Milk Brinjal/Eggplant masala curry or Pala Vankaya

 

Andhra’s authentic vegetable is Brinjal/Eggplant. I learnt this curry from my mother-in-law. Basically this curry is made of Masala stuffed Brinjal/Vankaya/Eggplant cooked in milk. This curry is very rich in taste and delicious. You can eat this curry either with Chapathi or Naan or Roti or boiled rice. This is one of my favorite party dishes, because all of my friends love to eat this curry very much.

 

Ingredients:

• 12-15 small Brinjals/Eggplants/Vankayalu
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 3 medium sized tomatoes
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Bay leaf
• Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Masala ingredients

• 1 tbsp. Poppy seeds/Gasa Gasalu/Kus-Kus
• ¾ tbsp. Coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. Red chili powder
• 1 tbsp. dry coconut/fresh coconut powder
• 1 small onion
• ¼ inch ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Preparation:

• Grind all masala ingredients like a fine powder don’t add water while grinding.
• Wash and cut the brinjal at the bottom like 4 quarter parts with stem attached and soak them in salt water for 15 minutes after cutting them.
• Wash and dice the tomatoes.
• Squeeze the water from brinjals and stuff them with masala that we prepared earlier and keep it aside.  (Like shown below picture)

• Heat the heavy bottom skillet and add oil.
• Once the oil gets warm then add Bay leaf and diced tomatoes.
• Cook it until tomatoes are fully cooked and oil separated.
• Now put the stuffed brinjals and sprinkle some salt; mix it well and put a lid and cook it for 4-5 minutes.
• Once brinjal cooked 50% then add leftover masala and cook for a while till brinjal is 80% cooked.
• At this time curry becomes thick now add milk and cook it again at low temperature till brinjal is 100% cooked.
• If the curry looks dry or all the water is evaporated from the curry then you can add some more milk and cook it for a while.
• Now the delicious Milk Brinjal masala curry is ready to serve.

 

I always look forward for your comments and suggestions.

Broccoli & Lima beans stir fry

 

When it comes to nutritional value, Broccoli will come first in vegetables. Broccoli has lot of medical values and cures most of the diseases. Everyone should eat Broccoli at least once in 10 days. Please try this stir fry and definitely everyone will love it. This can be served with Rice or Roti.

 

Ingredients:

• 1lb. Broccoli crown
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 small onion
• 2 tbsp. Chana dal
• ½ cup frozen Lima beans
• 2tbsp. fresh grated Coconut
• 2 small green Chilies
• 1tsp. Mustard seeds
• 1tsp. Cumin seeds
• 1 pinch Hing/Asafoetida
• ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
• Few Curry leaves
• 1tbsp. cooking oil
• Salt to taste

      

Procedure:

• Wash and Soak Bengal gram/Chana dal at least 30 minutes and drain water, keep it aside.
• Wash & cut broccoli into small pieces.
• Grind fresh coconut and green chilies and keep it aside.
• Dice onion and garlic cloves into small pieces.
• Now heat the cooking oil in a wide non-stick skillet/pan.
• Once the oil gets warm put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Hing, soaked chana dal and curry leaves; fry them for a while.
• Now add the diced onions and garlic pieces and fry them until golden brown color.
• Next add Broccoli pieces and sprinkle salt and turmeric powder on top of it; stir it and cook it for a while with lid.
• Once the broccoli cooks 70% add Lima beans.
• You could sprinkle few drops of water also but don’t overcook them.
• Once everything is well cooked then sprinkle the ground coconut & chili mixture and stir it and cook it for few minutes.
• Now the, healthy broccoli and Lima beans stir fry is ready to serve.

Note:

• The Lima beans are optional.
• Broccoli requires less salt than we normally use it for vegetables.

I always look forward for your comments and suggestions.

Mango & Coconut Pachadi/Dip

 

Most of us love to eat Mangoes. This Pachadi is a combination of sour mango and sweet coconut. My mom often makes this Pachadi/Dip in Mango season. We always like to eat this Pachadi with hot rice and little bit of Ghee at the beginning of lunch or dinner. You can also eat this Pachadi with Chapathi or Idly or Dosa as well.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size raw Mango
• 1 cup grated fresh Coconut
• 2 green chilies
• ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
• Required amount of salt

        Seasoning Ingredients:

•           ½ tbsp. cooking oil
•           ½ tsp. Mustard seeds
•           2 pinch Hing/Asafoetida
•           Few curry leaves

Procedure:

• Scrap the Mango skin and cut the raw Mango into dices.
• First blend the Mango pieces alone and then blend along with green chilies, fresh grated coconut, turmeric powder and salt until well mixed.
• After this take mixture into a serving bowl and seasoning with oil, Mustard seeds, Hing and curry leaves and serve it.

Double layered Kalakand

 

We can easily make this double layered Kalakand very quickly using Microwave and with few ingredients. Sweet lovers will definitely love this Kalakand. Traditionally Kalakand is made with milk. But I made with store brought Ricotta cheese and nonfat dry milk powder.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Ricotta cheese
• 2 cups Nonfat dry milk powder
• 6 tbsp. milk
• 1 ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened coco powder
• Few saffron flakes
• Sliced Almonds for garnishing

Procedure:

• Mix Ricotta cheese, nonfat dry milk powder, sugar and 4tbsp. of milk in a microwave safe bowl and whisk till smooth.
• Put this bowl in a microwave and set the timer for 4 minutes.
• Start the microwave, watch the dish carefully, because mixture might boil over or spill.
• Then divide this mixture into 2 parts in 2 separate microwave bowls. One part is for making “white layer Kalakand” and other part is for “Chocolate layer Kalakand”.

Procedure for making White layer Kalakand:

• Put the first bowl in a microwave with few saffron flakes and set the timer for 8 minutes.
• Please pause the microwave every 2 minutes and stir it quickly and again start the microwave.
• Please repeat this procedure till the mixture becomes thick and butter separated from the mixture. The total time to cook may take from 8 to 15 minutes. (Please see the below picture for the right consistency to stop the above procedure)

• Once this mixture reaches desired consistence then, spread this mixture on the greased plate/try.

Procedure for making Chocolate layer Kalakand:

• Mix Coco powder with 2 table spoons of milk in a separate small microwave bowl and put the bowl in a microwave and set the microwave for 2 minutes and cook it.
• Then mix this Coco mixture in the second part of the white mixture that we prepared earlier and set the microwave for 8 minutes to cook it.
• Please follow the same procedure like the way we cooked the white layer Kalakand.
• Make sure that the mixture becomes thick and butter separated from the mixture.
• Now spread this mixture on top of the white layer Kalakand.
• You can garnish with sliced almonds and cut the spread to your desired shapes either in squares or diamonds. Now serve this sweet once it completely cools down to the room temperature.

Variation: 

• If you want to make only White Kalakand then don’t divide the mixture and also don’t add coco powder.  Jut follow rest of the procedure.
• For extra taste you can add 3-4 tbsp. of  almond paste in this.

Dalia/Putanala pappu Powder/ Pappula podi

 

“Podi” means spicy powdered mix. This Dalia powder is one of important food item of many south Indian families. If you don’t have curries or wants to make a quick lunch/dinner or if you are very hungry and don’t have time cook then you can mix this podi in hot rice along with little bit of ghee.  I usually make this podi once in 3 months and store it in an air tight jar. You can use this Dalia Powder as a substitute for Chutney. You can also sprinkle it on Dosa or on any stir fried vegetables.

 

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. Dalia/Putanala pappu
• 1 tbsp. cumin seeds/Jeera
• 2 tbsps. Dry grated coconut
• 3 tbsp. Red chili Powder
• 8 Garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp. salt

Preparation:

• Heat the wide skillet at medium heat.
• Now slightly fry Dalia/Putanala pappu and Cumin seeds/Jeera.
• Once Dalia slightly fried then add Red chili powder, Dry grated coconut and salt; mix it well and immediately switch of the heat.
• Take them out in a separate plate for cooling down.
• Now blend everything till finely Powdered; take it out in a separate plate.
• Now grind Garlic cloves along with 2tbsp of ground Dalia mix. So that garlic will grind well.
• Mix this ground garlic mix with ground Dalia mix.
• Store this Dalia Powder/Pappula podi in an air tight glass jar.