Cabbage kootu

This cabbage recipe is from my mom. This recipe tastes very mild and goes really well as a side dish for a spicy main dish like Sambar or kara kolambu.

Ingredients:

Cabbage 1.5 cup
toor dal - 3/4 cup
Sambar powder - 1-2 tbsp
grated coconut - 2 tsp
salt for taste

Tempering:

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Green chillies - 3
Onion - 2 medium
Ginger - 1 inch size finely chopped

1. Pressure cook toor dal and cabbage for 3 whistles. Place the dal at the bottom of the vessel and top it with cabbage.
2. Add oil to the pan and add the tempering ingredients in the order listed above.

   

   Left: Toor dal, middle: cabbage, and right: cooked cabbage and dal (I place the dal under the cabbage). 

3. Add the cooked cabbage and dal to this. Cover and cook for 5 mins in medium heat
4. Add sambar powder and mix well and cook for another 3 mins with the lid on. 
   
5. Add coconut and cook for 2-3 mins. 
6. Serve it as a side dish with rice or chapathi. 

 Note: you can vary the amount of green chillies and sambar powder to taste. As i like very less spice i stick to this amount.

Sambar (chinna vengaya sambar)

Sambar is one of the south Indian delicacies which is made almost every week in most home. There are many different ways of preparing sambar.  Here i have a simple way of making chinna vengaya sambar,  it tastes so great. This go well with ven pongal, dosa or idly. Here in Germany we don't get these small onion (Shallots) often. The ones I used here are not in best shape but still the sambar tasted awesome!

Ingredients: 

Sambar dal (toor) - 1.5 cups
garlic - 3-5 pods
Sambhar powder - 2 tbsp - I use achi sambar powder
turmeric - 1 tsp
tomato - 1/2 medium size - cut into large cubes
Normal onion - 1 medium size - cut into large cubes
Salt for taste
coriander leaves - 1 bunch
Tamarind paste - from a small lime size 
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

Tempering:

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
urad dal - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Green chillies - 3
Small onions - 15-20 

1. Pressure cook sambar dal with turmeric, tomato, onion, garlic few curry leaves,  1 tsp oil (Its important to add oil to increase the boiling point of water to get the dal cooked.). Cook for about 7 whistle. The dal should get really soft or even mashed. 
2. Add 2 spoon oil in pan and all the tampering ingredients one by one.  Fry for about 5 mins.
3. Add water about 2 cups and bring it boil and let the onions get cooked for about 8 mins. 
   
   
   
   
4. Add the mashed dal to this mixture and cook for about 5 mins. 
5. Add sambar powder and after it boils atmost at the end add the turmeric paste and remove the sambar from stove. 
6. Add coriander leaves. 

Indian style egg scramble

I know almost every Indian know how to make it but i just wanted to share it for some of my non-Indian friends.

Ingredients:

Eggs 3
onion 2-3 medium size (I like with more onions)
freshly ground pepper powder
salt
oil 2 tsp

Add oil to the pan and fry the finely chopped onions on medium heat until translucent. Add salt and pepper powder and mix them well. Now add the eggs and keep stirring as it gets cooked. Adjust the pepper powder and salt as needed. Can add coriander leaves.

Left: Onion fried with pepper and salt. Middle: Egg just added. Right: Egg scramble is almost ready

Kara Paniyaram

Here is one simple recipe to make Kara Kuli Paniyaram. Its really quick and easy but it looks like you have spend a lot of time ;)

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time : 10-15 mins

Ingrdients:

• Idly batter - 2 cups 
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• chilli powder - 2 tsp
• corriander leaves
• Salt (usually the idly batter has salt)

       Tempering:

• Oil
• Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida -1/2 tsp

1. Add 1tbsp oil to the pan and when hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the Urid dal and the asafoetida. After about 2 mins remove from flame and add this to the Idly flour.
2. Add all the other ingredients to the idly flour and mix well.
3. Add less than 1/2 tsp oil to every paniyaram kuli and I use a non-stick which makes my life a lot easier and i need less oil. Cook on medium high flame.
4. When the oil it hot, add a spoon of flour to each Paniyara Kuli and not let it flow out of the kuli.
5. After about a 2 mins turn it around and it has to be done relatively fast so that the uncooked flour doesnt spill out.



Left: The kara paniyaram flour. Right: Paniyaram getting cooked in pan.

6. let it cook on the other side for about 2 mins. To check if its done you can check by sticking a knife into it.

Kara Kuli Paniyaram

It goes very well with coconut chutney or onion tomato chutney. Its a perfect quick sunday morning breakfast.

Let me know your comments and opinions.