Bhindi Masala/ Okra Masala

Ladies Finger or Okra benefits

Okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. Okra’s mucilage not only binds cholesterol but bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. The okra fiber, absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools, help prevent constipation. Bhindi Masala is Okra sauteed with Tomatoes and spices.
               It is delicious Indian curry which is generally served with chapatti or roti. Paddy loves this bhindi masala. When I make “Pulka” , he wants this bhindi masala for side dish. In this recipe I used frozen full length bhindi.

 Ingredients:

Okra                                           – 1 pound

Sweet peppers                             – 5 nos

Capsicum                                      – ¼

 Green chilies                               – 2 slit lengthwise

Medium Tomato                            – 2 no

Corn flour                                    – ½ tsp

Oil                                             for shallow fry

 Masala

Red chili powder                            – 1 tsp

Coriander seed powder                  – ½ tsp

Amchoor powder                            – ½ tsp

Hing                                       – 2 pinches

Turmeric Powder                        – ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder                   – 1 tsp

Ginger paste                               – 1 tsp

Seasoning:

Jeera                                    – ½ tsp

Oil                                       – 1 tsp

 Salt                                      to taste

Method:

• Cut tomatoes, capsicum and sweet peppers lengthwise. Keep aside.
• Snip off stems of Okra. Cut bhindi (Okra) into half lengthwise.
• Cook it in microwave for 4 minutes. Sprinkle a little salt and corn flour over them.
• Heat the oil in frying pan and shallow fry bhindi (okra).   Keep fried bhindi (okra) aside.
• Heat oil in another fry pan. Add cumin seeds wait until seeds crack.
• Add pinch of Asafetida, then add green chili and ginger paste, fry for one minute.
• Add sweet peppers, capsicum, and tomatoes and fry for few minutes.
• Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder,  Amchoor powder and  mix well, cover the pan and cook for a few minutes until tomatoes become soft. Stir if needed to avoid the mixture from sticking to the pan.
• Add fried bhindi (okra) and mix gently. Keep on heat for two minutes and then remove the pan.
• Serve hot with chapatti or roti.

Bhindi /Okra Masala

Malai Kofta

Malai Kofta is  a classic dish of Moghul origin.  This dish is usually prepared during special occasions. The vegetable balls are deep fried and then added to the special creamy sauce/curry and served along with rice and rotis/Naans (Indian flat bread).  I have used the Paniyaram pan /skillet here to make the vegetable/ potato balls. This helps to cuts down on the calories.  You need a very little oil to fry the vegetable balls.

  Ingredients: 

For Kofta:

Large Potato                              – 2 no (Boiled and mashed)

Paneer grated                              – 2 tbsp

Green chilies minced                    – 1 tbsp

Green peas, Grated carrot              – ¼ cup (Cook and mash well)

Corn flour                                    – 2 tbsp

Bread crumbs                               – ¼ cup

Chopped coriander                         – 2 tbsp

Coriander powder                           – ¼ tsp

Jeera Powder                                – ¼ tsp

Salt                                              – two pinches

Raisins                                            - few

Oil                                                – for frying

For Creamy Curry:

 Organic Tomato puree                          1 tin

Oil/Ghee                                             2 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seed                                 1 tsp

Ginger paste                                        1 tbsp

Green chilies                                      – 1 no

Garam masala Powder                           1/2 tsp

Red chili powder                                    1 tsp

Coriander powder                                  1 & 1/2 tsp

Salt                                                   As needed

Coriander leaves chopped                        4 tbsp

 Half and Half Milk                                     1 cup

Cream                                                  1/4 cup

Method:

For Kofta:

• Boil and Mash the Potatoes. Mix all the ingredients of Kofta together (except bread crumbs, raisins) and divide into 10-14 equal portions. Stuff the one raisin into each ball. Roll it in breadcrumbs.
•  Heat the Paniyaram pan and add little oil in all the groves. When it is medium hot, add the potato balls in the groves.
• Within a minute turn it on all the sides and make sure it browns evenly (This cooks very fast so be careful). Keep aside. 

For Creamy gravy:

•  Heat a pan with oil and splutter the Jeera, add the chopped green chilies and ginger paste.  Fry for few minutes.
• Add the tomato puree, garam masala, red chili, coriander powders along with salt and fry well until all the water evaporates. Lower the stove heat.
• Add coriander leaves and boil for another 4-5 minutes. Cool down..
• Add milk and cream and mix well, in low flame. Add the Kofta and when it is about to boil, switch off the stove. 
• Decorate with cream and serve hot with rotis or any pulavs.

FOR LOW FAT VERSION: 

• You can skip  Paneer and make just the koftas and pan fry the balls in Paniyaram pan.
• Instead of half and half, you can use 2% milk. Use cream for decoration only.

Pulka Chapatti

"Pulka" is a chapatti or roti variety without much ghee or oil cooked on stove’s flame directly. It is healthy.

Ingredients: 

Wheat flour                       2 cups.

Salt                                 1/4 tsp.

Water                              ½ cup to 1 cup

Oil                                   1 tsp 

Method:

• Take a bowl; add wheat flour, salt, and mix 1 cup of water with it. Mix 1 tsp of oil and make soft dough. Keep it aside for 1 hour.
• Make even sized balls. Flatten and roll out into medium sized chapattis on a lightly floured board.
• Heat the griddle and put chapatti on top. When small bubbles appear on top, turn over immediately.
• Roast till light brown underneath. Turn over to direct flame. (or use a wire mesh on top of the stove)
• When it puffs up, remove from fire.  If you  like apply little ghee  on one side of chapatti.

NOTE:

*Do not heat the tava on high flame.
*Do not add oil or ghee to the tava. *Heat on low flame always.

Ghee (Clarified butter)

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian. It is a clarified butter without any solid milk particles or water. It is used in India and throughout the South Asia in daily cooking. Good quality ghee adds a great aroma, flavor and taste to the food. According to the ancient Ayurveda, a moderate amount of ghee is the best cooking oil. Traditionally, ghee is made from butter churned out of Indian yogurt (curd). It is boiled and constantly stirred until the all the water is evaporated. Cow ghee is yellow in color, and buffalo ghee has off-white cream color. Aged ghee, Kumbhiighrta, aged between 10 to 100 years, and Mahaghrta, aged over 100 years, are believed to be powerful tonics.( http://ayurveda-holistic.blogspot.com/2011/01/properties-of-ghee-clarified-butter-as.html)

Homemade ghee has good aroma and flavor.

Making ghee is not rocket science. If you can melt butter, you can make ghee. I always prefer home-made ghee, rather than buy it from stores. Use with homemade ghee with any preparation of food it will come out very tasty.  

How to make ghee

Unsalted butter                              2 pounds

Tools:

Heavy-bottomed sauce pan

Unbleached fine cheese cloth or tea strainer

Metal funnel

Wooden spoon

Glass container with clasping lid that can withstand heat

 Method:

• Unwrap the butter and cut into chunks (4 or 5 per stick, etc.). Heat the butter on medium-low to low in the sauce pan.
• Within the first 8-10 minutes, the butter will melt. Give it a stir with your spoon to see where it’s at, and then let it sit.
• Butter begins to froth and then boil. Within the next 5 minutes, the butter will begin to froth. Give it a stir, and continue stirring every minute from now on. Glide your spoon across the bottom at this point, and kick up the milk solids.
• Now the butter will start to boil, Stir consistently. After a few more minutes the boil will slow. The butter will start to smell like clarified butter.
• You are waiting for the butter to turn into a beautiful orange color, the milk solids to caramelize into a light-to-medium brown, and most noticeably, fizzy bubbles to form on the surface of the butter. The aroma will change slightly, smelling more sweet and caramel-y. Be ready with your strainer.
• When straining, you can dump all of the brown solids on top of your cheese cloth, but make sure none gets into the ghee.  Now melted butter is ready. It’ll still keep for a year.

Notes:

• Don’t use margarine or any butter substitutes.
• Do use a heavy bottomed pan to prevent the butter from scorching.
• Store the  ghee  in glass jars. Glass jars should be clean and dry, before pouring in the ghee. 

 Ghee Storage Tip:

• Ghee does not have to be refrigerated.
• For long lasting ghee, keep it out of moisture, i.e., don't use a wet spoon to take out ghee.

  

Beetroot Pachadi

Beet greens are a very good source of calcium, iron, Vitamins A and C. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid. They are a very good source of fiber, manganese and potassium. Beet greens and beetroot are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and vitamin B6. Betacaine is the pigment that gives beetroot its color, and has powerful antioxidant. Beet fiber has been shown to have cholesterol lowering capabilities properties. Beetroot contains the bioactive agent betaine, which supports healthy liver function.

 This is one of my favorite dish from Kerala Cuisine.I love this colorful pachadi.

Ingredients: 

Beetroot                       – 1 no (finely chopped or grated)

Ginger grated                 – 1 tbsp

Green chillies                 - 5 no (finely chopped)

Curd                                – 1 cup

Seasoning:

Coconut Oil                       – 1tsp

Mustard seeds                   – ½ tsp

Red chillies                         – 2 no

Curry leaves                      – 1 stem

Salt                                   – to taste

Method:

• Wash and remove the skin of beetroot and chop it finely. Put it in the microwave bowl and cook it for 4 minutes. (If you don’t have microwave , you can sauté it in frying pan for 3 minutes.)
• Heat oil in a pan and sauté finely chopped ginger, green chillies and cooked beetroot for 2 minutes. Add salt and mix well.
• When it is cooked remove from fire. Let the mixture cool… and then add thick curd to it and mix it well.
• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. When it splutters pour this over the beetroot and combine it well.

Kerala Banana Fritters ( Pazham Pori )

 Pazham pori /Plantain fritters is made out of a special variety of plantain called "Nendrapazham" which is highly nutritious and  good source of  potassium and vitamins A & C. Ethakappam has been the popular and the favorite snack of keralites. The plantain slices dipped in sweetened flour and then deep fried in oil.This snack is common street item in Kerala and one of the fastest and hot selling snacks in trains.This snack is often fried in most of the homes and relished by all along with a cup of steaming tea or coffee. It's also a very tasty, fast and easy to make. 

Ingredients

Ripe Nendran bananas                          -2 (peeled)

Water                                                – ½ cup

Maida (all-purpose flour)                      – 3/4cup

Rice Flour                                            – ¼ cup

Sugar                                                  – 2tbsp

Cardamom powder                                – ½ tsp

Yellow color                                         – 1 drop

bicarbonate of soda                               A pinch of   

 Refined vegetable oil                           – for Deep fry

Method

•  Cut each banana into 3 pieces, lengthwise.
• Make a thick batter with both the flours and ½ cup water. Add sugar, yellow color and bicarbonate of soda.
•  Dip the banana slices in the batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
•  Drain off the excess oil and serve hot. 

SAMBHAR 2 (KERALA SAMBHAR)

This delicious sambhar from my Madappalli.

 Ingredients:

Tuvar Dal                               1 cup

Mixed vegetables chopped        1 cup (potato, carrot, okra, Ash gourd)

Tomatoes                              2no

Tamarind                             – A small lemon size ball (soaked in hot water)

Green Chilies                          - 3 no
Ginger grated                          – 1tsp–
For Grinding:

Red Chili Powder                       – 1tsp

Coriander powder                      – 2 tsp

Hing                                       – ¼ tsp

Fenugreek powder                    – 1/8 tsp

Coconut                                   – 3 tbsp

Turmeric Powder                        – ½ tsp

For Seasoning:

Coconut oil                                – 3tsp

Mustard seeds                               – 1tsp

Dry Red chillies                            – 1 no

Curry Leaves                                – 2 stem

Method

• Cook the dal in a pressure cooker till 3 whistles. Keep aside.
• Make a tamarind extract from soaked tamarind water.
• Fry the grated coconut, using little oil in an even heat till it`s color turns golden brown. Reduce the flame. Add chili powder, coriander, and fenugreek powder. Stir for 1 minute till the raw smell of the powders goes. Grind it to a fine paste and keep aside.
• Wash the vegetables. Sauté, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves in oil.
• Add the vegetables to it along with tamarind water, and turmeric powder. Cook till all the vegetables become tender.
• Next, add the grounded coconut paste and tomatoes and stir it well. Allow it to boil for few minutes.
• Add the cooked dhal mixture and salt and mix again. Simmer the heat and allow it to boil.
• It should neither be too watery nor too thick when you get the desired consistency, remove from flame.
• Fry the mustard seeds, chillies, curry leaves in 2 tsp of oil and pour it over the Sambhar.
• Garnish with Coriander Leaves.
• Serve  hot with rice,Dosai,Idli,Vadai