Aval Pazham

 If there is one easiest breakfast recipe in Indian, then it should be this one. LOL. Because all other recipes in India requires lot of ingredients and require more cooking time. So this is my first preference whenever we are returning to USA to our house after a vacation. I keep some frozen coconut handy and the aval is always in my pantry. Banana is an optional ingredient only. So this recipe (!) is a treasure for anyone who prefers homemade foods all time,

Poha / aval / beaten rice comes in many varieties - thin poha, medium poha, thick poha , red aval etc.

I use thick and red varieties. Any variety of poha can do the same. But the thin one can be eaten as soon as it is rinsed. Other thicker varieties (esp red) should be kept 10 minutes after rinsing.

Ingredients:

For 2 servings
Thick Aval (Red Poha) - 1 1/4 cup 

Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup

Brown sugar - as per need

Banana - 2

Method:

Rinse the aval. If it is a thin aval then we can use it immediately.

If it is a red aval or a thick or medium thick aval, then after rinsing it in water for one time, add 1 tbsp water and keep it covered for 10 minutes.

Don't add anymore water.

The aval will drink the moisture and will get soft.

After 10 minutes, add shredded coconut, brown sugar and mix well.

Mash the banana and mix with aval.

(OR) To serve it with style, put the soaked aval mixture in a cereal bowl.

Slice the banana into thick rounds (1/2 inch size) and add on top.

Aval Pazham is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Serves 2 adults (generously).

Pagarkai varuval Bitter gourd fry

Bitter gourd varuval. This is a bitterless Pagarkai fry made by my amma often.

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd -  1/2 kg
Peanut oil - 3  tbsp
Fennel - 1  tsp
Red onion - 1
chilli powder - 1/2  tsp
salt - 1.5 tsp

Method:
Carefully examine the bitter gourd while buying.
They should be dark green in color with the spikes closely packed. Discard the matured seeds.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and after they splutter add the chopped bitter gourd.Cook it with constant stirring and uncovered.
After 10 minutes add the chopped onion.
Fry really crisp.
Finally add salt , garam masala powder and chilli powder.
sprinkle a handful of water and cook it covered.
Adding a little water helps to coat the masala thoroughly.
open the lid, Saute for 2 minutes and put off stove.
crispy bitter gourd fry is ready.
Adding more oil makes it bitter-less curry:)

Serving suggestions:
This is a good combination with 'paruppu satham' (Toor dhal and rice)
It takes 25 minutes to cook 1/2 kg.

Chennai Kara Kulambu (vendakkai kara kulambu)

Okra / vendakkai  in tamarind curry.

Ingredients:

Okra - 150 gm (20 numbers)

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

curry leaves - 1 sprig

Garlic - 1
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
water - 3 cups
salt - 2 tsp (to taste)

To temper:
Mustard - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Method:

Wash the okra and wipe well using a clean kitchen towel. Let it dry in air while we prepare the other items. Remove the top and bottom of okra. Cut the okra into 2 inch pieces slantingly or in straight pieces.

Chop onion, tomato and keep separately.

Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the juice thrice with 2-3 cups of water. 
Add the chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt to the tamarind extract . Keep aside.

In a kulambu vessel, heat 2 tbsp sesame oil.

Add mustard seeds.
Once the mustard starts popping add fenugreek seeds. Once fenugreek starts turning red, add the chopped onion, curry leaves and asafoetida.

Then add the okra pieces and stir fry till they turn slightly crispy (almost cooked). Add the chopped tomato and cook till tomato is mushy.

Add the tamarind mixture, garlic and bring it to a boil. Cook for 10 mins and switch off.

Vendakkai puli kuzhambu is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with rice, appalam, greens, vegetable side dish or omelet.
Tastes good with chapati / dosa too.

Red Rice Kulaputtu (Chemba puttu)

 Puttu - A breakfast item common in Kerala and Southern TamilNadu.
Generally rice flour is steamed with shredded cocount and served with sugar / banana / spicy kadalai curry.

Kuzha puttu - A puttu resembling a pipe.

There are many ways to steam this puttu. We can use a simple cloth over hot steam or idly making plates or this special tool 'puttu kudam' for steaming the flour.
The most authentic and tasty variety of puttu is made by using the red rice flour (rose matta arisi or sivappu samba rice).

I used the store bought ready made red rice flour (double roasted). Instead we can roast the ordinary white rice also.Some people prepare the flour from scratch by soaking and dry grinding the rice.

Puttu maker in box along with the ingredients.
 (2010 pics)

Puttu kuzhal and puttu kudam with ingredients .
Puttu maker consists of 2 main parts: The puttu kuzhal (to fill the processed rice flour) and kudam (to fill water and generate steam).


Puttu served. The white coconut is the frozen shredded coconut and the darker one is what I got from fresh coconut:)

Ingredients:
(For 3 kuzha puttu)
Red rice flour - 1 1/2 cup

1 puttu = 1/2 cup rice flour
(If not readymade, roast it till we get a pleasant smell and the grains look very flowy)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Shredded coconut - 1 cup
(Coconut should be almost equal to that of rice flour.We can reduce it too, but we can't get the real taste.)
Water - 1 cup ( at room temp)
Method:
Fill the puttu kudam (the broader vessel) with water to its 3/4 th. Close the top with the given lid that has the nozzle.
Start heating it.

Put the roasted rice flour in a mixing bowl.

Mix salt with the rice flour.

Slowly sprinkle the water and mix well without any lumps.
The consistency should be such that we should be able to make a solid with the flour, but the solid should be breakable in to flour when touched gently.
Totally we should get a wet flour but not any lumpy.

Take the puttu kuzhal. Fill the bottom with 2 tsp shredded coconut. Then put the prepared flour and fill half way very loosely. Again spread 2 tsp coconut and fill the pipe with prepared rice flour. Again put 3 tbsp puttu flour. Then 1.5 tbsp coconut at top.

Now check if the steam starts hushing out of the puttu kudam.

Close the puttu kuzhal .Make some holes in the filled flour using the stick given and fit it over the nozzle.

Heat till we see steam out of the top of puttu maker.
Then continue heating for 5 minutes after steam comes off the top (totally 10 mins) and switch off.

Carefully take out and serve immediately.

Kuzha puttu is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with sugar and banana.
Other combination are channa masala (kadalai curry), green gram chundal etc.

Note:
Try to serve the puttu immediately otherwise it may turn hard. Reheating in microwave helps a bit.

Carrot Paruppu koottu

Carrot with moong dal stir fry / carrot stir fry. 

Click to my video on making carrot paruppu koottu.

Ingredients:

Carrot - 3 (300 gm)

Moong dal - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1

Green chili - 2

Curry leaf - few

Sesame oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Urid dal - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp (to taste)

Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp

Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Rinse the moong dal and keep it soaking for 10 mins (until we finish chopping the vegetables).

Shred the carrot (I used the big shredding side in the cuisinart food processor).

Dice the onions, slit the green chili into two (so that it can be easily found and not to eat it, we just need the spice level of chili).

In a wok add 2 tbsp sesame oil or coconut oil or any cooking oil.

Add mustard , once it starts cracking add urid dal.

Once urid dal starts getting mild red, add the onion, chili , curry leaf.

Saute a little until onion turns soft (not red).

Add the shredded carrot. Saute in low heat for 2 mins. Push some carrot in the middle aside and add the soaked moong dal. 

Saute 1 min.

Add the soaking water.

Cook covered in medium heat for 5 mins. Check if carrot is cooked well.

Heat without lid, so that the water evaporates.

Add required salt.

Mix well.

Add 2 tbsp shredded coconut , cumin and mix well.

Switch off.

Carrot paruppu koottu is ready !

Serving suggestions:

Serves 6.

Serve as side dish with any rice with curry like sambar. 

Serve as side dish with chapathi or as a filler for sandwich.

Ivy gourd fry (கோவைக்காய் வறுவல் / Tindora varuval)

கோவைக்காய் வறுவல்  / Kovaikkai varuval / Tindora fry in Andhra style / Ivy gourd fry.

Ingredients: 

Kovaikkai - 300 gm

Peanut oil - 3 tbsp

Fennel - 1 Tsp

Garlic - 2 cloves

Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp

Curry leaf - few

Table salt - 1 Tsp (to taste)

Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp (to taste)

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp 

Preparation: 
Rinse the Ivy gourd very well (thrice). Remove the top and bottom of each. No need to remove skin. Slice them into thin coin like pieces.

Method: 
Heat oil in a wok. Add fennel, once it stars getting mild red, add the sliced kovaikkai.  (Saute for 2 mins in medium heat)

Add the required salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and stir well. Cook covered for 5 minutes in low heat. Check and cook till done.
Tindora fry is ready !

Serving suggestion:
Makes  4 servings.
Serve as side dish with sambar rice, any rice variety, chapati , roti.

Tomato rice in Briyani Flavor

Tomato rice in home style was the first tomato rice we all used to take to school (in my childhood). Then afterwards it was jazzed up by our mothers , sisters and aunts, and became 'Thakkali briyani '. This is the first dish my hubby tasted and he learned that I made it myself (as I was helping my mom to pack lunchbox ). I made this for our Valentine's Day lunch this year to recreate our special day and I think happy foods like this make love grow stronger each day and keeps loving couples together always. Hubby gifted me a designer handbag and some 'props' for my youtube channel. 

Gifts we exchanged for Valentine's Day

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice or any raw rice - 2 cups (400 gm)
Tomato - 5 (1/2 kg)

Red onion - 1 (medium size)

Ginger - 2 inch

Garlic - 1 

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chili - 6  
Garam masala / Briyani masala  - 1/2 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Cilantro- 10 stems
Mint leaf -1 handful.

salt - 2 tsp (check and add)
Peanut oil - 3 tbsp

To temper:
Fennel - 1 tsp
Bay leaves - 1
star aniseed - 1,
Cinnamom stick - 2 inch
cardamom - 4
cloves - 4

Rice preparation:
Wash the rice and soak it for 10 mins. Add 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook the rice to firm stage (100% cooked , but not mushy). Strain and remove the excess water using a colander. Keep open and let it cool.

Preparation:
wash and clean the tomatoes. Puree them. Keep aside.

Method:
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a broad flat bottom vessel.
Add fennel ,star aniseed , cinnamon stick,cardamom ,cloves, bay leaf , cashew and saute for a few seconds.

Put the chopped onion . Fry it till golden brown and add the ginger garlic paste and stir well till the raw smell goes. Then add the chopped chillies, chopped cilantro + mint and stir well.

Now add the tomato paste along with red chilly powder and biryani masala powders.

Add salt to taste. Cook till oil oozes out.

Mix with the cooked rice without breaking the grains.

Tomato biryani is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Garnish with 2 tbsp ghee , chopped cilantro , mint leaves.
Serve with onion raitha, potato chips etc.
Serves 3 adults.