Some Indian Food recipes and Kitchen Tips

Tips on Indian Cooking

When I started cooking first I had to learn everything by trial and error. These are some of my recipes for my daughters who are both newly married [:-)] whenever they feel nostalgic for Mom's cooking. Others are also welcome !

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Potato-channa Masala,korma

Soak 1 cup of channa overnight. Wash it well and drain the water.
Add enough water now to immerse the channa with one inch of additional water.
Pressure cook it with a pinch of turmeric, a pinch of heeng and a pinch of salt.
In a deep nonstick pan, heat three tsp of oil. Put in a tsp of saunf, 1 clove, 1 bayleaf, 1/2 inch cinnamon and 1 star anise. When they pop,  add a big onion chopped finely. Saute till it is light brown.
Lower to medium heat.
Add a tsp of ginger-garlic paste, one slit green chillies for flavour and a half inch of chopped ginger saute for a minute.
Sprinkle one tsp chilli powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp of channa masala and saute.
Add 2 tsp of kasuri methi and saute.
Add a big tomato finely chopped or pureed and saute till oil separates.
Add two cups of water and boil a cup of peeled and diced potatoes. When they are half done add 2 tsp of salt.When they are almost done add the cooked channa and bring to boil. Check for salt. Simmer till it absorbs the masala, about five minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Sundal- Black eyed peas

Soak a cup of black eyed peas (karamani) for five to seven hours. Or keep it soaked in fridge overnight if the climate is very hot.

Boil water in a pan and cook the peas till soft. Or else pressure cook for five minutes.

Drain the water.

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan.
Put in half a tsp of mustard, 1 tsp urad dal and when they pop and brown, add two red chillis broken into pieces and 1 tsp of grated ginger and a pinch of perungayam(heeng). stir quickly and add the cooked peas.
Stir on low heat and add a tbsp of grated coconut as garnish and switch off heat.
This is the basic recipe for sundal. (Cooking time of various peas differ, otherwise the basics are the same.)




Karunaikizhangu sukka

Peel the yam and cut into cubes. Boil the pieces in enough water to cover an inch above the pieces with turmeric and salt.

Drain the water when the pieces are cooked and cool the yam.

Grind a tablespoon of grated coconut with a handful of peeled sambar onions and 1 tsp of sombu (aniseeds, fennel)

Heat a tbsp of oil in a thick bottomed pan and put in a tsp of mustard seeds.

When they pop add a sprig of curry leaves and the ground paste.
Saute for a few minutes with a tsp of salt, 1 tsp of chilli powder and 1 tsp of coriander powder.

Add the yam pieces and continue sauteing on medium heat.

Let the yam brown over low heat without burning the masala.