Padavalanga chemmeen thoran (snakegourd with dried prawns thoran)

What do you do when you crave for kovakka chemmeen mezhukkupuratti and you only have padavalanga (snakegourd) and chemmeen (prawns)?

;D Yes... You make a padavalanaga chemmeen mezhukkupuratti!!!

But then the fresh coconut smiled at me and that's how the padavalanaga chemmeen thoran came about :D :D

What I used

1. Oil: 3 tablespoons
2. Diced onion  medium size: 1
3. Salt: to taste
4. Turmeric powder: 1/8 teaspoon
5. Sliced green chillies: 2
6. Washed and cut snakegourd: 650 grams
7. Dried prawns: 3/4 cup 
8. Freshly grated coconut: 1/2 cup
9. Curry leaves: 1 sprig

How I made it

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium flame and when the oil is hot, add the onions with some salt and saute well
2. Add the turmeric powder and after about 2 minutes, in goes the green chillies
3. This is closely followed by the snakegourd pieces and the dried prawns. Mix well ensuring the contents are fully coated with oil
4. Before adding the prawns, check the salt and add more if necessary 
5. Add the grated coconut and curry leaves and mix everything well
6. Cook on medium flame with the pan covered for about 30 min, stirring the contents in between
7. At any point if there is not enough  moisture to cook the veggies, sprinkle some water and again cover the pan
8. Let the curry rest after the flame is put out

This is just so easy to make and the combo of vegetables and prawns with the freshness of coconut makes anything that you have with it mouth watering

Attention Vegetarians!

You guys can enjoy the freshness of this dish too. Just minus the prawns and it will be a refreshing padavalanga thoran :D :D

Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do :D :D

Brown payar thoran

There are some dishes which can make you feel at home even when you are elsewhere. Maybe that's why even classy restaurants with a fancy "Indian cuisine" cannot mimic that familiar tingling of a real craving. 

For me that familiarity is felt whenever I come across the brown payar thoran. I have made it so many times in so many ways and it has always left me feeling sumptuously full :D :D

I only know too well that long recipes can be boring, so unless I am in a sunshine mood to try the mix of taste and color, I prefer the easy road to taste :D :D... Besides, what is the need to toil hard for something that you can get plain easy ;-)

What I used

1. Oil: 3 tablespoons
2. Crushed garlic: 4-5
3. Diced onion medium size: 1
4. Salt: to taste
5. Chopped green chillies: 2
6. Turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon
7. Brown payar pre-cooked with salt: ~2 cups
8. Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
9. Curry leaves: 1 sprig

PS: For the pre-cooked payar, how much you want to cook the payar is up to you. Since on this particular day, I wanted it really soft, I kept it to pressure cook a little longer than was necessary. But if you like the brown skin intact, you can adjust the timing accordingly

How I made it

1. In a pan, heat the oil on medium flame and fry the garlic till you literally "hear" the smell of garlic
2. To this, add the onion with some salt and saute till onion changes color to a lovely pale pink almost transparent
3. Put in the green chillies and turmeric powder and continue mixing till the raw smell of turmeric is gone
4. To this add the pre-cooked brown payar and mix everything well. Check the salt and add if more is needed
5. Once the contents are fully mixed and salt is enough, add the grated coconut and curry leaves and mix well
6. Cook on medium flame with the pan covered for about 15 minutes with occasional stirring
7. Switch off the flame and let the contents sit for a while before you attack it ;-)

Now I felt this is simple and tasty,especially with the garlic... but if you feel this is still too much, here is a simpler one with way less ingredients :D :D.. and yes!! I have tried it too  ;-)

• Heat the oil on medium fame and saute the onions with some salt. Once onions are done, add the green chillies and pre-cooked payar together and cook for about 10 min and you are done!

Now if you wanted an even simpler one, I would suggest to just cook the payar with some salt and eat it, though I don't think you can call it thoran.. Still who cares as long as you are cool with it what you intake :D :D

This payar thoran is my my favorite and it's just wow when you have it with brown rice, pulisserry and beef ularthiyathu or a crispy fish fry!

This is something everyone must have at least once in their lifetime. It's sooooo worth it!! :D :D

Potato stirred fry

There are some days when one just gotta make do with what one has. 

It was one of my poor-cum-lazy-girl days when I decided to just make something or just about anything to pacify a loud hunger. It was then that the good old hostel days reminded me of this simple humble dish and lo! it was all said and done in about 40 minutes ;D

What I used

1.       Oil: ~3 tablespoons

2.       Mustard seeds:  ½ teaspoon

3.       Cumin seeds (optional): ½  teaspoon

4.       Dry red chillies: 2

5.       Dry chilli flakes: 1 teaspoon

6.       Curry leaves: 1 sprig

7.       Thoroughly cleaned diced potato (medium size): 2

8.       Salt: as needed

How I made it

1.       In a flat bottomed frying pan on medium flame, heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds

2.       Then add the chillies and cumin seeds and fry for about 30 seconds till the aroma of cumin is released and to this, add the curry leaves

3.       Immediately add the diced potatoes with the required amount of salt and stir well ensuring the contents are completely coated with oil
PS: I used the potatoes with the skin on as it is known to reduce the bloating effect potatoes are known to cause. Skinned potatoes are also fine for stir frying.
Instead of using raw potatoes, boiled and diced potatoes can also be used. In this case, the fries will be moist and not crispy

4.       Cover the pan and cook on medium flame for about 20 minutes with occasional stirring of contents until the potatoes are soft and cooked. After 20 minutes, keep the lid on and leave it alone for a while before serving.
If really crispy potatoes are desired, reduce the fire to low flame and cook for another 20 minutes till the potatoes brown

This dry dish goes well with chappathi, poori, rice and also serves as a sandwich filling

Multi-colored scrambled eggs

Considering the numerous times the good old "eggs" have come to my rescue as sumptuously tummy filling, it is a must-have ingredient awaiting patiently on my fridge racks

The number of forms in which they come into use is, well, many... From being part of a healthy breakfast to spicy lunch and then a light dinner, eggs are a joy to be experienced

It was on one such day when I had lots of veggies in my fridge, that I decided to make something easy and filling, making use of the greens and reds available. For some reason I love colors on my plate, especially green

Thus, came the platter of scrambled eggs on my dining table that day :D :D

The best part of this dish, like most dishes, is that one can custom-make it to suits one's taste buds :D 

What I used

1. Oil: ~3 tablespoons
2. Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
3. Coarsely diced onion: 1 large
4. Salt: to taste
5. Diced ripe tomatoes: 2
6. Curry leaves: 1 sprig
7. Green chilli: 2
8. Pepper powder: 1/2 teaspoon
9. Eggs: 2
10. Chopped corriander leaves: a handful (No need to add this if you don't like the taste of corriander leaves. I use it coz I find it refreshing)

How I made it

1. Heat a flat-bottomed pan with the oil and splutter the mustard seeds
2. Turn the fire to low-medium and saute the onions, adding a bit of salt
3. Once the onion loses its raw feel and has become slightly less pink, add the tomatoes, curry leaves, and green chillies, and cook till the tomatoes become mushy
4. Rest of the salt and pepper powder can be added while the tomatoes are changing texture
5. Break open the eggs and add to the mixture and start stirring till the eggs are fully cooked
6. About 2 min before turning off the fire, add the corriander leaves and mix well

PS: Varying textures of scrambled eggs can be made. It all depends on the time the eggs spend on stove and the amount of stirring

• For mushy eggs, stirr the content on medium flame till the eggs turn whitish and turn off the fire while the content is still semi-solid
• For chunky scrambles, occasional stirring on medium is enough
• For very fine scrambles, keep stirring on low flame till the whole mixture turns into fine granules

This a dry dish that blends well with roti, chapathi, bread, etc.

It also makes a suitable filling in a sandwich :D :D

Mattar paneer

When we hit dhabas for a quick munch anytime, we know for sure that it's going to be a yummy veggie meal, with some of the usuals being paneer, rajma and dal curry with of course, the fresh hot rotis

And ya, then there is the lent season, when the pious go totally vegetarian and religiously explore the various vegetarian options available. One fine day during the lent, I suddenly decided to go veg for a week and one of the dishes that landed on my lunch menu was the good old  Mattar paneer :D :D








What I used:

1. Paneer: about 10-15  small cubes
2. Butter: 1 tablespoon
3. Vegetable oil: 2 tablespoons
4. Cooked green peas (mattar): 1/2 cup
5. Roasted cloves and cardamom: 6-8
6. Finely diced onion: 1 big
7. Dried red chilies: 5
8. Green chilies: 2
9. Coriander leaves: for garnish
10. Coconut milk or fresh cream: 1/2 cup
11. Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
12. Chili powder: 1/2 teaspoon
13. Salt: to taste

How I made it

1. In a frying pan, brown the paneer in butter and keep aside
2. In a separate frying pan, heat the oil and add the pre-roasted cardamom and cloves. Once the aroma tickles your senses, add the dried red chilies and saute the onion, adding some salt in this mix
3. When the onions are done, add the spices, namely coriander and chili powder.
   In case the masala sticks to the base of the pan, you can add some water
4. To the mixture, add the green chilies and pre-cooked green peas
5. Add the required amount of water to make a gravy, followed by the coconut milk or fresh cream
6. Finally add the paneer and cook keeping the pan covered for about 15 min on medium flame, stirring in between

This makes a lovely side dish along with naan and roti

Since I didn't have the option of chappathis or rotis the day I made this dish, I had it with brown rice and it turned out just fine :D

Spicy chicken curry

I have decided! I am cooking this weekend, mere haathon banaya khana :D :D...

Menu set, shopping done, am all set! :D

For a good traditional lunch, we usually have rice, with some gravy, a veg dish and a non-veg dish. Today's non-veg dish is chicken curry

Even though the procedure I described below looks like rocket science, trust me it's not. Looks can totally be deceiving ;D

I talk too much sometimes, so I chitchatted into the recipe (for our own good only, knowledge sharing is after all a virtue na ;-)). That's why the recipe looks big. It's very simple, so you have nothing to worry in case you decide to try it sometime

What I used

1. Cleaned and cut chicken : 1/2 kg
2. Onions: 2 big ones
3. Curry leaves: 2 sprigs
4. Chopped coriander leaves: a handful
5. Tomatoes: 1 medium sized
6. Potato: 1
7. Finely chopped ginger and garlic: 2 teaspoons of each
8. Green chilies: 4
9. Chicken curry masala bought from store: 3 tablespoons
10. Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
11. Red chili powder: 1 teaspoon
12. Coconut milk: 1 cup
13. Salt: to taste
14. Waster: as per gravy requirement
15. Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
16. Oil: 1/4 cup

How I made it

1. In a thick-bottomed vessel, heat the oil,splutter the mustard seeds and add the ginger garlic along with curry leaves
   If you don't like biting into the ginger and garlic in curries, I suggest using ginger-garlic paste so gravy is smoother
2. Once the ginger-garlic aroma starts to activate your olfactory senses, it is time to add the chopped onion and saute 
3. Keep the flame on medium and when the onions start changing color, add salt till onion is translucent
   I like biting into sauteed onion for its sweet taste. But if you like smooth gravy, reduce the flame and keep sauting till the onions have an almost melted mushy caramelized consistency
4. Once the onions have been cooked to satisfaction, add the chopped tomatoes. Just randomly slicing the tomatoes is also fine as they will just melt into the curry mix in the end
5. Keep stirring the contents till the tomatoes have become mushy
6. To this add the chicken masala, coriander and chili powders
   Ideally chicken masala alone is just fine, but since I like the taste of coriander, I added a little extra. If you don't like coriander, you needn't use it
7. Keep mixing till the raw smell of the masala is gone. In case contents start sticking to base of pan, add a bit of water to avoid burning of contents
8. To this mix, add the chicken pieces along with some salt and allow it to cook with closed lid on medium flame
   After about 15 min, you can see the chicken is releasing its water content and gravy is forming. It's better to taste the gravy at this stage to check for the balance of flavors so alterations can be made. 
9. To this, add the diced potato, green chilies and coriander leaves, and water if more gravy is required. Mix and cook with pan covered for about 10 min
10. Finally add the coconut milk and cook for about 40 min till the chicken is fully cooked
    After 40 min, you can turn off the flame and let the chicken rest so it can cook in the existing heat of the pan

Note: An advantage of adding potato to chicken curry is that it absorbs excess salt. So, if you added excess salt initially, adding potato is a useful way to balance the saltiness

This chicken curry coupled with the tanginess of lemon pickle alongside rice, a thoran and pulissery made my lunch a hearty one. I have felt lemon pickle to be a good combo with chicken and beef curries :D :D

Carrot thoran

Some days are just like that when there is a craving for no particular reason other than maybe my body just needs the nutrients from whatever I crave for. OK, that's not just a logical explanation, but it's scientifically proven ;-)

I can never be bored of the orange crunchy sweet carrots unless of course my system gets so carroty to the point that I only see the color orange around :P Just kidding!! Too much of anything is a show spoiler, so just have till you need and then STOP :D :D

So today for lunch, the side dish is carrot thoran

What I used

1. Uniformly diced carrots: about 4 medium-length ones
2. Diced onion: 1 big
3. Chopped green chilies: 3
4. Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
5. Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
6. Salt: to taste
7. Water: 1/4 cup
8. Oil: 3 tablespoons
9. Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
10. Curry leaves: 1 sprig

How I made it

1. In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds and add the curry leaves and diced onion. Heat on medium flame
2. While the onions are getting done, add salt followed by the turmeric powder
3. Once the onions have become translucent, add the chili and diced carrots and mix well
4. Ensure the carrots are completely coated with the oil so it will cook uniformly
5. Then add the grated coconut and mix well again
6. Once the contents are mixed well, add some water and keep the pan covered on medium flame occasionally stirring to ensure uniform cooking

Once done, take the pan off the flame and have a hearty meal :D

I find carrots to be a good combo with rice and meat dishes, especially beef fry :D :D 

Oh God! Am hungry again... :D :D