Red Swiss Chard and Dal

Overview
A delicious and nutritious side dish that goes well with any Indian bread or rice. Ground fresh coconut with mild spices adds a very distinctive aroma and flavor to this dish. Swiss Chard is know to be a nutritional powerhouse vegetable so use it whenever you can.

Red Swiss Chard with Dal

Ingredients

Ingredients
Swiss chard one bunch cleaned and chopped (about 2 cups)
Dal( Sambar Dal or split yellow peas) - cooked - 1 cup
Plum tomatoes - 2 finely chopped
Fresh grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Red chilly powder - 1 - 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Whole dry red chillies - 4 - 6
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Oil 2 tablespoons

Steps
1. Add Finely chopped tomatoes to cooked Dal with 1 cup water and cooked till the tomatoes and cooked and soft.
2. Add chopped Swiss chard , salt and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder  mix well and cook for  few minutes till the Swiss chard stems are soft.
3. Grind the coconut with 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/4 cup water to a smooth paste and add this to the cooked Dal and Swiss chard.  Mix well and bring this to a boil. Turn off heat and keep aside.
4. In another pan heat 2 tablespoon oil. When oil is hot add mustard seeds and let it splutter add the funugreek seeds , cumin seeds and whole red chillies( broken into pieces)  and curry leaves to the oil. Mix well and pour this mixture to the prepared Dal curry.

Serve hot. Enjoy.

Mixed Vegetable Sabji

Overview
A very colorful and nutritious dish which has a combination of different vegetables. It is a dry dish that goes well with any Indian bread or rice. You can use your choice of vegetables. Here I have used Eggplant, okra, and three different colors of peppers which makes it very colorful.

Mixed Vegetable Sabji

Mixed Vegetable Sabji Ingredients

Ingredients
Eggplant - 2 medium size round ones cut length wise
Okra - 8 - 10 cut into half
Red pepper  - 1/4 cut into strips
Yellow pepper - 1/4 cup cut into strips
Orange pepper - 1/4 cup cut into strips
Red onion one medium size cut into strips
Garlic cloves - 6 thin sliced
Plum Tomatoes  2 cut into slices
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Red Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Fennel powder - 1 teaspoon
Oil 3 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Clean and cut all the vegetables almost the same size and keep aside. Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan and saute the okra separate till brown and keep aside.
2. In another pan heat 3 tablespoon oil in a pan. When  the oil is hot add the sliced onions and garlic to it and saute till onions turn brown.
3. Add the dry spice powders turmeric, chilly,  coriander, pepper  and fennel to this and saute well. Add the sliced tomatoes and salt and mix well.  Add all the sliced vegetables to this  and mix well .
4. Cover pan with lid and cook stirring occasionally till the vegetables are cooked. Add the fried okra pieces to this and mix well till the gravy coats the vegetables and it is dry.

Serve hot.

Vegetable Upma

Overview
A delicious and healthy dish which is a traditional south Indian breakfast. Upma can be made plain or with vegetables of your choice. This dish includes a full serving of vegetables. This is a very easy dish to make. My boys love this dish.

Vegetable Upma

Vegetable Upma Ingredient

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup semolina
1/4 cup thin sliced green beans
1/4 cup carrots thin sliced
1 cup cabbage thin sliced
1/4 cup peas
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 inch ginger finely chopped
3 - 4 green chillies finely chopped
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
Oil 3 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Roast the semolina in a pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Fry till the semolina is finely roasted. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves to this. Fry few minutes.
3.Add the sliced vegetables and peas to this and saute well. Add salt needed for the vegetables saute few minutes till the vegetables are half cooked.
4. Boil 3 cups water in a pan and add it to the vegetable mixture. Add salt as needed and to this boiling mixture add the roasted semolina. Mix well with out any lumps and when it is in thick  and water evaporated turn off heat.

Serve hot just as is or with any Indian pickle.

Jackfruit Beef Cutlet

Overview
Raw jackfruits makes a good healthy substitute for potatoes in this cutlet. I got frozen raw jackfruit from Indian store which I used here for this dish. Cooked mashed jackfruit makes a good binding agent for the cutlets.

Jackfruit Beef Cutlets

Jackfruit Beef Cutlet Ingredients

Ingredients
Ground beef 1.5 pounds
Raw Jackfruit - 1 pound
Red Onion 2 finely chopped
Ginger 2 inch piece finely jobbed
Green chillies 4 - 6 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Cilantro 1/4 cup finely chopped
Black pepper powder coarsely ground - 1 tablespoon
Fennel seed powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Eggs - 2
Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Oil for deep frying

Steps
1. Brown the ground beef in a pan and keep aside.
2. Chop the thawed raw jackfruit into small pieces. Cook in pressure cooker with half cup water, turmeric powder and salt and cook well. Mash the jackfruit well it should not have any water keep aside.
3. Heat 2 tables spoon of oil in a pan and saute the finely chopped onions, ginger, curry leaves and green chillies till the onions are soft and all water is evaporated. Let it cool to room temperature.
4. Mix together the browned ground beef, mashed raw jackfruit, sauted onions, ginger, curry leaves and green chillies and mix well. Add the finely chopped cilantro, black powder and fennel seed powder and salt if needed. Mix well
5. Mix well and make desired shape for the cutlet. Take two egg whites and beat well. Mix each shaped cutlet in the egg whites and then in bread crumbs. coat and shape well
6. Heat oil for deep frying the cutlets. When the oil is hot fry the cutlets on medium heat till the cutlets are brown.

Serve hot with onion salad and ketchup

Chilli Beef

Overview
This is a Indo Chinese dish and has become very common in Kerala. The different color peppers make this dish very colorful and festive. It is a spicy dish but you can adjust the spiciness with the amount of green chillies and red pepper flakes you use. This is one of the special dish I made for Christmas this year.

Chilli Beef

Ingredients - not shown is tomatoes, onions, corn starch and soy sauce

Ingredients
Beef thin sliced as shown in picture - 1 pound
Garlic - 8 cloves
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Red Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon.
Green chillies - 6 - 8 split at center
Whole dried red chilly - 3 - 4
Corn starch - 2 tablespoon
Soy sauce - 3 tablespoon
Red Pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon
Lemon one
One red onion cut into cubes
Cherry Tomatoes sliced - 1/2 cup
Green pepper - half cut into cubes
Yellow pepper - half cut into cubes
Red Pepper - half cut into cubes
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying beef slices and for the gravy

Steps
1. Finely mince the garlic and ginger separately and keep aside
2. Marinate the cleaned thin cut beef slices with salt, half of the minced garlic, half of the minced ginger, red chilly powder, corn starch powder, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and half lemon  juice. Mix well and keep refrigerated for about 2 - 4 hours.
3. Heat oil for deep frying the beef slices. When the oil is hot add the beef slices not over crowding the pan and fry them till the beef slices are crisp. Drain it and keep aside. In the same oil fry the green chillies and keep aside for garnish.
4. In another pan heat 3 tablespoon oil. When oil is hot add the whole dried red chillies and fry them.
5. Add the remaining minced garlic and ginger and saute few minutes till light brown. Add red pepper flakes to this and saute few minutes  and add the sliced tomatoes to this. Add a little salt mix well and cook till the tomatoes are cooked well.
6. Add the cubed peppers and onions to this along with remaining soy sauce and lemon juice. Mix well and saute few minutes till the peppers are just cooked ( do not over cook the peppers should be crisp) add the fried beef slices to this and mix well add salt if needed.
7. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with fried green chillies.

Serve hot with and rice or Indian bread.

Unni Appam

Overview
Traditional Kerala fried sweet fritter made for special occasions. It is made of rice, banana, jaggery and is deep fried in oil. You make this in a special mould to get this special round shape. A touch of cardamom powder adds a nice flavor ad aroma to these sweet fritters.

Unni Appam

Unni Appam Ingredients

Ingredients
Long grain rice 2 cups
Small ripe bananas - 3 - 4
Jagger or Molasses - 3/4 cup
Coconut chips - 1/2 cup
Black sesame seeds - 1 tables spoon
Cardamom about 10
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Oil to fry

Steps
1. Wash the rice is several turns of water and soak for about 4 - 5 hours.
2. Heat 3 tablespoon ghee or melted butter in a pan and fry the thin sliced coconut chips till it is golden brown. Drain the chips and keep aside.
3. In a coffee grinder grind the cardamom  to a fine powder. Strain  the powder and keep aside.
4. Blend the molasses, soaked rice and bananas to  smooth texture and keep aside. Rice doesn't have to be ground to be very smooth it can be a little coarse. The batter should  be the consistency of idly batter.
5. Mix the fried coconut chips, cardamom powder and salt and mix well. Keep the ground batter to ferment for about 6 - 8 hours in warm place.
6. Heat oil in the unni appam mould. When the oil gets hot using a tablespoon pour the batter into each mould. Fry both sides on medium heat. Drain oil and when it cools a bit the Unni Appam is ready to eat.

Cauliflower Peanut Curry

Overview
A nice and creamy Cauliflower curry that goes well with chapati or any Indian bread. Ground peanuts gives this dish a nice creamy texture. Fresh whole spices adds a nice aroma and flavor to this dish.

Cauliflower and Peanut Curry

Cauliflower Curry Ingredients

Ingredients
Cauliflower one small head cut into florets
Plum tomatoes finely chopped one cup
Red Onion finely chopped one cup
Raw peanuts - 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves 6 - 7
Ginger 2 inch pieces
Whole Red chillies - 6 - 7
Whole coriander seeds - 3 tablespoons
Whole cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Cilantro finely chopped - 2 tablespoons
Oil - 3 tablespoon

Steps
1. Wash the cauliflower well and separate into florets and keep aside.
2. In a blender with 1/2 cup water blend the peanuts, garlic, ginger, whole red chillies, whole coriander, whole cumin and turmeric powder to a smooth paste and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When oil is hot add the finely chopped red onions and saute till the onions are lite brown. Add the ground paste to this and saute till the oil separates.
4. Add the finely chopped tomatoes to this along with salt and mix well. Cover pan with lid and cook on a low flame till the tomatoes are tender and cooked well.
5. Add the Cauliflower florets and salt as needed. Mix well cover pan with lid and cook on low flame till the cauliflower florets are cooked. Do not over cook the cauliflower.
6. Turn off heat and transfer to  serving dish and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro .

Serve hot with any Indian bread.