Easy Broccoli Stir fry | Easy Broccoli Poriyal | Easy Broccoli Upperi

Love quick fixes and love broccoli? Then this is the recipe for you. Actually you cannot call this a recipe as such, it is more like a salad kinda dish with a basic salt-pepper dressing. And this is how my mom makes broccoli at home. She says Indian spices do not go well with broccoli and so she never uses ginger-garlic paste or garam masala while making them. And I too agree and follow her while making broccoli. You can serve this as a side dish with dry or as a sabzi for your chapathi as well. So let's see this simple recipe today :)

Recipe Source: Ma

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 2-3 persons 

I Used:

Broccoli	-	100 gms
Onion	-	1 medium sized - chopped
Tomato	-	½ of a medium sized one - chopped
Pepper Powder	-	2 tsp (As Needed)
Salt Turmeric powder	- -	As Needed ¼ tsp

The Way:

1. Clean and cut broccoli to small bite sized florets

2. Parboil the broccoli. This step is optional. If you want to parboil, in a saucepan heat water. When it starts to boil, add the broccoli florets along with salt and turmeric powder and reduce the flame to medium. Leave it for about 5 minutes. Then switch off the flame and drain the water

3. In another pan, heat oil. Add the chopped onions and saute

4. When they turn translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and saute

5. When the tomatoes are almost cooked, add in the pepper powder and salt. give a quick stir

6. Now add the par boiled broccoli and stir well. Leave it for 2-3 minutes. Then switch off the flame and serve. If you have not parboiled the broccoli florets, then add the broccoli and sprinkle some water. Close the lid and cook till done. Stir and sprinkle water (if needed) in between to see that it does not get burnt 

Cheers,

Chitz

Chena Upperi | Chena Mezhukkupuratti | Kerala Style Elephant Yam Stir Fry

Do you like recipes that are ready in a jiffy or do you love elaborate cooking process and the satisfaction that you get from it? I do love elaborate cooking but i'm quite lazy nowadays ! So ready in a jiffy seems to be doing great in my vocabulary for now :D Maybe the effects of running day long behind my toddler ;) Well, anyways there was a stage in my cooking days where I was scared of dishes that used minimal ingredients.. You know, you have to get the dish right with those limited number of spices or ingredients. And the actual taste lies in using those ingredients subtly ! Well, I wouldn't say I am completely past that phase but I'm way better from where I started :) 

And talking about ready in a jiffy and minimal ingredients, this recipe does justice to both those terms. We use pretty much the same process for many of the stir fries like this yam, raw banana, chinese potato, potato and likes.. It is a fast recipe and elephant yam (chena) can actually make you feel better on days when you do not eat non-veg right? So as I would like my non veg roasts, I serve this stir fry also with some moru curry and pappad :) So check out the recipe and thank me later for saving your time packing lunches on a busy morning :)

Recipe Source: Mil

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons 

I Used:

Chena/Elephant Yam	-	1 cup heaped (after cutting to cubes)
Salt	-	As Needed
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Coconut Oil	-	2-3 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Curry Leaves	-	2-3 sprigs

To Coarsely Grind:

Shallots	-	10 nos
Garlic	-	5 medium sized pods
Red Chilly	-	2 nos

The Way:

1. Clean chena/elephant yam by removing the outer skin and rinsing it well in water. Then cut them into bite size cubes (1 or 1/2 inch according to your preference)

2. Pressure cook them long with salt, turmeric powder and a little water (less than 1/4 cup) for 1 or 2 whistles till cooked. Do not keep for more than 2 whistles else it will become mushy. Good variety of yam gets cooked in 1 whistle

3. While the yam is cooking, take grated coconut, shallots, red chilly and garlic in a mixer jar and give a coarse blend. 3-4 pulses is sufficient. Do not grind to a smooth paste

4. Now take coconut oil in a kadai/pan. Splutter mustard. Then add curry leaves

5. Then add the coarsely ground coconut - shallot paste. Saute for 3-4 minutes till it's cooked and the raw smell of the garlic and shallots goes off

6. Now add the cooked chena/yam and give a gentle stir. Allow it to simmer for another 3-4 minutes till it's mixed well. Then remove from fire and serve

Serve with red rice, moru curry and pappad!

Cheers,

Chitz

Cheera Thalippu | Cheera Thalichathu | Spinach Gravy (without dal)

Amaranthus cooked in starch water

I know amaranthus or spinach is healthy and by now you must be knowing that my family is a popeye family except me. I eat amaranthus only because it is healthy and not because I like it :D And today's recipe is from my mil. Deeps loves when the spinach is made like this. It is very similar to the Cheera Thoran but only difference is this is made like a gravy for rice and for the gravy instead of using dal, starch water is used. Not heard of before? Even I didn't before getting married ;) It is very easy to make and can be made in a jiffy. If your folks are tired of eating spinach with dal combo, try this way!

My other spinach recipes are Cheera Parippu Curry, Cheera Thoran, Sirukeerai Paruppu Masiyal, Vallarai keerai Poriyal, Chembila Mezhukkupuratti, Chembin Thandu Parippu Curry & Palak Paneer

Recipe Source : Mil

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons 

I Used:

Spinach/Amaranthus/Cheera Coconut Oil	- -	3 cups - chopped 2-3 tbsp
Shallots	-	6-8 nos
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Salt	-	As Needed
Rice cooked water/Starch water	-	As Needed (I used 2.5 cups)

The Way:

1. Slice the shallots and keep aside. And rinse the spinach in water 3-4 times to remove the mud and other impurities and drain them. Then chop them finely and keep aside

2. In a pan heat coconut oil. Add the sliced shallots and also break the red chillies into two and slit the green chillies and add them as well 

3. Saute them well until they turn colour to slight brown

4. Now add the starch water or the rice cooked water to it. Allow it to come to a boil

5. Now add the chopped spinach to it and give a nice stir. Close the pan and allow the spinach to cook in low flame. It will take around 10-15 minutes for the spinach to cook. 

6. Check in between to see if the starch water is sufficient for the gravy. if you find it's less add accordingly. The amount of starch water is completely your choice and depends on how thick/thin you want our gravy to be. If you do not have or do not want to use starch water you can use water instead or else half and half of starch water and normal water

7. When the spinach is cooked switch off and serve with rice and a side dish of your choice !

Cheers,

Chitz