Ponnangani (Green Colour) Keerai Thuvaiyal

An authentic South Indian, spicy tangy side-dish for lunch times!!

Ponnangani (Green Colour) Keerai Thuvaiyal

Ingredients

Ponnanganni Keera - 3 to 4 handful

Grated coconut - 2 tsp

Lemon Juice few drops (If not available use Tamarind paste 1 tsp)

Salt to taste

For seasoning

Cooking Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal  - 1 tsp
Asafetida - 1 pinch

Green chilies – 2 or 3 as per taste

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Curry leaves – 5 or 6 numbers

Preparation

Collect the Ponnanganni leaves from its stems and wash them well 2 or 3 times in water.

Method

In a Frying pan put 1 tsp of cooking oil and fry the ingredients listed for seasoning.

Add the keera sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.

Now switch off the flame and add grated coconut with the mixture.

Wait till the fried items come to room temperature.

Put the mixture along with Lemon juice or Tamarind paste and salt into a mixer jar and grind coarsely. Do not add water while grinding.

Now the dish is ready to serve.

This thuvayal is a good side dish for Sambar rice

Health benefits

Ponnanganni Keerai – Improves eye sight, good for improving complexion - rich in iron, calcium,

Vitamin A, anti-oxidants and veg proteins

Gongura thuvayal/Gongura thokku

An all favorite spicy typical Andra recipe. Gongura plants specially grows during summer seasons because it cools down the temperature of the body. So here goes!!

Gongura thuvayal/Gongura thokku

Ingredients

Gongura leaves – 1 small kattu (bunch)

Coriander seeds - 4tbsp

Channa dhal - 3tbsp

Urad dhal – 2tsp

Red chillies – 4-6

Jeera – 1 ½ tsp

Asafoetida powder – 2tsp

Tamarind paste – 1tbsp

Gingili Oil (nallanai) – 8tsp

Sugar – 1tsp

Salt – to taste

Preparation

For masala powder:

In a hot kadai dry fry channa dhal and coriander seeds and keep separately.

Next, add 1tsp of oil and fry urad dhal, red chilles and jeera and keep aside.

Cool the above fried items to room temperature and grind them to a powder.

For keera:

Add 1tsp oil in a kadai and fry the gongura leaves along with sugar and cool them.

Method

Grind the gongura leaves, tamarind paste, salt along with the required amount of masala powder (respective to level of spicyness) to a paste.

Add the remaining spoons of oil and season asafoetida powder.

Fry the paste till the raw taste disappears in low flame. (Paste may burn if the amount of oil is not enough, add more oil if necessary).
Mix with rice and serve.

Tips

If chilly (karam) is not enough, add few red chillies while seasoning.

Pavakkai (Bitter Gourd) Pachdi

Everyone of us know bitter gourds are always bitter!! But, even it can be made tasty with a few tricks and here is how to make a bitter gourd recipe with less bitter in it. Bitterness is also needed in life, right guys?

Pavakkai pachdi (less bitterness)

Ingredients (serves 2-3 persons)

Pavakkai (bitter gourd) - 1

Groundnuts (raw) - 3 handful

Tamarind paste - 2/3tbsp 

Vellam (jaggery) - 2/3tbsp

Coconut - 3tbsp

Jeera - 2tsp

Turmeric powder - 1tsp

Red chilly - 2/3

Salt - to taste 

Seasoning

Oil

Mustard seeds

Urad dhal

Asafoetida

Curry leaves

Preparation

Boil the bitter gourd pieces along with the groundnuts, tamarind paste and jaggery and keep separately. (Could be kept in a vessel alongside rice in cooker)

Grind the grated coconut, jeera, red chillies, curry leaves and turmeric powder along with some salt and keep aside.

Method

In a pan heat some oil and add the ingredients mentioned for seasoning.

Then, add the boiled items into the pan and adjust the jaggery and tamarind paste as per your taste.

Next, add the ground paste into the pan, check if the salt is enough.

Let all the items in the pan get heated but do not let it boil.

Pour it out of the pan on heating and serve with rice.

Nutella Banana Fridge Cake

Cakes are really yummy to have, specially chocolaty ones, but it's not simple to make one. This cake, is tasty, finger-licking and absolutely easy to make. Not much of measurements, you see!! Try it, and start licking your fingers!! Yummy!!!

Nutella Banana Fridge Cake

Ingredients

Nutella - 2 big spoons
Biscuits - 6 or 7
Banana - 1
Dark chocolate - 50g
White chocolate - 50g
Butter - 100g
Sugar - 4 spoons
Fresh cream - 100ml

Preparation

For base:

Crumble the biscuits to a powdery texture.
Melt half of the mentioned butter and mix it with the biscuit crumble.

For chocolate:

Place a thick-bottomed pan filled halfway with water and heat it.
Put the dark chocolate and white chocolate along with butter and sugar in a vessel and place it inside the pan with water.
Allow the chocolate to melt by stirring it once in a while. 

Method 

In a refrigerator safe vessel, spread the biscuit mixture and flat it evenly with the back of a spoon.
Keep the vessel in the fridge and let it set for 10 minutes.
Then, spread the nutella evenly on the base
Cut the banana into round pieces and arrange them on the nutella spread.
Mix the melted chocolate mixture and fresh cream and pour it on the banana.
Place the vessel in freezer for the first half an hour and transfer it to the fridge for the next 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Cut into pieces and serve cold.

Mirchi Masal

Well, after a long time, a hot recipe to all of you!! Its winter and everybody would like something hot and spicy.  

Mirchi Masal

Ingredients (serves 2-3 persons)

Bajji chilly/Bajji mirchi/Italian peppers - 6 or 7

Big onion – 3 (medium size)

Red chilly – 1

Garlic pods – 2 (finely chopped)

Ginger – 1 inch piece (grated)

Mustard seeds – 1/2tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1/2tsp

Chilly powder – 1-2tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2tsp

Coriander powder – 3tsp

Tamarind paste – 2tsp

Jaggery – 1-2tsp

Curry leaves

Water as required

Oil as required

Salt to taste

For grinding

Sesame seeds – 1tsp

Roasted groundnuts – 3tsp

Grated coconut – 2tsp

Cooking oil – 1/2 tsp

Preparation

Cut the mirchi to small pieces and fry them with 2tsp of oil until the skin changes to golden brown.

In a pan, add oil and then add ingredients for grinding and roast them. After the mixture gets cold, grind them to a fine paste and keep aside.

Method

Heat a pan, add oil and then add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chilly, curry leaves, chopped garlic pods, chopped onion, salt, grated ginger and fry them well.

Then add chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, tamarind, jaggery and then add the ground paste and fry them with water until the raw smell disappears.

Now add the fried mirchi and sauté till the mixture combines.

Add salt if necessary in the end.

Serve hot with hot rotis and chapathis.

Guava, Banana smoothie

We have heard about cocktail juices in parties and high-end restaurants, but this smoothie is a combo of two sweet fruits which gives you a pleasure of drinking equivalent to the cocktail juices at the comfort of your homes..Happy drinking!!

Guava, Banana smoothie

Ingredients (For 3 persons)

Cold milk - 3 cups
Guava fruit - 1.no. (Without seeds)

Banana fruit -2 no.s

Badam - 5 no.s (preferably soaked for 5 hours)
Cashew - 10 no.s (preferably soaked for 5 hours)
Sugar or honey - optional

Directions
In a blender or mixer jar add the milk, guava fruit pieces, banana fruit pieces, soaked badam, cashew and the soaked water along with honey or sugar as preferred and mix them until you get a fine smooth drink. 

Before serving decorate with pomegranate seeds and serve cold.
If you don't have cold milk, do the smoothie and refrigerate it.

Kirni and Strawberry salad

Few tasty fruits + a healthy salad = a yummy fruit salad!! Come on, let's taste..

Kirni and Strawberry salad 

Ingredients

Kirni fruit size - 1 number

Strawberry - 2 to 3 numbers

Banana fruit - 2 numbers

For Dressing

Honey - 1 to 2 tsp

Pineapple paste - 2 to 3 tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp (optional)

Preparation

Cut all the fruits into pieces of eatable size.

Mix the items given for dressing in a mixer.

Method

Put all fruit pieces in a mixing bowl.

Keep the mixture in refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Add the items given for dressing in the mixing bowl before serving.