Thank you Nithu for inviting me as a guest at your lovely space .
It was indeed a great pleasure and honour for me.
To read click HERE
Friends, Nithu has a lovely blog. Keeping health in mind she always makes her recipes simple and easy to make.
Do visit - NITHU'S KITCHEN
Nothing like using home made masalas and I have made this Chai ka Masala using ginger skins/peels for the event organised by Nithu Bala - BEST OUT OF WASTE.
Usually we end up throwing the peels when we grind ginger paste.
Ingredients:
Green cardamoms ...... handful
Cloves .................. 3-4
Cinnamon stick .... 1 small piece
Black pepper corns... 10-12
Aniseed/fennelseed/saunf... 1 tbsp.
Ginger peels ....... 1/2 cup
Tulsi leaves ........ 10-15.
Method:
1. Wash and wipe the ginger well before peeling. Peel out the skins, spread them on a paper towel and dry them in the microwave for 1 minute first. Open and mix them and repeat doing this 3-4 times until they are crisp.(If the peels are thick then crush them in a pestle and mortar before drying them)
2. Repeat the same process with Tulsi leaves.But Tulsi takes lesser time.
3. Put all the other dry spices in a bowl and microwave for half a second.
4. Grind everything together and store in an air-tight container.
Sambar is a spicy lentil soup from the Southern Indian states. It is an important part of the meal and is cooked every day with a variation of some vegetable added to it. Sambar is served with breakfast items like dosas, idlis and wadas and also with plain rice for lunch along with other accompaniments.
Ingredients:
Toor dal ..... 1 cup
Tamarind juice .... 2-3 tbsps.
Jaggery ....... a small piece.
Tomato ................. 1
Onion ................... 1 ( or small onions)
Green chillies .... 1-2
Turmeric powder ... 1/4 tsp.
Red chilli powder ... 1/2 tsp.
Salt ................. to taste.
Coriander leaves ... handful.
For tempering :
Mustard seeds ..... 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds ........ 1 tsp.
Asafoetida ............ a pinch
Dry red chillies .... 2-3
Garlic ............. 2-3 cloves
Curry leaves ......... a sprig
Oil
To make Sambar Powder: Dry roast:
Coriander seeds ... 1 tsp
Cumin seeds ........ 1 tsp.
Methi seeds ........ 1/4 tsp
Dry red chillies .... 2
Chana dal ............. 1 tsp.
Dessicated coconut ... 1 tbsp.
Cloves ................... 2
Cinnamon ... a small piece.
Method:
1. Soak the toor dal for 2-3 hours. Cook it in the pressure cooker( 2-3 whistles)
2. Dry roast and grind the sambar powder and keep it aside.
3. In a pan heat a little oil. Add the tempering ingredients. when the seeds crackle, add the onions and stir fry for 1 minute. Now add the crushed garlic, tomato and the dry spice powders and mix well. Add the salt, jaggery, tamarind juice and dal. Bring to boil adding sufficient water. Simmer until you get the desired consistency.
This is a very easy dish cooked with crumbled paneer along with onion, tomatoes and spices. It hardly takes any time to cook and is perfect when you are short of time. Goes well with rotis / puris..
Ingredients: Paneer ..... 1 cup Onion .......... 1 small (finely chopped) Garlic paste ... 1 tsp. Ginger paste ... 1 tsp. Tomato .. 1 small Turmeric powder .. 1/8 tsp. Coriander powder .. 1 tsp. Cumin powder ....... 1 tsp. Red chilli powder ... 1/2 tsp. Salt ......................... to taste Kasoori methi ....... 1 tsp. Coriander leaves .... for garnishing. Oil. Method: Method: 1. Heat a little oil in a pan and stir fry the onions. 2. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for half a minute and add the tomato. Sprinkle a little water and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it is done. 3. Crumble the paneer and mix it with the onion masala. Add the salt and all the spice powders.. Simmer for a minute. 4. Sprinkle the dry roasted and crushed kasoori methi. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rotis or nans.
This is one of the most popular dish in the Chinese cuisine. Marinated chicken pieces are deep fried and cooked with sauces. You can add some veggies of your choice to it. The authentic version is not spicy but you can adjust it to suit your taste buds. It can be served with plain or fried rice.
1. Mix all the above ingredients with the chicken and marinate for 6-8 hrs.
2. Drain the excess liquid from the marinade and deep fry the chicken pieces.
For the Garlic sauce:
Garlic paste .... 2 tbsps.
Water ...... 2 cups.
Corn flour .... 1tbsp. made into a slurry
Salt .... to taste
Green chilli paste .... 1 tsp.
Black pepper ........... 1 tsp.
( Chillies could be increased or decreased according to your choice)
Ajinomoto ...... a pinch
Soy sauce .... 1 drop.
Method:
1. Take a wok and heat 1 tbsp. oil. Add the garlic paste. Stir fry a little and add the water immediately (before the garlic becomes red)
2. When the sauce boils add the chicken pieces and simmer. Now add the desired vegetables and the ajinomoto, salt, chilli paste, black/white pepper and a drop of soy sauce.
3. Finally stir in the slurry to make a thick gravy....Serve hot with fried rice.
