Kitchen Style

Easy Stuffed Mushrooms 

Serving: 2 people

Ingredients:

Baby Portobello Mushrooms - 8 - 10 - Stemmed

Bread Crumbs - Dry - 1/2 cup

Pecorino Romano - Grated - 1/2 cup

Parmesan - 2 Spoons

Garlic - Minced - 4

Fresh Italian Parsley - Chopped

Fresh Mint - Chopped - Optional

Freshly grounded black pepper - matching the taste buds

Extra-Virgin Olive oil - 2 Spoons

Preparation: 

1. Heat the Wok or Saute pan and dry stir chopped Garlic, Bread crumb and Black pepper.

2. Add Romano & Parmesan cheese with chopped Parsley and Mint off the stove.

3. Stir in 2 spoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the above mixture and stir well together.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.

5. In a heavy baking sheet or baking pan, drizzle olive oil to coat the pan. 

6. Stuff the above prepared mixture to the stemmed Mushrooms.

7. Place the stuffed Mushrooms in the baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes until the Mushrooms turn golden.

8. Serve with Ranch or preferred sauces. 

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Vegetable Seekh Kabab

Serving: 2 people

Ingredients:

Potato - 2 big - Boiled - Mash-able consistency 

Beans - 6 -Chop                         

Cabbage - 1/4 Medium - Chop

Carrots- 1 and a half Medium - Chop

Fresh Green Peas - 1/4 cup - Boiled

Corn - 1/4cup - Boiled

Beetroot - 1/4 small - Chop

Ginger - 1/4 of a big piece 

Garlic - 3/4 medium

Thai Green Chilies - 6(Hot)/4(Medium spice) - Chopped

Cashews - 10/15 - Roasted and Powdered in blender

Besan - 1 or 2 spoon depending on the consistency

Seekh Kabob Masala

Jeera

Chaat Masala

Salt

Oil

Preparation: 

1.    Heat two tablespoons oil in a pan; add chopped carrot, beans, cabbage, beetroot and sauté for 2 minutes. 

2.    Add the green peas with the other vegetable. Mix everything and cook for 5 minutes and mash them. 

3.    Roast Besan and Jeera for 2 minutes separately. 

4.   Make ginger-garlic paste out of fresh Ginger and Garlic, as this elevated the taste. 

5.    Mix the mashed vegetables and Besan-Jeera mixture together and add ginger-garlic paste, chopped thai green chilies and mix well and sauté for a minute. 

6.   Add the mashed potatoes and the corn to the vegetable mix with salt and required amount of chaat masala, cashewnut powder and mix well to a pasty consistency which can stick on to something hard. 

7.    Take the mixture in portions and press tight on to satay sticks evenly. The ends are firmly pressed to avoid cracks. 

8.   I used the grill but it can also be done on dosa stone. Place kababs on hot stone with few drops of oil. This does not need a lot of oil. Just brushing the stone with oil is enough. 

9.   Wait till each side turns dark brown. 

10. When done, sprinkle some chaat masala, half part of lime juice and fresh coriander leaves on them. 

Goes very well with light mayonnaise or Jalapeño-Artichoke Dip 

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Ver Kadalai (Raw Groundnut) Sundal

Ingredients:                  

Raw peanuts with skin - 1 Cup

Mustard seeds- 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp

Channa dal - 1/4 tbsp     

Green Chilli - 2/3

Asafoetida - a pinch

Curry leaves - 4/5

Freshly grated Coconut - 1 medium spoon

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp for seasoning

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1.    Soak the peanuts for 20 minutes in water.

2.    Pressure cook it with a pinch of salt for 3-4 whistles on medium-high flame or on stove.

3.    Cool and Drain the peanuts well. Set it aside.

4.   In a skillet or kadai add coconut oil and sputter the mustard seeds.  Then add in the Urad dal and Channa dal  along with green chilli and asafoetida.

5.     Add the curry leaves, grated coconut and drained peanuts.

6.   Toss them for 2 minutes and serve as evening snack or with any rice.

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Gobhi Dry Fry

Ingredients: 

Cauliflower - 1/2

Besant - 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 3 medium spoons

Corn Flour - 1/2 cup

Red chilli Powder - 1/4 tbsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tbsp

Tandoori Masala - 1/2 tbsp

Plain curd diluted - 1 cup / required for the mixture

Salt to taste

Asafoetida - a pinch

Chopped cilantro - 1 serving spoon

Olive oil/Vegetable oil - To fry

Preparation: 

1.Pluck each flower from the Cauliflower and boil them in a pinch of salt for 5 minutes.

2.  In time add Besant, Rice flour, Corn flour, Red chilli powder, Garam Masala, Tandoori Masala, a pinch of Salt, Asafoetida with diluted curd to a thick paste.

3.  Add the boiled cauliflower to the paste and deep fry each flower to dark red color.

4. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on the oil-drained Gobhi Dry Fry and serve them with Chatpata Tomato Sauce.

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Vathakozhambu

One of the spiciest authentic Tamil Nadu's recipes which can be kept refrigerated for a week. It is good to be added with rice and relished with some kind of roasted vegetables or could be had as side dish for Curd rice.

 Ingredients:

Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized

Drumstick or pearl onion - May be 10 pieces

Sambar powder - 2 1/2 tbsp

Salt - 2 to 21/2 tbsp - Required by the tongue

Sesame oil (Idhayam) - 4 big spoon

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Toor dal - 1/4 tsp

Channa dal - 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Red chillies - 3 or 4 - Required spice level

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tbsp - According to the taste buds

Preparation:

1.  Soak tamarind in warm water and squeeze out the juice completely. The tamarind juice should be at least 3 cups.

2.  In a Kadai pour Sesame oil and when it is hot add mustard then add fenugreek keeping the flame to very low. When the fenugreek is golden brown add Toor dal and Channa dal, red chillies and finally sputter curry leaves with Asafoetida.

3.  Immediately add Sambar powder to the mixture and quickly toss it around to get a dark reddish color on it. Without a minute delay add tamarind juice. Stir well. 

4. Finally add the appropriate Vegetable (Drumstick/Pearl Onion) to the liquid mixture.

5.  Close with lid and allow to boil on medium flame till the oil floats on top and the kuzhambu become thick i.e the whole mixture will shrink to 2 cups.

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Potato Roast curry                     

Any appropriate vegetable roast with Vathakozhambu tastes heaven. Vegetables could be Potato, Sepankizhangu, Senaikizhangu and Yams.

Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes - 10

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tbsp - Required spice level

Salt to taste - As required by the taste buds

Olive Oil - 2 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tbsp - According to the taste buds

For Seasonings

Mustard

Urud dal - 1/4 tsp

Channa Dal - 1/4 tbsp

Curry leaves - 3/4 big leaves

Preparation:

1.  Pressure cook Potatoes to one whistle adding salt to them.

2.  Wait till they cool off and peel them.

3.  Sputter Mustard seeds, Urud Dal, Channa Dal, Curry leaves and finally add Asafoetida to smell the seasoning.

4. Add chilli powder and Turmeric powder to the mixture and toss them for 5 seconds.

5.  Add Baby potatoes and toss them till seasoning is well spread to each and every potato.

6. Roast them keeping the lid closed till they are well done.