Mixed Veggie Tomato Soup - Hearty Concoction:)

Mixed Vegetables in Tomato Based Soup:

Most of my posts of last year's was all about 'slow-cooking meals' and 'rich desserts'! I was cooking, cooking and cooking...all non-stop meals with extra care! What I liked about it...is yet another question! One fine day, I realized that I've been spending awful lot of time in cooking than actually eating. How ironical, right! That's when I decided to try 'Jiffy Cooking' league this year:) I would say...rather not a bad idea at all. It freed me from burdening myself with tedious slow-cooking episode. On the contrary...I could whip a salad and call it a d-a-y! Yeah, blame it on the 'mode' :) Well, things at least don't crop up and fright me anymore...I can handle even a dozen of my party freak friends!

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables (fresh)
Mixed legumes (fresh)
Tomato based spaghetti sauce 1 can
Crushed tomatoes 1 can
Garlic-chili based seasoning few teaspoons
Basil powder /fresh - as per taste
Parsley powder / fresh - as per taste
Salt - as per taste
Extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tablespoon.

Vegetables: Carrot, beans, broccoli, baby corn, squash, cabbage etc
Legumes: Lima beans, butter beans, green peas etc.

Method:

Heat oil in a crock pot, add the vegetables and saute briefly. Further add the crushed tomatoes and followed by spaghetti sauce. Cover and cook till tender.

Later add the seasoning and herbs. Continue cooking till oil separates.

Serve warm:)

Quail Tomato Curry - Hot Food Lover:)

Kaadai Thakkali Kuzhambu:

Other Names: Kaadai Curry. Fiery hot Quail Curry. Hot and Spicy Quail Curry. Kaadai Thakkali Masala.

Ingredients:

Quails 1 pound(Cage free bird/ peasant bird)
Garlic 2 whole head, peeled and grated
Country Tomatoes large 3-6 (made into puree)
Dry Red Chilies 10-15 (Roasted and Powdered)
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Lemon 1 large fruit
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3 - crisply fried for decoration
Curry leaves crisply fried for decoration
Sesame oil 1 cups

Method:


In a large non-stick wok, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. Let them pop and splutter well. Set aside to garnish.

Marinate the birds with salt, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and pinch of turmeric.

In a wide wok, add oil. Add garlic and fry them till fragrant. Then followed by chili flakes/powder...fry till fragrant.

Stir-in marinated meat along with its juice. Fry real good till opaque.

Now add tomato puree to it. Cover and cook over medium heat. This gravy will splatter around your stove top. So keep it covered.

Once gravy consistency is achieved and oil shows up on top, remove from heat.

Squeeze lemon juice if necessary. Garnish with the tempering spices(step 1).

Serve warm to go with you plain steamed rice, idly, dosa or barotta/roti.

Cheese Omlet - Breakfast That Makes You Happy:)

Capsicum Omlate:

Other Names: Bell Peppers Omlet. Cheddar-Bell Peppers-Onions-Tomato Omlet.

Ingredients:

Eggs 3
Bell pepper 1 small - sliced
Onion 1 large sliced
Tomato 1 chopped
Green chili - optional 1/2 chopped
Salt
Milk few teaspoons
Cheddar cheese - shredded 1 tablespoon
Olive oil / butter as per requirement.

Method:

Beat egg yolks first and then add whites and beat vigorously. Once it comes to foamy...set aside.

Heat a skillet with oil. Add the vegetables and salt. Stir-fry over high, till onions turn fragrant.

Now add the same to the whisked eggs, further add milk and if necessary white pepper powder, maybe.

Heat a griddle, smear butter and pour the batter...make thin or thick omlet. Cover and cook briefly...finally add cheese and remove from heat.

Serve warm as breakfast dish.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pickle - Tingles Your Tastebuds!

Thakkali Thokku:

Ingredients:

Sun-dried tomatoes 1 cup
Lemon juice few spoons
Garlic 7-10 cloves minced
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Curry leaves few
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 2
Peppercorns 2
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Wet-grind dried tomatoes to thick paste, set aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add tempering spices and followed by garlic and ground tomatoes.

Further add salt, turmeric and chili powders. Cover and cook, once oil shows up on the sides...remove from heat and add lemon juice.

Store them in a clean ceramic or glass jars, stay fresh for about a week at room temperature. And you know, you could always refrigerate.

Serve as a dip or relish.

Fried Red Tomatoes - Delicious to Relish!

Fried Red Tomatoes:

You would have probably heard a lot about 'Fried Green Tomatoes', most famous appetizers/snack in Southern parts of America. Where they slice green tomatoes/ tomatillos and coat it with bread crumbs and deep fry! The double dipped batter works the crispness! Almost, all the Southern food follow the same principle 'Fried Okra', 'Fried Chicken' etc. Even though its all quite appetizing, I am pretty scared to keep frying often!! First of all, I actually intended to tweak the recipe a little...but at last' completely sabotaged the original recipe! Here you go' something different, but good:)

Ingredients:

Ripe red tomatoes 2-4
Garlic 7-9 cloves
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 3/4 spoon
Olive oil few spoons.

Method:

In a wide wok, heat oil. Add cumin seeds and garlic, fry till fragrant.

Add spices and tomatoes, fry till tomatoes skin cracks down a little and not more than that.

Garnish with basil leaves or green onions.

Now, you will have juicy spicy tomatoes ready, delicious to relish:)

Bitter Melon in Tomato Based Curry/ Pavakkai Thakkali Curry / Karela-Tamatar Salan

Pavakka Thakkali Kuzhambu:

Bitter Gourd - Tomato Curry. Kaakarkai Tomato Pulusu.

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd 1/2 kilo
Tomato 1/2 kilo
Onion 1 small bulb- grated
Garlic 7-8 pods crushed- puree
Coconut - grated 1/2 cup
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Peppercorns 2
Fenugreek seeds 4
Curry leaves few
Sesame oil 1/4 cup.

Method:

Dry toast the coconut and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok, add the sliced bitter gourd and fry till crisp. Set aside.

In a wide vessel, heat remaining oil. Add the tempering spices(last 7 ingredients) and wait till they sizzle a little.

Now followed by garlic, onions and tomatoes...wait till the raw odor is gone. Add salt, turmeric and chili powders. Bring this to curry like consistency.

Now add the toasted coconut and fried veggies. Continue cooking briefly, maybe till the veggies are soaked in the curry. That's it, its done.

Serve warm to go with your steamed rice or flat breads. Enjoy.

Chili Idly / Idly Fry / Fried Idlies / Hot and Spicy Idly 65

Idly Fry:
I recall my early childhood days...my Mom and brother used to go to my granny's home, during summer vacation. Happily leaving behind, me and my Pappa:( Hmmm, even though Dad would be so busy' he will never fail to give me atleast 3 calls from his office during the day:) Well, indeed we both had some good time, back then:) I will be longing for that evening stroll...where we will drive around the town, go and watch second show movies' usually some thriller movies...exhibition, circus...we won't miss a thing:) And of course sample different food from various restaurants:) You know what? I will get that special attention,all the while... as he will take me to official meetings, sometimes...and I end up chatting with all his friends! Maybe that is why I mingle with older people so easily!! I hardly ever had/have friends of my own age:( So, coming to the story...whenever I think of those fun filled summer vacation...I just recall this one particular dish, this was one of my favorite dinner...back then. Almost all the restaurants prepare this dish in a similar fashion, however my nostalgic feeling goes to one particular place 'Hotel Khanna'! Well...they prepared it exquisite. We really had hard time, cracking the ingredients in it...when we wanted to fix the same, at home! Later, the Hotel owner and friend, generously offered us help by sending one of his chef to our home...he taught my Mom to prepare the dish, how sweet...right! Before' that my Mommy always fed us with less salt, less oil, less chili kind of stuff' thinking that am only a kid...but later, realized that I was really grown and ready for hot-spicy food:) Guess, we all demonstrate our first independence by claiming a favorite meal; thinking that it is all adult and expect everyone should respect it:):)

Idly - Just in case, if you want to know' what idly is!!!

Ingredients:

Idly 8-10 numbers - cold
Onion half kilo(finely chopped)
Green chillies 1 cup(finely chopped)
Tomato puree (fresh pressed)1 cup
Mint leaves 1 large bowl full
Curry leaves 1 large bowl full
Salt
Red chili powder 2 spoons
Garam masala powder 1/4 spoon
Oil 1 cup.

Preparation:


Heat a cup of oil, in a wide wok. Fry curry leaves crisply, set aside.

Later fry green chillies crisply. Followed by onions...wait till it turns from golden to reddish brown.

Add tomato puree,mint, salt, chili, food color and garam masala powder. Fry real good. Once oil shows up on the sides...stir-in cubed idlies.

Fry over high heat...garnish with curry leaves.

If you have some leftovers idlies, its totally fun' to fix this. It makes a wonderful choice for a relaxed dinner:) Hope you all will enjoy it:)

Sooji Tamatar Bath / Rava Thakali Upma / Semolina Tomato Upma

Rawa Tomato Bath:

Ingredients:

Semolina 1 cup
Cashew nuts 5-7
Green chilies 3 sliced
Curry leaves few
Garlic 6 cloves
Onion 1 sliced
Mint leaves 10
Cilantro 4 springs
Tomatoes 3 chopped and crushed
Salt
Turmeric 1 pinch
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Fennel seeds 1/2 spoon
Bay leaf 1
Cinnamon 1 stick
Cloves 3
Ghee few spoons.

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add the whole spices, chilies, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Wait till the sizzle.

Add the garlic, onions, mint, cilantro and tomatoes. Fry real good.

Further add salt, turmeric and chili powder.

Followed by 3 cups of water. Bring this to boil. And add the semolina evenly...without any lumps. Do not disturb. Cover and cook briefly.

Once the moisture has all sucked up, its done...remove from heat.

Serve steaming hot along with mint chutney.

Thakkali Adai Dosai / Tomato Dosa / Tamatar Dosa

Thakkali Paruppu Adai:

This recipe is shared by my family friend, back home. The whole time, I stood next to her and carefully watched as she cooked. She happily conversed and cooked a big batch of menu with so much ease!!! This particular recipe was quite interesting to me coz' I have already attempted to make tomato dosa a number of times and never succeeded in it. Though it doesn't qualify to be a dosa...but adai happens to be one of my favorite recipe on the run. Yeah, I don't have to think head of grinding and fermenting process. Also I can have fun adding my spicy ingredients to go in the batter...gets ready damn quickly:)

Ingredients:

Rice 1 fistful
Thuvar dhal 1 cup
Tomato 5-6 large
Garlic 8-10 cloves
Dry red chilies 7-10
Salt
Asafoetida
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Curry leaves few
Sesame oil 1/4 cup.

Method:

Soak rice and lentil for about an hour and wet-grind along with all the ingredients mentioned above(except oil).

Heat a wide griddle, smear oil. Make a thin or thick crepe and cook botht he sides, run spoon full of oil to each side.

Serve warm along with chutney.

Baghara Tamatar - Getting my Creative Tabs Working!

Tamatar Ki Salan:(Hyderabadi Style)
Bagara Tamatar. Bahara Tamatar. Baghara Tomato. Tamatar Ki Salan.

Ingredients:

Green chilies 3
Tomatoes 4-6
Turmeric 1/4teaspoon
Salt to taste
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Bay leaves 2

Roast each separately and powder them together:

Peanuts 1 table spoon
Dry coconut 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon

Fry in little oil and wet grind these to paste:

Onion
Tomato
Garlic grated
Ginger grated

Method:

Slit the tomatoes and chilies, fill in with ground powders. Set aside

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add bay leaves.

Add remaining ground powders, and wet-ground paste. Fry them till oil separates. Add salt, tamarind paste and a cup of water.

Add stuffed chilies, tomatoes and boil till gravy thickens and oil shows up on the top.

Serve hot with parathas or chapattis or Dhum Biriyani.

Tomato Special - Round Up !!

Country Chicken Tomato Curry:

Fish in Rich Tomato based Curry:

Thakkali Thokku:

Araithu Vitta Rasam:

Ramzaan Pachadi:

Paneer Tomato Curry:


Tomato Specials:

Lycopene is an open-chain unsaturated carotene that imparts deep red color to the tomatoes! Lycopene is insoluble in water and soluble only in organic solvents and oil. The double bond present in them between 2 carbon atoms, yeah...that is the one, is responsible for that deep stain that you get every time you fix tomato based food...on the white plates, cooking vessels and on your shirt / fabrics (if you stained with tomato pickle, ketchup or sauce...its kind of hard to remove)!

Though lycopene is important factor for various bio synthetic pathways (at cellular level). Technically it ain't that important nutrient for a human body, though we all widely use them in culinary!! Lets keep this info' aside and look at the bright side!! Anyways, they are powerful antioxidants!! As usual they posses all the beneficial factors that an antioxidant should posses! Yea, Yeah...they neutralize the free radicals, there by reduce oxidative stress and prevents aging(cellular level). So thumbs up!!!

The interesting thing here is...neither eating them raw or juicing will won't fetch the goodness!! So naturovores, please think again!! Sometimes 'cooking', well...again I mean, 'Proper Cooking' can only yield lycopene(bio-available)!!!

If you still prefer to eat 'raw tomatoes', may I suggest to add a slice of butter to it! If you prefer adding them to your salads, kindly add olive oil/any oil for the dressing!!

Caution: Though lot of people think tomatoes are good for cancer and especially prostate cancer, research has not confirmed it yet! Like most of the vitamins and minerals, high intake of tomatoes(or any lycopene rich fruits) can be dangerous, laterally! As over eating tomatoes shows highest risk of having cancer!! Over intake of calcium rich tomatoes may also considered responsible for kidney troubles! Moderation is key for everything.

Well...all these recipes are going to Sanghi's tasty bites,'Tomato Event'!!