Thova / Mangalore Styled Moong Dhal

I saw this recipe in Vijay TV couple of weeks ago and tried it out thrice

It is very simple and yet delicious

Ingredients
Part 1 - Pressure Cooker

• Moong dhal - 1/2 cup

Part 2 - Seasoning

• Ghee - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds / Jeera - 3/4 teaspoon
• Green chilly - 3 nos (slit)
• Curry leaves - few
• Ginger - small piece
• Hing - 1/2 teaspoon

Part 3 - Others

• Water - 1 cup
• Salt - 3/4 teaspoon

Part 4 - Garnish

• Coconut - 3 tablespoons
• Coriander leaves - little

Method

Step 1 - Cooking Moong Dhal

• Wash and soak moong dhal for 10 minutes
• Add some more water and pressure cook for 4 whistles.Mash it well

Step 2 - Seasoning

• Heat ghee in a kadai
• Season with mustard, jeera, hing, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves
• Add the cooked dhal and pour water
• Put salt and let it boil

Step 3 - Garnish

• Switch off the stove
• Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves

Serve with Rotis or Parathas

Beans Paasi Parupu Usili / Beans and Crumbled Moong Dhal

Usually we do parupu usili using bengal gram / kadalai parupu
I saw this recipe in TV which showed the same using moong dhal
This is an excellent accompaniment for Vathakuzhambu or Mor Kuzhambu rice

Ingredients
Part 1 - Curry

• Beans - 300 g (cut into small pieces)
• Coconut oil - 2 tablespoons
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves - 2 or 3
• Red Chilly - 1
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Grated coconut - garnish

Part 2 - Usili / Crumbled dhal

• Moong dhal - 1/2 cup or 150 g
• Red chilly - 2
• Green chilly - 1
• Cumin seeds - 1/ 2 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon

Method

Step 1 - Usili Preparation

• Soak moong dhal, red chilly, green chilly and cumin seeds for about 1/2 hour
• Drain the water but do not discard the drained water
• Grind the soaked items to a thick paste and use the drained water while grinding
• Add salt, turmeric to this batter and mix well

Step 2 - Steaming

• In a idly stand / steamer steam the ground batter for 10 minutes
• Also steam the chopped beans
• Insert a knife / spoon to the cooked dhal and check.It should come out clean Otherwise cook for some more time
• Cool the steamed dhal and crumble it using fingers

Step 3 - Beans Parupu Usili

• Heat coconut oil in a kadai.Season with mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilly and hing
• Saute the crumbled dhal / usili
• Add beans and put salt.Mix well
• Keep it closed for 2 minutes
• Garnish with grated coconut and switch off the stove

Beans Paasi Parupu Usili is ready to serve

Brinjal Gosthu / Kathrikai Gosthu

Learnt this recipe from a TV Show which demonstrated how Gosthu is made in a popular hotel in Chidambaram
I followed the same recipe and it turned out well

Ingredients
Part 1 - Saute and Grind

• Oil - 2 teaspoons
• Small Onions - 15 nos
• Purple Brinjals - 1/4 kg

Also soak a small gooseberry sized tamarind in water

Part 2 - Gosthu Powder

• Oil - Little
• Red Chilly - 5 or 6 nos
• Coriander Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Channa Dhal - 2 teaspoons
• Hing - little

Fry these items in oil and powder it in a mixer

Part 3 - Seasoning

• Gingelly Oil - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Channa / Urad dhal - little
• Curry leaves - little
• Hing - little

Part 4 - Others

• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Jaggery - little
• Coriander leaves - little

Method

Step 1 - Saute and Grind

• Heat oil in a kadai.Saute small onions first
• Then add cut brinjals and cook till it is soft
• Let it cool.Grind it coarsely

Step 2 - Gosthu

• Heat gingelly oil and do the seasoning with the items mentioned in Part 3
• Put the coarse paste along with Gosthu Powder and salt.Mix well
• Pour tamarind extract and add jaggery.Give it a boil
• Switch off the stove.Garnish with coriander leaves and gingelly oil

Serve it with hot idlis

Tofu Oats Toast

I read an article on "Tofu" recently.It has low GI and adds lesser calorific value - which means it is good for weight loss.It also contains good amount of calcium, iron , amino acids and other micro nutrients.

Even kids allergic to milk and milk products are recommended to go for Soya and its products

Needless to say I got this recipe from a TV show but I altered it

This is done on a Tawa and not deep fried

Ingredients

• Tofu - 1 packet (200g)
• Roasted gram flour - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4 cup
• Chilly Powder - 2 teaspoons or as needed
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Lemon juice - 1/2 teaspoon(optional)
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Crushed oates - as required
• Oil - for shallow fry

Note: The original recipe uses only Besan Flour.Green chilly paste is used instead of chilly powder.Lemon and coriander were not included

Method

• Wash the tofu bar in running water once
• Cut into thin slices / lengthwise
• Meanwhile mix roasted gram flour, rice flour, chilly powder and salt.Pour water carefully to form a thick batter
• Add lemon juice if needed.Put chopped coriander leaves and mix well
• Now dip each and every cut tofu slice in the batter and coat with crushed oats.See the picture below
• Heat a tawa.Spread one teaspoon of oil in it
• Carefully toast the coated tofu one by one
• Make sure it is toasted well on all the sides.The colour will be golden brown
• Repeat the same process for each and every coated tofu

• It will be crispy.Serve hot with tomato sauce

Taheri Pulav - Lucknow Special Vegetable Pulav

Iam tagging it under "Kid's Special" because it is not at all spicy

Ingredients

Part 1 - Basmathi Rice

• Basmathi Rice - 3 cups
• Water - 41/2 cups
• Salt - 1 teaspoon

Part 2 - Vegetables

• Carrot, Beans, Cauliflower, Potato - 1 cup
• Peas - 1/2 cup

Part 3 - Grind and Fry

• Green Chillies - 3 nos
• Garlic - 5 nos
• Cinnamon stick - small piece
• Sanuf / Sombu - 1/2 teaspoon

Part 4 - Seasoning

• Oil / Ghee - 3 teaspoons
• Cardamom - 2 nos (I used 2 pinches of Cardamom powder)
• Clove - 3 nos

Part 5 - Others

• Salt - 2 teaspoons
• Coraindar and Mint leaves - as needed

Method

• Wash and soak basmathi rice for 20 minutes
• Boil water with salt , a pinch of cardamom powder and 1 mint and corainder leaf
• Add the washed and soaked rice.Close the lid
• Cook it in slow flame
• After 10 minutes rice is will be cooked
• Keep it closed for sometime

Step -2 Cooking Vegetables and Masala Paste

• Pressure cook the vegetables for 1 whistle
• Grind the items given under "Part 3" and saut it in 1 teaspoon of oil till the raw smell goes

Step 3 - Pulav

• Heat oil + ghee in a kadai.Saute cloves and cardomom in it.I used a pinch of cardamom powder
• Add tomato cubes and stir it with a pinch of salt.Make sure that it does not become mushy
• Add the boiled vegetables and saute it once
• Now add the masala paste and mix well.Add salt and swirl it once
• Finally put the cooked basmathi rice and mix it with a fork
• You may transfer it into a bigger vessel while doing so
• Garnish with mint and coriander leaves

Lucknow Special Taheri Pulav is ready.Serve with dhal or any spicy gravy

Cauliflower and Almonds Soup

This is an exclusive soup recipe which I learnt it from a TV Show..I modified it here and there.
This can be given to both kids as well as adults...Top it with butter while giving it kids
The original version includes corn flour in the soup.I didn't use it
Since cauliflower is made into a paste form kids will not refuse for sure

Ingredients

• Cauliflower - 15 florets
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Almonds / Badam - 30 nos
• Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
• Milk - 1 cup + more for grinding
• Oil / Butter - 2 teaspoons
• Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon + topping
• Salt - as needed
• Slit Almonds - little (for garnishing)

Method

Step 1 - Soaking and Grinding

• Wash and soak cauliflower florets.Put a pinch of turmeric in it.Leave it for 20 minutes
• Soak almonds for about 1 hour\.Grind it to a coarse paste using milk
• In the same jar grind cauliflower.Use the water used for soaking while grinding.It should be a thick paste

Step - 2 Making Soup

• Heat oil in a sauce pan.Saute cauliflower paste for 5 minutes on a low flame till the raw small goes
• Take it out and keep it aside
• In the same pan add some more oil / butter.Saute small onions in it
• Add the cauliflower paste once again and saute it
• Now pour badam paste.Add 1/2 cup of water and mix well
• Add pepper powder and salt.Stir it
• Pour the remaining milk and just boil it once
• Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with sliced almonds
• Top it with butter if serving to children
• Serve it hot / cold
• Sprinkle more salt / pepper while serving if needed

Navarathri Pulin Curry

This is a simple Kerala styled curry.I learnt this recipe from a TV Show but modified it.This goes well with Dosa, Pongal and Curd Rice

• I have included ginger here but the original version does not include it
• Also in the original version says grinding coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds.But I garnished with coconut

Ingredients
Part 1 - Boiling Vegetables

• Ash gourd, Pumpkin, Yam (senai), Raw Banana - 100g each

Chop it into fine cubes

• Tamarind - lemon sized ball

Soak in 2 cups of luke warm water and extract tamarind water

• Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - 1 teaspoon or more

Part 2 - Grinding and Garnishing

• Coconut - 1 cup (grated)
• Green Chillies - 3 / 4 nos
• Cumin seeds / jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
• Ginger - a small piece
• Coriander leaves - little

Part 3 - Seasoning

• Coconut oil - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Red chilly - 1
• Methi seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry leaves, Hing - little

Method

• Boil the chopped vegetables in tamarind extract.Put turmeric and salt while doing so
• Grind green chillies, ginger and cumin seeds
• Add it to the boiling vegetables
• Once done add grated coconut and switch off stove
• Garnish with coriander leaves
• In a separate kadai season with the given ingredients in "Part 3" and pour it over the cooked curry

Now Navarthri Pulin Curry is ready to serve

Aloo Paratha Version 2 / Grated Aloo Roti

This is a simplified version of Aloo Paratha which I learnt from a TV Show.I have already explained
Stuffed Aloo Paratha in which boiled potato is mashed and stuffed inside roti.Here we are going to grate boiled potato and knead along with wheat and spices
Come on let's go the recipe

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour / atta - 1 cup
• Potato - 1 big sized
• Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin / jeera powder - little
• Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric - little
• Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
• Coriander leaves - finely chopped little
• Water - little for kneading dough
• Oil / Ghee - 1 teaspoon
• Oil / Ghee / Butter - for cooking

Method

• Boil potato / pressure cook for 2 whisltes.Just 3/4th boiling is enough
• Peel the skin and grate it

• Add all spice powders and salt to grated potato

• Take wheat flour in a broad basin and to it add grated potato along with spices.Mix well with your fingers first

• Add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix again
• Now sprinkle water little by little and knead the dough.Smear with oil / ghee.Allow it to rest for 30 minutes

• Heat a tawa and in the meanwhile pinch out equal sized balls from the dough
• Roll out each and every ball into a thin roti

• Add this to pre heated tawa

• After a minute or so turn it over to the other side
• Now add 1/2 teaspoon of oil / ghee / butter and cook well on both the sides

Hot Aloo Roti / Paratha is ready.Serve with sauce

Easy Fridge Brownie Version 1 - No Bake Recipe

I was fortunate enough get this recipe from a TV Show just before my baby's 1-st B'day and it came out well.Today being Friendship Day I would like to dedicate this Brownie to all my friends
Its not exactly the TV recipe I modified here and there

Look at for another version Easy Fridge Brownie 2

Ingredients

• Marie biscuits / digestive biscuits - 8 nos
• Cadbury's dairy milk / Any bar chocolate - 10 small blocks or more (grate it)
• Chopped dry fruits - 3 tablespoon (I used almonds, figs, cashews and dates)
• Cocoa powder - 2 teaspoons
• Unsalted butter - 3 tablespoons
• Condensed milk - 1 cup
• Chocolate chips and dry fruits - garnish (optional)

Others

• Ziplock bag
• Kneading pin
• Butter paper
• Air tight box

Method

Step 1 - Mixing

• Take marie biscuits in a ziplock bag.Crush it coarsely using kneading pin
• Take it in a broad basin add grated chocolate, cocoa powder.Mix well with a spoon

• Put butter and mix well.Make sure that butter is at room temperature
• Add condensed milk slowly and mix well using a spatula

Step 2 - Setting

• Grease a butter paper and place it in a airtight container
• Now add the cake mix / batter using a spatula.Press firmly using spatula after adding each and every layer.Garnish with chocolate chips and finely chopped nuts
• Tap the container well and cover with butter paper as shown in the pic
• Close the container / box.Make sure its air tight

• Place it inside fridge - normal compartment.Allow it to set for 4 - 6 hours
• Now take it out and invert the box over a plate (see the pic below)
• Peel the butter paper carefully

• Now brownie / chocolate cake is ready.Cut it into small bars and serve along with tea / coffee