Kothimeera Pachadi/Dhania chutney/Coriander chutney

Kothimeera or coriander is the best known ingredient for garnishing, and must say the smell itself is so appealing that it makes one hungry immediately. Coriander chutney is probably another of the regularly made chutneys at home. It’s instant and short lived, more because we finish it off. While the whole of Andhra must and will make aavakaya during summer, Amma makes kothimeera pachadi for sure as it is nutritious and also cools the system. Thus kothimeera pachadi joins our list of recipes selected to beat the summer, a spicy inclusion though.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Ingredients:

Fresh coriander (Dhania/kothimeera) 2 bunches
Green chillies 4
Tamarind paste ½tsp
Refined cooking oil 4-5tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Black gram (uddi pappu/urad dal) 1tsp
Red chillies 2
Pinch of Asafoetida (hing)
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and chop 2 bunches of fresh coriander. Slit the green chillies

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mukudu), Heat half a tsp of oil, add the chopped coriander and sauté till half cooked.That takes around 2 min on medium heat. The coriander will change color slightly and that will do. Set aside to cool.

Fry the slit green chillies in the same manner as above in a drop or 2 of oil. Set aside to cool.

Grind to fine paste: coriander, green chillies, half a tsp tamarind paste or a pinch of tamarind as available and a pinch of salt. (If a sweet taste is preferred a pinch of jaggery will also do. This is however optional) Sprinkle water if required.
Now in the same pan, heat 1tbsp oil, add mustard seeds and as they pop, add black gram, red chillies and a pinch of asafoetida.

As the tempering is done, add the chutney and stir for 5 mins till it thickens and absorbs the seasoning. Adjust the salt and spice if required. Store in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Kothimeera pachadi can be had with any Indian bread and rice. It is also a yummy sandwich spread. It also supplements many of evening snacks. But our way of having it is to mix it with rice and a tsp of oil, dip it into rasam and gulp it down.Yummm.

Bakala bath and Dadhojanam (Curd rice)

Yoghurt is probably the best known healthy coolant. Curd rice is a delicacy by itself, especially in south Indian homes. Curd rice is a must in all menus. It is the last serving of the meal and is said to cool the system and help in digestion. Normal curd rice is just mixing rice and curds and gulping it in. Its flavored curd rice that we are sharing here. While dadhojanam is the Andhra way of making flavored curd rice, Bakala bath is karnataka’s speciality. Infact dadhojanam is also distributed as prasadam in most of the temples including TTD.


Ingredients:

Cooked Rice 2 cups
Curds 1 1/2 cup
Fresh cream 2tsps
Milk(Optional) 2tsps

Bakala Bath:

Pomegranate seeds ½ cup
Green grapes ½ cup
Black grapes ½ cup
Raisins ½ cup
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds 1tsp
Black gram (Uddipappu/urad dal) 1tsp
Red chillies 2
Curry leaves 5
Chopped Coriander 2tsps
Refined cooking oil 2tsp

Salt to taste

Dadhojanam:

Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds 1tsp
Black gram (Uddipappu/urad dal) 1tsp
Bengal gram 1tsp
Green chillies 2
Ginger 1tsp
Curry leaves 4
Chopped coriander 2tsps
Refined cooking oil 2tsps.
Pinch of asafoetida (Hing)

Salt to taste

Method:

To see how Bakala Bath is made, please click here.

Bakala Bath

Heat oil in a pan, add 1 tsp mustard seeds and as they pop add cumin seeds, black gram, red chillies, chopped coriander and curry leaves.

Take hot cooked rice into a shallow dish/plate. Add the above seasoning, salt and mix well. Leave to cool. (Hot rice absorbs spices easily)

To the cooled rice, add curds, fresh cream, chopped grapes and raisins, crushed pomegranate seeds and mix well. (if curds is mixed to hot rice, it will sour and spoil the dish. Thus its important to cool the rice and mix) Grated carrot and finely chopped and de- seeded cucumber can also be added for flavor.

Garnish with grated coconut.

Dadhojanam

To see how Dadhojanam is made, please click here.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and as they pop add cumin, black gram, slit green chillies, Bengal gram, ginger, curry leaves, chopped coriander and a pinch of asafoetida.

Take hot cooked rice into a shallow dish/plate. Add the above seasoning, salt and mix well. Leave to cool.

Once cool add fresh curds, fresh cream and mix well.

Whether it is bakala bath or dadhojanam, mix just before serving as it turns sour soon. If serving after a few hours or carrying it on a picnic or to office add 2tsps milk and mix. The milk will curd in the meanwhile and the curd rice will taste yummy.

A pickle to smack the lips and curd rice, this is probably the best way to cool off the blazing summer.

Papaya Cucumber salad

Its summer and most of India is burning hot. Nothing great with the climate in the mid-east deserts too.

Salads are the best food for summer and papaya cucumber salad is the perfect summer evening salad. Papayas are abundantly available in summer and so are cucumbers. Also Papayas are very good for the skin. The fruit enables the skin to glow naturally and that is why it is also used in facepacks. Cucumbers are universally popular coolants and skin softeners. So the salad is more of a secret to soft and glowing skin, especially during summers.

An important NOTE: Expecting moms are NOT supposed to have papaya as it’s dangerous. Papaya creates heat in the body which is not good for them.

Ingredients:

Medium sized ripe papaya 1
Cucumber 2
Other Ingredients vary according to the methods used for preparation

Method:

Peel and make equal sized small cubes of the papaya and cucumbers and chill for 10 mins. Most of the super markets sell cut papayas. That’s a good option too as it means less of work.

Spicy salad:

Add 1 tsp chat masala powder, pinch of red chilli powder and salt to taste to the papaya and cucumber cubes. Mix well and garnish with fresh and chopped coriander. Serve chilled.

Sweet salad:

Make a fine powder of 4tsps sugar and 2 cardamoms. Sprinkle on the powder on the papaya and cucumber cubes and pour fresh honey. Garnish with fresh and grated coconut (optional).

Kosambri:

This is another way of making Papaya and cucumber salad.

In a pan, heat 2 tsp ghee. Add mustard seeds and as they splutter add 1tsp black gram
(urad dal/uddipappu). Add 4 curry leaves, a pinch of asafoetida.

Season the papaya and cucumber cubes with the above tempering. Add a finely chopped green chilly, salt to taste and mix well. Garnish with fresh and grated coconut and serve.

Whatever the method used, papaya cucumber salad is a nutritious and healthy summer food. Coconut provides the fat necessary for the body, ensuring that the skin doesn’t seem to dry. And honey is always known to be good for health. With so many good things, there is an aura of positive ness that will relax the body and mind. So the next time you go shopping, remember to pick on a fully ripe papaya and a few cucumbers.

Aloo Parantha

Aloo Paranthas are the most common North Indian food, regularly made for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Need we say more, well yes, Thank you Parul for the expert inputs.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Potatoes 2
Green chillies 2
Pomegranate seeds 1/4th cup
Coriander 2tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2tsp
Dry mango powder(Amchur powder ) 1tsp
Wheat flour 2cups
Refined cooking oil 1cup
Salt to taste

Method:

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes. Crush the pomegranate seeds manually.

In a bowl, add the mashed potatoes. Add salt to taste, green chillies, coriander leaves, amchur powder, red chilli and crushed pomegranate seeds and mix well. Crushed pomegranate seeds are very good for the skin and blood. They also act as coolants during summers.

To 2 cups Wheat flour, add 2 tsps oil, ½ a cup luke warm water, a pinch of salt and knead the dough like chapatti dough.

Take average sized lumps of the dough, pat to make a shallow cup, grease with oil, fill the potato mixture and bring the edges together to make average sized balls.

Bail evenly and fry on a pre-heated tawa/flat pan smearing oil or ghee on both sides and frying on both sides till the paranthas are done.

Hot and yummy aloo paranthas are ready to serve. Served with any curry, gravy or dry, dals or raithas, aloo parantha is the king of the platter. We however had it with some pickle, curds and butter smeared on them, a modest and yet merry way of having them.

Mirapakaya gojju/Green chilly sweet chutney

Chillies are spicy and gojjus are generally sweet and tangy.The blend of these flavors is the USP of this recipe. We use the long and big green chillies generally used to make mirchi bajjis, referred to as bajji mirapakaya in telugu for this recipe.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Long and Big green chillies (Bajji mirapakayalu) 1/4th kg
Onion 1
Jaggery (gud/bellam) 2tbsp
Tamarind 1blob
Refined cooking oil 1cup
Mustard seeds (aavalu) 1tsp
Cumin seeds ( jeera/jeelkarra) 1 tsp
Curry leaves 5
Coriander 2tsp
Black gram (urad dal/uddipappu) 1tsp
Red chilli powder 1tsp
Pinch of turmeric (Haldi/pasupu)
Pinch of Asafoetida (Hing/inguva)

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak 1 blob of tamarind in half a cup of water for around 10 mins. Extract the juice and set aside.

Cut the green chillies into thick circles or slit them vertically. Finely chop the onion and coriander.

Shallow fry the green chillies in pre- heated oil.

In a pan/kadai(bandli/mookudu), heat 4 tsp oil. Add mustard seeds and as they splutter add cumin seeds, black gram, curry leaves and finely chopped coriander. Add a pinch of asafoetida and a pinch of turmeric and sauté.

Add the chopped onions and stir till transparent. We don’t want them brown. Add the fried chillies and mix. (We could also add chillies without shallow frying and leave them to cook. In this case add a few more tsps of oil for the chillies to turn crisp.)

Add salt to taste, the tamarind juice or tamarind paste, jaggery and red chilli powder and mix well( if using tamarind paste, add half a cup of water). Leave to cook till the jaggery melts and the gojju thickens. This will take around 4-5 mins.

Garnish with coriander/ shredded coconut and serve. Mirapakaya gojju or green chilli sweet chutney is a rice supplement and does supplement any of the Indian bread too. Best way is to have it with ghee smeared parathas.

Babycorn curry

Baby corns are used mostly in Chinese cuisine but how will they be in a south Indian avatar? The idea sounded weird but the experiment, a success and the recipe joined the list of “all time favorites” at home.

Preparation time 20-30 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Babycorns 1 pkt (10-12)
Spring onions 1 bunch
Refined cooking oil 4tsps
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds(jeera/jeelakarra) 1tsp
Curry leaves 4
Finely chopped coriander 1tsp
Green chillies 2
Cumin powder ½ tsp
Red chilli powder ½tsp
Sambar powder 2tsps
Salt to taste


Method:

Slice the baby corn into circles. Finely chop the spring onions including the leaf and separate the onion and leaf. Finely chop the green chillies.

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu), heat oil. Add mustard seeds and as they pop, add green chillies, cumin seeds, curry leaves and chopped coriander. Add the onions and sauté till golden brown.

Add the babycorns and sauté. Add salt to taste, the leaf of the spring onions and a cup of water, cover and leave to cook till soft. Please keep checking in between to ensure the curry is not burnt and add water if required. It generally takes around 8-10 mins to cook.

Once the babycorns are soft and cooked, add cumin powder, red chilli powder, sambar powder and stir. Cook for another 4-5 mins.

A quicker way is to pressure cook the baby corns to 1 whistle, season and spice them as above.

Any which way, babycorn kura/palya or curry is done. We enjoyed it in typical south Indian style with ghee topped rice, but being babycorn it should taste well with any of the Indian bread or as a sandwich filling too. A different from the routine curry, a welcome for the taste buds.

Navratna Vegetable Bath

Summer is here and so are the summer holidays. With kids at home there is much more variety required especially with regard to food. Navratna vegetable bath is one such summer afternoon lunch recipe which is yummy, nutritious and colorful for the kids.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Rice 21/2 cups (250 gms)
Carrot 2
French beans 10
Potato (aloo) 1
Onion 1
Green peas (batani) 1 cup (100gms)
Cauliflower florets ½ cup (50 gms)
Grated cabbage ½ cup (50 gms)
Capsicum 1
Baby corn 4
Kidney beans ½ cup (50 gms)
Coriander 1 bunch
Green chillies 2
Fresh and grated coconut 2 cups (200gms)
Cinnamon stick (dal chini) 1
Cardamom (elaichi) 2
Cloves (laung) 2
Cumin seeds 1tsp
Refined cooking oil 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Finely chop the onion. Dice the carrots, potato, cut the French beans, capsicum and baby corns into small pieces.

Pressure cook rice and set aside.

Boil together the carrots, potato, French beans, capsicum, baby corns, kidney beans, cabbage, cauliflower florets and green peas. The vegetables can also be pressure cooked up to 1 whistle.Drain the water and keep aside.

Grind to fine paste: green chillies, fresh and grated coconut, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu), heat oil. Add the cumin seeds, chopped onion and fry till golden brown. Add the boiled veggies, salt to taste, sprinkle water and leave to cook for 5 mins.

Add the above ground paste and mix well. Cook for 2 mins and remove from heat. Add cooked rice and mix well.

Navratna vegetable bath tastes great with any of the dals, kadhis , chutneys or raithas. A colorful, nutritious and sumptuous treat. Get the kids to chop the veggies that will make a summer activity to boast of in school!

Senaga kakarkaya/Karela chanadal curry

Bitter gourd though a nutritious veggie is not relished by many, more so because of its bitter taste. Bitter gourd, Bengal gram curry is rich in proteins and yummy in taste.

Preparation time: 20-25mins

Serves: 2





Ingredients:

Bitter gourd (karela/kakarikaya) 1/4th kg
Bengal gram (Chanadal/senagabedalu) 1cup(100gms)
Tamarind (Imli/chintapandu) 1 blob
Refined cooking oil 2 tbsp
Black gram (urad dal/uddi pappu) 1tsp
Red chillies 6
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Jaggery (gud/bellam) 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Pinch of Asafoetids(hing)
Pinch of turmeric (haldi/pasupu)
Salt to taste

Fresh and chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

Soak the Bengal gram for 10 mins. Soak the blob of tamarind separately or use tamarind paste as available. Cut the bitter gourd into small pieces.

Pressure cook the soaked bengal gram, bitter gourd, pinch of turmeric, 4 red chillies together upto 3 whistles. If cooking in a cooking pot, cover and cook for 20-25 mins till the bitter gourd is cooked.

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu), heat 2 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds and as they pop, add 2 red chillies, 1 tsp black gram, 4-5 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.

To the seasoning, add the cooked Bengal gram and bitter gourd mix & keep stirring till the mix is evenly seasoned. Add the soaked tamarind water/tamarind paste, 1 tbsp jaggery, 1tsp red chilli powder and salt to taste. (add 2 tbsp water if using tamaraind paste). Cook for 5 mins.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Senaga kakarakaya is a rice supplement, but goes well with any of the Indian bread too.
If you have got bitter gourd haters at home, finely chop the bitter gourd and make this curry, just to tell them they don’t actually hate bitter gourd, of course its not hate worthy anyway.

Brinjal coriander sambar/Baingan dhania sambar

Sambars are a must, especially in south Indian homes. While coriander adds flavor, brinjals are good for those who don’t want to put on weight. Our personal favorite, we probably can’t say more.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 20-25mins

Ingredients:

Medium sized round brinjals 5
Fresh coriander (kothimeera) 1 bunch
Tamarind 1 blob
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeelakarra) 1 tsp
Green chillies 2
Pigeon peas (toordal/kandipappu) 1cup(50-75gms)
Sambar powder 2tsp
Ghee 1tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Curry leaves 5
Pinch of asafoetida (Hing)
Salt to taste

Method:

We have used small round green brinjals. The purple or white ones will also taste great.

Cut the brinjals, add 2 glasses of water and leave to boil in a cooking pot. Pressure cook the pigeon peas.

Grind to fine paste: 1 bunch coriander, 2 green chillies, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1tsp tamarind paste/1 blob of tamarind as available and a pinch of salt.

Add the coriander paste to the brinjals and leave to boil till the brinjals are soft and cooked.

Add 2 tsp sambar powder and 1 cup pressure cooked pigeon peas and boil for 5-8 mins.

In a pan, heat ghee. Add mustard seeds and as the splutter, add curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.

Season the sambar with the above tempering.

Brinjal coriander sambar is a rice supplement, and tastes good when mixed with ghee topped plain white rice and fryums to munch or lime pickle.

Aloo Bhindi

Aloo bhendi is a “make any day at home” recipe. Okra is one of those nutritious veggies that are also a favorite of many.

Preparation time: 20-25 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Medium sized Potatoes 2
Okra (Ladies fingers/bhindi) 1/4th kg
Refined cooking oil 2tbsp
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeelakarra) 1tsp
Green chillies 2
Red chilli powder 2tsp
Tamarind paste 1tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Cut the okra into half a finger long pieces. Slit the green chillies.

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu), heat oil. Add cumin seeds and green chillies. As they are done, add the cut potatoes and okra together. Add a pinch of turmeric sauté.

Cover and leave to cook till the okra is done. This may take around 10-15 mins on simmer. Please keep checking to ensure the curry isn’t burnt.

Once the okra is done, sauté for 2 mins until they are crisp. Add salt to taste, 2 tsp redchilli powder and a tsp of tamarind paste (khatai) and mix well till the potatoes and okra evenly absorb the spice.

Spicy aloo bhindi is both a rice as well as Indian bread supplement. Serve along with any of the dals for a complete menu.

Arati Dindu curry/Banana stem curry

Bananas! As we already posted, the banana plant is probably optimally used in South Indian homes. We have already seen the banana flower curry in Srilankan style. This time we are cooking the trunk. Yes, the tender core of the banana plant's trunk is also used in cooking. Infact the juice extracted from this core of the trunk is said to be a good healer for people suffering from kidney disorders. This tender core is referred to as dindu/doota/davva in Telugu, dindu in Kannada and Thandu is Tamizh. It is white is color and highly fibrous both in appearance and content. We spotted arati dindu in most supermarkets in Kuwait and UAE, but back home, this curry is made only when the plant has given its crop and is cut.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Medium sized banana stem (arati dindu) 1
Green gram (Moong dal/pesara pappu) 1 cup (200gms)
Red chillies 2
Curry leaves 5-10
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeelakarra) 1tsp
Refined cooking oil 4tsp
Fresh and grated coconut 1/4th cup (50 gms)
Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Salt to taste

Fresh and finely chopped coriander to garnish.


Method:

Soak the green gram for half an hour.

Chop the banana stem or arati dindu finely, removing the excess fibre (Tip: First cut the stem into circles and then chop finely.)

Pressure cook the soaked green gram and chopped banana stem together up to 2 whistles. If cooking in an open cooking pot, cover and boil for around 20 mins. Drain the water and set aside.

In a kadai/pan (bandli/mookudu), heat oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds and as they pop add red chillies, cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida.

Add the pressure cooked banana stem and green gram mixture. Add salt to taste and mix well. Cook for a few mins.

Garnish with fresh and grated coconut and coriander just before serving.

Arati dindu curry is a traditional rice supplement. We did try it with phulkas and suppose it should make a good sandwich filling too.