Mughlai Keema Masala

After a long time we took out pressure cooker recipe booklet and decided to cook from it. Amma said we should start with it as those cookbooks have been with us for a while now. Seeing this different take on our regular mutton keema, she was hesitant to try. However I said we should try it as we never change from our recipe at all.

As expected boys didn't like the keema being in a different colour, rather not their usual brown curry colour and in green. However rest of the folks liked it a lot and infact felt it was more rich and nice. The original recipe calls for omelette strips to be placed on the plate and served with this mughlai keema. I was somehow not for it and skipped it.

So stay tuned for some more recipes coming from the pressure cooker booklet!

Mughlai Keema Masala

Ingredients Needed:

Mutton Keema - 1/2 kg
Onions - 2 large
Tomato 2
Turmeric 1/2
Oil for cooking
Salt to taste

For the paste
Shallot / Sambar onions - 7-8 nos
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Garlic - 1 pod
Ginger - 1"
Green chilies - 5 nos
Bunch coriander leaves
Cardamon -2
Clove - 2
Cinnamon 1"

How to make the Mughlai Keema Masala

Wash and clean the keema, then add a cup of water and pressure cook.

Grind to a smooth paste all the ingredients listed under the paste. Keep it aside.

Then heat a kadai with oil, add onions, saute till golden brown, then add tomatoes, turmeric, salt, cook well. Then add the boiled keema, saute well.

Now add the ground paste and cook in simmer, till everything gets nicely cooked and done. This takes about 10 - 15 mins.

Serve with rotis.

Alasandalu Curry without Tomato ~ Lunch Box Series : LBS#82

For today's Cooking from Cookbook, I am going to share a new series that we have taken on ourselves. We refer to Amma and myself. Its a challenge to cook gravies, side dishes for both Rice and Roti, without using Tomatoes. 

Today's recipe is Black Eyed Peas Gravy without Tomato. Black Eyed Peas is called Alasandalu/ Bobbarlu in Telugu, Lobia in Hindi and Karamani in Tamil. Many years ago I started a series on ingredients and this was one of the main lentils that I did. 

Alasandalu are a staple ingredient in Andhra cuisine and especially in our household, its very frequently prepared. While the beans or the fresh pods are cooked as a vegetable in Tamil Nadu, the fresh and dried seeds are used in gravies in Andhra. So being used to both the cuisines, we use it in different ways.

Coming to the challenge, for allergy reasons, we have to avoid including Tomato in the diet for our family member. Cooking without Onion or without Tomato sounded just so much of a challenge for us. I simply can't imagine cooking anything without either of these two.

As always I asked Amma for ideas and we had to literally ponder on this for a while, before we could develop recipes that are tasty yet prepared without Tomato. We now prepare Rasam with just Tamarind, dal and Sambar without tomato, the sour factor being just Tamarind.

Then came the question of making side dishes for Rotis. This naturally meant experimenting again. Amma remembered couple of dishes that her Mom used to make. Those days, she said, they hardly used tomato. 

Based on those couple of dishes, we developed some more. So in this series, I will be sharing some of the recipes that turned out so delicious and we didn't even miss our Tomato.

Alasandalu Curry without Tomato

Ingredients Needed:

Alasandalu - Fresh or dried - 1 cup
Potato - 1 medium
Onions - 2 medium
Garlic crushed - 4 cloves
Clove - 1
Cinnamon - 1"
Curry leaves handful
Green Chilies - 2
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

For the paste

Fresh Coconut - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 3 -4 cloves

How to make the Alasandalu Curry without Tomato

If using dried beans, soak overnight. Change water and pressure cook with enough water, along with potato cubes. Keep it aside for the pressure to fall down.

Grind coconut along with garlic to a smooth paste.

Heat a non stick kadai with oil, add curry leaves, green chilies, cloves, cinnamon, and crushed garlic. Saute well.

Then add finely chopped onions, saute till it changes colour.

Now add the ground masala and all the spice powders along with the boiled beans and potato. Cover with lid and cook for 10 mins.

Then add water as required and bring to boil.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice or roti.

I have served it with both Rice and Roti and it makes a very delicious subji.

 Notes:

If using fresh black eyed peas, you can simply wash and pressure cook for a whistle. Dried beans will take couple of whistles.

If you want to avoid potato, you can simply leave it off.

This goes for the August Week 3, Cooking from Cookbook Challenge  Group.

Cabbage Coconut Chutney ~ Healthy Side Dish for Dosas

When we made the Oats Pesarattu, we wanted to select a healthy chutney as we had to avoid peanuts and Hubby dear isn't a great fan of coconut chutney. Amma had this chutney noted down in her diary. She might have noted from the TV show, I am not sure. We wanted to try it still. Also didn't want to reveal it ahead to him, as I knew he might not want to even taste it.

Just as I thought, he liked it and wanted to know what it was made of. I ensured I told him after he ate. And yes he said he liked it and would not want to be told what it is if it was something like cabbage!

Well on our part we were happy that we got a recipe that's very healthy too.

Cabbage Coconut Chutney

Ingredients Needed:

Cabbage, finely chopped - 1 cup
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Coriander couple of springs
Green chilies - 3 - 4
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Tamarind a marble
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder a small pinch
Oil - 1 tsp

How to make the cabbage coconut chutney

Wash and finely chop the cabbage. Drain to remove excess water.

Heat a non stick pan with oil, saute the lentils for couple of mins, then add green chilies, chopped cabbage, with flame on low.

Soak the tamarind in water, extract pulp and keep it aside.

Allow to cool, then grind in a mixer with salt and tamarind added, add the coconut and grind to a smooth paste along with required water.

This goes for the August Week 4, Cooking from Cookbook Challenge  Group.

Vankaya Chukka Kura | Chukkakura Vankaya Vepudu ~ Lunch Box Series : LBS#81

Recently when my sil visited us, she got along some five different varieties of greens. She gets excellent good quality greens at throw away price and makes greens related dishes almost four times a four. With grown up kids, she doesn't have any problem of picky eaters. However when I myself don't gel so well with it, I tend to avoid making, though I love it when eating.

Some of the greens were beyond my understanding and so packed it off to Amma. She told me that all the greens are very popular in Andhra and the dishes are famous in terms of traditional methods and for their health benefits. Of course, off late all are moving towards healthy eating habits and including greens in their diet has become a norm.

Whatever reasons, I was happy that I got to enjoy another traditional Andhra dish. The greens used in this dish is called Chukka Kura. While leaves are Aakku in Telugu, all edible greens are called kura/koora. So this greens are paired with Brinjal. Brinjal in general is a favorite vegetable for the Telugus and it makes a great combination with the greens in this dish.

The dish is a dry saute, served with dal or sambar for lunch. I took it for my lunch along with Rotis. The other greens recipe will follow for next week. Anyway I had a wonderful meal with these two dishes.I read on the Internet that this greens is also called as Khatta Palak. Wish I had clicked a picture before cooking it.

Vankaya Chukka Kura

Ingredients Needed:

Brinjal - 250 gms
Chukka Kura - 1 bunch
Onions - 1 medium
Ginger Garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
Green Chilies - 2 nos
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder a pinch
Chili powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

How to make the Vankaya Chukka Kura

Wash and chop the leaves, keep it aside. Cut brinjal into julienne.

Heat a pan with oil, saute onions till they turn colour, then add ginger garlic paste, saute well.

Now add green chilies, brinjal pieces, combine everything well. Add salt and turmeric, cover with lid and simmer for 5 mins.

Now add Red chili powder, chukka kura, coriander powder and cumin powder. Combine and simmer for 5 mins.

Keep stirring and cook for 5 mins.

Notes

This dish cooks only till the brinjal is cooked, the leaves are quite tender and gets cooked fast.


This goes for the June Week 4, Cooking from Cookbook Challenge  Group.