Happy New Year Wishes and Christmas pics!!

Hope You all had a wonderful Christmas ! My Son's vacation in on so I am on the move:) Ooty to Hyderabad and then B'lore!! Thought of sharing some pics and wishing all of you " A Very Happy and Prosperous New Year. Hope this new year brings more happiness in everyone's life.

This would be my last post of the year:)

Charing Cross Ooty


Home Made Chocolates which are very famous!









The famous Christmas Plum Cake















Christmas Procession of Santa Claus


People dressed in a Lovely way and in the middle "Mother Mary sitting with little Jesus"



This is Hyderabad Central Mall


Will be back with more pics next year !!

Brinjal-cranberry beans gravy

This recipe is inspired from Sailu's Vankaya Gasagasala Kura. She tempted me so much with her pics that I had to make them. I did not get the lovely colour which is in her gravy though:(. I did a slight variation by adding fresh cranberry beans which is famous in Ooty. The locals here grow them and make a special curry with it(Will blog about it later). This beans makes any curry so flavourful!




Ingredients

1 cup fresh cranberry beans
6-8 baby brinjals, washed and sliced
1 medium onion sliced
1 1/2 tbsps oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
a pinch of roasted methi/fenugreek/menthi pwd
a pinch of roasted cumin pwd
3 tbsps khus khus/poppy seeds, roasted and ground to a paste
1 1/2 tbsps jaggery
1 lemon sized tamarind, pulp extracted
Fresh chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Preparation

Wash and pressure cook the beans for 2-3 whistles.
Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp oil, to this add the sliced brinjals and roast them till soft and brown on both sides. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds and as they splutter, add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add ginger garlic paste and saute, Add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the roasted khus khus(poppy)paste, tamarind extract and jaggery and cook on medium high flame. Add salt, red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, coriander pwd, cumin pwd, roasted methi pwd, combine well and cook till the oil comes out of the mixture. If the mixture is too thick you can add 1/2 to 1 cup of water.
Add the roasted brinjal slices and cooked beans and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or till the gravy turns thick. Turn off heat, garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with rice or rotis.
I was cooking for first time with poppy seeds and thanks to Sailu, My family enjoyed the curry!

Baingan ki kadhi ( Eggplant in yogurt gravy)

This kadhi becomes flavourful because of the use of Panch Phoron( mixture of five kinds of seeds).

Ingredients

10-12 baby brinjals cut length wise
1 1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
4 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp onion seeds
4 dried red chillies (broken into halves)
handful of curry leaves
a dash of asafoetida
salt to taste

Preparation

In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, gram flour, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste and 2 cups of water. Set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add brinjal pieces and saute on medium heat till soft and cooked. Remember the brinjals should retain shape. Drain and set aside.
In the same pan add 2 tbsp oil, add fennel, mustard, cumin, fenugreek and onion seeds. When the seeds start spluttering add red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves. To this add the yogurt mixture and stir. Cook, till the kadhi thickens, stirring continously.
Add sauteed brinjals and bring the kadhi to boil.
Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

Plantain masala curry (dry)

Ingredients
2 large Plantain
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
2-3 green chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
handful of curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp split black gram dal (husked)
a dash of asafoetida
2 dry red chillies
2 tbsp oil

Preparation

Boil the palntain in a pressure cooker along with the skin for 3 whistles. After it cools down, remove the skin and mash the plantain roughly.
Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil, and temper with mustard seeds, split black gram, chana dal, curry leaves, asafoetida, red chillies and green chillies.
To this tempering add coconut on low heat, when it changes colour to slightly golden, add the mashed plantain, salt, turmeric, coriander powder, amchoor powder and chilli powder and mix well. Cook this for 10 minutes on low heat covering with lid till all the flavors blend well. If you do not cover, the plantain tends to get very dry. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve with rice or rotis.

Tomato-kothmira pachadi(Tomato-Coriander chutney)

Ingredients

1 cup fresh coriander leaves (washed and roughly chopped)
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium lime sized tamarind
2 tbsp split black gram dal (husked)
4 -6 dry red chillies
2 green chillies
1 tsp jaggery (optional)
salt to taste
2 tsp oil

For tempering
handful of curry leaves
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp split black gram dal (husked)
4-5 fenugreek seeds
a dash of asafoetida

Preparation

Heat a pan and add 1 tsp oil. On low heat add coriander leaves and saute for 2 minutes till the leaves get soft. Remove the coriander leaves from the pan and set aside. In the same pan heat 1 tsp oil, add split black gram dal and fry till golden ,turn off the heat and add redchillies, green chillies and tamarind. If you wish you can even cook the tomatoes slightly in oil till the rawness is gone. You can also reduce the amount of chillies if you wish.
Grind together, coriander, tomato, tamarind and fried dal mixture, salt and jaggery into chutney.
Temper it with the given ingredients and serve with rice, idly or dosa.

A trip to the Jungle!

Evening sky outside my house...



We had been to the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary and here are some captures:)
This picture we were getting deep into the jungle (safari):)



Spotted some deers!


Pretty peacock walking by ...

Baby elephant kept safe from public so that it does not get infected...

mommy elephant:)

this little monkey snatched a packet of chips from the tourist.... and gave them a panic...


while we were getting down the ghat roads....

Makhana-Khumb ki subzi ( Lotus seed- mushroom curry)

Ingredients

1 cup Phool makhana/lotus seeds
1 cup button mushrooms
2 large onions sliced
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 green chillies slit lenght wise
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp cashew paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp Kalonji (onion seeds)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 tbsp oil
salt to taste
fresh chopped coriander for garnish
1 tbsp of fresh cream for garnish

Preparation

Heat a pan and add 1 tsp oil. Fry the makhana on low heat for 2 minutes till it changes colour slightly. Turn off heat and set aside. Heat another pan with 2 tbsp oil. Add fennel seeds and kalonji. When the fennel seeds change colour, add green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute. To this add onions and fry till golden. Add tomato puree, cashew paste, salt, all the masala powders except garam masala and cook for 5 minutes till oil is out of the mixture. Now add makhana, mushrooms and 1 cup water and cook till all the flavors blend well. Check to see if the Makhana has become soft form inside. Top it with garam masala and garnish with fresh coriander and fresh cream. Serve with rotis or naan.

Drumstick leaves curry

This is a very delicious and healthy curry which is served with rice!

Ingredients

2 cups drumstick leaves
1/3 cup chana dal
1/2 cup onions (finely chopped)
2-3 green chillies (slit length wise)
2 tsp tamarind pulp (optional)
1/3 cup grated fresh coconut
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
a dash of asafoetida
salt to taste
2 tsp oil

Preparation

Clean the leaves by removing the stems carefully since the stems do not digest very easily. Wash and pressure cook the leaves for one whistle. Wash and cook the chana dal in one cup of water till its soft.
In a pan heat oil and temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and green chillies.
To this add onions and fry till golden. Add drumstick leaves, coconut, chana dal and salt and cook on low heat till all the flavors blend together. You can add tamarind pulp if you want the curry to be little tangy. Cook till the miosture dries up and serve warm with rice!