Aloo/brinjal gravy

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Aloo/Brinjal: 1 pound
onions: 1 medium (chopped)
tomatoes: 2 large
yellow habanero chillies: 2 (with seeds removed) - gives a nice flavor.
kozambhu powder: 2 1/2 heaping teaspoons
turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon
salt : to taste
Oil: 3 tablespoons

In dhinchik, smash:
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 stalks curry leaves
5 flakes of garlic

Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker. Peel and cut them into small pieces.
Now,  heat oil in a pan. Once oil heats, add the dhinchik smash.
once this splutters, add onions. Keep heat high (setting: 8).
Once onions get golden brown, add tomatoes.
Now, add aloo/brinjal. Stir it for 5 minutes.
Add all the spices.
Stir for another 5 minutes.
Add 3 cups of water.
Close the lid and boil it for 15 minutes on a heat setting of 6.
Open the lid and sim it for 10 minutes (on heat setting: 2).
Now, you should see the oil oozing out on all the sides of the pan.
Now, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

kozambhu powder

To make 2 pounds kozambhu powder:

Ingredients:
200 grams red chillies
400 grams coriander seeds
50 grams of cumin seeds
25 grams fenugreek seeds
25 grams mustard seeds

Optionally, slightly dry roast the spices.
Cool it down and then grind it into a fine powder.

chamadumpala(arbi) fry

Serves: 4 people

Arbi: 2 pounds
kozambhu powder: 3 heaping teaspoons.
turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
salt: to taste
tamarind paste: 1 teaspoon
oil: 5 tablespoons

mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
split urad dal: 2 teaspoons
curry leaves: 3 stalks


Directions.

Boil Arbi in pressure cooker (on high (setting: 8) for 3 whistles).
Now, peel and cut into small pieces.
Mix arbi with all the spices and sprinkle little water (for spices to stick onto arbi).

Heat oil on the stove on sim (setting: 4).
Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Now, add urad dal and curry leaves.
Add spice mixed arbi and fry it till browned (about 15-20 minutes) (at the same sim setting),

potato fry

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:
potatoes (boiled, peel and cut into small pieces): 1 pound
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon.
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon.
Salt: per taste
turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon
oil: 2 tablespoons.

Directions:
mix potatoes in a separate bowl with all the above men
tioned spices.
Heat the oil on sim (setting: 4).
Add cumin seeds.
Once cumin splutters, add potatoes with the spice mix.
now, fry them at the same sim heat setting for about 15 minutes.
Fry it for another 10 mins if you like it more fried.

Masala tea

Ingredients:

Tea masala powder: 1/2 heaping teaspoon (you can reduce this if you want the tea to be less strong)
(http://easyhappycooking.blogspot.com/2013/08/tea-masala-powder.html)
Tea leaves: 1/2 heaping teaspoon (you can reduce this if you want the tea to be less strong)
water: 1/2 cup
milk: 1/2 cup

Directions:
Boil water.
Once water boils, put masala powder and mix.
Then, add tea leaves and mix.
Now, add milk and sugar and let it come to a boiling point.

As soon as the mix starts to come to a boiling point, reduce the heat to sim and stir it continuously for the next 10 mins.
Now, turn off the heat and sieve the tea into a cup.

Tea masala powder

Ingredients:

Dry ginger: 250 gms.
Whole Elaichi: 1/2 cup (full heap)
Whole Peppercorns: 1/2 cup

In dhinchik, smash dry ginger.
Now, grind the smashed dry ginger and the other two ingredients and make into a fine powder.

This makes an extremely fragrant tea masala that makes your tea taste sooo goood!

Mutton pepper fry

Same as Mutton kurma (http://easyhappycooking.blogspot.com/2013/07/mutton-kurma_22.html) except:

1. Dry fry pepper and fennel seeds and powder it. (2 tbs. of pepper and 1 heaping tbs. of fennel seeds)
    instead of coconut and cashew paste
2. use 2 big tomatoes (instead of 4 big tomatoes)
3. once the mutton is cooked, take a pan - add 3 tbs. of oil and add the mutton to it.
    If the curry is a little water, let it boil and let the sauce thicken a little bit (about 8 minutes on medium heat - 4).
    Now, add the above pepper + fennel powder mix to it. The sauce should thicken here more.
    Now, let it fry till the needed consistency.
   

Mutton Kurma

ingredients:
Goat mix: 1.5 pounds (for 5 litre pressure cooker)
onions: 2 small - roughly chopped (or 1 big)
tomatoes: 4 big - roughly chopped
oil: 3 tbs. of oil
garlic: 5-6 cloves
cinnamon: two 2" pieces
4 heaping tablespoon of coconut powder
6 cashews
1/2 bunch of coriander

2 heaping tablespoons kolambhu powder
(kolambhu pwder = 1 measurement of chilli + 2 measurement of dhaniya + little menthulu + cumin)
2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste

In dhinchik, smash the below together and keep it ready:
few curry leaves
2-3 stalks coriander leaves
3 chillies
1/2 index finger ginger
5 cloves of garlic

Seasoning
2 tbs. of oil
1 tsp. of fennel seeds
2 stalks of curry leaves


Method:
In a 5 ltr. pressure cooker, put the washed mutton pieces and add 3 tbs. of oil.
Now, add ginger garlic paste and wait till the mutton changes color from pink to white. (keep mixing until then)
Now add chopped onions, tomatoes and smashed ingredients. Add garlic and cinnamon.
Stir it for 2 minutes. Now, add chilli powder, kolambhu powder, tumeric powder and salt.
Stir it for 3 minutes. Add one small glass of water (it should just cover mutton level).
Now close the lid and put it on high.
Wait for four whistles and turn it off then.

Grind coconut and cashews with water to a thick paste. It should not be watery.
If you feel like the kurma might need some more water, add it now.

open the pressure cooker lid and put it back on heat. Now, add the ground coconut and cashew paste.
Stir it and let it boil in a medium fire (on 4) for 15 minutes.

Now, bring the fire to low (on 2) and keep it for 10 minutes.
Now season the kurma with seasoning ingredients. (Heat the seasoning ingredients in the oil and immediately pour it on kurma)

Now garnish the curry with coriander!

Enjoy the delicious mutton curry.

Tomato Rasam

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Toor dal: 1/4th cup
Tomatoes: 3 big
Garlic: 5 flakes
Tamarind paste: 1/2 spoon
Rasam powder: 11/2 spoon
Salt: as needed
coriander leaves: 3 stems
Turmeric powder: 1/4th spoon
Hing: 1/4th spoon.

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds: 1/4th spoon
Cumin seeds: 1/4th spoon
Red chillies: 2
Hing: 1/4th spoon
curry leaves: 10 - 20

Method:
Pressure cook the dal with whole tomatoes (no need to cut) , garlic, ome turmeric powder and hing.
Let it pressure cook on high for 4 whistles.
Once it cools down, smash all the ingredients together. Now, add tamarind paste.

To season:
Place a pan on the stove with one spoon oil and heat it. Now, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, little hing, curry leaves and red chillies.

Now, pour the seasoning to the pressure cooked dal and heat it until it gets to the boiling point.
Turn off the stove now and add rasam powder, coriander leaves and serve it hot.