Dhaniya Chutney

by Deerga // July 22, 2015 // No Comments

It has been a long since I have posted the recipe of a chutney variety. Chutney, as most of you might know, is a type of condiment in Indian cuisine. There are literally hundreds of varieties of chutneys. One among them is the Dhaniya chutney. Dhaniya is the Tamil name for coriander seeds. Coriander (also called as cilantro) seeds are mainly used as a flavor enhancement in Indian cuisine. It is one of the oldest known spices in the world.

Coriander plant is one of those rare plant varieties from which you can consume both the leaves and fruits. Coriander seeds are actually dried coriander fruits. The chutney recipe I have posted here is a very good side dish for both idli and dosa. It is a healthy recipe since coriander seeds are known for their inflammatory properties and is also subscribed for stomach ailments. Having a healthy breakfast is the key to a happy and productive day ahead and what is better than idli and Dhaniya chutney to start the day!

Try this healthy and tasty chutney and let me know which one you like to have it with, idli or dosa? 🙂

Dhaniya Chutney

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Oil – 1 tbsp
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Dhaniya or coriander seed – 1 tbsp
Shallots – 6 nos
Red chilli – 2 nos
Curry leaves – 5 nos
Tamarind – small gooseberry size
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Salt as required

For the seasoning:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 5 nos

Instructions

Heat a kadai with a tbsp of oil. Add in whole urad dal and sauté until they turn slightly brown.
Add in coriander seeds and fry for few seconds or until the urad dal turn golden brown.
Now add shallots, curry leaves and red chilli. Sauté until the onions turn translucent or the raw smell disappears.
Finally add the tamarind and give a quick stir. Switch off the flame and add grated coconut and salt.
Grind them to a coarse paste in a chutney form.
Season the Dhaniya chutney with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. Serve the Dhaniya chutney along with hot idlis /dosas and Enjoy. 

Kadai Paneer

by Deerga // May 19, 2015 // No Comments

Paneer is a type of cheese that is common in South Asian cuisine. Paneer is made by curdling milk with the addition of lime or vinegar. Here in the US, cottage cheese or queso fresco (a variety of Mexican cheese) is the recommended substitutes. There are a variety of dishes made from paneer in north Indian cuisine. Here I have posted the recipe for one such popular dish called Kadai Paneer.
Kadai Paneer literally means paneer that is cooked in a cooking pot. It is a popular dish in Indian restaurants and often served during festivals and in functions. Kadai Paneer is one of the few dishes that I liked in the first taste. The recipe I have given below is of restaurant style Kadai Paneer. It is spicy and colorful dish (mainly because of the bell peppers) and goes well with chappati (or any Indian flatbreads), pulav/pulao etc.
For Kadai Paneer, fresh ingredients are the key. You have to make the ingredients like crushed ginger garlic, coriander powder and chilli powder only when it is time for them to be added, unlike other recipes where they are prepared beforehand. Try this restaurant style Kadai Paneer and enjoy it with hot rotis on a lay afternoon like I do – It does feel heavenly. 🙂

Kadai Paneer

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Cumin seed – a pinch
Onion, medium, finely chopped – ½ no
Garic cloves – 4 nos
Ginger – ¾”
Tomatoes, big, finely chopped – 2 nos
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Red chilli flakes – ½ tsp
Green or red bell pepper or capsicum, julienned – ½ no
Green chilli, finely chopped – 1 nos
Salt as required
Garam masala – a pinch
Paneer, cut to cubes – ½ pk
Kasthoori methi leaves or dry fenugreek leaves – 1 ½ tsp
Ginger, julienned – ¼ “
Cilantro, finely chopped - for garnishing

Instructions

Heat a kadai and add oil. When the oil is hot add cumin seeds. Wait until they start to sizzle. Add finely chopped onion. Sauté until they turn translucent. Meanwhile crush ginger and garlic in a motor and pestle.
Add the crushed ginger and garlic. Sauté until the raw smell disappears.
Add in finely chopped tomato and sauté well in a low flame. Meanwhile coarsely pulse the coriander seed and red chilli flakes for very few seconds. See notes below.
Add the coriander powder and mix well. Sauté and cook until oil separates.
Add in the julienned capsicum and green chilli. Mix and sauté them for couple of minutes until capsicum is half cooked – you could add very little water if you feel the mixture is dry.
Add salt and garam masala. Stir to mix.
Add in the paneer cubes and mix until the masala is well coated. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add kasthoori methi, julienned ginger and coriander leaves. Stir and cook for another couple of minutes and switch off the flame.
Serve delicious kadai paneer with any pulao or roti. Enjoy!

Notes

1.Fresh ingredients are the key for this recipe. Make crushed ginger garlic and coriander powder then and there when needed.
2.I added chilli flakes so it took me only very few seconds to blend them to a coarse powder. You could also add one red chilli in place of chilli flakes.
3.The coriander mixture has to be coarse and do not blend it to fine powder.

Sambar Rice

by Deerga // October 4, 2014 // No Comments

Sambar rice is a south indian dish similar to Bisibela bath but has a different method of preparation. As the name suggests, it is a mixture of rice and sambar. Sambar is a mainstay in southern cuisine and is popular all over India as well (especially those north Indian celebrities who always make it a point to say that their favorite dish from Tamilnadu is Sambar ;))

Sambar rice is one of my most recent favorite dishes. I came across this recipe online while searching, as usual, for a new recipe to try. This particular one caught my attention because of the way it was prepared. In Bisibela bath, you put all vegetables, along with dal and rice and cook them together. But here in Sambar rice, you prepare the rice and sambar separately and mix them together later (I would suggest doing this right before serving).

Sambar rice always reminds me of my college days when it was served during our industrial visits (those days, huh :)) One good thing about sambar rice is that you don’t need a side dish. It tastes just fine with only chips or pickle. Enjoy this favorite dish by cooking it in your kitchen and as always post your comments

Sambar Rice

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup
Toor dal – ½ cup
Tamarind – marble size
Drumstick – 1 no
Other vegetables , chopped – ½ cup (carrot, potato, brinjal)
Shallots – 10 nos
Tomato, chopped – 1 no
Sambar powder (sakthi) – ½ tbsp
Homemade sambar powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ⅛ tsp
Asafetida – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – a sprig
Cilantro, chopped – 2 tbsp

To roast & grind :

Red chillies – 3 nos
Channa dal – 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds – 1 & ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

To temper:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafetida – ¼ tsp

Instructions

Cook the rice. Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice.
Soak toor dal in water for an hour and pressure cook for 5 whistles. When done mash it and keep aside.
Heat few drops of oil in a pan and roast the above given ingredients except coconut. Roast until they turn golden brown. Roast coconut separately. Allow them to cool and blend all together to a fine powder.
Heat a pan with a tbsp of oil and temper the given ingredients. Add shallots and curry leaves. Sauté until onions turn translucent.
Add tomatoes and fry till they become soft.
Add the tamarind extract and bring it to boil.
Now add turmeric powder, sambar powders, asafetida and all the vegetables.
When the vegetables are cooked. Sprinkle all the ground sambar powder on top slowly, stirring constantly. Switch off the flame- Do not add sambar powder as aheap as it might form lumps. Sprinkle little by little.
Add the sambar to the cooked rice along with dal and mix well (without breaking the veggies).
Add 2 tbsp of ghee and garnish with cilantro.
Enjoy the hot sambar rice with fryums and pickle! 