Vazhaipoo Paruppu usili recipe, How to make usili

Vazhaipoo paruppu usili, a traditional tamil brahmin recipe made using banana flowe and lentils, serves a perfect accompaniment for rice. Vazhaipoo or banana flower is cooked in 2 forms in our place. One is this Vazhipoo paruppu usili and other one is Vazhaipoo kootu, Vazhaipoo paruppu usili, though like by everyone at home many times we won’t have a chance to visit the Indian market in little India and the local small Indian shops will only the basic Indian veggies. So when ever i visit the Indian market, i buy the Vazhaipoos and make paruppu usili in the same way as i make Beans Paruppu usili. Recently i was told by my friend, that she makes this vazhaipoo paruppu usili by adding an extra ingredient. So i am sharing the recipe of the popular South Indian Vazhaipoo paruppu usili. Also check out the popular chettinad style Vazhaipoo vadai recipe
Before buying the vazhaipoo, always choose the heavy weighted vazhiapoo , which will have more flowers. Though cleaning is a little elaborate part, when you practise it it will be easy.

INGREDIENTS: SERVES 3-4

TOOR DAL	1/4 CUP
CHANNA DAL	1/2 CUP
RED CHILLI	4-5
VAZHIPOO (CLEANED AND CHOPPED)	2 CUPS
ASAFOETIDA	2 PINCHES
OIL	2 TBLSP
MUSTARD SEEDS	1/4 TSP
CORIANDER SEEDS(DHANIYA)	2 TSP
CURRY LEAVES	FEW
SALT	TO TASTE
BUTTER MILK	2 TBLSP

METHOD:

• First clean the vazhipoo. Take out the bunch of flowers and take out the kallan( the black part. I took this photo from my phone as couldn’t handle the camera in one hand.

• Chop them finely and put it in vessel filled with water and little butter milk. the addition of buttermilk is to avoid the the discoloration of the vazhaipoo. This can be done on the previous day night and kept in the refrigerator.

• Soak the channa dal, toor dal , dhania seeds and red chillies for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, drain the water and coarsely grind this in a mixer.

• Steam this in a greased idli plate or a normal vessel for 12- 15 minutes.
• When done allow this to cool and pulse it in a mixer.

• In a pan add oil and throw in the mustard seeds. Drain water from vazhaipoo and saute this for 5 minutes by adding salt to this.
• The vazhaipoo will get cooked easily.
• Take it out from the pan and keep it aside.
• Add oil in the same pan and add the steamed and pulsed dal.
• Add little salt and turmeric powder. Saute well in a low flame for 5- 8 minutes till it gets nicely roasted.

• Now add the vazhaipoo which we have cooked already.
• Mix well to the dal and let it be in a low flame for 2 minutes. Add curry leaves and switch off the flame.

• Vazhipoo paruppu usli is ready to serve. Generally when i make paruppu usili ,we will have it Morkuzhambhu or Vatha kuzhambhu. But this time for a change, we had with Garlic rasam and Thengai thogaiyal and Pavakkai Chips.

               
Note:

• If you want the texture of the paruppu usili to be very soft, add more of toor dal and less of channa dal.
• If you prefer a roasted texture then add more of channa dal and less toor dal.
• If steaming the paruppu in a normal vessel , do not forget to cover it properly, else water will come into it and make the Vazhaipoo paruppu usili soggy.

ALOO METHI RECIPE | POTATO WITH METHI LEAVES

Aloo Methi is a very popular combo of potatoes and fresh methi leaves, normally made in Punjabi cusine. So many times i tried this aloo methi recipe, but never know that the authentic punjabi aloo methi is made in this way,until is see the Tarla Dalal recipe book. This aloo methi methi can be had with rotis and evn for sambar or rasam rice too.
Here is the recipe of aloo methi recipe.


INGREDIENTS: SERVES 2

POTATO	2
METHI LEAVES	1 AND 1/2 CUP
CUMIN SEEDS	1/2 TSP
CHOPPED GARLIC	1/2 TBLSP
RED CHILLI	1
GREEN CHILLI	1-2
GINGER(GRATED)	1/2 TSBLP
TURMERIC POWDER	1/4 TSP
ASAFOETIDA	A PINCH
OIL	2 TBLSP
CORIANDER POWDER	1 AND 1/2 TSP
SALT	TO TASTE

METHOD:

• Wash the methi leaves and chop them finely. Sprinkle little salt over them and keep it aside for 15 minutes. 

• Par boil the potatoes ,peel the skin and cut them into cubes.
• Squeeze out the excess water from methi leaves and keep the leaves aside. Discard the water
• Heat oil in a pan, and add the cumin seeds, and add the chopped garlic, ginger, green chilli , asafoetida and red chilli .
• Add the potatoes and coriander powder ,turmeric powder and mix well. Add salt.

• After 2 minutes add the methi leaves and mix well.

• Cook for few minutes in a medium flame and switch off the flame.
• Serve hot with rotis or jeera rice.

Note:

1. Cauliflower can be used instead of potatoes.

Technorati Tags: aloo methi,aloo methi recipe,side dish for roti,potato recipes

BABY CORN STIR FRY | EASY BABY CORN STIR FRY

   As mentioned in one of my previous post, we shifted to the new house yesterday and was quite busy in settling down in the house. But thankfully it is within the same apartment as the locality is used to us.  This week i will be posting recipes from draft and haven’t started to click anything new in this big kitchen. Yes , the kitchen here is huge and i am so excited too. Coming the recipe of Baby corn stir fry, it is an easy and simple one and if you are fan of baby corn recipes like me, then this recipe of baby corn masala is for you. This goes well with rice and rotis too. Thank you for all my blogger friends for visiting my page in my absence. I will come back to routine from next week.

INGREDIENTS: [SERVES 3]

BABY CORN	15
ONION	1-2
CAPSICUM	1/2
GINGER GARLIC PASTE	1 TSP
SAMBAR POWDER	1 TSP
SALT	AS NEEDED
TURMERIC POWDER	A PINCH
CUMIN SEEDS (JEERA)	1/4 TSP
OIL	2 TSP
LEMON JUICE	FEW DROPS (OPTIONAL)

METHOD:

• Wash the baby corn and cut them into small pieces as shown in the picture.
• Pressure cook this till 3 whistles by adding little salt and turmeric powder.

• I made ginger garlic paste using mortar and pestle. It was very flavourful and much better than the store bought ones.
• In a  pan add oil and throw in the cumin seeds. Add the ginger garlic paste . Saute in a medium low flame for few minutes and add the onions. Chop the onions in a slightly bigger size.

• After few minutes add the cubed capsicums.
• Saute for few minutes.Let this be crunchy. Now add the sambar powder, salt. Mix well and cook in a medium low flame for few minutes.

• Add the cooked baby corn, drain if the water is too much. Little water is ok.
• Mix well and saute for few minutes.
• Switch off the flame and squeeze the lemon juice ( if adding)
• Mix well. If you want you can add coriander leaves too.

• Serve with Roti or  with rice. We had with vegetable rice.

         

Technorati Tags: baby corn recipes,baby corn stir fry,easy baby corn recipes,baby corn masala,side dish for roti

CAULIFLOWER PEPPER FRY | CAULIFLOWER RECIPES

Cauliflower is one among my favorite veggies and i love to have this with simple rasam and rice and even as a side dish for chapathis too. Being bored with the usual Cauliflower Curry i was thinking to make some different with cauliflower and tried out cauliflower curry using freshly ground pepper. It turned amazing well and especially kids enjoyed this a lot. Go ahead and try out this cauliflower pepper fry  recipe.

INGREDIENTS: ( Serves 3)

CAULIFLOWER	1 (MEDIUM SIZE)
ONION	1
GINGER GARLIC PASTE	1 /2 TSP
BLACK PEPPER	3/4 TSP
CUMIN SEEDS	1/2 TSP
SALT	TO TASTE
TURMERIC POWDER	A PINCH
OIL	1 TBLSP

METHOD:

• Wash the cauliflower and cut them into small florets.
• Chop the onions into thin slices. In a pan add oil and add ginger garlic paste.
• Saute for a while and add the onions and saute till they become translucent.

• Add the cauliflower florets to this. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely ground the black pepper and cumin seeds separately.

• Add this to the cauliflower and add salt and turmeric powder.

• Sprinkle little water and cook the florets become soft.
• Switch off the flame once it is done.

     

• Serve hot with rasam rice or sambar rice. Even this will taste yum with Phulkas.

 
Note:

1. Do not add any curry leaves or coriander leaves as this will supress the pepper flavor.
2. You can use store bought pepper powder and cumin powder but freshly ground one is highly recommended.

Technorati Tags: cauliflower curry recipe,cauliflower recipes,cauliflower pepper fry,how to make cauliflower fry

  

POTATO CURRY RECIPE | POTATO FRY

Simple potato fry | curry is my family’s favorite and kids will eat a little extra rice if i make this curry. This Potato fry is quite popular in Tamil brahmin houses.  A very simple recipe with potato goes well with sambar , rasam and curd rice.
Also check out my

• Urulai kara curry
• Madurai potato pottalam

INGREDIENTS: (SERVES 3-4 PERSON)

POTATO	5
SAMBAR POWDER(Can be replaced with red chilli powder)	1-2 TSP
SALT	TO TASTE
TURMERIC POWDER	1/4 TSP
OIL	2 TBLSP
MUSTARD SEEDS	1/4 TSP
ASAFOETIDA	A PINCH
CURRY LEAVES	FEW

METHOD:

• Peel the skin of the potatoes and chop into cubes.
• If you are going to make the curry immediately proceed further, else transfer the chopped potatoes in a bowl of water. This is to avoid the decolouration of potatoes.

• In a pan,add oil and temper with mustard seeds and asafoetida.
• Add the potatoes (if immersed in water drain the excess water and pat dry them in a kitchen towel) and add it to the pan. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt.

• Gently mix and let it get roasted in a medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Saute in between to avoid getting burnt.
• Serve with any rice of your choice.