No onion No garlic : Simple Vegetable Kurma

No onion and no garlic vegetable kurma is a very simple and tasty side dish. Compared to the authentic kurma where all spices are added, there is no compromise on the taste and texture of the kurma. Its a very healthy saathvik food. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomato - 2 medium sized washed and roughly chopped

Mixed vegetables - 2 cups washed and chopped into one inch length

I have used carrots, green beans and potato

Oil for seasoning

Jeera/Cumin - 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Grind the following ingredients into a smooth paste:

3 tablespoons - grated fresh coconut

1 tablespoon - khas khas

2 green chillis (adjust as per taste)

Seeds from 4 to 5 pods of green Elaichi

water quarter cup

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds. 

Then, add roughly chopped tomatoes and fry until tomatoes are cooked.

Now add the chopped mixed vegetables and add salt as required.

Pour just enough water and cook until vegetables are tender and water is almost absorbed.

Now mix in the ground paste and adjust consistency with half a cup water if the content is too thick.

Mix well and allow the content to come to a boil.

Turn off heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

Taste and healthy kurma is ready to be served with Set dosa/ Chapathi/ Roti etc.

You will never miss onion or garlic or any other spice in this dish, I bet.

Try this recipe and let me know your feedback.

A vegetable kurma cannot be more simpler than this.

Note: Cauliflower and fresh green peas can also be added to this kurma. 

* In case of adding fresh peas. wash the peas and boil it separately until its cooked and mix it to the kurma in the end.

* In case of adding cauliflower, wash the cauliflower florets, boil in water with a teaspoon salt and half pinch of turmeric. In less than 5 minutes, cauliflower will be perfectly cooked. collect the cauliflower (leaving the impurities and worms if any) and keep it separately and add it to the kurma in the end. 

Cabbage & Green beans Palya

Vegetable combinations make the dish more colorful and healthy. Here, I have used cabbage and beans to make this palya. Fresh peas and/or chopped carrots can be added to this palya. Click here for chow chow and carrot palya.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 1 medium size

Green beans - 250 gms

Oil for tempering - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Whole urud dal - 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Hing (Asafoetida powder) - a pinch

Water to cook the vegetables

Coconut - fresh - grated - 2 tablespoon (optional)

Method:

Chop the cabbage discarding the core and outer layers.

Chop the green beans after discarding both the ends.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper the mustard seeds and add urud dal. fry till golden.

Add the chopped vegetables, salt, turmeric powder, hing, and give a quick stir.

Add just a cup of water and cook partially covered. 

When all the moisture is absorbed and the vegetable is completely cooked, turn off heat and add the grated fresh coconut. Healthy palya is ready. Stir well and serve when its room temperature. Serve as an accompaniment for rice items like rasam rice, curd rice, sambar rice etc.

If using fresh peas, wash the peas and boil in water for 10 mins before adding to the palya. Because, it takes a little longer time to cook.

Simple Seeme badanekai / Chow chow and Carrot Palya

Including vegetables in our diet is very important. South Indians make a dry vegetable curry as an accompaniment for rice dishes. Carrots, chow chow (otherwise called seeme badanekai in kannada and bangalore kathirikka in tamil), beans, cabbage are some of the vegetables that are cooked in water to make palya. Palya is a nothing but a dry vegetable side dish. Either individual vegetables are used or in combination. Here I have used chow chow and carrot combo. 

Ingredients:

Chow chow - 2 medium - peeled and diced

Carrots - 3 medium - peeled and diced

Oil for tempering - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Whole urud dal - 1 tablespoon

Red chillis - dry - 2 (optional)

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Hing (Asafoetida powder) - a pinch

Water to cook the vegetables

Coconut - fresh - grated - 2 tablespoon (optional)

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and temper the mustard seeds and add urud dal. fry till golden and add red chillis if adding.

Add the diced vegetables, salt, turmeric powder, hing, and give a quick stir.

Add just a cup of water and cook partially covered. 

When all the moisture is absorbed and the vegetable is completely cooked turn off heat and add the grated fresh coconut. Healthy palya is ready. Stir well and serve when its room temperature. Serve as an accompaniment for rice items like rasam rice, curd rice, sambar rice etc.

Navarathri Sundal Varieties

Happy Navarathri to you all !!

Here is a list of sundal recipes posted in paajaka.com

(All sundal recipes contain NO onion or garlic)

Channa Sundal

Groundnut Sundal

Black eye bean Sundal

Kondakadala / Kala channa Sundal

Split moong dal / Hesaru bele Sundal

Rajma / Red kidney beans Sundal

Green peas / Pachhai pattani Sundal

Moong beans / Pachhai payiru Sundal

Simple Beets Salad

A refreshing bowl of salad is always a healthy choice for a healthy breakfast or a snack. A delicious salad can be made in just a few minutes. Chop some tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Combine and season with salt and pepper and tadaaa...a healthy salad in no time. Here is a quick salad that is healthy and tasty as well as colourful. I have added beets to the regular salad that gives the salad an eye catching colour. Its a vegan salad.

Ingredients:

Beetroot - firm - Medium size - 2

Onion - Medium size - 1 (optional)

Tomatoes - red and firm - 2

Cucumber - firm - medium size - 1

Salt and Pepper - as required

Lemon - 1 - for dressing (optional)

Fresh Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Method:

Wash all the ingredients. Organic vegetables are preferable. 

Peel the beetroots and pressure cook for 3 whistles. When the beets are cooked, dice the beets and keep it aside. Alternatively, peel the beets, dice them and cook in medium flame adding adequate water.

Transfer the cooked and diced beets to a large mixing bowl.

Add chopped onions and tomatoes

Peel the cucumber skin and dice it. Add it to the mixture. Cucumber seeds are edible and have healthy benefits, so do not discard the seeds.

Mix the content and squeeze juice of one lemon. Add required amount of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves/cilantro.

Fresh, simple and healthy salad is ready to be served.

The colour of the salad is red due to the addition of beets.

Set Dosa & Saagu

I bet its a winner recipe for set dosa. Perfect recipe to make fluffy, soft and tasty set dosas. Being holiday season, if you are looking for tiffin recipes for your kids, here it is. Prepare a tasty mixed vegetable saagu to go with these dosas. tadaa.....happy tummies :-)

NOTE: The original recipe is adding 5 measures of raw rice. My recipe is a little different but tastes delicious. In the recipe below, the 'measure' that I have mentioned can be a cup that's small or medium size. Even a ladle. The bigger the measure, the larger the quantity of the batter ;-) 

Here is the recipe for Set dosa followed by Saagu recipe.

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 3 Measures

Iddli rice - 2 Measures

Flattened rice ( Avalakki / Poha ) - 1 Measure

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Cooking soda - half teaspoon

Oil to make dosa

Method:

Preparing the batter for set dosa:

Combine both raw rice and idli rice in a large bowl.

Wash well and Soak in water adding the turmeric.

In another container, wash the flattened rice (avalakki / poha) once and soak in water separately.

Soak both for over night or minimum 7 hours.

Drain water and grind the rice preferably in a wet grinder.

Add the soaked flattened rice / poha / avalakki, to the rice when its grinding.

Use water as required to make a batter with medium consistency - smooth - not too thick not too thin.

Transfer the ground batter to a large container.

Mix in required amount of salt and a pinch of cooking soda.

Mix really well and keep it closed.

Allow the batter to frement for at least 5 to 6 hours.

Preparing the Set dosa:

Heat a Tawa, preferably the old fashioned iron tawa.

If you are using iron tawa, rub the center with oil.

Mix the batter and make sure its in pouring consistency.

When the tawa is hot, pour a ladle full of batter in the middle and let it spread evenly forming a medium circle.

Oil the sides and cook for about a minute or two.

Cooking closed minimizes the cooking time.

Slowly, flip the dosa to the other side and cook for a minute.

Then, transfer it to the serving plate.

Serve it with hot and spicy saagu.

You will see that the soft and fluffy set dosa with numerous holes, will have a yellow hue because of turmeric that was added while soaking.

Saagu recipe:

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables - 2 to 3 cup ( diced - potatoes, carrots and chopped beans)

Onion - 2 medium chopped (optional)

Oil for seasoning

Salt to taste

Cloves - 5 to 6

Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 teaspoon

Green chilli  - 2 ( or as per taste)

Coconut - half cup ground or 1 tetra pack coconut milk.

Method:

Usually roasted gram is added to the recipe but my recipe is a little different. Its a tasty saagu cum mild kurma.

Cook the mixed vegetables in a pressure pan (exactly one whistle) or kadai, with water that just immerses the vegetables. Add salt while cooking.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper jeera, green chillis and cloves.

Add chopped onions and fry until colour changes.

Now add the mixed vegetables and allow it to cook for one boil.

Add required amount of salt. Add only little as the vegetables are already cooked with salt.

Now add ground coconut or coconut milk.

Allow the content to cook for a boil and turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves).

Serve this for Set dosa or Chapathis.

Pomegranate rice / Dalimbe anna

Pomegranate lovers, here's a treat for you. I love pomegranate and I can take it in any form. Even in the form of a chutney. This fruit is a great addition to salads and also it can make Kashmiri pulao more colourful. 

This is a very simple rice recipe made with the pomegranate juice extract. This recipe is almost similar to  Lemon rice, Apart from being a healthy alternative to tamarind rice and other chitra anna, its also a great addition to the menu when you have guest. Its so colourful and unique. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups (udhur anna: rice should be fully cooked and flaky but not mushy)

Pomegranate - 1 large

Oil - 1 table spoon for tempering

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Green chilli - 1 or 2 slit vertically 

or 

Dry red chilli - 3

Curry leaves -  sprig (optional)

Coriander leaves to garnish

Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the pomegranate into two halves. Take out the seeds. You can google to find many ways to take the seeds out effortless.

Grind half the seeds and strain using a filter. Keep the extract aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper the mustard seeds. Then add curry leaves if using.

Add the chilli you want to use (red or green or combination).

Stir and turn off heat. 

Add the juice extract and salt as required.

Mix in rice. Use a fork to mix so you don't break the rice.

Mix in the remaining seeds and garnish with coriander leaves.

Its a great lunch box recipe too.

A must try recipe for those fruit lovers who want to taste the fruit in different avatars.

Moong bean / Pachai payaru Sundal

Mung/Moong bean is called pachai payaru in tamil. This green gram is packed with nutrition. Its a perfect addition to a vegetarian healthy diet. Here's a sundal recipe with this bean. 

Ingredients:

Green gram / Moong / Mung bean - 1 cup

Oil for tempering - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Green chillies - 1 or 2 depending upon the heat. It can be vertically slit or chopped.

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Ginger - 1 inch - peeled and minced

Asafoetida powder - 2 pinches

Salt as required

Desiccated coconut or Fresh grated coconut - half cup

Coriander leaves - roughly chopped

Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons

Method:

Soak Mung bean over night in water.

Next day, drain the water.

Heat 3 cups water with a tablespoon of salt. When the water comes to a boil, add the soaked beans.

Let the content boil for 5 to 6 minutes.

Turn off heat and drain the water using a colander and allow the mung bean to rest until all the water is drained.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a kadai, preferably non stick. Temper the mustard seeds. 

Add the green chillies, ginger and Curry leaves. stir for a minute.

Add the Mung beans and asafoetida powder. Sprinkle salt as it is already boiled in salted water.

Mix well and garnish with coconut - grated fresh or desiccated and coriander leaves. Turn off heat and stir lemon juice and the Sundal is ready to be served.

Green Peas / Pachai Pattani Sundal

This sundal is made out of the store bought dry green peas. Soaked it over night. Cooked and seasoned the peas to make this sundal. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Dry green peas - 1 cup

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Fresh grated coconut - 2 tablespoon

Green chilli - 1 or 2 vertically slit - adjust as per taste

Salt as required

Water for soaking and cooking the peas

Method:

Soak dry green peas overnight in water.

Next day, drain the water.

Pressure cook the peas with just enough water adding 2 teaspoons salt.

Cook for about a whistle or two. 

After the pressure is released, add 1 cup water and fish out the outer skin of the peas that's floating on the surface. Drain water and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper the mustard seeds.

Add the green chillie, curry leaves and asafoetida powder.

Add the cooked peas and stir.

Sprinkle just enough salt and add the grated fresh coconut.

Give it a stir and turn off heat.

Green peas sundal / pachai pattani sundal is ready to be served.

Red kidney beans / Rajma Sundal

Being an excellent source of nutrition, Rajma or Red kidney beans, from the legume family is a friend to all health conscious people. There are many types of kidney beans available. In this rajma sundal recipe,  I have used a type of beans that is small and dark red. I have added generous amount of ginger to take care of the gas part ;-) Ginger also adds taste and nutrition to the sundal. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Small red kidney beans / rajma beans - 1 cup

Oil for tempering - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Green chilli - 1 or 2 vertically slit ( adjust as per taste)

Fresh grated coconut - 2 to 3 tablespoons

Fresh ginger - 2 inches - peeled and chopped roughly

Asafoetida powder - 2 pinches

Water to soak rajma beans and to cook 

Method:

Soak rajma beans over night in water.

Next day, drain water and pressure cook rajma beans for 4 to 5 whistles with just enough water and a tablespoon of salt.

Drain excess wate and keep the beans aside.

Dry grind coconut and ginger together until its finely minced. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, preferably non stick.

Temper the mustard seeds and add the green chillie and cooked rajma beans.

Simmer heat and add Asafoetida powder and the ground coconut ginger.

Sprinkle salt as the beans are already cooked in salted water.

Stir well and turn off heat.

Healthy rajma beans sundal is ready to serve.

Split moong dal / Hesaru bele Sundal

Split moong/mung dal or Hesaru bele kosambari is a very common item in the kannadiga's kitchen. Its a raw salad that is tempered with green chillie with a touch of lime and of course garnished with coconut and coriander. This sundal, also has the same ingredients for tempering and garnishing except that the dal is boiled before its tempered. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Yellow split moong dal / Hesaru bele - Three fourths cup

Oil for tempering

Green chillies - 1 or 2 as per taste

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Salt as required

Turmeric powder -  a pinch

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Coriander leaves - handful - roughly chopped

Fresh grated coconut - 1 to 2 tablespoon

Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon - optional

Water for soaking and boiling the dal

Method:

Wash moong dal and soak in water for 1 hour.

Heat 2 cups water and when its starts to boil, add the soaked dal.

In about a couple of minutes, you will notice the water raising with froth.

Turn off heat and drain water using colander and allow the water to be drained completely.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper the mustard seeds. Add green chillie and then the boiled dal.

Add turmeric powder and asafoetida powder and salt and give a quick stir.

Turn off heat and mix in chopped coriander leaves and fresh grated coconut.

Squeeze lime if needed.

Healthy sundal is ready to be served.

Kala channa / Kondakadalai sundal

Kala channa or Kondakadalai as it is called in tamil is a type of legume from the chicpeas family. This protein and fiber rich legume is definitely a choice for people who want to smart snack. Its excellent for controlling blood sugar. Kala channa can be used as a part of a healthy diet and it aids for weight loss and weight management. Here is a simple recipe for a sundal using this excellent legume.

Ingredients:

Kala channa / Kondakadalai - 1 cup

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Curry leaves - 1 sprig optional

Green chillie - 1 vertically slit - adjust as per taste

Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

Salt as required

Water for soaking and boiling the chana

Method:

Soak Kala channa in water over night. Sprouting this channa is a great idea for added benefits.

Drain water and Pressure cook the channa with just enough water and 2 teaspoons salt for 6 whistles.

Kala channa takes longer time to cook. Hence, boiling method is not preferred.

Drain water and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper the mustard seeds.

Add green chilli and the curry leaves if using them. 

Add channa and just sprinkle salt as channa is already cooked in salted water.

Add lemon juice and mix well. 

Healthy sundal is ready.

Grated carrot and chopped coriander leaves and finely minced ginger and cucumber can be added to make a tasty salad.

Karamani / Black eye bean Sundal

Today's sundal recipe is Black eye bean sundal. Black eye bean (karamani) is loaded with nutrients. A great after school snack for a protein boost. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Black eye beans - 1 cup

Oil for tempering - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Asafoetida powder - 2 pinches

Dry red chillies - 3 to 4 ( adjust as per your taste)

Desiccated coconut - 1 tablespoon

Salt as required

Water for soaking and cooking the beans

Method:

Soak beans in water overnight.

The next day, drain water and pressure cook with just enough water and add salt. Cook for just 2 to 3 whistles. Alternatively, boil the beans in water until its cooked.

Drain water and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Temper the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and dry red chillies.

Add the black eye beans. To it add asafoetida.

Sprinkle salt as the beans is already cooked in salted water.

Mix the desiccated coconut or fresh grated coconut and give a quick stir and turn off heat.

Sundal is ready.