Dhingri matar – A guest post

October 8, 2013February 22, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

It’s a guest post for a dear friend Avika from “A day through my life“, who I met here in the blogosphere. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have met her and she really has a great space with some mouthwatering Kerala recipes and others. Her recent post of Unniyappam did keep me drooling over. Thank you Avika for sharing your space for my post. Its been wonderful meeting you. God bless.

Well not talking any further and over to Avika’s for the recipe I share – “Dhingri matar”and browse through her space for some really mouthwatering recipes.

Chicken xacuti

October 4, 2013January 10, 2015 | Rekha Vengalil

Cooking up something new gives me a high and this curry was no less exciting. A spicy hot Goan curry made from a blend of interesting spices. A recipe from my sister’s MIL and I had to do away with one of the ingredient mentioned, as poppy seeds are banned in Singapore. Nevertheless, the curry tasted great, and the whole family loved it. Indeed very happy with my first go at Konkan cuisine!

You need –

Chicken – 750 grams. Cleaned, washed and cut into bite-size pieces.
Grated fresh coconut- 3/4 cup
Garlic – 3 cloves
Spices
- Whole dry red chilies – 4-5 or per taste
- Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon
- Black peppercorns – 1 teaspoon
- Fennel seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- Carom seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- Cloves – 2
- Cinnamon 1 inch stick
- Star anise – 1
Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
Onions,- 1, finely sliced
Salt to taste
Grated nutmeg – a pinch
Tamarind pulp – 2 teaspoon
Oil – 1 tablespoon or as required
Salt to taste

How to –

Heat a pan and dry roast the grated coconut till light brown. Remove and set aside. In same pan dry roast all the ingredients under spices till fragrant, Allow to cool and blend them along with the grated coconut, garlic into a smooth paste with water as required.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, sauté the onions till translucent. Add the ground coconut-spice paste and cook till oil starts to separate., Tip the chicken pieces and sauté over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of water, tamarind pulp, nutmeg, salt; mix and bring to a boil.

Turn the heat to low. Cover and cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is thick (you may add water to adjust consistency of the gravy as required).

Turn off the heat and serve hot with rice/roti.

Cherupayar curry

August 29, 2013October 18, 2016 | Rekha Vengalil

Kerala’s mung dal/ green gram curry is preferred with Puttu (steamed ground rice breakfast dish of Kerala , a combo made in heaven according to my hubby. Well for me the two are sure my favorites but not the combo. I like my puttu with banana and sugar and the later with rice. But being true to my roots, I do like to savor puttu with the curry once in a while.

You need –

Mung bean – 1/3 cups
grated coconut – 1/3 cup
Coconut milk – 1/4 cup
cumin seed – 1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
green chilies – 1-2, slit length-wise
Shallots – 3-4, finely sliced
Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
dried chili – 1
curry leaves – 1 stwig
coconut oil – 1 tablespoon
salt to taste

How to –

In a blender, put the grated coconut, cumin seeds and whiz to a fine paste; adding just enough water. Set aside.

In pressure cooker, cook the payar/mung been with green chili, turmeric powder and add water a required. Once done, uncover and keep the heat over medium heat.Stir the coconut paste, salt and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, (add water to adjust the consistency of the curry if need be) few curry leaves; bring to a gentle simmer and turn off the heat.

In a small pan, heat the oil. add the mustards seed and once they start to pop add the curry leaves and dried chili. Sauté briefly. Add the chopped shallots and cook till golden brown. Turn off the heat and add this to the curry and mix well.

Serve hot with Puttu , rice or roti.

Dal Palak

August 15, 2013February 2, 2015 | Rekha Vengalil

You need –

Mung dal/split pigeon peas – 1/2 cup
Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Water – 1 – 1.5 cups or as required
Spinach – 1 bunch, chopped
Black mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
Garlic – 2-3 cloves, minces
Ginger – Minced, 2 teaspoons
Tomatoes – 1 small, finely chopped
Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

How to –

In a pressure cooker, add the lentils, chili powder, turmeric powder, water and cook till done. set aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and once they start to sizzle, add the onion, ginger and garlic. Stirring continuously till the onions turn translucent. Now tip the garam masala and cook till fragrant. Add the tomatoes and stir from a few seconds.

Add the cooked dal, salt to taste and water too adjust the constancy as required. Stir in the spinach, cover and cook till the spinach is cooked through about 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Bagara baingan

July 21, 2013April 25, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

Wonder if you would believe if I said that eggplant is one of my favorite veggie and I have just one recipe out of my `185 posts. Well it’s decisively, as the man hates it. And the lazy I, as you know hates to cook for self.

After a long pondering, I decided to cook eggplant yesterday and got the man to promise he was going to have it too. So decided with the baraga baingan of Hyderabad, where the egg plant is cooked in such a bracing way. Hyderabad, a foodie’s paradise as it’s also known and unfortunately I have never visited the place. But happy enough that I have got to taste some of the best Andhra cuisines back in Bangalore and here in Singapore, Andhra curry is a favorite spot.

The city of Nizam’s is sure a foodie’s paradise and this curry is truly fit for the kings. The best eggplant curry I have ever had where the eggplant is cooked in a blend of aromatic spicy sauce. The man was happy though he had just one eggplant but the gravy was gobbled away. Happy me and I am going to make this often 🙂

Over to the recipe, Bagara Baingan a Hyderabadi curry, where baby eggplants /bringal/ aubergine are cooked in a spiced coconut, groundnut and sesame paste.

You need –

Small eggplants/brinjal – 6 nos
Onion- 1 large, sliced
White sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon
Coriander seeds 1 1/2 teaspoon
Peanuts – 2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Grated coconut – 2 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds- a pinch
Ginger – 1 inch piece ,roughly chopped
Garlic – 4-5, roughly chopped
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
Tamarind – a small lemon size, soaked in 1 cup warm water
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garish

How to-

Wash eggplants well and make slits along the length making sure that the eggplant is held together at the stem. .Set aside.

Dry roast together coriander seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, cumin seeds, coconut and fenugreek seeds till fragrant and little brown. .Set aside in bowl. I the same pan dry roast onions till they turn are soften.

In blender, grind together the onions, roasted spices, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder to a very fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan/kadai/wok, and fry the eggplants till they are soft. Remove and set aside. In same pan, add the spice paste, mix gently and cook till the oil starts to separate. Now add the tamarind water and mix well. Add the fried eggplants, salt to taste. Cover and cook over low heat till the eggplants are fully cooked an the gravy is thick.

Turn off the heat. Garnish with coriander leaves Serve hot with flavored or just plain rice.

Chicken tikka masala

July 17, 2013April 25, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

The most popular dish around the world and much written of this dish over the years be its origin or authenticity, hence I am not getting into that. Truly I feel that this is a dish that has each chef’s influence along the way. Every time I have tried this dish it’s different. Even as I was browsing to look for recipe the list was enormous. So that also goes to show the popularity of this dish. It’s also Britain’s true national dish. Accordingly to a survey conducted in UK as per wiki, it is the most popular restaurant dish.

Well not talking any further, let’s get to the recipe. Adapted from the cookbook Food lovers “CURRY”. here’s my version of the Chicken tikka masala

You need –

Chicken – 1 kilo, cut into medium pieces
Tomato paste – 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Butter – 2 teaspoons
For the Marinade –
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
Yogurt – 1 1/2 cups ( I used greek style) beaten
Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons
Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Chili powder – 1 teaspoon (I used Kashmiri chili powder)
Paprika – 2 tablespoons
Black pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon

How to –

Clean and wash the chicken. Drain the water completely off.

In shallow dish mix together all ingredients under marinade Mix the chicken in and coat the chicken pieces generously with the marinade. Cover the dish with a foil. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or over night.

Preheat the oven 180 c. Line a baking tray with a foil and place the chicken piece on top and cook for about 35-40 minutes. Reserve the marinade. Halfway through brush the chicken pieces with the marinade and continue to cook. Remove and set aside.

Heat a pan add the butter and once heated through tip in the cumin seeds. Allow to crackle. Now add the tomato paste and cook till the oil start to separate. Add the reserved marinade, salt and cook for a 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes. You may add a little water to adjust the gravy. Turn off the heat.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with Indian flat bread, flavored rice or just plain basmati rice. I made coconut milk rice to go with this (will post the recipe soon).

With coconut milk rice…

Egg curry

July 4, 2013February 12, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

Doing up this post wasn’t easy as my laptop screen is half dead. Only half the screen is working! Grrr.. it was such a trouble trying to copy all my work and pictures to an external hard disk. I will have to share my hubby’s laptop for a few days I guess till I fix mine. Actually not sharing, but I am just taking it 😉

Moving to the recipe, here is a curry where egg is cooked in a thick creamy sauce. Every bite was savored. What’s more, It’s quick, easy and perfect with Indian flat bread or rice.

You need –

Eggs – 4, boiled.
Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
Garlic and ginger paste – 2 teaspoons
Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon or to taste
Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
Tomato – 1 large, finely chopped
Fresh cream – 150 mls
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped coriander, to garnish
Oil – 1 tablespoon

How to –

Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and cook till translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and continue to cook till the raw smell is gone.

Tip in the powders, salt and fry till the oil start to separate. Now add in the chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add about 2 tablespoon of water and mix well. Cook for about a minute.

Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer. This is a thick gravy but add hot water to adjust the gravy to your desired consistency. Add the boiled eggs and allow to simmer gently for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat.

Garish with fresh coriander and serve hot with Roti or Rice.

Kadai Chicken

July 1, 2013February 12, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

Here’s another dish that has been in my to-do-list for really long.. BTW my list is growing by the day. Wish there was a way to stop adding but as a food lover it seems next to impossible. So keep it growing!

One of my favorite, actually I like kadai paneer a little more though and hope to make that soon too. For some reason I like having this with bread. I feel the combo is just fantastic. May be you should try it and you’ll agree on that.

The recipe is adapted from nandinisfood.com. I have made a few changes to suit our taste.

You need –

Chicken – 500 grams, cut into bite size pieces
Tomatoes – 2 large
Onions – 3, thinly sliced
Garlic paste – 2 teaspoons
Ginger (finely chopped) – 1 tablespoon
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 1/2 teaspoon.
Yogurt – 2 tablespoon
Tomato paste – 1 teaspoon
Capsicum (I used red and green)- Diced, 1/2 cup each
Kasthuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves – 1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves – to garnish
Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
Ground peper – 1/4 teaspoon
Oil – 1 tablespoon or as required
salt to taste

For the spice mix:

Whole dry red chillies – 3-4 or to taste

Coriander seeds (whole) – 2 tablespoons.

Cloves – 1

Cumin seeds – 1/4 teaspoon

Peppercorn – 1/4 teaspoon.

Cardamom – 1

Cinnamon – 1 small stick

How to –

Marinate chicken with yogurt, garlic paste and chili powder. Refrigerate for an hour. Blend to fine powder all the ingredients under “spice mix” . Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Once cooled, peel the skin and puree.

Heat the oil in a kadai/skillet, add the dry spice powder and saute till fragrant. Add the onions and cook till translucent. Add ginger, tomato puree, paste and salt. cook for 3-4 minutes or till the oil start to separate. Saute till the tomato releases oil.

Tip in the marinated chicken, kasoori methi. Turn the heat to high and mix well for about 3-4 minutes. Add about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of hot water. reduce the heat to medium-low and cook covered, till the chicken is done. Stir in frequently.

Uncover, continue to cook till the gravy thickens. Add capsicum, coriander leaves, sprinkle garam masala and freshly ground pepper. Mix well to combine. Cook briefly.
Turn off the heat and serve hot with any roti, bread, rice

Peshawar style lamb curry

June 19, 2013February 12, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

This curry has been on my to-do-list for the last few months but somehow every time I buy the meat, I end up making the Kerala style curry. However last Sunday I finally made up my mind to give this a try.

It was something different and tasted great! I have never used gram flour in a curry before (at least don’t remember) especially with meat. But I loved the texture of the curry. Thick and creamy!

Recipe adapted from the cookbook Everyday Indian.

You need –

Lamb, boneless – 500 grams (cut into bite size pieces)
Onion – 1 large, thinly sliced
tomato – 1 small, pureed
Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
Thick yogurt – 100 mls, beaten
Coriander powder – 3 teaspoons
Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Chili powder – 2 teaspoons
Meat masala – 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Gram flour – 1 tablespoon
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
Cardamom – 2 nos
clove – 2
bay leaf– 1
Chopped fresh mint and coriander to garnish
Oil – 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste

How to –

Heat oil in a pressure cooker pan, add the whole spices and cook till fragrant. Add the lamb pieces and fry till they are brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Into the same pan fry the onions, ginger and garlic paste. Add more oil if need be and cook till the onions are translucent. Tip in all the powders including the gram flour; cook till the oil start to separate. Add the tomato paste and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Turn of the heat and add in the beaten yogurt and mix well. Return to the heat, add the meat, 1 1/4 cups of water, salt and mix well to combine. Pressure cook till done.