Spicy Kizhangu/Potato Curry

Usually I and my husband have Roti and subzi for dinner. Roti is not a common food in Kerala. My parents like to have rice for lunch and dinner. But if i offer to make chapathi for dinner they are happy because they will get something different for dinner and they know that I will do everything by myself  ;-)
Anyways, coming to roti and chapathi, chapathi we make at home is actually the thinner version of the north indian paratha. I prefer chapathi to roti. I can eat anything with chapathi from pickle to raitha. But my most favourite is, like many people, is potato curry. When I make potato curry for my husband it's different with garam masala,ginger garlic paste or even some green peas. But if i make for only myself, i prefer a Kerala spicy potato curry which has ground coconut in it. When i say this, I can imagine the frown on the faces of my non-keralite friends with a thought in their mind - Coconut with potato! What a wierd combination!
But dear friends, yes it sounds wierd, but it's not at all bad! In fact, this is my most favourite side dish with chapathi. So here I share this wierd recipe with my friends who want to try it out and feel the difference from usual paneer mutter, aloo gobi etc.
Ingredients :
Potato - 2 medium sized
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 1/2 tsp
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Meat masala - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 bunch
Dried red chillies - 2
Water - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

First fry the coconut in 1 tsp oil for 2 minutes and grind it with meat masala and chilly powder by adding 1/4 cup water and keep aside. Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin long pieces. Chop the onion and crush the garlic. Now heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds,curry leaves and dried green chillies. Add onion and garlic and saute well adding little bit salt. Once the onion turns golden brown in colour, add the potato pieces and turmeric. Again fry for 2 minutes. Now add the ground masala and water and cook adding salt as per taste till the potatoes are cooked. Once the gravy is thick, remove from fire and serve hot with chapathi.

Note : For meat masala, we can add ready made powder or a ground mixture of all the spices such as corriander seeds,pepper,nutmeg,fennel seeds,star anise,cardamom,cloves,cinnamon etc. I add ready made meat masala powder available in the market which is equally good.

Mutter Paneer

I am not very fond of paneer usually, but if I get good spicy mutter paneer with hot rotis or parathas then it makes a good lunch or dinner for me. So when my mother-in-law came to stay with me i made it first time with her guidence. It turned out well. So at times now i make this at home when i am bored of normal plain food. So here i share the recipe so that anyone can try it at home


Ingredients

Paneer - 200 grams
Mutter(Green peas) - 1 cup
Onion - 2 medium chopped
Tomato - 1 medium chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
chilly powder - 1 tsp
garam masala - 1 or 2 tsp according to your spice level
kasoori methi - 1 tsp
cashew nut - 1 tbsp soaked and ground to a fine paste
Water - 1/2 cup
butter - 1 tsp
oil - 3 tbsp
salt - as required
corriander leaves - to garnish

First cut the paneer into small cubes and fry in one tbsp oil till they become a little firm.(Don't no fry too much since the paneer will become hard).Spread it on a tissue paper so that oil will be absorbed. Now in the same pan oil fry the chopped onions adding turmeric and little bit of salt. Once they turn golden brown, fry the tomamtoes also till they are mashed and the raw smell is gone. Now let it cool and grind to a fine paste in the mixer. Fry the paste in the remaining oil adding ginger garlic paste for one minute. Then add the other powders and kasoori methi and fry well. Now add the green peas so that it's coated with the masala well. (Frozen green peas is the best for this dish and will be cooked fast. If using dried green peas then it has to be soaked and boiled before itself) Then add the cashew paste and salt if required. Without adding cashew paste also you can make the dish but cashew brings a special flavour and taste to the dish).Add water and cover the pan and let it cook. After few minutes open the pan and check whether green peas is cooked well. Then add the fried paneer and stir well. Now you can switch off the stove and add butter on top of the dish and garnish with chopped corriander leaves.

Easy Brinjal Fry

Brinjal is a vegetable which i am not very fond of. But when i feel lazy,i make an easy dish out of brinjal. Brinjal fry tastes good with dal and rice.You can make it without much hard work. For a change i try this recipe at times.

Ingrediants
Brinjal - 5
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
masala powder - 1 teaspoon
salt - as required
oil - to fry

Slice the brinjals to thin round pieces.Mix all the ingrediants apart from oil and coat the brinjal pieces with it. Keep aside for half an hour. Fry the brinjal pieces in oil.




Now this is the most simple way. But if you want to enhance the taste as well as the look of the dish. Chop one onion and 2 green chillies and mix with the fried brinjal.

Aloo Mutter

This is a recipe which is like a quick fix side dish with roti or paratha. Very easy and tasty.Sometimes when i return from office i feel lazy to cook any special dish for dinner.Roti is a default item so i am always confused what to do about the accompaniments.At this time, aloo mutter is a real life saver...
Aloo is a readily available vegetable in almost every house,if u have some frozen green peas then there you go!



Ingrediants

Aloo(Potato) - 2
Mutter or green peas - 1/2 cup
Onions - 2 thin long slices
Green chillies - 2 slit length wise
Ginger - 1 inch piece
turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
corriander powder - 1 tea spoon
garam masala or meat masala - 2 tea spoon
curry leaves - as required
salt - as required
oil - 2 table spoon

Cube the potatoes,boil and peel them. Mash it and keep aside.
Cut the onions length wises into thin long slices and slit the green chillies. Crush the ginger piece well. Now heat the oil in a frying pan and add onions,ginger and green chillies and fry adding turmeric.Once they are golden brown add mashed potatoes and green peas and fry again.Now add corrainder and masala powders and salt and fry well adding curry leaves. Close the pan and cook for few minutes till the green peas are cooked well.

Note : If you are not using frozen green peas then boil it once and then use.