MEC - Chocolate - Brownies

I always bookmark receipes especially baked items done out of Microwave - one such was Eggless Chocolate Brownies from Divya's EasyCooking . Thanks a ton Divya for this wonderful receipe. It was made in a jiffy. My colleagues were all skeptical about this receipe. They all said that, if it comes out well for me then they would try this. I really cant believe it was so nice . I just baked it, I mean just 30 mins before I started this writing this post. So not only the Brownie is hot from the Microwave so also is my post. This tasty yummy Brownie goes to Srivalli's MEC - Chocolate. My very first entry to the events hosted by her that too in the eleventh hour.

Garlic Chutney

GARLIC is one of the main ingredients in some medicines that are given to purify blood or clear digestive problems. Its always good to add garlic in our food at times. This chutney is made once in a while as too much of this will create health problems to my grandmother.

Very easy to make, this chutney has a very different taste which will make you gobble down an extra idli or chappathi eaten along.

Ingredients:

Garlic Pods - 15 nos

Red chillies - 10 nos

Tamarind - size of a 25p coin

Salt to taste - preferably crystal salt

Oil to saute

Mustard seeds and Curry leaves for seasoning.

Method:

In a blender combine the garlic pods, red chili ( can be altered as per taste ), tamarind and salt. Crystal salt gives a different taste, that's why this is been used. Grind to make a smooth paste. Take care you do not add much water. In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds along with curry leaves. To this add a little more oil and pour the garlic paste to the pan. Saute the chutney under low flame till you get a nice aroma of the chutney. Serve it with hot, crispy dosa or chapatti.

Kadhalai Thogayal

The name might me new to some people, but this is how this tasty side dish is called in my Native and at home. Simple to make but tasty when had with Vathakulambu along with papad.



Ingredients;
Udacha Kadalai ( Broken Chenna Dal ) - 1 cup
Coconut Scrapped - 1 cup
Green Chillie - 2
Salt to taste.
Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and make a smooth paste without adding much of water. It should be coarse and at the same time a semi- solid kind of a paste. This thogayal can also be had with Rasam and papad. You can add this to plain rice and eat . That is my favorite way of having the thogayal.

Poondu VathaKulambu - My Mom' s Special

For every child , her mother is the best cook . So is mine too, she is exceptionally good cook who can cook veg and non veg equally well. She is a pure vegetarian yet when she cooks non vegetarian dishes, they are perfect despite not being tasted for salt. I owe my culinary skills to my mother. This Poondu ( Garlic ) Vathakulambu is my mom' s Special. I will give her anything she wants for this dish of hers. ITS SO YUMMY. This is my version of the same kulambu.

Ingrdients
Garlic Pods - 20 nos

Tamarind pulp - 1 cup

Red chillie powder - 3 table spoons

Coriander Powder - 2 table spoons

Coconut - 1 cup scrapped

Jeera - 2 tea spoons

Onion cut coarsely - 1/2 cup.

Onion - To saute

Mustard seeds , Fenugreek seeds and Curry leaves for seasoning
Salt to taste

Method

In a blender, make a smooth paste of coconut , Jeera and Onions. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait till they sputter. Now add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Add the peeled garlic pods. Saute them till they are slightly brown in color. To this add the tamarind pulp along with Red chillie powder ,Coriander powder and the blended paste of coconut. Let it come to a boil. The smell of raw red chillie powder should fade away as the kulambu boils. Now lower the flame and heat it till it forms a gravy consitency. This should be had along with steaming rice and papad especially during rainy season, its a piece of heaven.

Perfect side dish for this kulambu will be Kadalai thogayal

Curry Leaves Podi

Podi s lend a helping hand when we run out of time or just wanna laze around without indulging in an elaborate cooking. Curry Leaves Podi or Karuveppilai podi, can be seen in almost every house hold. Its a very easy way to include curry leaves in food , which is otherwise normally used only as a flavouring agent and not consumed along with other dishes. My grandmother made me eat curry leaves saying that it will enhance the growth of hair.


Ingredients
Curry Leaves - 2 cups ( washed and dried )
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Red Chillies - 10 nos
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 teaspoons .
Asafoetida to taste

Method:
Heat a little oil in a wok and saute the curry leaves under low flame. Keep it aside to cool. Saute the Urad dal followed by Red chillies. Allow the ingredients to cool. When they are cooled down, blend all the ingredients in a blender to form a coarse powder. Transfer in a air tight container and have it with hot rice along with clarified ghee or with dosa. This podi can be stored upto one weeks time.

Coriander Gravy for Herb Mania

One of my favourite events under Taste Of India is Herb Mania. This month its my favorite Coriander. This is one herb , that will enhance the flavour of the dish you prepared no matter how bad it is. I always depend on coriander as a Natural Taste Enhancer. The aroma of Coriander will draw people to your dishes. Given below is my entry for the event - Coriander Kootu

Ingredients:

Coriander - 2 cups

Moong Dal ( Pasi Paruppu ) - 1 cup

Green Chillie - 1 or 2

Salt to taste

Mustard Seeds and Oil for seasoning

Method:

Steam Moong Dal along with Green chillie in a cooker. Remove from fire and mash the dal. In a wok heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once they sputter add the dal along with cut coriander leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil after adding salt. This kootu will taste good with pepper rasam or for that matter any rasam. This kootu can be made very quickly and will taste different.

This is my entry to Herb Mania - Coriander hosted by Siri of Siri s Corner

Adai - Healthy mixture of Grains

If there is a healthy breakfast that includes major whole grains is ADAI. This is done by grinding together a mixture of Bengal gram dal , Urad Dal , Toor Dal , White Channa , Dry green peas. It makes a wholesome breakfast and traditionally this is served with Avial. You can also have it with Jaggery or Coconut chutney.
Ingredients
Bengal Gram Dal - 1 cup
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1 cup
Channa dal - 1 cup
Dry green Peas - 1 cup
Rice - 1/4 cup
Red Chillie Powder - 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste.
Onion - 1 cut into small pieces

Method
Soak all the grains together for about 2 hours. Grind them to form a coarse paste. In a wok heat oil and saute onions till they are translucent. Add this to the batter along with red chillie powder and salt. You can add curry leaves cut into small pieces if you want. Now pour a laddle of this batter on the tawa and cook like you would cook a dosa. If you want the Adai to be crispy be a little more liberal with oil. Your family s protein in take will be taken care by this Adai.



This Adai ,adds flavour to two events ..

Grains in my Breakfast organised by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and to JFI- Whole Grains hosted by Suganya of Tasty Palettes

Avial - My GrandMother' s Special

Avial, favourite of my whole household. This dish will feature at least thrice in a month mostly during weekends, along with steaming Pumpkin Sambar.I just love this combination. This is also my Patti s special. she always makes this when we visit her in Tirunelveli.
This is a dish which has all vegetables in spicy yogurt gravy. Now on to the ingredients
Vegetables of your choice - 1 cup each ( I used Carrot, Beans, Cluster Beans, Drumstick, Brinjal, Potato, Yam, Yellow Pumpkin)
Green chillies - 2 or 3
Coconut scrapped - 1 cup
Jeera - 1 tea spoon
Thick Yogurt - 1 table spoon
Coconut oil - 2 tea spoons
Curry leaves, onions and mustard seeds for seasoning

Method:
All the vegetables should be julienned. Steam drumstick and brinjal together, rest all separately.This should be done as drumstick and brinjal will cook faster than the others. In a blender take coconut , jeera and green chillies, blend the three to make a smooth paste. In a large wok, heat oil ( normal cooking oil ) and add mustard seeds, curry leaves followed by the onions and saute for two minutes. To this add the boiled veggies along with the gravy.Add salt to taste. Let this come to a boil and get a gravy consistency. Bring it down from the heat and let the gravy cool little. Just before you serve , add the yogurt and coconut oil. It will give you a beautiful aroma for the dish. Yummy Avial is ready.

Long live the Shelf - Rasam Podi

Rasam Podi

Yet another simple but very handy Podi is the Rasam Podi. Just add a spoon or two to boiling tamarind water along with some tomato , coriander and salt, you can be assured of the rasam. For me rasam is a very soothing food , when your ill or too lazy to cook elaboratly.

Ingredients:

Coriander Seeds - 1 cup

Red Chillies - 4 nos

Pepper - 2 spoons

Jeera - 2 spoons

Asafoetida - 1 spoon

Garlic - 1 pod (Optional)

Method:

These ingredients need not be sauted. Just combine them and grind them to a smooth powder and store it in a air tight container . Use a spoon or two when you feel like treating yourself with something spicy and tangy.

This Rasam Podi goes to Long Live the Shelf hosted by Roma

Long Live The Shelf - Paruppu Podi

Paruppu Podi

This is a Podi famous in Andhra , I first tasted it in Amaravathi Restuarant some years back and immediately fell in love with it. My Podi list will be incomplete without Parruppu Podi. Very simple to make and has a heavenly taste when taken with hot steaming rice , with a teaspoon of Ghee and Papad to accompany it .

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 1 cup

Bengal gram dal - 1/4 cup

Red Chillies - 10 nos

Curry leaves - a handful

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 spoons

Method:

Saute the above given in the order of Red chillies,Toor dal , Bengal gram dal, curry leaves. Allow them to cool and grind them in a blender along with salt and asafoetida . Store them in a air tight container and serve with steaming rice , along with little ghee and papad. Your kids will love it

This is my third entry to Long Live the Shelf hosted by Roma

Sambar Podi

Sambar Podi

This podi helps me when I cook for more than 10 people . I can be safe with the taste of the sambar , as its 200% sure that it will taste out of the world. Try it when you make lady s finger or Drumstick Sambhar. This podi can also be used to make Potato sambhar for idli. Very simple to make, but needs to be used immediately or else the flavour may fade away.

Ingredients:

Red Chillies - 15 nos

Coriander - 1 cup

Asafoetida - a pinch of the solid one

Fenugreek seeds - 1 spoon

Raw rice - 2 spoons

Oil - 2 tea spoons

Method:

Saute all the igredients one by one in the order of Red chillies , Coriander , Fenugreek Seeds and Raw Rice. Wait till they cool down and then powder them in a mixer. If you want the podi to be a fine powder , grind it in a flour mill ( this is advisable only when you do it in a large quantity). When you make sambhar , you can add this to the tamarind pulp along with veggies and dal. Garnish with coriander and your sanbhar will draw people to the kitchen even while its cooking.

This Sambhar podi goes to two events Long Live The Shelf hosted by Roma and to HerbMania - Fenugreek hosted by Redchillies