Showing posts with label Onions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Onions. Show all posts

Friday

Taste Memory: Dhaas Shimla Mirch

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The smell and taste of things
remain poised in memories
for almost eternity. Why is that?
Or am I alone in memories?

Like the butterscotch pudding
I tried to cook, as a child
I burnt it and even today
when I try to eat anything
with that flavor, it taste burnt.
Will that taste ever go away?
- By Robritt

Sometimes I breathe in the scents of foods, and I remember - places, times, people, adventures. In many cases the taste or smell of a sweet, coffee, gravy or an entire meal is capable of painting a picture with richer, deeper brush strokes than any snapshot in the photo album. While I struggle to remember my mobile phone number or grapple helplessly to recall my closest of friends' names when I need to mail them or introduce them to someone, the merest sniff of brewing coffee is enough to flood back memories of two decades ago, from my Ajji’s kitchen with frightening clarity. Give me that same coffee in a small steel tumbler and I can recall the dark room where I sipped that coffee with my sister hiding under the cot as we kids were forbidden from drinking strong coffee, the colour of bangles on my Amma’s hand when she pulled us out with a half filled coffee glass in my hand and a fake anger on her face:) Such details more glowing than the coffee I had just one hour back!!!

Food has also become a central way for me to socialise with others, to comfort my friends and family and even sometimes few strangers as food sure brings enormous pleasure and joy when shared with others. It has made me feel comfortable in new places, even some unknown places. And most importantly food had made me to remember the places I’ve lived and the people I’ve known in those places.

One such food memory is something I loved when I lived in Bangalore. I lived in a hostel owned by a Sindhi couple and V aunty was a wonderful cook and baker. Her delicious Sindhi style Stuffed Capsicums/Peppers is something I missed dearly after I left Bangalore. It was not usual stuffed capsicum with potato filling or rice but it used grated onions lightly spiced with fresh green chillies and coriander. I had been looking for this Dhaas Shimla Mirch recipe since long time and at last I found it in Alka’s Sindhi Rasoi. One look at the photo and the list of ingredients and I knew I just hit the jackpot. I could hardly contain my excitement and straight away went into kitchen to try it right away. Although V aunty and Alka had used Green Bell Peppers I cooked with Mini/Baby Orange Bell Peppers I bought from Farmer’s Market which I knew would be sweeter than the green ones. With few modifications to Alka’s recipe, this platter of golden beauties was ready in few minutes. Dont be fooled by the short ingredient list and simplicity of these ingredients. The recipe is surprisingly simple and the end result is simply superb. It was bit sweet with a touch of spiciness from green chillies and tanginess from dry mango powder and it was everything I remembered. Thank you Alka. It’s because of your recipe I am finally over with my obsession of finding this recipe and this recipe has become our family favourite. I will be making them soon with multi-coloured Baby Peppers and next time I might bake them and then grill instead of cooking on stove top to make it zero-oil cooking. This is my entry for Kayln's Weekend Herb Blogging event guest hosted by Astrid.

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Dhaas Shimla Mirch


Dhaas Shimla Mirch (Sindhi style Bell Peppers/Capsicums stuffed with Onion and Ground Spices)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 2-3
Recipe Source: Sindhi Rasoi

Ingredients:
6 Baby/Mini Bell Peppers or 4 medium Bell Peppers (any colour is fine, I used orange coloured)
1 tbsp Oil

For Filling/Stuffing:
2 large Onions, grated (grated onion works best than chopped one)
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Garam Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
½-1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
½ cup or small handful of Coriander Leaves
2-3 Green Chillies (Adjust acc to taste)
2-3 cloves of Garlic
½ inch Ginger (Optional)
Salt to taste

Photobucket
Baby Bell Peppers & Ground Filling

Method:
Slit baby peppers on one side and remove its seeds and pith carefully without breaking it. If using large peppers, then slice off their top and remove its seeds and pith carefully.
Grind coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic and ginger roughly without adding any water. Mix this ground paste with grated onion, all spice powders listed and salt to taste.
Stuff this onion mixture into bell peppers carefully. Make sure that you don’t break bell peppers while stuffing by stuffing little filling at time.
Heat oil in a deep pan. Carefully arrange bell peppers in a pan. Cover the lid and cook on a low to medium flame.
Toss the bell peppers at regular intervals to make sure that they don’t burn and stick to the pan. Make sure that the bell peppers are cooked from all the side. On a whole, it took me around 15 minutes to cook these bell peppers on a very low to medium flame.
Serve this delicious Dhaas Shimla Mirch with Chapatti or Rice and enjoy.

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Dhaas Shimla Mirch


Note:
Next time I might sauté the filling for few minutes and then stuff the bell peppers and bake them in an oven for 5 minutes so that the bell peppers remain crunchy. And then grill these baked peppers for about 3 minutes to get smoky taste.

Reminder (Just 11 more days to go):

MBP-Street Food ends on 24th of June, 2008. Start patrolling the blogs and cook your favourite Street Food that your tummy begs and heart desires and spread link love.

Deadline: 24th June, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry, Perm Link of original recipe along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

Thursday

Bheja Fry? No, it's Bhindi Fry

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I have a crown yet I am not the king
You cut my crown and feet off with a fling

I carry lots of eggs, yet I nothing but a veggie
Even with all that I am thin and long not podgy

I am green and I am gooey
If u don't pay attention, I will make your dish go mushy and chewy

I do good to your health and to your brain
Which is what your elders told you without refrain

Now its up to you to think and guess
To who I am ...Cos I am good too and no less.

(Source: riddle from Siri and DK’s Open Sesame event)

How well the Bhendi/Bhindi/Okra/Bendekai is described by these two dear girls :) This slimy vegetable tops my list of favourite vegetable. Once you know how to handle this gooey goodness, you are sure to fall in love with it (it was true in my case, can't talk for others :). I like my bhindi cooked in a very simple way without much frills. It’s very common in our home to have minimum of two side dishes along with Rice or Roties for dinner and I give full credit to my Amma and MIL for spoiling us when we were kids.

With hectic schedule at work place it's become a habit to reach home at late evenings. During these times and days there are few recipes which come to my rescue that not only take few minutes to cook but also taste delicious. One such recipe is Bhindi Fry which is served in almost every Indian Restaurants and Takeaways. Other than it being my favourite dish to order at restaurants, I love to cook it at home on regular basis. Sometimes it’s best to apply KISS (short for Keep It Simple and Straightforward) principle when it comes to cooking and Bhindi Fry is a fine example for it (Aha… now you know why I mentioned Bheja Fry in my post title ;).

My recipe for Bhindi fry is quite simple and straight forward where fresh okra is pan fried with onion and tomatoes and few spices. While the onion gives it a crunch, tomato imparts little sour note. The spices used are minimal to keep natural sweetness of the bhindi/okra intact. Well, I never said you need to compromise on taste department even when the recipe calls for few minutes of your time. Cook this Bhindi Fry when you don’t have much time to spend in your kitchen and also when ever you feel like eating something light yet delicious.

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Bhindi Fry


Bhindi Fry (Okra pan fried with onion and spices)
Prep Time: 5-10 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
15-20 tender Bhindi/Okra, washed, towel dried and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 large Tomato, finely chopped (Optional but recommended)
1-2 green chillies, slit (adjust acc to taste)
3-4 Garlic flakes, finely chopped
½ inch Ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp Turmeric
½-1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder or 1-2 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
½ tsp Sugar (Optional)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Oil
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Photobucket
Okra/Bhindi/Bendekai

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add okra/bhindi to it. Sauté them on high to medium flame continuously till the sliminess is reduced and they start to brown. It should take around 5-8 minutes in total.
In another pan heat 1 tsp of oil and add cumin seeds to it. When they sizzle, add finely chopped onion. Sauté the onion till it turns translucent.
Now add slit green chilli, finely chopped garlic and ginger and sauté till onion turns golden brown in colour.
Mix in garam masala and turmeric powder and sauté for another minute till you get nice aroma of spices.
Add finely chopped tomatoes, sugar if using and cook on a medium flame for about a minute or two. I like the tomatoes little undercooked. If you prefer, you can cook for little longer till the tomato releases its juice and becomes pulpy.
Mix in amchur or lime juice, fried okra, and salt to taste and keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes till all the flavours blend well.
Serve this garnished with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy with chapatti or rice.

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Bhindi Fry


Notes:
Other Bhindi/Okra recipes blogged so far

Reminder:
MBP-Street Food ends on 24th of June, 2008. Start patrolling the blogs and cook your favourite Street Food that your tummy begs and heart desires and spread link love.

Deadline: 24th June, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry, Perm Link of original recipe along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

Monday

Pleasure of Slow Cooking with Rajma

January, cold January…. As I stare down another long, bitter cold, horrid and dark January, my thoughts turn to the kind of food that nurtures my tummy and soul, brightens my mood, soothes my senses. When I ask myself what’s soothing on a gray winter day, I picture tucking into deep bowl of soup or dal rice. First thing I reach for is comfort food when the weather turns bitterly cold in the depths of British winter. And who can blame me for this when the central heating at home is on full blast and air-conditioning unit in office don’t seem to get over the fact that it’s no more summer. For most of us comfort food has three characteristics- it offers a substantial hit of carbos; it is never over-flavoured, neither bland nor too spicy/sweet; and it is always easy to eat without much fuss. From the time I got back from my trip I seem to have spent most of last two weeks feeling miserable, homesick and continuously struggling with my work deadline. Ultimately it’s comfort food that sooths my nerves and hugs me in its warmth as it touch my lips and spreads its warmth to my soul.
Yes, lately I have been cooking comfort foods. I am not talking about some high calorie sins here. I am cooking and eating simple, traditional, no-fuss food which I crave for. It’s a food which takes me on a virtual tour to back home where I see little 6 something me eating holding small balls of rasam/dal rice in my little chubby fingers and eating it while listening to stories. These small balls of rasam/dal rice with ghee, “Kai Thuttu" as we call, was given by Amma would taste heavenly in spite the fact that it was just every day food. It’s mother’s love that transferred this common food to something extra ordinary. It’s one experience which every one of us will treasure for rest of our life. Even now in my mid 20’s I never spare a chance of eating Kai Thuttu when I am at home with my Amma.
Apart from simple Dals and Rasams one such dish which I strongly believe falls into comfort food zone is Rajma-Chawal. Delicious Red Kidney Beans simmered in creamy and aromatic onion-tomato gravy lightly touched with right spices served with a steaming bowl of basmati rice is special favourite of mine for seeing off the winter blues. Rajma is one dish where you hardly need to sweat out in front of the stove yet unbelievably the end result is one lip smackingly delicious meal. When ever I cook some lentil/pulses I follow slow cooking method where the pulses are simmered in gravy for long hours to blend in all the flavour. One thing to remember when you go for slow cooking method is to use heavy bottomed pan or utensils so that the gravy doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. If you own an earthen pot then you will sure to experience another dimension of taste. With little stirring here and there this Rajma recipe is simple to nothing and it is sure to please everyone’s taste buds. I'm sending this comforting bowl of Rajma to Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook who has asked us to cook with beans/pulses for her My Legume Love Affair and Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey who is hosting MM-Comfort Foods. How can I say no to these lovely ladies!!! Hope you girls enjoy it.

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Rajma

Photobucket Print This Recipe
Rajma (Kidney Beans in lighly spiced Onion-Tomato Gravy)
Prep Time: 5-10 mins (Excluding soaking time)
Cooking Time: 45 mins - 1 hour
Serves: 3-4


Ingredients:
1 can Kidney Beans or 1 cup Rajma/Red Kidney Beans, soaked over night
1 large Onion, finely chopped
1 can chopped Tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 inch Ginger, thinly sliced
2-3 Garlic Flakes, finely chopped
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
1 tsp Amchoor/Dry Mango Powder or Anardaana Powder
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
1 inch Cinnamon
3 Green Cardamoms
2 Cloves
½ + ½ tbsp Oil
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Hing/Asafetida
Salt to taste

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Rajma

Method:
If using soaked kidney beans, cook the beans in pressure cooker with little salt and enough water for about 15 minutes till it is cooked.
Heat ½ tbsp of oil in a pan and add ginger, garlic and onion pieces to it. Sauté it for about 1-2 mins till onion turn translucent and raw smell of ginger garlic is gone.
Add chopped tomatoes or canned tomatoes and sauté it for about 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the onion-tomato base cool down a little.
Once cooled take onion-tomato base, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves in a blender and grind them to smooth paste.
Heat ½ tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add cumin seeds and hing. When jeera starts to crackle transfer the ground mixture to the pan and give a good stir. Cook on a medium flame for about 3-4 minutes.
Add cooked/canned Rajma, chilli powder, amchoor/anardaana powder, kasuri methi and salt to taste. Mix 1-2 cups of water and reduce the flame.
Cook cover in low flame, stirring occasionally for about 20-30 minutes till all the flavours blend well. This slow cooking gives creamy texture to the gravy as well as great taste.
Serve hot Rajma garnished with coriander leaves with steaming bowl of Basmati Rice or Roties and enjoy.


Note:
Substitute Rajma with White Kabuli Channa or Black Channa with Potatoes and follow the same recipe for different flavour.
Add greens like Spinach/Palak, Methi/Fenugreek leaves to add more green intake.
Few more Comfort Foods (Dal/Rasams) of mine posted in Monsoon Spice are


Photobucket Print This Recipe

Tuesday

Cooking from Other Blogs and Flower 'n Fruit Photography

I thought it's a high time I posted recipes I tried from other blogs before everyone start thinking I always cook and post my recipes;) These days I have been busy trying and testing recipes from other blogs and trust me I enjoyed it a lot. So here are three dishes I cooked from my blog buddies Asha of Foodie’s Hope and Manjula of Dalitoy. I am also posting “some” pictures I clicked during my India trip.

First is the Onion Pakodas which I made using Asha’s recipe. They were crisp, tasty and everything Asha said. We both enjoyed it a lot. Thank you Ashakka for this recipe. Here is another recipe of Onion Pakoda’s which I have posted earlier in my blog.

Asha's Onion Pakodas

Second dish is also from Asha’s blog. It’s her grandma’s recipe of Beetroot Palya and Grandma's recipe can never go wrong:) Beetroot is our favourite veggie(apart from another dozens of other veggies;). This recipe is a sure keeper for us as we enjoyed it simple rice and yogurt.

Asha's Beetroot Palya

Third recipe of Potato Saung is from Manjula’s blog. Boy!!! If you like tangy and spicy potato curry with very less ingredients and even very little preparation time then I highly recommend this for you. It was so delicious that we cooked it again in a same week. Thank you Manjula for this wonderful recipe.

Manjula's Potato Saung

Today I am posting flowers and fruits and vegetable pictures from my Amma and Atte’s much loved and nurtured garden. You will understand how much they love gardening once you see these snaps.




PS:
My good friend Trupti’s blog ”The Spice Who Loved Me” is nominated for best Indian food blog by IndiBloggies with other five beautiful blogs. My good wishes to Trupti and other bloggers who have been nominated. So friends what are you waiting for? Go and start voting for your favourite blog here at Indibloggies Poll.

Uppu Menasu Dosa (Spicy Dosa)

I love dosas and like it more when you can right away make them with out fermentation process. This is very old recipe from my Atte and Amma’s kitchen. They learnt it from their mothers. I am not sure as why it’s called as Uppu Menasu Dosa (Uppu means Salt and Menasu means Chilly in Kannada). Well what’s in name? It’s been my favourite dosa since as long as I can remember having it for the first name. Some what after coming here I had forgotten its existence. Yes… not anymore… Not for long time….

Uppu Menasu Dosa


Ingredients:
2 cups Rice
2 medium Onions
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
5-6 Dry Red Chillies (acc to taste)
Handful of Poha
Salt to taste

Uppu Menasu Dosa


Method:
Soak rice in water for 1-2 hours.
Add all the ingredients and grind them to smooth paste adding enough water.
Heat the tava and pour a spoonful of batter and spread them evenly.
Cook till it turns golden brown and crisp and turn it over.
Serve hot with any chutney/yogurt or it can be eaten as it is.

Uppu Menasu Dosa


Variation:
You can also add ½ cup of grated coconut while grinding.

Uppu Menasu Dosa

How my blog buddies look like MEME:

I’m tagged by Pooja for the MEME How my blog buddies look like. Well… it was rather difficult one as here I have to write about blog buddies whom I have never seen. I have my own vision of some blog friends with whom I interact on this virtual world of internet on almost daily basis. Although I have not met anyone of them (may never meet face to face), I have developed a very strong emotional bond with them. I think of them in terms of colours as every individual has some stong colour which portraits them. I have had never thought that I will be making so many friends here in food blogging and this is my tribute to all my blog buddies.
Everything I have written here is purely based on my imagination. So please correct me if I am wrong and do let me know as how far I am right in this guessing game. And also I could write about people with whom I have known since long time. So here we go…

POOJA:
She is mischievous and naughty to the core with streak of moodiness. She has 100 watts smile and light any place with her good sense of humour. One thing she can’t stand is sitting idle for long. Always up to something or the other.

SANDEEPA:
She is one pretty girl with short and silky hair. She is adventurous and fun loving person. I don’t know why I always imagine her in jeans and t-shirts.
LAKSHMI:
She is one busy mom with big dreams for her two little darlings. She has beautiful smile and dimple chin.
LAKSHMIK:
I feel she is much organised and also vivacious reader. I imagine her in kid’s park playing with her little one. She is passionate about everything she does and she is a terrific cook.
VIJI:
She can beat everyone’s record of cooking and blogging. One enthu person who has so much to give it to the world. If anyone deserves an award for enthusiastic food blogger, then I will definitely vote for her.

ROOMA:
I always visualise her as a leader rather than a follower. Intellectual person with brick sized book in her hand and her spectacles fixed on tip of her nose. She knows what she wants from her life and she is on the way of making it happen.

ASHA:
One busy mom working in her white kitchen creating mouth watering delicacies for her family and friends. I think that she has her camera around her neck while cooking (looking at her step by step shots of cooking). She is humble and kind. It is very difficult to imagine her as she has so many ‘avtars’.

USHA:
Ahhh… she is one sensitive soul who cares deeply for her family and friends especially her better half. She loves to make friends and can easily mingle with any crowd. She is the one who has gone through many difficulties in her life and has emerged as a role model for others. I imagine her as a person with beautiful eyes which reflects her lovely heart.

VINI:
She is a doting mother who loves to bake goodies for her little princess. Her world revolves around her daughter. I feel she is a person with big dream which she has tucked away for now, but I don’t have any doubt about her achieving it one day. And one more thing, I think she has long beautiful hair.
Although I have seen Seema, Soumya, Trupti, Dilip, Vani, Supriya, Manjula and Nidhi, I have not met most of them. So here is the picture I have of them.

SEEMA:
One creative lady blessed with magic touch. She can turn shambles into palace and give complex to any top interior decorator. Talkative who can talk for hours without taking any break.
SOUMYA:
She has a heart of gold and a face to match. Kind hearted doctor who can never think of harming even an ant.
TRUPTI:
She is a multi-tasker, able to juggle many things at once. She’d be cooking dinner and helping the kids with homework and answering the phone and keeping an ear on the radio, all at the same time. Her world revolves around her family.
VANI:
Proud mommy and wonderful wife cooking in her kitchen with her ‘Ginger’. She is gorgeous yet so simple.

DILIP:
He is a lover of everything ‘hot’ and ‘spicy’. He is a doting husband who loves to cook and experiment.
SUPRIYA:
She is a fun loving, bindas girl who lives her life to the fullest. She has got the attitude to match her personality. Bubby and friendly and also no nonsense girl.

NIDHI:
Here comes our little master chef for whom we all are proud of. She is born with silver spoon in her ‘hand’ to create magic with food. She is a lover of everything elegant and elegance is her second name.
MANJULA:
She is an attractive girl with flawless skin and beautiful eyes. Quiet,kind hearted and fun loving.

Uff... That was really difficult but it was real fun.... I quite enjoyed thinking about it.

Sunday

Onion Sambar

Sambar or sambhar is a South Indian cooking recipe, made of lentils, usually red gram, and vegetables. The regular Sambar Recipe is usually poured over or alongside steamed rice. Several minor variants exist depending on the meal of the day, region, and the vegetable used.
The regular sambar recipe without significant vegetable content is called Saru in Karnataka. Saru without lentils is called hunise saru (tamarind saru), which becomes menasina saru (pepper saru) if pepper is added. Sambar without lentils (but with vegetables or fish) is called Kozhambu in Tamil Nadu. There are major and minor variants of kozhambu (mor kozhambu, vetha kozhambu, rasavangi etc). Note that there are minor but subtle differences in preparation between all the variants. For instance, whether the vegetables are added to the tamarind water or vice versa, which does make them taste different.
Sambar with rice is one of the main courses of both formal and everyday south Indian cooking. It is also served with idli, dosa and vada. It is not uncommon to eat sambar rice with Happala(papad).
Sambar is the most loved dish in my home. May its Idli or Dosa or just plain rice, Sambar always accompanies them. There are variations to this sambar recipe, but this is the one I use quite often.

Onion Sambar


Ingredients:
1 cup Small Onions
1/2 cup Toor Dal/Yellow Pigeon Peas
1 medium lime sized Tamarind
2 Tomatoes, sliced
2 Green Chillies, slit
Bunch of Coriander leaves, Chopped finely
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard
2 Red chillies
1/4 tsp Hing/Asafetida
Few curry leaves

To Roast & Grind:
2 tsp Dhania/Coriander Seeds
11/2 tsp Urad Dal/Black gram Dal
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2 tsp Channa/Bengal gram Dal
4-5 Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
1 Tomato, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of Grated Coconut
3 tsp Oil


Onion Sambar

Method:
Heat 1tsp of Oil and roast the above ingredients until golden.
Fry 1 onion and 1 tomato separately with little oil.
Grind everything with grated coconut to a smooth paste.
Heat Oil in a shallow pan and fry the small onion for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add enough water and boil it till soft.
Cook red gram dal in pressure cooker and mash well.
Mix cooked onion, mashed dal, tamarind extract, tomatoes, green chillies and ground paste with salt and enough water and bring it to boil.
When the sambar is thick enough remove from fire.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and hing. When mustard starts spluttering add this seasoning to sambar.
Serve hot Sambar garnished with chopped coriander leaves with Rice, Idlis or Dosas.

Onion Sambar

Friday

Onion Uttappa

Here is another way of making uttappam with urad and moong dal. I have used onion for Topping. You can also try using grated carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes etc.

Onion Uttappa served with Green Tarmarind Pickle

Ingredients:
2 cups Rice
1 cup Urad dal
3 tbsp Moong dal (yellow dal)
2 tbsp grated Coconut
1" ginger
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 green chilli, chopped finely
salt to taste

Onion Uttappa

Method:
Soak urad dal and half ground moong dal in water overnight or in warm water for 2 hours.
Grind the soaked daal with grated coconut, ginger, salt and water to smooth batter.
Heat the tava/pan and put little ghee/cooking oil.
Spread the batter on tava and add chopped onion and chillies on top of uttappa immediately.
Cook it till brown on bothsides applying oil.
Serve hot with any chutneys or pickles of your choice.

Wednesday

Onion Bajjis(Pakoda)

“Life is an onion and one peels it crying”

-French Proverb quote


Onions

Autumn is moving towards winter... Im starting to feel the chill in the air. Sun is playing i-spy with me. I'm still looking for him... I know he is there, up in the black clouds hiding from me... Have anyone seen him? Let him keep hiding. Im sure he cant resist the spicy, delicious smell of Onion Bajjis im gonna make... Mmmmm.... They smell great...and tastes superb!!! Oh... There is he... Peeping from that big black cloud... Ha ha ha... I know he will be out and bright in no seconds... He cant resist the competition with the lovely golden yellow of bajjis. Oh... Where are they? There were 8 of them...now all gone:)




Onion Bajjis(Pakoda)


Ingredients:
1 big onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp ajwain seeds
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
2 tbls fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely
1 tbls of red chilli powder
1-2 green chillies(optional)
1/4 cup of besan(Gram flour)
Salt to taste
Little water
Oil for deep frying

Ingredients


Ready for deep fry


Method:
Mix all the ingredients(onions-salt) adding little water at a time
Take spoonful of mixture and deep fry in oil in a medium flame till they become crisp and golden brown.
Serve hot with tomato sauce or any chutney with tea.


Golden Onion Pakodas