozen drumstick,that why I cooked it separately in the MW and add it when the sambar was boiling.
• Ghee is so important to give a nice taste so don't skip it.

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

Check out the blogging marathon page for the other bloggers participating in BM#61.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Vellapoondu Vengaya Puli Kulambhu/Vengaya Kara Kulambhu/Shallots and Garlic in a Tangy tamarind Sauce/Simple Lunch Menu

Coming to day 2 of Blogging Marathon#61 under the theme Meal Ideas is a kulambhu recipe with shallots and garlic.
Kara kulambhu can be made in so many ways,but this one is with no veggies.Using shallots and garlic makes this kulmabhu finger licking.Sambar powder gives an added flavor to this kulambhu.This recipe I noted down from my aunt's family cook and wanted try since long.Finally I made it for this theme and in the original recipe no tomato is used,but I used a small tomato.
As we prefer simple and comforting meals I paired up the kulambhu with rice,vendaikkai(okra
) poriyal and keerai(spinach) masiyal,appalam along with tomato rasam.It was so filling and a comforting lunch for a rainy afternoon.Off to the recipe...

                                                                      

                                                            

                                           Vellapoondu Vengaya Puli Kulambhu

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 10 minutes
   Cooking time 30 minutes

   Serves 4(generously)

   Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Shallots/chinna vengayam	10-13(halved)
Garlic/poondu	12-15 cloves
Tamarind/puli	a big gooseberry size
Salt	1.5 tsp
Curry leaves /karivepillai	few leaves
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8 tsp
Oil	2 tbs

 
  To saute and grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Shallots/chinna vengayam	3-4
Garlic/poondu	2-3 cloves
Tomato	1(small size)
Sambar Powder	2 tbs
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1 tsp
Black pepper/milagu	1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8 tsp
Oil	2 tsp

    Method 

• Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice and keep it aside .Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and add the cumin,fennel seeds and black pepper.Fry it for a minute then add in the shallots and garlic.Saute it till the shallots turned pinkish,then goes in the sambar powder.Give it a mix till everything gets blend well.

• Add in the chopped tomato and curry leaves,saute it till the tomato becomes mushy.If it is too dry sprinkle few drops of water.Put off the flame and grind it to a smooth paste once it becomes cold.Mix the ground paste with the tamarind water and set it aside.

• Heat the pan with oil and crackle the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.Add in the shallots and saute it fora minute.Then add the garlic and fry it till translucent.The add the tamarind mixture.

• Add around 1/2 cup of water,salt and turmeric powder.Let it boil for 5 minutes,then simmer it for 10-12 minutes or the oil till the oil floats on the top.

• Serve it along with rice and poriyal.

• Use shallots to get a nice taste..
• Here I used fat cloves of garlic,if you are using the smaller size then use up to 20 cloves.
• The kulambhu tastes even better on the next day. 

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

Check out the blogging marathon page for the other bloggers participating in BM#61.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com