Pepper 'n Spice

This is pavakka thoran for you. It's an amazing dish when combined with rice or chapati.   The elements of Mom's yummy dish are...   Bitter gourd - 2 Onion - 1 Green chili - 1 Salt - 1/4 tsp Coconut, grated - 1/4 cup Rice bran oil - 2 tsp      The mechanism...   Cleave bitter gourd into thin pieces after deseeding it. Chop onion into thin slices. Slit green chili. Steam the melange of bitter gourd, onion, green chili, salt and coconut, until the the bitter gourd is cooked undeniably.           Heat a flat bottomed pan and drizzle oil. Cast in the bitter gourd hodgepodge. Sautee for 10 minutes on medium heat.  Delight in the crunchy, crispy, yet healthy vegetable dish.  

 Capsicum or bell pepper can be eaten raw or cooked. Here is a recipe for cooked green capsicum :-)   The constituents of Mom's green dish are...   Capsicum, green - 2 Onion - 1, large For the grind, Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Shallots - 3 Salt - 1/4 tsp For the tempering, Rice bran oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaf - a sprig Raw rice - 1/4 tsp     The process...     Deseed capsicum and chop into small pieces. Cut onion into thin slices.   Add in the melange of coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, salt and shallots in a blender jar and grind for 2 seconds.   Heat a deep-bottomed pan and dribble oil. Throw in mustard seeds, curry leaves and raw rice. When the mustard starts crackling, cast in the onion slices. Stir for 5 minutes, until the onions soften. Cast in the capsicum.     After a few minutes, prepare a well in the center of the capsicum combination by pushing most of it to the sides of the pan. Add in the coco

A thoran with a medley of beans. The mixed bag of green and brown beans provide a nourishing meal.     The ingredients...         Moth bean - 1/2 cup Moong bean - 1/2 cup Water - for boiling the beans Onion - 1, small Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Coconut, grated - 3/4 cup The method...   Soak moth and moong bean together for 8 hours or overnight. Wash well. Pressure cook with some water and a soupcon of salt. Strain excess water and keep aside.         Slice onion into thin pieces. Grind onion, cumin seeds, chili powder, salt and coconut for 2 seconds.     Heat a pan and fling in the cooked beans. Make a well in the center of the beans by pushing some of it to the sides of the pan. Cast in the coconut gallimaufry into the center and cover with the beans moved to the sides earlier.        Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir to meld everything. Serve hot!

 The salutary dish is called moringakayu chakkakurru thoran in Malayalam.       \   The elements of Mom's superfood... Drumstick -1 Jackfruit seeds - 1 and 1/2 cup Water - for cooking drumstick and jackfruit seeds For the grind, Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Shallots - 3 Salt - 1/4 tsp For the tempering, Rice bran oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaf - a sprig Raw rice - 1/4 tsp              The modus operandi...    Chop the jackfruit seeds into thin pieces lengthwise. Cut open the drumstick. Using a spoon, scrape the inner seeds of the drumstick. Boil the jackfruit and drumstick seeds in some water with a pinch of salt and a tad of turmeric powder, until tender. Unload excess water and set aside for later. Add in the melange of coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and shallots in a blender jar and grind for 2 seconds.   Heat a deep-bottomed pan and dribble oil. Throw in mustard see

 This is drumstick lentil curry. A salubrious and protein-rich curry.  The fundamental ingredients of Mom's wholesome dal... Drumstick - 1 Dal - 1 cup Water - for cooking dal and drumstick Turmeric powder - a bit Salt - 1/4 tsp Green chili - 1 Coconut, grated - 1/4 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Shallots - 2 Coconut oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp         The method... Soak the lentils for an hour. Wash and drain water. Chop the drumstick into 3 inch pieces. Boil the lentils and drumstick together with some water. Cast in salt, turmeric powder and slit green chili. Cook until the lentils and drumstick soften. Set aside. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and shallots for 2 seconds. Add the coconut mixture into the lentil mishmash. Mix.         To prepare seasoning, heat a small pan. Dribble oil. When the oil gets hot, throw in mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to crackle turn off the flame. Add this seasoning into the lentil amalgam. Stir to meld everything. Dig in by dipping chap

        Yogurt can be prepared from oat milk without a previous culture. This is done by adding chili stalks which are rich in various lactobacilli. Chili stalks are generally thrown into the waste basket. Now they have a terrific use; for curdling milk. After adding chili stalks to the thickened oat milk, place the jar overnight in a warm area, like inside a microwave.       The required elements... Oat milk (homemade) - 1 cup Green chili - 2     The procedure.. Pour oat milk into a vessel and heat on low flame, stirring oft for 5 minutes with a wooden spoon. The milk will thicken. Pour the thickened milk into a glass jar.        Remove the stalks of the green chili and put into the milk.      Close the jar with a lid and store in a warm place. Allow it to ferment for 12 to 13 hours. This is for preparing vegan yogurt for the first time. If you already have leftovers of your previous vegan curd, just add a spoon of this into the milk (instead of the chili stalks) and keep aside to fe

 This rice item is straightforward and child's play. It really is!, because my daughter prepared it. The backdrop is a few funny faces drawn by her, to make you smile :-) The integrals... Basmati rice - 1 cup Water - 1 and 1/2 cup Onion - 1 Cabbage, shredded - 1 cup Eggs, brown and free range - 2 Salt - 1/4 tsp Pepper, freshly crushed - 1/4 tsp     The process... Sous the rice in water for half an hour. Wash well and drain water. Pressure cook with 1 and 1/4 cup water and a bit of salt, until cooked absolutely. Chop onion into thin slices. Heat a steel pan and fling in the onion, a smidgeon of salt and a splash of water. Toss them around until the water evaporates and the onions soften. Spoon them into a bowl. Microwave the cabbage with a few sprinkles of water for a minute or so.          In a non-stick pan, break the eggs. Add in salt and pepper. Scramble the fried eggs, until cooked totally. Merge rice, eggs and cabbage. Garnish with onions. And freak out on the overly simple, y

Wheat bread is healthful as compared to white bread, which is made from refined flour. Since we prepare the Indian bread called chapati regularly, we always have wheat flour or atta at home. So, all set to bake! :-) Usually, bread making needs cow's milk and refined sugar. I used homemade oat milk and date sugar. And the texture and flavor of the baked bread was just perfect. The elements of the bread...   Wheat flour- 3 cups and 1/2 cup for dusting   Salt - 1 tsp   Date sugar - 2 Tbsp and 1 tsp   Yeast - 1 and 1/2 tsp   Water - 3/4 cup   Oat milk (homemade) - 1/2 cup Olive oil, extra virgin - 2 Tbsp  Sunflower seeds - a few     The modus operandi... Take 1/4 cup lukewarm water, add 1 tsp date sugar and yeast. Mix well. Set aside to rise, 10 minutes. Combine flour, date sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, add oat milk, oil and remaining water. Add this to risen yeast mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mix, adding little by little, mixing well with a spatula. You wil

    Brown chickpeas are a darker brown variety of the regular chickpeas or garbanzo bean. This stir fry is also called Sundal in Tamil Nadu where it is prepared during festivals as an offering to the gods and also received as prasadam from the temples. A healthy and crunchy snack, it can be eaten as such or with rice.       The parts of the kadala thoran... Brown chickpeas - 2 cups Onion - 2, medium   Green chili - 2   Garlic - 2 cloves  Water - a splash   Salt - 1/2 tsp   Coconut, grated - 3/4 cup       The means to achieve the scrumptious dish..     Sous the brown chickpeas overnight in water. Drain water using a colander. Pressure cook the chickpeas in water with a pinch of salt until cooked through and through. Clear out excess water.      Chop onion, garlic and green chili into small pieces. Heat a deep-bottomed steel pan. Throw in onion, garlic and green chili. Add water to cook the onions. Toss around for 5 minutes.                  Add in cooked chickpeas. Make a well in t

 Mango steamcake is puttu cooked with soft mango flesh. I used overripe Banaganapalli or Benishan mangoes. These are mangoes grown in Banaganapalle village of Andhra Pradesh. It is sweet and meaty. There is a nonchalant attitude to overmature mangoes in my home, so this steamcake is a meal to trick everyone into eating them ;-). The puttu was made in the long, cylindrical puttu maker called puttukutti.          The innards...   White puttupodi - 3/4 cup Salt - 1/4 tsp Water, warm - a few sprinkles Coconut, grated - 1/4 cup Mango, ripe - 2 Tbsp         The procedure...    In a bowl, mix puttu podi, a teaspoon of coconut and salt. Add warm water little by little and merge gently with your fingers. Combine softly to remove any lumps. Set aside for a few minutes. In the puttu maker, make sure that the perforated lid is at the bottom. Add alternate layers of coconut and the integrated puttu podi so that the top and bottom layer in the puttu maker is coconut. Add a layer of cut mango p

Moringa is the Malayalam word for drumstick or ben oil tree. The leaves, flowers and seed pods of the plant can be used in cooking. The most nutritious part is the leaves, being a rich source of Vitamins. The leaves are oft-times dried, powdered and used as a dietary supplement.    The fixings of Mom's superfood...   Moringa leaves - a big bunch Jackfruit seeds - 1 and 1/2 cups For the grind, Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Shallots - 3 Salt - 1/4 tsp For the tempering, Rice bran oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaf - a sprig Raw rice - 1/4 tsp         The mechanism...   Chop the jackfruit seeds into thin pieces lengthwise. Boil them in some water with a pinch of salt and a tad of turmeric powder, until tender. Unload excess water and set aside for later.      Wash the moringa leaves and keep aside to dry.              Add in the melange of coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and shallot

Hashed browns made from potato are a staple food in North America. They are usually fried in oil, but this recipe utilizes no oil. It came out as mashed browns ;-) The elements are... Carom seeds - a bit Onion - 2 Garlic - 4 cloves Potato - 4 Green peas, frozen - 1/4 cup Salt - 1/2 tsp Pepper, freshly ground - 1/4 tsp Water - 1/2 cup    The modus operandi...   Peel potatoes and dice into small cubes. Peel onion and chop into small slices. Peel garlic and mince them. Defrost and wash peas. Microwave peas with a splash of water for a minute in order to cook them.   Warm up a cooking pan. Toast carom seeds. Cast in potatoes and water.                Cover with a lid. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring once in a while. Remove lid and make sure that the potatoes are cooked. Fling in the cooked peas. Throw in onion and garlic, salt and pepper.              Sautee, again on low to medium heat for 5 minutes or until the raw tang of the onions almost disappear. Don't overcook the