Fudge Brownies

Hey all hope you all are doing well. Following all the protocols of staying home and staying safe. Not venturing out unless absolutely necessary. The past couple of years have been tough for all and we all have to stay strong. It’s the need of the hour.

Many have lost their near and dear ones. Every day we hear about losing someone close, everyone is affected and we all are a losing a part of ourselves with the people we love the most and hate to lose. There is light at the end of the tunnel, this too shall pass. Life won’t be same although but one day we will look back at this phase.

I know I have been missing for long now. Just that i somewhere lost the zeal to cook something new and share. Even now not much has changed but the thought of keeping myself busy and engaged so that the negativity won’t seep in I thought of coming back with some recipes.

Maybe for someone’s birthday/ anniversary or just to indulge yourself or your family, celebrate someone’s recovery you might try this recipe and love baking.

This one is easy to put together with minimal ingredients. A couple of chocolate bars lying around would be enough to make this delectable dessert.

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Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
• Chocolate : 1.25 cup (See Notes)
• Castor Sugar: 3/4 cup (See Notes)
• Butter: 100 gms
• Chocolate pieces to top up

Method:

• Melt the chocolate along with butter.If on gas use double boiler method or just melt them in low flame for a couple of minutes. If using microwave heat for 1 minute.
• Preheat the Oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.
• Give the chocolate butter mixture nice stir and blend them well by adding castor sugar.
• Add the all purpose flour and mix well. The batter should be thick like a idli batter.
• Transfer in baking pan, lined with parchment paper for easy removal, top with some chopped chocolates and bake in preheated oven at 180 degree for 35 minutes.
• Serve warm.

Notes:

Chop the chocolates roughly and then proceed with the recipe. If dark chocolates not there simply use any diary milk or any other chocolate.

If you don’t have castor sugar just blend sugar in a mixer and use.

Easy Kurma

There are days when we fall short of veggies and all we can think of is to whip something that can be made easily with available ingredients. This one is a sure shot keeper recipe. Made without onion and garlic this one tastes yum even then.

The other day I had few beans, paneer pieces ,carrots and potatoes . I decided to make this mix veg kurma. Just added a few potatoes for quantity and they were amazing when paired with rotis and a simple Pulav.

Do try this recipe and share your feedback on the same.

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Ingredients:

• Potatoes: 1 cup sliced horizontal like for french fries.
• Carrots, Beans, Paneer, Green Peas : 1.5 cups (mixed) even frozen would work
• Milk: 1 cup
• Green Chilies: 2-3 slit
• Garam Masala: 1 tsp
• Salt as needed
• Oil/Butter : 2 tbsp
• Whole spices: 1 bayleaf, 2 cloves, 1 tsp cumin seeds , cardamom 1,and cashews a few(cashews optional feel free to omit if running out)

Method:

• Heat a pressure cooker, add the sliced veggies and fry them golden brown.
• Remove them in a tissue, in the remaining oil/butter add the spices, chili and fry till aroma wafts.
• Now add the veggies back, add peas, milk, salt, garam masala and bring them to boil.
• Cook for 1 whistle and allow the pressure to release naturally.
• Serve hot with roti/pulav,

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Pumpkin Olan

A simple side dish made regularly in Tam Brahm houses, making this one is a breeze. Amma makes it as a dish and mix with rice and eat too just as awesome as it can. Also can be paired with Sambhar/Rasam this one is a regular in Sadyas.

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The recipe is pretty simple and straightforward with minimal ingredients but full of flavors. Healthy coz of the veggies and almost minimum oil used. Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Red Pumpkin : 2 cups diced
• Lobia: 1 cup soaked overnight
• Green Chilies: 1-2 slit
• Coconut Oil: 1 tsp

Method:

• Heat water and boil the pumpkin with a pinch of turmeric and salt till cooked firmly.
• Pressure cook the lobia with salt till it becomes soft.
• Mix both of them in a pan add little water as needed. Add the slit green chilies and coconut oil and give a stir.
• Serve hot with rice.

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Notes:

White pumpkin can be used in place of red or even white and red together with red chavli can be used to make this.

Coconut milk can be used instead of water in the end for consistency. It elevates the flavor of the dish.

Instant Bhel

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The other day I was craving for something tangy, spicy and cribbing to mom about how the lockdown has deprived me from the simple joys of life. I had the puffed rice, sev, onions and tomatoes. But was too lazy to make the chutneys for the bhel.

I kept ranting and suddenly mom presented a bowl of bhel. Yeah, simply tasty and very easy with the available ingredients. It tasted yum without the chutneys too. All she did was added some available spices and trust me one of the best jugaadu (makeshift) bhel eaten in recent times.

Just try to believe it.

Ingredients:

• Puffed Rice: 1 cup
• Onions: 1 finely chopped
• Tomato: 1 finely chopped
• Red Chili Powder:1 tbsp
• Tomato Sauce/ Ketchup 2 tbsp
• Sev: as needed
• Coriander Leaves: 2 tbsp finely chopped.
• Chaat Masala: a pinch
• Coriander Leaves: finely chopped for garnish

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients well in the order of ingredients mentioned. Give a nice stir and eat immediately.
• Even Murmura comes handy for this bhel.

Thakkali Vendakai Pachadi

This is one of my mother in laws recipe. Pair with some Curry/Poriyal a simple meal is ready. The combination of tomatoes and Vendakai (Bhindi) makes it a different from regular Sambhar. Try this and I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

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Ingredients

• Tomatoes: 2 ripe ones
• Vendakai (Bhindi): 1 cup chopped roughly
• Tamarind extract: 2 cup
• Jaggery: a small piece

To Grind:

• Coconut: 1/4 cup
• Green Chili: 2
• Dry Red Chili: 1
• Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp

To Temper:

• Oil : 1tsp
• Urad Dal : 1tsp
• Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves: a spring (optional)

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Method:

• Chop the vegetables roughly, add the tamarind extract and cook till raw smell goes and the vegetables are cooked.
• Grind the “to grind” items to paste with little water.
• Mix the paste with the veggies, add salt and jaggery.
• Temper with “to temper” items.
• Serve hot with rice and poriyal.

Spicy Aloo

Potatoes, a versatile vegetable which blends well with any other vegetable and elevates the dish. But potato on its own too makes amazing side dishes. From being in gravies to like dry sabzis or even roasted ones, its hard to resist a potato fry.

We love potato in all forms, fried, roasted, sautéed, fasting versions. 😀 The most amazing side dish for a rasam rice or dal rice. Pair it with either of these and a soul food that makes your heart happy.

The recipe I am sharing today is just too easy. A basic recipe which cannot go wrong. A life saver. Something which only needs the spices readily available.

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Ingredients:

• Potatoes: 3
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
• Urad Dal: 1 tsp
• Chana Dal: 1 tsp
• Hing: a generous pinch
• Curry Leaves: a spring
• Red Chili Powder: 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
• Salt as needed

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Method:

• Boil the potatoes. Mash or chop them.
• Heat oil add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and hing.
• Throw in the curry leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt.
• Sauté them in a low flame and add the mashed/chopped potatoes.
• Cover with a lid and allow the spices to blend with the potato and it sticks a little to the pan.
• Serve hot with rice dal/rasam or even stuff with bread and make amazing sandwiches.

Peanut Sundal

One of my favorites. Navratri is most favorite time of the year when ladies used to have fun. The color for the day, the haldi kumkum, the golu hopping ,the chanting of Lalitha Sahasranamam, the occasion to dress up..It brings back a plethora of emotions and memories.

Missing those simple things which we took for granted then, this year with everything virtual, makes me wish if we could even taste the sundals and the vetalai pakku vitrually. Sigh 😦

Today I am sharing Peanut Sundal recipe. Easy to make, can be done in a jiffy if missed soaking the chana. Full of proteins and good nutrients also makes a yummy snack or side dish for lemon rice or curd rice. You can check my other sundal recipes here

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Ingredients

• Raw Peanuts: 1/4th cup
• Coconut grated: 2 tbsp
• Green chili :1-2
• Hing a pinch
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
• Salt as per taste

To temper :

• Oil : 1 tbspn
• Urad dal: 1tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1tsp
• Curry Leaves: a spring
• Green chili: 1-2 (Adjust according to spice level desired)

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Procedure:

• Soak the peanuts in a bowl for 20 mins and pressure cook for 1-whistle with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Grind the coconut plus green chili and keep aside.
• Heat a pan add ” To temper”, turmeric powder  and then the boiled peanut and corn and fry for a minute.
• Add the coconut, chili paste, check for salt.
•  Serve.

Note: A best snack to binge on if you wish to diet, just a bowl of curd and this sundal and a meal is sorted. ( Ssssshhh a secret ;D

Pumpkin Potato Kootu

A simple yet effective recipe which I tried and was loved by all. Pumpkin Kootu is a regular in many Tam Brahm house holds. Kootu is a very simple side dish that is an amalgamation of some veggies and coconut green chili paste.Cooked and thickened to the desired consistency it is served with rice or chapatis.

Since I had a small piece of pumpkin left which was more than required for sambhar and less for a poriyal, I opted for this kootu recipe. I just added some potatoes and they made a great combination. Feel free to opt out the potatoes and make only pumpkin kootu. Or you can even use Poosnikai and Yam/Raw Banana and make this kootu.

Ingredients:

• Red Pumpkin: 1 cups diced
• Potato: 1 cup diced
• Salt to taste
• Rice Flour: 1 tsp
• To Temper:
• Coconut Oil : 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds:1 tsp
• Urad Dal: 1 tsp
• Dry Red Chili: 1-2 broken
• Curry Leaves: a spring
• To Grind:
• Coconut: 1/4 th cup
• Green Chilis: 3-4 (Depending on the spice prefered)
• Milk: 1 tbsp

Method:

• Wash and chop the veggies. Keep aside.
• Grind the “To Grind” ingredients smoothly in a paste.
• Heat a pan, add the “To temper” items and allow to fry.
• Add the veggies and little water and pressure cook for a whistle.
• Allow the pressure to release automatically and then add the grind paste and give a nice stir.
• Check for salt and then add the rice flour mixed with little water if needed for the deired consistency.
• Serve with Rasam Rice or Chapati.

Jhatpat Bhindi

One of my non favorite dish is Bhindi 😦 I simply cannot eat. Not a big fan of this yet we make this regularly atleast once a week since husband and kiddo is a fan of this sabzi.

A humble no nonsense sabzi which doesn’t require much effort and can be made in minutes. Also versatile as it can be made with rice and rotis alike.

Without much ado shall share the recipe.

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Ingredients:

• Bhindi (Ladies Finger/ Okra) : 15-20 washed cleaned and chopped
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
• Urad Dal: 1 tsp
• Hing: a pinch
• Curry Leaves: 1 spring
• Turmeric: 1 tsp
• Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp
• Garam Masala: 1 tsp
• Salt: as needed
• Curd: 1 tbsp

Method:

• Wash the bhindi, dry and chop in roundels.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing,curry leaves and saute well.
• Add the chopped bhindi, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt.
• Saute well and then add curd , give a stir and close the lid and allow to cook for 10 -12 minutes.
• Check once in between for doneness and sprinkle the garam masala and give a nice stir.
• Serve hot with rotis / rasam rice.

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Notes:

One more variation is to add some garlic to the tempering and proceed with the recipe. This addition is for people who love the garlicky flavor.

Instant Rava Oats Dosa

Weekly Recipe

A simple easy to make quick and healthy dosa recipe when you run out of the regular batter or simply plain lazy to grind one or make an elaborate dinner. Simple ingredients put to use and within minutes the delicious dinner is ready. Serve with chutney/ sambhar or podi tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

• Rolled Oats: 1 cup
• Rice Flour: 1/2 cup
• Rava : 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste
• Curry Leaves: a spring
• Butter Milk: 1 cup (See Notes)
• Pepper Corns: 1 tsp (crushed)
• Green Chilies: 1 -2 finely chopped
• Water: as needed

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Method:

• Lightly roast the oats, cool them and grind them in a fine powder.
• Transfer in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Cover and rest for 30 mins to an hour.
• Add more water and dilute, it should give the lacy look when poured on tava.
• Heat the tava, wipe with oil and then pour the batter from a distance. Start from the edges fill the gap till the centre.
• Add oil to the sides and allow to cook in medium to low heat and flip when the sides turn golden brown.
• Serve hot and crisp.