Stuffed Eggplant Fry/Kathirikkai Varuval/Stuffed Brinjal Fry

Today I am sharing you delicious stuffed brinjal/eggplant fry with simple and readily available ingredients in no time.As I like brinjal a lot,weekly once brinjal aka eggplant appears in my kitchen.Last week I got a few tender small eggplants from Indian store and wanted to make something for the blog.I have already shared some brinjal recipes and one of my simple brinjal fry is popular in my blog.
When I thinking something to make with whole eggplants suddenly I remembered the recipe which I noted down couple of months back.This recipe is a dry version and it doesn't need tomato also but if you want with gravy then go head and add one chopped tomato.It tastes great with rasam and curd rice,now lets move on to the recipe........................................

Basic Information

Preparation Time ~ 15 minutes
Cooking Time ~ 20 minutes
Serves ~2-3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Small round eggplant/kathirikkai	7-8
Onion(finely chopped)	1(medium size)
Green chilly/pachamilgai	2(finely chopped)
Tamarind/puli	small gooseberry size
Salt	11/2 tsp
Oil	2 tbs
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	for garnishing
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp

Roast and Grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Channa Dhal/kadalaparuppu	1 tbs
Coriander seeds/dhaniya	1 tbs
Poppy seeds/kasa kasaa	1 tsp
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	11/4tsp

Method

Dry roast the coriander seeds,channa dhal and poppy seeds in a low flame till nice aroma comes out,then add the grated coconut and fry it till it changes the color.Put off the flame and finally add the red chilly powder and mix it cool.Let cool down completely,add around 1/2 tsp of salt and grind it to a fine powder.Add around 1/4 cup of water to the tamarind and take the extract,keep it aside.

Now take the egg plant trim the stalk little and make slits as shown ,stuff the spice powder and keep it on a microwave safe plate.Continue it for rest of the eggplants.Microwave the stuffed eggplants for 3-4 minutes in a microwave high and keep it aside.
Heat a pan crackle the cumin seeds,add the chopped onion,green chilly and curry leaves.Saute it until transparent,add in the stuffed eggplants and saute it for a minute.

Now add the tamarind extract,remaining spice powder,salt and cook it covered in a medium flame.Remove the lid and gently turn and cook it for couple of minutes,finally sprinkle the coriander leaves and put off the flame.

Stuffed brinjal fry is ready.

Enjoy..........................................................................

• If slight gravy is needed add 1 medium size chopped tomato.
• Use same sized eggplants/brinjals to get cooked evenly.
• Instead of microwave,steam it  for 5 minutes in a idly steamer.

This recipe is off to Vegan Thursday event started by Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipes.

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Mutton Kulambhu Using Kulambhu Milagai Thool

I have already shared a version of mutton kulambhu with freshly ground spices but today's version is different one using the kulambhu milagai thool.
As this kulambhu milagai thool has all the garam masala spices which normally used for the tempering so w don't use any extra spices for tempering
If you don't have kulambhu milagai thool,use the redchilly powder and coriander powder,do the tempering with whole spices.This type of kulambhu is made especially in village sides to pair up with either rice or idly and dosa.
Usually this kulambhu is made slightly watery to accompany with idly and very little coconut paste is added to give thickness to the gravy.

Basic Information
Preparation time ~ 20 minutes
Cooking time~40 minutes
Serves ~3-4


Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Mutton(with bones)	1 lb
Onion/ vengayam(finely chopped)	1 (medium size)
Tomato(chopped)	2 (medium size)
Ginger&garlic paste	2 tsp
Kulambhu Milagai thool	1 tbs
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/2tsp
Garlic/poondu(finely chopped)	2-3 cloves
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	1 tbs(chopped)
Salt	13/4 tsp
Oil	3 tbs

Pound to a coarse paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Shallots/chinna vengayam	4-5
Garlic/poondu	2 cloves
Ginger/inji	1/2' piece
Red chilly powder	1/2tsp
Pepper/milagu	1/2tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp

Grind to a fine paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	3 tbs
Fennel seeds/sombu	1/2tsp
Cashews/mundiri	2 (optional)

Method

• Clean and wash the mutton pieces,pound the given ingredients in a stone mortar and keep it aside.
• Put the mutton pieces and the pound paste,turmeric powder and 1/ tsp of salt in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water.Cook it in a medium flame for 4-5 whistles or till the mutton becomes tender.
• Meanwhile grind the given ingredients to a fine paste and set it aside.
• Heat a pan with oil and crackle the fennel seeds,add the chopped onion,garlic and curry leaves.
• Saute it till transparent and goes in the ginger &garlic paste fry it for a minute.Now add in the chopped tomatoes,cook it until mushy.
• Add the kulambhu milagai thool and give it a mix,add the mutton stock and let it boil for 5 minutes.
• Add the ground coconut paste and let it cook for a boil.At this stage add the mutton pieces and water as per the consistency needed,simmer it for 12- 15 minutes.
• Finally sprinkle the chopped coriander and put off the flame.
• Serve it with white rice or idly,dosa.

Enjoy..........................................................

• Instead of kulambhu milagai thool,2 tsp of red chilly powder and 2 tsp of coriander powder can be used.Needed 1/4 tsp of garam masala powder can be added.
• If you are not using kulambhu milagai thool,do the tempering with whole garam masala such as cloves and cinnamon.
• If there is little mutton stock left then add some water along with that to get the consistency.

This recipe is off to Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday event.

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Milagu Kulambhu - Version 2

I have already posted a version of milagu kulambhu with no onion and garlic but today's version is slightly different.This recipe I noted down couple of weeks back in a T.V cooking show by Mrs.Revathy Shanmugam.This recipe used poppy seeds,fennel seeds and cashews to make the spice paste which was quiet new for me.
As her recipe is always a hit and not complicated,so without any second thought I tried this for our weekend lunch.The original recipe calls for a tbs of  poppy seeds,as I ran out it used only half of it.The kulambhu came out so delicious and creamy,I paired up with beans poriyal and pappads.Lts move on to the recipe.................................................

Basic Information

Preparation Time ~10 minutes
Cooking Time ~25 minutes
Serves ~ 3-4

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Shallots (chopped)	10-12
Tomato	1(medium size)
Garlic/poondu	10-12cloves
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1tsp
Tamarind /puli	small lemon size
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig
Salt	1tsp
Oil	4tbs

To roast and Grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Black pepper/milagu	2 tbs
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1 tbs
Poppy seeds/kasa kasaa	11/2tsp
Coriander seeds/dhaniya	1 tbs
Fennel seeds/sombu	1tsp
Cashews/mundidri	2
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp

Method

In a pan add a tsp of oil and add the given ingredients to roast except coconut,fry it till a nice aroma comes out and becomes golden.Finally add the grated coconut and fry it for a minute,put off the flame.After cooling grind it to a fine paste.

Meanwhile soak the tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice and set it aside.
Start by heating the pan with remaining oil,splutter the mustard seeds,cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds.Add in the shallots and curry leaves,saute it until pink.Then add the garlic and fry it for a minute,then goes in the chopped tomato.Cook it until mushy with a pinch of salt.

Now add in the chilly powder and tamarind water,ground paste.Add around a cup of water and salt,let it boil for 10-12 minutes or till the raw smell goes off in a medium flame.

Milagu kulambhu is ready.

Serve it with rice.

Enjoy......................................................................

• The garlic cloves I used is slightly fat cloves,if it it a smaller variety use around 15-17 cloves.
• There may be a chance of getting a slight bitter taste while boiling but after the flavors gets incorporated the bitter taste will go off.

This recipe is off to  Cook Book Challenge # 5 Febuary week 2 and Let's Brunch on Sundays event.

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Beans Poriyal With Moong Dhal

After sharing the Kitchen Basics for 3 days todayI am sharing you a simple beans poriyal with moong dhal.
Poriyal can be made in so many ways with or with no dhal,with coconut and this recipe is with both dhal and coconut.
I have already shared a version of beans poriyal with green peas but today's version can be made with both beans and carrot or only beans. Lets move on to the recipe................

Basic Information

Preparation Time ~ 15 minutes
Cooking Time ~ 20 minutes
Serves ~2-3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Beans(finely chopped)	11/2 cups
Moong dhal/paasiparuppu	2tbs
Red chilly/varamilagai	1
Coconut(grated)	2tbs
Shallots/chinna vengayam	4(chopped)
Salt	3/4tsp
Oil	2tsp

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2 tsp
Urad dhal/uluthamparuppu	1tsp
Red chilly/varamlagai	1(broken)
Asafoeitda/perungayam	a pinch
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves

Method

Cook the moong dhal in a boiling water till it becomes soft not mushy.Pulse the grated coconut and red chilly in a blender without adding any water and set it aside.
Heat a pan with oil and do the tempering,add the chopped shallots/onion and curry leaves for a minute.Then add the chopped beans and saute it for couple of minutes.Add the salt.

Now add around 1/4 cup of water and cook it covered in a medium flame till the beans become tender.At this stage add the cooked dhal and coconut and mix it well,keep it in a low flame for a minute.Put off the flame.

Simple beans poriyal is ready ,serve it with rice and kulambhu or sambar as an accompaniment.

Enjoy......................................................

• A pinch of turmeric powder can be added and instead of red chilly,red chilly powder can be used.
• Instead of moong dhal,channa dhal can also be used.

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Homemade Ghee from Cream/Homemade Ghee from Scratch

For the 3rd day of blogging marathon#37,I am sharing how to get the butter from the fresh cream and melting the butter to ghee.I always use the homemade ghee only as we like the flavor and freshness of it.I used to get the butter from store and melted it till 2 years back.But one day when I had lot of leftover heavy whipping cream I decided to make the butter.The ghee got from the fresh butter was so flavorful,since then I started using the fresh cream to get the ghee.Lets move on to the recipe.............................

Basic Information

Preparation Time ~ 20-25 minutes
Cooking Time ~ 20 minutes
Makes ~around 150 ml of ghee

Ingredient

All you need is Heavy Whipping Cream (I used 500 ml)

Other Things

A big Bowl
Electric Hand Blender
A Pan to melt the Butter
Strainer
Glass jar or container to store

Method

Keep the electric blender whisk in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.Now pour in the heavy whipping cream in the bowl and start beating in a medium speed.After couple of minutes it looks creamy,continue beating again another couple of minutes it reaches a stiff peak consistency.

Continue beating the process for next 10 minutes,the creamy mixture looks like curdled.In another 2-3 minutes you will see some buttermilk.

Now slowly reduce the speed to low and beat it for a minute,the butter will be separated from the buttermilk and float.Now with the hand take out the butter and put in a bowl of water.

Heat a pan in a medium flame add the butter to it,the butter starts melting.After the butter melts completely foam starts up coming.

After 3-4 minutes the foam clears up and it will be in pale yellow color.Now reduce the heat to low and continue after 4-5 minutes the pale yellow color changes to a light brown color and the milk solids settled in the bottom.At this stage turn off the fire and keep it aside for 5 minutes.Now strain the ghee.

Store it in a glass jar.

.Enjoy................................................................

• With the residue my mom adds sugar and mix which can be eaten with idly.
• Usually we add a sprig of curry leaves or drumstick leaves before switch off the flame.
• Use a clean dry spoon to take out the ghee and no need of refrigeration.
• If you live in a warmer place,keep the cream bowl in a container filled with ice and beat it with the blender.   

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How to Freeze Pre-cooked Rotis

For the day of Blogging Marathon#37 under the theme Kitchen Basics, I am sharing you how to freeze the pre-cooked roti for later use.
I am not a person who prefer frozen foods except some veggies for handy.But sometimes I freeze the roti and Puran Poli if I make it excess or need to make it in a bulk for parties.
These days my little one keeps me busy and not letting me do an elaborate cooking I make rotis and cook it for 30 seconds and freeze it in the weekends for the week days dinner or lunch.

Basic Information

Preparation Time ~ 25 minutes
Resting Time ~ 30 minutes
Cooking Time ~ 7-10 minutes
Makes ~ 14-15

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Wheat flour/gothumai maavu	2 cups
Oil	1 tbs
Salt	1 tsp
Water	to knead
Parchment paper	14 sheets
Wheat flour	for dusting

Method

In a wide bowl take the wheat flour,salt,to this add the oil and mix it well.Sprinkle little water at a time and knead it to a soft,stiff dough.Let it rest it rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into equal portions and roll in a floured surface to a thin disc.

Heat the pan and cook it for 30 seconds both the sides and remove it.Continue for the rest of the batter.
After cooling stack the rotis and use the parchment paper in between each roti to prevent sticking.

Put the stacked rotis in a zip lock cover and freeze it.Whenever needed take it from the freezer and thaw it for 15 minutes and heat the pan and cook it both sides and brush it with ghee or oil.

Serve it with curry of your choice.

Enjoy.........................................................

• While making it in bulk keep 10-12 rotis in a separate cover and freeze it.That way no need to thaw all the roti.

Check out my fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #37.

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