Onion Peas Tart

This recipe is contributed by Mrs.Lakshmi- My cousin who lives in Denmark.

Tart is absolutely delicious and very easy to prepare provided, tart pastry is store bought. Else it just takes some extra effort and time to prepare the pastry but I am sure it will be worth a try. In India it can also be a good idea to enquire the local baker if he can sell some tart pastry . Normally they add cream to the tarts but I have used milk instead just on an attempt to reduce some fat !

Ingredients:

Tart Pastry (tart dej)

Milk      - 1 cup

Onions - 3

Peas      - 1 cup ( boiled)

Eggs      - 2 or 3

Cheese -50 gms

Olive oil - 2 tsp

Salt         - To taste

Pepper Powder -1 tsp

Chilli powder     - 1 tsp(optional)

Bread Crumbs – 1 tblsp (powdered)

Method:

Part 1 - Dry

• Finely chop the onions length wise 
• Heat a pan and add olive oil.
• When hot add onions and fry until onions are caramelized
• Then add peas and Chilli powder and fry for about 5 minutes in low flame

Part 2

• Meanwhile Pre heat the oven to 220⁰C
• Grease the tart plate with some olive oil
• Place the tart pastry & pierce the pastry with a fork 
• Then tuck it into the oven for 10 minutes

Part 3 - Wet

• Beat the eggs and the milk together in a bowl
• Add some pepper powder and salt

Final Part

• Take out the tart plate from the oven.
• Fill it with dry and wet ingredients
• Sprinkle some cheese ( mozzarella or cheddar)
• Also sprinkle some powdered bread crumbs they add nice crunchiness to the tart
• Then cook in the oven at 200⁰C for 20 to 25 minutes

Dal makhani -Gravy with Urad dal and kidney beans

Ingredients:

   Black whole Urad dhal - 1 1/2 cup
   Red Kidney beans(Rajma)- 1/4 cup
   Tomatoes - 4
   Onion(Optional)- 1
   Ginger - 1 inch piece
   Garlic - 5 pills.
   Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
   Cumin seeds(Jeera) - 2tsp
   Dhania (coriander powder) - 1 1/2 tbsp
   Chilli powder- 1 to 2 tsp
   Fresh cream - 1 tbsp
   Butter - 2 tbsp
   Garam masala - 1 tsp
   Oil - 3tsp
   Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves- to garnish
   Salt - to taste


Method:

      Wash and Saok the Black Urad dhal and Rajma for 6-8 hours.
      Pressure Cook both dhals together adding little salt .
      Blend the Tomatoes,ginger and garlic in the blender.
      Add  Oil in the kadai.When its hot,add jeera.
      When jeera splutters,add the blended mixture,turmeric pwd,Chilli pwd,dhania pwd and salt.
      Allow it to boil for 5 mins, add the butter now.
      Allow it to boil for 2 mins(the oil has to seperate from the gravy) and then add the cooked dhal .
      If you need water more,you can add it according to the consistency.(Do not make it too watery)
      Add the garam masala and let the dhal boil in low flame for 15 mins.
      Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and fresh cream.

   
Serve hot with roti or jeera rice.

Note: If you need onion,can add it after the jeera splutters. This recipe is without onion.

Kannimanga Arachu kalaki

Ingredients:


Kanimanga(Tender green mango soaked in salt water) - 5-6 small mangoes  
coconut - 4 tbsp
green chillies - 4 - 5
curds - 1/4 cup
Oil- 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
urad dhal -1/4 tsp
curry leaves - few



Method: 
      1. Cut the mangoes and take out the seed.
      2. Add the shredded coconut and green chillies to it.

      3. Grind the above together into a smooth paste with 1/8th cup of curd.
      4. Season it with mustard seeds,urad dhal and curry leaves.
      5. Add the remaining curd at the time of serving.
      6. Add salt if needed.(You will not require salt as the tender mangoes itself are preserved in salt water)

Enjoy with hot rice, molagootal and ghee with papadam...

Mysore Rasam

It is winter again.Time for hot soups. Rasam, a diluted soup is a common Indian dish. Here is the recipe of Mysore rasam which is a soothing drink in winter.This can be had with rice and papad.


Ingredients:

Tamarind - 1 lemon sized ball
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 2 1/4 tsp
Pepper - 1 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli - 1
Chana dal - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Grated Coconut (optional) - 3 tsp
Tomato - 2 medium sized
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Water as required

Method:

Soak tamarind and extract pulp. Add turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida.
Dice tomato into 1" thick cubes and add to the tamarind extract.
Boil the extract.
In the meantime, pour 1 tsp oil in a deep bottomed pan and roast chana dal, coconut, coriander, pepper, 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, curry leaves and red chilli until red.
Grind this into a smooth paste along with a little water.
Mix this paste with 5 glasses of water and strain.
Add this to the boiled tamarind extract.
Boil until bubbles are formed.
Pour oil or ghee into a deep bottomed pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter add a few curry leaves and add to the rasam.
Serve hot with rice.

Adding coconut makes the rasam even tastier.

Mathan molagootal

As I mentioned earlier, molagootal is a traditional dish from the Palakkad Brahmin's cuisine.Please see my molagootal recipe for more description. Here is another variation of it with pumpkin and peas with better pics:)

Ingredients:


Yellow Pumpkin - 300 gm
Green peas - a Handful
Shredded Coconut- 3 tbsp

Red chilli- 3
Jeera/cumin seeds- 1 1/2 tsp
Toor or yellow moong dhal- 1/4 tea cup.
Mustard-1/2 tsp
urad dhal- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves- few

Method:
1. Wash the Pumpkin and cut into small cubes.

2. Cook the Pumpkin and the peas with turmeric and Salt.

3. Pressure cook the dhal.

4. Add the dhal to the cooked pumpkin.
5. Grind the Coconut,Red Chillies,and Cumin(jeera) together with little water.

6. Add the Grounded mixture to the pumpkin and dhal.
7. Boil it for 5 mins.
8. Temper with mustard seeds,urad dhal and curry leaves in a tsp of oil.

This is a very simple dish that tastes very good with rice. Kanimanga arachukalaki(tender mango chutney) is the best side dish for this molagootal. Please refer to the chutney's recipe here.

Homemade cookies

This recipe makes 60 medium sized cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1000 g flour (All Purpose flour)
• 600 g butter (at room temperature)
• 1 egg
• 300 g icing sugar(cookies can not be done with regular sugar as it will not melt)
• 1 tsp of vanilla sugar or a few drops of vanilla extract.
• 1 tsp crushed Anise seeds
Cookie sheet/ butter paper - for rolling

Method:

1. Sieve the flour and put in a wide bowl.
2. Whisk the egg,vanilla essence and crushed anise seeds in a seperate bowl and set aside.
3. Gradually add the butter and sugar to the flour.
4. Just mix the flour,butter and sugar.(Do not make a dough.Just blend together)
5. Keep blending the flour while adding the whisked egg and essence mixture.
6. The consistency of the dough should be like a chapati/roti dough.
7. Wrap it tightly with a cling wrap and keep it in the fridge for an hour.
8. Take out the dough and set side for 15 min at room temperature.
9. Take small portions of the dough and make round balls of diameter 4 cm.
10.Place a Cookie sheet on any flat surface and roll the dough keeping a cookie sheet on top of the dough as well.(This ensures that the dough does not stick to the rolling pin).

9. The dough should not be rolled very thin. The thickness should be 2 to 3mm.
10. Cut the dough using the cookie moulders.
11. Bake it at 380 F for 7 mins..(End point : Golden brown colour and little dry on top).
12. Cool it to room temperature and store in air tight containers.

Tips:
1. Place the cookie sheet from the edge of the counter space so that you can hold it tight with your body as you roll.This ensures that the dough does not move while rolling.

Variations:

1. Use different shapes to make it attractive for kids.
2. Jamz cookie:

Make pairs of round cookies(one with a small hole -1 cm dia) in the center and another without hole.
Spread any jam on the cookie without hole and cover it with a cookie with hole.

Yummy Jamz cookie is ready.

Enjoy the Homemade cookie.

Vazhakai and Payaru puzhuku

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

Green Banana(Vazakkai) - 3

Payaru or chowli ( Cow peas) - 2 Tbsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Jaggery - 2 tsp

Coconut, shredded - 1 Tbsp

Black pepper - 1.5 tsp(Prefer freshly grounded)

Coconut Oil - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the Cow Peas over night.

Peel the Vazhakai(Green Banana) and cut into length wise and cut into pieces.

Pressure the Cow peas with little salt in the Pressure cooker.

If u have extra water in the cooked peas ,strain it and add it to the Green Banana.

Cook the Green Banana with little salt and Turmeric powder .

Add the Black pepper powder to it.

Add the Cooked Cow Peas and jaggery and boil everything for 3 mins till the ingredients blend together.

Add the grated coconut and 1tsp of coconut oil and curry leaves.

Enjoy the Puzzukku!!!