leela's recipes: Main course

Showing posts with label Main course. Show all posts

December 31, 2022

Palak with badis (MIL's recipe)

Boil paalak with ginger and garlic. Blend.

Saute the badis.

Heat oil. Add finely chopped onion. When brown, add finely chopped tomatoes. Add turmeric and red chilli pwdrs. Once tomatoes are cooked, add the badis and palak. Cook for a few mins. Garnish with garam masala pwdr.

Beans Foogath

Dice beans fine (400 gms)

One onion, finely chopped

Green chilllies, finely chopped

Heat oil. Burst mustard seeds. Then curry leaves, onion and green chillies. Cook for a few mins (do not brown the onions).

Add beans and salt. Cover and cook on low flame for 5 to 7 mins till cooked, but still crunchy.

Add grated fresh coconut and juice of one lemon.

Cauliflower, Peas & Potato Sabzi

Serves 4-6

2 cups, when cut, cauliflower

3 smallish potatoes

1 cup shelled peas

Hing

Mustard seeds

8-10 curry leaves

2 green chillies, finely chopped

Turmeric pwdr

Salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp grated fresh coconut

Coriander leaves

Cut cauliflower into small florets. Cut the potatoes into 3/4 inch dice. Burst mustard seeds in oil. Add hing, curry leaves. Then add potatoes, cauliflower, peas, green chillies, turmeric, salt and sugar. Stir for 2 minutes. Add about 1/4 cup of water and stir. As soon as the water begins to bubble, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for 10-15 mins or unti the potatoes are just done. Sprinkle coconut and coriander on top.

November 7, 2022

Paneer Makhanwala

Hyderabadi Style Tinda

October 27, 2021

Week 26 - Stuffed Baingan

Ingredients

6-8 small baingan, split crosswise

1/4 cup peanuts

2 tsp sesame seeds

3-4 dry red chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

Can add 1 tsp flax seeds if you have

Dry roast the above. Grind to a fine powder. To the powder add:

Turmeric powder

2 tsp tamarind paste

2 tbsp finely minced onion

Salt

Mix everything well.

Stuff the baingan with above paste. You can cook it in a skillet or pressure cooker or instant pot. Pop some mustard seeds in oil, add a little chopped onion and fry. Then add the baingan, any leftover stuffing and 1/2 cup water. In instant pot, pressure cook on low pressure for 4 mins and then quick release.

Week 21 - Kadala curry

Recipe from Venkatesh Bhat

Note: Do not add mace and nutmeg - too many spices

June 12, 2021

Week 20 - Mattar Paneer

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November 7, 2020

Week 10 - Chow Chow kootu

Recipe from onehotstove blog

Method

1. Make a thick paste of

         1 tsp. mustard seeds
       5-6 peppercorns
       8-10 fenugreek seeds
       2 tbsp. coriander seeds
       3 tbsp. fresh/frozen grated coconut

2. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil. Temper it with

¹⁄₂ tsp. mustard seeds
¹⁄₂ tsp. turmeric
¹⁄₂ tsp. red chilli powder
Pinch of asafetida
Sprig of curry leaves

3. Add the following vegetables (or other vegetables that you have on hand) and saute well

       1 large carrot, diced
       2 Japanese eggplants, diced
       1 large potato, diced

4. Add salt to taste, a little water and cover and cook the vegetables until they are barely tender.

5. Stir in

       1 tsp. tamarind paste
       2 tsp. tomato pickle
       Ground spice paste

6. Cook for a few more minutes.

October 15, 2020

Week 7 recipe - Cabbage Paneer sabzi

Ingredients

cabbage, two cups, washed and cut
broad beans, 1 cup
big onion, 1 cup
tomato, chopped, 2 cups
green chilli, 2
chilli powder
coriander leaves
paneer, 10 pieces

To grind:

badam, 3
cashew, 4
coconut, 2 tbsps
kasa kasa, to taste
fried gram, 2 tbsps
cloves, 2
cardamom, 2
oil or ghee and salt

Cook broad beans and cabbage.
Put ghee in a kadai and roast onion, tomato, green chillies. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder.
Add cooked cabbage and broad beans. Add salt and the ground masala.
Turn off heat and add paneer and coriander leaves.

October 5, 2020

Week 6 recipe - Vendekkai Gojju

Ingredients

250 gms bhindi
1 1/2 tbsps tamarind extract
a pinch of jaggery
salt to taste
oil

For dry masala

1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

For masala paste

10-12 coriander strands
1 cup coconut
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp uncooked rice
1 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 green chillies

For seasoning

2 tsp oil
3 whole dry red chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Method

Prepare the dry masala:

Dry roast all the ingredients for dry masala and grind them together into a powder.

Prepare masala paste:

Grind together all the ingredients for the masala paste with the powdered spices and a dash of water.

Prepare bhindi:

Heat 3-4 tsp of oil and start shallow frying the bhindi.
To the bhindi, add the tamarind extract and salt.
Crumble the jaggery over it and 1 1/2 tbsps of masala paste.
Mix well, pour in some water and cook for 5-7 mts.

Prepare seasoning:

In another pan, heat 2 tsp of oil, add the ingredients for seasoning and saute for about 30 seconds without burning them.
Pour the seasoning over the bhindi and serve hot.

Loved it. Can use yellow mustard seeds instead of black for a stronger flavor. Fry the bhindi well and see to it that it is not slimy. Getting the right consistency, not too thick, is important so add more water if necessary.

October 4, 2020

Week 5 recipe - Spicy chickpea and eggplant stew

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 large eggplant, cubed
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 * 14 ounce cans chopped tomatoes (about 10 fresh tomatoes)
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the garnish

2 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
sprigs of cilantro

Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set the colander in a bowl and let sit for 30 mts to allow the bitter juices to escape. Rinse and dry.
Boil the chickpeas till tender. Drain.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and onion and cook until soft. Add the spices and cook, stirring for a few seconds. Stir in the eggplant and cook for 5 mts. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 mts.
To make the garnish, heat the oil in a frying pan and when very hot, add the onion and garlic. Fry until golden and crisp. Serve the stew with rice, topped with the garnish.

Can also have this dish with rotis. Add some chilli paste to make it spicier.

September 11, 2020

Week 3 recipe - Paneer, Summer squash and Red bell peppers

Use whatever summer squash is available: yellow or green zucchini or bottle gourd. Contrast colours for visual impact: yellow zucchini with red bell peppers, or green squash with yellow bell peppers.

Amma was not too keen on making this because of the long list of ingredients! But she finally agreed and it was actually very simple to make and delicious.

1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup fresh or dried coconut
1/2 cup water
4 tbsps ghee or mixture of oil and butter
paneer, about 170 gms, cut into cubes
1 whole dried red chilli
1/2 inch ginger, sliced into paper thin rounds
zucchini or 10-inch bottle gourd
2 small red, yellow or green bell peppers, cut lengthwise into thin strips
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tomato, diced
3 tbsps fresh coriander

1. Combine the ground coriander, cumin, fennel, turmeric, garam masala, coconut and water in a small bowl.

2. Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan till over moderate heat. When hot, gently add the paneer cubes and fry for about 5 minutes, constantly turning the cubes till they are evenly brown.

3. Raise the heat a little, add the red chilli and ginger and fry until they darken a few shades. Stir in the squash and bell peppers and saute for about 10 minutes till the squash is cooked. Add the salt, spice paste and tomato, reduce the heat and stir-fry until the tomatoes are soft and the dish is dry. Add the fresh herbs, stir and serve.

Week 2 recipe - Curried cabbage with tender whole mung beans

This Bengali-style cabbage dish can be cooked in ghee, mustard oil or veg oil. You can also substitute 1 1/2 cups of sprouted mung for the whole mung beans.

2/3 cup whole green mung beans, sorted and cleaned
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 hot green chillies, seeded and sliced lengthwise into slivers
1-inch piece fresh ginger, cut into thin julienne
5 tbsps ghee, or oil
1/4 tsp hing
10 curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
1 small green cabbage, finely shredded
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsps lemon juice
1 tsp honey

1. To quick-cook the mung beans, wash well, then drop them into boiling water. Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for 1 hour. Bring the water to a boil again and simmer for upto 1 hour or until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Combine the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, green chillies, and ginger in a small dish. Heat ghee or oil in a wok over moderately high heat. When hot, drop in the spice-seed mixture and fry until the mustard seeds begin to sputter and pop. Immediately drop in the hing, curry leaves, cabbage, turmeric and coriander powder and cook, stirring frequently, for 10-20 mts.

3. In the last few minutes, add the beans, salt, lemon juice and honey.

Very healthy dish especially if you sprout the beans. Different way to have cabbage.

Doing a lot of cooking during this COVID time. Just to keep ourselves busy and stay connected, we decided to cook one recipe, chosen by one of us, every week. We then share pictures and discuss how the dish turned out with family online. Third week completed and it's been fun.

Week 1 recipe - Summer squash and green peas

3 Tbsps ghee or 1 1/2 tbsps each veg oil and butter,
2 green chillies, stemmed, seeded and cut lengthwise into slivers
1 tsp cumin seeds
8-10 small zucchini (about 685gms), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (can also use bottle gourd)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 cups fresh peas in pods or 285 gms frozen peas
3 tbsps chopped fresh coriander

1. Heat ghee or oil in a heavy 2-3 quart/liter nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the chillies and cumin seeds and fry until they begin to darken. Stir in the zucchini, turmeric, coriander powder, peas, half of the fresh herb, and the butter (if you used veg oil). Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

2. Uncover and saute until the zucchini softens. If using frozen peas, add them now. Add the salt and the remaining coriander leaves. Gently mix and serve.

April 27, 2020

Beetroot poriyal

Boil beetroot. Cut into small pieces. Heat oil, add jeera seeds, grated coconut, crushed peanuts and 2 green chillies. Saute for 2 mins. Add beetroot and cook for 5-8 mins.

March 17, 2019

Sangi’s palak paneer

Fry onions and tomato, garlic, ginger, pepper. Blanch palak.
Grind everything. Heat oil, add haldi, coriander powder, jeera
powder, salt. Add palak mixture. Then add paneer.

December 24, 2018

Bagara Baingan

450 gms Brinjals
5 gm red chillies
115 gms coconut
15 gms coriander seeds
5 gms garlic
5 gms sesame seeds
225 gms onions
115 gms tamarind
5 gms jaggery
Mustard seeds
Turmeric pwdr
Curry leaves

Wash brinjal without breaking the stem. Cut lengthwise so that brinjal still remains whole. Heat oil and fry brinjal till the skin becomes brown. Remove and keep aside. Fry onions with the coriander seeds and red chillies. Grind it with the coconut and garlic. Extract tamarind pulp and add to the ground paste. Roast sesame seeds separately and powder. In a little oil, saute the paste well. Add the brinjal and sesame seed powder. Cover and cook till gravy thickens. Add jaggery. Tadka mustard seeds and curry leaves in ghee and pour over the curry.

This used to be one of our favorites growing up.

Basic Curry Gravy

2 finely chopped onions
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste:
3 cloves garlic
one piece ginger
3 dry red chillies
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
25 gms cashews

Heat oil and saute onions till golden. Add masala paste and saute for about 10 mins, adding a little water if paste tends to stick to bottom of pan. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 mins. Add 2 cups water, curry leaves and salt. Bring to a boil.

Is this the curry gravy that mom used to make with potatoes or the tomato masala recipe?

Dhansak

Turmeric pwdr 1/2 tsp
Tuvar dal 1/2 cup
Mixed dals (green gram, Bengal gram) 1/2 cup
1 large potato
1 Brinjal
2 onions
1 piece red pumpkin
2 carrots
1 piece ash gourd

Grind together:
1/2 tsp methi seeds
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chilli pwdr
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 small piece ginger, cinnamon, one green chilli, coriander leaves
Grind these with one onion and tamarind.

Wash and soak the dals for 1/2 hour. Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Pressure cook veggies, dlas with the turmeric pwdr for about 25 mins. Chop the second onion fine. Saute till golden brown. Add ground masala and fry well. Add cooked dals and veggies, salt to taste, required water and mix well. Simmer for some time. Garnish with coriander leaves.