Capsicum Parathas

I love parathas of which aloo parathas are the most famous and popular among most.Its such an easy way to sneak vegetables especially with fussy picky eaters.This is one such easy and aromatic paratha.

Dry fish/karuvad curry

Seafood lovers are on the rise these days.Dry fish isn't something everyone might like it definitely is a pleaser in our homes.I recently started making it this way and its really good to go with chapathis and rice.

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Dried fish i've heard from my elders, the practise started to preserve excess fish but then nowadays i've read in pregnancy related books that dried fish has more protein than the fresh ones (don't ask me how i have no idea).In my native place, new moms are fed with special marundhu/medicinal fish curries (i had it too) and dry fish along with other stuff like methi ladoos, dry fruits, loads of milk, etc to help you nurse baby better.Even though it is disgusting to sit and eat all that stuff when you want to get rid of all those extra flabs you'll know its good for you and baby at the back of your minds.

I have really never purchased store brought dry fish/karuvad because it is usually loaded with dust and salt.My aunt usually prepares it for us much hygenically and with lesser salt.And this way to make this curry my mom gave me the tip and it helps to get rid off all the salt in it.

 You need

Dry fish 1(whole or few pieces as you need)
Onion 1 large
Tomato 2 medium
Green chillies 2
Curry leaves 3-4 sprigs(use more if you like)
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Oil 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Water a little around half cup
Coriander leaves to garnish

• In a pan of water, add turmeric powder and add the dry fish pieces and let it boil for 5-7 minutes.This helps tenderise the fish and also to get rid of the salt.
• Once the fish is tender, take it off the water, discard water.Remove the flesh of the fish and discard bones and skin.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and fry well.
• Add chopped onions and saute well until soft.
• Once the onions are soft add the tomatoes and sprinkle some salt.This helps mash the tomatoes quicker.
• Add a little water at this stage, add chilli powder and stir for a few seconds.
• Add the shredded dry fish pieces. 
• Mix well.Add some more water and cover and cook until the spices have coated the fish.
• Garnish with more fresh curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapathis or rasam  or sambar and rice.Like my mom says dry fish is a rice pulls.So watch out :)

Notes :

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• Be careful with salt because the fried fish can have salt and adding your normal level can make the dish salty.

Dry fish/karuvad curry

Seafood lovers are on the rise these days.Dry fish isn't something everyone might like it definitely is a pleaser in our homes.I recently started making it this way and its really good to go with chapathis and rice.

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Brinjal/kathrikai thokku/Chutney

Idlis are a daily fare here especially because my LM loves them but she has them only with podi nothing else.Wonder when that will change.But we loved this chutney its a good combination to go with chapathis and idlis or dosas rather than the usual coconut chutneys and sambars.

I make this whenever i have brinjals in stock which is always.They seem to the freshest vegetables around so i have them around also they are so versatile you can make curries, fries, bhajjias or even chutneys now!

You need

Brinjals any kind 2 medium
Onion 2 medium
TOmato 2 medium
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli 1 small
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Coriander leaves few sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tablespoons

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds let them pop, add curry leaves and onions.
• Add brinjals as soon as the onions turn soft.
• Once the brinjals have softened add the tomatoes,
• Now add the chilli powder and salt with turmeric powder.
• Fry well until all mashed well.
• Sprinkle coriander leaves.Turn off the heat.
• Brinjal chutney is ready.

Serve brinjal thokku/chutney with spongy soft idlis.

Sending this to Healthy veg recipes and to Priyas place and Dish it out- Light dinners

Brinjal/kathrikai thokku/Chutney

Idlis are a daily fare here especially because my LM loves them but she has them only with podi nothing else.Wonder when that will change.But we loved this chutney its a good combination to go with chapathis and idlis or dosas rather than the usual coconut chutneys and sambars.

Radish/Mooli parathas

Just got  back after a really nice relaxing Xmas break and its still hard to wake up for school in the morning.I pity the lil one who had to get going today.Tonight will be a simple dinner this radish/mooli paratha which i love a lot because I'm still in holiday mode and the weekend is right here too.

I love parathas they are most easy to make and also no compromises on the health factor because we have veggies going in too.I make them when theres no mood to make a side dish for chapathis.People make chapathis with almost everything now.I even saw on tv recently someone made plantain/vazhakka parathas.I so wanted to try it that i kept delaying to use the raw plantain in the fridge it ripened and turned into pazham pori!!Thats not a good thing but still bananas are really versatile and healthy be it the raw or ripe form!

Mostly if its parathas the side dish would be a simple raita but you can serve any dish along with it.

Preparation Time half hour resting time + coking time 10 mins

You need

Radish grated 1 large                                                                                                    
Ginger grated 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seed powder 1/2 tsp
Haldi/turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Chopped green chillies 1/2 or chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves 3 tablespoons
Lime juice 1 tablespoon
Wheat flour/atta 3 cups
Water less than 1 cup
Oil or ghee as per need

• Add all of the above listed stuff into the wheat flour and make a soft dough.Cover and keep for half hour.
• Now pinch lemon sized balls of dough and roll them out into thin discs.
• On a hot tawa/pan, cook both sides of each disc applying oil/ghee on the sides and centre.
• Serve hot parathas with dal fry or baby potato raitha or plain curd and pickle.

Enjoy a wholesome vegan paratha for dinner :)

Sending this Dish it out - Light dinners , Only parathas and flatbreads , Kids delight-cooking with whole grains

Radish/Mooli parathas

Just got  back after a really nice relaxing Xmas break and its still hard to wake up for school in the morning.I pity the lil one who had to get going today.Tonight will be a simple dinner this radish/mooli paratha which i love a lot because I'm still in holiday mode and the weekend is right here too.

Stir fried pumpkin

I managed to make two dishes with the pumpkin wedge that i picked up for this month's Magic Mingle.I'm glad i could do that.

My daughter was munching the raw pumpkin telling me it smells like watermelon :) I was glad some vegetable is going in as she's only starting to have her share of veggies.Its a long tough fight with vegetables and her!

Since we have chapatis/indian flat bread for our dinner invariably everyday, I am tempted to try out with many side dishes/gravies for dinner.This side dish is so easy i think its faster than instant noodles!Thats how fast this vegetable cooks!

Preparation time : 30 mins

You need

Chopped pumpkin 2 cups 

Salt to taste

Cumin seeds/jeera 1tsp

Green chillies 1slit at the top

Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp (or more as you need)

Oil 2 tsp

• Heat oil in the pan, add oil and jeera and let it pop.Now add the green chillies and fry it well.
• Add the pumpkin pieces and stir it in the oil.Add the salt and red chilli powder and stir well.
• Cook until the pumpkin pieces go soft.

• Serve the sabji hot with chapatis.

Sending this to Magic Mingle #9 , Healthy foods for kids - Combo meals , 30 minute meal mela , Dish in 30 minutes

Stir fried pumpkin

I managed to make two dishes with the pumpkin wedge that i picked up for this month's Magic Mingle.I'm glad i could do that.

Lachha Parathas and a simple snack - Chilli chapati

I make these parathas at home for my LM often but wasn;t aware of the name until I stumbled upon it at Pallavi's space.These parathas are better than the kerala parotas we love at our home for obvious reasons : they are whole wheat parathas and also consume lesser oil in their making.So now whenever LM asks for parotas this is what she gets  - chapati parota (we renamed it!) and she;s happy!I gave this quick make over to the humble chapatis and it was a super duper hit!

Lachcha parathas are layered chapatis they are not tedious to make and easy to work on.You can see the layers in concentric circles once they are cooked too.Thanks to Blog hop wednesdays for introducing us to new partners' and their spaces.BHW has turned 1 and congrats to Radhika for coming with such a wonderful idea.I have met so many wonderful blogger friends through BHW.Check out Pallavi's version here

You can make chilli chapatis if you have left over chapatis sitting in the refrigerator which are stiff as wood.This dish will vanish in seconds along with the leftover chapatis.

 You need

Wheat flour as needed
Water as needed to make a nice soft dough
Salt to taste

• Knead the above into a soft dough as for chapatis.Let it rest for about an hour in a zip lock bag.
• The lachcha parathas are layered and i have a step wise picture below showing how to make the layers.You have to roll out the dough into a normal chapati then apply oil/ghee on the chapati and sprinkle a little bit of flour onto this.Now make pleats/folds on the chapati and roll into a ball,flatten this ball with your hand and roll it out into a paratha. 

• Cook this parathas on a hot griddle or pan with oil or ghee.Serve hot with any side dish of your choice.

To make the chilli chapatis


You need

Chapati/lachcha parathas 1 torn into bits

Onions 1 small chopped finely

Tomato 1 small

Cucumber cubes 2 tablespoons
Cilantro/coriander leaves 2 sprigs
Tomato sauce 1 tablespoon
Soya sauce 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 tsp

Additional garnish : Sev/mixture, lime juice

• Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, tomatoes and fry well until soft.Then add the sauces and fry well.Now add the chapati bits and mix well in the sauces.
• Serve this hot with cucumber , cilantro and sev sprinkled and lime juice sprinkled over it.

• Enjoy chilli chapatis with hot tea :) 

Tips:

- If you're a newbie at making chapatis and incase the dough becomes too loose or sticky, leave the dough covered in a ziplock bag for about an hour and then roll it out cold it would be harder and much easier to manage.

Sending this to BHW @ Tickling palates , Love Lock series - Breads, Lets cook - Appetizers/Starters, Kids delight , Serve it - Griddled , Ramadan friendly recipes, Tell me your kitchen secret , Desi-Videsi Food festival

Lachha Parathas and a simple snack - Chilli chapati

I make these parathas at home for my LM often but wasn;t aware of the name until I stumbled upon it at Pallavi's space.These parathas are better than the kerala parotas we love at our home for obvious reasons : they are whole wheat parathas and also consume lesser oil in their making.So now whenever LM asks for parotas this is what she gets  - chapati parota (we renamed it!) and she;s happy!I gave this quick make over to the humble chapatis and it was a super duper hit!

Mutton Fry

Weekends are time for non-vegetarian food.Especially with my nonveg loving LM, I usually end up making the normal gravy so that it lasts for the evening too.But this time I tried this recipe.And it turned out delicious!

I didn't make it the normal way. I almost added the normal masala roasted and grounded, but when I tasted it just before the masala went in , it was delicious and didn't want to alter it one bit!

You need
Mutton chopped into cubes 250 gms
Onions sliced lengthwise 2 medium
Ginger garlic 1 tablespoon (1/2tsp + 1/2tsp)
Garam masala powder 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp (add according to spice level)
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Lime juice 1 tsp
Oil 3 tablepoons
Potatoes cubed 2
Roasted whole garam masala ( cardamoms,cloves,cinamon ) - 4-5 each
Handful of chopped Coriander leaves,mint leaves
Curry leaves a generous amount

• Cook the meat with sufficient water, ginger garlic paste(1/2tsp), a long piece of cinnamon, turmeric powder and garam masala (1 tablespoon) until meat is soft (I pressure cooked it).
• In a pan, heat oil and shallow fry the potatoes until they have a crispy crust and keep separately on a tissue paper to drain the excess oil.
• In a heavy based pan, add oil (about 2 3 tablespoons), add the mustard and let it splutter, followed by curry leaves.You can add the remaining 1/2tsp of ginger-garlic paste now.
• Add the onions in and wait for it turn soft, now add the cooked meat with the water and cook the mutton until the water is all absorbed.Next add the fried potatoes.
• Next add the chopped leaves and let it fry.
• Add salt and garam masala to adjust the spice level.
• Add lime juice and garnish with curry leaves.

• Serve with fried rice or chapatis,parotas, naan.

Mutton Fry

Weekends are time for non-vegetarian food.Especially with my nonveg loving LM, I usually end up making the normal gravy so that it lasts for the evening too.But this time I tried this recipe.And it turned out delicious!