Nadan Thakkali Curry |Tomato curry

Thakkali curry or Tomato curry is a Nadan Kerala preparation, which is often prepared at every home in Kerala. My grand ma used to make this curry and i feel nostalgic (as i talk about it)and remember the food she fed us with this curry in our child hood days. She used to make with bhendi and we were crazy about this curry.

My mom won't prepare this curry very often, but  then my younger sister prepared this curry one fine day, years back and from then on I caught on, used to make this curry quite often as it was easy and the tomatoes and coconut are the ingredients that are always available in my kitchen. Like I said it is quite handy and saves time. And when i feel bored of regular sambar, rasam or moor with rice I always shift to make this yummy curry for a change.

INGREDIENTS:
Tomato, chopped-3 to 4
Onion, chopped-1 big
Green chillies, cut-1-2
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon

To grind:
Coconut, grated- 1/2 cup
Jeera- 1/2 teaspoon
Pearl onion/ Small onion-2 (or) Garlic- 1 clove

To temper:
Oil- 3 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves- 2 strand

PROCEDURE:

• In a blender jar add the coconut, Jeera and Pearl onion; blend well to make a fine paste; set aside. 

• Heat oil in a deep pan and splutter the mustard seeds; fry the curry leaves.
• Add the onion and green chillies; cook till translucent pink for about two to three minutes on medium flame.

• Now add the tomatoes and salt; cook till it starts to become mushy.
• Add turmeric powder and chilli powder; cook for about a minute till the raw masala smell leaves. Now add one and half cups of water; close with a lid and cook till the tomatoes cooks well to make a gravy.

• Add the coconut paste and little water if required to dilute the curry. Check for salt and add if required.
• Allow the curry to make it frothy and starts to boil from the edges.

• Once the curry is boiled switch off the flame.
• Do not allow to cook once the curry gets the boiling stage as we have added coconut in this curry.
• Serve with rice and a dry Kootan/ Thoran/ Poriyal.
• Note: You could add some garam masala powder with spice powders for variation.
• Add some bhendi/vendaikka after tempering and half cook them in oil and follow the same procedure for variation.

Read More »

Thakkali Thayir Pachadi | Tomato Pachadi

Whenever we do think about thayir pachadis we generally make with cucurbits like cucmber, ash gourd etc. in summer. The other pachadis we generally prepare is beetroot, vendaikka , bitter gourd etc.. and the list is endless. Pachadis are similar to raitas in which, we cook the vegetables and mixed with a coconut and yogurt based gravy.

This pachadis are perfect for summer as they cool the body. These pachadis does not take much time to prepare and are a real yummy ones. This pachdi you could serve with a part of Onam Sadya menu too.

INGREDIENTS: 
Tomato-3 big
Salt- to taste
Yogurt/ Curd, beaten- 1 cup

To grind:
Coconut- 1/2 cup
Green chillies- 2
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
*Those who does not like adding mustard seeds replace it with jeera.

To temper: Oil- 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chillies- 2
Curry leaves- 2 strands

PROCEDURE:

• Cut tomato into medium sized pieces. In a pan add the tomatoes with some salt and a cup of water; cover it with lid and cook till soft.
• Meanwhile add the coconut, green chillies and mustard seeds together in a blender jar;  grind as a fine paste.

• Add this paste and mix well and just heat the mixture;  switch off the gas. Do not allow to boil as the mustard seeds then make the pachadi bitter.
• Beat the curd well using a spoon or blender jar and add the beaten curd immediately after switch off the pachadi. Mix well.

• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds and then fry the dry red chillies and add the curry leaves and switch off the gas. 

• Add this tempering on top of the pachadi and mix well; add salt if required.

Read More »

Instant Tomato Dosa

Tomato Dosa | Thakkali Dosa: Idli Dosas are a comfort food for every South Indian. But we generally grind the batter and allow it to ferment for atleast 6 hours to 10 hours to get a nice idli dosa batter. Instant dosas like Rava dosa and Neer Dosa comes handy which could be prepared without fermentation which saves our time.

Today i have come up with one such recipe which every one love to try with. Simple yet a tasty colourful and a flavourful dosa. Very less ingredients and little effort to make this tasty dosa. Easy to prepare crispy dosa made with out fermenting the batter which goes well with any simple chutneys or sambar.

INGREDIENTS:
Raw Rice- 1 cup
Tomato-3-4
Dry red chillies-3
Asafetida/ Hing- 1/4 teaspoon
Salt- to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped- 2 tablespoons
Oil- 1/2 teaspoon/ Dosa

PROCEDURE:

• Wash and soak the raw rice for 3 to 4 hours in enough water to immerse.
• Drain the water and keep the rice, roughly chopped tomatoes, dry red chillies, hing and salt inside the blender jar and grind to make a fine paste. 

• Transfer the batter on a bowl and add the coriander leaves; mix well.
• Dilute with two cups of water as a thin batter.(No fermentation required)

• Take a ladle full of batter and spread on a hot dosa tawa on concentric circles.
• Or add extra one more cup of water into the batter and heat the tawa to high heat and pour the batter from the edges of the pan to the centre like rava dosa.
• Drizzle half a teaspoon of oil and cook the dosa on medium flame till crispy.

• It takes little longer time to cook this dosa than a regular dosa.
• Flip and cook if you make it in concentric circles. If you spread like rava dosa flipping the dosa may not be required.
• You could make this dosa using normal dosa batter by grinding other ingredients as a paste and add it on a dosa batter. You could use red chilli powder instead of dry red chillies.
• Note:You could refrigerate the left over batter for later use.
• Mix the batter well and prepare each dosa add water to the batter if required after preparing some dosas.
• Heat of the pan is essential to form the holes in that dosa.

Read More »

Onion Tomato Chutney

Onion Tomato chutney: This is an easy to prepare chutney with limited ingredients which are available in your pantry. This chutney could be prepared in two ways. First method is grind then cook, Second method is cook then grind. Both gives similar taste. The first method you get a chutney with dominating onion flavour. But in second method you get a smooth chutney.

Perfect chutney which could be prepared in hurry berry morning within minutes. Unlike tomato chutney, in this chutney you could get the onion as well as the tomato taste and flavour. Simple yet delicious chutney for breakfast like idli and dosa and uttappam.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Cuisine: Tamil
Serves:4

INGREDIENTS:
Onion-2 large
Tomato-2 large
Garlic- 4 big cloves
Dry red chillies- 3
Salt- to taste

To temper:
Oil- 3 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves- 1 stand
Hing/ Asafetida- pinch

PROCEDURE:
Method:1

• Roughly chop the onion and tomato(proportion should be almost 1:1) and garlic and keep inside the blender jar with salt.
• Crush to make a fine paste.

• Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once it splutter add the curry leaves and hing.
• Now add the onion tomato paste and allow to cook for 3 minutes. If you want add 1/4 cup of water to dilute the chutney and then cook.

• Serve hot with Idli or Dosa.

Method:2

• Chop the onion, tomato and garlic.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the red chillies and cook for fifteen seconds; then add the onion and garlic cook till translucent with a pinch of salt for about a minute or two.
• Now add the tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add enough salt and switch off the gas.
• Allow the mixture to cool. Once it is cool down add this inside a blender jar and  blend as a fine paste.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Then add the curry leaves and hing and switch off the gas.

• Pour the tempering on top of the ground chutney and mix well.

Read More »

Chicken Tomato Roast

Chicken Tomato Roast: This is a simple chicken recipe which doesn't have onions and garam masala. You might wonder how it tastes but trust me it is an absolutely toothsome chicken recipe which goes well with almost all main courses like from rice to chapatis, appam, idlis,  dosas, etc.,

I got this recipe from Kairali Tv years back and am still making this dish till this  day. It is a simple to prepare dish with full of flavours. Could be prepared in 20 to 30 minutes of time. A spicy and tasty chicken recipe. Limited ingredients used but full of taste.

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken-1(1.2 kg)
Tomato- 6 large
Chilli powder- 2 tablespoon(Use kashmiri red chilli powder for less heat)
Ginger- 1 tablespoon
Garlic- 1 tablespoon
Green chillies-3
Curry leaves- 2 strands
Salt- to taste
Refined Oil- 3 teaspoons(could use coconut oil too)
Coconut oil- 1 teaspoon(for flavour)

PROCEDURE:

• Cut the chicken in to small pieces and wash them thoroughly; drain the water.
• Finely chop the tomatoes. Roughly chop ginger and garlic; grind as a coarse paste or crush using pestle and mortar.

• In a pressure cooker add the chicken pieces and a tablespoon of chilli  powder, saltl also add a a strand of curry leaves and mix well with a spoon.
• Now add less than 1/4 cup of water and close with a lid; pressure cook just for a whistle and immediately switch off the gas.

• Do not over cook the chicken at this stage because further cooking inside the tomato gravy shall absorb the flavour and essence from the gravy.
• Now heat oil in a pan add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies; cook till the raw flavour leaves and it starts to brown.

• Now add the finely chopped tomatoes with some salt and cook till mushy.
• Add the red chilli powder and cook almost oil starts to separate on top.
• Add the chicken with the cooked water to the tomato gravy; increase the flame and start to roast the chicken in that gravy.

• If you have more chicken cooked water inside the pressure cooker add in two batches once the water almost evaporates add the next batch and keep roasting.
• Sprinkle some curry leaves and drixzle a tablespoon of coconut oil to lift the flavours and roast till your desired consistency.

• You could make this dish semi dry gravy or a totally dried roast chicken too.
• But the oil has to separate and the raw tomato flavour has to leaves; the dish has to get the roasted aroma.

Read More »

Tomato Garlic Chutney

There are many varieties of chutneys served with idlis & dosas. I have shared some of my favorites in  the earlier posts. I am doing so today as well one of my favorite & an easy to make tomato chutney. I do not like the tomato chutneys served in hotels. Mostly as it would be watery, lack taste, and some times are really sour. I also make another type of tomato chutney too which includes onion that version i will share it later.

This is a colourful tasty spicy tangy chutney perfectly goes well with idlis & dosas. Made in a jiffy with out any effort with the ingredients already available in your pantry. I will definitely say it is a healthy side dish or dip as it does not have coconut in it.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Cuisine: South Indian
Serves:3

INGREDIENTS:
Tomatoes, chopped-4
Garlic cloves, cut- 4
Dry red chilli-4 small
Salt- to taste
Oil- 2 teaspoons

To temper:
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves- 1 strand

PROCEDURE:

• Chop the tomatoes and cut garlic cloves. The proportion should be for one tomato one clove of garlic and one small red chilli. If you like to make huge quantity just double the ingredients.
• In a pan add the oil and fry the dry red chilli and the cut garlic cloves for about two minutes till the edges of the garlic cloves turns slightly golden and the red chillies become crisp.
• Transfer the ingredients on a plate and allow to cool.
• In the same pan now add the tomatoes and cook in that leftover oil till mushy with some salt.

• In a blender jar add the fried red chilli, garlic and the cooked tomatoes and blend well to make a smooth paste. Add extra salt if required. Dilute the chutney with little water if you wish while grinding.
• In a small pan heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds then add some curry leaves and switch off the gas.

• Add the tempering on top of the ground tomato chutney and mix well.
• Serve with steamed idlis or crispy dosas.

Read More »

Tomato Orange Juice

Tomato Orange Juice: I love to try different juicy drinks. Initially after marriage when I used to prepare drinks I had no idea as to how to make it. Nowadays I have a better understanding on how to go about concocting fruit juices, lassi, smoothie and milk shakes. Earlier I wouldn't add chilled water or ice cubes which makes my drink taste wacky.

Now i prepare the drinks with prior calculation, whether  it would work out or not. Some combinations really surprised me with regards to the taste as well as the colour. This is one such calculated  combination the one I loved it. The colour as well the taste is amazing. Really simple and tasty juice with in 5 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
Tomato, well ripened- 2
Orange-2
Sugar- 2 tablespoon
Salt- big pinch
Chilled water- 1/2 cup+ extra if needed

PROCEDURE:

• Roughly chop the tomatoes and add that in a blender jar and blend well to make a puree. Now add half a cup of chilled water with that puree and blend once or twice as this makes the filtering process easy .

• Pass the tomato juice through a sieve and collect the clear juice from the seeds and peel.
• Using a normal juice extractor or just by squeezing extract the orange juice with out any seeds.
• Now add the orange juice with tomato juice and add in the sugar and salt. Mix well with spoon until the sugar gets dissolved. 

• Add extra 1/4 cup chilled water if you feel the consistency of the juice is thick. Add some ice cubes if you wish and serve chilled.
• Note: Avoid using naatu thakkli which is much sour, use varieties like Bangalore tomato.

Read More »