Black Eyed Peas (Lentil) and Brocolli Curry

A healthy Wholesome Meal

Black Eyed Peas

You can either buy the cans or soak it about 4 hours earlier.

I soak the beans.

You will need

2 cups of Black eayed peas (Soaked for atleast 4 hours) and drained

2 Tomatoesv(chopped)

1 Onion (chopped)

7 Cloves of Garlicv(chopped)

2 tsp of oil

1/2 tsp of Pav bhaji masala (yes pav bhaji masala) You can use any masala you have on hand and that you want to finish.

1 and 1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of jeera

So take a kadai and add oil to it,

add the jeera to it, and

once the jeera starts to get cooked,

add the onions and garlic and saute for just 5 minutes,

keep moving the onions and garlic around so they dont get too brown,

add the tomotoes now and add about a cup of water.

When the water starts to boil, pour this in to a pressure cooker and with a hand blender and puree this.

Add the salt and the masala powder and then the drained beans to it and give it a whistle or two and Enjoy!

(If you don't have a hand blender, think about getting one or use you regular mixer or food processor to make the gravy.)

This whole process takes about 15 minutes.

A great tasting and healthy dal is ready to eat!

The hand blender is very useful since you dont have to take a mixer or food processor to do the job.

You can even mince some G Chillies if you want to increase the Spice Level..

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Brocolli curry

You will need

2 medium heads of brocolli (chopped)

1 small onion (Sliced)

6 cloves of garlic (Finely Chopped)

1 tsp of oil

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp jeera

In a kadai, add oil, jeera and then the onions and garlic, once the onions start to wilt add the brocolli and add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and the salt and sautee for 10 minutes.

Mix it well and serve hot!

Pickles...............

Curd Rice and Pickles were MADE FOR EACH OTHER!!!!


My sister was in chennai recently and bought back these two homemade pickles.


The first one is Maagaani Kizhangu (Sarsaparilla Root) Pickle. Smells and tastes delicious. My aunt has made this. I will get the exact recipe and post it here. This is available in December and January in South India. It has a very pungent smell and only a (lucky) few like to eat it and smell it!! This is an acquired taste.
You can take some in a small jar and mix it with curd or buttermilk and keep for a week and eat it, or eat it just the way it is with curd rice. HMMM Delicious!

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This is Naarthangai. My Grandma made this and sent it over.
If you buy store bought then it will be very salty.

But this is homemade, so the salt is just right and of course tastes VERY GOOD!!
My children love to chew on it and eat it. This is also an acquired taste. If you like sour things, you will like this. This has some medicinal value. You can chew on this if you have an upset stomach or feeling puky. I keep this always in my purse for long distance driving, for my kids if they get motion sick.

Upma Kozhukkattai and Kathrikkai Gothsu

My Entry for Vegetable of the week for creativepooja.blogspot.com

This is one of the recipes I made for my golu dinners.

One of the most easiest and tastiest dish.

This is basically Rice upma, but made in a slightly different way.

Kozhukkattai means "modhak" or "dumplings ". There is no stuffing inside this, but since it is in a kind of ball or oval shape, it is called kozhukkattai. I learnt this from my Mother in Law, Mrs Meena Ganesan.

For the Upma Kozhukkattai you will need

A steamer, A kadai.

I used my electric rice cooker, it has a steamer attachment.

1/2 Cup Cream of Rice

2 to 3 tsps oil

1/2 tsp of mustard seeds

2 Green Chillies (slit)

1 Red Chillies

About a handful of coconut, cut in tooth shaped pieces

curry leaves, two strands

1 tsp hing

1 and 1/2 tsp of salt (Depends on your taste)

1/2 tsp of Black pepper (Broken in pieces but not finely ground To acheive this you can do it in a mortar and pestle, incase you dont have one, don't fret, get a nice stone, one which will fit in the palm of you hand. Wrap the peppers in a towel and break them with the stone.)

Method

-> a kadai, add oil

->add mustard seeds once the oil is hot

->When the seeds start to sputter, add the Green Chillies, Red Chillies, Black Pepper, Coconut and Curry leaves annd hing,

-> fry for a little time and then add about 1 cup of water

-> Once the water starts to boil, switch the stove off and add the cream of rice slowly so as not form lumps, and then add salt.

-> mix it thoroughly, and it should be thick

-> Do not worry about cooking it since we are going to steam this.

Let it be in the kadai, and close it.

Prepare to steam the upma.

Take a steamer, I use a cloth inside the steamer so it will not get dry.Shape the upma in balls and neatly stack them in your steamer. You may use you idli steamer but make sure the balls dont get smashed by the idli plate. Steam for 15 minutes.

This dish goes best with Brinjal or eggplant Gothsu.

You will need

2 tsp oil

1 big Italian eggplant or 6 small Indian eggplants

1/2 tsp mustard

2 Green Chillies

1 Red chillies

1 strand curry leaves

1/2 tsp hing

1 small ball sized tamarind soaked in 1 cup of water, (extract the water)

Roast the Brinjals in an open fire on your stove or in your oven.

Please look at Baingan Bharta to roast them in the oven. (Do not add the garlic to it.)

Method

In a Kadai, add oil, and then afdter the oil is hot enough, add the mustard,

once the mustard seeds start to sputter, add the chillies and curry leaves and hing.

Turn the stove off.

Scoop out the insde of the brinjals and mix them (with your hand) with the tamarind juice.

Once the eggplant is fully mashed and mixed, add this to the kadai mixture and turn the stove on just to heat the mixture, but not BOIL. This will be done in two to three minutes if you have a gas stove, add salt and take it out and serve with the upma. ENJOY!