Crispy Carrot fry with Indian Spices

I tried Beetroot fry recently and applied the same technique on carrot and it did turn out be a good dish for rice. Continue reading the recipe if you would like to know the secret. For Beetroot Fry Recipe Click here

Ingredients:

1. Carrots sliced using a cutter as shown in picture
2. Slit green chili - 1 or 2
3.  Bunch of curry leaves
4. Cumin seed – 1 tspn or more as per the quantity of carrots
5. Pepper powder – 1 tspn
6. Chaat masala – a pinch or more as per taste
7. Chili Flakes - optional
8. Oil for frying
9. Salt to taste

Preparation: (Prepare this dish in low heat)

1. Heat oil in a large pan or kadai, add cumin seeds.
2. When the cumin seeds change color add slit chili and carrot.
3. Sprinkle salt and all masala items as described. Let them fry for a minute or two. do not Cover.
4. Give a toss or saute so that carrots gets fried on both sides.
5. Check seasoning, sprinkle very little water if required. ONLY if required. 
6. Cook until it turns crispy but tender at each bite.

Enjoy this with sambar/rasam rice. When the recipe is done, curry leaves and chili would have turned crispy.

Ensure the carrot slices are paper thin. 

You might want to cook 200 gm/250 gm for more than 2 servings.

Raw Banana Fry / Plantain Fry with Indian spices

This is a quick and easy dish with only few ingredients. In traditional south Indian dish it would be chopped in small pieces and made as sabji/poriyal/thoran with grated coconut.  In this recipe we have the banana in thin slices, soaked in lemon water to prevent discoloring.

Ingredients:

1. Medium sized raw plantain 2 – Slice thinly as in picture. I used Peyan variety
2. Slit green chili – 1
3. A bunch of curry leaves
4. Asofoetida – 1 t.spn
5. Cumin seed – 1 tb.spn
6. Chili Flakes – 1 tb.spn
7. Turmeric Powder – ½ tspn
8. Chaat masala – ¼ tspn
9. Oil for frying
10. Salt to taste

Preparation (Entire recipe prepared in low heat)

1. Heat oil in a large pan or kadai, add Cumin seeds and saute
2. When the cumin releases its flavor add green chili, asofoetida and curry leaves; saute for few seconds. Then add in the turmeric powder and mix well.
3. Add raw banana slices sprinkle salt and let them fry for 2 – 3 minutes. Toss well in between.  
4. Add red chili flakes, chaat masala powder; saute everything. Sprinkle little water if needed.
5. Cover and cook in lowest heat for about 2 minutes.

Enjoy this with sambar/rasam rice.

Coconut Milk Rasam / Thengai paal rasam without tomato

This awesome recipe was shared by one of my friends from School, and her name is Khalida. I would like to thank her for this. I remember my grandma and mom making a modified version of this without coconut milk when I was a kid. Not sure if it is prepared outside Kanyakumari Villages. They use to burn red chili and soak them in stone ground chutney water, add tamarind and salt to have with rice along with thuvaiyal (Chamanthi). Let me get into this recipe from my friend.

Ensure you use small onion and red chili both burnt as shown in picture. I burnt them on my gas stove top. Use thick coconut milk diluted in little water as we would not be using water for this curry. Remember we do not need tomato or other masala in this curry. I would soon post tomato rasam with coconut milk. Just can't wait to try.

Ingredients:

1. Burnt Shallots 3 - 4
2. Burnt Red Chili 1 or 2 as per your taste
3. 2 large garlic pods or 3 - 4 small pods
4. Small piece of ginger
5. Cumin + Black pepper about 1 tb.spn
6. Little Tamarind to make juice, 
7. Coconut milk 1 1/2 cups
8. Salt to Taste
9. Oil , mustard, curry leaves for tempering. 
10. Coriander leaves for garnishing - optional

Preparation:

1. Grind ingredients listed under 1 to 5 to a coarse paste without water. you may simply crush them using a mortar - Refer to pictures here.
2. In a small pan heat oil and prepare the tempering in medium heat. 
3. Add in the crushed spices saute for a minute in low heat.
4. Add tamarind juice and salt as required bring to a boil.
5. Mix in the coconut milk giving a nice stir. Switch off the flame after 30 seconds.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves. 

Enjoy with steamed rice. If you need little more rasam add coconut milk. Prefer not to add water as the dish would lose it's real flavor.

Let me know how you liked it. Did you eat an additional handful of rice :) ????

Once again thanks to Khalida. 

Aloo Methi - Potato & Fenugreek leaves

Aloo Methi is a popular north Indian Dish. This is tasty and nutritious too. Methi is Fenugreek leaves. Good for skin, stomach, heart etc. the list goes on and on.

It take less ingredients and cooks quickly too. People usually cook potato directly but I usually use boiled potato for this dish.

Ingredients:

1. Potato boiled and chopped - 2
2. Methi leaves - washed and chopped
3. Onion medium sized - sliced - 1
4. Cumin seeds - 1 t.spn
5. Asafoetida - 1/2 t/spn
6. Minched garlic little
7. Green chilies chopped - as required
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 t/spn
9. Coriander powder - 1 tspn
10. Garam masala - 1/2 t.spn
11. Salt to taste
12. Oil for cooking (can use mustard oil, vegetable oil)

Preparation:

1. In a pan heat oil, add cumin seeds and asafoetida
2. Add onion, garlic and green chili saute until onion become translucent
3. Add turmeric, coriander, garam masala and salt mix well
4. Add potato and methi leaves. Mix well, sprinkle little water cover and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
5. Check for seasoning, and add anything if required
6. Cook until done.
7. You can serve this with roti or rice.

Note:

• If you are giving to kids - add some salt and turmeric to the chopped fenugreek leaves, keep it for 15 minutes and squeeze out the water from it.
• Ensure you use couple of bunches of methi as one bunch would become few spoon full after  cooking.

Capsicum Peas Fried Rice

Following my past couple of recipes I have been making several dishes with bell peppers these days, and I am not bored a bit yet. Do you like bell peppers considering their enormous health benefits? Why wait continue reading J .

They are filled with vitamin, minerals, anti-oxidants, and good for the ones looking to reduce weight, prevents cancer, enhance metabolism, stimulates digestion, for sore throat; yes friends the list goes on and on.

Bell Peppers - so colorful. I have prepared this dish with bell peppers and green peas. You may use frozen peas if fresh peas are not available.

Ingredients:

Chopped Bell Pepper of your choice or mixture 

Washed Green Peas

Chopped Coriander leaves

Slit Green Chili as per taste

Cloves - 2

Cardamom - 1

Shahi Jeera or Regular Cumin - 1/2 t.spn

Cooked / steamed rice

Ghee - 1 tb spn, or oil.

Peanuts / Cashews (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat ghee/oil in a kadai or wok
2. Add Cumin, cloves and cardamom wait till they burst.
3. Add nuts if you have any, saute till they become slightly brown, keep the flame to the lowest to prevent this from burning. You may also fry separately and add in.
4. Toss in the green chili, bell peppers and green peas. Saute for a minute in high heat. Add salt.
5. Mix in the rice and toss, check for seasoning and add salt if required.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot or pack in your lunch box.

- You may squeeze in little lemon juice in the end if required

- Add crushed black pepper if you prefer your dish more hot.

Capsicum Carrot Curd Rice

Make your curd rice interesting with different variations. Include veggies and fruits of your choice to enhance the color and flavor of this dish.

In this recipe I have used grated carrot and chopped capsicum (bell peppers) as the main veggies. I have used pomegranate for seasoning.

Preparation:

1. Chop / grate veggies of your choice. I have used tri colored bell peppers and carrots.
2. In a large bowl of creamy yogurt/curd add rice, veggies, fruits, salt mix well 
3. Make tempering/tadka with little oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chili and pour on top of the rice mixture. Mix well 
4. Refrigerate and serve chilled or pack in your lunch boxes and enjoy.

You may add grapes / chopped pine apple for sweetness. Fry some peanuts / cashews and add to it, if you like nuts.

Sweet Salad in Creamy Yogurt Sauce

Summer call with little rain here and there. Bell peppers are my favorite with their endless health benefits needless to say about other vegetables though, Bell peppers still top my chart during this weather.

This is another quick easy salads of mine with yogurt after the cucumber salad. You can make your own twist to this and make the salad interesting.

I have used apple and grapes in the salad, with some sweetness in the yogurt sauce.

For Salad : Use vegetables and fruits of your choice.

For Sauce :
1 - cup yogurt/curd
Chopped mint leaves
Crushed cumin - to taste
Crushed pepper - to taste
Lemon Juice - 1/2 t.spn
Orange Juice - 3-4 tb.spn
Sugar - to taste
Salt - 1 pinch
Sesame Oil - 1 tb.spn (Optional)
Chat Masala - 1 t.spn (optional)

Preparation:

1. Take yogurt, if thick add water bring to a creamy pouring consistency using a whisker.
2. Add all other ingredients, mix well. Check seasoning.
3. Refrigerate the Sauce. 

Just before serving, in a mixing bowl add the vegetables, pour the sauce over it, toss well. 

This tastes best when chilled. Do not mix it and store. If you are to carry for lunch or snack pack these to separate and mix just before having.

Summer Delight - Quick Salad with creamy yogurt, mint dressing

Summer ...here I come ! First vegetable that comes to our mind and available in market during Indian Summer is Cucumber. It's also consumed during other seasons, but we see vendors selling all over the country during this time.

If you are tried of having the regular plain cucumber for salad we have a yummy, yet easy to prepare salad, filled with the richness of yogurt and the sweetness of mint.

Here is what you need:

• Diced cucumber as shown in picture. 
• Whisked yogurt - ensure you add little water whisk and bring to a creamy pour-able consistency
• Chopped mint leaves
• Crushed cumin - 1/2 t.spn
• Crushed pepper - 1/2 t.spn
• Chat masala - 1/2 t.spn (optional)
• Lemon juice - 1 t.spn
• Sugar - 1 - 2 tb.spn
• A pinch of Salt

In a bowl add all ingredients except cucumber, whisk well and taste for seasoning. Add anything if required. Finally add the dressing to cucumber and toss well. Refrigerate and serve. It's very refreshing and filling.

You may add little olive oil or add in olives or other seasoning as per your taste.

Let me know how you liked this, and suggest other alternate for this.

You may also try this summer delight recipe, with rice / curd / cucumber / carrot.

Bitter Gourd Fry (Pavakkai Pagarkai poriyal)

Bitter gourd is used in making lot of Indian cuisines. It has lot of nutrients in it and prepared as side dish as fry or gravy or in stuffed form. This recipe is a dry dish which can be used with sambar rice or curd rice.

Bitter gourd is usually bitter and we would remove some of the juices with salt turmeric marination. You can also wash it to remove the bitterness further.

Ingredients:

1. Bitter Gourd - 1 ; slice , deseed and marinate with little salt and turmeric
2. Cumin seeds - 1 t.spn
3. Urad dal - 1 t.spn
4. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
5. green chili - 2 slit
6. Onion - 1 large , sliced
7. ginger garlic paste - 1 tspn
8. turmeric - 1/2 tspn
9. Red chili powder - 1 tb.spn
10. Coriander powder - 1.tspn
11. Sugar - 1 - 2 tbspn
12. Oil for frying
13. Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Squeeze the juice off the marinated bitter gourd and keep aside
2. In a flat pan / kadai heat oil and add cumin seeds, urad dal. Wait till they splutter.
3. Add curry leaves, green chili, turmeric saute for 30 sec.
4. Add in the onion and salt, saute for a minute
5. Add ginger garlic paste, continue sauteing for couple of min.
6. Now add bitter gourd , mix well saute for 2 min
7. Add rest of the masala powder, mix well. Cover and cook for 5 min
8. Check for seasoning and adjust as needed. Continue to cook for another 5 min or so without cover. Stir in between.
9. As the last step add sugar as required and saute, in lowest heat. Cook till the veg turns light brown. Turn off the heat.
10. Serve with rice. Tastes divine with curd rice or simple sambar rice.

Note:
- Cook this dish in medium to low heat throughout
- As this is a dry dish, I didn't use any water or jaggery
- If you need you may sprinkle little tamarind & Jaggery juice, remember this is a dry dish.

Hot and Spicy Pepper Rasam for Cold/Cough/Flu/Fever / Sore Throat

I have been sick due to bad runny nose and sore throat this week. The weather in down south is bad, too chilly in the morning and extremely hot during the day. I got tired of using Vicks inhaler and halls. Thought of drinking something healthy and good. So made this rasam loaded with spices and pulse. Yes , pulse - lentils - are you reading ? Ok , I am just smiling :) You do not need rasam powder for this.

While having this, the body gets warmed up and it was soothing for my throat. I didn't find it burning or eyes watering. I warmed the rasam and had a bowlful as soup at night.

Ingredients:

1. Boiled toor dal - a handful
2. Tomato - 1 finely chopped
3. Coriander leaves - finely chopped a bunch
4. Tamarind juice
5. Oil for tempering - 1 t.spn
6. Mustard and Cumin Seed - 1 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Masala - We will dry roast and then use the coarse powder

1. Dried Chili - 2
2. Garlic with skin - 8 - 10 pods
3. Pepper - 1 tsp
4. Coriander seed - 1 tsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
6. Fenu greek seed (Venthayam) - 8 - 10
7. Asafoetida / Kayam / Hing - a small piece or 1/2 tsp powder
8. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp (do not roast)

Preparation:

1. Dry roast all masala items except for turmeric in low - medium heat for about 5 min. Do not let the ingredients burn. You will get nice aroma.
2. Cool down the masala and then grind in a mixer to a coarse powder by adding the turmeric. Do not have to be fine like my picture it can be rough as well. 
3. In a kadai or utensil, heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds
4. Once the seeds crackle, add  curry leaves . a pinch of asafoetida and the ground masala powder. Stir well. Cook in medium flame
5. After 1 - 2 minutes add tomato and coriander leaves stir for another couple of minutes.
6. Add in the mashed dal and add tamarind juice. 
7. Add Salt and water, bring this to a boil.
8. Taste for salt and seasoning and add anything if needed
9. Simmer it for 10 - 12 minutes, and switch off heat
10. Serve with steamed white rice, or have as it is.

Note:

• For pressure cooking the dal, ensure you just keep water level 1 inch above the dal. We do not want it to be watery.
• Use ripe tomato

Red Spinach Dal - Toor dal and spinach (Keerai parupu)

Dal (Lentil) prepared with spinach is a very tasty dish. This can be prepared with any type of Spinach of your choice. This goes well with Rice or Roti. This dish is not only delicious but filled with health benefits abundantly (Protein & Vitamins). This is very easy and simple dish. Only pain taking job is cleaning the spinach leaves. Spinach leaves and stems are used differently for different dish.

You may use the leaves along with the stem, chop and use. Else use the leaves and cook the stem for some curry. Lets see how to prepare this dish.

Ingredients:

1. Red Spinach leaves as desired or available spinach (Washed and separated)
2. Toor dal 
3. Shallots 5 to 10 (small onion)
4. Green chili - 2 or as desired
5. Asafoetida - 1/4 tspn
6. Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
7. Cumin powder or crushed cumin - 1 tspn
8. Salt to taste

For Tempering

1. Oil of your choice 1 tbspn
2. Mustard Seed 1/4 tspn
3. Curry leaves 1 sprig
4. Dried red chili - 1 (optional)

Preparation:

1. Add all the items from the main ingredients in a pressure cooker. Add adequate amount of water
2. Pressure cook on high for 1 whistle, and simmer for 5 - 7 minutes. I like my dal mashed well. Turn of the heat.
3. Let the pressure go by itself, open the lid, check the taste and add anything required. Turn on the heat and keep in sim. You may mash it with spoon if needed.
4. You may add some hot water if you find it too thick
5. Prepare the tadka / tempering pour on to dal mixure and mix well, turn off the heat.
6. It can be served with hot steamed rice or roti.

Easy Cauliflower Burji (Gobi ka Burji)

This is a dry sabji for cauliflower lovers.  It's my own recipe, this is quick and simple. You may add your variations to it, to make it colorful. This goes as side dish for Rice or Chapati.

Ingredients:

1. Grated Cauliflower (Gobi)
2. Oil for frying
3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tb spoon
4. Asafoetida - a pinch
5. Curry leaves - optional
6. One small onion - finely chopped
7. Salt to taste

For Masala:

1. Fennel Seeds (Saunf) - 1 tb spn
2. Green chili - 1 or as per taste
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch
4. Garlic - 6-8 pods

Preparation:

1. Grind all the masala items to a coarse paste with little water
2. Heat oil in a kadai, add cumin and/or mustard seeds
3. When it starts crackling add curry leaves and onion
4. Cook the onion in low heat till it turns translucent and light brown
5. Add the masala paste saute for couple of minutes.
6. Add salt, and cauliflower , mix well
7. Sprinkle little water, cover and cook in lowest heat, for about 5 minutes.
8. Mix everything and check for seasoning, add salt if required.  

Tapioca Gravy - Kappa Curry

Tapioca is abundantly found in Kerala and around the Kerala border of Tamil Nadu. Tapioca is one of the staple food during my childhood days and I love it. This is a a slightly spicy thick gravy which can be served with rice. I learnt this from my grand mother. We also prepare tapioca fish curry, I will post the recipe separately.

It taste best when prepared in clay pot and with fire wood as fuel. Due to city life we now prepare this is pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

1. Washed & cut tapioca chunks. (Remove the root from the center as you keep cutting.)
2. Crushed garlic pods - 3 to 4
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spn
4. Crushed Jeera - 1 tea spn
5. Red chili powder as per taste or green chili
6. Tamarind juice to taste - very little
7. Salt to taste

Tempering:

1. Coconut oil - 1 tb sp
2. Mustard seed
3. Curry leaves
4. Whole Red chili - 2
5. Finely chopped small onion (shallot) - 1
6. Spring onion - optional

Preparation:

1. In a pressure add all items mentioned in the ingredients list, pour sufficient water to cover tapioca. Water level should be above the ingredient's level as we need gravy also should prevent it from sticking at the bottom
2. Cook on high flame for 1 whistle, then reduce the flame cook for 7 - 10 minutes. [Tapioca should be cooked well, this will make the mashing job easier]
3. Turn off heat after 10 minutes, open the cooker when the all the pressure is released.
4. Mix everything well, and mash the tapioca as desired. You may add hot water if the gravy is too thick.
5. Check seasoning, and add as needed. If anything is added keep it on low flame and bring to a boil again.
6. Do the tadka, pour on top and mix well. This taste well with rice.

Carrot Cucumber Dosa for Summer

I would call this is as cool Dosa :) I learnt this from my friend when I visited her once. It tasted

amazing, and I made slight changes to it. If you have dosa batter and bored to have plain dosa just spice it up. You or your kids won't be disappointed. Lets see how to prepare it.

Ingredients:

1. Left over dosa batter
2. Grated carrot, cucumber (you may also use beetroot for a beet color)
3. Finely chopped green chili
4. oil for dosa
5. Salt

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients to the dosa batter, add little water if the batter is too thick. Do not add too much of water as cucumber oozes out water.
2. Add little more salt as now you vegetables in it.
3. Heat a tawa, pour batter and spread it out to form thin dosa evenly, reduce the flame
4. Sprinkle oil on top, 
5. Turn over and cook the other side for less than a minute. 
6. Serve hot as it is or with chutney

Remember to cook in low flame as we want the dosa thin and crispy, this also prevents it from browning overly.

You may also want to check out Egg Dosa Recipe here.

Radish Sambar - Sambar with mooli

Hello All,

Radish is consumed as salad, and made parathas. This is a simple tasty sambar made with Radish as main ingredient. You may use white or red radish which ever is available. Whole dish is prepared in pressure cooker reducing the cooking time, with a final tadka.

Ingredients (Servings 4)

1. Radish peeled & sliced- 2
2. Small onion - 8 to 10 whole 
3. Tomato - Small or medium sized cut in large pieces
4. Moong dal - 1/2 cup (you may use toor dal or masoor dal if you like)
5. Tamarind juice
6. Sambar powder as per taste - 2 tb spn to 3
7. Salt
8. Coriander leaves along with stem preferred

For tadka (Tempering) - Oil, mustard seed, whole red chili, Curry leaves and a pinch of hing (Asafoetida)

Preparation:

1. In a pressure cooker add the washed dal, radish, onion, tomato, little tamarind juice, sambar powder .
2. Add water and salt. check the seasoning as this would change after cooking too. 
3. close the lid, and after first whistle reduce the heat. Cook for 5 - 7 min and turn off heat
4. Once the pressure is gone, open the cooker check for seasoning. Add accordingly
5. Switch on the flame, add coriander leaves
6. Make tadka and add to this, bring to a boil switch off the flame
7. Serve this with rice.

Quick Salad with Unripe Watermelon

We bought plenty of small sized watermelons during summer as its seasonal here in India. Unfortunately one was white hardly we could see any red color in it. Left in fridge for couple of days to decide to make something with it than throwing it away. Thought of blending and making some kind of juice but then made my mind to make a refreshing salad as its summer. It tasted a bit like cucumber though not sweet. I cut them into small pieces and removed the seeds before preparing the salad. You can top it up with any green vegetables you have such as bell peppers, mint or basil, lettuce etc. I only had tomato and some fresh coriander leaves so used that.

Ingredients:

1. Watermelon - 1 bowl - cut and seedless
2. Tomato - Large 1 - Cut in halves and remove the pulp , then slice or chop.
3. Coriander leaves - a bunch finely chopped
4. Salt - as per taste
5. Chaat masala - 1 tb spn
6. Cumin seeds - crushed 1/4 tb spn
7. Honey - 1/2 tb spn (optional)
8. Lime juice - 1/2 tb (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, put the cut watermelon, tomato and coriander leaves along with any other vegetables chosen.
2. Sprinkle all other ingredients mix and toss nicely. Taste for seasoning and add if required.
3. Refrigerate for 15 - 30 minutes and serve chilled.

Thin Potato Fry - Dry & Spicy

This is a great side dish for vegetarians, suitable to eat with any rice varieties or curd rice. Its fried in less oil, spicy and slightly dry so can be packed easily for lunch. If you are packing for you kids you may want to reduce chili powder, and its all done. A quick simple recipe when you do not have anything at all and this would not disappoint you.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 2 medium size
2. Chili powder - 1 tb spn
3. Cumin powder - 1/2 tb spn
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tb spn
5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbl spn
6. Salt as per taste
7. Oil - 2 tbl spn

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut potatoes in small pieces as shown in the picture. Wash thoroughly.
2. Place the potato slices on a plate, this makes the job easier. Sprinkle all ingredients except oil and mix well using hand or a spoon.
3. Keep aside for 15 - 30 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a non-stick pan or kadai, and add the masala mixed potato slices. Using a spatula place the slices evenly than getting all stacked up.
5. Cook in low medium heat for about 3 minutes, and give a stir to change side so they can be cooked the other side evenly. Sprinkle few drops of water occasionally this prevents burning. 
6. Repeat this till the potatoes are fully done, crisp and lighly brown from out but soft inside. 
7. Serve with rice.

Ladys finger with Onion / Onion Bhindi

This is a very easy recipe with less ingredients, but takes some 15 - 20 minutes to cook. Time is the only constraint. Otherwise this goes well along with roti and rice. Plenty of onion with Lady's finger's moisture would be just too good dry roti's or plain rice.

Ingredients:

1. Lady's finger - 200 gm
2. Large Onion - 2 sliced
3. Green chilies - finely chopped as needed
4. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tb spn coarsely crushed or whole
5. Black pepper powder or crushed pepper - 1/4 tb spn
6. Asafoetida - 1/2 tb spn
7. Salt as needed
8. Oil - 2 tbl spn

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut lady's finger in about 1 inch long
2. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin & asafoetida saute for few seconds.
3. Add Onion and Chili, saute till onion turns translucent then add pepper.
4. Finally add lady's finger and salt, saute lightly. Sprinkle little water cover and cook in low flame until the vegetable is cooked fully.
5. Stir occasionally and sprinkle water if needed, to prevent from sticking. Do not add too much water at once as this spoils the texture.
6. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Easy and Quick Arbi (cheppankizhangu) for Roti

I fell in love with this dish when I was in Northern Part of India. I've heard about the under ground stem called Arbi in Hindi and Cheppankizhangu in Tamil. This dry dish was served along with roti's or plain parathas in our mess, and I liked it very much, it's seasonal vegetable in North India. In down south its available almost throughout the year and usually use as one vegetable in sambar. Making this dish is very easy and less time consuming. 

Ingredients:

1. Arbi - 200 gm
2. Turmeric - 1/4 tb spn
3. Small Onion - 1 - finely chopped
4. Green chili - 4 - 5 finely chopped
5. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tb sp coarsely crushed
6. Carom seeds (Ajwain) - 1/2 tb spn coarsely crushed
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil - 2 tbl spn
9. Coriander leaves - chopped (optional) for garnishing.

Preparation:

1. Wash and pressure cook the Arbi's for about 5 minutes in lightly salted water. If you are boiling ensure its not over cooked. Over cooked arbi's will break and become mushy wont be able to make the dish.
2. Cool and peel the skin off. Cut them in small pieces lengthy or small as desired.
3. In a non-stick pan or kadai, heat oil and add cumin, carom seeds. Saute lightly
4. Add in the green chilies and onion, saute for 2 minutes follwed by turmeric powder and salt. Remember Arbi was already been cooked in salt water, so add minimal salt.
5. Finally add the arbi pieces, saute. Sprinkle little water if its very dry. Arbi needs to get coated in the masala.
6. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes in low flame, or until done.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or parathas.

Lotus Stem for vegetarians

Until a month ago, I never knew Lotus Stem / root is been used to make many cuisines. Our village have a large Lotus Pond, which is dried due to summer. Men who work there dig out the stems and bring home. Many use to scrape the top and eat raw as it is. It has plenty of water content. Many women cooked like regular under ground stem in south Indian style. It tastes amazing, I witnessed it after I tried it out at our home. Unfortunately I did not take the picture of the stem. 5 - 6 Stems of around 10 cm length, serves 2 person. You can try this with your own masalas or as a supporting ingredient for other cuisines be it vegetable or meat. If this is your first time try this recipe out, this will give and understanding for you about cooking time, taste and with what you want to try out next. Its easy and simple, tastes good.

Ingredients:

1. Lotus Stems - 5/6 (Chopped)
2. Onion small - 1 
3. Ginger - 1 inch piece
4. Garlic - 8 - 10 pods
5. Green chili - 5 - 6 or as taste
6. Jeera - 1 tbl spn
7. Turmeric - 1/4 tbl spn
8. Salt as per taste
9. Coriander leaves - a bunch - finely chopped
10. Oil - 2 tbl spn

Preparation:

1. Wash and scrape off the top if you are using the fresh ones from ground. I do not know how it would be available in stores. You may want to read instructions.
2. The stems would be a little hard to cut unlike other vegetables, so it would be good if you use a chopping board.
3. Take 2/3 stems together and start slicing like Lady's finger, not too thin or thick if this your first time. It takes long time to cook. See the picture for ref.
4. Grind all other ingredients except leaves, salt and oil to a fine paste. This is our masala.
5. Boil water in a large vessel, turn off heat once it starts boiling add the sliced stems to it blanch it for 3 - 5 minutes, and remove from water. Keep aside.
6. Heat oil a non-stick pan or kadai add the masala and saute for 2 minutes. 
7. Then add in the lotus stems, stir well. Sprinkle salt and little water cover and cook in low heat.
8. It would take approx 15 - 20 min to cook nice and soft. Check and sprinkle water occasionally to prevent dryness and it has enough moisture to get cooked.
9. Check for seasoning and add salt or chili if needed. Once done sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and 1/4 tb.spn of garam masala saute lightly. Cover and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Turn of heat.
10. This would be little dry, can be eaten as side dish with rice or roti.