Friday 21 March 2014

Vendakka Masala - Okra Masala

  Okra or Ladies Finger is one vegetable that we cook very often at home.This is one recipe that I prepare when we feel like having okra with Chapati.Okra has loads of health benefits.I still remember being told as a kid that Ladies finger is good for your brain and it helps you to be good at mathematics.I still don't understand logic behind Okra helping you with maths though :) But I really would be happy if it could help my brain with learning German.I've been here in Germany for more than 5 years now and I really wish to master the language,but I'm a real lousy student.I still manage to day dream during my German classes,something that I've been consistently doing from my school days :) The best part is my brain now sometimes get stuck with English words and comes up with an equivalent German word.I keep telling myself that It's because I'm getting older :) But then yesterday I happened to step into a Spanish language class by mistake and I noticed that almost half the students were people of the age group from 50 - 70.I was surprised as to how attentive and enthusiastic they appeared.I remember another memorable incident,before a month I happened to meet another old German lady at my language school.When I told her that I was from the southern part of India,she asked me if I was from Madras.When I said yes she asked me 'Vanakkam,eppadi irrukeenge ?'.I was really taken aback when she told me that she was doing a Tamil language course and she finds the script very interesting.Germany has a lot of immigrants from Sri Lanka and I guess that could explain the interest in Tamil.When I asked her what drives her to learn at this age,she smiled and simply answered that it makes her happy and keeps her gray cells alive :)Her attitude really touched me!
  Back to the recipe it's very simple and yumm ! This has been lying in my drafts from Christmas (as you can see from the pic:))..I hope I get to post more regularly and and clear my drafts soon :)


You'll Need:
Okra - 200 g
Onion - 1 big(chopped)
Tomato - 1 -2 big(pureed)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Curd -3 - 4 tbsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
oil -1 tbsp & 2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp(finely chopped)
salt as needed

Get,set,go:
-Clean the okras and pat them dry.Chop the crown and the rim.Cut them into 1" pieces.To a pan add one tbsp of oil and when it heats up add the chopped okra and salt as needed and saute on a low flame for 5 - 6 minutes until they are slightly crisp.Transfer the fried okra to another vessel.You can also deep fry the okra,it definitely enhances the taste.
-Add 2 tsp of oil to a pan and when it heats up add the onions and saute until they turn translucent.Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the mixture is well browned.
-Add the tomato puree and mix well.Add the turmeric powder,cumin powder,chopped coriander leaves,curd,coriander powder and chilli powder,salt and mix well.Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 -7 minutes.
-After 5 minutes when the mixture starts oozing oil,add about 1/2 a cup of water and mix well.
-Add the fried okra,Garam Masala Powder and Kasoori Methi powder and mix well.
-Let the mixture cook on a slow flame for another 5 - 7 minutes. Done !


Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Friday 14 March 2014

Anjappar Style Chicken Fry

'From the oven to the fridge',that's exactly how I feel.We are back from India's pleasant warmth to Germany's windy cold winter.And I've been catching one bug after the other,so couldn't spend time with my blog .Hope all of you are doing great :) This is one recipe that I came across in a magazine,the moment I saw the word 'Anjappar',I knew that I just had to try it.I simply love the non veg food at Anjappar.Honestly I don't even know if they offer veg dishes:)Well I haven't posted in a long time,so my brain is on the 'non-responsive' mode like the window browser,I can't get myself to write anything , So off to the recipe... ! 

Ingredients:
Chicken  - 200 g (boneless,cut into bite sized pieces)
Onion - 2 medium - big
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee -2 tbsp
Grated  ginger - 1 tsp
Grated garlic - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cashew nuts - 5 -6 (broken into small pieces)
Green Chilli - 2
Whole Red Chilli - 1 - 2
Pepper Powder - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
salt - as needed



Method:
-In a pan heat the oil,once it heats up splutter the Garlic,Ginger,Cashew nuts,Green chilli,Curry leaves,Whole Red chilli,Pepper powder,Fennel seeds and Cumin seeds one after the other and saute on a low flame.
-Then add the finely chopped onions and turmeric powder and saute until the onions are well browned.
-Add the Ghee and the chicken pieces and saute on a low flame.
-When it's half cooked add salt,Coriander powder,Red Chilli powder and Coriander leaves and mix well.Keep sauteing until the chicken is cooked and the gravy is well browned and dry.Done !



Thanks for stopping by ! Have a great day !









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