Broad Bean Tomato Curry / Chikkudukaya Tomato Koora - Side dish for Rotis

Broad Beans goes well with many vegetables like brinjal, tomato, onion, potato. You can make many varieties by adding one or 2 other vegetables along with Broad Beans. Today's recipe is a simple and easy to make curry which goes well with roti and rice. 

My friend who grows Broad beans in her kitchen garden, gave us lots of those. So every alternative day we have been eating many varieties of curries with this. She says Broad beans are very easy to grow. These are protein rich and high in vitamin c. Got so much of inspiration from her to plant these in my garden.

Ingredients

40 goruchikkudu

1 tomato

1 onion

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

3-4 teaspoon Oil 

1. Remove strings from both sides of Broad Beans and then break the beans to pieces. Boil these for 15 minutes. Remove water and keep it aside. Chop tomato and onion.  Heat a pan with oil, add cumin seeds, when they splutter, add onions.

2. Cook and saute onions for 5 minutes, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cook  and saute for another 5 minutes. Then add tomato pieces. Cook for 10 more minutes, Saute it every 2-3 minutes. 

3. This curry is a side dish for rotis but can also be eaten with rice.

Andhra Mixture / Bombay Mixture / South Indian Mixture - Diwali Snacks

Mixture is one the most popular, all time favorite snack of India. It is made in different ways, has different names like Bombay Mixture (as it is known all over the world) , Andhra mixture, Chivda or even just as mixture.

This spicy, crisy, crunchy, delicious savory is a much snack for all age groups and is an addictive. 

There is no hard and fast rule to make this recipe. This recipe tasted better than the store bought mixture. I am very happy with the outcome. My husband after it got over said "Why didn't you make more of this . This just got over in few hours" !!!!!  

Compliment ??? Yes it is . 

Ingredients

3 cups Chick Pea Flour / Besan Flour

1 cup Rice Flour

pinch of Turmeric Powder

1 3/4  teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

1 1/2  teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida / Hing 

1/2 cup Split Roasted Channa Dal

1/2 cup Groundnuts / Peanuts with Skin

5 sprigs Curry Leaves

Oil for deep frying

1. Mix besan flour, rice flour,1 teaspoon of  red chilli powder, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida in a bowl. Add water little by little. Combine well and knead it to make a smooth dough. The dough shouldn't be watery. 

2. Heat oil for deep fry. When the oil is hot check by dropping one tiny piece dough, if it rises immediately then the oil is ready. Reduce the heat to medium. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Place the disc with small holes in the murukku press. Fill the press with dough. Press the dough on hot oil in circular motion. Fry for about 30 seconds on each side or till it gets a golden brown colour. Remove this from oil onto a paper towel. Repeat this until 1/3 of dough is used to make murukku. Break murukku to small pieces.

3. Now change the disc to ribbon pakora. Fill the murukku press. Press the dough on hot oil. Fry for about on each side on till golden brown. Don't worry about the shape of ribbon pakora as we are going to break it. Take this out of oil onto a paper towel. Repeat this until the other 1/3 part of dough is used. Break ribbon pakora to small pieces. Switch off the stove or turn the flame to low.

4. Now with the the remaining 1/3 part of the dough is for boondi. Add water little by little to dough to make the dough thin like batter. Bring the batter to a pourable consistency. The batter should flow through the holes of a perforated spatula. To check the consistency of the batter, take the batter into a small cup or tumbler, pour a little batter through the spatula at a height of 1 1/2 inch , if the batter comes out like small bubbles, that is the right consistency. 

5. In the same oil, pour the batter through the perforated spatula at 1 1/2 inch above oil and move the spatula in a circular motion. Don't overcrowd the pan. When the boondi turns golden brown, remove the boondi from oil onto paper towel. Repeat this, until all batter is used.You need to be very quick here. 

6. In the same oil fry roasted channa dal, and then ground nuts. Fry curry leaves till crisp.

7. Add 3/4 teaspoon of red chilli powder and 3/4 teaspoon of salt (or as needed) to murukku.  Mix it well along with roasted channa dal, groundnuts and curry leaves. 

8. Store it in a container. Serve it with tea. A tasty time pass snack.

Broken Wheat Halwa / Annavaram Prasadam

Annavaram is very popular for the famous temple of Lord Satyanarayana Swami and Annavaram Prasadam. The aroma, colour and the taste of this prasadam is unique. I never thought I can make this at home. The recipe which I made will not be exactly like uncomparable prasadam that we get in the temple, but I tried my best. 

This is first time I made this recipe. The taste was excellent but for the perfect colour you need to 

dry roast broken wheat and make the prasadam with just dark brown jaggery. 

Annavaram brings back very fond memories of my childhood. My parents always used to take us on pilgrimage summer vacation tours. Use to go there almost during all summer holidays and spend lot of time on hill, near the temple and the river. We specially used to love the ride on Jutka from the railways station to the temple. Used to bring lots and lots of prasadam packets back home for our friends and family. Annavaram prasadam tastes so yummy and is mouthwatering.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Broken Wheat

2 cups Water 

1/2 cup Jaggery

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

2 tablespoon of Ghee

15 Cashews

pinch of Cardamom Powder / Elaichi 

1. Dry roast broken wheat until it turns to dark brown on a low flame. (I didn't !!). Then boil it in water till it becomes very soft. Add more water if necessary. You can also pressure cook it with 2 cups of water for 3 whistles. When all the water evaporates and broken wheat becomes soft, add jaggery (+ brown sugar) . You can replace brown sugar with jaggery. Let it boil for 10 minutes and keep it aside.

2. Now in a small pan, fry cashews in ghee with a pinch of cardamom powder till golden brown and then add that to halwa.

3. Mix it well and offer to god or just have it as a dessert.

Basil Pesto Pasta

My kids love, love pasta. Today when I told them I made the pasta with homemade basil pesto they were excited. Thumbs up for this yummy pasta. They liked it and gave me a suggestion to make it more and try Tomato Basil Pesto.   Sure, anything for my kids and to see smiles on their faces.

I used Basil pesto which was my last post to make this pasta. Pasta tastes so good with the freshly made pesto. Check the Basil Pesto recipe. Leftover Pesto can be used in sandwiches too.  

Click on the link for Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup of Pasta
2 cups of Water

1 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoon Olive Oil

3 teaspoons Basil Pesto

1. Boil water with a teaspoon of salt. Adding salt to water while boiling pasta adds flavour to pasta. When you bubbles in water, add pasta and cook it till pasta becomes soft. Read the directions on the package for boiling pasta. It takes around 15 minutes. Drain the excess water.

2. In a pan, add oil and basil pesto, saute for 2 minutes, add boiled pasta saute again for 2 minutes.

3. That's it. Yummy basil pesto pasta is ready. Serve it hot.

Homemade Basil Pesto

You can make your own version of Pesto at home in a jiffy!!!! Why to buy processed food when you make them at home. This simple, delicious homemade pesto tastes so good and can be stored for an year in freezer.  Try it. 

Traditional Basil Pesto is made with cheese and pine nuts / walnuts, but I tried it with almonds. Tasted excellent. I made with just a cup of basil leaves which I finished that day itself. If you can also make large quantity and can store it in freezer. Pour few tablespoons of Olive oil on pesto as a layer to keep the pesto from darkening. 

This Pesto can be used in pastas and in sandwiches.

Ingredients

1 cup of Tightly packet Basil Leaves

3 tablespoons Pine nuts / Walnuts / Slivered Almonds

1 teaspoon Garlic Paste / Crushed Garlic 

1/4 teaspoon Salt 

Black Ground Pepper Powder as required

1/4 cup  + 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1. Process Basil leaves and nuts several times then ad salt, ginger and pepper. Process it again. Bring the pesto together by scrap the walls of the processor. Now while processing, add 1/4 cup of olive oil.  

2. Process it till you make a smooth paste of it. Transfer this to a air tight glass container. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive it on the pesto.

3. Keep it refrigerated. 

Aloo Bonda / Batata Vada

 Aloo Bonda / Batata Vada is a snack stuffed with boiled mashed potato. Recipe is the same for Aloo Bonda and Batata Vada but the only difference is the shape. Stuffing in Aloo Bonda is like a round ball and in Batata Vada it is flat like tikkis. 

Kids will love it because of the potato but make sure you don't put chillies while making these for them.  

Here it is winter with temperatures dropping down and time for us to eat nice hot snacks during evening. So here is one more irresistible nice tea time snack for you. We like to eat it with our favorite coconut chutney.

Ingredients

For Stuffing

3 Potatoes

1 Onion

2 -3 Green chillies

1 sprig curry leaves

1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon Urad dal

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

Salt to taste

1/2 Lemon Extract

For Outer Layer

1 cup Chickpea Flour / Besan Flour

1 tablespoon Rice Flour

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

A Big pinch of Baking Powder

Oil for deep frying

1. Make the stuffing first. For that boil potato in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Mash the boiled potatoes. Chop Onion, green chillies and curry leaves. 

2. Heat a pan with 2 teaspoons of oil, add cumin seeds and urad dal, when the cumin seeds start to splutter add chopped onion, green chillies and ginger. Add salt and turmeric powder. Saute for 5 minutes. 

3. Now add mashed potato, cook it for 5 minutes sauteing every minute. Lastly add lemon extract, cook it for a minute and keep it aside to cool. Then make small lemon sized balls with the stuffing.

4. Now make outer layer. For that mix besan flour, rice flour, salt, turmeric powder. Add water to make a thick batter which can coated on to the stuffing. Heat oil for deep frying. Just before placing the balls in batter, add baking powder, mix it well. When oil is hot enough, place the potato stuffing balls in batter one by one.

5. Coat the stuffing with batter nicely and gently place that in hot oil. Fry it till the bonda turns golden brown on all the sides.

6. A nice tea time snack for cold weather.

Punjabi Aloo Paratha - Indian Flat Bread stuffed with Spiced Potatoes

Aloo Paratha is a staple food in North Indian menu and Punjabi food. Indian Flat Bread stuffed with spiced, boiled potatoes tastes a little spicy, tangy and yummy. Paratha is served with butter, yogurt, sliced onions, green chillies and any pickle and of course lassi. 

You will enjoy this very, very tempting food during winters. Adding oil to the wheat flour while making dough makes the parathas very soft. Adding lemon juice, to the stuffing makes the paratha a bit tangy. 

You can have parathas for breakfast, lunch or for dinner. My kids like to take parathas in their lunch boxes. It is so fillings and gives them enough energy for their extra murals.

Click on the links for Sweet Lassi , Mango Pickle , Yellow Cucumber Pickle , Lemon Pickle and Amla Pickle recipes.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of Wheat Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

Water
Oil / Ghee as required for roasting the parathas 

For Stuffing

1 Big Potato 

1 onion

2-3 green chillies

1 tablespoon chopped coriander

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Add Salt and 2 teaspoons of oil  to Wheat flour, mix it and then add water little by little to make a soft dough. Cover it, keep it aside for atleast 30 minutes. Meanwhile cut the potato into 4 pieces, pressure cook it for 3 whistles. Let it cool and remove the skin.

2. Chop onion, green chillies and coriander. Mash potato, add red chilli powder, salt and coriander powder.Mix it. Add chopped onion, green chilli, coriander, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Mix it well.

3. Now the stuffing is ready. Keep it aside. Now divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Flatten each part, dust it with flour.

4. Roll the dough to a circle. Place 1/4 of the potato stuffing on it in the middle. Cover it with dough by bringing the dough from all sides to the center. Remove the extra part. Dust the surface with flour, keep the dough with stuffing upside down.

5. Flatten it by hand and then roll it gently with roller pin to a circle. Heat a skillet / tawa. The tawa shouldn't be too hot. Place the paratha on it. When it is partly cooked flip it spread some ghee or oil on it flip it again and do the same thing on the other side. Cook it till you see crisp dark brown spots on both sides.

6. Serve it hot from tawa, or keep it in casserole. Serve it with some butter on paratha and some lemon or mango pickle. Punjabis like to eat these parathas with yogurt, sliced onion and green chillies.