Spicy-Crispy Pan Fried Whole Okra:(Lady's Finger/Bindi)


Actually I consider Cooking Okra is an art. Hmmmm nah Science. Yeah...I see most people say cooking is art....I differ from them, I consider the person who read science with care and relate what he studied...would be a good cook. Ofcourse garnishing and platter decoration could be considered as an art!

Well...making a non-sticky okra is an art or science? One could cook very well...make it appealing is an art again. Most of them make okra fry with that gooey-ness and mushy look. So one simple key(no oil or no excess oil...okay)would help to get rid of that sticky ness! Is'nt it great? For a small portion of okra(250 grams) use a very wide non-stick wok(ike chinese stir-fry griddle).Cook the veggie for few minutes over medium flame with cover. Then stir-fry over high for brief period, without lid. It won't stick together! Pretty easy right!:)

Ingredients:

Short even sized Okra 30 numbers
Oil 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1-2 spoons

Method:

Remove the head and tail of Okra. Make a slit....Not a deep cut. Just slitted

In a large non-stick pan, heat half cup of oil. Add Okra and salt. Cover and cook over medium-high heat.

Once it is half done. Add turmeric and chili powder. Remove the lid and stir fry over high heat. Maybe use the remaining oil now at the sides. Crisply fry them for long time.

Serve hot along with curd rice.

Egg Plant Stir Fry:(Brinjal Stir Fry)

Semi-Cooked Vegetables Retaining its Color and Flavor(Egg Plant)

Ingredients:

Oil few spoons
Small sized Egg Plant/Brinjal thinly sliced 1 bowl full
Onion small one thinly sliced
Green chilies 4 thinly sliced as to the size of vegetable
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Chana dal 2 spoons
Urad dal 2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Crisply fried curry leaves for garnishing
Grated coconut 1 cup

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them splutter well.

Now add urad and chana dal. Immediately followed by green chilies and onion( No need to fry urad and chana dal til they turn color...as we do usually.)

Fry them for a while add vegetable to this. Add salt, turmeric too. Cover and cook over medium heat. Just sprinkle water...don't add water in excess. Let this get cooked with its own water content.

Once it is cooked. Remove the lid and stir fry over high heat for few minutes. Don't do this for long time as the vegetable may loose its shape and color.

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves and grated coconut. Maybe stir fry over high heat for 2 minutes after adding coconut.

Serve hot as a side dish for regular South Indian meals. It tastes good with curd rice.

Vendaikai Poriyal

Okra Stir Fry:(Lady's Finger/Bindi/Vendaikkai)

Semi-Cooked Vegetables Retaining its Color and Flavor(Okra)

Vendaikkai Poriyal. Bindi Sabzi. Bendakkai Koora.

My mommy cooks all the veggies in a similar fashion. Like she tries to retain their natural color. So the veggies vitamins are not lot is cooking. She hates to chop finely or mince veggies. She tells...veggies nature are lost in finely chopping. Although it could not be practiced all the time...I cut heavy chunks whenever possible. Anyway....she makes it simple and tasty.

But cooking okra fry is an art as I told you earlier...only few cooks are aware of the fact. Okra is sticky....so key to get-rid of that stickyness, without using excess oil is using a very wide non-tick chinese wok! For the quantity of 250 grams I use very wide griddle. So cook over medium heat, with lid for few minutes. Then over high heat for few minutes, without lid. The stickyness will be lost. Hope this helps!

Ingredients:

Okra diced each piece into 1/2 inch size
Oil few spoons
Garlic 5-6 cloves finely chopped
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Chana dal 2 spoons
Urad dal 2 spoons
Salt
Pepper powder 1-2 spoons

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them splutter well.

Now add urad and chana dal. Immediately followed by garlic( No need to fry urad and chana dal till they turn color...as we do usually.)

Fry them for a while & add diced vegetable to this. Add salt and pepper too. Cover and cook over medium heat. Don't add any water. Let this get cooked with its own water content.

Once it is done. Remove the lid and stir fry over high heat for few minutes. Let the okra loose its stickiness and get separated well. One can add few spoons of oil now. Don't do this for long time as the vegetable may loose its color.

Serve hot as a side dish for regular South Indian meals. It tastes good with simple curd rice.

Cabbage Stir Fry:

Semi-Cooked Vegetables Retaining its Color and Flavor(Cabbage)

I chose cabbage today! Some of its medicinal uses: Infact most of the crusiferous greens, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, chinese cabbage, napa cabbage, purple cabbage all contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinols, the two potent anti-cancer molecules!!! These substance helps to detoxify certain carcinogenic substances! Prevent from developing into malignant tumors! They also promote the death of cancer cells and block their growth!!

So many vegetables are cancer fighting but enough cooking makes them to lose their sulphurous aroma and becomes sweet! These veggies to be treated gently to retain their vitality. So try to fix a soup dish or a stir-fry! They would be much like freshly sliced! I adore my Mommy now....she tosses her veggies for just quick 2 minutes fry. She never uses any strong flavours or seasonning! The veggies look exactly in the same color as fresh ones!!! Amazing!


Ingredients:

Cabbage very finely chopped 1 large bowl full
Oil few spoons
Onion small one very finely chopped as cabbage
Green chilies 4-5 finely chopped
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Chana dal 2 spoons
Urad dal 2 spoons
Salt

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them splutter well. Now add urad and chana dal. Immediately followed by green chilies and onion( No need to fry urad and chana dal til they turn color...as we do usually.)

Fry them for a while and add cabbage to this. Add salt too. Cover and cook over medium heat. Don't add any water. Let this get cooked with its own water content.

Once it is cooked. Remove the lid and stir fry over high heat for few minutes. Don't do this for long time as the vegetable may loose its color.

Serve hot as a side dish for regular South Indian meals.

Beans Poriyal

Beans Stir Fry:


Beans Poriyal. Beans Podimass. Beans Koora.

Semi-Cooked Vegetables Retaining its Color and Flavor(Beans)


Ingredients:


Beans - finely chopped-1 bowl
Onion small one finely chopped
Green chilies finely chopped
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Chana dal 2 spoons
Urad dal 2 spoons
Salt
Grated coconut 1-2 spoons
Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them splutter well.

Now add urad and chana dal. Immediately followed by green chilies and onion( No need to fry urad and chana dal til they turn color...as we do usually.)

Fry them for a while add beans to this. Add salt too. Cover and cook over medium heat. Don't add any water. Let this get cooked with its own water content.

Once it is almost done. Remove the lid and stir fry over high heat for few minutes. Don't do this for long time as the vegetable may give-up its color.

Garnish with grated coconut.

Serve warm as a side dish for regular South Indian meals.

Plain Onion-Tomato Korma:


Yellow Kuruma. Vengaya Kurma. Piyas-Tamatar ka Qorma.

So....on the other day I fixed this korma recipe in my cooking class! Lynn was very excited to know....how to use turmeric in her recipes! And Ramona was all over it....it fights cancer...I heard lot about 'turmeric' but never got any chance to use them! Even my fried Tina started buying turmeric for cleaning her fish....now she says...she uses them in lemony rice(thats the way she says) and in fish fry!

Well....as most of you'll are already aware of the fact its anti-biotic, anti-inflammatory. It encourages the cancer cell death, inhibits the cancer growth and even enhances the effectiveness of the chemotherapy(latest report).

Turmeric is a natural coloring agent, add them sparingly in all possible recipes! Mixing them soon after seasoning is a better way....yeah right in the oil.

Yellow Korma:(version 2)

Ingredients:

Onion 2 large chopped(maybe 1/2 inch sized bits)
Tomato 2 large chopped(same as onion size)
Fresh ginger-garlic paste 2-3 spoons
Green chilies 6 slitted
Cas cas/poppy seeds 2 spoons
Fresh Coconut 1/2 a nut
Cinnamon sticks 3
Cloves 3-5
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few
Coriander finely chopped 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup.

Method:

In a large non-stick deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds to this. Fry them for a while.

Add green chilies to this. Let them splutter well. Then add onions and fry for a while.

Now add ginger-garlic paste to this and fry till the raw smell leaves. Try to maintain the stove over medium heat during this whole process.

Further add tomatoes, salt and turmeric to this. Cover and cook for a while. Maybe one can add 1 cup of water and cook for 3-5 minutes.

In a separate pan roast the poppy seeds. Over medium heat. Don't roast till they turn color. Just roast them for a while. Remove them from heat, when it is still white in color.

Powder the poppy seeds in a blender and set aside.

Now remove the coconut from the shell. Scape down its thin brown layer, using a peeler/knife. Chop them into tiny bits and wet grind them in a blender. Maybe using limited water. Set aside this coconut paste.(If the coconut is too hard and ripe....extract only its milk)

To the above korma add this poppy seeds powder and coconut paste. Boil them well for 3-5 boil.

Garnish them with crisply fried curry leaves and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Idly, Dosa, Appam, Iddiappam, Pulka roti or chappathis.

White Korma

Plain Onion-Tomato Korma:


Plain Kuruma. Onion Kuruma. Onion-tomato Kurma. Vengaya Kurma. Piyas ka Korma. Vella Kurma. White Qorma.

White Korma:(version 1)

Ingredients:

Onion 2 large chopped(maybe 1/2 inch sized bits)
Tomato 2 large chopped(same as onion size)
Fresh ginger-garlic paste 2-3 spoons
Green chilies 6 chopped (same as onion size)
Cas cas/poppy seeds 2 spoons
Fresh Coconut 1/2 a nut
Cinnamon sticks 3
Cloves 3-5
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Salt
Curry leaves few
Coriander finely chopped 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup.

Method:

In a large non-stick deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds to this. Fry them for a while.

Add green chilies to this. Let them splutter well. Then add onions and fry for a while.

Now add ginger-garlic paste to this and fry till the raw smell leaves. Try to maintain the stove over medium heat during this whole process.

Further add tomatoes and salt to this. Cover and cook for a while. Maybe one can add 1 cup of water and cook for 3-5 minutes.

In a separate pan roast the poppy seeds. Over medium heat. Don't roast till they turn color. Just roast them for a while. Remove them from heat, when it is still white in color.

Powder the poppy seeds in a blender and set aside.

Now remove the coconut from the shell. Scape down its thin brown layer, using a peeler/knife. Chop them into tiny bits and wet grind them in a blender. Maybe using limited water. Set aside this coconut paste.(If the coconut is too hard and ripe....extract only its milk)

To the above korma add this poppy seeds powder and coconut paste. Boil them well for 3-5 boil.

Garnish them with crisply fried curry leaves and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Appam, Iddiappam, Pulka roti or chappathis.

Spicy Vegetable Korma:

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables(diced)-carrots, turnips, beans, double beans, peas, cauliflower, potato.
Onion 2 large chopped(maybe 1/2 inch sized bits)
Tomato 2 large chopped(same as onion size)
Fresh ginger-garlic paste 2-3 spoons
Green chilies 3 slitted
Cas cas/poppy seeds 2 spoons
Fresh Coconut 1/2 a nut
Cinnamon sticks 3
Cloves 3-5
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Curry leaves few
Coriander finely chopped 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup.

Method:

In a large non-stick deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds to this. Fry them for a while.

Add green chilies to this. Let them splutter well. Then add onions and fry for a while.

Now add ginger-garlic paste to this and fry till the raw smell leaves. Try to maintain the stove over medium heat during this whole process.

Further add tomatoes to this and cover and cook for a while.

Once tomatoes lost their water content add salt, turmeric and chili powder. Fry them for a while.

Then add diced vegetables and fry for a while. Cover and cook over medium heat. Maybe one can add 1 cup of water and cook for 5-10 minutes. Or till the vegetables are cooked. The vegetable should be still intact....don't cook them till tender.

In a separate pan roast the poppy seeds. Over medium heat. Don't roast till they turn color. Just roast them for a while. Remove them from heat, when it is still white in color.

Powder the poppy seeds in a blender and set aside.

Now remove the coconut from the shell. Scape down its thin brown layer, using a peeler/knife. Chop them into tiny bits and wet grind them in a blender. Maybe using limited water. Set aside this coconut paste.(If the coconut is too hard and ripe....extract only its milk)

To the above korma add this poppy seeds powder and coconut paste. Boil them well for 3-5 boil.

Garnish them with crisply fried curry leaves and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Idly, Dosa, Mild pilafs, plain rice,Appam, Iddiappam, Pulka roti or chappathis.

Plain Onion-Tomato Korma:

Hot and Spicy:(version 3)

Ingredients:

Onion 2 large chopped(maybe 1/2 inch sized bits)
Tomato 2 large chopped(same as onion size)
Fresh ginger-garlic paste 2-3 spoons
Green chilies 3 slitted
Cas cas/poppy seeds 2 spoons
Fresh Coconut 1/2 a nut
Cinnamon sticks 3
Cloves 3-5
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Curry leaves few
Coriander finely chopped 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup.

Method:

In a large non-stick deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds to this. Fry them for a while.

Add green chilies to this. Let them splutter well. Then add onions and fry for a while.

Now add ginger-garlic paste to this and fry till the raw smell leaves. Try to maintain the stove over medium heat during this whole process.

Further add tomatoes, salt, turmeric and chili powder to this. Cover and cook for a while. Maybe one can add 1 cup of water and cook for 3-5 minutes.

In a separate pan roast the poppy seeds. Over medium heat. Don't roast till they turn color. Just roast them for a while. Remove them from heat, when it is still white in color.

Powder the poppy seeds in a blender and set aside.

Now remove the coconut from the shell. Scape down its thin brown layer, using a peeler/knife. Chop them into tiny bits and wet grind them in a blender. Maybe using limited water. Set aside this coconut paste.(If the coconut is too hard and ripe....extract only its milk)

To the above korma add this poppy seeds powder and coconut paste. Boil them well for 3-5 boil.

Garnish them with crisply fried curry leaves and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Idly, Dosa, Appam, Iddiappam, Pulka roti or Chappathis.

Tindora Fry:

Gherkin Fry. Young Cucumber Fry. Baby Cucumber Fry. Kovaikkai Fry. Dondakkai Fry. Tindora Fry.Short cucumbers Fry.

This is a cucumber, which has been picked when it is still young....2-3inch size. It still has cucumber flavour. Tastes good in salad and when fried.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo Tindoras/kovaikkai/Dondakkai.
Garlic one large peeled and crushed well/grated
Oil 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Crisply fried curry leaves for garnishing.

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds to it. Let the splutter well.

Now add garlic and fry till fragrance.

Add vegetables to this. Add salt, cover and cook over medium heat. Don't add any water. Let the vegetable get cooked with its own water content.

Once the vegetable is cooked. Remove the lid. Turn the stove to high heat. Add turmeric and chili powder. Stir fry them till raw smell of chili powder leaves and oil shows up on sides.

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves.

Serve them hot as a side dish for chappathis, pulkas or rice.

Capsicum Fry:(Simla Mirchi ki Salan)

Kudai Milagai Poriyal

Ingredients:

Large capsicum 4-5 (very finely chopped....each bit should be 1/2 inch square)
Onion 1 very finely chopped
Salt
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Oil 1 cup.

Method:

In a large non-stick pan heat oil. Add onions and capsicum. Fry them for a while.

Add salt, cover and cook over medium heat. Let the capsicum get cooked with its own water.

Once it is cooked remove the lid and turn to high heat. Add turmeric and chili powder. Stir fry them over high heat until raw chili powder smell leaves and oil shows up on top.

Serve hot with chappathis and pulka rotis. It tastes good with rice too.

Poached Eggs:

Ingredients:

Eggs 3
Salt
Pepper.

Method:

Boil water in a pan. Maybe 3-4 inches of water in that pan. When the water is at boiling stage....turn the stove to medium heat.

Now gently break the eggs and pour into the water. If needed cover and cook. Turn them gently with slotted spoon to the other side.

Once yellow yolk is cooked well......Remove them with slotted spoon.

Leave them over blotting paper for a while to remove excess of water.

Serve them with salt and pepper sprinkled. One can adjust the seasoning to their taste.

This healthy dish can be served as breakfast item along with sandwiches.

Country Style Omlette:


Thin Omlette. Hot n Spicy Omlette.

Ingredients:

Country eggs 3
Red onion 1 finely chopped
Curry Leaves few - finely chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder less than 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1/4 spoon
Pepper powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Milk few spoons
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Gently tap the eggs at the tip and separate white in a large bowl. Yellow yolk in separate bowl. Repeat this for all eggs.

In yellow yolk's bowl add few spoons of milk and add salt, turmeric, chili powder and pepper. Mix them thoroughly.

Beat the white with egg beater vigorously...until foamy.

Just before making omlette add this foamy white to the yellow yolk bowl. Mix well. Further add onions too.

Spray oil over a hot tawa/pan. Make a thin crepe. Add few spoons of oil at the sides. Turn and cook the other side till light brown.

Serve hot. Its good along with rasam rice or pepper-sambar rice.