Curry leaves raita

I found this recipe on this blog. It has never occurred to me that one can use ground curry leaves in raita, especially considering that I love the curry leaf flavor. So, trying out the recipe was a no brainer. The raita is delicious.

Here is my slightly modified take on the original recipe:

Curry leaves raita

Curry leaves raita

Ingredients (enough for two):
3 sprigs tender curry leaves (the mature ones could taste a little bitter)
A small piece of ginger
6 pepper corns
A few pinches asafoetida
A small piece green chili (only for flavor)
1 tbsp grated coconut
1 cup curd, beaten smooth
Salt

For tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
1 broken red chili
5 curry leaves
Oil


Method:
1. Wash the curry leaves.
2. Grind the curry leaves with ginger, pepper, asafoetida, chili and coconut to a smooth paste. Add just enough water to help with the grinding.
3. Mix the above paste with the beaten curd. Add salt to taste. The mixture can be refrigerated at this point if you plan on serving later.
4. Just before serving, add oil to another small pan and place on medium heat. Add the broken red chili and the urad dal. When the urad dal changes color, add mustard seeds. When the mustard pops, add the asafoetida and the curry leaves in quick succession.
5. Add the entire tempering mixture to the curd mixture and mix well.

Serve hot with rotis and a side dish or with pulao

Notes:
1. Do not add so much green chili to the raita that it becomes spicy. Raita usually helps in taking the heat off the other dishes and you probably don't want to be in the position of having to make another raita to take the heat off this one!

Chettinad chicken pepper kuzhambu

Recipes from Solai's blog has been featured several times in this blog before and for a tasty reason. I visited her blog after a gap and was pleasantly surprised to find a whole bunch of new recipes on it.

But one particular recipe caught my eye: http://solaiachiskitchen.blogspot.in/2012/05/chettinad-milagu-kozhi-kuzhambu.html

Because, any recipe with the words "chicken" and "pepper" in them makes me want to run to the kitchen and cook the dish asap. Besides, this recipe sounded very promising.

I made it and it was delicious. Both S and I could even slurp the kuzhambu without any accompaniment.

I did not make any change at all to the recipe. Follow it as is for a wonderful pepper chicken dish.

Chettinad chicken pepper kuzhambu

Potato tomato peas curry

This recipe has it's base in the recipe in the Bedmi ki aloo subzi recipe here. I wanted to add some more vegetables, so made some modifications. The end result was a spicy tangy delicious curry.

Potato tomato peas curry

Potato tomato peas curry

Ingredients (enough for 2-3):
1 medium. 2 small potatoes
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup frozen peas (if fresh peas are used, boil for 5 minutes in microwave before adding)
1 tsp ginger, grated
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 heaped tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
1 tsp aamchur (dry mango powder)
3 pinches of jeera powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh, chopped, coriander leaves
Water

For seasoning
1/2 tsp jeera
5 whole methi seeds
A pinch hing
2 tsp sesame oil  (or any oil)

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes and peel. Mash potatoes with fingers and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the jeera. When it sizzles, add the hing, methi seeds and the grated ginger. Stir fry for 10 seconds.
3. Add in the sliced onions and a little salt and fry till the onions change color.
4. Add in the chopped tomatoes and the turmeric and coriander powder. Cover and cook for a few minutes till the tomatoes turn mushy.
5. Add in the chili powders and stir till mixed well with the onions and tomatoes.
6. Add in the rest of the spice powders (aamchur, jeera powder, garam masala powder) and mix well.
7. Add in the mashed potatoes and 3-4 cups of water. As the original recipe says, the consistency should be soupy.
8. Now add in the frozen peas and mix well. Bring the entire mixture to a boil. Then, cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or till the mixture has reached a semi-gravy consistency. Adjust for salt.
9. Mix in most of the coriander leaves and garnish with the rest.

Serve hot with rotis and raita on the side. Delicious.