Aaloo Mutter / Potato Peas Curry

A North Indian dish, Aaloo Mutter is good to have with both chapathi as well as rice. The recipe i'm giving you is for a thick gravy. If you would like to have a thin gravy then you may increase the quantity of water by about 1/2 a cup. My recipe is made with dry peas which are easily available in grocery stores throughout the year and i'm cooking it in the pressure cooker.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Dry Peas - 1 cup ( wash and soak in water overnight)

Potato - 1 large ( wash, peel and cut into big cubesand soak in water for 5 mins to remove starch, keep them big or else they will disintegrate in the p.c.)

Jeera - 1 tsp

Onions - 4 nos. large, slice thinly

Tomato - 1 no. small size, well ripened and soft, chopped roughly

Corriander leaves for garnishing

Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp

Chilli pwd - 1/2 tsp

Corriander pwd - 4 tsp(heaped)

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Masala:

Green Chilli - 2 nos

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic - 5 cloves

Water - 3 tsp

Grind the above ingredients to a fine paste.

Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in the P.C. and add jeera seeds.

2. When they splutter add sliced onions and fry till transparent.

3. When the onions have turned transparent all the ground paste and fry for 5 mins on high heat or until the raw smell goes.

4. Lower heat and add turmeric, chilli and corriander pwds. Fry for just a minute.

5. Add tomatoes and mix well. Fry on medium heat for 2- 3 mins.

6. Drain the water in which you have soaked the potaoes and peas and add it to the masala. Mix well.

Add salt to taste.

7. Add water just enough to cover the peas. Close lid of the P.C. with weight on and look on medium heat untill you hear 2 whistles. If you are using the time method, first bring to full pressure on high heat and then cook for about 15- 20 min on medium heat untill you get the 2nd whistle. Let the pressure come down on its own.

8.Open the P.C. lid only after the pressure has gone completely( about 15-20 mins). Pour onto your serving bowl and garnish with chopped corriander leaves. Serve hot.

Chettinadu Mushroom Masala

This tangy and hot curry is my version of Chettinadu masala. It goes very well with chapathi's and parantha's especially potato parantha. Since its quite sour and hot it can easily pass off as a chutney and you may serve raitha along with it to tone down the heat in your food.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Mushrooms: 500 gms (2 packs), washed and chopped into quarters
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Long dry red Chillies- 2
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Masala:
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Peppercorns- 4 nos.

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Chana Dal - 1 1/2 tbsp

Corriander Seeds- 1 tbsp

Round dry red Chillies - 5 nos.

Garam Masala Pwd- 1/2 tsp

Roast the above ingredients with 1/2 tsp oil on low heat. Cool and make into a paste with:
 1/2 cup water
 1 tbsp of Tamarind paste (yes, you need lots of tamarind and that what gives this dish the "tang".)
 1/2 tsp Turmeric Pwd.

Method of Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, lower heat and add long dry red chillies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
2.Put in the mushrooms and fry untill well coated with oil.
3. Add the ground masala and salt. Mix well.
4. Add about 1/2 cup water and let the curry boil. Do not cover.
5.After 1 boil, lower heat and simmer untill the gravy become thick.
6. Serve hot with chapathi, roti or parantha's.

Theen Pulao

Multi -Tasking is the key to everything in today's world and it holds good for this recipe im giving you. If you read the recipe, it is very long. Dont get frightened though because all i have done is detailed out every task so that its easy for beginer's.

One day in all the early morning office hurry, i came up with this recipe of pulao with vegetables. My husband a non-veg food freak liked it so much he kept asking me to prepare it again. Made with all that was there in the fridge and with no interest in cutting and crying over onions, this pulao is made with 3 coloured pastes and 3 types of vegetables. Thats why the name "theen" = 3 pulao.Im giving you the recipe in exactly the same sequence that i did to save on time. So follow it carefully, especially the instructions on the heat for cooking. This will avoid burning your food !!!The key is to keep your veggies crunchy, so dont overcook them. The gravy in which you cook your rice and veggies is a rich sauce like consistency and that gives this pulao a unique flavour. So enjoy your "theen pulao".

Serves 6
Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1cup

Baby corn- 8 nos, sliced into coins

Carrot - 1 no., cut into cubes

Beans- 12-15 nos. cut into 1/2 "

Refined Oil- 3 tbsp

Salt to taste.

1. White Paste

Onions- 3 medium size

Garlic- 5 pods

Ginger- 1"

2. Green Paste

Corriander leaves- 1/2 bunch

Capsicum - 1 no.

Green chilli- 1 no.

3. Red Paste

Tomato- 1 medium size

Turmeric Pwd- 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Pwd- 1 1/2 tsp

Garam masala Pwd - 1/2 tsp

Corriander Pwd- 1 tbsp

You may substitute garam masala and corriander pwd with 1 tbsp chicken masala pwd.

Method of Preparation:

1. Cut all veggies and keep them ready. Its always better to do this before hand and refrigerate them.

2. Wash rice and soak in water.

3. Put all the ingredients for the white paste and mix in a blender till fine.

4. Heat oil in a kadai and pour in the onion paste. Fry on low medium heat.

5. Put all ingredients for the green paste and mix in the blender till fine.

6. Increase heat and let the white paste turns golden. Then add the green paste and fry again on low.

7.Meanwhile put your red paste ingredients into the blender and mix to a fine paste.

8. Increase heat and fry till the raw smell goes.

9. Add the red paste. Fry on medium heat for about 3-4 mins.

10. Add the chopped vegetables and mix untill well coated with masala.

11. Drain the water for the rice completely and add. Mix well and fry till the rice is well coated with the masala.

12. Add 2 cups of water and salt to taste. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 mins or untill rice is done.

13. Garnich with finely chopped onions, tomato and greens of spring onions.

14. Serve hot with raita or a wedge of lime.

Saada Pallya - Beans

Saada Pallya literally means Plain Vegetables. It is vegetables cooked in a minimum amount of water and then seasoned with oil. Simple, tasty, home cooked food, you may serve it as a side dish along with dal, sambhar or any curry and rice.

serves 6

Ingredients:
Beans- 2 cups (cut into small pieces excluding the ends)
Onion- 2 tbsp chopped fine
Coconut(grated)- 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds- 1/2 tsp
Long red chillies- 4
Curry leaves-4

Method of Preparation:
1. Wash the beans well in salted water.
2. Put in the onions and beans in a kadai, add salt to taste and water.(water should be a cm. less than the level of your beans. This avoids overcooking and keeps your veggies crunchy.) Cook covered on medium heat for about 10 mins till or untill the beans seem done. Cook on low heat untill the water has evaporated.
3. Heat oil in a small pan for seasoning. When hot add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Put off heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the cooked beans. Mix well and put off heat.
4. Add in the grated coconut. Mix well and serve hot.

Tips:. This is a common recipe that can be made with many other vegetables like cabbage, carrot, beetroot,long beans,snake gourd, green gram and even cashew nuts. My favourites are cashewnuts,cabbage and beans!