Capsicum and Potato curry with curry powder

Just last week I had posted a Homemade curry powder recipe. This capsicum and potato curry is made using the same curry powder and it tastes yummilicious..It goes very well with rasam rice or mor kuzhambu which are authentic brahmin style lunch menu for the weekends or even during festivals and special occasions..

This is how I made the curry..

Ingredients:

Potato - One large sized
Capsicum - One large sized
Homemade curry powder - 3-4 tbsp
 Salt - To taste

For Tempering:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - A pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4th of a tsp
Curry leaves - 7-8

 Method:

•  Peel the potatoes and dice it into one inch cubes. Dice the capsicum into same sized pieces as the potatoes.
• Boil the potatoes for about 3 minutes in the microwave.
• In a pan heat oil. Add the mustard seeds and let it pop up. Then add the hing and add the veggies (capsicum and potato).

• Then add the turmeric powder, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the veggies are cooked.

• Now add the Homemade curry powder and mix well. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

• Serve hot with Rasam rice or Sambar rice. Enjoy!!

 Serving Suggestions:

• You can mix this curry  with hot rice and ghee and enjoy.
• You can also stuff this in dosas. It tastes delicious.
• You can also serve this with chapathi and raita.

Notes:

• You can use veggies of your choice and be creative in trying. Some veggies that I love to use this with apart from potato and capsicum are Green beans, Taro,  eggplant,  tindora, and bittergourd.
• You can adjust the spice level to your choice. I did not add additional red chilli powder but you can add it if you want.

Kesari Baath

Hello all..

Happy Republic Day!!

 Welcoming fellow bloggers and all lovely readers with my first recipe post of the year. A sweet post. I made Kesari Baath, DH's favorite sweet.  It had been a while since I had prepared anything good for DH. A sudden wave of sympathy for him and Lo and Behold..Came out this yummy Kesari Baath..A very simple recipe and easy quick steps. The final product, I promise, will be a yummy, mouth melting Kesari Baath.

Ingredients:

Sooji/Semolina/Rava - 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups
Ghee/ Clarified Butter - 1and1/4th cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Cashews - 7-8
Golden Raisins - 7-8
Orange Food color - 1 drop

Method:

• In a shallow fry pan, add 2 tbsp of ghee and roast the cashews and raisins, drain out the ghee from them and set it aside.
• In the same pan and with the same ghee, add the sooji / rava and roast it till a nice aroma comes out of it and set it aside.

• Heat milk in a sauce pan and allow it to boil. Once the milk boils, gradually add the sooji and keep stirring it well ensuring no lumps form and a creamy consistency is reached.
• Also add the cup of ghee right after this step and blend all the ingredients well to make a smooth and a creamy  mixture.

• Keep stirring the mixture gently for about 5-6 minutes to avoid burning of the mixture at the bottom of the pan.
• Once the sooji is cooked, add the sugar, food color and the roasted cashews and raisins.

• Mix all the ingredients well and serve hot.
• Hot, yummy and delicious Kesari Baath is ready to melt in your mouth.

Serving Tip:

• Before serving, warm the Kesari Baath (if cold) and add a tsp or two of ghee on top and garnish with silvered almonds.

Notes:

• You can add any food color of your choice.
• You can adjust the level of sugar according to your sweetness level.
• You can also choose to NOT add food color and make it a white sheera.
• You can add small pineapple pieces or banana pieces to have a different variety of Kesari Baath (add it before adding the food color).
• The quantity of Ghee can be altered but the taste may not be as good as the one with the required quantity of ghee specified here.
• Best to serve it hot with an additional tsp of ghee.

Mixed Dal Tadka

I have been so crazy busy from the past few days. All I am thinking and dreaming is about classes and assignments. Spending the entire day at school and getting back home hungry and starving....aaaaahhhhh... I craved for good home food prepared by Mom. But life as a wife in America is all about food cravings and missing dear ones. Left with no choice I had to prepare some yummy but simple food for myself and DH. What better dish could be comforting than making Dal and Rice. I made this yummy dinner for the both of us and trust me..It was so very relaxing!!

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 1/4 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Masoor Dal - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Medium Tomato - 1 - Chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 3-4
Curry leaves - A few
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - A pinch
Cilantro - To garnish
Oil / Ghee - 1 tbsp
Salt - To taste

Method:

• In a vessel combine the three dals and add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.

• In a wok, heat oil/ghee. add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies and curry leaves.

• Once they crackle and splutter, add the chopped tomato and cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked well.

• Add asafoetida, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to the tomato mixture.

• Mash the cooked dal and add the dal to the tomato mixture. 

• Mix it all well.Garnish it with cilantro.

• Serve hot with Rice and Roti.. Enjoy the simple and comfort food that gets ready in no time.

Capsicum-Mushroom Rice

I have so fallen in love with mushrooms!!Oyster mushrooms are my favorite!! I have always used mushrooms to make dry curries and used it as toppings on pizzas. I just tried using it along with capsicum, peas and carrots and made a spicy rice. It tasted Awesome!! This is a very easy recipe to make and gets done in a jiffy!

Ingredients:

Mushrooms - 2 Cups (You can use any kind of mushrooms)
Capsicum - 1 medium sized - Diced
Green Peas and Carrots - 1 cup (I used frozen)
Cooked Rice - 3 cups
Butter - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - According to taste


Method:

• In a pan, melt the butter and add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to sizzle, add the capsicum and saute it for a few minutes.

• Once the capsicum is cooked halfway through, add the sliced mushrooms and mix well.

• Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.

• Mushrooms release a lot of water and get soft as they are being cooked.

• Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the frozen peas and carrots and mix all the veggies well.

• Once all the veggies are cooked, add the Garam Masala powder and mix well and turn off the flame.

• Mix the veggie masala with the cooked rice.

• Serve hot with Raita and enjoy your quick fix meal!!

Spinach Rice

Spinach Rice is a very easy dish to make and requires no much prior preparation. A quick fix solution for those who cannot wait for long to eat good food. I usually make this after I am back from a tired day of work. I have provided a very simple and step-by-step procedure to make the Spinach Rice

Required Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 3 cups

Baby spinach - 2 cups

Oil/Butter - 2tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1  1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 4-5

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat a pan and add the butter (or oil). Then add the cumin seeds, red chillies and asafoetida.

• Once the cumin seeds start to crackle, add the chopped spinach to the seasoning . Add salt according to taste and mix well.

• Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium flame. The spinach will wilt and reduce in quantity.

• Spinach takes very less time to cook. Once the spinach curry is done, add the cooked rice. Mix the rice and the curry well. 

• Let the cooked rice cool for a while before adding to the spinach rice. Otherwise the rice may get lumpy and mushy.

• Hot spinach rice is ready to serve.

• Spinach rice can be enjoyed best alone. There is no side-dish required. Raita can be used as an accompaniment if needed. Enjoy your spinach rice!

Notes : 

• Usually red chillies are added while cooking greens due to the fact that people who do not want to eat chillies can easily separate red chillies from the green curry as opposed to finding Green Chillies in Greens!

Cabbage Stir-Fry

Cabbage is one such veggie that is green, leafy and very rich in fiber content. It is a very versatile vegetable. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Since it is rich in fiber content it is a very good veggie that cleanses the intestinal system of the body. I usually make stir-fry, Dal and Kootu with cabbage and it is the most liked veggie in my home. This stir-fry is very easy to make and can be eaten with Rice, Roti or can be munched upon just like that.

Ingredients:

Small cabbage - 1
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - About 1/8 th of a tsp
Green chillies - 4-5
Cilantro - A few sprigs
Salt - To taste

Method:

• Shred the cabbage into small pieces. Wash and drain and set it aside.

• In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal.

• Once the mustard seeds splutter and the dal turns golden brown, add the green chillies.

• Now add the drained cabbage, salt and turmeric powder. Mix all the seasoning well with the cabbage.Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.

• Keep stirring once in between. Once the cabbage has turned translucent it is cooked. Let the cabbage be a little crunchy. It tastes better that way.

• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

• Enjoy the stir-fry the best with Rasam rice!!

Notes:

• You can also use red chillies instead of green chillies..It will be a contrast to the green color of the cabbage.
• You can add shredded coconut about 2-3 minutes before turning off the flame. It is a variation from the normal cabbage curry.
• Using turmeric powder is optional. You may choose to skip its use.

Kathal Sabzi / Raw Jackfruit Curry

Raw Jack fruit is a very famous vegetable that is predominantly used in the tropical coastal places. It is very rich in fiber content and rich in vitamins. It is also rich in protein, iron and calcium content. The health benefits include boosted immunity and improvement in overall health. I happened to locate this wonderful vegetable cum fruit at a local Asian grocery store and immediately got them. I just tried making this dish with some ingredients I had in my pantry and the result was a very rich and a flavorful curry.

Ingredients:

Raw Jack fruit - 1 can
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - A pinch
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cilantro - To garnish
Curry Leaves - A few
Salt - To taste

Method:

• Rinse the canned jack fruit in cold water and drain them well.

• Make bite sized pieces of the raw jack fruit and keep it aside.

• In a pan heat oil and add the mustard seeds,cumin seeds and curry leaves and allow the mustard seeds to splutter.

• Then add the raw jack fruit pieces and saute till the raw jack fruit pieces get a slight golden crust on top.

• Once the jack fruit pieces are cooked, add the dry spices - cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt.

• Mix all the dry spices well and then add the coconut milk. 

• Let it simmer and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with white rice or Rotis.

Notes:

• While making pieces if the jack fruit,make sure that the hard core is intact in all pieces so that the fiber's don't loosen out.

• Raw Jack fruit can also be oven roasted by coating them with oil and placing it on a baking sheet at 300⁰F for 5- 10 min.