Beans Thoran

Here comes my 3^rd Thoran recipe. You can make thoran of anything from beetroot, carrot, mushrooms, cucumber, bitter gourd, et. Will try to include all these recipes here.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Fresh beans / Long beans

8 -10 small onions/ shallots

2 -3 Green chillies

1/4tspn Turmeric powder

1/4tspn Black pepper powder

1/4^th cup freshly grated coconut

1/4cup water

Salt as per taste

For Tempering:

2tblpsn Coconut oil/ Vegetable oil

1/2tspn Mustad seeds

Few curry leaves

Method:

  1.   Wash the beans under running water and chop the beans finely.

  2.   Clean and wash small onions (shallots) and slice them into 3/4 pieces. Chop the green chillies and keep them aside. 

  3.   Take a pan add the chopped beans, onions, green chillies, turmeric powder, black pepper powder with water and salt to taste. Put on the gas with pan lid closed. We just need to steam the beans don’t cook them fully.

  4.   Once the beans are steamed and water is dried. Move them aside to the sides of the pan from the centre to make place for tempering.

  5.   Pour coconut oil in the centre. Once the oil is hot add mustard seeds, when they start to splutter add curry leaves and mix it well with the beans.

  6.   Sprinkle freshly grated coconut on the beans and mix it well. Cook it for few more minutes.

 7. Its now ready to serve with rice and curry.

NOTE:

•         Chopping of beans finely helps them to steam fast.
•        Tempering can be given in separate pan too.
•         Green Chillies can be added as per ones taste.

Homemade Ginger garlic paste

Ginger garlic is the most common basic ingredient in any local kitchen. In Asian dishes, Italian and now its fusion. Nothing beats the freshness of homemade ginger garlic paste then the store bought ones. I once bought the store made ginger garlic it looked pale, smelled weird and taste was also not good. I always prefer to make my own GG paste and store in fridge for over a month.

I m sharing my version of GG paste which can be stored for weeks in fridge without changing its color.

Ingredients:

250 gms of peeled Garlic cloves

100gms of Ginger

5-6 tblspn Olive oil

Method:

  1.   Peel the garlic and chop them if they are big in size.

  2.   Wash and dry the ginger. Chop it into small chunks.

  3.   Grind Ginger and garlic to a smooth fine paste. Add olive oil to it and grind one more time.

  4.   Store the paste in a dry jar and refrigerate for further use.

NOTE:

• Do not use water while grinding the ginger garlic, as it will reduce the shelf life of the paste.
• Use plastic spoon dedicated for the ginger garlic jar.
• Always use dry spoon.
• Keep the GG paste in the fridge always.
• Since ginger has its own strong taste n smell 1:2 ratio is best for the paste. Where 1 is ginger and 2 is garlic.
• Always chop the garlic and ginger to reduce the load on mixie.

Blanching of Tomatoes

When any recipe calls for skinned tomatoes like in sauces, gravy. Here’s how to get them easily get them done instead of using canned tomatoes.

Always use firm, ripe tomatoes.

Put a X mark on tomatoes with sharp knife.

Boil water in a pan. Add the tomatoes in the boiling water.

Boil them max for 1min, remove them from the water with the help of strainer and drop them in ice-cold water. This will help in shrinking of the skin.

Once they cool off you can easily peel off the skin from the tomatoes.

Now they are ready to be used in any of your recipes.

Manga Chutney -1

This recipe hails straight from my MIL’s cookbook. A special thanks to Shaila aunty who kept bringing the mangoes till we were there in Kerala. Mil and Shaila aunty had especially made this chutney for me but due to super spiciness I couldn’t enjoy the chutney, so my sweet mil once again made this chutney for me but little less spicy this time. Though it was still spicy for me but still loved the taste of it, its nice spicy and tangy chutney, that you cant, stop yourself with one spoon of it.

Ingredients:

2 Green mangoes peeled and diced

9 -10 small onions

1 Sprig of curry leaf

½’ Ginger

1 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

10 – 12 Spicy small green chillies (As per your strength)

Salt to taste

Water for grinding if needed.

Method:

   1.   Grind all the above ingredients except the coconut and salt without water coarsely.

   2.   Now add coconut, salt and grind it one more time nicely till it’s all evenly mixed.

   3.   Delicious manga chutney is ready to serve with rice, dosa or idli.

NOTE:

• Chillies can be added as per ones strength of eating the spicy food.
• Add water while grinding only if required but in very less quantity.

Irani chappal kabab

These kababs are absolutely mouth watering delicious. They are also known as Peshawari kabab.

Its prepared from simple spices and ingredients but yet has a special taste which tickles your taste buds. It can be served or wrapped in pita breads, or can be had with raita, green coriander chutney and hot naans.

Here I have tried my best to make it in a healthy and easy way. I love making these kababs as they can be made much ahead of time in advance and frozen till your guest arrives. Then just defrost; shallow fry and they are ready to serve. Hope you will also enjoy this recipe as much as my family enjoys munching over it.

I have tried making this kabab in my style

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken mince 
2 medium sized boiled Potato grated
2 cup fresh green coriander leaves chopped

5 - 6 Green chillies chopped
3 tblspn corn flour
1 egg

2 tblspn Kashmiri Chili powder
Salt as per the taste

Oil for shallow frying

Garam Masala mix:

1 tblspn coriander seeds,

1tblspn Cummin seeds

4-5 Dry red chilly

Method:

1. Dry roast the garam masala mix and grind it to fine powder. 
2. In a bowl mix chicken mince, grated boiled potato, coriander leaves, green chilies, cornflour, red chilli powder, grounded garam masala mix 1tblspn and Salt to taste.  Break one egg in it and mix it nicely.

3. Make thin patties of this mixture. You can stick one tomato slice on this patties and shallow fry them in oil till it turns nice golden brown on both the sides.

4.Serve them hot with green coriander chutney.

NOTE:

• You can add green chili as per the spice level of the family.
• Sticking an thin tomato slic on pattice is optional.
• You can make this kababs into pattice and freeze them much ahead of time till your guests arrive. Defrost them and shallow fry.
• These kababs can be made with mutton mince using the same recipe.

Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is nothing more than a solution of sugar in water and because sugar is already dissolved into the water, you need not worry about it settling to the bottom of your cocktail as you drink.

It is a very common ingredient used while making cocktails or any other drinks. Its also used to brush on the cake before icing to get the extra moisture to cake. The best is you can make it in a batch and store in a fridge and use it as when you require it. It sounds so simple and also its easy to make.

Ingredients:

1cup Sugar
1cup Water

Method:

1. In a pan combine sugar and water. Bring it to a boil till the sugar dissolves completely.

2. Put off the flame and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Store in a bottle or a jar and refrigerate till you need to use in the recipes.

NOTE:

• Once the syrup is prepared it has to be cooled down completely and refrigerated before adding in any cocktails or any other drinks.
• I always prefer to make in small batch and store it unless I have large number of guests coming in for the cocktail party. And the cocktail recipes calls for it.
• To prepare this recipe you don't need more than 5mins of time to get the sugar dissolved in it.
• Its used in various recipes like brushing over the cakes, in cocktail, mocktails, in iced tea, to sweeten the pancakes etc.
• Let me know how you used this syrup.