Baked asparagus and mushroom

This is not a long recipe. I think anyone can make it without a recipe too. But I am posting it as it is one of my favorite . All vegetables are delicious. That too asparagus and mushroom are special. I think it is in everyone's favorite list and hence it stays in a top value always (almost $ 4 / lb ).  Try this and enjoy  :)

Baked Asparagus and mushroom

before baking

Ingredients:
Asparagus - 15 numbers
mushroom - 10
salt - a pinch
Extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
lemon juice - few drops (optional)

Preparation:
Rinse the mushroom and wipe the moisture using a clean kitchen towel.
There is an unique way to clean the asparagus. (food network TV taught me :) ).
Take an asparagus. Bend it gently until it breaks at one point.
The top portion is edible and the thicker stem can be discarded (instead of discarding the thicker part, we can extract the stock and add it in soups too).
Rinse , pat dry and keep aside.

Method:
Coat a baking tray with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Heat the oven to 350 def C.
Put the mushroom and asparagus in a large mixing bowl.
Mix 1 tsp olive oil with salt, lemon  juice and mix well.
Place the vegetables on the baking tray in a single layer.
Bake for 10 minutes . Then take it out. Toss well. Spread in a single layer and bake again for 5 minutes.
Take out and serve hot.

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with sandwich , soups , pizza, pasta etc.
If chopped smaller this baked dish can be added to salads too.

Simple beans carrot poriyal

Simple stirfries (AKA Poriyal in Tamil) , is  a handy recipe for any Tamil family. Poriyals are made with a simple tadka (tempering) and suits the spicy South Indian curries with rice (whereas the North Indian stir fries would be better with some masalas, as they are used as dippings for roti. Yes, that is one basic difference IMO :).
Mostly I suggest using extra virgin coconut oil in my blog, as per my family's taste. But any cooking oil would do good.
Here is one more interesting way to include beans and carrots in our dish, 'the carrot beans poriyal'.

Carrot beans stir fry

Ingredients:
Carrot - 2 (small)
green beans - 20 (numbers)
shredded coconut - 1 tbsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste.
To Temper:
onion - 1/2 cup (chopped)
green chilli - 2
mustard - 1/2 tsp
urid dal - 1/2 tsp
coconut oil / olive oil - 2 tsp

Method:
Chop the carrots into small cubes. Cut the beans into small pieces.
Slit the green chilli into two (or) chop finely.
Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard, urid dal and let the mustard crack.
Then add the chopped onion and saute till it gets tender.
Then add the chopped chillies, beans, carrots. Saute well.
Sprinkle a handful of water and cook covered.
Then add required salt.
It will get cooked in almost 10 minutes in medium heat.
Then add the shredded coconut, cumin and stir well for a  minute.
Switch off.
Carrot beans poriyal is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve as side dish with rice and any curry like sambar, puli kuzhambu.

Senai kilangu varuval

Senai Kilangu (Tamil) ,Suran (Hindi), elephant yam  spicy roast / pan fried yam.
This root vegetable is one of the most favorites in many Indian houses. We cherish this as  a quick side dish with sambar rice. Hope you all love this :)

Frozen yam from Indian grocery store.

Ingredients :
Senai kilangu - 1/4 kg
Oil - 2 tbsp
red chilly powder -1 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1 tsp (to taste)
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
fennel (sombu) - 1 tsp
curry leaf - few

Method:
Buy fresh or frozen suran. Chop the suran into small cubes (or put the frozen suran in water for an hour to defrost it). Mix all the powders, salt with suran and keep aside.
Heat oil in a frying wok.
Let the fennel  get red. Put the curry leaf. Then add the suran pieces.
Saute for a minute. Sprinkle a handful of water and cook covered in low flame for about 10 minutes.
Stir in between. Check if it is cooked. Then open the lid and stir for a  few more minutes till it gets mildly crispy on outside.
Senai kilangu varuval is ready !

Serving suggestion:
Serve as side dish with rice and any curry or simply with curd rice.

Happy Vinayagar Chathurthi !

photo courtesy : http://easyscraps.blogspot.com/2010/09/ganesh-chaturthi-festival-india.html

Wishing all a very happy Vinayagar Chathurthi !

Rice kheer

Arisi payasam / paal payasam / rice kheer / rice pudding

Believe it or not, my mom has never done this and I came to know of this kheer after marriage only ♥
In my house quick payasam (kheer) means semiya payasam only. Mom won't change the family's traditional cooking and that's what made her foods incredibly yummy. But I believe that it is more fun to taste newer recipes (that too , if they are simple and quick).
This rice kheer is very common in almost all the houses nowadays and I appreciate the way we use rice instead of some processed semiya (vermicelli). So I happily embraced this easy kheer. I got this recipe from most of my neighbors (North and South Indians), and found a median version that suits us ♥ I don't insist on adding saffron or pistachio, but doing so will definitely enhance it.
I am sure simple kheers like this are a boon to this modern era women, who wishes to attend potlucks or host parties , but still wishes to look fresh  ♥

Wishing all a happy and prosperous Onam and Varalakshmi Nonbu !

Paal payasam / rice kheer

Ingredients:
Raw rice (basmati or pachcharisi) - 1/4 cup
whole milk  or 2 % milk- 2 cup
sugar - 12 tsp
almond - 2
cashew - 2
raisin - few
cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp
saffron - pinch (optional)

Method:
Rinse the rice and cook in stove top. Otherwise we can use 3/4 cup of well cooked rice.
Add 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Simmer and let it cook till rice gets soft.
Then add the milk and cook till the consistency becomes thick.
In the meantime soak the nuts and raisin separately.
Coarsely grind the soaked nuts and add the raisin and nuts.
Mix well.
Add required sugar and cardamom powder, saffron (soaked in a tbsp of milk).
Bring to a boil and switch off.
Serve hot or cold.

Serving suggestion:
Serve as dessert.
The above said quantity will be enough for 5 small servings (1/4 cup each).

Happy Onam !

Senai Kilangu fry

Deep fried yam / Senai kilangu varuval / suran fry.

Elephant yam is one of the big size yams of India. Though it is completely composed of carbohydrates, it is believed to yield some health. So it is popular than potato in my place.

While in UG, we all girls had a nice ladies hostel. Few times I had the chance to enter their store room to inspect along with our warden (a procedure to record a fair transaction).  At that time I could see our the pantry's upper shelf stacked up with these elephant yams and the chef answered why there were too many yams for us :) ...
"Yams can be bought fresh during few months like January, February there. But they can be stored without refrigeration for many months (3-5 or even more), if they are kept whole and safer. Likewise one could see some whole pumpkins, coconuts too :)  "
....That was surprising to me and the way they maintained very low lunch fees (that's a blessing) had made me realize the responsibility of good house keeping ( buying in bulk and storing during lesser price).

Okay, coming to our Yam fry (looking like fish fry).....My mom used to make this fry occasionally along with paruppu kulambu  (click to see my traditional paruppu kulambu recipe too). This would be the star-dish while it rains.

Getting this fresh yam is not easy here in US. It would be very expensive ($4.99/ lb) and the shops would expect us to take the whole yam (no cuttings) and the yams (you all know)  will always measure more than 3 lb . So I just buy from freezer section and those packets always carry yams cut into tiny cubes. So I waited for an opportunity to try this for my blog, as well as our family.

Last year, I made this for my inlaws and they absolutely loved it. This became my mother inlaw's most favorite and I love the way all liked it. So try this on a cool season for your loving family and enjoy this fry as well as their smile.

Deep fried yam (I couldn't take any 'blog worthy photos', as we all started enjoying them immediately).

Senai kilangu marinated with masalas

Senai kilangu cut into bigger wedges

Ingredients:
Elephant yam - 1 lb (or little more)
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
curry masala powder - 1 tsp
salt - as per need (1 1/2 tsp)
water - 1 tbsp
Oil - to deep fry

Method:
Remove the skin of the yam using a knife. (Don't rinse in water now).  Cut it into bigger squares or triangles of 3/4 inch thickness. Now rinse in water. 
Mix all the masalas and salt in water.
Marinate the yam slices in this mixture.
Wash your hands in little tamarind water.
Deep fry in oil, flip and fry in medium heat.
Take out and drain oil.
Senai kizhangu fry (veggie fish fry) is ready !

Serving suggestion:
Serve as side dish with any rice.

Other dishes with Senai kilangu :
Senai kilangu varuval / roast.
Senai kilangu paruppu koottu 
Senai kilangu erisseri
Pongal avial
Pongal puli curry