Tender juicy lamb burgers....

It is so hot today. We went for a nice long bike ride and don't want to eat anything too complicated. So we settled on this easy to make, yummy to eat burgers....

Start with 1 lb ground lamp. To it add finely chopped onions, green chilis, cilantro. Also add salt, garam masala and a little Ginger garlic paste. Mix well. Make patties and grill.

Optional green mint chutney to be applied on bun. Serve with raw onions!!! Enjoy....

Vendhiya kolambu

This dish is a classic one and is always filling. Not to mention a load of health benefits. I had recently been to NY farmer's market in downtown area, and was amazed at finding spring garlic (same as spring onions, with the green stuff intact)... so I thought this dish which highlights the taste of garlic, ought to do it... this is definitely not for the faint hearted or people who dont like the smell or taste of garlic...

Slice garlic, and onions and keep aside. I used one whole garlic and one whole onion. Start a vessel with oil (sesame oil, optional). Add mustard, and a little vendhiyam. let the vendhiyam brown and the mustard splutter. then add the onions and garlic and saute them. while they are cooking, add a cup of tamarind juice, and to that add 1 tsp sambar powder, little turmeric powder, little hing, and salt. let it boil, and oil separate... now the dish is ready....

This can be served with rice and potatoes fry ... or fish fry ;) Enjoy...

Poori and potatoes masala

This is definitely a simple one, but I think sometimes simple dishes speak to our hearts... Here's hoping that this one speaks to you ...

Mix dough for poori (flour+little salt+pinch of sugar) with water and keep aside.

Peel potatoes and wash them. I will digress a little and go into details on how to cut the potatoes for this one, cos it is very important... cut potato in half lengthwise. Then slice like u would do onions. Then cut the other direction so u have square shape on top, and long thin strips. Almost like french fries shape, but scaled smaller. I know this is so trivial, but when it is all cooked, you will see why this makes a difference... I had some baby carrots in the fridge, and cut them in half lengthwise, and cut them into smaller pieces. Just for a pop of color, and get the not-so-favourite vegetable in my diet.. :)

So now that the potatoes are cut, cook them in cooker for 1 whistle with a half cup water and some turmeric. Keep the tava to make pooris, at a low flame in the next burner. So when the potatoes are done, the oil is ready for puris....

After the cooker is switched off, in a vessel, add oil, mustard, urad dal, channa dal... let the dals get brown and mustard splutter, then add 1 onion sliced thinly, along with 1 green chili cut fine (or 2 depending on how much spice you want), some chopped giner, and fry till onions are cooked. Then add contents of the cooker and let boil few mts. Add chopped cilantro and take off stove.

Roll out pooris and fry them. Key is to let the oil get slightly less hot than smoking hot... then maintain in 7/8 setting. if the oil cools, the puris wont rise, and also will take in lot more oil... nothing else to it...

I hope you enjoy this simple fare, and say ahhhh, gimme more... :)

Simple venn pongal

My kids hate this one dish. And since they are not home at the moment, we are indulging in this one without any remorse. It is not something they will miss. My daughter told me that she is missing my sambar, so I made this one without the normal sambar that I make with it. I would not bear to eat it now.

So on with the simple recipe.

I took 2 small handfuls of pasi paruppu (moong dal)and dry fried in cooker for a few mts till a gentle aroma of the dal came. Then I washed the dal and 3/4 cup rice in the cooker and added 4 cups water and set to cook. Also added 1/2 cup milk, some turmeric and some hing before closing cooker. Let go for one whistle.

Once the cooker is cooled, I heated some ghee in a vessel. Add more hing, finely chopped ginger, curry leaves, jeera and coarsely crushed pepper(onnuku renda thatti podanum). Cashew is optional. I don't want ghee and cashew! So choosing one of the fatty things only for this. ;) add contents of cooker and stir well.

I have served this with a good lemon pickle. Yum!!!

Kari kootu... Comfort food

I got home from work about 6:30pm and still wanted to cook something nice for the family. I too wanted some comfort food...

Menu like rasam sadham, Kari kootu came to mind. Reminded me of warm summer days in ammamma's house. Yes, I wanted that feeling. It is funny how much of our memories are tied to food and smells... I guess that would be the Indian in me.

So here goes...

Wash and drain 1.5 lb meat (i prefer goat but lamb will do as well). Add meat to cooker and mix well with little castor oil, salt, pepper pdr, jeera pdr, and turmeric pdr. Add some curry leaves too. Let simmer for a while before closing with whistle. Then cook till preferred tenderness. I like it almost falling off the bones. Keep this aside.

In another vessel, heat abt 1-2 tbsp oil. Add a small stick of cinnamon (pattai) and some curry leaves. Add thinly sliced cabbage (1 cup) or halved brussel sprouts or red cabbage or nool kol(cut like French fries). Nool kol is called kohl rabi here. Cook till veges are half cooked. In a mixing bowl, mix together 1/2cup tomato sauce/ crushed tomatoes from can or equivalent fresh tomatoes. If you are using fresh tomatoes then crush them gently. Not pureed. Mix in some chili pdr, pepper pdr and jeera pdr. The last 2 are optional. I cook half the masala with the meat and add half to the sauce. Blend the sauce well and add to veges. Boil for not more than 2-3 minutes.

Now add the meat and all contents from cooker. Add cilantro chopped. One thing is to not chop the cilantro too small, cos they lose the power to flavour and get lost. So all in moderation. Let the whole kootu come together. Simmer till this happens.

Enjoy with chapathi or rasam sadham.

Katti paruppu

It is a pleasant day out today, not a lot of sun, just enough clouds and some drizzle... the leaves are looking greener than ever....

Just thought of my grandma, and what she will make for a day like this... and paruppu came to mind. Not with the cooker, def, let's make it from scratch...

In a heavy bottomed narrow vessel, boil 5 cups water. Once the water is boiling, add 3/4 cup of toor dal, some ghee (or castor oil, or olive oil), some turmeric and let boil. After five minutes add some chopped onions, 1-2 garlic cloves and 2 green chilis slit. Simmer the stove and let cook till dal is soft. Tadka (*) with mustard and some onions (golden brown)... voila, awesome dal, to serve with rice and pickles or papads...

(*) Tadka means to garnish or finish the dish... In a small heavy bottomed vessel, heat 1 tsp oil, little mustard (let it pop), add chopped onions (or dried onions, they brown immediately), and pour this hot mixture into the dal...

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Shobs