Mixed Vegetable Kurma

Consuming lots of vegetables can keep the doctor away for ever*. (*if your husband is not a doctor ;) ) .

Making a very delicious kurma with vegetables can make it all the more interesting and yummy too. :)

Ingredients:

Mixed diced vegetables(potato, carrot, beans, cauliflower and peas) - 5 cups
Small Onions - 1/2 cup

Garlic - 7 to 8 flakes

Green chillies - 10

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cashew nuts - 10 to 12

Cardamom - 3

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Salt - for taste

Coconut extract - from 1/2 coconut

Tomato - 5

Big onions - 2

Garlic - 7 flakes

oil - 1 1/2 tblsp

Grind:

Scrapped coconut - 1/2 cup

Poppy seeds - 2 tsp

Method:

Heat little oil in a pan and fry small onions, garlic, cardamom, green chillies and cashewnuts. Grind it with ginger and coriander powder. Take coconut extract from half coconut.

Chop big onions, garlic and tomatoes finely. Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add ground mixture and fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and fry till it becomes soft, then put the mixed diced raw vegetable pieces and fry for few minutes. Pour coconut extract and pressure cook till the vegetables are cooked.

After removing the lid, add fried onion and garlic. Now put the coconut and poppy paste to this. Boil for two minutes and remove from fire.

Mixed vegetable creamy kurma is ready to serve.

Serve with Chapathi, Roti, Naan or even ghee rice. :) Happy making. :)

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Capsicum/Bell Pepper Sambhar

Decoration: Used small onions, capsicum and coriander stems to arrange the creeper

Capsicum or bell pepper is one of my most favorite vegetable. Adding a little of it to any curry or sambhar would give an alluring aroma that I am crazy of.

So this is one of my personal on top of the list sambhar always. :)

Ingredients:

Capsicum/bell pepper - 2 nos
Thoor dhall - 1/4 cup
Small onions - 1/2 cup
Sambhar chilly powder - 1 tblsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tblsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt - for taste

Method:

Cook dhall in pressure cooker and keep it aside. In a pan take a tsp of oil, crackle mustard seeds and then add the capsicum and small onions and saute for a while. Now add the cooked dhall, tamarind paste, jaggery, sambhar chilly powder, asafoetida, salt, coriander leaves and curry leaves to it. Add little water to it if it is too thick. Let this boil for a while.

Capsicum aromatic sambhar is done. :) Enjoy eating. :)

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Republic Day Celebration With Tricolor Idlys :)

India is proud to celebrate its 61st Republic day today. :)

61 years back, this was the day when our Constitution was born and India turned into a republic country. :)

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi and its declared as the national holiday.

It is a day that demands celebration at each Indian's home. So here is my celebration. :)

Tricolor Idly

Making tricolor idly was in my list for a long time and thought today was the right day to make it. :)

This dish is an inspiration from Madhuram's eggless cooking and Latha aunty too. :)

Tomato idly(Red Idly)

Ingredients:

Tomato chutney
Idly batter

Method:

Mix the chutney with idly batter and make idlys. :)

Mint Idly(Green idly )

Ingredients:

Mint leaves(pudina) - 1 bunch
Green chilly - 2
Idly batter

Method:

Grind mint leaves and green chilly together by just adding very little water and mix it with idly batter and make idlys. :)

Happy Republic Day!!!!

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Scrumptious Spot 1# La Boulangerie

Being a perfect foodie, I love to hop around restaurants and eat outs. I thoroughly enjoy trying out new varieties of food and different cuisines. So here comes my new section where I would pen down my experiences, views and lot more about the truly "Scrumptious spots" that I visit. :) Hope it would be a good food guide to people in Chennai :)

Scrumptions Spot 1# - LA BOLANGERIE

La Boulangerie is a french bakery as it says and it keeps up the promise too. ;)

I hopped into the Kotturpuram branch when I was having a jolly good ride last weekend. I was more than happy that I did. It was an absolute pleasure to the tongue. :)

Warning: Pile up your calorie conscience right in front of the door and enter just to please your tongue. :)

The menu was pretty impressive and hard to decide over what to choose. They offer a wide variety of viennoiseries like raisin roll, pepito, almond puff, almond chocolate roll, croissants, chocolate roll etc. and cuisines like sausage roll, quiches, olive bouchee, finger food, vol au vent and cheese croissants.

Since I was new to french delicasies, I had no choice than to play inky pinky ponky and choose one. ;) I choose cheese croissants and now I am a big time fan of croissants. They were so fluffy and yummm. :)

Coming to the most drool worthy portion of the menu.. THE PASTRY :) There were again a long list of yummmmmmmmy pastries which included Chocolate Entremet, Ceyrac tea, Cashwtin, Lemon tart, Eclairs, Chocolate Mousse, Opera, Fruit tart, Marble cake, Nougat, Muffins, Coffee eclair, Chocolate tarts and more. :)

I relished a Chocolate entremet and I melted along with it.. mmmm :)

They also have take aways like Bagel bread, Country bread, Cereal bread, Sliced bread, Madeleine cookies, Financier, Chocolate chip and assorted cookies too.

The price is pretty reasonable for the quality that they deliver. But if you were just looking for an Iyengar bakery, then its not the place for you. :)

When I was about to leave, the staff asked me if I need some pack away. I simply smiled and said "could you pack the chef with me???" ;)

LA BOULANGERIE is part of R.R.Hospitality and has outlets in lot of place at Chennai.

So if you drive through Anna Nagar, Ampa skymal, Besant Nagar, Kotturpuram, Mylapore, Nungambakkam or Mahindracity, dont miss to halt at this eatout. :)

Find more information as well as the locations of the outlets at: http://laboulangerie.in/

Verdict: LA BOULANGERIE is one of the best outlets where I have tasted authentic pastries and breads and is a must try eatout now at Chennai.

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Kerala Special - Aviyal (mixed vitamin sambhar) ;)

Aviyal is one of the best recipes from Kelara. It tastes awesome and is absolutely a healthy mixture of vegetables in a nice coconut and curd gravy.

Wikipedia says it was Bhima(one of the Pandava brothers) who invented this dish. ;)

Whatever be the mythology, according to me, mom invented everything. ha ha ha. She made it and I enjoyed. Now its my turn to try out this delicacy. :) and here you go....

Type 1:

Ingredients:

Pumpkin White - 2 cups diced

Potatoes - 3

Green Beans - few

Carrots - 2 

Drumstick - 1
Colocasia(seppankilangu) - 1/2 cup diced
Plaintain Bananna - 1   

Egg plant - 2

Curry leaves - few

Salt - for taste

Fresh Curds - 3 Cups

Coconut Oil - 2 tbl sp 

Rice flour - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch

(Add vegetables of your choice) 

For Grinding :

Fresh Coconut - 1 1/2 Cup

Green Chilies - 7 Nos

Poppy seeds - 1 tbl sp

Method:

Dice all the vegetables into 2 inch pieces and cook them and keep it aside. Grind coconut, green chillies and poppy seeds into a smooth paste.

Now in a large vessel put in the cooked vegetables, ground paste and curd. Add salt, coconut oil and curry leaves, turmeric powder and rice flour to it and mix well. You can add little water to it, if it is too thick.Let this cook in low flame for 10 mins.

Aviyal is done :)

Type 2:

Ingredients:

Pumpkin White - 1 cups diced

Potatoes - 1

Green Beans - few

Carrots - 2 

Drumstick - 1
Colocasia(seppankilangu) - 1/4 cup diced
Plaintain Bananna - 1/2   

Egg plant - 2
Yellow pumpkin - 1 cup diced
Yam - 1/4 cup diced
Snake guard - 1/4 cup diced
Cucumber - 1/2 cup diced

Curry leaves - few

Salt - for taste

Fresh Curds - 3 Cups

Coconut Oil - 2 tbl sp 

Rice flour - 1 tsp

(Add vegetables of your choice) 

For Grinding :

Fresh Coconut - 1 1/2 Cup

Green Chilies - 7 Nos

Large onions - 4
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Curry leaves - few strands

Method:

Dice all the vegetables into 2 inch pieces and cook them and keep it aside. Grind coconut, green chillies, turmeric powder, onions, cumin and curry leaves into a smooth paste.

Now in a large vessel put in the cooked vegetables, ground paste and curd. Add salt, coconut oil and rice flour to it and mix well. You can add little water to it, if it is too thick. Let this cook in low flame for 10 mins.

Avial is ready to eat. Serve it with adai or rice. :)

Find Adai recipe here.

Tip: When the aviyal is boiling, place a washed plantain leaf on top. Remove it before serving. This will give it a very interesting and ethnic aroma for the aviyal. Add all the vegetables that you like. Make it as interesting as possible, its all your choice :)

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com