CHUNKY CURRY

The real health value of this "yellow jewel" is said to have been recognised by the Chinese who declared it a sacred crop. It is said to have medicinal properties and oozes protein, and several vitamins and minerals including the all important Vitamin B complex.
What am I talking about????
Well, if you guessed soya bean, you guessed right.

Soya chunks - 2 handfuls.
Onion - 1, chopped fine
Tomato - 1, chopped
Green chilli - per taste, chopped
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Red chilli powder - as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal - to tamper


Soak soya chunks in some hot water with salt added to it. After 5-10 min,squeeze the chunks. Rinse in cold water and squeeze again.
Heat some oil in a pan. Tamper mustard,urad and channa dal. Add curry leaves and green chillies and stir for a few seconds. Saute onion until translucent. Add tomato, cook for a minute or two. Then throw in the soya chunks,turmeric powder,red chilli powder and salt. Stir well and cook for a few more minutes.
Serve hot with roti or rice.
You can also just eat it as it is....which is what I ended up doing.

FMR - Comfort Foods - Ulli Sambar

Sunday morning....iam still in bed....debating whether to wake up or snuggle deeper ....the aroma of "ulli sambar" seeping in through the space under the door and filling my room makes the decision for me. Iam up in a jiffy.
Revathi's FMR-comfort food event immediately brought this fond memory to mind. Sunday brunch was almost always the same while I was growing up. Ulli(pearl onion/shallot) sambar and spicy potato fry. Amma always made this on Sunday because all of us loved it and this way, we'd all be home at the same time to savour it.

So, on with the recipe....

You'll need:

Pearl onions - 1 cup, peeled
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp or to taste
Salt, turmeric powder
Tuar dal - 3/4 cup, cooked.

Fry in a little oil:
Red chillies - 4 or 5(adjust according to your taste)
Dhania - 2 tsp
Channa dal - 1.5 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
While frying add the methi seeds last, after everything else is fried well and stir for just a few seconds. If you brown the methi seeds too much, it will give the sambar a bitter taste.
After frying all this, grind it along with 1 cup of fresh grated coconut.

Now, heat a little oil. Fry the pearl onions for a minute or two. Add tamarind paste, enough water, turmeric powder and salt. Boil until onions turn soft. Then add the ground mixture and boil for a few minutes. Now add cooked tuar dal. Stir well...let it all simmer together for just about a minute or so. Garnish with fresh curry leaves. Heat some oil. Tamper mustard seeds and urad dal. Pour this on top of the sambar.
Serve piping hot with rice and a side of potato fry.

Monthly Mingle - Strawberry milk shake

Plump....bright red.....sweet smelling......perfectly ripe.....bursting with flavour.......I could go on and on about the luscious strawberry.
What better way to cool off at the end of a hot day(and I do mean hot - it's over 90 degrees out there today) than with a chilled glass of freshly made stawberry milk shake?

Cold milk - 1 glass ( I use full fat)
Strawberries - 3 or 4
Sugar - 3 tsp or to taste

Put all the ingredients in the blender and run at high speed for a minute or two. Pour into a glass. Put on some music.....lounge in your sofa......pick up your favourite book...take a sip of the deliciously frothy pink shake.....ahhhhhhhhhh this is bliss.

Iam taking a chilled glass of this to Meeta's Monthly Mingle

One of my favourite beans....rajma. I tasted it for the first time when I visited Delhi as a kid....and have been in love with it ever since.
This is a very simple yet tasty dish that goes well with chapatis, parathas or rice.

Rajma - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large, chopped finely
Green chillies - as per taste
Ginger - small piece, minced
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Tomatoes - 3 or 4, chopped fine ( alternatlively, you can also puree it)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or as per taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt - as reqd.

Soak the rajma in plenty of water overnight. Pressure cook with a little salt.
Heat some oil. Add a tsp of jeera and fry for a few seconds. Now add ginger, green chillies and garlic. Fry for a minute or two. Add onions and fry till golden. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Fry till it softens. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Now add the cooked rajma, and if required, some more water. Add garam masala and stir once in a while until the curry thickens to your desired consistency. Garnish with freshly chopped corriander leaves.
N'joy.

What's cooking tonight???

Coconut & Cashew Sevai/Idiappam and coconut chutney

I was browsing through some other food blogs and I found this on a lot of them....and I decided that this is something I have to write about too.

5 items in my freezer:

• Puff pastry sheets( nothing quicker and tastier when there's a surprise guest in the evening)
• Frozen mixed veggies
• Frozen drumstick
• Texas toast
• Sweet peas

5 items in my closet:

• Clothes, clothes and more clothes
• A bag of clothes I've been meaning to donate to Goodwill but still haven't gotten around to
• Books
• Bedsheets
• Pillow cases

5 items in my car:

• Registration
• Maps
• Car seat
• Cds
• Air freshener

5 items in my purse:

• Drivers license
• Credit card
• Debit card
• Insurance card
• Pen