Side Dishes - Day to Day cooking

Seppang Kizhangu Fry

Ingredients:

• Seppang Kihangu (Colocasia) - 1/2 kg
• Chilli powder - 3 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 2 tsp
• Corn flour - 1 tbsp
• Curd - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil few spoons to fry.

Method

Pressure cook the Colocasia. (do not over cook).
Peel and cut them into round pieces.
Take the cut pieces in a plate, sprinkle chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, corn flour and salt over it. Also spread the curd and mix well. Let it soak in the marination for about an hour.
In a pan or a dosa thava heat two spoons of oil and place these marinated colocasia pieces.
Turn them over and cook and repeat till they are roasted.
Goes well with curd rice.

Note: Even if you cook with salt, it will not be imparted into it. So pressure cook without salt. Mommy's.... if you are travelling out of station do the marination and store it in the firdge so that the kids or your man can just roast them in the thava.

kadala Masalai

Ingredients:

• Chick pea (Cooked)  - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Garlic - 2 pods
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Coconut milk - 1/4 cup (2 to 3 tb sp)
• Oil 
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves

Method

Take one cup of cooked channa. (Soak and pressure cook with salt).

Slice the onion and tomato. Crush the garlic.

In a kadai heat oil season with curry leaves and crushed garlic. Add the sliced onion and sauté well. when color changes add the tomato and sauté till it is cooked well. Add Chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Add the cooked channa and toss it well.

Add a little water and cook till it is dry and mixes well. now add the coconut milk. (This of course is optional).

Sprinkle the garam masala powder toss once or twice and turn off the stove.

Its a good combination for curd rice or chapathi.

Note: Kids will like this much as a side dish for curd rice instead of vegetables daily. So once in a while you can fill the lunch box with this. Chick pea is a source of Zinc, Folate and Protein also rich in Dietary Fibers. 

Channa

Ingredients:

• Channa - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 2
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Channa Masala Powder - 2 sp
• Garam masala powder - 1 sp
• Jaggery - 1 sp
• Tamarind pulp - 1/2 sp
• Oil - 2 sp
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander leaves - 2 tb sp
• Tomato sauce - 1 tb sp
• Spices - Cardamom, Cinnamon, clove
• Knob of Butter or Spoon of Fresh cream

Method:

Pressure cook soaked chaana with little sugar and spices. In a small white cloth add all the spices and make it like a sack and put it in the pressure cooker.

Blend onion tomato and ginger to a paste.

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the ground paste in it till the raw smell goes and water evaporates.

add chilli powder and channa masala powder.

Now take the spice sack out and discard the content add the channa with that water and let it cook well.

Add a spoon of jaggery, tamarind pulp and salt to taste. Mash a little of the channa to give thickness to the gravy.

Add the tomato sauce and garam masala.

Garnish with chopped coriander and a knob of butter or fresh cream.

Note: Can also a add a potato while you cook the channa. Mashing the potato into the gravy will thicken it. Also cook channa in correct amount of water and use that in cooking as the flavor of the spice will be in it. Since we are using the water wash the potato well and add to avoid any sand or dust.

Sambar for Breakfast

Ingredients:
Green gram dhal - 1/2 cup
Small onions - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 big
Green chilli - 2 slit
Sambar powder - 2 sp (Any brand)
Turmeric powder - 1 sp
Asafoetida - 1/4 sp
Oil - 2 sp
Mustard - 1/2 sp
Split urudh dhal - 1/2 sp
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves
Salt

Method:

Pressure cook the dhal in water with turmeric powder and asafoetida. Cook well and mash the dhal.
In a kadai heat oil season with mustard, split urudh dhal, red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the peeled shallots (Small onions), green chillies and tomato. Sauté well till the onions are well cooked.
Pour a glass of water add the add sambar powder and salt and bring it to a boil. Now add the cooked and mashed dhal.
Add water if necessary simmer and bring it to a boil.

Note: This can go with Idly, Pongal Rava upma etc. This will be a little watery, you can also add a spoon of Kadala mavu (bengal gram flour) dissolved in water which will make the sambar thick. Also can add well cooked yellow pumpkin a piece or two which will improve flavor as well as the thickness.

Kosamalli

This is a traditional dish of chettinad made with Brinjal in tamarind... usually served as a side dish for Thalicha Idiyappam and in house holds a side dish for Idly or Dosa... Harmless and tasty.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal – 4 (Violet and white striped)
• Small Onions – ½ cup sliced
• Tomato – 1 sliced
• Green Chilli – 5 to 8
• Red Chilli – 5 (Dry roast 3 and run in the mixie)
• Mustard – ½ sp
• Split Urudh Dhal – ½ sp
• Jeera – ½ sp
• Curry Leaves – 2 strings
• Coriander Leaves – a small bunch
• Tamarind – a small ball
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 sp

Method:

Wash and keep the brinjal over stove. The outer skin gets burnt. Keep turning it on and off so that it is cooked on all sides.

Now just remove the burnt skin and remove the stem.

Make a solution of tamarind and salt.

Chop this cooked brinjal. Mash half the sliced onions with hands (to separate the rings) into the brinjal. Pour the tamarind into it. Mix and check for salt.

Heat oil in a kadai. Season with mustard, urudh dhal, jeera, red chilli and curry leaves. Add the remaining onion, chopped tomatoes, slit green chillies. Sauté for a minute, add the chilli flakes and the mixed brinjal contents.

Bring it to a boil and switch off. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: Do not boil for a long time since the sauce of this dish is mainly tamarind it will go slightly bitter like.

Instead of burning the brinjal over stove, cut into four pieces (Lengthwise). And cook in water. Remove the flesh from the skin and mash with hands.

Also all the onions can be added into the brinjal or all can be sautéed.

And also the chilli flakes is optional.

Babay Potato Masalai

Ingredients:

• Baby Potato - 1/4 kg
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Garlic - 2 pods
• Red Chilli powder - 2 sp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 sp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 sp
• Methi Leaves - 1 sp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste

Method:

                                 

Pressure cook Baby Potatoes with salt and a spoon of chilli powder. Peel them and keep aside. If it is a little big cut into two.

Heat oil in a kadai add the crushed garlic along with the skin. add the sliced onion sauté well. Add the tomatoes and sauté  till the tomatoes are mashed and cooked. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. When the oil starts to separate add the potatoes, and toss well.

Keep it closed for 3 minutes.

Toss well and add the garam masala and sprinkle crushed methi leaves. Keep it in medium flame for a minute sauting it well.

Serve with chapathi or curd rice.

Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients:

• Onion - 1
• Potato - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Carrot - 1/2 cup
• Beand - 1/2 cup
• Peas - 1/2 cup
• Cauliflower - 1/2 cup
• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Green chilli - 5 to 8
• Cumin seed - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 sp
• Turmeric powder 1 sp
• Coriander - 1/2 bunch
• Curry leaves
• Bay leaf
• Cinnamon
• Salt to taste

Method:

Cut all the vegetables into small squares. Break the cauliflower into small florets, boil water blanch the florets with little salt drain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a cooker pan add the spices and curry leaves followed by onions. sauté it for a minute. Then add the vegetables, peas and cauliflower. Sate for 3 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
When the tomatoes are cooked add coriander powder turmeric powder and salt. Pour a glass of water and add half the coriander leaves. Close the cooker and pressure cook for a whistle.
Grind Coconut, cumin seed green chillies and coriander leaves.
Open the cooker allow it to boil and pour this ground paste. Bring it to boil and turn off immediately.

Note: If you let it boil for a longer time after adding the coconut paste the coconut may churn and float like foam on top surface. This goes good with chapathi, poori, parotta or biriyani. Change the consistency as per you need.

Sambar for Breakfast

This sambar is usually called pachadi in our native. Its for breakfast to accompain Idli, Dosa, Upmas, Pongal or Idiyappam. Its called pachadi when green gram dhal (Paasi paruppu ) is used and sambar when thoor dhal is used. Some people adds both the dhal equally so just to increase quantity.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal - 3
• Potato - 1
• Onion - 1
• Tomato -1
• Green chillies - 6 to 10
• Green gram dhal - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1tbsp
• Tamarind - a small ball
• Salt - to taste
• Mustard - 1/2 ts
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli - 2
• Asafoetisda - 2 pinch
• Coriander leaves 
• Curry leaves

Method:

Pressure cook dhal with turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Cut brinjal, potato, tomato and onion in small pieces. Slit the green chillies. When the dhal is cooked open the cooker and put all the cut vegetables add a glass of water and pressure cook for two whistles.
Open the cooker and let it boil. Make a solution of tamarind and salt and pour into the sambar.
In a kadai heat oil add all the seasoning stuffs along with curry leaves and asafoetida. Once the mustard splutters pour the sambar in it and bring it to a boil.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: If you feel the sambar has gone little thin (Watery) dissolve a spoon full of idly batter in very little water and add it to the sambar when it boils.

Kathirikai Aviyal

This is also called as kallaveetu aviyal.... it is a dish to accompain Idly or Dosa or Chapathi fo rebreak fast as well as dinner.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal - 4
• Potato - 2
• Tomato - 2
• Onion - 2
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Salt to taste
• Pepper - 1 sp
• Oil - 1tb sp

For the paste

• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Kasa Kasa - 2 sp
• Split roasted bengal gram (Pottu Kadalai) - 2 tbsp

Method:

Cut all the vegetables into square pieces.Heat oil in a kadai. Season with pepper and curry leaves. Add the onions and sauté it well. Add the brinjal and potato sauté for 2 to 3 minutes then add the tomatoes. Sauté till the vegetables are cooked add chilli powder and salt and cook till the raw smell of chilli powder goes. Then pour a glass of water and bring it to boil. Allow it to boil for 3 to 5 min then add the ground paste. Bring it to a boil and tun off the stove.

Note: Peel the potatoes and put it in water. Same way put the brinjal also in water as you cut them to avoid blackening.

Payaru vazhaipoo thoran

Ingredients:

• Green gram (Paasi payaru) - 1/4 cup
• Plantain flower (vazhai poo) - 1/2 cup
• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Small onion - 4 to 6
• Curry leaves - 3 strings
• coconut oil - 2 tbsp
• green chilli - 4 to 6
• Jeera - 2 tsp
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• salt to taste

Method:

cook the green gram in water with salt. do not over cook. take the inner part of the vazhai poo and chop well. put little salt and a dash of coconut oil mix and keep. When the green gram is cooked (See to it there is very little water) add this chopped vazhai poo in it and toss well. close and cook for 3 minutes. 

grind coconut, green chilli, geera and turmeric powder coarsely. Turn off the stove and add the ground coconut and toss. put the curry leaves and pour the coconut oil. serve with rice or kanji or even for chapathi.

Avarakkai masalai

Ingredients:

• Hyacinth Beans (Avarakkai) - 200 gm
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Oil - 2 sp
• Garlic - 2 pod
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Split urudh Dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1 piece
• Curry leaf - 2 strings
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the avarakkai in thin pieces Boil in little water with salt. Heat oil in a kadai season it with spice, mustard, urudh dhal curry leaves and garlic. Then add the onions sauté for two minutes then add the tomatoes and sauté well till the tomatoes are cooked well add the chilli powder turmeric powder and salt. And cook well till the contents get pulpy. Now drain the avarakkai and add to it and cook well.

Note: For more taste you can grins 1/4 cup of coconut, 1/2 tsp of jeera and kasa kasa and add the paste to it. This will increase the volume make the consistency taste and look richer. 

vazhaipoo vadai

Ingredients:

Vazhaipoo - 1
Thoor dhal - 1 cup
Bengal gram dhal (Kadalai paruppu) - 1/4 cup or even less
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Small onion - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 10 strings
Coriander - a small bunch
Red chilli - 6 to 10
Jeera - 2 sp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste.

Method.

Clean the vazhai poo and keep aside.Soak both the dhals together for about half an hour.
Peal and slice the small onions into round slices.Chop the curry leaves and coriander.  Grate the coconut.
In a mixie run the jeera red chilli once, to this drain and add the dhal. No water. Blend it coarsely.
 Put the contents in a bowl. Run the vazhai poo in the mixie so that it is coarse and not  a paste. Put this along with the dhal.
Mash the onions with hand so that the layers come separately and put it with the contents. Add turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida, grated coconut, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
Check for salt.
Heat oil in a kadai make small ball and press it between palms and fry in hot oil.

Note: If the quantity of bengal gram dhal is much then the vadai gets harder. Increase in quantity of coconut may dissolve the vada when you drop it in oil. also soaking the dhal over night will give an dunplesant smell and hard and dry vada.

Thengai Chutney

Ingredient:

• Coconut - 1/2
• Roasted Bengal gram dhal - 2 tb sp
• Green Chilli - 5 to 6
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 sp
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli - 1
• Curry leaves 

Method:

In a mixie blen grated coconut, Roasted bengal gram dhal (Pottu kadalai or odacha kadalai), green chillies and salt with little water. When it is ground to a paste pour the content in a serving bowl. Heat oil in a kadai or a ladle add the mustard urudh dhal, red chilli and curry leaves. Fry them and pour the content into the ground chutney.

Note: Chutney is a good combination with Idly, Dosai, Pongal, Upma, Vadai and Bajji There are lot of Variations that you can make with a simple coconut chutney.
1. You can avoid the bengal gram and use only coconut and green chilli as it will purely have coconut taste. Diet conscious people can reduce coconut and increase roasted bengal gram dhal.
2. You can also add few cashew nut while grinding the chutney as it gives a rich taste.
3. Instead of green chillies use red chillies it will give a nice flavor and color to the chutney slight orange shade.
4. While grinding the chutney add a pod of garlic, this gives a nice flavor but how ever many do not like the smell of garlic in it. please avoid taking chutney with garlic at night especially to avoid bad breath.
5. The other varion you can make is. While seasoning the chutney sauté few small onions slicing them along with mustard and urudh dhal.
6. You can also add a a hand full of ground nut with out skin instead of roasted bengal gram dhal.

Potato fry

Ingredients:

• Potato - 2 large
• Garlic - 1 pod
• Mustard  1/2 tsy
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 string
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small squares. Heat oil in a kadai and season with mustard and urudh dhal add the crushed garlic and curry leaves. Add the potatoes and sauté for a minute.
Then add the chilli powder turmeric powder and salt.
Sauté till the color changes to golden yellow and the potatoes are completely cooked.

Note: Put the potato in water after you peel it and also the cut potatoes in water. When you are about to put it in the kadai drain it from water and put. And no water to cook potato this way. This hardly takes 5 min to cut and 5 min to cook.

Parangikai Puli Kuzhambu

This is to be served with rice, the vegetable side dish to accompain this could be some this less spicy like cabbage or beans or carrot poriyal. This kuzhambu will taste good only when it is spicy, for that matter any Puli Kuzhambu. And it will be yummy to have with hot idly with ginglee oil over the idlies.


Ingredients:

• Yellow Pumpkin - 500 gm
• Tamarind - a lemon sized
• Rock Salt - 2 tsp
• Small Onions - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - 5 - 6 pods
• Tomato - 1
• Kuzhambu chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Fenukreek - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli - 2
• Curry leaves - 2 strings
• Oil - 4 tb sp
• Jaggery - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Cut the yellow pumpkin into cubes. Take the skin off.

Peel the onions and garlic. If they is big then cut into two else keep it whole.

In a kadai pour the oil, season it with urudh dhal, fenugreek, pepper, red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves.

Then add the onions and garlic. Keep in high and sauté briskly. Now add the pumpkin pieces. Hold the vessel with cloth and toss once every five minutes. Sauting with a ladle may break the pumpkin pieces.

In a bowl pour water to the tamarind and salt. Make solution of it. Darin and squeeze and mash the tomato in it. To that add Kuzhambu chilli powder, Turmeric powder and chilli powder to it. Mix with a spoon and check for salt and spice.

Mean while keep tossing the pumpkin so that it gets cooked well. You can close it with a lid and also cook from half way.

When it is cooked 3/4th pour the tamarind and spice solution into the kadai. Add water if needed the pumpkins must be immersed. Let it to boil well till the oil comes and floats on top and it thickens.

Add the grater jaggery to it, let it to boil for another 5 minutes and turn off.

Note: You can add a little of gingelly oil if you feel it is too spicy, that will also add taste to the kuzzhambu. Adding jaggery is optional. For Kuzhambu chilli powder you can refer my Kuzhambu podi recipe. Other wise Add 2 tsp of chilli powder and 3 tsp of coriander powder.

Paneer Mattar Masala

Ingredients:

• Paneer - 200 gms
• Green Peas - 100gm
• Onion - 1
• Tomatoes - 2
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 tsp
• Tamarind juice - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• oil - 3 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1" piece

Method:

Heat 2 glass of water with 1/2 spoon of salt. In that hot water put the paneer cut into cubes and let it soak for 3 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Slice the onions. In a kadai heat 1/2 spoon of oil and sauté the onions till they are slightly brown. Cool and blend them to a paste. Heat the remaining oil in the kadai add the cinnamon stick, onion paste and ginger garlic paste. Sauté well. Then pure the tomatoes and add to the kadai. Cook till the raw smell goes and water evaporates. Now add the chilli powder and turmeric powder. 

Add the paneer, peas, salt and a little water. Close and cook till the peas are tender. Add the tamarind juice and jaggery. Sprinkle the garam masala and turn off the stove. Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Note: Adding jaggery gives a slight sweet taste the minute you taste a spoon full, then the sweetness wont be felt. People who doesn't like that sweet taste can avoid jaggery.

Aviyal

Ingredients:

• Drumstick - 1
• Carrot - 1
• Beans - 6
• White Pumpkin - 100gm
• Chow Chow - 1/2
• Raw Mango - 1/2
• Snake gourd - 100gm
• Elephant yam - 100 gm (Chenai kilangu)
• Plantain banana - 1/2 (Vazhakkai)
• Kothavarangai - 8 to 10
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sour Curd - 1/2 cup
• Fresh Curry Leaves - 3 strings
• Fresh Coconut oil - 1/4 cup

       

To Grind

• Coconut - 1/2
• Green Chillies - 5 to 6
• Jeera - 2 tsp

Method:

Wash and cut all vegetable length wise on 1/2 inch thickness.

In a wide mouthed vessel with little water boil the vegetables with the turmeric powder and salt.

Grind the coconut, chillies and cumin seed to a coarse paste.

When the vegetables are cooked switch off the stove and add the ground paste. 

Beat the thick sour curd and add to it.

Mix well with out breaking the vegetables. Also toss in the curry leaves and pour the coconut oil.Mix and serve with rice and pappad.

Note: This is a famous dish of keralites easy to make also. any vegetables can be used. Cook with little water. If there is excess water drain and keep it aside before adding the ground paste. This particular dish will not be on liquid form. You have to spoon it with the vegetable over the rice. Tastes really good with papad.