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!!!