spicy baby potatoes

This dish has quickly become one of my goto dishes when I have guests over.
Easy to make and tastes soo good!
Perfect dish to go with this blog name :D :)

I first had this at my friend varsha's place. I used her recipe and clubbed it with couple of recipes I saw online and came up with this.
Here goes:

baby potatoes: 20
onion: 1 (roughly chopped)
bellpepper: 2 (roughly chopped)
garlic: 2 cloves
ginger: 2 inches
curry leaves: 2 stems
chillies: 2 (cut long and thin into 2 inch pieces)
salt: to taste
coriander powder: 2 tbsp.
chilli powder: 1 tsp.
turmeric: 1/2 tsp.

ghee: 3 tbsp.
canola oil: 1 tbsp.

to temper:
mustard seeds
cumin seeds

to make chili sauce:
red chillies: 4 (soaked in water)
onion: 1/4th (sliced)
garlic: 4 cloves
salt: to taste

First, boil the baby potatoes in pressure cooker.
After they are done, run them with cold water. Once they cool down, peel the potatoes and cut
they into four pieces each. Make small slits on the potatoes. This is so, they will absorb the spices.

To make chili sauce, grind soaked red chillies, onion, garlic and salt.

Heat ghee and canola oil together.
Temper mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Now, add curry leaves, chopped chilli, ginger, garlic, roughly chopped onions and bellpepper.

Let them saute for a few minutes.

Add corianded powder, chilli powder and turmeric

Add baby potatoes and coat with the already added spices. Heat this on medium for about 8 minutes.

Now add the chilli sauce and saute for 5 more minutes.

Check salt and add more if needed.

Turn off the stove and let it sit for sometime before serving.

Enjoy :-)

idli/dosa batter

urad dal: 1 cup
idli rice: 2 cups
sona masoori rice/basmatic rice: 2 cups
fenugreek seeds: 1 tsp.

Soak the above mix in water for 4-5 hours. You should put enough water so that the water stands double the height of the dal mix.
Now, drain the remaining water and grind the mix with 2 cups of water.
The texture should be soft.
Add 1 tsp. of salt and mix the whole mixture with your hand.
Keep the lid and set it in a warm place for 10-12 hours (or longer depending on where you live).
The batter should have risen by now.

The below picture is after the batter was set in the oven with the light on for about 20 hours.

Stuffed brinjal (gutthu vankaaya)

round brinjal (blackish purple): 1 pound

small tomatoes: 2

onion: 1 big 

chillies: 4

thick tamarind paste: 2 tbs.

pappula podi: 1 tbs. (optional)

ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp.

salt: per taste

red chilli powder: 1 tbs.

garam masala: 1 tsp.

turmeric powder: 1 tsp.

curry leaves: 2 stalks

oil: 2 tbs.

cinnamon: 1" piece

cloves: 6

cardamom: 1

cashew nut powder: 1 tsp.

Method:

Roughly chop onions, tomatoes, chillies and then grind these with ginger garlic paste, curry leaves, pappula podi, tamarind paste, garam masala, salt and turmeric powder

Make 2 slits (horizontal and vertical) in each Brinjal such that you get 4 slit quarts.

Don't cut it fully. It should still be joint at the stalk.

Now, keep a deep dish on the stove. 

Add oil. Once oil heats, put cinnamon, cloves and cardamom powder.

Once they splutter, add the prepared paste. keep this on medium heat.

Now, let it simmer for about 3 minutes.

Drop the brinjal in this gravy now.

Reduce the heat to between sim and medium.

Close the lid and let it cook for 10 mins.

Stir 2-3 times in between.

Add red chilli powder now and then close the lid again. Let it cook for 10 more minutes.

Turn off the stove and add cashew nut powder.

Mix it with the gravy.

Garnish with coriander.

tindora curry

Ingredients:
tindora: 1 pound
onion: 1 big (chopped)
chillies: 3 (chopped)
velluli kaaram: 1 tbs.
pappula podi: 1 tsp. (optional)
curry leaves: as much as you want
salt: as needed
turmeric powder: 1 tsp.

for tempering:
cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
channa dal: 1tsp.
urad dal: 1 tsp.
oil: 2 tbs.

Cut tindora into small pieces (I use the vidalia vegetable cutter).
Take a pan and once oil heats, add all the ingredients under tempering.
Now, add curry leaves and after few seconds, add onions and chillies.
Let this fry for 2 minutes. After that, add tindora.
Mix it well and let it cook for 15 minutes on low flame and keep the lid on during this time.
Now, remove the lid and  add salt and turmeric powder.
Let it cook for 5 more minutes now.
After that, add velluli kaaram, mix and turn off the stove.
You can add a litlle pappula podi here before turning off the stove if you desire.
Garnish with coriander.

pappula podi

Ingredients:
coriander seeds: 1/2 cup
peanuts: 1/2 cup
channa dal: 1/2 cup
urad dal: 1/2 cup
garlic: 6 cloves
dried coconut flakes: 2 tbs.
cumin seeds: 2 tbs.
curry leaves: 2 tbs.
mint: 2 tbs.
salt: to taste

Set a Pan on the stove. After it heats, put it on sim.
Now, add coriander seeds, peanuts, channa dal, urad dal, coconut flakes, curry leaves, mint and heat this mix on sim.
Keep stirring every now and then ... and let them all roast for about 15 minutes.
Turn off the stove and add cumin to the mix now.
After it cools down, grind the roasted ingredients into dry powder.

After it gets grinded, add salt and garlic to this and grind again.

You can add this to stir fry curries and tamarind based gravies -- it gives a nice flavor to the taste.

velluli kaaram

Garlic:                  15 big cloves
Red chilli powder: 1.5 cup

First, pulse garlic by itself without any water for about 5 seconds.
Now, add chilli powder and grind the whole thing again.
Pulse and mix every 1 mins.. for a total of 2-3 mins.

Beans curry

Indian broad beans (chikkudukaaya) (we used 2 kinds of these beans): 1/2 pound
Onion: 1 small (chopped)
Garlic: 4 cloves
Salt: to taste
tumeric: 1 tsp.
velluli kaaram: 1 tbs.

Tempering:
urad dal: 1 tbs.
channa dal: 1 tbs.
cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
curry leaves: few
oil: 2 tbs.

Peel the sides of the beans, check if there is any worm inside and chop it with a knife or you can break it into pieces with hand itself.
Boil beans with water steam. (If using pressure cooker, keep it for 2 whistles on high).

In a non-stick pan, heat oil. After it heats, put garlic. After a few seconds, put all the tempering ingredients at once. Now, put onions. Once onions come light brown, put cut beans.
After 2 minutes, put salt and turmeric.
After it sautes for some time (around 5 minutes), put velluli kaaram and turn off the stove.

Garnish with some chopped coriander.