Red Capsicum Chutney (Red Bell Pepper Chutney / Kudai Milagai Chutney)

             Capsicums are one of the healthiest food. It is good to take them in your diet more often. Red Capsicum chutney are easy to do and very healthy. It is a simple everyday recipe.

              Red Capsicum Chutney can be served with hot idli or dosa.

Prep time:10 mins      Cook time: 15 mins      Waiting time: 20 mins       Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

For chutney

• 1 Red Capsicum (About 3/4 cup cut into squares)
• 1 Onion (About 3/4 cup cut into squares)
• 1 Tomato (About 3/4 cup cut into squares)
• 2-3 Garlic cloves
• 1 inch Ginger
• 1 tbsp Channa dal
• 1/2 tsp Urad dal
• 2 Red Chili
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Oil

For tempering

• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Split Urad dal
• Few Curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp Oil

Procedure

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add urad dal, channa dal, red chili, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.

2. Add Onions and sauté them till they are soft.

3. Add Tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes.

4. Add Capsicum and salt. Sauté for 5 minutes. Capsicum should not become soft, it should be little crunchy.

5. Let it cool for 15 minutes.

6. Grind it smoothly. Do not add any water.

7. Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutters, add urad dal and curry leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds.

6. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves into the chutney and mix it well.

7. Chutney is ready... Serve it with hot idli or dosa !!!

• You can reduce or increase the red chili according to your spice level.

• You can also use green, yellow or orange capsicum instead of red capsicum in this recipe.

Badam Ice Cream (Almond Ice Cream / Kulfi)

             Ice Cream...!!! Who can resist it...!!!  Ice Cream is everyone's favorite. You can make yummy ice creams at home easily. Badam / Almond ice cream is so easy and simple recipe to make in home. Almond ice cream is flavored with powdered almond and cardamom powder. You can also use MTR Badam drink mix to flavor the ice cream. 

              You can freeze it and serve them in bowl as ice cream or freeze in popsicle mold and serve them as kulfi. A perfect dessert for your weekend.

Prep time: 5 mins     Cook time: 25 mins     Waiting time: 7-10 hrs      Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 1/2 liter Milk
• 1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3 tsp Corn flour / Corn Starch
• 3 tsp Powdered Badam / Almond
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
• 3-5 tsp Sugar
• 3-5 Almonds (Thinly sliced)
• Almond flakes (Optional for garnishing)

Procedure

1. Boil milk in a saucepan.

2. Take 1 cup of boiled milk separately and cool it down. Simmer the remaining milk for 10 minutes.

3. Mix almond powder, cardamom powder and sliced almond separately.

4. Add corn flour in the milk kept for cooling. Mix it nicely without forming any lumps.

5. Add the milk mixture, almond mixture and condensed milk into the simmering milk.

6. Mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Switch off the stove and let it cool for 30-60 minutes.

8. Pour it in container and freeze it for 6-8 hours or overnight.

9. Badam Ice Cream is ready !!! While serving, garnish with almond flakes. Have a Happy Weekend...!!!

• Instead of 3 tsp powdered almond and 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, you can use 3 tsp of MTR Badam drink mix.

• I served ice cream in bowl, you can pour the milk mixture in popsicle molds and freeze them for 6 hours and serve as kulfi.

• If you don't have popsicle molds, then you can pour them in plastic cups and freeze them for 2 hours. Then insert the ice-cream stick and freeze for another 4-5 hours. Kulfi is ready!!

Mixed vegetable Masala (Dry)

          Hello... Mixed vegetable masala is made with mixture of 3-4 vegetables. You can get so many nutritions and vitamins in single dish. This masala is prepared by cooking the vegetables and spices together.

          You can use vegetables like Potato, Brinjal, Ladies finger, Capsicum, Beans, Carrot, Cauliflower, Broccoli. I used potato, brinjal and capsicum. It is better to use 3-4 vegetables and not more than that. Each and every vegetable in this recipe has different cooking time. To cook this recipe, you need a pan and a plate to cover the pan. It is better if you have stainless steel plate, if not you can use a ceramic plate.

            Mixed Vegetable Masala can be served with dal rice, sambar rice, curd rice, white rice or any rice of your choice.

Prep time: 10 mins     Cook time: 15 mins      Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 cup Mixed Vegetables (Bite size)
• 4-5 Pearl Onions
• 3 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Red Chili powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp Pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
• Salt to taste
• 1-2 tbsp Oil

Procedure

1. Cut vegetables into bite size pieces. (Try to cut them in equal sizes)

2. I have used potato, brinjal and capsicum. If you are using brinjal, soak them in water until you cook it or the color of brinjal will change.

3. Add all the ingredients to the vegetable, except oil and pearl onions . Mix it well.

4. Heat the pan with oil. Add pearl onions and the vegetables with spices. Sauté for 2 minutes.

5. Close the pan with plate and pour water on the plate (Pour water on the plate and not in the pan. Vegetables do not need water to cook). Let it cook for 5-7 minutes in medium-low flame.

6. Remove the plate carefully as they would be hot and ensure not to spill the water into the vegetables. Stir the vegetables for 2 minutes.

7. Now all the vegetables would be cooked. Mixed Vegetable Masala is ready to serve...!!!

• You can use vegetables like Potato, Brinjal, Ladies finger, Capsicum, Beans, Carrot, Cauliflower, Broccoli. 

• To cover the pan use a stainless steel plate. As I did not have a plate to cover the size of my pan, I used ceramic plate.

• Do not add water to the vegetable. Water should be poured in the plate. 

Gobi Stir Fry / Cauliflower Stir Fry

     Hey... Today I am sharing a quick recipe to make delicious cauliflower stir fry. Cauliflower is rich in nutritions and a great addition to your healthiest diet.

     Cauliflower stir fry is a yummy side which can be served with any variety rice or with white rice and any vegetarian curry.

Prep time: 10 mins      Waiting time: 10 mins      Cook time: 10 mins     Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cup Cauliflower (Bite size pieces)
• Few Curry leaves
• 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Red Chili powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp Pepper powder
• 1 tsp Corn flour
• 1 tsp Rice flour
• Salt to taste
• 1-2 tbsp Oil

Procedure

1. Blanch the cauliflower pieces in boiling water for 2 minutes and set aside.

2. Add all ingredients to cauliflower except curry leaves and oil.

3. Mix it well and let it sit for 10 minutes.

4. Heat oil in a pan. Add Curry Leaves and marinated cauliflower pieces.

5. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes or until you see some golden-brown spots on the cauliflower pieces.

6. Thats it... Cauliflower Stir Fry is ready... Serve it hot !!!!

Mor Kuzhambu (More / Buttermilk Kulambu)

                           Mor kuzhambu is a South Indian based curry. It's simple and easy to prepare recipe. The main ingredient for preparing mor kuzhambu is curd or buttermilk.

      Mor kuzhambu can be served with white rice and any vegetable fry of your choice or egg bhurji.

Prep time: 10 mins    Waiting time: 10 mins    Cook time: 15 mins     Serves: 2

Ingredients

To grind

• 2 Green chili
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Toor dal
• 1/2 tsp Channa dal
• 1/4 tsp Rice
• 1 tbsp Coconut

Other ingredients

• 2 tbsp Curd
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Split Urad dal
• 1/3 cup Onion (Finely chopped)
• Few Curry leaves
• 1 tbsp Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Procedure

1. Soak tour dal, channa dal and rice in water for 10 minutes.

2. Add water to curd and beat nicely to make buttermilk. Add half of turmeric to buttermilk.

3. Grind green chili and cumin seeds coarsely.

4. Also add soaked dal with 1/4 tsp water to the mixer and grind coarsely.

5. Add coconut with enough water to grind the mixture into a smooth paste.

6. Heat a pan or kadai with oil. Add mustard seeds. When mustard sputters, add urad dal, curry leaves and onion.

7. Sauté until onions are soft.

8. Add the grounded masala with water and remaining turmeric.

9. Sauté till the raw smell goes away and add salt.

10. In low flame, add buttermilk and check for salt.

11. When kuzhambu starts to boil, add coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

12. Serve it hot with white rice.

• Mor Kuzhambu should not boil. When the bubble starts near the vessel, switch off the flame or else kuzhambu will become more sour.

• You can add okra or cooked pumpkin when adding ground masala in the curry.

Kothu Kari Kuzhambu (Minced Meat Curry / Mutton Kheema Curry)

         Hello all... Hope you had a nice weekend. I definitely had an awesome weekend trying out some recipes and having my husband taste it.One of it was minced(grounded) meat with all spices. That definitely gives nice flavor to the curry. 

          You can use ground goat or ground lamb. I personally prefer goat for this recipe. It is best to use pressure cooker for cooking mutton so that mutton is soft.

        You can serve Kothu Kari Kuzhambu with idli, dosa, poori, chapati, etc...

Prep time: 15 mins     Cook time: 45 mins      Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

To grind

• 4-5 Red Chili
• 3 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp Kasa kasa
• 1 tsp Fennel seeds
• 3-4 Cashew nuts
• 1 Star Anise
• 2-3 Garlic cloves
• 1 inch Ginger

Other ingredients

• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 1 Cardamom
• 2 Cloves
• 10-12 Pearl Onions (Finely chopped)
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 250 gm Mutton Kheema (Wash with turmeric)
• 1/2 cup Coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Coriander leaves (Finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp Oil

Procedure

1. Grind red chili, coriander, kasa kasa(poppy seeds), fennel seeds, cashew nuts and star anise into a fine powder. Then add ginger and garlic with enough water grind into a smooth paste.

2. Heat oil in a cooker. Add fennel seeds, bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Sauté for 30 seconds.

4. Add onion and sauté until onions are soft.

5. Add the ground masala and mutton kheema. Sauté for 2 minutes.

6. Add turmeric and salt. Sauté for a minute.

7. Add enough water for the mutton to cook.(About 1/2 to 3/4 cup water)

8. Close cooker with lid. After a whistle, bring the flame to low for 15-18 minutes and then switch off.

9. When the pressure is released, open the cooker and add coconut milk. Let it boil.

10. When it boils, check for salt, add chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot.