Vanpayar thoran:

This is a quick,easy, yummy & healthy dish. The only part that I dont like is that we need to plan well ahead for this dish. Soaking the payar for 6-8 hours really matters. At times I ve tried various other short cuts like soaking it in hot water for 1 - 2 hours or pressure cooking it for longer time etc.. You can get it cooked well in all ways.But the perfection comes only when you soak it for a longer time.

This pairs best with rice & moru curry or with Kanji . But I love to have this even with chapathi or puttu.

Ingredients (Serves 3 to 4):

Red gram                    --   1½ cup
Turmeric powder   --   ½ tsp
Chilly powder          --   ½ tsp
Coconut                      --   ½ cup
Cumin seeds              --   ½ tsp
Garlic                           --   2 to 3 pods (optional)
Shallots                       --   2 to 3
Mustard                      --   ½ tsp
Red Chilly                   --   3 to 4
Curry leaves             --   2 - 3 springs
Salt                               --   to taste

Preparation:

Soak red gram for 6 to 8 hours. Wash and cook it in a pressure cooker with turmeric powder and chilly powder.

Coarsely grind together coconut and cumin with a pinch of turmeric powder.

      

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the red chillies and curry leaves.Add the finely chopped garlic(optional) and shallots.

Add the ground coconut mixture and fry for a minute.

Now add the cooked lentils to this, mix well and switch off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or kanji.

Achinga Payar Mezhukkupuratti / Long Beans Stir Fry

Ingredients (Serves 3 - 4):

Achinga Payar / Long Beans  --   250gm
Turmeric Powder               --   ¼ tsp
Chilly Powder                     --   1 tsp
Shallots                                 --   2 - 3 (optional)
Mustard seeds                    --   1 tsp
Red chillies                          --   2
Curry Leaves                      --   1 sprig
Oil                                            --   2 tbsp ,  I use coconut oil
Salt                                          --   as required

Preparation:

Clean and cut the payar/beans; almost 2 inch . In a pan, add the cut beans, turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt and half a cup of water and let it cook until soft. Add more water only if required - we want the beans to be completely dry, by the time it is cooked. Keep aside.

Heat oil in another pan. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the curry leaves and broken dry red chillies. Add the chopped shallots, if using and saute until the shallots are brown.

Add cooked beans and mix well. Keep it on a low flame for few minutes, until any remaining water gets dried.

Serve hot with rice.

Potato Bonda

Ingredients (Makes 20 medium sized):

Potato                        --   4 medium sized
Onion                         --   1 small
Green chillies         --   3-4
Turmeric powder --   ¼ tsp
Mustard seeds       --   ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds           --   ¼ tsp
Curry leaves           --  3 -4 leaves
Oil                               --  2 tbsp

For the cover:

Besan / gram flour --  ¾ cup
Rice flour               --   1/8 cup
Chilly powder      --   1 tsp
Asafoetida / Kayam --   ½ tsp
Baking soda          --   ½ tsp
Salt                           --   as required
Water                      --   ½ - ¾ cup

Oil                            --    as required to deep fry

Preparation:

Clean the potatoes and cook them in a pressure cooker adding enough water. Or cook the potatoes as you do, preferably without peeling.

Peel the cooked potatoes and mash it.Keep aside It need not be mashed to very smooth consistency - depending upon how you like to bite them :)

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds Let it splutter. Add the cumin seeds. Then add the finely chopped onions and thinly chopped green chillies and salt. Saute until the onions are slightly brown. Add the thinly chopped curry leaves and turmeric powder. Saute for couple of minutes.

Add the mashed potato and switch off the flame. Mix and let it cool.

Give a good mix with your hand and make equal sized balls out of it. Keep aside.

Mix all the ingredients for the coating.Add water little by little and make the batter. The consistency of the batter should be medium thick - like dosa batter, if you are familiar with it.

Heat oil in a deep pan, preferably a deep & wide kadai. Once the oil is really hot, reduce the flame to medium.

                     

Dip the potato balls in the batter, roll it around to have an even coating and deep fry. Turn the bondas only after couple of minutes, once the coating really sticks to it. Otherwise, the spoon might tear the coating and oil gets into it.

Fry until the cover is golden brown as shown.

Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Beef Biriyani

Ingredients:

Beef Masala:

Beef                                    --   ½ kg ( cut into big pieces)
Onion                                --   2 medium size
Green chilly                    --   4 - 5
Ginger                               --   1 inch piece
Garlic                                 --   8 - 10 cloves
Tomato                             --   1 big
Turmeric powder         --   ½ tsp
Chilly powder                 --   2 tsp
Coriander powder         --   1 tsp
Pepper powder               --   1 tsp
Garam masala                 --   2 tsp
Bay leaves                        --   1
Cloves                                --   3
Cinnamon Sticks            --   1 inch piece
Oil                                        --   3 - 4 tbsp
Salt                                      --   as required
Mint leaves chopped   --   ½ cup
Coriander leaves chopped --   ½ cup

Rice:

Basmati Rice           --   3 cups
Water                         --   6 cups
Cinnamon                --   2 piece.
Cloves                       --   4
Cardamom              --   2
Bay leaves               --   2
Whole pepper        --   1 tsp
Ghee                                   --   3 tbsp
Lemon Juice                   --   4 - 5 tbsp
Cashew nuts & raisins  --   as required
Salt                                      --   as required
Mint leaves and Coriander leaves chopped --   ¼ cup (both together - for garnishing)
Garam masala        -- 2 tsp

Preparation:

Beef Masala:

Clean and cut the beef into medium size pieces.

Marinate it with salt, half of garam masala and pepper powder and keep aside.

Grind the green chillies, ginger and garlic to a course paste.

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and add the bay leaves, cloves and the cinnamon sticks. Saute for few seconds and then add the green chilly - ginger - garlic paste. Saute for a minute or until it starts turning light brown and add the thinly sliced onions.Saute until they are brown and mushy.

Add chilly powder, coriander powder,turmeric powder and garam masala and saute until the raw smell goes off. Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute until they are slightly mushy.

Add the marinated beef pieces and mix well. Add few drops of water if required and also add salt. I switch off the flame and keep this for 10 - 15 mins, before cooking.

Cook for 3 - 4 whistles(depending upon your cooker) until the beef is done. Open it once the pressure is released completely.If there is excess gravy, cook with the lid open until it has a semi thick gravy. Add the chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves and give a good mix.

Rice:

Wash the rice and drain it in a strainer. Keep aside for 10 - 15 minutes so that the water is completely drained off.

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a deep pan. Add cashew nuts. Fry until light brown. Add raisins.Let it puff up. Drain it and keep aside.

Add the whole spices. Fry for a minute or two.Add the strained rice.Meanwhile keep the water to boil. Fry the rice until the water boils. Once the water boil, pour it into the rice and mix. Add required amount of salt and do a salt check on the water. Close the pan and let it cook on a medium flame. The rice will completely absorb the water and will be cooked to 90%. Do not let the rice cook 100% as it ll be overcooked after the dhum process.  Let it cool. Spread the rice on a flat platter to cool it quickly. Use a fork to spread. Using a spoon might break the rice.

Assembly:

Take a heavy bottomed pan or an oven safe dish, if baking. Spread the ghee at the bottom. Generously spread the first layer of rice. Sprinkle some garam masala and chopped leaves. Add some nuts and raisins. Sprinkle some lemon juice.(You can also add the lemon juice while cooking the rice. This is to make the rice softer.) Then add the masala. Top it with rice and the garnishing. Repeat this until the rice and the gravy is used. Make sure to top it with the rice and the garnishing. I use a flat pyrex dish and hence have only 3 layers – rice – gravy – rice.

Preheat the oven to 250 F. Cover the dish tightly with an aluminum foil and  bake it for 25 mins. If using a vessel, on stove top, layer and cover it with a tight lid ,and keep it on the top of a heavy tawa and heat it for 10-15 minutes.
Mix it well and serve with raita, pappad and chammanthi.

Prawns Stew

Ingredients (Serves 4 - 5):

Salad Shrimp / Small prawns --   250 gm
Potato                               --   3 - 4 medium size
Carrot                               --   1 medium size
Red Onion                       --   1 medium size
Ginger                               --   2 tbsp,thinly sliced
Garlic                                --   2 tbsp,thinly sliced
Green Chillies                --   2-3
Cardamom                      --   1
Cloves                               --   2
Cinnamon                       --   1" piece
Curry leaves                  --   1 sprig
Thick Coconut Milk     --   1 cup
Thin Coconut Milk       --   1 cup
Black Pepper powder --   1 tbsp, freshly made preferably
Coriander leaves          --   2 - 3 sprigs
Oil                                       --   2 tbsp, preferably coconut oil
Salt                                     --   as required

Preparation :

For the coconut milk: We need half of a coconut grated. Thick milk is usually extracted by squeezing coconut with your hands, or pulsing in a blender couple of times, adding a quarter cup of hot water. For thin coconut milk, add about ¾ cups of water to the squeezed coconut and blend it in the mixer. Strain it.

I used canned coconut milk. 1 cup of thick coconut milk = ¾ cup of canned milk + ¼ cup of water. 1 cup of thin coconut milk = ½ cup of canned milk + ½ cup of water.

Clean the shrimp and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker heat oil and add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and sauté for a minute.

Add the finely chopped onions, ginger, garlic and slit green chilies and saute until the onions turn translucent.

Add the shrimp, diced potatoes, diced carrots and curry leaves and saute for few minutes until the water is completely evaporated. Add the thin coconut milk and pressure cook until the veggies are cooked.

Now add the thick coconut milk. As soon as the mixture starts to boil take it off from the stove. Garnish with pepper powder.and chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with appam / bread / ghee rice.