Miscellaneous not to be missed !

Penne with Marinara Sauce - pasta with yet another sauce !

This recipe was kindly shared by an I L ite – I profusely thank her for the same.

Boiled pasta - 2 cups ( I used penne)

Tomatoes - ½ kg (blanched, peeled & pureed)

Onion - 1 medium size minced

Garlic - 2-3 cloves minced

Carrot - 1 small, minced or finely grated (optional)

Basil leaves - handful or 1/2 tsp dried basil or 1 tsp italian herbs(basil, oregano etc mixed together)

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

salt

Olive oil - 3 tablespoons

Heat olive oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Saute finely grated carrots for another 5 minutes until tender.

Add the tomato puree, salt, chilly powder, basil or dried herbs and bring to a boil and them simmer for 15-20 minutes.

( You can store this sauce in refrigerator for a week.)

If using immediately, cook the pasta, drain and transfer to a large bowl, add sauce and toss to coat.

Sprinkle with cheese and serve hot with garlic bread and salad.

 

Morkuzambu Vadai - Surprise your guests with a delicious novel dish !

To make ulundu vadais, please go to
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/ask-chitvish/554-tips-tips-tips-5.html#post2922

For morkuzambu follow the recipe

Medium sour curds - 1 cup

Soak for 30 mts:

Gram dhal - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 2-3

Jeera - ½ tsp

And grind fine with


Grated carrot - ½ cup

Green chillies 2-3

Tomatoes - 2, chopped ( sour ones are ideal, if available)

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Methii seeds or powder - ¼ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Grind all ingredients to a fine paste & mix with 1 cup of water.

Cook this on a low flame, stirring, till it thickens & is cooked.

Add the churned curds, mix well.

When it starts foaming, remove & add salt.

Stir for a few mts & temper.

To assemble:

As soon as you fry the vadais, drop them in a big basin of cold water.

After 1 hour, take each vadai, gently squeeze between palms & keep on a plate.

Arrange side by side & not one over the other.

Pour the morkuzambu all over.

Serve at room temperature.

This makes a very good dish in get-togethers.

 

Missi Roti - this is a famous dish with kasoori methi !

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Besan - 1 cup

Kasoori Methis (dry fenugreek leaves) - 1 tbsp, lightly crushed

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Salt, haldi, hing

Oil to knead - 4 tsp

Oil - to make rotis

Add all ingredients to make a soft dough, adding enough water.

Make rotis & cook on a tava using little oil, as for parathas.

Serve with any vegetable gravy, dhal or pickle and curds.

Here I have served with Jain Bread Curry, the recipe of which is posted in the Shakambari thread.

Jain Bread Curry

 

Jaljira Pani - Drink plain or use with panipuri !

Jaljira Pani:

Grind fine:

Daes - 6

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Cori ander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped

Mint leaves - 1 tbsp

Add 1 cup of jaggery & enough water to the above.

Add Kalanamak (to taste), salt, red chilli powder, jeera powder, dhaniya powder & garam masala ( optional) all to taste.

Dilute with enough water.

Can be used for drinking with coriander leaves, sprinkled.

 

Penne with Pesto Sauce - a delicious, rich creamy dish

This recipe requires basil leaves. Due to the non availability of the same, I used a mixture of tulsi + coriander leaves.

Boiled pasta - 3 cups

Milk - 1 cup

Butter - 2 ½ tbsp

Pesto Sauce:

Basil + coriander leaves - 1 cup

Chopped walnuts - 3 tbsp (if available use roasted pine nuts)

Garlic - 2 pcs

Salt, pepper

Olive oil or any cooking oil - 3 tbsp

Finely grated cheese - 3 tbsp

Add pasta to plenty of boiling salted water with little oil till done.

Drain paste, smear with oil & spread on a plate.

To prepare the pesto sauce, combine all ingredients and blend till very finely chopped.

Do not grind for long to a fine paste.

Just before serving, heat butter & toss boiled pasta.

Mix milk with ground paste & simmer to boil.

Add pasta to pesto sauce & toss well.

Serve hot.

 

Palak Toast - as colourful as it is tasty!

Brown bread slices - 4

Finely chopped palak leaves - 1 cup

Chopped onions - 1 tbsp (optional)

Butter, salt, pepper

Tomato ketchup - 4-5 tsp

Grated cheese - 50 gms

Tomato slices - to garnish

Heat butter & sauté onion.

Add palak & sauté for 2 mts till they wilt.

Add salt & pepper.

On each bread slice, spread tomato ketchup & on it, cheese.

Spread cheese & grill till it melts.

Garnish with tomato slices.

Serve hot.

 

Coconut Chutney Varieties - these are a few of my favourite ones !

Freshly grated coconut is ideal for chutneys. Coconut powder comes only next.

1 - Coconut – fried gram chutney:

This is the most popular chutney for idlis.

Coconut - 1 cup

Fried gram (pottukadalai) - ½ cup

Green chillies - 4, 5

Salt

Grind to a paste adding water. Temper as follows.

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 1

Curry leaves - few

2 – Coconut – gram dhal chutney:

Coconut - 1 cupGram dhal - ½ cupRed chillies - 4,5Oil - 1 tspTamarind paste - 2 tspSaltJaggery - little (optional)To temper:Oil - 1 tspMustard seeds - ½ tspHing - ½ tspCurry leaves - few.Heat 1 tsp oil, fry red chilles & gram dhal till golden. Switch off the flame & add coconut.When the ingredients have cooled down, grind everything together & temper as given.
3 -Peanut – Coconut ChutneyRed chillies 5 Coconut ¼ cup little tamarid peanuts 3 tbspGrind everything to a paste with salt and season with mustard.

4 – Mint – Coconut Chutney:
Mint - 100gms

Coconut - ½ cup

Green chillies - 3, 4 ( or to taste)

Salt

Lime juice - to taste

Grind together. No tempering is necessary.

5 - Coconut – Tomato Chutney

Ripe red tomatoes - 4, chop

Red chillies - 4, 5

Hing - ¼ tsp

Gram dhal - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tsp to fry the above & 1 tsp to temper

Coconut - 3-4 tbsp

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Heat 2 tsp oil & fry red cillies first.

Then add gram dhal & saute till it turns light brown.

Finally add tomatoes & hing.

Fry till the tomatoes become soft.

Cool & grind with coconut & salt.

Temper as given.

6 - MangoGinger – Coconut Chutney:Grated mongo-ginger - 1 cupRed chillies - 4,5Small onions, chopped - 3 tbspGrated coconut - 2 tbspTamarind paste - 2 tsp (or to taste)Oil - 1 tbspSaltTo temper in 1 tsp oil:Mustard seeds - ½ tspUrad dhal - 1 tspHing - ¼ tspCurry leaves - fewHeat 1 tbsp oil, fry red chillies & onions for a few mts.Lower the flame & add coconut & mango ginger lightly & switch off.Let them remain in the heat for sometime.Then grind them with salt & tamarind to a chutney.Temper as given.Since all ingredients are fried, this keeps in the fridge for 2, 3 days.

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Schezwan Noodles - we are never tired of noodles!

Hakka noodles - 200 gms

Grated cabbage - ¼ cup

Boiled peas - ¼ cup

Spring onion - 6, 7 stalks

Pepper powder - ½ tsp

Worcestershire sauce - 1 tsp

Chilli oil - ¼ cup

Finely chopped carrot - ¼ cup

Capsicum, finely chopped - ¼ cup

Red chillies - 4, 5

Soya sauce - 2 tsp

Garlic cloves - 4, 5

Ajinomoto - a pinch (optional)

To make chilli oil, heat ¼ cup oil on a medium flame.

Add chopped chillies & fry on aq low fire till the oil absorbs the colour & spice of chillies.

Strain, after removing.

This is chilli oil.

Grind the red chillies with garlic.

Boil noodles as per instructions, drain, apply a little oil & cool.

Heat chilli oil, add cabbage, carro, capsicum & 1” long pieces of spring onions.

Add ajinomoto & sauté on a high flame for 3 mts.

Add both sauces, ground paste, pepper & salt.

Serve hot with chillies in vinegar.

It is optional to add 1 tsp sugar.

 

Ceylon Sambal - no tomatoes, but tamarind & coconut!

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Tamarind - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 5, 6 ( or more to taste)

Small onions - 3,4 minced

Salt

Grind tamarind, salt & red chillies, fine.

Add coconut & quickly give just one run in the mixi.

Remove & add minced onions.

Goes as a side dish with any tiffin.

 

Malaysian Tomato Sambal - goes with any tiffin !

First, make chilli paste, as given below and stock in the fridge for a week.
Soak 15-20 bright coloured red chillies in warm water for 1 hour. Then grind as fine as possible, adding little salt and minimum water.

Tomatoes - 4 medium ( chop fine)

Onion - 2, chopped

Garlic chopped - 2 tbsp

Chilli paste - 2 tbsp

Salt

Sugar - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Heat oil and fry first onion and then add garlic.

When well sauted, add chilli paste & sauté till raw smell goes.

Add tomatoes & cook on a low fire till the tomatoes get thoroughly cooked & become mushy.

Add sugar & salt.