Bulls eye (Half fry / Sunny side up)

This is a wonderful breakfast item which goes well with toast, porridge, and a glass of juice.

Ingredients
Eggs
Oil about 1/2 tsp for an egg
Salt, pepper or any seasoning to your taste.
A good non-stick tawa
A good flat ladle to take the half fry off the tawa

Method

1. Heat the tawa well. Pour a few drops of the oil and spread it to a circle 5-6 cms in diameter.
2. Break the egg and drop the white and yolk onto the tawa. Try not to break the yolk.
3. Add oil around the edges if needed. Quickly sprinkle the salt and seasonings. Wait till the edges leave the tawa.
4. You can take the egg off at this stage. But we find the yolk too raw at this stage. I pour about 1 spoon of water around the edges and quickly cover the egg. Wait for 10 seconds.
5. Now the egg is nicely cooked and can still come off the tawa.
6. Take if off, without breaking the yolk. Breaking the yolk is the privilege of the person eating the egg, you see!!

Serve hot with other breakfast items of your choice.

Green moong dal

This simple dal is a favourite of my mom's side.... And it gets finished up in no time at my place too...

Ingredients
Whole green moong dal 1 cup (washed well and soaked for 6-8 hours)
Chilli powder 1 - 2 tsp (to taste)
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Cumin powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida (a pinch)
Salt to taste
Onion 1 medium chopped
Tomato 1 medium chopped
Oil 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds, Jeera for seasoning
Cilantro to garnish
Jaggery to taste.(1/4 tsp) (optional)

Method

1. Cook the moong dal in pressure cooker for about 15-20 mins with 3 cups of water, salt, asafoetida, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder.
2. Heat oil in a kadai, add the seasonings and once done, saute the onions till translucent.
3. Add the tomatoes and saute for another 4-5 mins. 
4. Once the tomatoes start breaking, add the cooked dal. Mix well. Adjust salt and water.
5. Simmer for few minutes. I add a wee bit of jaggery at this stage. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with chapiti or rice.

Chan-toor dal

Got this recipe from showmethecurry.com. Very simple and hearty, I made it for the yumm biriyani.


Ingredients:
Toor Daal – 1 cup
Channa Daal – 1/2 cup
Green Chili – 2 or to taste, slit
Tomato – 1 large, chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp, minced
Salt – to taste
Water – 3.5 cups

Seasoning:
Oil – 1 tbsp
Panch Puran – 2 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) – 1/8th tsp
Turmeric Powder (haldi) – ½ tsp
Red Chili Powder – to taste
Jaggery – 2 tsp
Garam Masala – 2 tsp
Lemon or Lime Juice – to taste
A few curry leaves
Cilantro – for garnish


Method:
1. Wash, rinse and soak both Daals in water for one hour.
2. Drain out the water and add to Pressure Cooker.
3. Add Green Chili, Minced Ginger, Tomatoes, Salt and Turmeric.
4. Mix well and close and allow it to whistle 1 time and ten turn off the flame. (Non-whistle type of Pressure Cooker, cook for 10 minutes)
5. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
6. In a separate saucepan, heat Oil.
7. Once hot, add Panch Poron mix and allow it to sizzle and pop.
8. Add a pinch of Asafoetida, immediately after that the curry leaves.
9. Fry for just a few seconds, then pour hot mix into the dal.
10. Into the Daal, add the Jaggery and Garam Masala. Cook on medium heat.
11. Allow the Daal to cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust spices and flavors.
12. Add a dash of Lemon or Lime Juice and mix well.
13. At time of serving, garnish with Cilantro.

Lemon rice

This is an easy item well liked by my hubby, especially for dabba lunch in office or in train! So here goes.

Ingredients
Rice 1 cup
Oil for seasoning
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Chana dal 1 tsp
Green chillies 2 slit
Curry leaves a few
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Mor molagai (Green chillies salted and cured in yogurt, dried, preserved, and fried-on-demand. This is optional but gives a wonderful dash to the lemon rice.)
Lemon juice 1 tbsp (to taste)

Mor molagai

Method

1. Cook rice, cool it and spread it out so that the grains are separate.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Burst mustard. Add urad dal, chana dal, mor molagai, green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida, turmeric powder, salt and fry till done. Take care to not burn anything.
3. Add the rice and give it a good mix. Adjust salt. Add lemon juice and mix it again.

Let it sit atleast an hour for the flavours to seep in. Serve with any curry, raita of your choice.

Kadala curry

This spicy and hearty gravy can be an accompaniment to many dishes like puttu, dosa, idiappam, nool puttu, upma and even chapiti.

Ingredients
Black chana 1 cup (washed well and soaked for 8-10 hours)
Onion 1 medium chopped
Tomato 1 medium chopped
Red chilli powder 2-3 tsp (to taste)
Saunf 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Ginger - garlic paste 1/2 tsp (optional)
Grated coconut 2 tbsp
Oil 1 tbsp ( I use coconut oil for this dish)
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds, whole red chillies, curry leaves, oil for seasoning.

Method

1. Cook the soaked black chana in 2-3 cups of water. I pressure cook it for 30-40 minutes.it should be soft and well cooked. Do not discard the water.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the saunf, onions and saute till transparent. Add tomatoes and all the masalas and coconut and fry for 5-6 mins. 
3. Cool the above and grind to a fine paste using very little water.
4. In the same kadai, heat oil and add seasonings. 
5. Once done, add the cooked chana with the water, salt and the ground masala. Adjust salt and water. If the gravy appears too thin, crush some of the cooked dal well and mix in. (I personally do not like the dal to be crushed in, it makes the dish bland. Instead I would increase the ground paste.)
6. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few mins after that.

Serve hot with the main dish of your choice.

Val beans gravy

 I discovered this bean in one of my hunting expeditions in the blogosphere for good(and easy) recipes. Most recipes which use this bean call for tamarind and I took it for granted that this bean needed sour. Took courage and purchased the bean and havent regretted it one bit. I tried my own recipe flinging masalas to get the taste "right". Do take a look at the glossary to get the name of the bean in different languages.

Ingredients
Val bean 1 cup soaked for 6 hours
Onion 1 big chopped fine
Tomato 1 big chopped fine
Cumin powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1-2 tsp (to taste)
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Jaggery to taste
Coconut milk powder (or milk cream) (optional)
Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tbsp
Jeera 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method

1. Pressure cook the val beans till tender and not mushy. We need them whole but soft. 10-15 mins should do the trick.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Crackle jeera. 
3. Add onions and saute till translucent. 
4. Add tomatoes and cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and saute till oil separates.
5. Add the cooked val beans and simmer for 5 mins. Adjust salt and water.
6. Add coconut milk powder or cream if you want a creamy touch to the gravy. 
7. Add jaggery to taste.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with chapitis.

Egg Roast

This is a intuitive egg roast that I saw my m-i-l making. Its real yumm and full of masala flavours. Goes well with chapiti. Is a good option when you have unexpected guests.
Serves 3.

Ingredients
Eggs 3 or 4, hard boiled and then shelled.
Onion 1 big chopped fine
Tomato 1 small chopped fine
Chilli powder 1-2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Garam masala to taste
Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Coconut milk powder 2-3 tsp (you can add milk cream instead)
Oil 1 tbsp
Saunf 1 tsp
Coriander leaves to garnish.
Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadai and once hot, add the saunf and saute for a few seconds.
2. Add onions and saute till they get translucent. Add tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and saute till oil separates.
3. Add 1/4 cup water and add the coconut milk powder. We dont want too much of gravy. The dish is semi-gravy. Simmer for a few minutes till the gravy looks rich and thick and still has some flow in it.
4. Slice the eggs vertically taking care not to crush the yellow and drop carefully in the simmering gravy,
5. Mix carefully and let it simmer for 4-5 mins. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Let the dish sit for 10 mins so that the eggs absorb some of the masala. Serve hot with phulkas.

Masoor dal tadka

Aaah!! This is something I generally tried and we all loved it. I had whole masoor dal and I really, really was intrigued with the panch phoran masala that seems to be a staple of Bengali seasonings.

  

Ingredients

Masoor dal 1 cup soaked in water for an hour

Oil for seasoning

Panch phoran mix(Fenugreek seeds, Mustard seeds, Jeera seeds, Fennel seeds, Kalonji seeds - all in equal proportion) amounting to 1 and half tsp

Chopped garlic

Turmeric powder and asafoetida

Curry leaves

Cilantro

Method

1. Cook the masoor dal with salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida, 2 cups of water for 10-15 mins in pressure cooker.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the panch phoran mix, curry leaves, chopped garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Add the cooked dal. Mix, adjust salt and water. Bring to a boil.
4. Garnish with cilantro.

Rasavaangi (with pumpkin)

My sister loves this dish! I got the authentic recipe from my darling chitti...

Ingredients
White pumpkin(ash gourd) cubed 1 cup
Tur dal 1 cup
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Mustard seeds, Urad dal, curry leaves, Slit green chillies, oil for seasoning.

For the masala
Red chillies 2-3
Coriander seeds 2 tsp
Chana dal 1/2 tsp
Coconut 3 tsp

Method

1. Cook the pumpkin in salt and water till soft.
2. Cook the tur dal with salt, water, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
3. Roast the ingredients for masala and grind to a fine paste adding only enough water.
4. Mix the pumpkin, tur dal, masala and boil. Adjust salt and water.
5. Season with seasonings.
6. Add lemon juice to taste.

Serve hot with rice and poriyal.

Tomato rice

This is a favourite of mine. A one pot meal that can be done when tomatoes are in season. Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients
Tomatoes 4 large and ripe.
Onion 1 big chopped
Mustard seeds, Urad dal, Cashews, Raisins, curry leaves for garnishing
Chilli powder 2 tsp(to taste)
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tbsp

Rice one and half cup

Method

1. Boil the tomatoes whole in water for 10-15 mins. Let them cool down, skin them and grind them to a puree without adding any water. Take care that no lumps are formed.
2. Cook rice in 3 cups of water, salt to taste(just enough for the rice) and 1 tsp of oil. Spread the rice on a wide plate to cool and separate the grains.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add seasonings and fry for a minute. 
4. Add onions and fry till they get translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.
5. Add the tomato puree, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste (just enough for the masala). Mix well and cook till oil separates.
6. Add the cooled rice and mix well taking care not to crush the rice. 

Serve with a dal and raita. Its yumm!!