OKRA / LADY'S FINGER  STIR FRY

HOW TO COOK OKRA / LADY'S FINGER  STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

• Wash and clean the Okra / Lady's finger. Trim off the corners and chop them into small pieces
• Heat Oil in a Pan, splutter Cumin Seeds.
• Immediately add finely chopped Onions and saute until onions turn translucent. 
• Add chopped Okras, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Kitchen King Masala, Salt and a pinch of Sugar and give a quick stir.
• Saute the Okras on a low flame until they are done and the stickiness of the vegetable is totally gone.
• Serve hot with Roti/Rice. 

TIPS & TRICKS:

PARUPPU RASAM

HOW TO COOK PARUPPU RASAM

INGREDIENTS :

For Rasam :

For Tempering :

For Garnishing :

METHOD : 

• Clean the Tuvar Dhal and wash them thoroughly to remove any debris or dust.
• Pour 3/4 - 1 Cup of Water for 1/4 Cup of Dhal.
• Pressure cook the lentils for 2-3 whistles on a high flame, lower the flame and cook for another 3 whistles. 
• Drain the cooked water and leave it aside.
• Soak Tamarind in water for few minutes and extract tamarind juice out of it.
• Add Chopped Tomatoes into the Dhal Water along with Tamarind extract and Rasam Powder.
• Boil this for about 5-8 minutes and leave it aside to cool down. 
• Mash the Tomatoes and remove the skin.
• Add mashed Tuvar Dhal, Turmeric Powder, Salt and Jaggery to the Tomato- Dhal water and allow it to boil for few minutes on a low flame.
• Heat Sesame Oil/Ghee in a pan, lower the flame, splutter Mustard seeds, Curry Leaves, and Dry Red Chillies.
• Saute Garlic cloves along with it.
• Add Asafoetida to the above and give a quick stir.
• Pour Tomato - Dhal mix to the seasonings and mix well.
• Finally, add mashed Tuvar Dhal, Jaggery and mix well.
• Switch off the flame, garnish with Coriander Leaves and immediately cover the Rasam bowl.
• Serve Paruppu Rasam hot with Rice.

NOTES :

• For more details on How to cook Beans, Lentils and Pulses, click here ... 
• Add some extra water to the cook the Dhal for Rasam.
• Seasoning Paruppu Rasam with Ghee gives a nice flavour to the dish, but it is truly optional.
• Adding Jaggery also is purely optional.
• Covering the Rasam bowl immediately after the seasonings are added is to retain and infuse the flavours into the Rasam.

KADAI CHICKEN MASALA

HOW TO COOK KADAI CHICKEN MASALA / KARAHI MURG

INGREDIENTS :

For Spice Powder :

To Garnish :

METHOD :

• Clean and Cut Chicken into small pieces.
• Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned under the 'for the spice powder' until fragrant on a low flame and keep it aside.
• Grind the dry roasted spices into a fine powder.
• Puree the Tomatoes and keep them aside.
• Heat oil/ghee in a pan, splutter Fenugreek seeds.
• Saute Ginger-Garlic paste until fragrant.
• Add finely chopped Onions and fry them until translucent.
• Add 1/2 the amount of ground Spice powder, Turmeric, Red Chilli Powder, slit Green chillies and mix well.
• Add Tomato Puree to the above Mix and give a quick stir.
• Leave this on a low flame until raw flavour goes and oil separates from the curry.
• Now add Chicken pieces, salt and enough water for the chicken to cook. 
• Cover and cook until chicken turns soft and tender.
• Add Capsicum slices and cook for few minutes.
• Finally, add ground Cashew paste, Sugar into the gravy and leave it on a low flame for few minutes.
• Finally, sprinkle the remaining freshly ground Spice Powder and give a quick stir.
• Garnish it with Coriander Leaves and Kasuri Methi.
• Serve hot with any type of rice dishes like Pulaos, Biriyanis or Steamed Rice.
• Goes well with Roti, Naan, Kulcha, Parathas, Chappatis etc.,

NOTES :

• Can marinate the chicken pieces with turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and 2 Tbspns of curd for 30 minutes.
• Dry roast the spices in order as I have mentioned in the list. (smaller spices tend to brown sooner) 
• Adding freshly ground Spice Powder gives an enhanced flavour to the dish.
• Adding Capsicum is optional.

SPINACH STIR FRY/BAYAM GORENG

HOW TO MAKE SPINACH STIR FRY / BAYAM GORENG

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

• Wash the greens and allow it to drain in a colander.
• Cut them into long strands discarding the hard stalks and roots.
• Heat the pan with oil over high heat.
• Add Dried Red Chillies and toss them for few seconds until then fluff up.
• Add minced Garlic and stir-fry for about 10 - 15 seconds till fragrant(should not be browned).
• Toss in the Bayam along with a dash of Salt and a pinch of Sugar, stir-fry in quick strokes. 
• When the Bayam starts to wilt, add Oyster Sauce/ Light Soy Sauce and give a quick stir.
• Remove from fire and serve it immediately.
• Goes well with plain fragrant rice or along with any rice/noodles recipe.

NOTES :

• Do not add extra water to the dish.
• Water from the Greens should be sufficient to keep them moist until cooked.
• Do not cover the pan while cooking.
• Stir fry the greens/ bayam on high heat for a short time.  This will retain its nutrients and keep them fresh, green and crunchy. 
• Do not brown the garlic, as they would tend to give a bitter taste to the dish. 
• Adding Sugar will help in retaining the colour of the vegetable.

NOTES :

HOW TO MAKE NYONYA ACHAR / PERANAKAN MIXED VEGETABLE PICKLE

INGREDIENTS :

For the Rempah (Spice Paste) :

To Saute and Mix :

METHOD :

• Cut Cucumbers into thin strips, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over it and leave it aside for about 15-20 minutes.
• Clean, Peel and Cut Carrots into thin strips.
• Cut Long Beans into 1' long pieces.
• Boil Rice Wine Vinegar along with 1/2 Cup of Water, a dash of Salt and a teaspoon of Sugar. 
• Blanch Carrots and Long beans in the vinegar mix for a few minutes.
• Remove the vegetables from the vinegar mix and allow them to dry on a clean kitchen towel.
• Squeeze the Cucumber to remove any excess water and dry them along with the other vegetables.
• Cut Pineapples into thin strips and keep it aside.

For the Rempah (Spice Paste) :

• Soak Dried Red Chillies in hot water for 10 minutes.
• Heat a pan and Dry Roast Belacan(Dried Shrimp Paste) until aromatic.
• Grind it along with other ingredients mentioned under 'for the Rempah' into a fine paste.
• Heat Oil in a pan and saute the Rempah Paste on a low flame until oil separates from the mix and it turns aromatic for about 10-12 minutes.
• Add Rice Wine Vinegar, Salt and Palm Sugar to the spice paste and mix well.
• Saute it until the spice paste turns a bit dry.
• Switch off the flame and add the vegetables and pineapples to the above and mix well.
• Can add toasted Sesame seeds to the pickle if preferred.
• Store them in clean and dry Porcelain/Glass/Ceramic Jars.

NOTES :

• Blanching, drying and squeezing process, gives a crunchy texture to the vegetables.
• Adjust the salt and chillies as per your taste preference.
• Can substitute Red Chilli Powder instead of Chillies and Turmeric Powder instead of fresh Turmeric. 
• Can use canned pineapple for the recipe. 
• Initially, the spice paste wouldn't be enough to cover all the vegetables.
• Next day press the pickle well into the jar and mix well, the pickle tends to ferment by time and release some water.
• Also, the vegetable gets soaked up well into the spices and releases a perfect blend of flavours.
• Avoid using steel/aluminium/copper containers for storing the pickles, as they tend to react with the acidic nature of salt and vinegar
• Store them in clean and dry Porcelain/Glass/Ceramic Jars.
• Always use clean & dry spoons(preferably wooden spoons) for the pickle.
• Wet Jars/spoons can spoil the pickles as the moisture in them helps in the growth of Fungus.
• Allow it to cool completely before storing it into sterilized bottles. 
• Refrigerate the pickle.  It can stay good even with less oil and preservatives. 

CHUTTARACHA THENGA CHAMMANTHI

INGREDIENTS :

 METHOD :

• Heat Oil, roast the Dry Red Chillies until they fluff up.
• Add Shallots and saute it until they turn translucent in a very low flame.
• Add Curry leaves, Ginger, grated Coconut and fry until coconuts are dry and turn into a slight golden colour. (Care should be taken not to burn the ingredients).
• Add Tamarind and Salt to the above ingredients, fry until they are dry.
• Allow this mixture to cool.
• Grind it into a smooth paste in Mortar and Pestle or in dry blender jar.
• Do not add water while grinding. 
• Roll the ground ingredients into a ball and serve.
• It's a perfect match for Kanji(rice gruel/porridge) or serve it along with Kerala Rose Matta Rice. 
• Goes well with Dosa, Idli and Vellayappam too.

Notes :

• Can also do this with coconut slices.  If using coconut slices, roast them first, as they will take a longer time to fry. Then add the rest of the ingredients one by one.
• Adjust the amount of Red Chillies and Tamarind to your preference. 
• Tamarind Paste serves best for the recipe.
• If using normal tamarind, remove seeds and threads if any and shred it into small pieces and add it into the mix. Do not soak Tamarind in water for this recipe.
• Traditionally all the ingredients are dry roasted over direct flame and finally, tamarind and salt is added along and ground to a thick paste.
• This is a dry chammanthi, grinding it with mortar and pestle (Ammikkal) yields best results.
• Can use a small blender(mixer-grinder) to grind this too, if needed can add few drops of water to the mixture.
• Roll the ground ingredients into a ball and serve. 
• If preferred, drizzle few drops of coconut oil over the Chammanthi.