Moru Kachiyathu

Well, i know that most of you might have had this atleast once in your life. Its so easy that you can make them whenever you need something to go along as a curry or as a special item for your lunch/dinner.

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Yogurt - 1 cup
If using light yogurt, use 1 1/2 cups and add just little water
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt
Turmeric - a big pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Green chilly - 2 nos
Red chilly - 2 nos
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Small Onion - 2 nos minced finely
GInger - a smal piece minced finely
Garlic - a pod minced finely

Mix the yogurt with water and salt (blend if necessary)
Heat oil in a pan, splutter the mustard, add fenugreek, curry leaves, small onion, ginger, garlic, dry red chillies and green chillies.
Once the fenugreek browns, lower the heat and add the yogurt mixture and let it heat through.
Dont let it boil or curdle
The lowest heat and the lowest time on heat is the best

Serve it over hot rice and enjoy!!!

Muthira / Horsegram Upperi

Muthira/ Horse Gram is a lentil which i love to use for 2 ways. One is for this dish and the other one is to make Puzhukku. It is wonderful in both the ways. Here is the recipe to make this Upperi / Thoran which will make your lunch/ dinner a nutritious one :-)

Ingredients (Serves 2) 

Horsegram - 3/4 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Small Onion - 3 nos (chopped)
Green Chilly -2 nos
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Dry red chilly - 4-5
Curry leaves - few

Pressure cook Muthira with water and salt for 2-3 whistles
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard, add the green chilly, chopped small onion, dry red chilly and curry leaves and saute.
Now add the cooked Muthira (dont take the water) into this.
Do a taste test and add the grated Coconut and let it heat through for 4-5 mins.

Serve hot with Rice or Kanji.

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Scrambled Egg with Pepper

Yes, i know that most of them will be knowing how to make this.But still if there is anyone around who doesn't know how to make scrambled eggs, then this is for them :-)
You can make different varieties of scrambled eggs by altering the ingredients. In this one i have added pepper. It solely depends on your likes and dislikes.
This also makes an excellent breakfast dish.

Ingredients (Serves 1)
Eggs - 2
Onion - 1/4th on a medium one (minced)
Green Chilly -2 nos
Salt
Pepper - a pinch
Curry leaves - 2-3
Oil - 1/2 tbspn

Heat oil in a pan, and add the onion, green chilly and curry leaves.
Meanwhile whisk the eggs with salt and keep aside
Once the onions are done well, add the whisked eggs and sprinkle the pepper powder and mix it well.
Do the mixing part in low heat, so the egg gets scrambled very well
Serve hot with Rice or Roti

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Carrot Upperi

Yes, you heard correct. If you guys haven't tried this before, let me guarantee you that they are really very tasty and nutritious as well.
I had this first time from my friends lunch box during my school days :-)
I do love carrots a lot, so i try to include them in our daily food in as many ways as possible. This is one of the way

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Carrots - 300 gms
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 3 nos
Curry Leaves - few
Salt
Ginger - a small piece minced finely
Garlic - 2 small pods minced
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Chop the carrot into small pieces and kep aside. Dont make them too thin. It should have a bite in it
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Now add the green chilly, curry leaves, ginger and garlic and saute them.
Now add the carrot and salt and mix them well. Cook with the lid closed.
Keep stirring in between.
Once its cooked, do a taste test and add the grated coconut.
Mix well and let it heat for 2-3 mins
If using an electric stove / burner, you can switch it off after adding the coconut as it will have heat for some more time which will be enough

Serve hot with rice

Enjoy!!!

Beans Upperi

Beans thoran, though i tried different ways to make them, i now stick to this way. It feels moist and fresh this way.
Earlier i let the beans cook in a pan but this made the beans dry and i didn't like the way. This one remains moist throughout which gives a fresh feel to the dish.
This way you can cook the beans way earlier and store it for use later. This way you can just add the sauteing things and a upperi will be ready in minutes :-)

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Beans - 350 gms
Water - 1/2 cup (to cook the beans)
Shallots sliced - 3 nos
Garlic minced- 2 pods
Green Chilly - 3 nos
Red Chilly pdr - 1/2 tspn
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tspn
Curry Leaves - few

Pressure cook the beans with water and little salt. Stop the heat when the first whistle is about to come.
(You can release the pressure if you don't want to wait)
Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Add the shallot, green chilly, curry leaves and salt and saute it well
Add the garlic and saute well.
Now add the cooked beans and add the chilly powder and mix it well. (Do not add the water)
Cook it till the rawness of chilly pdr goes.

Serve hot with Rice and enjoy

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Parippu Pradhaman

Didnt post any recipes for quite some time. I have some in my drafts but deleted the photos of the dishes, so will have to wait for some more time to make them again and post it :-)
Today i have a sweet dish from my side to you all - Parippu Pradhaman
Its really very simple and few ingredients, yet this is the first time that i am making it

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 1/2 cup

Jaggery - 400 gms (adjust to your taste level)
Water - 1/2 cup

Cardamom pod - 1
Coconut Milk Lite (Randampaal) - 1.25 cup
Coconut Milk Thick (Onnampal) - 1/2 cup
Copra / Coconut pieces sliced thinly - 1/4 cup
Cashew - few
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Take a pressure cooker and dry roast the dal for a minute. Now add the water and let it cook for 3 -4 whistles
Meanwhile melt the Jaggery with the water mentioned, filter and keep aside

Once the dal is cooked and done, mash the dal with your spatula and add the melted jaggery and the cardamom pod. Let it boil for 5-6 mins

Now add the Thin coconut milk and let it boil for 2 mins.
Switch off the heat and then add the thick coconut milk and mix it well.

Now in a different pan, heat the ghee and fry the cashews and add into it.
Now add the copra / coconut pieces and fry till they brown and add it into the pradhaman along with the ghee.

Let it sit for 15-20 mins and serve

Start your weekend with something sweet :-)

If you dont have Coconut Milk Lite, then mix 1/2 cup Thick Milk with 3/4 water and use it :-)

Red Chard Thoran

Red For Rainy days...
Usually back in Kerala we use to get Red Spinach which tasted really good and we also loved it a lot. But here we get only the green spinach
So instead of Red Spinach, we tried Red Chard and I must say, it tastes the same. So this is how we made the Spinach Upperi back in Kerala. But here i tried it with Red Chard

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Red Chard - 1 bunch (250 gms)
Shallots - 3 nos (sliced thin)
Green Chilly - 3
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Slice the Red Chard very thinly and keep aside

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add urad dal and fry for half a minute.
Now add the shallots and green chilly and fry for half a minute
Dont wait for them to brown as of now
Now add the red chard and sprinkle with very little salt. Let it cook for a minute
Now mix it well and close the pan with a lid
As we are using the stem also, to cook fast its better to cook with a lid
Once its done, do a test taste and take it off heat.

Happy Eating Guys!!!