Peanut Capsicum Chutney

Chutneys have always been an integral part of every south Indian.. Having lots of breakfast dishes which need chutney you always search for something new for dosa /idly everyday. Peanut/Groundnut chutney have always been the default chutney we prepare at home along with coconut chutney. I was looking around to prepare something different this time and found this peanut and capsicum combo.

    I had my inhibitions on how it would turn out as I never tried this combination before but was very happy to catch hold of a delicious dish. A good twist to peanut chutney.

I have used green capsicum for this dish but using red/yellow capsicum should be the same with slight flavour difference for the sweetness of other varieties.

I have tried this chutney with both idly and dosa and it suited both. Can also use it as sidedish for punganalu/kuli paniyaram ,uthappam and the lot.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Groundnuts - 1/2 cup
Capsicum - 1
red chillies - 5
cumin seeds - 1 tspn
ginger grated - 1 tspn
Salt as needed

seasoning:

mustard seeds - 1/4 tspn
cumin seeds - 1/4 tspn
chana dal - 1/4 tspn
curry leaves - 4
red chillies - 2 broken into half

oil

Procedure:

• In a pan add few drops of oil and add red chillies.
• Once the chillies turn crispy add groundnuts and roast them and keep aside.
• In the same wok add 1/4 tspn of oil and add capsicum.
• add little salt and close the lid and cook for 5 mins .
• In a mixie jar add groundnuts, chillies, capsicum, ginger, cumin seeds , salt .
• Grind them to a paste adding little water as needed. it shoudnt be too runny.
• To temper the chutney  add 2 tspn of oil in a wok and add all the seasoning ingredients.
• Once the mustard seeds splutter add it to the chutney and mix well.

I havent tempered the chutney which is fine, but adding it will enhance the flavour.

Bread Upma

 Bread is not just to make sandwiches , can be used in various dishes. Bread upma can be made in two varieties , the dry variety , the wet one. Here's one of those two. It's easy to make , quick and delicious to serve as snacks to kids.

Ingredients:

Bread slices - 8
Onion - 1
potato -1
carrot -1
green chillies - 2
coriander leaves chopped- 2 tbspn
mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
cumin seeds - 1/2 tspn
channa dal - 1/2 tspn
oil - 1 tbspn
salt - 1/2 tspn
water - 2 cups

Procedure:

Finely chopp onions.Cut potato and carrot into small pieces. finely chopp green chillies.

Add oil to a wok .after heated add channa dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. after the seeds splutter add green chillies and fry for a minute.

Add onions and fry till transluscent. add potato, carrot and salt(as per taste 1/2 tspn).Cook with closed lid for 15 mins. make sure to mix every 5 mins to avoid burning.

Take a bowl and add water. dip a bread slice and squeeze out the water and keep it aside. repeat with all the slices. separate the bread slices with hand .

Add the bread to the wok and fry it till mixed properly and cook it for 5 mins with open lid.
Add coriander leaves mix well and cook for a minute.

Tasty bread upma can be had as snacks/breakfast.

Mixed Vegetable Curry

I love eating wet/gravy curries either with rice or roti. But few curries are too cumbersome to prepare and take a long time, which is what I dont have in the morning rush hour.
 Coconut milk is my best friend here giving all curries a rich flavour and making the curry delicious.
So my recipes of gravy curries with coconut milk gravy is very simple and easy to prepare . This recipe uses multiple vegetables but can also try with any vegetable of choice or multiple combinations.

I prepared this for combination to eat Sponge Dosa . One might wonder if they are combination at all but it worked beautifully and I would always try sponge dosa with this curry. 
This curry can also be had with rice/roti/ any dosa.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Potato - 2
cauliflower - 1/4
tomato - 1 big
carrot - 1
green peas - 1/2 cup
onion - 1
green chillies - 2

coconut milk - 1/4 cup
cashews - 10

cumin seeds - 1/4 tspn
ginger garlic paste - 1 tspn
garam masala - 1/4 tspn
coriander powder - 1/2 tspn
amchur - 1/4 tspn
chilli powder - 1/2 tpsn

oil - 2 tbspn
water as needed for cooking.

Procedure:

• Cut all vegetables into medium sized pieces.
• finely chop green chillies and long slit cut onions.
• In a wok add oil and once heated add cumin seeds.
• add cashwes, green chillies and fry it till cashews are roasted.
• add onions and ginger garlic paste and fry till translucent.
• Add tomatoes and little salt and fry till tomatoes are cooked.
• Add the remaining vegetables and all the masala powders, salt and fry it.
• Add water till the vegetables are drowned and cook with close lid in high flame for 15 minutes till they are cooked.
• Add coconut milk and cook it for another 10 minutes.
• Adjust salt or chilli powder as per taste.
• Alternative option: add all vegetables ,coconut milk and cook in pressure cooker.

Sorakaya Pulsukura (Bottle guard gravy curry)

 Bottle gourd is extremely popular for reducing high blood pressure and keeping heart healthy. It has a lot of vitamins and minerals and extremely popular for weight loss as well.

This is very simple and easy dish to make especially when very tired . It tastes delicious with both roti and rice.

 This type of puluskura is very popular in Andhra and can be made with other leafy vegetables like gongura &Thotakura (Amaranthus)



Recipe:

Ingredients:

 Bottle gourd (size: medium )
 Tomato            - 1
 Onion              - 1 (Big)
 Green chillies - 3 big

 Seasoning:
 Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
 Cumin seeds  - 1/2 tspn
 fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tspn
 Split urud dal - 1/2 tspn
 Channa dal  - 1/2 tspn
 Hing (Asafoetida)

 Turmeric - a pinch 
 Oil     - 2 tspn
 Tamarind juice - 2 tspn
 whole wheat flour - 1 tspn

Procedure :

• Chop green chillies.

• Cut Bottle gourd and tomato into small pieces

• Chop onions fine and long , so they are visible in the bottle gourd pieces.

• In a small pressure cooker , add 2 tspn oil. Once heated, add the seasoning ingredients

• Once the mustard seeds splutter , add the chopped onion , a pinch of salt and fry them till transparent.

• Add the tomato pieces and stir 

• Once cooked, Add bottle gourd pieces and add water till the pieces are slightly visible.

• Either put the cooker lid on and wait for one whistle or put a normal plate as a lid and check till it cooks.

• By the time the pieces cook , take a small bowl, add one tspn of whole wheat flour and water , mix till its a thick liquid.Keep it aside. This liquid is used to thicken the gravy, once the pieces are cooked in the water.

• By the time the pieces cook ,soak tamarind in water and make a thick juice by pressing tamarind in water.

• Once the pieces are cooked, add tamarind juice ,salt  and a pinch of turmeric.

• Mix the gravy and add a tspn of whole wheat flour water to let the gravy thicken.

• Add coriander leaves or kasuri methi for garnishing 

• Can be had with roti or rice .

Masala bath upma

Upma has always been a favourite of mine. There are many of my friends and relatives who hate upma of any kind but my love for it has always lead me to make different varieties of it. The soft texture of sooji upma combined with chutney is mouthwatering.

Its the easiest dish to make when there are sudden guests and the quickest when running against time.

Though upma can be prepared with different main ingredient sooji, broken wheat, vermicelli,poha.. masala bath always works for sooji rava.

Combine it with Groundnut Chutney for yummy results.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Sooji - 1 cup
onion - 1 medium

cinnamon sticks - 1/4 tspn
garlic - 3 pods
ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tspn
green chillies - 2

seasoning
mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
cumin seeds - 1/2 tspn
channa dal- 1/2 tspn
split urud dal - 1/2 tspn
curry leaves - 5

turmeric - a pinch
cashews - 2 tbspn
oil - 2 tbspn
ghee - 1 tbspn
water 2 1/2 cups

Procedure:

• Peel garlic finely chop it and keep aside. Chop green chillies
• Finely chop onion. Can be coarse too but finely chopped one mixes with upma well and gives good taste.
• Sooji can be roasted as per wish but I never roast it. Roasted sooji will give a good aroma and nice flavour. Dry roast sooji till its almost brown and let it cool down.This is optional.
• In a wok add oil . Once heated add the seasoning ingredients, cashews, chillies, cinnamon , garlic and fry it.
• Once the mustard seeds splutter and cashews are turning brownish add onion and a pinch of salt and fry it.
• add ginger garlic paste, turmeric and fry it till onions are almost transluscent.
• add water 2 1/2 cups for 1 cup sooji . Add salt as per taste now and let the water come to a boil.
• Once the water is boiled add sooji. Sooji should be added slowly while stirring with spatula so as to avoid any lumps.
• Once added let it cook in low flame with closed lid for 10 minutes.
• Add ghee now , mix it properly and close the lid and switch off flame.
• Let the upma sit for 5 mins as it will cook further.
• Can add coriander leaves for garnish.
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Spicy Potato curry

Ingredients:

potatoes – 1/4 kg (around 3-4)
onions - 2 medium
salt
chillies - 6 (for spicy)  
ginger - just a small piece about 1/2 inch 
kasuri methi or corriander - for garnishing
cumin seeds
mustard seeds.
Turmeric 
Asafoetida (Hing)
oil – 1-2 tbspn

procedure:

1. wash the  potatoes and boil them till fully boiled. Don't boil in pressure cooker the potatoes might become soft . Boil it separately on stove.

2. Chop the onions into fine pieces.

3. mash the ginger and chillies in a small mortar and pestle.

4.Once cooled , peel the potatoes and cut them into medium sized pieces (around 16 pieces per potato)

5. in a wok add oil and add cumin , mustard seeds and a pinch of hing. After it splutters add the finely chopped onions and fry till they turn transparent. Add a pinch of  turmeric for good color.

 6. Then add boiled potato pieces and the chill-ginger paste.  Stir the potatoes to mix the chilli- ginger paste well into them ,by keeping the stove in low flame. 

7. once its properly mixed , add salt and garnish with corriander or kasuri methi .

This can be had as dry curry with any rice or roti.