Category Archives: Gravy/Side Dish

Chicken, Gravy/Side Dish, Non Veg Recipes, Recipe Index, Recipes

Chicken Roast Recipe

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
May

The Chicken Roast recipe is a South Indian recipe which involves the frying of chicken with a few basic ingredients. The recipe is simple as there is no adding onions, tomatoes or even ginger -garlic paste. It goes well with sambar rice or rasam rice. It can be made as a side dish for a party at home. Guests will surely love it.

The blending of the curry leaves and green chillies along with the chicken is a crucial step. It increases the aroma of the dish and makes it appetising. This quick and easy chicken roast recipe is very tasty and children love to eat it. Here no deep-frying is done and so less oil is used.

There is no marination process in this recipe and this saves time. It is the best choice for busy individuals who want to try home-cooked food and have less time. It is best to use a kadai as less oil is used. The kadai will prevent the sticking of the chicken. You can increase the quantity of oil to prevent the chicken from sticking.

Ingredients for Chicken Roast recipe

1 Kg Chicken ( cut into medium pieces)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 and 1/4 tsp chilli powder

2 handfuls curry leaves

4 green chillies

2 tbsp corriander leaves

1 tsp salt  or salt to taste

Method

Take chicken in a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and add 150 ml of water, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Give a slight mix.

Close the Kadai with a lid and allow it to cook for 20 minutes on medium flame. Cook till the water evaporates.

Now add 3 tbsp of oil and mix well. At this stage add curry leaves and green chilli and give a gentle mix.

Lower the flame and keep cooking until the chicken gets roasted and there is a colour change in the green chillies.

Note: Keep stirring the chicken now and then.

Sprinkle corriander leaves and give a quick stir. The Chicken roast is ready to eat in 2 minutes.Enjoy chicken roast!

Gravy/Side Dish, Recipe Index, Recipes, Veg Recipes

Palak Paneer

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
26
May

Palak Paneer is an easy, healthy  Indian dish in which cottage cheese or paneer is added to spiced palak. Palak is spinach. The combination of palak and paneer is a delicacy and can be eaten with Indian bread like roti, naan and chapati. It can also be eaten with rice like ghee rice and jeera rice.

Palak is nutrient-rich and paneer has high protein content. Paneer and palak along with spices make a rich delicacy.  Vegans can use tofu instead of paneer. This is one of the most awesome gravy with spinach.

I have added paneer in this recipe without frying, but you can fry the paneer in oil for two minutes if you want. For a richer Palak Paneer, you can add cream.

Ingredients

4 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon ghee

1 bunch palak (stem removed)

4 medium-sized onions (chopped)

3 green chillies

1 bay leaf

4 cloves

1-inch cinnamon

1 cardamom

5 cashew nuts

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi

1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Blanching of Palak

Take around 500ml of water in a vessel and heat it till it starts to boil. Add green chillies to it. Then add half a teaspoon of salt and washed palak to it. Allow the palak to remain in the water for a minute and then drain the water. Wash again with cold water so that the green colour of spinach is retained.

Grinding the palak

Add the blanched and cooled palak and green chillies to a mixer. Without adding water grind the palak along with the green chilli. Then add a few drops of water to get a semisolid paste of palak puree.

Making of Onion masala

Keep the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom ready. Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Then add oil and heat it for 2 minutes. Now add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom to the heated oil.

 

After a minute add onions and stir. Add cashew and keep stirring till the onions turn golden brown.

Then add kasuri methi after crushing in the fingers and add ginger- garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell of the ginger -garlic paste goes.

Now add chilli powder and keep stirring for a few minutes. Then switch off the gas stove. Allow it to cool.

Grinding of the onion masala

Transfer the cooled onion masala to a mixie jar. Grind it without adding water. Then add a few drops of water to get a smooth paste.

Making of Palak Paneer

Take the kadai and heat it. Add ghee and heat it for less then a minute. Now add the ground onion masala into the kadai and fry until the raw smell of onions is not there. This usually takes 5-10 minutes.

Then add palak paste and mix thoroughly. Allow it to cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and mix well. You can add cream if you want. I have not added it to this recipe.

Cook till the colour changes to a darker colour.

Finally, add the paneer and stir gently such that the paneer does not break. Cook for 2 minutes and switch of the gas stove.If you want your paneer to be crispier then fry them in oil and then add to the above palak.

.

 

Your delicious and mouth-watering Palak Paneer is ready! Enjoy:)

Gravy/Side Dish, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

How to make Elephant Yam Fry?

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
18
Mar

Elephant Yam Fry is tasty as well as healthy dish. It is usually called ” Vegetarian Fish Fry”.Elephant Yam Fry is a favourite of many and this spicy dish tastes good with sambar rice, rasam rice, curd rice, lemon rice. In this recipe, the yam is fried on a Tawa after tender cooking it with the spices.

Yam is called as “senai kilangu” in tamil and “suran” in hindi. Although Elephant Foot Yam is very tasty we must be careful while cutting it as it causes itching which persists for some time. But it is worth trying.

Precautions to be taken while cutting Elephant Yam

Elephant Yam has the tendency to cause itching both on the skin and on the tongue due to the presence of calcium oxalate. So some precautions should be taken while cooking it.

a) Apply coconut oil on the skin before touching the yam for cutting.

b) First remove the skin, cut the yam and then wash it.

c)Soak the Yam in tamarind water or buttermilk first and discard it.

d) If you skin is very sensitive then using rubber gloves is recommended.

Baking or pressure cooking the yam before cutting helps to reduce itchiness. However, in this recipe I have cut the Yam first and then cooked. Since I cook it with the masala it is more tasty.

Always go for the bigger yam as the smaller ones tend to cause more itching.

 

Now let us see, how to make Elephant Yam Fry ?

Ingredients

5 tablespoons oil

500 g of Yam (cut into thin slices)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon ginger – garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon mustard

2 pinches asafoetida

a sprig of curry leaves

1 cm size tamarind

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

 

Method

Cooking of Elephant Yam

Take the cut yam pieces in a bowl and wash them. Then add water and add a piece of tamarind. Squeeze it well so that the pulp mixes with the water. Leave it for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the water and transfer it into a kadai. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder,ginger-garlic paste and salt.

   

Then add 100ml of water. Close it with a lid and heat it on a high medium flame for 10 minutes.    

After 10 minutes remove the lid and keep heating till there the water evaporates. The yam should be half /tender cooked.

Tawa frying the Elephant Yam

Now take a heavy thick-bottomed Tawa or a cast-iron skillet and heat it for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it for another 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked yam to the Tawa and keep heating it on a low medium flame. If you want you can do it in 2 batches but I have done it in a single batch here.

You can add more oil if you want.

Occasionally (approximately around 4 minutes)keep turning the yam or stir the yam gently so that it does not get burnt. Keep doing this till you get the desired crispiness.

Tempering the Elephant Yam

Take a tempering pan and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Allow it to heat for a minute. Then add mustard and allow it to splutter. Add asafoetida and curry leaves. When the curry leaves changes colour and becomes crispy, switch off the gas. Add it to the yam on the Tawa.

Gravy/Side Dish, Non Veg Recipes, Seafood

Sura Puttu /Shark fish Puttu

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
18
Feb
Sura Puttu

The recipe involves a simple process of cooking the Sura/Shark fish first and then mixing it with sauted onions, garlic, green chillies to give a boneless fish that tastes excellent. It is usually called Paal Sura in tamil and is given to lactating mothers.

In this recipe, since the bones are removed it can be given to kids and the elderly too. Kids will just love it. It is usually taken as a side dish along with curry and rice. I prefer eating it directly with rice.

You can also use the steaming process to cook the Sura/Shark fish but I have just added it to water and heated the water. This process is followed by my aunts who are great cooks. If you want to follow the steaming process place the Sura/Shark fish on the idli plates using a cloth or plantain leaf and steam it for 10 minutes.

This fish has to be cooked before and then added to the sauted onions, garlic and green chillies otherwise it will turn out hard.

Here I have used Sura with skin but you can buy without skin and follow the same procedure.

Ingredients

750 g with skin Sura/Shark fish

3 tablespoons of oil

5 medium-sized onions (finely chopped)

3 pods garlic (finely chopped)

10 green chillies (finely chopped)

1/4+ 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

a sprig of curry leaves

1 tablespoon coriander leaves (finely chopped)

1/2 + 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Cooking of Sura / Shark fish

Wash the fish properly. Then place it in the vessel and pour around 250 ml water. Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat it on a high medium flame for 10 minutes. Switch off the gas and allow it to cool.

When it is cooled, remove the skin and the bones. Shred the flesh into smaller pieces as shown in the below third picture.

 

How to make Sura /Shark fish puttu?

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil and allow the oil to get heated.

Add onions and sauté till the onions become translucent. Add garlic and sauté further till the garlic is fried. (that is the colour changes slightly to off white)

Then add green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for few minutes so that the chilli blends with the onions and garlic. Then, add turmeric powder.

Now it is time to add the smashed Sura pieces without bones to the Kadai. Add salt and mix well.

Finally, add the coriander leaves and give a final mix. Enjoy the Sura fish Puttu with hot rice or with rice and curry!!:)

 

Gravy/Side Dish, Veg Recipes

Rajma Masala

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
10
Feb

Rajma masala is a gluten-free vegan dish that is rich in protein. The red kidney beans when spiced up and added to onions and tomatoes give a delectable taste which makes Rajma masala the chosen dish for special occasions. It is usually served with hot white rice, basmati rice, zeera rice or even rotis.

It is prepared by various methods. The most popular way is to boil the Rajma well and then spice it up. But in this method, the spices are directly added to the rajma and cooked. Then the fried onions and tomatoes are added. Rajma tastes best when it is well cooked on slow fire.

Ingredients

2 and a half tablespoons of oil

200 g of Rajma (Red Kidney Beans)

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 big onion

3 medium sized tomatoes

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi

1 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Soaking of Rajma

Wash the rajma multiple times and drain the water using a colander. Now soak it in water. There should be enough water such that the rajma is fully immersed. Make sure that the water level is around 2-3 cm above the rajma.

Close it with a lid. Allow some space for air to enter .This prevents the sticking of the Rajma.

Soak the rajma overnight for approximately 8 – 9 hours for best results.If you forget to soak use hot water to soak and this will hasten the process.

Soaking of the rajma helps to cook it well and reduce bloating .

Pressure cooking Rajma

Wash the soaked rajma properly and drain the water. Transfer it into a vessel that can be placed in the cooker. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and 2 drops of oil. (oil is added to prevent overflowing).

Now add 500 ml of water. (water level should be approximately more than twice the amount of rajma )Add ginger-garlic paste and salt.

Add garam masala. You can also add garam masala while adding chilli powder itself. Stir well and close it with a lid.

Take a cooker and add around 2 cm of water (so that when you place the vessel containing rajma the water level rises to 1/4 level of the vessel).

Note: Do not add more water as the water will tend to come out and do not add less water as the water will evaporate fast and the rajma will get burnt..

Now place the vessel with rajma in the cooker. Cook it for around 8 -10 whistles and switch off the flame. Allow the cooker to cool and release the pressure. Now, open the lid.

Check if the rajma is cooked. The shape should be intact and it should mash when pressed. When cut the colour should be uniform. If there is colour variation that is a combination of pure white and cooked rajma colour (which is off-white), then the rajma needs to be cooked further for another 2 whistles or as required. Older rajmas tend to cook slower compared to the newer ones.

How to make Rajma masala?

Take a pan and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Allow it to get heated for a few minutes. Now add onion and saute till it turns golden brown.

Then add the tomatoes and sauté further till you get a mushy paste.

Now add the well cooked rajma to the mushy paste.

Crush the Kasuri methi and sprinkle on the masala. Cook on low flame for ten minutes or till you get the desired consistency. If you want you can also add 2 teaspoons of cream to give a richer taste. However, I have avoided it for health benefits.

Enjoy Rajma Masala with rice or roti and share your views in the comments 😊

Gravy/Side Dish, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Beetroot Poriyal (Beetroot Palya) Stir Fry

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
19
Jan

Beetroot can be made in a variety of ways but the most common recipe is beetroot poriyal. This stir fry recipe is a common side dish for an authentic South Indian meal. It can be taken along with plain white rice and sambar or rasam rice. It also tastes absolutely delicious with curd rice. Even brown rice can be taken with it. This instant recipe involves simple tempering along with onions and topped with grated coconut.

 Beetroot is a great source of manganese, folate, potassium, iron and vitamin C. It has a high concentration of nitrates that reduces blood pressure and is good for the heart.

 Beetroot Pepper Fry is another special recipe made from beetroot. The nutritious benefit of beetroot makes it very popular. 

 In this recipe of Beetroot Poriyal, the beetroot is cut into smaller pieces which makes the cooking process even faster. Adding coconut enhances its flavour.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon broken urad dhal

5 medium-sized onions(finely chopped)

5 long green chilies(finely chopped)

a sprig of curry leaves

2 tablespoons grated coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste


Method

Heat the pan and pour oil. Wait for 2 minutes for the oil to get heated. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.

 


After the mustard is spluttered, add urad dhal. Make sure it turns slightly brown in colour.


Now add onions and give a quick stir.

 Next add curry leaves, green chilies and saute till the onions turn golden brown. I have added 5 green chilies. The quantity of green chilies varies for each person. Depending on the variety and how spicy you want the dish to be, you can decide the quantity.Beetroot usually has a sweet taste and so to curb the sweetness, I have added more green chilies.

Add the chopped beetroot and give a quick stir.


Close the lid and allow it to cook for 5 minutes. You will notice that the beetroot has released some water.


Now add salt, mix well and cook till the released water dries up.


Finally, sprinkle the grated coconut and stir. Ta-da!! your beetroot poriyal is now ready to be relished.Eat hot and do let me know how it tastes in the comments 🙂

 

Gravy/Side Dish, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Beetroot Pepper Fry

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

In this recipe, the sweet taste of beetroot is blended with the pungent flavour of pepper.

Fussy eaters and kids would also love it as the original taste of beetroot is changed here.

The method is a simple and easy recipe.

 

Beetroot is a great source of manganese, folate, fibre, potassium, iron and vitamin C. 

It contains a high concentration of nitrates that reduces blood 

pressure and is good for the heart.

 

 

Ingredients

4 tbsp of Oil

4 medium-sized beetroot

1 sprig/handful of curry leaves

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp salt or salt to taste

Method

Wash the beetroot thoroughly. Peel off the skin.

Cut the beetroot in circles as shown. (do not cut it very thin or very

broad)

 

Put it in a pan and add ¼ cup of water.

 

Boil for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the pepper and salt. 

(You can increase the quantity of 

pepper if you want more spice)

Mix well and keep it aside.

Meanwhile, take a tawa and heat it. Transfer the beetroot to the tawa.

Add curry leaves and mix well. Heat till the water evaporates.

If you want it crispier you can keep it for a longer time.

 

Relish your beetroot with curd rice.

Gravy/Side Dish, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Dal (Toor Dal/Arhar Dal/Pigeon Pea Lentils)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Toor dal is a simple, easy and common dish. As it is protein-rich it is usually given to toddlers without tempering(The roasting of certain ingredients in oil such that it enhances the flavour). This  Indian recipe tastes best with hot rice, Potato masala fry and of course, ghee.

Toor dal is also known by various names such as arhar dal, pigeon pea lentils, thuvaram paruppu, kandhi pappu, tur dal and kandhi pappu. It is a dish of choice for special occasions and you can prepare it in many ways.

Ingredients for cooking toor dal

1 cup (200g) toor dal

1/2 teaspoon zeera

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 drops gingely oil

Other ingredients

2 tbsp oil

1teaspoon ghee

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 pinch asafoetida (hing)

A sprig of curry leaves

1big onion or 6-7 small onions (finely chopped)

1 medium-sized tomato (finely chopped)

1green chili ( finely chopped)

4-5 garlic cloves(chopped)

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp salt or salt to taste

Method

The cooking of Dal (Using pressure cooker)

Wash the toor dal properly and keep it in a vessel. Add water of volume more than twice the volume of toor dal to the vessel. Then add turmeric powder,zeera and gingely oil. Pressure cook the dal for 4 -5 whistles. After the pressure releases remove the vessel from the cooker.

 

Now, take a masher and mash it as shown.

 

Preparation of the dal

Take a big Kadai or pan and heat it. Add 2 tbsp of oil and wait for 2 minutes. Then add mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter.

 

After the spluttering of the mustard seeds, add the onions and asafoetida. Give a quick stir.

Then include the garlic and stir.

Now add green chili, curry leaves and saute till the colour of the onions changes to golden brown.

When the colour of the onions changes add the tomatoes and chili powder.

Cook till it becomes mushy.

Finally, add the cooked toor dal, ghee and salt. Mix well. You can also add little water to get the required consistency. The dal should not be too thick nor too watery.

For the last touches, garnish the dal with coriander leaves.The toor dal is now ready to eat.

Serve it with hot rice and Potato Masala Fry!!: )

Egg, Gravy/Side Dish, Non Veg Recipes, Recipe Index

Egg Curry

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Egg curry is a protein-rich dish that is easy to make and an all-time favourite. It doesn’t necessarily require any side dish and taste delicious with rice, parotta, chapati or any other Indian breads.


Here I have added two methods of preparing egg gravy.

1) Egg gravy using boiled eggs

2) Egg gravy by adding eggs directly without boiling 


You can try either of the above methods.
Ingredients

6 tablespoon oil

4 big onions (chopped)

3 medium-sized tomatoes (chopped)

1 teaspoon ginger or 1-inch ginger

1 teaspoon garlic or 1 pod garlic

A sprig of curry leaves

2-inch cinnamon

5 cloves

1/2 teaspoon fennel

1/4  coconut(cut into small pieces or grated)

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

6 eggs

1/2 teaspoon or salt to taste


Method

Preparation of the masala

Take a Kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add 4 tablespoons of oil and allow the oil to get heated. Then add the cinnamon, clove and fennel. Leave for 2 minutes for the flavour to get into the oil.


After about 2 minutes, add onions and saute. 

Then add ginger- garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away.

Add tomatoes and saute further.


Then add the coconut and keep stirring.


Now add chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and keep stirring till it becomes mushy. 


Switch off the gas and allow the masala to cool.


Grinding of the masalaNext, use a blender to blend the masala. First, blend the masala in a blender without adding water. Then add water and blend again. Blend the hard things like the coconut first and then blend the softer things to get a smooth paste.
Making of the egg gravyTake another kadai and heat it. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat for 2 minutes. Then add onions and curry leaves and saute till the onions become golden brown.


Now add the masala, salt and mix well. Then pour a cup of water.


Next, add the eggs. Here you can add  1) boiled eggs or2) pour the eggs in the gravy. 
1)Adding of boiled eggsIn case you are adding boiled eggs, add the egg after giving a slight cut on it.

 

Keep heating for about ten minutes till the oil separates. You can close the lid to hasten the process.

The delicious egg gravy is now ready to eat. 🙂
2) Pouring the eggs in the gravy

In case you are pouring the eggs in the gravy, pour one by one as shown. Do not disturb the eggs for five minutes. 

Slightly turn the eggs so that they cook well on both sides. Leave it for another ten minutes. You can close the lid to hasten the process.

Egg curry is ready to eat!!

Gravy/Side Dish, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Bhindi Masala(Ladysfinger Masala)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Ladysfinger/Bhindi masala is a combination of Ladysfinger with onions and tomatoes. Ladysfinger is an all-time favourite and can be made in different ways.   As the ingredients vary the taste of the ladysfinger also changes. When only tomatoes are used it gives a sour taste and when other ingredients are added it gives a different taste.  In this recipe, the onions, tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste are blended with well with the ladysfinger…Oh my God, I can already taste this heavenly combination in my mouth. The masala goes well with roti as well as rice.  This Indian recipe can be taken with all Indian bread or as a side dish along with dal, sambar rice, rasam rice, lemon rice and curd rice. It goes well with ghee rice and pulao too.  It is a healthy dish for kids. 

Ingredients

1/2 kg ladysfinger (cut one inch long)

2  big onions (finely cut)

3 medium-sized tomatoes (finely cut)

a sprig of curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

lime (optional)

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method


Take a Kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil and allow it to get heated.

Add onion,ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves and saute until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic goes.

Then add tomatoes and saute further to get a mushy appearance.

Now add chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Mix well.

Take a separate kadai and heat it. Pour oil and make sure it gets heated. Then add washed and dried ladysfinger(using a towel) and keep stirring occasionally. (You can add a few drops of lime juice to prevent the stickiness in ladysfinger). When the water dries up, add the ladyfinger to the other Kadai and mix well.


Close it with a lid and cook it for 5 minutes on a slow flame.When cooked the ladysfinger changes in colour and gets shrunken. Now add salt and cook for another 5 more minutes with the lid closed.

This recipe can also be tried without onion, ginger-garlic paste.

 


How to prepare bhindi masala(Ladysfinger masala) without onions, ginger and garlic?

Ingredients 

1/2 kg ladysfinger (cut one inch long)

3 medium-sized tomatoes (finely cut)

a sprig of curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

lime (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

For this, take a Kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil and allow it to get heated.Then add washed and dried ladysfinger(using a towel) and keep stirring occasionally. (You can add a few drops of lime juice to prevent the stickiness in ladysfinger). When water dries up add the tomatoes and give a quick stir.Then add chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Add salt, close the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Bring to the required consistency, your dish is ready.
Enjoy the ladysfinger/bhindi masala!! Please share your views in the comments:)