Chettinad Mushroom Masala#Alphabet Challenge

Button mushrooms sautéed in spicy Chettinad curry. Happened to taste this dish at a local Indian restaurant, since then wanted to try it out myself. Tried this recipe with my own blend of Chettinad spices and it turned good and it's a superb recipe. Chettinad Masala powders have special ingredients which gives the unique taste to the dish.

Ingredients

To Dry Roast Each Separately
3 Dry Kashmiri Red Chilies
1 Tablespoon Heaped Coriander seeds
¾ Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon Poppy seeds
1 Teaspoon Split Roasted Gram / Pottukadalai/Dalia
1 Tablespoon Heaped Grated Dry Coconut or Desiccated Coconut
To Grind along with the above Roasted Ingredients
5 Shallots/Sambar Onion
1" Piece Ginger
5 Cloves Garlic
5 Curry leaves
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 Teaspoon Kerala Garam Masala
Other Ingredients
200 Grams Button Mushrooms - chopped
1 Large Tomato - chopped
1 Green Chilly - slit
1 Bay leaf
2 Small Piece Dagdful /Black Stone Flower / Kalpasi
5 Curry leaves
1 Tablespoon Chopped Coriander leaves
½ Teaspoon Salt or to taste
3 Tablespoons Oil
125 Ml Water

Method
Clean, chop the mushrooms, cut them into pieces and keep aside. Slice them vertically for a even look.

Dry roast the ingredients separately will each releases an aroma . Let them all cool. Grind all the spices and coconut powder in a spice blender/ mixer and powder them to fine texture. This is your dry masala powder. To this add the small onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves & turmeric powder to the spice powder and grind to coarse texture. A few pulse in the mixer will be sufficient to chop the onions and ginger garlic. 

Keep this wet masala ready for the preparation.

In a kadai, heat oil and toast the bay leaves, dagdful, green chilly and some curry leaves. Now add the wet masala mixture and fry along for few minutes.

Add the sliced mushrooms and tomatoes at this stage and add half cup of water. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes over low flame.

Mushroom has the tendency to release water when cooked, so the gravy will be watery at this stage. Simmer till it reaches a semi-thick consistency, over low flame for the oil to separate.

Now garnish with chopped coriander and curry leaves and switch off. Serve as a side with rice or roti of you choice, this goes well with idli and dosa too!

My Notes
Poppy seeds & split roasted gram is added to give thickness to the gravy.

Labels: Alphabet Challenge, South Indian, Mushroom, Vegetarian, Sabzi, Side Dish, Indian
Let's take a look at the recipes being shared today with Alphabet "C" 

• Sneha’s Recipe: Chettinad Mushroom Masala
• Food Lust People Love: Chicken Chorizo Traybake
• Blogghetti: Captain Crunch French Toast
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Chickpea Chaat Salad
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Hot Chocolate Cookies
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Cider Glazed Chicken Wings
• Magical Ingredients: Cheesy Corn Dip
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Chia Seed Protein Bites
• A Messy Kitchen: Cappuccino Mousse
• Culinary Cam: Lemon Lavender Blackberry Cake
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Cheesy Cheddar Taco-Seasoned Corn Chip Dip

Quick Potato Instant Sambar - Without Dal#AlphabetChallenge

Sambar is one of the staple dish in a South Indian house. of all time. It pairs well with dosa, idly and even rice. I have posted few recipes on my blog. You can check all of them below. This Quick Potato Instant Sambar made without Dal is an easy recipe to try when you don't have that much time on hand or other vegetables.

Ingredients 3 - 4 Baby Potato – cut into halves
1 Small Onion – cut into four parts
1 Medium Tomato – – roughly chopped
2 Green Chillies – slit and de seeded
1½ + 1½ Homemade Instant Sambar powder
1 Teaspoon Heaped Tamarind - soaked in warm water
1 Teaspoon Jaggery or Sugar
1 Teaspoon Level Salt or to taste
A Sprig Curry Leaves
1 Tablespoon Chopped Coriander leaves
1 Tablespoon Oil
For The Tadka/Tempering

2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
2 Whole Dried Red Chillies
A Pinch Asafoetida
A Sprig Curry leaves

Method 

Heat a pot with a tablespoon oil, add in potato, tomato, onions, green chillies, 1½  tablespoon Homemade Instant Sambar powder, mix well. Add 600 Ml  water and bring it to a rolling boil, cover, reduce the flame to low and let it simmer it for 20 to 30 mins till the potato is cooked. When the potato is cooked add the remaining  1½  tablespoon Homemade Instant Sambar powder, tamarind pulp, salt and jaggery and add water to adjust the sambar consistency.  Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes so that the flavors can marry. 

If at this stage you feel the sambar is watery, just mash one piece of potato, this will thicken the gravy when it slightly cools. 

For  The Tadka/Tempering

Heat oil  in a tadka pan, add in mustard and cumin seeds when they crackle add, whole red chilly , the asafoetida and mix well, add the curry leaves and take off flame.  Wait for a minute then add just ½  teaspoon Kashmiri red chilly powder , to give a nice color to the sambar. 

Pour this over the sambar and cover with a lid so that flavors can blend.  After 5 minutes, mix it lightly, add in coriander leaves. 

Serve with rice or idli or dosa.

Labels: Sambar, Instant Sambar Masala Powder, South Indian, Potato, Vegan, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Main course, Breakfast, Brunch, Idli, Dosa, Alphabet Challenge

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Asian Quinoa Salad
Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Butternut Squash Taco Ravioli with Queso Fresco
Food Lust People Love: Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread
Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Loaded Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Palatable Pastime: Quebecoise Pommes Persillade
Culinary Cam: Quesabirria Tacos
Magical Ingredients: Queso Paratha
Sneha’s Recipe: Quick Potato Instant Sambar - Without Dal
A Messy Kitchen: Quinoa Crunch Bars
Mayuri’s Jikoni: Quinoa Paniyaram
Blogghetti: Sheet Pan Quesadillas
Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread 

Lemon Rice/Chitranna#Alphabet Challenge

Chitranna in Kannada is also known as lemon rice. It's a rice-based dish widely prepared in South India. Lemon rice is one of the most popular South Indian rice recipes. It is a real comfort food. Quick and easy to make with all ingredients in your pantry. This can be made with leftover cooked rice, is a crunchy, flavorful, tasty and tangy dish that is easy to make and tastes so good. 

Lemon juice, fried nuts and spices combine perfectly to give this steamed rice an amazing spicy, tangy and nutty flavor. The nuts add a crunch for the perfect rice dish texture. This vegan lemon rice recipe is sure to become one of your favorite rice dishes and gets ready in just 10 minutes.

1 Cup = 200 Ml

Serves Two
Ingredients

¾ Cup Rice 
3 - 4 Tablespoon Oil
A pinch Asafoetida
1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
2 Sprig Curry leaves
3 Whole Dried Red chillies
1 Teaspoon Level Turmeric powder
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice or to taste
3 Tablespoons Raw Peanuts
1 Teaspoon Urad dal
1 Teaspoon Chana dal
½ Teaspoon Grated Ginger - optional
Salt to taste

Method

Wash and cook the rice with salt till done, do not over cook it. Drain and let it cool completely.
Heat oil in a wok / kadai, add mustard seeds and chana dal and urad dal let it mustard seeds splutter and the dals start to brown. Immediately add asafoetida, curry leaves, ginger, red chilli and peanuts. Saute them well till the peanuts turn dark brown. Then add turmeric powder followed by rice. 

Turn around a few times so the rice is completely mixed and is warmed. Add salt and lemon juice to the rice and mix well.

Serve hot. Enjoy with Chutney, raita and papad.
Labels: Cooked Rice, Lemon juice, Peanuts, Urad dal, Chana dal, South Indian, Main Course, Vegan, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Serves Two, Alphabet Challenge

• Sneha’s Recipe: Lemon Rice/Chitranna 
• Food Lust People Love: Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry
• Culinary Cam: Lingcod Over Legumes 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Lemon Vinaigrette 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Melody’s Homemade Lemonade 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mediterranean Lentil Salad 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Barbecue Pork Lo Mein 
• Blogghetti Lemon Pepper Tilapia Sheet Pan Dinner 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Fresh Dill Deviled Eggs with a Hint of Lemon 
• Palatable Pastime: Liver and Onions 
• A Messy Kitchen: Lemon Balm Jelly

Soft & Spongy Dosa With Urad Dal Flour#SundayFunday

I wanted to make dosa for breakfast so the previous day I washed the rice, kept it for soaking. Took out the box of urad dal, there was only 1/4 cup of lentils in it. Since I had already soaked the rice, I used urad dal flour which is always ground at home. Voila .... a new recipe came in to being. The dosa's were so soft, spongy and had a natural sweet taste. The color of the dosa were not white like when you grind lentils, it has a light brown color, see pics. Let's see how I made these dosa's!

Ingredients
3 Cups Sona Masuri Rice
1 Cup Urad Dal Flour
½ Cup Poha powder
½ Cup Idli Rawa
1 Teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
½ Teaspoon Heaped Sea Salt
A Pinch Of Baking Soda

Method

Wash and soak the rice with methi seeds for two hours. After two hours drain the water and grind it to fine paste. Then in the same blender as you are grinding the rice little by little add the flour of the urad, poha and blend till it bubbles. Like wise grind all the flour and rice.

Pour this batter in a large vessel/pot add the salt and baking soda mix very well with you hand. Keep this to ferment overnight. This batter will not rise like the normal dosa batter. You will see large bubble and will be slightly risen. In the morning add the idli rawa and give it a very good mix. Keep this aside for minimum 2 hours. After 2 hours heat a non stick pan /dosa pan on medium low flame.

Brush a non stick with oil, pour a ladle full of batter into the center of the pan and spread it by rotating the pan. Do not use the spoon to spread the batter. Place a lid and keep the flame high for a minute. Then reduce the flame to low and let it cook till done and the bottom is light brown. Flip it and cook it for a minute only. Take it on to a serving plate.

Enjoy with Potato Sabzi and Red Coconut Chutney
Labels: Dosa, Gluten free, Vegan, Pancake, South Indian, Sunday Funday, Breakfast, Healthy

For Sunday Funday we sharing Hot Breakfast Recipes.

• An English Fry Up with a Kiss of California from Culinary Cam
• Chinese Steamed Eggs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Corned Beef Hash from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Leftover Veg and Paneer Paratha from Cook with Renu
• Mini Scones from Food Lust People Love
• Sausage and Spinach Breakfast Casserole from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Soft & Spongy Dosa With Urad Dal Flour from Sneha's Recipe
• Sweet Italian Sausage Quiche with Ricotta from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Stuffed Potato Masala Idli With Pumpkin Sambar#SundayFunday

Stuffed Potato Masala Idli is so soft and make a perfect filling brunch. These are filled healthy are more healthier than the normal idlis with delicious pumpkin sambar, and, I am sure all idli fans would love to have this. Check here how to grind idli batter.  

Ingredients
3 Medium Potatoes - boiled, peeled and mashed
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 Teaspoon Split Urad Dal
1 Medium Onion - finely chopped
1 Medium Tomato - finely chopped
2 Green chillies - finely chopped
⅓ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
2 Tablespoons Coriander leaves - finely chopped
Salt To Taste
Homemade Idli Batter - As needed
For The Pumpkin Sambar
½ Cup Tuvar Dal
2 Cups Water
½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
For The Pumpkin Sambar
1 Medium Lauki - can use Red Pumpkin - cut into cubes
1 Onion - sliced
2 Green chillies
2 Teaspoons Homemade Sambhar Powder or to taste
Salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Jaggery
2 Teaspoons Tamarind Paste or to taste
Water as needed
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
¼  Teaspoon Asafoetida
A sprig Curry Leaves - a sprig

2 Dried Red Chillies 

Method

For The Potato Masala

Heat a kadai with oil, add the mustard seeds and spilt urad dal, when the dal changes color. Add in the finely chopped onions, green chillies, fry till onion turns transparent.
Add the tomatoes and potatoes fry for a minute in medium flame. Add turmeric and salt to taste. Cover and cook on low flame for 2 -3 minutes. Sprinkle water if its too dry and mash them lightly so that all the flavors blend well. Add coriander leaves. Switch off the flame and let it cool.

Once cooled make small balls and lightly flatten it to fill in the idli, keep aside.
Let's Make The Pumpkin Sambar

Wash and soak the dal for at least an hour.
Take dal, water and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. Cover and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Turn off the cooker and let the cooker cool completely. Open and mash the dal well add the pumpkin and take one more whistle on high flame. Let the cooker cool completely. 

Heat oil in a pot/kadai. Add in mustard seeds when they crackle add in curry leaves, dried red chillies and asafoetida. Sauté for a minute. Reserve some for pouring on top. Add in onions, Sauté this for a minute or till translucent. Add in the sambar powder and mix well. Add in cooked dal and pumpkin, tamarind pulp and water to make  the sambar. Mix well. Add in salt to taste and jaggery. Mix well, bring this to boil, let it simmer on low flame for 5 to 8 minutes stirring in between. Switch off the flame. Pumpkin Sambar is ready to serve.

To Make The Stuffed Idli

Grease the idli plate and then pour a half ladle of batter and spread evenly. 

Now place the ball of the potato ball in the center and again pour the idly batter to cover it.
Steam the idli for 12 - 15 minutes. 

Cool and with a knife or spoons remove the idli's from the mold. 

Serve hot with Pumpkin Sambar, Enjoy!! 

Labels: Sambar, Sambar powder, Pumpkin, Idli, Stuffed, Potato, Main course, Brunch, Homemade, Vegan, Gluten free, Healthy, South Indian, Sunday Funday

Sunday FunDay - 23 April 2023 - Spring Brunch   

• Baked Garlic Cheese Grits from Palatable Pastime
• Breakfast Tarts from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Lobster Bruschetta from Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Stuffed Potato Masala Idli with Pumpkin Sambar from Sneha's Recipe
• Torijas with Honey Orange Syrup from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Ragi Idli With Drumstick Sambar/Murungakkai Sambar#SundayFunday

Ragi idli are steamed cakes made with Ragi/Finger millets & urad dal. Traditionally idli recipe is made with urad dal and idli rice. Ragi Idli are so soft and spongy, nutritious millet it's also vegan, gluten free and a gut friendly breakfast , meal or snack.

Ragi is also know as Finger Millet which along with other millet varieties are a fine choice for people living with diabetes, as it's higher in fiber, minerals, and amino acids than white rice. Ragi has also the highest plant-based calcium, minerals, protein and dietary fibers.

Ingredients
1 Cup Ragi
1 Cup Idli Rice
¾ Cup Urad dal
¼ Teaspoon Methi/ Fenugreek seeds
1 Teaspoon Oil
Salt as required

Method
Soak Idli rice for 4-5 hours in a bowl.

Soak Urad dal & methi seeds in another bowl for 4-5 hours.
Drain the water.

Grind all the ingredients to very smooth batter by adding as little as water as possible to a paste.

Pour the batter in the large pot/vessel & mix it thoroughly with your hands for about 3 - 4 minutes so that it get fluffy and this also helps in good fermentation of the batter.
Keep this batter overnight for fermentation.
Next day add salt as per taste & mix batter gently. Grease the idli mold & pour a ladle full of batter into each slot. 

Steam the idlis for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Drumstick Sambar Recipe / Murungakkai Sambar

A delicious Sambar plays a important roll in South Indian lunch menu. No festival or marriage function meal is complete without it. Each region in South India has its own way of making it. I have posted quite a lot of sambar variation on blog, you can check them out.

This is a different sambar recipe which is made with drumstick and three different dals. So it is really healthy one. The drumstick added in this gives a very unique taste to the sambar and flavors the sambar a lot. I used my homemade sambar powder for this, that too enhanced the taste a lot. So try this out and let me know how it turned out for you.

Serves 5 to 6
Ingredients
¼ Cup Tur Dal
¼ Cup Masoor Dal
¼ Cup Moong Dal
6 to 7 Shallots / Sambar Onion - peeled
3 -4 Drumsticks - cut into pieces
2 Tablespoon Tamarind Pulp
Salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Jaggery
3 to 4 Tablespoons Homemade Sambar Powder
For Tadka / Tempering
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
¼ Teaspoon Asafoetida

Method 

Wash all the dals well. Add it to a pot along with shallots. Cover with water. Bring it to boil, cover and simmer until the dal is 80% cooked. Now add in drumstick, salt, jaggery, tamarind pulp, sambar powder and mix well. Bring this to boil and simmer again for 20 mins till everything is cooked.

Now make make the tadka by heating oil and crackling mustard and cumin. Add in asafoetida and mix well.

Pour this over the sambar and mix well.

Enjoy these Ragi Idli's with Drumstick Sambar Recipe / Murungakkai Sambar and Thakkali Chammanthi / Tomato Chutney,

Labels: Sambar, Drumsticks, South Indian, Ragi, Idli, Main course, Breakfast, Snack, Millets, Sunday Funday, Vegan, Gluten free, Healthy

For Sunday Funday we are sharing Millet recipes.

• Buttery Herb Millet by Food Lust People Love
• Puffed Millet Granola by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Ragi Idli With Drumstick Sambar/Murungakkai Sambar by Sneha's Recipes
• Ragi Rotti by Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Porso Millet Idli by Cook with Renu