Corriander / kothamali chutney

Ingredients

• 1 bunch coriander leaves
• 1 big onion
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 Red Chillies
• 1 Handful of grated coconut
• small lemon sized tamarind
• 3-4 garlic pods
• Few curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustrad seeds
• 2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Heat oil in pan. Add  Red chillies and fry for few seconds.
2. Add garlic and fry for few minutes.
3. Add Onions and fry until transparent.
4. Add the coriander leaves and fry till the leaves shrinks completely.
5. Then add coconut and tamarind and fry for few minutes and switch off the stove.
6. Let it cool to room temperature and the grind by adding salt and little water.
7. Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds and once it crackles, add curry leaves and add this seasoning to the ground mixture.
8. Serve with rice or idly or dosa.

Chapathi / Indian Flat Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• Salt to taste
• 3/4 cup of water 

 Method

1. Add 2 cups of flour in a bowl along with salt and mix well.
2. Add water little by little and knead the dough.
3. The dough should not be too sticky and too hard.
4. Close the bowl and let it sit for half an hour.
5. After half an hour, split the dough with small balls.
6. Then dredge the ball and roll the balls into circles.
7. Heat the tawa and  place the rolled chapathi and let it cook for 1 minute until small bubbles form and turn aside.

8. Turn and cook the second side for 1 min until small bubbles form and server hot with any side dish as per your taste.

Notes

You will get soft chapthai without oil if you just follow the above steps.


 

Kathirikai kulambu / Brinjal gravy

Ingredients

• 5 small brinjal
• 5 garlic pods
• Few curry leaves
• Handful of grated coconut
• 1 big onion or you can use small onions
• small lemon sized tamrind
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste  
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds

 Method

1. Cut the brinjal into four pieces and keep aside.
2. Grind coconut, coriander, chilli and turmeric power to a smooth paste and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds.
4. Once it crackles, add curry leaves.
5. Add garlic and fry for few minutes, then add onion and fry until transparent.
6. Add brinjal pieces along with salt and fry for few minutes. Then add little water and let the brinjal cook well.
7. Add tamrind juice at this stage and let it boil.
8. Then add the ground paste to the boiling mixture and mix well and let it boil for few minutes.
9. Check the salt and switch off the stove.
10. This goes very well with rice.

Masala Tea or Chai

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups water
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4 cardamom pods
• ¼ cup loose black tea
• 2 cups whole milk 
• ¼ cup sugar

Method

1. Crush ginger and cardamom. Bring the water, tea, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to a boil.
2. Boil for 3-5 minutes until the tea is reduced to about 2 cups. Add the sugar, milk and stir well and reduce the flame.
3. Let it sit for 2 minutes and switch off the stove.
4. Strain and serve hot.

Notes

1. Spices can be added according to your taste.

2. Sugar can be increased and decreased according to your taste.

Corn Masala

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Frozen Corn
• 1 Tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp Garam Masala 
• 1 Tbsp Coriander powder
• Salt to taste 
• 1 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder (or according to your preference)
• 1 Tsp Pepper Powder
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• Few Curry Leaves
• 1 Tsp Cumin Powder 

Method

1. Heat Oil in Pan. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds.
2. Add curry leaves once cumin seeds crackles.
3. Add corn along with all other ingredients and mix well.
4. Let it cook for sometime and stir often.
5. Switch off the stove after 5-7 minutes and serve hot.

Rasgulla

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk
• 3 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 1/2 cups water

Method:

1. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. When milk started boiling, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The milk fat(paneer) will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
3. Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.
4. The whey water can be used for making chapathi dough which makes chapathi very soft. It can also be used to curdle milk while making rasgulla next time which is the traditional bengali method.
5. Wrap the paneer in a muslin cloth and rinse under cold water and squeeze well (This is to avoid the lemon odor from paneer)
6. Squeeze out the excess water from the paneer.
7. Once the water from paneer is completely drained,  take the paneer and knead the paneer well for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough.
8. Divide the dough into small equal parts and roll them into smooth balls.
9. Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker (Make sure the pressure cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished Rasgullas, as they will expand double the size while cooking in the syrup) on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
10. Once it started boiling, add the paneer balls into the syrup and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes
11. Switch Off the heat and wait till it comes to room temperturee and then transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.
12. Serve the Rasgullas chilled