Pudhina Thuvaiyal / Mint Thuvaiyal - Grandma's Recipe

Pudhina Thuvaiyal:(Tamil Nadu Style)

Ingredients:

Coconut grated 1/4 cup
Mint leaves 1-2 cups
Cilantro 1/2 bunch
Curry leaves from few twigs
Salt
Tamarind 1/4 spoon
Ginger 2" grated
Garlic 4 cloves minced
Urad dal 1 table spoon
Coriander seeds 1 table spoon
Dry red chilies chilies 5
Sesame oil few spoons.

For Tempering:

Sesame oil
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Asafoetida
Chan+urad dal
Dry red chilies
Curry leaves.

Method:
Heat oil, in a wok. Fry coriander seeds and urad dal, once they are well roasted...add the other ingredients to it, continue frying. When they turn aromatic...blend and puree them.

Now, add the remaining oil in an iron wok(but I used the same non-stick, anyway). Add the puree to it...continue cooking over medium heat. Let this reduce and become heavy.

Temper the spices in hot oil and run this seasoning over the thuvaiyal made.

Serve this as a side dish for Birinji Saadham.

Red Chili Chutney

Milagai Saandhu:

Sigappu Milaga Chutney. Milaga Chutney / Thokku.

Can you believe it, red chilies have more Vitamin-A than an orange. So, load up red chilies next time when you shop. At the same time, I need to alert you...too much of spicy food will lead to gastric-ulcer, watch out. Seriously, I can't bear the heat but loved the idea of fresh red chili chutney...so slightly tweaked the recipe my way. Yes, used Jalapenos instead. One could also carefully avoid seeds and remove the inner pith to avoid excess heat. Hmmm, chilies have their heat in veins, definetely not in the seeds or the flesh! So get rid of the inner pith!

Ingredients:

Ripe Red chilies (I used Jalapenos tho')
Garlic 1 whole head, grated
Rock Salt
Turmeric
Sesame oil few spoons

Method:

Heat oil, in a wok. Add garlic, salt and chopped red chilies...saute for few minutes.

Grind them coarsely.

Serve to go with your Barotta, Idly or dosa.

Idly Milagai Podi

Idly Milagai Podi:

Chutney Podi. Idly Podi. Idly with Ellu Podi.

Madras, Murughan Idly Milagai Podi is quite famous! Although I couldnt perfect the recipe...I tried my level best!

Ingredients:

Urad dhal 1 cup
Dry red chilies 10-15 (bright red ones)
Brown sesame seeds 2 spoons
Curry leaves 4 twigs
Salt
Asafoetida 1 pinch

Method:

Dry roast each item, seperately and powder them togather!

Serve to go with your idly or dosa...run a spoon full of ghee or sesame oil!

Poondu Chutney / Poondu Thuvaiyal

Poondu Thuvaiyal:

Ingredients:
Garlic 1 head
Red chilies 7
Onion 1 bulb
Salt
Temepering spices
Oil.

Method:

In a wide wok, heat oil and fry garlic and chilies together till fragrant.

Then wet-grind the same.

In a separate pan, heat oil and add the tempering spices and run this seasoning over the chutney made.

Eggplant Chutney

Brinjal Chutney:

Eggplant Dip, Baingan Chutney.

I like North Indian style 'Baingan ka Bhurta' so much, except the part of...skinning the eggplants!! I feel that violet colored skin is more appetizing than the pulp itself!! Moreover all the essential vitamins and minerals lie close to the skin or on the skin. Skin is the natural barrier against the nutrient loss!! So why to peel them? Here...I tweaked the same recipe into my favourite South Indian version 'Chutney'...how about that!!

Ingredients:

Eggplant 1 large
Green chilies 3
Onion 1 small bulb
Garlic 3 cloves
Ginger 1"
Tomato 1 large
Salt
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons.

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Chana dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Curry leaves few
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Smear oil all over the eggplant and bake or preferably broil them. Then, please retain the skin!! Slightly mash them, set aside.

Now, in a wide pan, heat oil. add chilies, garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes and eggplants.

Fry for few minutes and puree coarsely in a blender.

In a separate pan, heat oil...add the tempering spices one by one and wait till they pop and splutter. Now run this seasoning over the chutney made.

Enjoy as a dip or an accompaniment for pongal, pulav or birinji rice.

Don't Mess with Sufian

Lebanese Breakfast:

Friday Morning Breakfast - Middle East! Bachelor's Elaborate Breakfast, Can you believe this???

Hope you guys remember about the club that I attend to 'The Cook! Eat! Share!' for the Internationals. We are about 40 members from different countries. Its a nice platform to know about one's culture through food!

One of our member from Lebanon, Sufian...completed his studies from Olemiss(The University of Mississippi) and went back to his native for job!! So just before leaving...he decided to host 'Lebanese Breakfast' for the members. So sweet, right! It was cold winter(December)he planned to cook at Sue's (South Korean, member)apartment. Imagine we all met up at her place early in the morning, icy winter...the girl was sleeping like a baby!! Since it was too early and late notice...not many people showed up! When Sufian started to cook...I was really amazed at his culinary skills! Oh guys are smart these days...not just cooking, even in clean ups!!

Sufian fixed us: Jasmine Tea, Sesame-Dill biscuits, Egg Salad, Lebanese bread, Cheese, Pita bread, Authentic Hummus and Tahini.

Criticism: Truly one should applaud his effort...guess he is in early 20s and shares the passion for cooking, kool huh. Oh my my...the hummus was awesome, ultimate in taste. Well balanced in fact...right proportion of yogurts, lemonade, salt and garbanzos. The real twist was...He had arranged the bread pieces has first layer and spread some hummus on top, again layered some bread and then hummus, garnish was kool too. So the bread along with hummus was chewy and yummm!! Tahini was much similar to South Indian Idly podi for me...sesame seeds and olive oil...gave a good aroma. Egg salad, he said...he could'nt find cilantro that early in any stores...so he had to throw parsley instead. Even then it tasted good.

Culture: He said his mommy fix such elaborate breakfast on Friday mornings. Friday is holiday for them (Muslim countries generally have Friday holiday for their mass in the mosque)! He said to take a piece of pita bread and roll them with egg salad and grab a spoonful of hummus and dip them in tahini...and then eat it. Followed by a sip of warm jasmine tea. Aaaah that I call breakfast. Wish my mommy hears this, he he.

Thengai Chutney

Coconut Chutney:

I could not find any decent coconuts here at Oxford. If I tell in advance my farmer's market friend Liz used to bring them rarely. But the flavour and aroma never was so appealing. So when I went to India.....used lavish amount of coconut in my cooking. And believe me this is the first time I am making our regular 'Thengai Chutney' in my whole life...and also idlies! (See my fluffy idly post....updated picture....yeah never had a idly cooker at oxford, guilty - Tamil Nadu born)

Ingredients:

Frsh Coconut 1/2 shell
Green chilies 2
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Chana+urad dal 1 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Method:

Wet-grind coconut with salt and chilies. Set aside in a bowl.

Heat oil in a pan. Temper the spice and run them over the above chutney. Mix and enjoy with idly or dosa.

Ramzaan Pachadi

Thakkali Inippu Pachadi:

Toamto Jam. Kaasi Pachadi. Tomato Halwa

This is also called 'Kaasi Pachadi'....don't know how it got it! Mommy's friend Mrs. Babulal used to make this as a side dish! She used to slice the toamtoes and simply immerse them in strong sugar syrup! She treats it as dessert sometimes! Anyways....if you preparing huge Dhaawat(Party Dinner)it could help you as an another dish(can be counted as dip, sweet pachadi, dessert??...you name it!)

Ingredients:

Tangy county tomatoes 4-6(or roma toamtoes)
Saffron few strands
Sugar 1/2 cup
Cardamom pods 3 crushed
Cashewnuts few slitted
Ghee few spoons.

Method:

Slice or chop toamtoes and set aside.

Prepare a strong sugar syrup. Add cardamom and saffron to it.

Then add tomatoes and cook for a while and remove from heat.

In a seperate pan, heat ghee, fry cashewnuts and add to the above setup.

Treat as jam, dip, sweet pachadi....

Cucumber-Tomato Salsa:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes 4 large diced(if needed cored - seeds removed)
Green Chilies 3 (if you dont like it hot - cored - seeds removed)
Capsicum 1 small fienly chopped
Cucumber 1(peeled, cored and finely chopped)
Banana chilies(beach/bajji milagai) finely chopped
Lime 1 - juice (lime is raw lemon - green in color)
Cilandro/ Coriander leaves few chopped
Garlic 2 cloves peeled and chopped
Purple onion 1 small diced
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a blender add 50% of the above said ingredients and blend to thick puree.

Then mix witht the reserve 50% .

Serve chilled with 'Tortilla chips.

Salsa Verde:(Mexican Style)

Ingredients:

Tomatillos 6
Onion 1 small
Green peppers/jalapenos 3
Cucumber 1 small
Salt
Lime juice 1 spoon
Cilantro leaves few.

Method:

Chop 50% of tomatillos and cucumbers and set aside.

Blend all the remaining ingredients and 50% of cucumber and toamtillo togather in a food processor.

Now mix them togather.

Serve chilled with tortilla chips as an evenning snack.

Mango Salsa - Reminds Me Of Summer:)

Mango Salsa:(Mexican Style)

Mangoes are treated for depression in folk remedy! I can't say I am depressed now! Its just another lousy rainy day here! Felt bored....so looked into my pantry and came up with this idea! Salsa....tangy mangoes can go well into it! What else can make a rainy day perfect...more than a bag of chips and Mango Salsa:)

Ingredients:

Mango ripe and firm 1-2 (diced)
Tomato 1 large(de seed, and diced)
Green peppers 1-2 (de seed and diced)
Red Peppers 1-2 (de seed and diced)
Purple Onion 1 small bulb - diced (I skipped it)
Capsicum/Bell peppers 1 diced
Cilantro leaves few
Lemon juice few spoons
Salt

Method:

Mix all the above mentioned ingredients together, gently.

Allow this to sit in the refrigerator for couple of hours.

Serve chilled as dip for corn chips.

Tomato Salsa:(Version 1)

Ingredients:

Country Tomatoes 6-8
Banana Chilies/Bajji Milagai 1
Bell peppers/Capsicum 1
Purple Onion 1 large
Cucumber 1 small peeled
Serrano Peppers/Green Chilies 2
Jalapenos 2
Garlic 2
Lime 1 fruit
Vinegar few spoons
Cilantro Leaves 1/4 cup
Salt.

Method:

Chop all the above veggies roughly. Mix salt, lime juice and vinegar.

Now take about 30% of the above mixture and blend in the food processor.

Combine them again. Let this sit for 2 hours.

Serve chilled or at room temperature as a dip for corn chips.

Hot Mexican Salsa

Hot Mexican Salsa:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes 4 large diced(if needed cored - seeds removed)
Green Chilies 3 (if you dont like it hot - cored - seeds removed)
Lime 1 - juice (lime is raw lemon - green in color)
Cilandro/ Coriander leaves few chopped
Garlic 5 cloves pelled and chopped
Purple onion 1 small diced
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a blender add all the above said ingredients and make it into thick paste.....no further adding any water.

This hot salsa can be served along with 'Tortilla chips' or 'Mexican Corn Chips'.