Cabbage/Molai Keerai/Sorakkai Mor Kootu

This is one of my favourite South Indian dishes, which goes well with rasam/sambar rice and with rotis. This is somewhat similar to avial. I learnt this from my mother, who, in turn, learnt this from her mother. :)

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1. 1/2 cabbage, chopped finely
2. Curd
3. Salt to taste
4. Green chillies to taste
5. Jeera (cumin) to taste
6. Dessicated coconut (fresh) to taste
7. A little toor dal
8. A little chana dal
9. Turmeric powder to taste
10. Oil for tadka
11. Mustard seeds for tadka
12. Hing powder to taste

Method:

1. Grind the dessicated coconut, jeera, green chillies, chana dal and toor dal to a paste.
2. Heat a little oil in a cooker. Add the hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the cabbage and cook for a while, adding the turmeric powder and salt to taste.
4. When it is half cooked, add the coconut and green chillies paste. Mix well.
5. Close the cooker and add weight. Cook for about 3 whistles.
6. Add curd just before serving and mix well.

Notes:

1. You can also add fresh green peas along with the cabbage.
2. We commonly use cabbage or molai keerai to make this kootu, though bottle gourd (sorakkai) can also be used.
3. The curd is added just before serving to ensure that it does not become too sour.
4. The curd should neither be too sour, nor too bland, for the kootu to turn out well.
5. The chana dal and toor dal are added while grinding the coconut and green chillies to ensure that the kootu does not turn too watery.

Corn Upma

This is another simple but extremely tasty recipe. This is usually made in Gujarati households. The recipe was taught to me by mom, passed on to her by her mother-in-law, i.e. my granny who, in turn, learnt it from some Gujarati friends.

Ingredients:

1. 4 corn cobs, which should be neither too fresh nor too hard
2. A tablespoon of milk (optional)
3. Salt to taste
4. Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
5. Green chillies (finely chopped, according to taste)
6. Hing powder to taste
7. Mustard seeds
8. Sugar to taste
9. A little oil for tadka
10. Turmeric powder to taste
11. Lemon juice to taste

Method:

1. Grate the corn cobs and keep aside.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the green chillies and leave them in for a minute.
4. Add the grated corn and mix well. Sprinkle the milk on it, if using. This adds to the softness of the upma.
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and sugar to taste. Mix well and cook for a while.
6. When it is almost done, add the lemon juice to taste and mix well. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.

Vegetable Sandwich

This is a very simple recipe that I love. Learnt after a lot of trials and tribulations. :)



Ingredients:

1.Slices of sandwich bread
2. Chaat masala to taste
3. 1 medium sized potato
4. 1 medium sized tomato
5. 1 medium sized cucumber
6. 1 medium sized beetroot
7. Butter
8. A few green chillies
9. Tomato ketchup to taste

Method:



1. Grind the green chillies to a paste and keep aside.
2. Boil the potato and beetroot separately.
3. Cut the boiled potatoes and beetroot, cucumber and tomato into round-shaped pieces separately.
4. On one slice of bread, apply the green chillies paste.
5. Lay it on a flat board and arrange some boiled potato slices on it. Arrange some beetroot slices on top of it. On top of that, arrange some cucumber and tomato slices.
6. Add some tomato ketchup on the vegetables, to taste.
7. Sprinkle some chaat masala on the ketchup, to taste.
8. Spread some butter on another slice of bread, and lay it on top of the sandwich, covering it.
9. Cut into small slices and serve.

Variations:

1. Can also be grilled on a tawa or sandwich maker.
2. Sev (omapidi) can also be sprinkled over the vegetables before closing the sandwich with the second bread slice.

Chocolate Fudge

This is a highly customised version of chocolate fudge that we have been making at home since years. Taught to me by mom. Probably, it isn't even authentic chocolate fudge, but that has never mattered. All that matters is that it is is chocolate and it is yummy. And it is very, very simple to make. :)

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1) 1 cup low fat milk cream ( I use 200 ml of Amul non-sweetened milk cream. It comes to just about 1 cup)
2) 1 cup sugar, a little here or there, according to taste
3) Cocoa powder to taste
4) Ghee for greasing a plate

Method:

1. Grease a plate with ghee and keep aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat a little water and add the sugar to it. Keep stirring till the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the cream to it and mix well.
4. Add cocoa powder to taste, stirring well, so that no lumps are formed. I add the cocoa powder depending on the colour of the mixture and the taste - it should be just the right chocolate-ey flavour for you.
5. Take off from heat when the mixture is of halwa consistency, and transfer it to the greased plate. Allow to cool.
6. Serve in small bowls, with chopped cashews sprinkled on top.

Grape Thokku

I had these black grapes that the better half got, which turned out to be extremely sour. I decided to try out something new with the sour grapes, and to my surprise, it turned out amazingly well. Everyone loved it!! Sour grapes are not so bad, after all! :)

I am submitting this entry for the Complete My Thali Contest at Jagruti's blog!



Ingredients:

A bowl of seedless red grapes (if they are with seeds, de-seed them)
Salt to taste
A piece of ginger
2 green chillies
Hing to taste
Sugar to taste
Methi seeds to taste
Oil for tadka
Turmeric powder to taste
Mustard seeds

Method:

1) Grind the grapes in a mixer to a paste, without adding water.
2) Remove the peel from the ginger. Grind the ginger and green chillies to a paste in mixer.
3) In a pan, heat some oil. Add hing powder, methi seeds and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
4) Add the green chillies-ginger paste and cook for a while.
5) When it starts changing colour, add the grapes paste.
6) Add salt, sugar and turmeric powder to taste.
7) Cook it on low flame,stirring well, till the paste starts to thicken. Take off from gas when cooked well.

Tastes well with parotas, chappatis and rice items.