Salt and Spice

My Mom used to make this simple yet yummy ‘Tomato Curry’ as a side dish for rice.  Since we all like it so much, I make it very often.  It can be served as a ‘charu’ or ‘kulambu’ with other dry items for a satisfying meal!

Ingredients

Tomatoes – 5 sliced

Onion – 1 sliced

Water – 3 cups

Salt – to taste

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Green chillies – 4

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/4 tsp

Jeera/ Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Dry red chillies – 3 broken, seeds removed

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Cook sliced tomatoes and onions along with salt and water, till they are soft and tender.  Grind grated coconut, green chillies, turmeric powder, chilly powder and cumin seeds to a fine paste, adding enough water.  Add this paste to the cooked tomatoes and onions.  Mix well and allow it to simmer for 3 minutes.  Heat oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add red chillies and curry leaves.  Pour this over the curry and mix well.  Serve tasty ‘Tomato Curry’ with steamed rice.  Enjoy!!!

I am sending ‘Tomato Curry’ to PJ for the event “Healing Foods – Tomato” which was started by Siri.

Ingredients

Ripe Kerala Banana – 4

All purpose flour/ Maida – 1 cup

Fine rice flour – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Water – as required

Baking soda – 1/8 tsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Oil – for frying

Method

Remove the skin of the bananas and cut them lengthwise and cut each piece into two.  Make a batter using maida, rice flour, turmeric powder, baking soda, sugar and salt by adding enough water.  The batter should not be too thin.  Add more maida if it is too thin and add more water if it is too thick.  Heat oil in a kadai and dip each banana piece in the batter and very carefully put them into the oil.  Reduce the heat to medium.  When once side is light golden brown in color, turn it and fry the other side too.  If the heat is too much the banana will not be cooked properly.  Drain and transfer to a kitchen tissue.  Now super tasty ‘Pazham Pori’ is ready to serve.  ‘Pazham Pori/ Ethakka Appam/ Banana Fry’ is a snack anyone would love to have!  Serve it along with hot tea and enjoy with your kids and family members!!!

Ingredients

Semiya/ Vermicelli – 2 cups

Full Cream Milk -2 litres

Sugar – 2 cups

Cardamom – 8 powdered

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Cashew nuts – 2 tbsp

Golden raisins – 2 tbsp

Ghee – 1 + 1 1/2 tsp

Method

Heat 1 tsp ghee in a non-stick pan and roast the semiya on a low flame till it turns light golden brown in color.  If you are using roasted semiya, skip this process.  Boil milk in a large thick-bottomed pan or a 5 litre pressure cooker and add roasted semiya.  Cook on a medium flame.  Stir every 2 minutes.  Add sugar and salt and stir well.  When the semiya is just cooked, add powdered cardamom and mix well.  Switch off the flame.  Semiya should not be over cooked.  Heat 1 1/2 tsp ghee in a small pan and add cashew nuts.  When it turns light brown, add raisins and switch off the flame.  Pour it over the payasam and mix well.  Serve yummy ‘Semiya Payasam/ Vermicelli Payasam’ hot or cold.  Enjoy with your loved ones!!!

Ingredients

Black Channa – 1/2 cup

Yam/ Chena – 1/2 kg peeled and diced

Raw Banana – 2 peeled and diced

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/2 [...] Continue Reading…

Ingredients
Ginger – 200 gm

Tamarind – a lemon size

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Jaggery – 5 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds/ Uluva – 1/8 tsp

Dry red chillies – 2 broken, [...] Continue Reading…

Ingredients

Ash gourd/ Kumbalanga – 1/2 kg

Red beans/ Vanpayar – 1/2 cup

Green chillies – 4 slit

Salt – to taste

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Thick Coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Coconut oil – [...] Continue Reading…

Ingredients

Yellow Pumpkin – 1/2 kg

Red Beans/ Van Payar – 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt – to taste

For Grinding

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Turmeric powder – [...] Continue Reading…

Ingredients

Black Channa – 1 cup

Water – 2 cups

Onion – 1 medium sliced

Garlic- 4 small crushed

Ginger – 1 tsp chopped

Green chillies – 2 slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Red chilly flakes [...] Continue Reading…

Ingredients

Chicken – 850 gm cut into pieces

Potatoes – 4 medium, each cut into 4 pieces

Onions – 2 sliced

Green chillies – 2 slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Ginger garlic paste – [...] Continue Reading…

Ingredients

Cabbage – 1/2 medium chopped

Channa dal – 1/4 cup

Water – 1 cup

Onion – 1 medium sliced

Green chillies – 4 slit

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds [...] Continue Reading…