Madurai Mutton Chukka Varuval

Coimbatore Angannan Mutton Biriyani! Rich, Aromatic, and Irresistibly Delicious

"Coimbatore Angannan Mutton Biriyani – A Tribute to Tamil Nadu's Finest"

MALAYSIAN STYLE OKRA STIR-FRY

    Okra/ Lady's finger or Bhindi/Vendakka is one vegetable which is commonly liked at home, and it is one default vegetable in my refrigerator. We can cook Okras in several ways. Cooking Okra/Lady's Finger is slightly tricky.  The reason is the slimy nature of Okra. In my opinion, Okra shouldn't be overcooked & shouldn't be slimy and for me, it should retain its green colour. So, I cook Okra briefly on a medium-high flame to retain its crunchiness, colour and nutrition. This vegetable when perfectly cooked turns out to be so tasty, crunchy and retains the nutritional value. It has amazing Health Benefits too.

• Okra/Lady's Finger is rich in Iron, Folic Acid & Vitamin B6
• Okra is rich in many nutrients and particularly high in vitamins C and K. 
• Okra provides a Protein called Lectin, a nutrient that is believed to prevent Cancer.
• Okra is rich in antioxidants
• Okra also helps to control the Blood Sugar Level.
  

OKRA/LADY'S FINGER

     This is a simple stir-fry recipe made with Okra/Lady's finger & we can find this kind of recipe served in most of Malaysian Mamak Shops.  Through the day and for dinner the restaurant converts the same stir-fry, adding any left-over Okra along with Cabbage or Long Beans. The combinations taste as good too. A quick stir-fry with very few ingredients, and it can be cooked within 15 minutes. Above all, it is my personal favourite as it goes hand-in-hand with both Roti & Rice.  Serve it along steaming hot Rice or along with Warm Chapati or Paratha and Dhal for a complete meal.


For more Recipes with OKRA/LADY'S FINGER, Click here...

Cuisine - Malaysian
Course - Side Dish
Spice Level - Medium - High
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 3 - 4
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 5 -10 Minutes
Cooking Time - 15 - 20 Minutes

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HOW TO COOK MALAYSIAN STYLE OKRA STIR-FRY

MALAYSIAN STYLE OKRA STIR-FRY

 

INGREDIENTS:

Okra/Lady's finger - 500 Grams
Oil - 2 -3 Tablespoon
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 Teaspoon
Onion - 1/2 No.
Garlic - 3 Cloves
Fresh Red Chillies(Bird's-eye Chillies) - 2 Nos.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - 1/4 Teaspoon

METHOD:

• Wash and clean the Okra / Lady's finger. Pat dry and allow it to dry on a kitchen towel.
• Trim off the corners and slice them into thin pieces.
  
• Heat Oil in a Pan, splutter Mustard Seeds followed by Cumin Seeds.
• Immediately add thinly sliced Onions, finely chopped Garlic & Red Chillies(Bird's-eye Chillies).
• Sauté it until Onions turn translucent. 
• Add chopped Okras along with a dash of Salt and give a quick stir.
• Now add Turmeric Powder & give a quick stir.
• Sauté the Okra on a high flame until the vegetable is cooked and the stickiness of the vegetable is totally removed.
• Adjust the amount of Salt & add a pinch of Sugar and give a quick stir.
• Switch off the flame.
• Leave the okra stir-fry on the pan, as such for about 2-3 minutes. 
  
• Dish out & Serve Okra Stir fry hot with Chapati or Paratha or Rice.

For more SIDE DISHES FOR CHAPATI/ROTI, Click here... 

NOTES:

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TRIVIA: A SIMPLE NOTE

How to perfectly Cook Okras - To avoid slimy Okra/Lady's Finger:

     When you frequently cook Okras, you would obviously be aware of the problem behind getting perfectly cooked Okra and getting rid of the sliminess from the vegetable.  I have given a simple trick behind getting rid of the Sliminess and at the same time retaining the Colour and texture.  This is the usual method I follow while cooking Okras at home. Any recipe as a matter of fact, whether it is Okra/Bhindi Fry, Bhindi Masala, Stir-fried Okra, Okra/Vendakka Thoran, Kurkuri Bhindi, Bendi Sambal and even while adding the vegetable in Sambar or Vendakka Puli or any other curry. I follow this method.

• Wash and pat dry the Okra with a clean Kitchen Towel.
• Leave the Okras on a Paper Towel/ dry Kitchen Towel in a single layer.
• Let the vegetable dry for some time. The idea is to get rid of any moisture in the vegetable.
• Before chopping, it make sure to wipe it dry with a Paper towel/Kitchen Towel.
• Fry the Okra in a bit of Oil with a dash of Salt on a medium-high flame.
• Cook briefly around 5-7 minutes, if you prefer a crunchy texture.
• Cooking briefly on a medium-high flame helps to retain the texture and the green colour in the vegetable.
• My trick for perfectly cooked Okra is to cook the Vegetable on a HIGH HEAT BRIEFLY.
• While Stir Frying or for Poriyals/Thoran, avoid crowding your pan or frying-pan, as this will reduce the heat and cause the sliminess.
• Adding Salt to Okras at the initial stage while cooking also helps in getting rid of the sliminess quickly.
• Cooking the vegetable along with acidic based ingredients also reduces the sliminess.
• Sauté Okra/Lady's Finger briefly in oil before adding it into Curries like Sambar, Puli Kozhambu, Pachadi etc.,
• Can also simply slice and roast okra in an oven.
• If you feel the Okra is still slimy, switch off the flame and leave it in the pan for a few minutes.
• This helps to reduce the sliminess.
• If you like Okras well-cooked go with your cooking instincts. Cook for a bit of longer time.

 

 

PAPDI/PAPRI

Indian Chaat Recipes are so versatile, and it has its own fan following throughout the length & breadth of the Country, and across the country.  Looking into the long list of items needed for Chaat items, certain combination of snacks, vegetables, seasoning & unique chutneys make each Chaat Item unique to itself.   Though the taste & ingredients & consistency of certain Chaat Items change regionally, most of the items added into these sinfully crazy Indian Street Food sticks to the norm and one such Item is Papdi.  Papdi is one of the most essential components of Chaat recipes of India. Papdis are nothing but deep-fried small crispy flat roundels which gives a crunchy texture to the dish. 

    When we talk about Indian Street Food, Chaat  Items are sure to steal the show.  With innumerable varieties & combos — Pani Puri, Bhel Puris, Papdi Chaat, Dahi Puri, Sev Puri, Pav Bhaji, the list gets longer & longer…. When I started frequenting with Chaat Items at home, one reason behind making Chaat Recipes at home is, we do not get Chaat locally.  And least to mention we do not get any of the snacks needed for Chaat too.  I stock them up when I travel to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.  When a craving for Chaat Items takes a sweep I have to go to the extent of making each & every item needed for making these Chaat Items like Papdi, Puri, Boondhi, Sev.  Then Green Chutney, Tamarind Dates Chutney, Pani for Pani Puri etc., & etc., Long & tiring process, I started converting Papdis into Namak Pare in terms of easing the process.  It helped me to store it for a longer time.

    Papdi is one good add-on which can be crushed and added into Bhel Puris or can be used to make Papdi Chaat or Dahi Papdi Chaat  with a hearty drizzle of thick Yogurt/Curd, seasoning and toppings, Sev Puri etc. On the other hand, it can be eaten as a snack.

    The process of making this snack is an easy one except for the cutting and frying portion & it needs a bit of time & patience. The trick to making crunchy Papdi is to knead the dough as tightly as you can.  Then it should be rolled out like we do for a Chapati, it shouldn't be rolled too thin or too thick.  It should be rolled to a normal thickness, and then we need to prick it all over with a fork.  This is to avoid Papdi fluffing up while frying, which can make Papdi soft when cooled down.  Then Papdis should be fried on medium-low heat. The amount of ghee & semolina  added to the flour while kneading makes Papdi deliciously crunchy. The Carom Seeds/Ajwain is what gives a nice soothing flavour to the Papdi & also helps in digestion.

Points to remember for crispy Papdi/Papri:

 

• The dough should be slightly stiffer.
• The dough should be rolled neither too thick nor too thin. It should be rolled to a normal thickness.
• Prick all over the rolled dough with a fork.  This is to avoid Papdi fluffing up while frying, which can make Papdi soft when cooled down.
• Cut it out into small roundels with a Cookie Cutter or a sharp edged Bowl/Katori.
  
• Fry Papdis on a medium-low flame until it turns into Golden Colour.  

For more CHAAT RECIPES, click here…

Cuisine — North Indian
Recipe Type — Snacks
Spice Level — Low
Difficulty — Medium
Author — SM

Preparation Time — 25-30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 -45 Minutes

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HOW TO MAKE PAPDI/PAPRI FOR CHAAT 

PAPDI/PAPRI

INGREDIENTS:

 

For Papdi: 

 

All-purpose Flour(Maida) — 2 Cups

Baking Soda — 1/4 Tspn

Salt — To Taste 

Carom Seeds(Ajwain) — 1 Tspn

Cumin Seeds — 1/2 Tspn(Optional)

Oil/Ghee — 2-3 Tbspn

Water — 1/2-3/4 Cup(Approximately)

 

For Frying:

 

Oil

METHOD:

 

For the Dough:

 

• Sieve the All-purpose Flour (Maida) along with baking soda & salt once.
• Add Carom Seeds(Ajwain), Cumin Seeds to the sieved flour and give a quick stir.
• Pour in the Oil/Ghee.
• Add little water at a time and knead it into a slightly stiffer dough.
• Add water at intervals. Do not pour in all the water at a time.
• I used approximately a little lesser than 3/4 Cup of Water.
• Amount of water required depends on the quality of the flour.
• The dough should be slightly stiffer.  

 

For Papdi/Papri:

 

• Divide the Dough into 3 Balls and keep them aside.
• Dust the Dough Balls with some All-Purpose Flour and roll it out into a flat, neither too thin nor thick circle.
  
• Prick all over the rolled dough with a fork. 
  
• Cut the rolled dough into small roundels with a cookie cutter or a sharp edged Bowl/Katori.
• Transfer the Cut Papdis  into a plate dusted with All-Purpose Flour.
• Follow suit for the rest of the dough balls.

 

For Deep Frying:

 

• Heat oil in a Deep Pan or a Wok.
• Once the oil becomes hot, reduce the flame to medium-low.
• Gently drop the Papdis into the Oil.
• Fry the Papdis on a low- medium flame until it turns into Golden Colour.
• Once done, remove the fried Papdis with slotted spoons from the oil.
• Drain them on Paper towels 
• Once cooled down, store them in airtight containers.
• If stored properly, it may last up to a week to 10 days.

 

Baking Papdis In an Oven:

 

 

• Follow the steps as above until cutting the Papdis.
• Preheat an Oven at 160 °C.
• Spray the baking tray with oil.
• Line it up with the Papdis.
• Bake it in the preheated Oven at 160 °C for about 25–30 Minutes.
  

 

 

NOTES:

 

• Can substitute half the amount of All-purpose Flour with Wheat Flour(Aata).
• Some recipes even call for adding a few teaspoons of Semolina while kneading the dough.
• The dough should be stiff, which is the main factor behind crispy Papdis.
• Can use Ghee/Oil for the recipe. Both work equally well.
• Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it as you do it for Chapati, but slightly thicker.
• Prick all over the rolled dough with a fork. 
• Cut the rolled circles into small roundels with a cookie cutter or sharp edged bowl/Katori.
• Fry the Papdis on a low- medium flame until it turns into Golden Colour.