Reckless Cooking

Bhindi + Capsicum Koora

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:51:00 +0000

Slit bhindi into long pieces (1- 1.5 inches) and fry it in oil till it loses its stickiness. Do so with salt + turmeric.

Remove bhindi and in the same oil + slit green chillies + jeera. Then fry sliced onions (1/2 onion) + 2 diced tomatoes + 1 capsicum (chunked). Cover the pan and let the capsicum cook. Add salt + chilli powder . Then add the fried bhindi. Then add besan powder (2 -3 tsps) and fry.

Italian Antipasto Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:26:00 +0000

Great use of left over pasta that wasn't used in the main meal.

Boiled Rotini, preferably room temperature

Add pieces of green pepper + sliced onions + sliced tomatoes + olives + rotini

Toss with olive oil + pepper + salt + italian dressing (I used Sun-dried vinaigrette)

Add shred of cheddar cheese.

Let it soak for about 30 minutes. Eat.

Homemade Veggie Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:17:00 +0000

I cannot believe I haven't tried to make pizza at home after all these years in the US! Here is the recipe:

Store bought Pizza crust - preferably freshly baked (large size, $4.99 at Harris Teeter)

Pizza Sauce -

1/2 can crushed tomato, 2.5 tsps of tomato paste mixed in water

Add olive oil + red chilli flakes+ crushed tomato + tomato paste + italian herbs + salt. Let this simmer for about 20-30 minutes

On the base spread the pizza sauce + little cheese

Add all the toppings you want (jalapeno peppers, olives, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, pineapple)

Add cheese - shredded cheddar, mozeralla

Follow instructions on the base and bake pizza. Hands down best pizza.

Black Bean Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:14:00 +0000

Microwave half a can of black beans (about a cup) for about 6 minutes. Saute slit green chillies + diced onion (1/2) + cumin seeds. Add dhaniya powder (1/2 tsp). Add finely ground tomatoes (1/2 cup) to this and stir. Now grind the black bean to a fine paste. Keep some beans aside. Add this to the mixture. Add salt + red chilli powder if needed. Optional: Add 3 tsps of cooked rice.

Add some milk and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes atleast. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Add a dash of lime juice if you like.

Badam Burfi / Halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Recipe from my periamma

1 cup Badam - soak for 15 minutes in hot water to allow easy skin removal. Grind the peeled almonds with enough milk so that it is a smooth paste. Add 1.5 - 2.25 cups of sugar, saffron to this paste. Sugar range is based on taste. Stir this mixture in a pan on medium heat. Check for sugar level. After about 12 minutes add ghee to this. Meanwhile lubricate steel plate with ghee. Just before the mixture solidifies empty it into the plate. If you hit the sweet spot then this will harden into cake. Else, you are stuck with halwa.

Bean based recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:11:00 +0000

Masal Mochai:

Now that mochai season is starting, try this dish.

Delicious is the only word for this mildly spicy vegetable.

Mochai paruppu (fresh ) - 1 cup

Besan - ½ cup

Chopped small onions - ½ cup

Oil - ½ cup

Chopped garlic - 1 tbsp

Chopped green chillies & ginger - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Saunf - 1 tsp (or little less )

Salt, haldi, curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves

Boil the mochai paruppu with little salt & drain.

Heat ¼ cup oil, temper mustard seeds, saunf &then add onions, garlic, green

chillies,&ginger fry well.

Mix besan, salt, haldi , chilli powder & ¼ cup oil to a bread crumb consistency.

Add this mixture & the boiled mochai to the fried ingredients..

Lower the flame, cover & cook for 5 mts.

Besan will get cooked in oil.

Open, mix thoroughly all the contents.

Add chopped curry leaves &coriander leaves.

The same dish tastes excellant with potatoes as well.

This dry dish goes very well with any rice.

Nadroo Yakhni (Lotus Stem in a White Curry)

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:54:00 +0000

500 gm lotus stem
500 gm yoghurt
100 gm ghee
25 gm dry ginger powder
25 gm green cardamom powder
50 gm fennel powder
02 gm bayleaves
05 gm asafoetida
salt to taste

Cut the lotus stem into 1/2 inch pieces.

Whip the yoghurt.

Boil 1 litre of water and cook lotus stems for 10 minutes. Add all the ingredients and cook briskly for another 15 minutes stirring constantly until the lotus root is tender and the gravy is creamy.

Serve as an accompaniment with rice.

Pasta Fritters

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:53:00 +0000

Source

Pasta Fritters Ingredients:

Left over pasta: 500gm

Ginger-garlic, crushed:1 big tbsp

Boiled potatoes: 2

Green chillies, chopped: 2 tbsp

Corriander leaves: 1 bunch

Grated cheese: 1 cup

Corn flour: 1 tbsp

Refined flour: 1 tbsp

Tomato sauce: 2 tbsp

Soya sauce: 1/2 tbsp

Vinegar: 1/2 tbsp

Ajinomoto: a pinch

Salt to taste

Method: Mash the pasta mix together with all the ingredients, rest it for a while and deep fry them (like onion pakoras) in medium hot oil. Drain them on a kitchen towel, garnish it with coriander leaves and serve piping hot with chilli garlic sauce.

Tip: While making fritters, if the mixture sticks to your while making hand apply a little oil to your hand before putting the batter in the oil.

Aakooralu charu (Green leaves soup)

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:51:00 +0000

Source

Aakooralu charu (Green leaves soup)

Serving for four to five people

Ingredients

Boiled tuar dal: 50gms

Onion, finely chopped: 1

Tomato, finely chopped: 1

Thoroughly washed and cut assorted green leaves

Each one bunch of any variety -five to six variety Pala koora (Palak) , Ponaganti kura, Thota kura, Koya kura, Bachchala kura, Menthi kura, Gangabayala kura, Chukka kura or any available green leaves. Avoid green leaves like Gongura, Erra thotakura, Soyi kura, etc. which may change the taste and colour.

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida powder: little (to sprinkle on the top)

Salt to taste

For seasoning: 1tsp ghee, cumin seeds, red chillies and curry leaves

To grind

Grated coconut: 4 tbsp

Poppy seeds: 1 tbsp

Cumin: 1 tsp

Green chillies: 1or 2

Method

Take thick-bottomed kadai or cooker. Mash the boiled tuar dal into paste add 800 ml. water and bring it to boil. Add chopped onion, tomato, turmeric and asafoetida powder.

When onion and tomato becomes tender, add green leaves. Add ground paste and salt after green leaves are cooked and well mixed. Boil the charu for fifteen minutes in low flame and season it with ghee, cumin, red chillies and curry l eaves.

This charu is rich in fibre, highly nutritious, cool on our stomach, very good for patients, children and for all. It goes well with rice comprising side dish of spicy pickle/papad/any spicy vegetable curry. It can also be consumed as soup.

Godhumai Dosa

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:22:00 +0000

1 cup wheat flour + 1 cup rice flour
Mix in 1/4 cup sour buttermilk
chop ginger + green chillies + curry leaves + jeera + hing
add diced onions
Let it stand for 2 hours

Cabbage Baaji

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:05:00 +0000

Cook 1/4 cup toor dal
Shred cabbage and cook in salt water
Fry 6 green chillies and add to cabbage
Add the dal.
Add rice flour to thicken if needed
Boil fr few mts and take off
Oil + mustard + chopped ginger + cashew
Add to cabbage
Add lemon juice + hing water if desired

Dal Ka Halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:57:00 +0000

Soak 250 gms moong dal for 4-5 hours
Grind to medium fine paste
Heat 200 gms ghee
Stirring constantly add ground dal till light golden color
Add 500ml hot water and stir for 5-10 mts
Add 250 gms sugar and continue stirring
Cook on medium heat till leaves the sides of pan
Soak saffron tsp of milk
Sprinkle over halwa + cardomom
Serve hot

Sabut Moong Dal

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:52:00 +0000

Soak 250 gms sabut moong dal (green full ones) for few hours
Pressure cook with 2 cups water + ginger paste + turmeric + salt for 20 mts
Heat ghee + hing + jeera + ginger + green chillies chopped
Then add the stirred dal and boil

Lauki Kofta

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:46:00 +0000

Grate l250 gms lauki and squeeze water
Mix 1/2 tsp ajwain + 1/2 tsp red chilli powder + salt
Mix 100 gms besan to dropping consistency
Heat oil to medium
Drop in the batter in batches and fry golden brown
Serve as pakoras / some gravy

Katti Meeti Lauki

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:40:00 +0000

Peel and chop 500 gms bottle gourd
Wash in water
Heat oil. Drop in mustard + jeera
Add lauki + salt + manjal + red chilly powder
Cover and cook till tender
Add mango powder 1 tsp + sugar 1 tsp and simmer before serving

Pittor

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:33:00 +0000

Mix 500 gms besan with 250 gms lightly beated curds
Add 750 ml water
Mix in 3 tsps ginger paste + green chillies ground with ginger
Also add 1/2 tsp ajwain + 1.5 tsp salt + 1.5 tsp red chilly powder + 1/2 tsp manjal
Mix well
In a wok on fire cook this mixture continuously till it is thick
Pour into a greased pan with shallow sides and let it set and cool
Cut into pieces and store in airtight jar

Khandavi is made the same way except the last step it is spread thinly on a greased plate, then sliced and rolled instead of cutting

Jhaal Muri

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:28:00 +0000

Soak 100 gms kala channa overnight. Boil in salted water. Drain and cool
Put puffed rice in a bowl, add oil and mix.
Add kala channa + boiled cubed potatoes + chopped cucumber +diced onions + green chillies
Also add red chilly powder + mango powder + lemon juice
Salt to taste

Karnakizhangu Masiyal

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:56:00 +0000

Preparation

Cook kandha in cooker. Mash it
Also pressure cook toor dal (3/4 cup)
Dice green chillies (4) + ginger
Add oil + mustard + urad dal + channa dal + hing + turmeric + green chillies + ginger + Curry leaves
Add the mashed kandha + dal
Also add water if needed
Add salt + kothamalli
Add lemon juice after taking off the stove

Mempodi

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:42:00 +0000

Ingredients

Channa Dal
Dhaniya
Vendhayam
Red Chillies
Hing

Preparation

Fry in oil and grind
Garnish any sambar based dish before taking off flame for pleasant smell.

Kothamalli Thokku

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:40:00 +0000

Grind Kothamalli (2 cups) + Red Chillies (10) + Puli (grape size) + salt in mixie
Add oil + mustard + hing
Fry the mixture in oil

Batura

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:30:00 +0000

Preparation

Take maida 1/2 kg
Add pinch of baking powder + salt to water (100ml)
Add this water + 1 tbsp oil to the flour
Can add 6 bread slices to this for the batura to rise fully
Prepare the dough and let it rest for 2.5 hours minimum
Make the baturas in a big pan of oil

Rava Dosa

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:21:00 +0000

Ingredients

Rava - 3 cups
Rice Flour - 1 cup
Maida - 1/2 cup

Preparation

Mix all with water
Add salt
Soak for half hour.
As it soaks the batter will thicken
Then add water if required
Add diced onions + green chillies
The pan should be very hot before rava dosa is prepared
Note that the batter should be watery

Other Version from here

Ingredients

Riceflour-1 cup
Rava or sooji- ½ cup
Maida- ¼ cup
Salt to taste

For seasoning

Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Green chillie-1 chopped finely
Pepper- a few
Curry leaves- a few
Ginger- a small piece chopped finely
Coriander leaves- a few chopped finely
Onion- ½ chopped finely
Oil and ghee

Method

Mix the rice flour, maida and rava and add water and salt to it. The batter should be watery and flowing. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add onions and other ingredients .Fry for 2 minutes till the onion turns transparent. Add this to the rava batter.
Heat the tawa (the tawa should be very hot while u are pouring the batter) and take one ladleful of batter and spread on the tawa starting from the sides and finishing off in the middle as rava dosa cannot be spreaded like ordinary dosa. Drizzle ½ tsp of oil and ¼ tsp of ghee on the sides. When it becomes golden brown turn it over.

Set Dosa

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:10:00 +0000

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 3 cups
Urad Dal - 1.25 cups
Getti Aval - 1 cup

Preparation

Soak for 4 hours rice and urad dal.
Soak aval for 1 hour (if paper aval)
Grind all and add soda, salt and let if ferment
Once it pongafies can be used for making set dosas

Set dosa

Pour a small pancake sized batter on pan
Cover and let it steam
Turn it over
Serve with Dangar chutney

Carrot Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:48:00 +0000

Preparation

Skin carrot and cook it with salt & pinch of sugar
Puree this in a blender
Add oil + ginger-garlic paste + finely chopped onion. Fry lightly
Add cubed, boiled potato, beans, and carrot. Saute them.
Add salt + pepper
Add 2 cups water and let the veggies cook for a while
Then add tomato puree and saute
Finally add carrot puree
To thicken the soup add 1 tbsp cornflour + 1/2 cup milk/ water
Boil and serve.

Maragatha Masala Vendakai Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Subbu) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:19:00 +0000

Can be done with other veggies too : Brinjal / Potato / Cauliflower

Masala Preparation

Onion big - 1
Kothamalli - 1 bunch
Green Chillies - 4-6
Cashewnuts - 10
Kasa Kasa - 4 tsp
Coconut grating - 2 tbsp
Dhaniya - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Ginger - Garlic -small pieces
Yellaka, Krambu, Patta - each 4

Grind all the above to a smooth paste

Dish

Cut vendakkai into long pieces
Add oil + mustard + jeera
Add vendakkai + manjal podi+ salt. Fry well on low flame
When the pieces have softened add the ground masala, and lemon-sized butter
Fry again for 6-7 minutes.
In the end add 3/4 cup of curds and stir for a minute
Garnish with curry leaves

Side dish for poori, chappati, dosa, pulao.