Pudina Verkadalai Chutney | Mint Chutney | Mint & Peanut Chutney

Roasted mint & peanut chutney with green chilly & garlic

Some of the very simple, hassle free recipes can be very powerful & add the extra zing to the other main dishes on the platter, right?? For instance pickle, I wouldn't say preparing them is hassle free, but it's very simple with minimal ingredients, but that adds life to the hot piping biriyanis na. And pappad, raita are some others in this genre which brings in an extra zest to the rich and elaborate dishes. In that line, is this chutney. Very healthy coz no coconut at all. My mom finds ways to avoid coconut & coconut milk, rather replace I should say !! Peanuts are the apt replacement for coconut in chutneys. Gives you the crunchy bite & a special aroma & an awesome taste. Pair this up with idly or dosa and you have the perfect sidekick. Or roll it over chappathi. I have it even with rice porridge. So shall we dive into the recipe?

The other chutney recipes that might interest you are 

Onion Tomato Kara Chutney

Easy Onion Chutney 

Pudina Chutney (without coconut) 

Mint Coconut Chutney
Red Coconut Chutney

Recipe from Ma

Yields : 1 cup (3-4 persons)

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

I Used:

Mint - A bunch (around 25-30 sprigs) Peanuts - 3 tbsp Green Chilly - 2 nos Garlic - 2 cloves Tamarind - a pinch Asafoetida - ¼ tp Salt - As Needed Oil - As Needed Mustard  - 1 tsp

The Way:

1. Pick the mint leaves from the sprigs, rinse them in water and keep aside
2. In a pan heat oil. Add the peanuts, green chillies, garlic, tamarind & asafoetida and roast them till they turn into a little golden color
3. Do not over-roast them. When done, keep aside
4. In the same pan roast the rinsed mint leaves. This may take about 30 seconds to a minute. The leaves will all shrink. Then remove the pan from flame
5. Grind together all the roasted ingredients except mint leaves. When the peanuts are half ground add the mint leaves and give the final blend
6. In a pan heat little oil. Splutter the mustard seeds and add it to the ground mint chutney

Cheers,

Chitz

Awards, Awards & more awards

I am very very elated & excited to tell you guys that four more wonderful & talented bloggers have bestowed upon me the 'Liebster award'. If only emotions can be transformed to words !! I am very grateful to you guys for having for recognized & appreciated me by passing on this award. 

Those four awesome bloggers are 

1. Rani of Rani's Gourmet - who has an awesome collection of mouthwatering Kerala recipes & more 
2. Preeti Jaipal of Kitchen Delicacies - hop on to her space for a colorful platter, the very sight of it which makes you wanna go and prepare them and have them right away. And believe me, her recipes are mostly very simple & powerful 
3. Priya Sahasranaman of Goddess of Spice - it's not just a food blog, you can find many other interesting links like crocheting to some kids creations & some worthy articles about shopping, festivals etc etc. Hop on to her place for more fun 
4. Vidhya Viju Govind of a Portion to Share - a perfect place for perfect buns, breads, cakes, savories & more.

As I had already talked about myself a lot in one of the previous Liebster post, I am leaving a link here. I am sure this is a long list of I, Me, Myself down there & most of you would find it boring to read the whole thing, but as a respect to those who awarded me, I am answering all the questions (repeated questions omitted :) )

 

11 questions for me from Rani
1. What inspired you to start a blog?

    Free time, boredom & the realization that I was idling away my time doing nothing useful  

2. What is the best food you ever had?
    I cannot pin point on one particular dish, there are many actually. My mom's gulab jamun, my best friend Paru's grand-ma's pazhampori, the authentic Portugese pastries that I had from Lisbon after waiting for it in the queue for quite a long time
3. Name one dish you always love to cook
    Anything with Chicken
4. Which one would you prefer going for a picnic with your friends or with relatives? Why?
     Both are fun in their own ways. Wild fun with friends & calm relaxing fun with relatives
5. Which type of movie do you prefer realistic or fiction?
    Believable Fiction
6. Which is your favorite holiday spot?
    Always close to my heart is Kerala, but any place with a beach would suffice
7. Where do you prefer to live a  city or in a village?
    Village
8. What is one device you wish to be in your kitchen?
    I don't wish to become any device. But would love if I can grind things the traditional way instead of using mixer & grinder
9. What is your dream in your life?
    Lead a simple humble life & be the reason for a smile in others life

11 questions for me from Preeti
1. Do you watch TV shows?  If so, which is your favorite?
    I do not watch TV as such. But would download & watch some series. 'Castle' & 'Bones' are the current favorites & 'Friends' is an all time favorite
2. What beauty product you cannot live without?
    My Kajal
3. What you always aspired to be? Are your aspirations met?
    I aspired to be a scientist during my high school days. And before that a doctor, a   teacher and many more. But all time wish was to become a psychologist, but cannot go    back now I guess. Anyways I am happy doing what I am now 

4. What is the most exciting thing you’ve ever done?
    Go-Karting
5. Which is your favorite recipe from your blog?
    Spring Rolls
6. What’s your favorite thing to have for dessert?
    Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream
7. Your favorite shopping destination?
    Quite a few actually. Convent Road @Kochi, EA @Chennai, Hounslow High Street @London   

8. Sports or academics, your pick?
    Always academics. I suck at sports

11 questions for me from Priya
1. What is the craziest thing you ever did?
    Some outings with friends were always crazy    
2. If not a food blog, what?
    I always wanted to start on something innovative & informative, more like article or feature based ones, but side tracked and enjoying with my food blog now
3. Where do you get your inspirations for cooking?
    From my mom, childhood culinary experiences & online browsing
4. Which chef influences your cooking the most?
    My mom & Deeps, whom I see live :P If it's from any specific shows or videos it's Gordon Ramsay 
5. Who is your best critic?
    Deeps, my hubbie
6. What would be the first thing on your bucket list?
    Always onions & tomatoes (Guessing  this is the grocery list)
    Realised that I made a blunder after seeing Pavithra's comments ;)
    Bungee Jumping
7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
    My lethargy
8. Name your favorite author or book?
    J.K. Rowling & Harry Potter (I love the magic world)
9. Which is your favorite place to hang out with friends?
    Barista
10. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
      Am a night owl
11. Which cuisine is your culinary strong point?
      Chettinadu 

11 questions for me from Vidhya
1. Why do you blog?
    Because it makes me feel that I am doing something worthy. And I feel very happy when others also enjoy some good recipes that I too enjoyed
2. You love to cook and have people over or do you prefer to buy food to entertain guests?
    I love to cook, never would I want t0 I buy food
3. What is that one magic ingredient you love when it comes to cooking?
    Salt - It makes or breaks the dish
4. Who do you hold close to heart at all times?
    Suchi my sis & Deeps my hus
5. If you had one day to do all that you ever wanted to do, what would they be? 
     Read books that are pending for a long time
6. What do you do when you are all alone ?
     Clean the house, grab a cuppa coffee & browse
7. What would you like to receive as gifts irrespective of the occasion?
    Handbags
8. One effective tested and tried kitchen tip you would like to share with the world.
    Soak shallots in water for 15 minutes before you peel them. It comes off in a jiffy then
9. What is your favorite childhood memory?
    Me & my sis ogling when my mom prepares some exotic dishes
10. Do you wish you could turn back the clock? If so, why?
      There are so many things that I wish I could do by turning back time. But that would  become more complicated. So let it be the way they are. Nothing happens without a reason 

11 nominees

Please find your questions here

Amrita Roy of Motions & Emotions
Bhawna Bagri of Simply Delicious 
Biny of Biny's Recipes
Humri of Gheza-e-Sheriin
Jeya Jemini of My Style of Recipes
Kannda Cuisine
Nagashree of Sattvaa
Pavithra of Potpourri
Pramitha of Pramitha Love Cooking
Reni of What's Cooking
Suchi Sm of Easycooking 

Cheers,
Chitz

Nei Choru | Ney Choru | Malabar Neychoru | Ghee Rice

Rice cooked in ghee & layered with fried onions & nuts

 Come the long weekends & it's always the heavy one pot rice varieties with spicy non veg gravies.. Asking me why?? Guests, get together, quiet family dinner - name it, we have everything. And this one is no different. Day before it was Veg pulav, today it's Nei Choru & tomorrow it's Chicken Biriyani !! Ahaa, yeah all planned and implementing to the plan :D 

'Nei chooru' - this is yet another name that makes me drool. A very popular dish in Kerala, particularly the Northen Malabar side. Most of the Muslim weddings would be incomplete without this lip smacking, aromatic rice. It is quite simple to prepare and guarantees you a rich flavor & aroma. This used to feature in my college hostel mess once every week, usually during Sundays. Accompaniment was Spicy Chicken gravy & raita signed off with a glass of lime juice.. Ohh my God.. Heavenly!! And an afternoon nap with an overfilled tummy following that. What more can you ask for during college times, right??

And as many other recipes, I never ever dreamt that I would prepare this one at home. It was my mom-in-law who taught me how to make this. The way she described itself made me quite confident that this is 'As easy as an apple pie' task (though I have never tried to prepare an apple pie :P ) Then there was no stopping me, this one now features in our menu quite often.

And if you ask me the best accompaniments for this I would say any spicy  non veg curry (I personally love chicken) would go with it.  But recently I read in one another blogger page that dhal goes very well this is. I am but yet to try that combo. Am sure this would make some of the vegetarians out there very happy :) So off to the recipe now..

Recipe from Amma (Mil)

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 40 minutes

I Used:

Basmati Rice - 2 cups Onions - 3 nos - big sized - sliced Water - 4 cups Ghee - As needed Cinnamon - An inch stick Cloves - 4 nos Cardamom - 3 nos Cashews - 15-20 nos Raisins - 15-20 nos Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Oil - 2 tsp Salt - As needed

The Way:

1. Boil the 4 cups of water
2. In a pressure cooker, heat 2 tbsp of ghee. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom
3. As it starts to sputter & release its aroma, add the washed & cleaned rice. Fry for a minute
4. Add the oil, lemon juice and the boiling water
5. Now close the cooker & pressure cook for just 1 whistle and remove immediately from flame. Or to be more precise, switch off the flame when the cooker starts making screeching noises just before the first whistle and allow it to stay in that heat for 10 more minutes
6. Heat a pan. Add ghee. Roast the cashews & raisins & keep aside
7. Fry the onions in the same ghee till golden brown
8. To serve the rice, alternate the fried onions & nuts with the layers of cooked rice 

Serve with parippu/dhal or with spicy chicken curry.

Cheers,

Chitra

Butter Beans Masala | Lima Beans Masala

Butter Beans sauteed in onion & Indian Masala

'Man proposes, but God disposes'.. Wanted to post something on the sweeter side, as my dearest mom turned a year older today. Had planned on a good dessert, but somehow it didn't turn out as I expected. It tasted well. But the texture did not come out correctly & hence when I presented it on the plate to take out some snaps, it was all wobbly gobbly. Ahh, I shouldn't be talking much on this now.. Maybe coz my mom is on a super duper diet & not much into sweets now a days, this could be what you call a hell of a coincidence. Effects of cosmic karma :P Now I should totally stop !!! Many more happy returns of the day my dearest mom :D ;)  So here I go, posting yet another simple, healthy recipe that she passed on to me..

Lentils & legumes..There must be hardly any, who hate them totally. The lentil/legume stir fry or curry is an essential part of my diet & it appears at least three times a week :) Only the overnight soaking part comes as a difficult thing to remember, else it is very easy to prepare these protein stuffed health goodies. As the last few posts had been very elaborate & time consuming, here I go with a simple one..

Recipe from Ma

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 persons

I Used:

Butter beans - 1 cup Onion - 1 (medium -  chopped) Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - ½tsp Garam Masala - 1 tsp Clove - 1 no Cinnamon - a small stick Oil - 2 tsp Salt - As needed

The Way:

1. Soak butter beans in enough water overnight
2. Pressure cook the soaked beans with salt and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add clove and cinnamon
4. When it starts to splutter & give out the aroma, add the onions. Saute till it starts to turn colour
5. Add ginger garlic paste to it. Saute till the raw smell goes off
6. Now add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala & salt. Adjust the quantity of salt accordingly, as the butter beans is already boiled with salt
7. Toss in the boiled beans. Give a nice mix and allow it in stove for a few more minutes for the masala to be coated well with the beans
8. Garnish with coriander leaves 

Linking to event CWS - Dals happening at Priya's

Cheers,

Chitz

Vegetable Biriyani

'Biriyani', the mention of this word alone is enough to fill my mouth with water sufficient to sail a ship !!! Back at home this is not a very frequent dish. Mom used to prepare this maybe once in a month or so.. But once you are abroad or living with a group of friends the scene shifts completely rite?? I am not completely certain of the reasons, but this dish will find its way at least once a week or many a times more than that. Can be the lack/shortage of 'Thalapakattu Biriyani kadai' or other wonderful restaurants that serve you this, in every other street of the city where you live. Or the very pride that you feel in front of your friends when you are done with the preparation & the aroma fills your home.. And most importantly, this one 'one pot meal' along with a simple raita is enough for your Sunday menu or when friends come along for a casual weekend get together. So anyways, the reasons are plenty and so is the way in which this awesome food is prepared.

And the version here is one which I learned from Deeps.. My mom makes the biriyani in slightly different styles, maybe I would post that sometimes later. Of all the homemade biriyanis that I have had, I would given Deeps' version the numero uno position. I simply love the correct blend of the spices & masala.. More importantly, the rice doesn't get burnt or stuck to the bottom of the pan nor does it break. You can see the long grains of the rice coated with masala inviting you very dearly.. Ohh my.. I am literally drooling writing this up. And mind you, veg biriyani was never in my list when there is a never ending palette of chicken, mutton, prawn etc etc etc biriyanis. But believe me, I started loving veg biriyani also very much, after I laid my hands on this version.

But there was only one disadvantage.. Every Sunday, I would be his apprentice and clean up chicken or cut vegetables and he would be the chef. And I did not  learn how to make this. That's when the realization stuck me. Then, there was no stopping.. I donned the hat of the chef, learned and made it on my own. Yes, it came out very well and hence it has found it's way onto this space now. Over to the recpie..

Recipe from Deeps:

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 40-45 minutes

I Used:

Basmati Rice             -  3 cups Water                      -  5 ¼ cups (3 * 1 ¾ cups) Onion                       -  3 nos (medium sized) Tomato                    -  1 no (medium sized) Carrot                      -  2 nos (medium sized) Beans                       - 15-20 nos Potato                      -  2 nos (medium sized) Green Peas               -  ½ cup (I used frozen ones) Mint leaves               -  10 sprigs Coriander leaves       -  10 sprigs Green Chilly                    -  2 nos Ginger Garlic paste    -  1 tbsp Lemon juice             -  ½ a lemon's Cinnamon stick         -  1 inch piece Cloves                     -  4 nos Cardamom               -  3 nos Bay leaf                   -  2 leaves Chilly powder           -  1 tsp Coriander powder     -  2 tsp Turmeric powder     -  ½ tsp Biriyani masala          -  1 tsp Garam masala            -  1 tsp Ghee                      -  As needed Salt                        -  As needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the rice and soak it in water
2. Cut the vegetables - onion, tomato, carrot, beans & potato into thin slices
3. Defrost the green peas
4. Separate the mint leaves from the sprigs
5. Chop the coriander leaves & green chillies
6. Heat little ghee in a pan. Add the sliced carrot, beans & potato and fry for a few minutes. This is for the veggies to remain intact & not break when we add rice. Keep this aside
7. Heat ghee in the same pan. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom (remove the pods & add the seeds inside), bay leaves (crush them before adding) and saute
8. When the combined aroma of the spices start coming, add the sliced onions. Saute the onions till they become soft & oil separates from them
9. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off
10. Now add tomatoes & green chillies and saute till the tomatoes become soft
11. Add the ghee tossed vegetables, green peas & half the mint leaves
12. Add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, biriyani masala & salt. Add one cup of water and mix well
13. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are almost done
14. Once the vegetables are soft and cooked, add rice and the remaining 4 ¼ cups of water
15. Add garam masala, lemon juice, coriander leaves & remaining mint leaves and mix well
16. Now taste the mix for salt and hotness. Adjust to your taste buds accordingly
17. Cover the pan and cook in medium fire for 15 minutes
18. After 15 minutes check if the rice is done and water has evaporated completely. Else  reduce the flame further and cook for another 5-10 minutes (It took me 5 extra minutes)
19. You can see that the rice has neither stuck to the bottom of the pan & nor has broken down. Long beautiful grains of basmati rice gives the biriyani a rich look
20. Once the rice is done, off the flame and leave the pan in the heat of the stove till you serve

Notes:

• Rice : Water ratio of 1:1 ¾ works perfectly well for me. I use India Gate basmati rice for making this biriyani

Linking to the event Cook Like a Celebrity Chef event by Food Corner

Cheers,

Chitz