Shepangkezhangu/Colacasia Fry

First boil the shepangazhu in cooker for 3 whistles.(Add as much water as to cover one inch above the veggie)

Remove from stove and transfer to cold water.

Remove the skin and put the shepangkezhangu in a plate or bowl.

To it add turmeric powder,red chilli powder,sambar powder,ginger garlic paste and salt.Mix well and leave to marinate for 10 mins.

Heat oil in a wok, add mustard and once it pops add curry leaves.

Add the shepangkezhangu and fry until golden brown.

If using anything other than a non-stick wok more oil will be needed and keep flame between

medium and low.

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY
Shepangkezhangu	Half kilo
Red chilly powder	4 tbsp
Turmeric Powder	2 tbsp
Salt	1-2 tsp
Mustard	1 tbsp
Curry leaves	8- 10 leaves
Oil	100 ml
Sambar Powder	2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste	2 tbsp

     

Grandma's Quick Fix Okra fry!

Turmeric Powder

Sambar powder

Red Chilly Powder

Wash and pat dry Okra before cutting.  

Cut 500gms Okra into small peices (1cm)

Put in a plate or bowl

Add 2-3 tsp turmeric powder

Add 2-3 tsp red chilly powder

Add 2-3 tsp Garam Masala (optional)

Add 1 tsp salt (you can add more if you like)

Mix all the masalas with the Okra and leave to marinate for 5 minutes or longer if you have the time.

Take 3 tbsp refined oil in a wok.

When oil is hot add the Okra and keep sauteing now and then till well fried.

Thats it!

Vendakkai Curry/Bhindi Fry/Ladiesfinger-Okra fry

Before starting,wash the Okra and pat dry because water on the Okra during cooking can make it soggy and easily breakable resulting in Okra mash rather than fry :-)

Chop the Okra into medim pieces (1-2 inches) in length

In a wok,warm refined oil and add mustard seeds.

Once they pop add ulundu and broken red chillies.

Keep on medium flame and fry till ulundu/urad turns light brown.

My Secret tip: Add turmeric powder to the oil so once the okra is in the masala is spread evenly and has a nice yellow tinge :-)

To it add the okra and mix it without smashing or breaking.

Cover it and fry on low flame till okra is tender.Keep sauteing now and then.

When tender,add red chilly powder and/or sambar podi. Fry till masala is evenly distributed and till okra is as fried as you prefer.Traditionally it has to be green,but me and my hubby love it fried more.

If using a non stick wok,then this is a sure hit! But if using any other metal...the process needs to be a bit speedy and keep on low flame preferably.Even more oil will be needed to fry it better.A sprinkle of water can be added before closing so it can boil better.

My Secret Tip: For any dish on the planet,especially veggies, add salt only in the end as they tend to shrink and you might just go overboard with the salt if added in the intial stage!

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY
Okra/Vendakkai/Bhindi	500gms
Oil	4 tb sp
Mustard	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	2 tsp
Red chilli powder	2-3 tsp
Salt	1-2 tsp
Urad/Ulundu	1tsp
Sambar powder	1-2 tsp
Broken red chillies	2-3 medium sized

Pulicha (Gongura) Keerai Masiyal

Boil red gram(tuvaram paruppu) in a cooker on high for two whistles and on sim for 4 whistles.Once done keep aside.

Take one bunch of pulicha keerai and remove the leaves.Wash them thoroughly and put in a cooker to boil along with onions,tomatoes,green chillies,turmeric powder and salt to taste until one whistle.

Smash all the ingredients together until it becomes like a paste.You could also mash them in a mixie but I honestly feel it loses its texture and flavour :-(

To it add the dal and mix thoroughly until the dal is mixed well with everything else.

Garnishing:

Take a small skillet and heat two tb spoons of refined oil.

Add mustard to it and once it starts popping add crushed garlic(the best way to get the garlic flavour and aroma is to crush it) and fry till golden brown(or how you like to have it)

Then add broken red chillies and fry.

To it add red chili powder and green chillies and fry.

Once mustard starts popping keep your stove on medium to low flame.

Add everything to the Keerai Masiyal and mix well so all the flavours combine to give the most healthy low-fat fibrous diet ever!

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY
Pulicha Keerai	One bunch
Tuvaram paruppu/red gram	150gm
Onion	1 large
Tomato	2 large
Turmeric Powder	1 tsp
Mustard	1tbsp
Red chilly powder	1tsp
Garlic	8-10 cloves
Red Chillies	3 broken

Although traditional methods of Masiyal do not use any of the garnishings above save mustard and red chillies fried in ghee,you are free to try this same recipe with greens like Spinach,fenugreek leaves or any leafy greens.

Semiya Payasam/Seviya Kheer

First heat ghee in wok until warm.

Fry cashews in ghee till light brown and keep aside.

Then add the Vermicelli and fry till light brown.

To it add 2 cups of water and bring to boil.(If its a bit watery let it simmer until water drains)

Then add sugar and milk and keep stirring on medium flame till sugar melts and milk thickens a bit.

Your done :-)

Garnishing -

Add the fried cashews and saffron to top it off and serve hot or chilled!

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY
Semiya	100gms
Ghee	2-3 tb sp
Water	2 cups
Milk	½ ltr
Sugar	250gms
Cashews	5-6 crushed
Saffron	5-6 sprigs

In Indian tradition, a sweet is always served first as a means of bringing in a festivity or celebration.

So here's me bringing you an Indian dessert to start off my blog :-)

P.S:Its upto you though to use it as an evening snack,dessert at lunch or snack at dinner...

Happy Cooking!

Today is a beautiful day,not to sunny not too cold...all I can think of is having something spicy and something sweet to go with the weather...so here's an interesting blog on what's cooking at our place...