Perugu Pachadi (Tomato Pachadi)

I first heard about perugu pachadi from my friend, during our phone conversation. I asked what she cooked for lunch, and she said perugu pachadi, and as I was not familiar with that term I asked her what it is. She explained the preparation, and I told her its tomato raita and I know it. My friend told its different from raita, as sauted tomato gives different taste to it. When we met she cooked this pachadi, eggplant curry and pappu. Ever since that day I started cooking it regularly in home. My hubby calls it “Easy Moar Kuzhambu”.

Recently my blog friend Aruna –  Aaharam suggested me some other variations with eggplant, coconut, ladies finger. I should try it soon

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 2, chopped

Curd – 1 cup + 1/3 cup, beaten well

Turmeric Powder – a pinch

salt – as needed

To Temper:

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – few

Green chilli – 1/2, slit and de-seeded

Dry  Red chilli – 1 , de-seeded and teared (optional)

Asofetida – pinch

Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

•  Add oil to the pan, when the oil becomes hot add the items under to temper and let mustard seeds splutter
• Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 6 – 8 minutes till the tomatoes become slightly mushy and fully cooked.  Switch off
• Add the cooked tomato mixture to  the beaten curd. Add salt; mix well and  Serve with rice/rotis

My Notes:

• I prefer my food to be less spicy so I reduced the chilli my friend old also desseded

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Zucchini Thogayal

I have a happy news to share with you all. My 25 recipes under the title “Paarampariya Muriyal Naveena Samyal (Traditionally Modern) got published in a magazine called Sneghidi, as a supplement 🙂 I thought I will tell this note with one of the recipes I gave them.

After moving abroad, I started eating Zucchini. Usually I add it in dishes like pasta, panang curry etc. One lazy day I wanted to do some quick rice accompaniment and when I was searching in my fridge Zucchini pulled my attention. Inspired from Ridge Gourd ( Peerkangai) thogayal, this is a version using Zucchini.

Ingredients

Zucchini  – 2, peeled and cut into small cubes

Urad dal – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/8 tsp

Red chilli – 2 (Adjust according to your taste)

Tamrind – 1/2 tbsp, without seed

Asofetida – generous pinch

Salt – as needed

Oil – 1 tsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

Coconut oil -1/2 tsp

Method:

• Add oil in a heavy bottomed pan; add the zucchini with a pinch of salt and sauté until they turn soft and tender. Add mustard seeds, dry red chillies and urad dal and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until urad dal changes color

•  Transfer the content to a plate and let them cool

• Grind the cooled mixture along with tamarind, required salt and little water; into a smooth texture. Add water according to the desired consistency
• Add oil to the pan, when the oil becomes hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Allow it to crackle and add it to the zucchini thogayal. Serve the Zucchini Thogayal along with a rice and ghee/idli/dosai/uthappam

Notes:

• Zucchini and urad dal can be cooked separately
• Coconut can be added if desired

Sutta Kathirikai Chutney

I am among the few who love brinjal. I have already posted some brinjal recipes like Brinjal Rice, Enna Kathirkai Kuzhambu and Stuffed Brinjal. Usually in India, Sutta Kathirikai Thogayal is prepared by roasting brinjal directly in flame. Here i dont have gas stove since its electric, i always go for Oven/Microwave method.  Whether its taken as a side dish for breakfast or rice accompaniment its tastes yummy.

Ingredients:

Brinjal – 1 (Big size)

Sesame Oil – 1/2 tbsp

Red chilly – 4 (Adjust according to your taste)

Urad dal – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Tamarind – gooseberry size

Asofetida/Hing – a pinch

Salt  – as needed

Water – as needed

To temper:

Sesame oil – 1 tsp

Curry leaves –  few

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Urad dal –  1/2 tsp

Method:

• Cut the brinjals into big chunks and transfer them to a bowl. add oil and mix well. Microwave the brinjals for 4 – 10 minutes till the skin shrinks (Depends on the oven temperature, mine is 700 watt and it took 7 minutes. Keep an eye after 5 minutes)

• After they are cooled the skin will come out easily and the brinjals would have cooked. Remove the skin and set aside
• In a pan dry roast urad dal, mustard seeds and red chilli till the dal is golden brown and add to the plate containing brinjal

• Grind brinjal, urad dal, red chili along with tamrind, salt, hing with little water
• Add oil to the pan and when the oil is hot add mustard, urad dal and curry leaves and let it splutter. Add the temper to the thogayal
• Instead of big brinjal few leftover small brinjal can also used
• Instead of microwave oven brinjals can also be cooked directlyin stove top or oven (450 degree broil for 25 minutes turning side in between)
• Adjust the water according to consistency you want if its side dish for breakfast add more water if its rice accompaniment add less water

Checkout Charanya’s space for middle eastern version of brinjal chutney

Vengaya Thogayal

Thogayal is one of the quick Rice Accompaniments. Rice, thogayal and sesame oil taste heavenly. Even if you don’t find time to cook side dish, sutta Appalam goes well with Thogayal. There are a variety of thogayal options available, but mild sweetness in Onion thogayal is some thing I love. It goes well this Milagu Kuzhambu

Preparation time : 5 minutes | Cooking time : 10 minutes

Ingredients

Onion – 3, big roughly chopped

Urad dal – 1/3 cup

Red chillies – 4 (Adjust according to your taste)

Tamarind –  small piece or 1/2 tsp tamarind paste

Coconut – 1/4 cup

Coconut oil – 1 tsp

Salt – as needed

To temper:

Coconut oil – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/8 tsp

Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Method:
• Add little oil to pan and cook urad dal and red chilli till urad dal is golden brown. Keep aside

• Add onion and remaining oil to the same pan and cook till they are translucent. Add coconut and saute for a minute and switch off. Transfer it to plate containing urad dal and red chilli

• Allow this to cool and grind this along with tamarind and salt into a smooth paste. If required sprinkle little water

• In a pan add oil and items under “to temper” and let them splutter. Add it to the thogayal

My Notes:

• Shallots can be added instead of big onion
• Add more water to make it chutney of your desired consistency

 

Sugarless Tomato Jam

Having a sweet tooth, I always prefer to have a little sugar in my plate while having breakfast. Seeing this, my mother in law used to prepare tomato jam exclusively for my breakfast purposes! I became so addictive to that and learnt the recipe from her. But seeing the sugar addition, I was alarmed, and so thought of trying Jam with honey instead of Sugar, like I did for Eggless Dry fruit and nut cake. My friend Lori was my inspiration in cooking with honey. We liked the taste of this jam, and I didn’t find any difference in taste between honey and sugar. This has now become my new way of preparing jam!

Ingredients:

Firm and ripe Tomatoes – 10

Water – 3 tbsp

Honey – 3/4 cup (Adjust according to your sweetness)

Cardamom powder – 1/8 tsp (Optional)

Method:

• Add  honey and water to the pan and cook for a minute.

• Add the tomato puree to the honey syrup and stir it occasionally, till it thickens

• Cook till moisture is completely observed. Tomato and water should not run separately. If the jam is taken in a spoon, it should flow as a paste

• Allow the jam to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container

 My Notes:

• Sugar (White/Brown) can also be used instead of honey. Add sugar and water in a pan and cook till sugar melts completely
• Jam stays good upto a month
• Can  also boil tomatoes and then blend that
• Agave nectar can be used instead of honey

Thakkali Thokku (Tomato Pickle)

I still remember those days when my Amma goes out of town, she used to prepare tomato thokku and pulikaichal, and keep it in fridge. Even for a week it will be good to use. When we don’t have time for preparing side dish for dosa/Idli/upma, if we have some tomato thokku in fridge, no worries:-) Tomato thukku tastes great with dishes like Semiya Bagala bath or Bread Utthappam or Cracked wheat Idli or Panniyaram  etc. It tastes amazing with plain rice as well!

Thakkali Thokku

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 40 mins

Recipe Category: Pickle/Side Dish

Ingredients:

Ripe tomatoes – 10 – 12

Red chilli powder/Sambar powder/ –  2 tbsp (I used Red chilli powder)

Sesame oil – 4 tbsp (Increase oil if you are going to store for a week)

Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp

Fenugreek – 1/4 tsp

Jaggery/Brown Sugar/ White Sugar – 1/2 tsp (Optional)

Salt – as needed

Method:

• Put tomatoes in a blender and blend without adding water
• Add oil to a wide pan (while boiling, tomatoes tend to spit spill outside). When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and fenugreek and let it splutter. Add tomato puree and saute occassionally

• When tomato puree reduces to half, add red chilli powder and salt

 

• Cook till water evaporates completely and the tomatoes become thick

 

My Notes:

•  Tamarind puree can be added, if you want it a bit tangy
• Keep in airtight container and use a dry spoon, for the thukku to stay longer

Pesto

Wanted to make Pesto Pasta with homemade Pesto. As always Google helped me to find some Pesto recipes based on basil. With few additional ingredients from my kitchen, here is my version of Pesto.

Pesto:

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 3 mins | Serves : 2

Recipe Category: Dip/Side

Ingredients:

Fresh basil leaves – 1 cup (packed into measuring cup)

Baby spinach – 1/2 cup

Frozen Peas – 1/4 cup

Garlic – 2 cloves, peeled and sliced

Extra-virgin olive oil – 4 tbsp

pine nuts – 3 tbsp

Walnut – 3 tbsp

Cheddar and Mozzarella Grated – 1/4 cup (Parmesan is recommended. As we don’t eat Parmesan I opted for cheddar and mozzarella)

Kosher salt – as needed

Fresh ground black pepper – as needed

Method:

• Wash basil leaves and baby spinach. Microwave frozen peas for 2 mins. Microwave pine nuts for 1 min or you can even roast it.  Put basil leaves, baby spinach, peas and  garlic into a blender/food processor until basil and garlic are finely chopped

• Add pine nuts, walnuts, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses to the basil mixture and process for 1-2 minutes, until the pesto is well mixed. (I like to keep it finely pureed, but you can make it chunky as well)
• Season with salt to taste. Add fresh ground black pepper and pulse a few times more

Tomato Onion Chutney

Tomato onion chutney is my favorite among all chutneys. I call it red chutney. I never get bored of it. Easy to prepare and tastes yummy with many dishes.

Tomato  Onion Chutney:

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 3

Recipe Category: Chutney

Ingredients: 

Tomato – 3

Onion – 3

Red Chilli – 2

Salt – as needed

Sugar – a pinch (optional)

To temper:

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Hing – a generous pinch

Channa dal –  1/2 tsp

Method:

• Chop onion and tomato into big cubes and add into a blender, along with red chilli. Grind to a smooth paste without adding water

• Add oil to a pan and after the oil is hot, temper with the items given under ‘To temper’. Pour the ground paste and add salt. Mix well

• Cook in medium flame for 15 mins or until the chutney reduces to half, and gets the desired consistency

My Notes:

• Instead of grinding and cooking onion and tomato, can even cook and then grind

Guacamole

 

First time when I saw this dip in a Mexican restaurant, I was hesitant to taste it, seeing the texture. Hubby convinced me to try it, highlighting its health benefits. To my surprise I loved it. From that day, this recipe has become regular in our house. I generally prepare this as a side dish for roti, stuffing for bread (we call it avocado sandwich;), avocado dip, stuffing for Burrito blah blah. Its simple and tastes amazing, and healthy too.This is my version of Guacamole!

You can make the avocado smooth or chunky depending on your tastes, I prefer the smooth version. The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

Guacamole:

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 5 mins | Serves : 2

Recipe Category: Sides

Ingredients:

Ripe Avocado -1

Onion – 1/2

Tomato – 1

Pepper powder – 1/8 tsp

Lemon – 1/4 squeezed

Salt – as needed

Oil – ½ tsp

Method:

• Cut the avocado in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. Mash it throughly and add lemon to prevent avocado from browning
• Add oil to the pan and saute onion for 2 -3 min and add tomato (I generally do not cook onion and tomato for long time as I prefer my tomato to not became mushy, so cook until raw smell goes off)

• Add onion and tomato to the avocado and add salt as needed

My Notes:

• To achieve creamy texture, I made avocado smooth but can also try chunky version
• You can skip even saute part and add raw onion and tomato
• Can add Chat masala/ cumin powder/ coriander powder to make it Indian style