Baked Bitter-Gourd Curry (பாவக்காய் கறி)

May 19, 2013 — Chelvi S

Baked_BitterGourd

Ingredients:

  • 6 bitter gourds
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3-4 dried red chilies
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • ½ cup chopped tomato
  • ½ cup thick coconut milk
  • ¼ cup coconut water
  • 1 cup water
  • ¾ teaspoon tamarind paste (more if needed)
  • Salt to taste

 

Method:

  • Pre-heat oven to 425F
  • Split bitter gourd lengthwise and remove the seeds
  • Thinly slice them diagonally
  • In a cookie sheet add bitter gourd and mix thoroughly with olive oil
  • Bake for about one hour or until lightly browned and crisp
  • In a saucepan add canola oil and add onion and garlic and sauté until they are golden.
  • Add dried red chilies and sauté/fry for another one minute
  • Add chopped tomato, salt, and red chili and cook until the mixture becomes to sauce consistency.  If needed add one  tablespoon at a time and cook until the tomatoes are cooked and sauce consistency
  • Add bitter gourd, coconut milk, coconut water, water, tamarind paste and cover and cook for about 10 minutes.  If the curry becomes too dry, add a few tablespoons of water.
  • Serve with rice

 

Coconut water is added to remove the bitterness of the gourd.  If coconut water is not available, just a bit of sugar (1/2 teaspoon) can be used.  But adding coconut water also gives a nice flavor compared to adding sugar.  Also amount of tamarind can be increased if you like the curry to be a little sour taste.  Adding more tamarind will remove the bitterness as well.

Posted in Curries, Lunch, Side Dishes, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Mushroom Pulav with Fried Soy Chunks

April 29, 2013 — Chelvi S

mushroom_Pulav

Even though mushrooms are not a delicacy in Sri Lanka, I thought to try this dish in combination with the soy chunks.  I used the same spices that I would use for any other vegetable pulav.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
  • 4-5 whole black pepper
  • 2 -1 inch piece cinnamon
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon each cumin seeds and coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ cup finely chopped tomato
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • ½ cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup dry soy chunks
  • ¼ cup cashew nuts

 

Method:

  • Grind ½ teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon coriander and set aside
  • Add 1 tablespoon oil to a skillet and when hot add onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté until onion turns transparent.
  • Add whole cumin, cardamom pods, cinnamon, black pepper, chili powder, garam masala powder, ground cumin-coriander powder to the skillet and sauté for another 2 minutes
  • Add chopped tomato and cook on low flame until tomato is cooked to the consistency of sauce
  • Now add sliced mushrooms, corn and salt and cook further 3-4 minutes
  • Wash rice and add the cooked vegetables into the rice and mix well.
  • Add 2 cups of water to the rice and cook in rice cooker.
  • In the meantime add boiling water to the soy chunks and cover and leave for 10 minutes
  • Once the soy chunks are soft, squeeze out the water by squeezing them between your palms
  • Add the 2 tablespoons of oil to a skillet and when hot add soy chunks to the skillet and fry on low flame until they are      crispy and lightly browned.
  • Lightly sauté the cashew nuts in a little oil
  • Once rice is done, let stand covered for about 10 – 15 minutes.
  • Now add fried soy chunks and cashew nuts and mix well and season with salt
  • Serve warm
Posted in Lunch, Main Courses, Rice & Pulav dishes, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Stir-fried Cauliflower and Potato Dry Curry

April 22, 2013 — Chelvi S

cauliflowerPotatoFry1

 

Ingredients

  • ½ lb potatoes
  • ½ lb cauliflower florets
  • 1 green chili finely chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seed
  • ½ teaspoon coriander seed
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • Salt

cauliflowerPotatoFry2

Method

  • Peel and cut the potatoes into about one inch cubes
  • Par boil the potatoes in boiling water until ¾ done – about 10 minutes (add a little salt to the boiling water so that, when potatoes are cooked, they will absorb the salt and makes it tastier.)
  • Drain well and set aside
  • Dry roast ½ teaspoon cumin seed and coriander seed until fragrant
  • Let cool and grind into a powder
  • Heat oil in a large skillet
  • When hot, add rest of the cumin seed (½ teaspoon) and fry until they splutter
  • Add green chili and garlic and fry for about one minute
  • Now add cauliflower to the skillet and add a bit salt and fry on low flame for about 5-7 minutes
  • Add potatoes, and the ground powder, chili powder, turmeric powder and fry uncovered on low flame for about 10-12 minutes.  Sprinkle little water at a time if  needed.
  • Now cover the saucepan and fry more for a minute
  • Turn the flame out and leave for about 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a serving dish
  • Serve warm with rice or roti.
  • Yields: 3 side dishes
Posted in Curries, Dinner, Dry Curries (Fry), Lunch, Side Dishes, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Rice with Kidney Beans and Veggies

March 3, 2013 — Chelvi S

KidneyBeanPulav

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup uncooked brown rice
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 small onion
  • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup dried kidney beans
  • ½ cup Brussels sprout
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 cup string beans sliced
  • 2 teaspoon canola oil
  • 2 green chilies split lengthwise
  • 2-3 dried red chilies broken into 2-3 pieces
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seed
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder

 

Method:

  • Cook rice and keep in warm (if using rice cooker)
  • Cook kidney beans until tender and drain (you can cook in a pressure cooker which would take only about 10 minutes or cook on a stove with enough water until tender)
  • Preheat oven to 425F.
  • Halve tomatoes and remove seeds and middle portion (do not throw the seeds or the middle portion)
  • Thinly slice the onion
  • Place tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle and toss olive oil to completely coat the vegetables
  • Bake for about 15 minutes.  Let cool
  • In the meantime slit string beans lengthwise and then cut diagonally into about 1 inch pieces.
  • Chop carrots into small cubes (about 1 cm)
  • Add 1 teaspoon canola oil to a large saucepan.  Add carrots and green beans and sauté for about 8-10 minutes.  Sprinkle little water at a time and cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Add Brussels sprouts and tomato seeds and cook further 2 minutes
  • Now add the kidney beans and mix thoroughly and set aside.
  • In a food processor add roasted onion, garlic, tomatoes and chili powder and puree until it becomes a sauce consistency.  Add 1 tablespoon water if needed.
  •  In a small skillet heat the rest of the canola oil and once hot add green chilies and fry for about 30 seconds.  Add broken red chilies and fennel seeds and fry for another 30 seconds on a very low flame.
  • To make the pulav, mix in the tomato puree to the cooked vegetables and transfer the cooked rice with the vegetables and mix well.  Turn on the flame and mix and cook on a very low flame until all the water is absorbed and fluffy.
  • Pour over the fried chili mix and combine well
  • Serve with Papad, curd chili or even with Yogurt
  • Serves about 2 as a main dish.
Posted in Lunch, Main Courses, Rice & Pulav dishes, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Okra in Yogurt Gravy

February 10, 2013 — Chelvi S

OkrainYogurt

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb frozen cut okra
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 3-4 shallots
  • 2 green chilies slit lengthwise
  • 3-4 dried red chilies broken into 2 pieces (each)
  • 1 strand of curry leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup thick yogurt
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • If using fresh okra, diagonally cut them into 1 inch pieces.
  • In a covered saucepan, add oil.  Once oil is hot add shallots and fry until golden brown.
  • Add green chilies, red chilies, and curry leaves and fry on a very low flame for about 30 seconds. (Make sure the saucepan does not get heated.  If so turn off the flame and let the ingredients fry in the heat of the pan)
  • Add fenugreek and fry for another 10-15 seconds
  • Now add okra and mix well with the fried ingredients.
  • Increase flame to medium
  • Add water, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt to the saucepan and cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes
  • Add yogurt and cook covered for another 5 minutes (if curry starts getting dry, add a little bit of water)
  • Serve warm with rice or chapathis.
  • Serves about 3-4 as a side dish

Note: if using fresh okra, add a little extra water since fresh okra need more time to cook.

Posted in Curries, Lunch, Side Dishes, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Vegetable Rotis

January 3, 2012 — Chelvi S

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup shredded leeks + carrots
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • 1 green chili
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Water to mix dough

Method:

  • Shred carrots and chop leeks into fine pieces
  • Chop green chilies into small pieces (rounds)

  • Add oil to a skillet and when hot add chopped onion and sauté until transparent.
  • Add carrot, leek, and green chili and sauté on low flame until cooked
  • Season with salt and let cool
  • to make the dough, mix flour salt and oil and add the cooked vegetables
  • add enough water to make the dough
  • transfer dough to a bowl and cover with a plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about ½ hour.
  • To make the roti, divide dough into 10 portions.
  • Take a portion and place on a board and sprinkle a little flour and roll out with a rolling pin into thin rotis

  • Cook rotis on a skillet on both sides until done.
  • Serve warm with chickpea curry or any other curry

Variation:  You can add other vegetables like cauliflower, green beans etc.  But make sure you cut them into very fine pieces.

Posted in Break-fast, Dinner, Roti & Chappatis, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Spicy Beet/Beetroot Curry

November 13, 2011 — Chelvi S

In Sri Lanka Beets are commonly called as Beetroot.  Fresh beets have an earthy flavor like no other vegetable.  They are very easy to cook and have a very distinct sweet taste.  Beets can be used in salads, as a side dish and boiled/steamed.  My mother used to make this spicy beet curry, and beet varai.  I used to run away whenever she cooked beet curry.  But I always loved the beet varai.  So last week when I bought a bunch of fresh beets, I thought of making this dish again.  It came out quite good but still I am not a fan of beet curry.  I added coconut milk which gives a distinct flavor to this dish – in combination of the earthy beet flavor.  If you are health conscious you can replace coconut milk with normal 2% milk or soy milk.  But I think you will be missing that distinct flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium beets/ ½ lb beets
  • ½ cup sliced onion
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 green chilies split lengthwise
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 – 3 teaspoons chili powder (Sri Lankan Version)
  • 2 tablespoon thick coconut milk
  • Few curry leaves
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Peel and wash the beets
  • Cut them into thin cubes and set aside
  • Add oil to a covered saucepan and when hot add onion and sauté for about lightly golden
  • Add green chilies and sauté for another minutes in low flame
  • Now add beets and mix well and sauté in medium flame for about 5 minutes stirring often
  • Add water, chili powder, salt, coconut milk and bring to boil
  • Lower heat to medium and cover and cook for about 7- 8 minutes or the gravy becomes quite thick.
  • Add curry leaves and cook for another minutes.  At this point the curry should be thick and very little gravy.
  • Serve warm with rice
  • Serves about 3 as a side dish.


Posted in Curries, Dry Curries (Fry), Lunch, Side Dishes, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Leave a Comment »

Sesame Rice (Ellu Satham)

October 18, 2011 — Chelvi S

I had some left over rice and was wondering what to do.  I wanted to do some thing quick and simple.  Making fried rice or vegetable biryani will take a lot of time.  So I settled with the sesame rice which is easy and quick to make.  I mixed white and black sesame seed for this recipe.  Black sesame seed has high nutritional value since it has the skin.  Also black sesame seed has a much stronger taste and flavor.  But you can completely replace the black sesame seed with white one.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked basmati rice
  • 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon white sesame seed
  • 1 teaspoon shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
  • 3 dried red chilies
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon mustard seed
  • 1 teaspoon urad dhal
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seed
  • 1 strand curry leaves

Method:

  • Dry roast sesame seeds until they start splattering
  • Dry roast one red chili and coconut until coconut is quite dry (lightly golden).  If not using coconut, just dry roast chili for a few seconds (make sure it does not get burned and start smoking)
  • Add sesame seed oil to a saucepan and add mustard seed
  • When they start splattering, add urad dhal and fry for about 25-30 seconds in low flame
  • Now add cumin seed, curry leaves and the rest of the dried red chilies (bread the red chilies into 3-4 small pieces) and sauté for about 30 seconds
  • Add rice, ground sesame seed mixture and salt to the saucepan and cook on low flame for about a minute.  Sprinkle just a little bit water and cover the saucepan.  This is to keep the rice moist and soft
  • Serve warm with appalam or moar milagai (curd chili)
Posted in Main Courses, Rice & Pulav dishes, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. 2 Comments »

Potato Stuffed Roti (Kilangu Roti)

October 3, 2011 — Chelvi S

 

Ingredients

For Roti:

  • ½ teaspoon dry yeast
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt

For Stuffing:

  • ½ lb potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon mustard seed
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2 green chilies chopped
  • ¼ cup green peas (thawed if frozen)
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • Strand of curry leaves
  • Salt to taste

Make the dough:

  • Add yeast to a bowl and dissolve in warm water
  • Let stand for a few minutes
  • Mix flour and salt and add to the yeast mixture
  • Stir with wooden spoon until smooth (you may have to use hand since it might be too sticky and tight to stir with a spoon)
  • Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes
  • Shape the dough into a ball and add to the bowl and cover with a plastic wrap
  • Leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes
  • Uncover and knead again for about 5 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 4 portions and shape them into balls

  • Lightly coat the balls with cooking spray and cover with a plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes

Make the stuffing

  • Boil potatoes with skin until ¾ done
  • Drain and let cool.  Peel the skin off and chop them roughly into small pieces
  • Heat a skillet with oil and add mustard seeds.
  • When the mustard seeds start splattering, add onion and sauté until lightly golden
  • Add green chili, cumin seeds and green peas and sauté for another 2 minutes.
  • Add potatoes, chili powder, salt, and curry leaves and cook on low flame until potatoes are done and soft.  If needed sprinkle with water about 1 tablespoon at a time

Make the Roti:

  • Working with one dough (ball) at a time, carefully flatten the dough on a board (I added a plastic wrap sheet to the board to prevent sticking.  Plastic wrap sheet works better than a floured board, also add a little bit of oil to hands)

  • Add a spoonful of the curry mix in the middle of the flattened dough.

  • Bring the edges together and seal it.  Now slowly flatten again and make sure the curry does not come out
  • Spray a little oil to a skillet.  When the skillet becomes hot, add the rotis and cook on both sides until done
  • Serve warm.  Makes 4 rotis.
Posted in Break-fast, Main Courses, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. 1 Comment »

Iddly Upma (Iddly Uppuma)

July 31, 2011 — Chelvi S

 

Ingredients

Whenever I have left over iddlies I make this simple dish which is really delicious and quite easy to make

  • 8 left over Iddlies
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 3 green chilies
  • 2 dried red chilies broken into 2 – 3 pieces
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seed
  • 1 inch piece ginger grated
  • Strand of curry leaves
  • Salt to taste

 

Method:

  • Crumble iddlies with your hand or using a food processor
  • Slit carrots lengthwise and then cut them diagonally into thin slices
  • Chop onion and green chilies into small pieces
  • To a skillet add sesame seed oil and when it’s hot add mustard seeds
  • When the mustard seed start cracking, add onion and carrot and fry until golden brown
  • Add grated ginger, dried red chilies, and curry leaves and fry for another minutes
  • Add crumbled iddlies and mix well
  • Season with salt.
Posted in Break-fast, Dosai & Idli varieties, Sri Lankan Tamil Cuisine. Leave a Comment »
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