Mattar Panner Gravy

Panner - cut into cubes

Peas - 1 cup

Onion - 1 big one chopped

Tomato - 1 or 2 chopped

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Chili pdr 

Cumin pdr

Coriander pdr

Ginger garlic paste

Broken cashews

Oil 

Salt

Chopped green chilies

Cumin seeds

Chopped coriander

Kastori methi

Cream or milk

Little whole garam masala or garam masala powder

in a pan, with little oil in it, add the whole garam masala, then add the cashews/walnuts, onions and tomatoes and put a little salt and after its cooked a little bit, then cool it down and puree it in a blender. In a pan put bay leaf and some Jeera and then pour the blended mixture in it, once it starts boiling, add Jeera powder, dhania powder and chili powder and salt. After a little while, add crushed kasori methi leaves on it. Add panner and peas to it and close the lid and let it boil until the peas is cooked and mixed with the gravy. Then add milk/cream to it and switch the gas off. Top it off with coriander leaves.

Vengaya Kosu

Ingredients

Onions sliced – 3 numbers

Potato – 2 small diced

Tomato chopped – 1 number

Curry leaves - few

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Jeera – 1 tsp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Urud dhal – 1 tsp

Ingredients for Masala Paste

Freshly grated coconut – ¼ cup

Roasted gram dal – 1 tbsp (pottu kadalai)

Dried whole red chilli – 7 numbers (or according to spice level)

Sombu / fennel seeds – 1.5 tsp
jeera - 1.5 tsp
tamarind - little

Method

1.       Grind the ingredients given under masala paste until smooth in a mixi or grinder, adding water as needed.

2.       Heat oil in a pot, when oil is hot add Fenugreek seeds, jeera, mustard and urud dhal.

3.       Add the sliced onions and curry leaves to the pot  and then add the diced potatoes and keep stirring until onions turn glossy and Pink.

4.       Add chopped tomatoes to the frying onions and stir fry for a minute. Add turmeric powder and ground masala paste to the onion mixture and stir well for a minute. Wash the mixi jar in which paste was ground and add it the pot.

5.       Season the curry with required salt and add more water if needed to loosen the thickness of curry. Cover pot with lid and bring the curry to boil. Simmer curry for 10 mins until the oil floats on top and curry slightly thickenss.

6.       Serve hot with Idli or Dosa.

Chettinad Thirakkal

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 5 or 6

Onions - 1/2 chopped

Tomato - 1 chopped

Potato - 4 diced

Brinjal (Indian brinjals) - 6 to 8 diced

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

To grind:

Coconut - 2 tbsp. (chopped or grated)
Garlic 1 clove

Red chilies - 4 or 5 (or according to spice level)

Fenugreek seeds (sonbu) - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Roasted gram dhal or pottukadalai - 1 tbsp.

This is again a dish with brinjal and potato. This is also a chettinad dish. Take a pan, pour 1 tbsp. oil, and splatter pepper balls and fenugreek seeds with curry leaves. Then add onions, followed by brinjal and potato. Then add tomato and a little salt, after the tomato is mashed, add water and close the lid of the pan so that brinjal and potato cooks well. Then add the ground masala, and bring it to a boil. This goes well with idly and dosai.

kadai paneer gravy

Ingredients:

• 250 to 300 gms paneer
• 1 small to medium capsicum/green bell pepper sliced
• 2 tbsp of Ginger garlic paste
• 1 to 2 green chilies, chopped
• 2 medium sized onions, 100 gms/0.22 lb onions, finely chopped
• 5 tomatoes, pureed in a blender
• ¾ to 1 tsp garam masala powder
• ½ tbsp crushed kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves
• ½ to ¾ cup water 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2 to 3 tbsp ghee or butter
• a few chopped coriander leaves for garnish
• salt as required

• 5 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 to 4 red chilies depending on the spice level.

1. First roast 5 tsp coriander seeds and 2 to 4 red chilies in a pan on a low flame till aromatic.
2. When the spices cool, grind both of them in a grinder to a powder.
3. In a pan heat 2-3 tbsp. oil or ghee. Then add the ginger garlic paste. Sauté till their raw aroma disappears.
4. Then add 2 medium sized chopped onions (100 grams) and sauté till transparent.
5. Add the freshly ground coriander and red chili powder. (If needed, add 1-2 chopped green chilies.)
6. Stir well and sauté for few seconds.
7. Add tomato puree (5 medium to large tomatoes, pureed in a blender).
8. Stir well and continue to sauté till you see oil leaving the sides… about 9 to 10 mins on a low flame.
9. Add 1 small to medium sized capsicum/green bell pepper julienne. Stir and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium flame.
10. Add ½ to ¾ cup water and ½ cup milk and salt (as required). Continue to simmer for some 7 to 8 minutes.
11. Later add ½ tbsp. crushed kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves and add (¾ to 1 tsp) garam masala powder and stir.
12. Add 250 to 300 Gms paneer cubes or slices. Stir gently.
13. Simmer till the paneer is cooked… for about 2 to 3 minutes.
14. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with roti or rice.

For Kadai Mushroom:

saute the mushroom separately and keep it aside and add it at the end. you can add peas along with it, if you prefer. While grinding the tomatoes, you can add fried onions and little walnuts to give a rich consistency.

Instead of mushroom, you can even marinate potato pieces with turmeric, dhania powder, salt and a few drops of oil. and fry it in a pan and add it to the gravy along with peas.

Pesarrattu (Green Moong dhal Dosa)

Green Moong Dhal (whole or split) – 2 cups soaked 4 hrs

Raw rice (pachai arisi) – 1 ½ cups soaked 4 hrs

Thai green chili – 3

Ginger – 1 inch

Garlic – 1 pod (if it’s bigger in size)

Onion – ¼ chopped

Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp

Grind soaked moong dhal and rice together and add green chili, garlic, ginger, onion, cumin seeds while grinding. Add salt as needed. Final batter shouldn’t be too coarse. Once ground, take a tava and make nice round dosas immediately. You don’t have to wait for it to ferment like the regular dosa batter. This goes well with tomato thokku/onion thokku/idly podi.

Kids loved it....:) what else do you expect?