An award


JZ of Tasty Treats has awarded me with Yummy blog award.


Thanks a lot



Since I have already received this award, I am posting the link to that post.

Thur Adai



Ingredients

1/2 cup bengalgram dal
1/2 cup red gram dal
1 1/2 cups rice
Salt to taste
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
2 tsp coarsely ground cumin seeds
3 green chillies

Soak the rice and dals for atleast 3 to 4 hours. Grind it along with green chillies to a coarse batter.

For making adais...add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Spread out on a hot tava with some oil in the sides. Cook till it starts turning brown.

Cook on the other side as well and serve hot.

how to make adai, adai varieties, breakfast variety, red gram dal adai recipe

Capsicum Tomato Gotsu



This is a very popular side for Pongal in South India...although the eggplant version of the same is more common as compared to the capsicum version.

Ingredients

1 medium sized capsicum
1 medium sized tomato
2 cups cooked green gram dal
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil
2 green chillies
A small lemon sized tamarind soaked in water and juice extracted
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp blackgram dal
1/4 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Few curry leaves

Heat oil, add mustard and blackgram dal. When it splutters, add ginger paste, curry leaves, green chillies, turmeric powder, capsicum cut into small pieces and tomatoes. Fry for a minute and add tamarind extract. When it comes to a boil, add salt, green gram dal and mix well. Cook for five minutes on low flame.

Serve with pongal, idli or dosa. Goes well with rotis too..

south indian side dish for pongal, how to make ghotsu, gotsu recipe
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Dal Fry



Ingredients

1 cup cooked red gram dal
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 green chillies slit into half
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Few curry leaves
Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Heat oil, add mustard and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add the green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric and ginger paste. Add the cooked dal and salt. Cook for five minutes till all the ingredients blend together.

Garnish with coriander leaves

Serve hot with rotis or rice.
how to make dhal fry, simple dal recipe, quick side dish for rice and rotis, chapatis
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Paneer Channa in Nuts gravy



This recipe is adapated from Viji's version at Vcuisine blog..

Ingredients

1 cup soaked and cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup paneer cut into small pieces
1/2 cup cashews, almonds and pista
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
2 green chillies
2 tsp butter
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 cardamoms
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp redchilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp coriander seeds powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds powder
2 tsp crushed kasuri methi
1 cup curd
Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Grind the nuts together and marinate the paneer pieces for about 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tsp of oil and fry the paneer pieces without the nuts gravy.

Heat one more tsp of oil and butter and add ginger, green chillies, bayleaf, cloves, cardamom, all the dry powders, kasuri methi, curds, nuts gravy and some water. Let it come to a boil. Add salt, paneer pieces and channa and cook covered to get a thick gravy.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with plain rice or rotis.

Sending this over to Vandana's Paneer:A Delicacy event.

how to make side dish with paneer and dry fruits, recipe for gravy, north indian side dish for rotis
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Dum Aloo


Ingredients

1/4 kg baby potatoes
Oil
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup milk
1 cup curds
1 tomato chopped

Masala- grind to paste

2 cardamoms
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
A small piece of cinnamon
2 to 3 cloves

Fry the baby potatoes in oil till light brown. Keep aside.

Heat oil, add all the other ingredients including the masala paste. Fry the masala for some time. Add the fried potatoes and pressure cook till potatoes are soft.

Serve hot with rotis/rice.

This is my contribution to Spicy Tasty's Fortune Cooking event. I selected the star sign of Aquarius and hence have cooked using potatoes.
how to make dum alu, recipe for potatoes side dish, north indian side dish

Badam Elaichi Milk


Ingredients

5 to 6 almonds crushed
2 pistachios cut into fine pieces
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Few saffron strands
1 cup of boiled milk
2 tsp sugar

Soak saffron in a bit of hot milk.

Heat the milk along with the nuts, cardamom and saffron for five minutes.

Add sugar and cardamom and mix well till sugar melts.

Serve hot or chilled.

This is my contribution to the Think Spice: Think Cardamom event being guest hosted by this blog..A small reminder to those who want to be a part of this event, We have just five more days to go for it..So, pls rush in your entries.

how to make badaam dhoodh, recipe to make badam milk

Carrot Kosumbari




Ingredients

2 Big carrots grated
Salt to taste
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Few curry leaves
1 green chilli chopped finely
1/2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp bengalgram dal

Heat oil, add mustard and bengalgram dal. When it starts spluttering, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Since I followed Suma's (Veggie Platter) recipe for this dish, I am sending to the MBP:Soups and salads event started by Coffee and being guest hosted by Raaga of The Singing Chef blog

how to make carrot salad, easy side dish, healthy salad recipe, kosambari

Mixed Vegetable Masala Bhath


Ingredients

1 cup rice
1/4 cup red gram dal
Vegetables like potatoes, carrot, beans, peas, capsicum, brinjal, drum sticks chopped into long pieces
A small lemon size tamarind
Salt as per taste
2 tsp oil
Some curry leaves
1/2tsp turmeric powder
Few cashews
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp blackgram dal
1/2 tsp bengalgram dal

Masala paste-

2 green chillies
2 Red chillies
4 tbsp grated coconut
2 tsp cumin seeds

Cook the rice and dal together. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, bengalgram dal and blackgram dal. When it splutters, add curry leaves, cashews and vegetables and cook for some time till soft. Add the masala to it and fry well for five to ten minutes.

Add tamarind water, salt, turmeric and the cooked rice and dal. Mix well.
Serve hot with a bit of ghee, chips or raita.
Mixed rice variety ideas, how to make masala rice, recipe for vegetable rice

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Baby Potato Roast


Ingredients

1/4 kg boiled baby potatoes
Salt to taste
3 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp crushed kasuri methi

Heat oil, add mustard and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Roast on medium flame for 5 minutes.

Serve with rotis or rice.

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side dish with aloo, small potato dishes, how to make potato roast, recipe for baby potatoes

Mixed Vegetable Sandwich


Ingredients

1/2 cup mashed potatoes
2 cups boiled peas, beans, carrots, capsicum
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tspred chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp crushed kasuri methi
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Bread slices
Butter

Apply butter to one side of each bread slice and keep ready.

Heat oil, add cumin seeds and ginger paste. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, kasuri methi and the boiled vegetables. Add salt as per taste and mix well till there is very less moisture in it.

Spread out the filling on the non-butter side of the bread and cover it with another slice of bread. Toast them in the sandwich toaster till light brown.

Serve hot with sauce.

Optional: You could even spread some green chutney over the bread slices on the non-butter side.

This is my contribution to the Sandwich Festival hosted by Anupama

And also Pooja's VoW-JFI Bell Pepper event

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how to make easy sandwich, quick breakfast ideas, simple and healthy breakfast with vegetables

My awards


Thanks Meera of Enjoy Indian Food blog for considering me worth the You make my day award..

I would like to pass this on to

Asha from Foodieshope.. Who makes my day everyday with her encouraging comments and delicious posts on her blog

TBC of The Budding Cook..

365 Days of Pure Vegetarian

Pravs of Simply Spicy

Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasures




Also, Ramya of Mane Adige has passed on the Yummy blog award to me..thanks Ramya






"Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos". As per the rules,

Four of my favourite desserts are

Rava Ladoo







Am passing on this awards to all the bloggers as each one of them come up with very nice and yummy recipes...But since rules ask me to name four of them, I decided to pass them on new bloggers...

Ramya of A good meal ought to begin with hunger

Pearls of East from Anyone can cook

Medhaa from Cook with Love

Skribles from Food with a Pinch of Love

Dal Peas Paratha


This paratha is a small variation to the dal chapatis I had made some time back..


Just add some cooked and slightly mashed peas to the ingredients before preparing the dough and then go ahead as usual...It definetely is a good change to the usual parathas..
how to make parathas, parata recipe, paratha with dal, dhal paratha

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Panchmel Dal


This Rajasthani Dal recipe is from Asha's blog Foodieshope..I tried it yesterday and it tasted great

Ingredients
1/2 cup greengram dal
1/4 cup bengalgram dal
1/4 cup red gram dal
1/4 cup masoor dal
2 tbsp blackgram dal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp of tomato sauce
Finely chopped coriander to garnish
2 tbsp of ghee
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 cardamoms crushed
A small piece of cinnamon
2 cloves
2 redchillies
2 tsp of ginger paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Pressure cook all the dals together with turmeric and mash well.

Heat oil, butter and add cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bayleaf and red chillies. Then add ginger paste, turmeric, tomato sauce and red chilli powder and mix well.

Add the dal, salt and cook well till the dal blends with the masala.

Garnish with coriander leaves.
how to make dhal, dal with five varieties, recipe for north indian dal

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Vegetable Kofta


Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked carrot
1/4 cup peas
2 boiled and mashed potatoes
1/2 cup grated paneer
1/4 cup cooked beans
Salt to taste
4 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Oil to fry
2 medium sized tomatoes grinded to a paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds powder
1/2 tsp coriander seeds powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp kasuri methi

Mix the vegetables and paneer together and add 1/2 tsp of turmeric and red chilli powder, salt, cornflour and make small balls of it. Fry a ball first in hot oil and check if it doesnt seperate. If it breaks, add more cornflour to it and deep fry all the balls till golden brown.

Heat oil, add cumin seeds and when it splutters, add tomato paste. Add the turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, crushed kasuri methi and cook for 2 minutes. Add some water to it and let it boil. Make a thin paste of corn flour with water and add to it to get a thick gravy.

Before serving, heat the gravy and add the balls to it.

Serve immediately with rotis or rice.

My Mehendi Design for Food Art-Mango Manthram event

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how to make koftas, healthy kofta recipe, side dish for north indian food, vegetable vadas in gravy

Maankaai (Raw Mango) Thokku



This is my mother-in-law's preparation.

Ingredients

1 Raw mango
Salt as per taste
4 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Bit of asafoetida
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

Remove the skin of the mango and grate it.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds and asafoetida to it. Add the grated mango and mix well. Dont add any water to it. Add turmeric, chilli powder and salt and mix well for some time till the raw smell goes off.

Cool and store under refrigeration. A nice side dish for idli,dosa,chapatis and even rice.

This is my contribution to the WBB-22 May Mango Madness event being hosted by Arundathi

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how to make side dish with raw mangoes, mavinkaai gojju,

Carrot Peas Paratha


Ingredients

1 cup cooked carrot
1/4 cup cooked peas
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp ajwain powder
Oil
1 cup wheat flour

Make a soft dough of wheat flour, salt and water and keep covered for half an hour.

Mash the carrot, peas and add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and ajwain to it and make small balls of it.

Roll out the dough into a thick chapati, place the filling in between and close from all sides. Roll out again into thick parathas.

Cook on medium flame in a hot tava by spreading a little oil in the sides till golden brown spots appear on both sides.

Finally add some ghee over it just before serving.

Sending this over to Srivalli for her Roti Mela

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how to make parathas, paratha variety, parata with carrot and matar recipe

Top 10 Pictures Tag

I have been tagged by Madhavi of Recipes from my favourite place- Kitchen for 10 best pictures on the blog




Bisi Bela Bhath




Jalebis






Corn Kebab





Pav Bhaji





Idiappam




Badam Puri





Manoharam



Samosa



Maida Halwa




Dahi Mattar Chaat


Since most of you have already done this tag, anyone who has not done this is welcome to take it up...

Paneer Kadhi



This recipe from adapted from Indira's Paneer Kadhi with a very minor change..

Ingredients

1 cup paneer cut into small pieces
Salt as per taste
1/2 tsp blackgram dal
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp oil
2 green chillies
1/2 cup peas
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp amchur powder
1 tsp kasuri methi
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of sugar
2 cups of whisked curds
Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Heat oil, add the cumin, mustard and blackgram dal. When it splutters, add the ginger paste, green chillies, turmeric powder, amchur powder, kasuri methi and then peas. Add some water, sugar, salt, paneer and whisked curds to it. Mix well and let it come to a boil.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with pulkas or puris or plain rice.

how to make paneer dish, kadi recipe with paneer, side dish for rotis, dish for summers

Veg Manchurian



Ingredients

Vegetables like carrot, capsicum, peas, cabbage
Salt to taste
2 green chillies finely cut
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp red chilli sauce
4 tbsp corn flour
4 tbsp cooked rice
Oil to fry
1/4 cup cabbage chopped (I used instead of onions..)

Steam the vegetables and squeeze out all the water from it to make it very dry. Add salt, green chillies, 1/4 tsp ginger paste, half of pepper powder, soya sauce, red chilli sauce, corn flour and cooked rice. Mix well and make small balls of it. Deep fry them in hot oil till golden brown.

To make the sauce...Heat 2 tsp oil and add the rest of the ingredients to it and cook well. To make dry manchurian, just add very little water, bring to a boil and add the balls to it and mix well. To make it a gravy, add about 1 cup of water, let it boil and then add a thin paste of cornflour with water to it. When it starts boiling, it will get thick. Add the balls just before serving.

Like Gobi Manchurian, the dry Veg Manchurian version is also an Indo-chinese starter. Sending this over to DK for the AWED: Chinese event

Sending it over to Vaishali for her Its a Vegan world: Chinese event


how to make vegetable manchurian, manchurian recipe without eggs, starters, gravy, side dish, chinese dishes
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Vadai curry




Ingredients

2 cups bengal gram dal (soaked in water for 2 hrs)
2 chopped tomatoes
Salt as per taste
Oil to fry
2 cloves
1" piece of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp anise seed

Grind to a smooth paste-

2 tsp fried dal ( chutney dal)
2 tbsp grated coconut
Green chillies( optional)

For garnishing

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Drain out the water in the dal and grind it to a coarse paste with very less water. Add salt to it and mix well. Heat oil and make flat vadas of these. Deep fry on medium heat till golden brown.

Heat oil in a seperate pan and add the cloves, cinnamon, bayleaf and anise seed. Add the tomatoes to it and a little water. Cook till the tomatoes become soft. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder to it. Add the masala paste and salt to it and cook for 5 minutes. Add a cup of water to it and allow it to boil. Now add the fried vadas to it and cook covered till the vadas take up the entire gravy and become very soft.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Vadai curry is a very popular side dish for idlis.


vada curry, popular side dish for idlis, famous south indian recipe
Amazing architectures and temples of Belur-Halebid, Karnataka



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Set Dosa




This Set dosa recipe is adapted from Sagari's Indian Cooking blog. It turned out to be very tasty and soft...

Ingredients

2 Cups rice
1 Cup poha
1 Cup curds
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
Bit of Oil

Soak rice, poha and fenugreek seeds in sufficient water for atleast 2 hours.

Grind to a smooth batter and add salt to it. Ferment overnight.

To make dosas...add the curds and mix well. Pour a big ladle of batter on the tava and dont spread it like the normal dosas. Spread out a bit of oil on the sides and cook both sides.


Serve hot with chutney/sambar or any curry.

how to make set dosa, proportions for making set dosa, set dosai recipe

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Fun n Sun Event Round-up


Thanks to all my blogger friends for participating in this event with cool, refreshing and innovative dishes-

A-Kay from Lemon and Chillies blog presents a fruit punch Pom Ras...























Think Spice: Think Cardamom Event


Cardamom (Elaichi, Yellakka, Yellakki, Elakka) is mainly a herb that takes the form of a small seedpod. There are two types of cardamom..green and brown, popularly known in India as choti elaichi and moti elaichi. Green cardamom is the more widely used variety and is a key ingredient in enhancing flavours in desserts, gravies, garam masala, tea and coffee. It also has medicinal values and is used to treat infections in teeth and gums, to prevent and treat throat troubles, congestion of lungs and pulmonary tuberculosis, inflammation of eyelids and digestive disorders.

The Think Spice event is the brainchild of Sunita from Sunita’s World. This month's Think Spice theme is Think Cardamom and this blog is proud to guest host the edition.

To be a part of this event-

1) Post a recipe with cardamom as one of its key ingredients. You could use green cardamom or brown, whole or powdered. Make sure that the flavor of cardamom is the highlight of the dish.

You could even post about the benefits or other information related to cardamom. If you are a non-blogger, mail me the recipe and the picture. That will be included in the roundup.

2) Link back to the event and if possible please use the logo.


(Photo source: Google search)


3) Kindly post only vegetarian dishes for the event since this is a vegetarian blog . (Please note that eggs are also considered to be non vegetarian)

4) Mail me the details -

Name

Name of the dish

Blog Name

Link to the post

A photo of the dish

to easycrafts@gmail.com on or before 25th May '08 and the roundup would be up by the first week of June.

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Disclaimer

Simple Indian food blog (author- EC) is the legal copyright holder of the material and pictures in this blog and it may not be used, reprinted, or published without the written consent of the author. All the measures used in the recipes are approximate. Please adjust the spices as per your taste. For any queries, please email us at easycrafts@gmail.com
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