Palakura Pulusu Koora/Spinach-Tamarind Gravy


Palakura pulusu koora is one such forgotten dishes, which has made way into our kitchen after a really long time. I am told that my grandma used to make this when my mom was little!! But after I got married, I observed that pulusu koora was fairly regularly made at my in-laws place. Credit goes to my mother-in-law who has taught me this delicious dish which is sure to win hearts :)

Pulusu koora is usually made with Thotakoora (amaranth leaves) but since we don't get thotakoora very often in our area I make it with Palak. One more reason I make this with palak is because of the health benefits of Palak. This is how I make it as per my mother-in-law's recipe..

Ingredients -

Palak (Spinach) shredded 2 cups
Onion finely chopped 1 medium
Tamarind juice 3 Tbsp
Turmeric 2 pinches
Green chillies 2-3 vertically slit (or as per taste)
Jaggery grated or Sugar 1 Tbsp
Roasted Sesame Seed powder 2 Tbsp
Chick pea flour(Besan) or Rice flour 1 Tbsp
Salt as per taste
Coriander leaves chopped for garnish
Seasoning (any vegetable Oil, mustard seeds 1/2 tsp, methi seeds (fenugreek) 10-12 , Urad dal (minappappu) 1 tsp, jeera, hing(Asafoetida), cury leaves)

Method of preparation - 

In a hot skillet, add the seasoning and after it is done, saute the onions until they are golden brown, and add the washed and shredded Palak and saute until they are cooked.

Add Tamarind juice, turmeric, green chillies, jaggery, roasted sesame powder and salt. Mix them well and add water if needed. 

Check for salt and keep stirring until it is boiling for atleast 3 min.

Mix besan or rice flour in 3 Tbsp of cold water in a different cup to make a lump free batter and add it to the pulusu while mixing it briskly. If it is not mixed properly, there would be lumps of besan/rice flour mixture. 

Let it cook for a couple min more and switch off the flame. The end product should be in a semi solid consistency (like idli batter). It doesn't hurt even if it is a little runny :). 

Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve it over steaming rice and ghee!

Serves 4 Adults
Preparation Time 25 min

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Posted by Harini on Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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Baked Brussel Sprouts



My daughter was behind me to try out Brussel sprouts last month but I somehow never bought them (owing to a previous disaster cooking them). But this time by coincidence my cousin mentioned this recipe saying they all love eating baked brussel sprouts. So I had to try it. I was always aware of the health benefits of brussel sprouts and I am happy we found a way to eat these!! Needless to say the kids had a great time munching these!!


Brussel sprouts are like tiny cabbages and have a strong smell and are slightly bitter and therefore not so popular. I overheard some moms at a party at my daughter's school that their kids call them as a 'punishment vegetable'. Nonetheless Brussel sprouts are very rich in Vitamin K and C and are great detoxifying veggies. Brussel sprouts are cancer preventing and resistance building veggies as well. A must eat for pregnant women because of high Folic Acid content. So here is how everyone can enjoy ..



Ingredients -


Brussel sprouts 15 nos
Salt as per taste
Pepper as per taste
Olive Oil 2 tsp





Method of preparation - 



Wash the brussel sprouts and trim the brown stems if any and remove any yellow/brown or wilted outer leaves.


In a ziplock bag add oil, salt and pepper and the brussel sprouts and zip it close and toss them so that the brussel sprouts are coated evenly with oil, salt and pepper.


Leave them in the bag for about 10 min. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 400 degree F and arrange the marinated brussel sprouts on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven.


Let them bake for about 30-40 min until the outsides are brown and crisp and the insides tender. Take care to toss them a little every 4-5 min so that they brown evenly all over.

Taken them out of the oven enjoy them hot and piping with or without any dipping!!


This goes to Yasmeen's Health Nut Challenge 5 Cruciferious veggies.






Serves 2 Adults
Preparation Time 10 min , Baking Time 32 min

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Posted by Harini on Sunday, April 11, 2010
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Strawberry Pancake (Eggless)



Yet another variety in pancakes ...there are two reasons for it, there were 2 lbs of strawberries lying in the refrigerator begging to be consumed. Since they were a little sour, my kids refused to eat them. I had to make use of them in something they love. So pancake sounded like a good idea and indeed it was! I didn't have the time or energy to experiment with any flour combination and so I used the Bisquick pancake mix which was handy in my pantry! The other reason is I wanted to send in my entries for a pancake event and april 10 2010 is the last date :)





Ingredients -


Bisquick Pancake Mix 3/4 cup 
Strawberry Puree 1 cup
Cinnamon Sugar 2 Tbsp
Strawberries Chopped 1 cup as a topping (Optional)

Method of preparation - 



In a mixing bowl, Take the pancake mix, and cinnamon sugar and mix well. If cinnamon sugar is not available, cinnamon powder and sugar separately also would do. 
To the above mix add the strawberry puree and mix gently to a thick batter(like idli batter). Add milk if the consistency is not right!
On a hot tava/griddle, take a ladleful of batter and spread it evenly on the tava making 3-4 inch circular pancakes.
When the bubbles on the pancake pop(after about 2 min or so), its time to flip it on to the other side. Flip them carefully and cook on the other side for a few seconds.
Continue with the rest of the batter and serve them with the chopped strawberries (Optional) and maple syrup or honey.
Hey Priya, these yummy strawberry pancakes go to the Pancake Event you are hosting!

Makes 9 pancakes 


Preparation Time 20 min

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Posted by Harini on Friday, April 9, 2010
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Mango Pancake (Eggless)



Who doesn't love mangoes? With the thought of the delicious mangoes(am a fan of Banganpally variety!) in summer back home, come memories flooding....We can enjoy the flavor of mangoes all year round in the form of the tinned Mango Pulp from the local Indian Store here. Not fresh, I agree, but good enough under the circumstances..So I am always trying to see what more to make using the mango pulp. On one such experiments, I discovered that Mango pulp tastes great in pancakes. And to support me on that statement is my whole family!! 






Ingredients -


Whole Wheat Flour 1/2 cup 
All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup
Curd/Yogurt 1 cup
Mango Pulp 1 cup
Semolina/Rava/Sooji 3 Tbsp
Cinnamon Sugar 2 Tbsp
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda 1/2 tsp
Strawberries Chopped 1 cup as a topping (Optional)

Method of preparation - 



In a mixing bowl, Take Whole wheat flour, All purpose flour, Semolina, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon sugar  and mix well. If cinnamon sugar is not available, cinnamon powder and sugar separately also would do. If cinnamon is not a preferred flavor, try cardamom powder !
To the dry ingredients add the mango pulp, curd and mix gently until there there are no lumps to a thick batter. Take care not to mix them briskly.
Set aside for about 10 min. Meanwhile prepare a hot griddle/tava.
On the hot tava, take a ladleful of batter and spread it evenly on the tava making 3-4 inch circular pancakes.
When the bubbles on the pancake pop(after about 2 min or so), its time to flip it on to the other side. Flip them carefully and cook on the other side for a few seconds.
Continue with the rest of the batter and serve them with the chopped strawberries and maple syrup or honey and trust me they would be an instant hit (if they have a sweet tooth!!).
These yummy mango pancakes fittingly go to Priya's Pancake Event.


Makes 9 pancakes
 Preparation Time 30 min

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Posted by Harini on
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Apple Burfi / Apple Kova



Apple and Ricotta cheese...hmmm interesting combo, right? I thought the same when I saw this recipe at sailajakitchen.com. I was always intrigued by ricotta cheese. So I read up on it and found it interesting that Ricotta is produced from whey, the liquid separated out from the curds when cheese is made. For additional information check here . I think ricotta cheese can be substituted with khoya/kova. This has very little fat content as I made this with low fat ricotta cheese. Slightly guilty free indulgence !! Yei !! Yippie!!


Ingredients -


Sweet Apples  Grated 3 cups
Ricotta Cheese 1 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
Nuts (Almonds, Cashews and Walnuts) Coarsely Powdered 1/2 cup
Ghee (Clarified butter) 2-3 tsp
Cardamom powder 1 tsp

Method of preparation - 

In a non stick pan on a medium-high flame, add a tsp of ghee and fry the grated apples until the juice evaporates and the apples are done. If non-stick pan is not used, more ghee needs to be added. And check to see if the apples are sweet. I used the Fuji apples which are sweet, crunchy and juicy too.


After the apples are cooked well, add sugar and powdered nuts and stir well. Make sure the mixture doesn't get burnt.


Add the ricotta cheese and stir well until the mixture gets consolidated into a soft dough.


On a greased plate spread the burfi mixture into a thin layer and run a greased knife/pizza cutter to make any shape. Alternatively I used a parchment paper on a plate and spread the burfi mixture. This eliminates the addition of more grease!!


After it cools, refrigerate for an hour or so. Refrigeration ensures that they solidify a little and retain their shape and can be taken out for fulfilling our cravings!!

Makes 25 medium sized burfis
Preparation Time 40 min

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Posted by Harini on Thursday, April 8, 2010
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Spicy Dinner Rolls



I have been waiting to bake these delicious buns also called dinner rolls for a long time, but kept postponing all these months. But today, when I saw this easy to make recipe, I couldn't resist. So here I am with the finished product in our tummies, trying to recollect the yummy taste and putting it all together in this post. I was inspired by Bharathy of spicychilly and I almost made it as per her recipe except for the addition of mint in mine. Also the baking time and the dough prep times are different. But the dinner rolls just disappeared and we were kind of fighting for the last one!! So I got to bake these delicious buns again this week. Thanks again to Bharathy.




Ingredients -

All Purpose flour 1 cup
Yeast 1/2 tsp
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Mint finely chopped 1 Tbsp
Garlic Minced 1 tsp (Optional)
Coriander leaves finely chopped 1 Tbsp
Green chillies finely chopped 1/2 tsp
Butter or Olive oil 3 Tsp
Salt as per taste

Method Of Preparation - 

In a small cup of luke warm water (about 3 Tbsp), add  yeast, a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp of sugar and keep it in a warm place for about 10-15 min until it becomes frothy. If it is not frothy, then the yeast is not working and therefore discard it.

In a mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, mint, garlic, coriander leaves, green chillies, 2 tsp of butter and salt as per taste. Add the frothy yeast and make a pliable dough and knead well.

In a greased bowl, roll the dough in the bowl, so that the dough has a greased outer layer and keep it covered in a warm place for about 2 hrs. I switched on the light in the oven to keep it warm and placed the dough in the oven. If there is a warm setting in the oven, keeping in that setting for a while also would work.

After couple of hrs, the dough would have doubled in size. Punch into the dough to remove the trapped air and make equal parts of the dough to make rolls (of about 1 inch diameter or a table tennis ball) and place those rolls (I made about 7 of them) on a greased cookie sheet and cover it for another 20-30 min. The rolls will further increase in size.
Meanwhile preheat the oven at 400 deg F. Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining butter and place the rolls in the oven and bake for 25 min until the rolls are brown and look done.

Take the rolls out of the oven and brush them again with butter/olive oil for a glazed look (Optional).

Makes about 7 rolls
Dough Preparation time 2 1/2 hrs
Baking time 25 min 

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Posted by Harini on Wednesday, April 7, 2010
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Baingan Ka Bharta


This is a fairly common north indian dish that we prepare regularly at home. Easy to prepare and yummy too! I customize almost all north indian curries to include little to no masala in it with the result, the garam masala powder in my kitchen hardly gets any attention. Check this version out and see if it suits your taste buds!

Ingredients-
1 Large Eggplant
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
2 Tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 tsp Amchur Powder
3-4 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1 tsp Ginger Powder (or 1 inch grated ginger)
1 tsp Kasuri Methi (or Dry Pudina leaves)
Salt to taste
1 pinch Turmeric
Cilantro for garnish
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
2 tsps Oil

Method Of Preparation -
Apply oil to the eggplant and grease the toaster/baking tray. Preheat the toaster oven/conventional oven to 400 degrees F and place the eggplant in it for around 30 minutes. Keep checking after 20 minutes and turn the eggplant with a tunic fork. Alternatively, apply oil to the eggplant and cook it directly over a gas stove or use a phulka griddle if you have an electric stove.

Once it's done, cool it and then peel the skin and place the pulp aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.

Add the finely chopped onions to it and saute it for 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric, amchur powder, ginger powder and green chillies in it. Cover it with a lid and allow it to cook.

Add the Eggplant pulp to it and mix them all together. Finally, add Kasuri Methi and cilantro for garnish and Baingan Bhartha is ready to be served with chapatis or rice.

Note : You could also add a pinch of dhania/jeera powder to this.

Serves two adults
Preparation time : 30 mins (for cooking the Eggplant)
Cooking time : 15 mins

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Posted by Jaya on Tuesday, April 6, 2010
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Oats-Wheat Rava Idli



I have been exploring ways to introduce oats in any shape or form, when I came across sailajakitchen.com. Needless to say I got the idea of using oats in idli from there. I have tweaked the recipe a little to suit our taste. 






Ingredients - 

Rolled Oats 3/4 cup
Wheat rava (fine) 1/2 cup
Curd 1 cup
Baking soda 1/4 tsp
Carrots grated 2 Tbsp
Green chillies 1-2 (as per taste)
Salt as per taste
Seasoning (Oil, Chana dal, Urad dal , mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves, Asafoetida (Hing))


Method Of Preparation - 
Grind Rolled oats to a coarse powder and also give the wheat rava also a grind so they mix together well.
In a heated skillet, add oil and the seasoning and after the mustard seeds spluttters, add the grated carrot and finely chopped green chillies.
After the carrots are sauteed, add the oat-wheat rava powder and fry until the powder changes to a light brown color.
Switch off the flame and in a mixing bowl, transfer the contents of the skillet and let it cool.
After a few minutes (5-6 min) add the baking soda and mix well. Then add curd and water and mix well to make a batter (like idli batter).


Leave the batter aside for 10 min.
Grease the idli plates and put a ladle-ful batter into each of the moulds and steam them for 15-20 min.
Check to see if the idlis have cooked well. The idlis shouldn't stick to the spoon. If it feels a little sticky, steam it again for 5-10 min.
Upon cooling a little, take them out and enjoy with chutney of your choice. We enjoyed with peanut chutney!



Makes approx. 8 Idlis
Preparation Time  30 min

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Posted by Harini on
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Surti Papdi Lilva Kurma (Aanapa ginjalu / Pithuku Bedalu )


I have been introduced to this wonderful beans when I was very young. I remember having eaten it at my aunt's place. They used to get these beans from Madanapalle (In Chittoor Dist, AP). And I think there was a big hungama about taking out the seeds from the pods and it was usually a group effort. But for those occasions, I have hardly ever eaten in India. Few years back one of my distant cousins, who hails from Bangalore, showed me these beans in the local Indian stores' freezer. And trust me, since then we regularly use these beans in Sambar. Today, I ran out of vegetables at home and so decided make kurma out of it. The addition of Sounf  has made a big difference in the aroma and taste as well. 




Ingredients -


Surti Papdi Lilva 1 cup
Oil (as per individual choice)
Turmeric a pinch
Salt as per taste
Dhania-Jeera Powder 1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp 1 Tbsp
Jeera 1/4 tsp
Cloves 4-5
Cinnamon 2 inch piece


For Gravy - 


Onion Chopped 1 medium
Tomato Chopped 1 Medium
Ginger 1 inch piece
Garlic 1-2 pods 
Green Chillies 2-3 (as per taste)
Dry Coconut Powder / Grated Fresh coconut 3 tsp
Fennel seeds / Sounf 1/2 tsp
Roasted Sesame seeds 1 tsp
Coriander leaves few sprigs


Method of preparation - 


Boil Surti Papdi Lilva. I pressure cooked them.
In a heated skillet, add a little oil and saute chopped onions. After they are golden brown in color, add chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are cooked well.
In a mixer, grind the onion-tomato mixture. Also grind rest of the gravy ingredients.
Again in a heated skillet, add oil and cloves, cinnamon and jeera. After Jeera is a little brown, add the gravy mixture and fry adding a little water until the oil oozes out.
Add Turmeric, Dhania-Jeera Powder, Tamarind pulp and mix well.
Add the boiled surti Lilva and mix well and let it simmer for 4-5 min under a lid.
Switch off  the flame and Serve it with rice/roti. 


This goes to My Legume Love Affair - 22 hosted by Ruchikacooks originally started by Susan of thewellseasonedcook


Also goes to Vegetable-Marathon - Beans Event hosted by Anita of konasaniskitchen.


Serves 4 Adults 
Preparation Time 30 min

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Posted by Harini on Sunday, April 4, 2010
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Mixed Berry Cupcakes (Mini)


Come spring break and my 8 yr old daughter is after me to bake something nice. I was anyway planning to bake either the mango cup cakes from Vaishali or the strawberry cup cakes from Mahanandi. But I neither had mango puree nor strawberries. What I had were some frozen mixed berries! So I thought I could use the frozen berries, but my 8 yr old was dead against using the frozen berries. Picky eater as she is, I understood her predicament and promised her I wouldn't force her to eat them if she doesn't like. So nervously in my mind, I was praying that she should like them! My 8 yr old is genuinely interested in baking and so asked me if she could bake them. So I let her do the major task of measuring, mixing and arranging the cups, pouring the mixture in the cups etc. She was very happy and excited when I placed them in the oven(She was pacing up and down the kitchen !). She tasted them and they passed the test!! Hurray!!! And I thought there wouldn't be any left for the pictures!! I secretly thought that it was a good idea to let her do the prep work !!





Dry ingredients -

Whole wheat flour 1 cup
All purpose flour  1 cup
Baking powder 2 tsp
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts (chopped) fistful of each 

Wet ingredients -

Mixed berry puree (Strawberry, Blueberry and Raspberry) 1 1/2 cups
Canola Oil 4-5 Tbsp
Sugar 3/4 - 1 cup (as per taste)
Milk 4 Tbsp

Method of preparation -
 Sift all the dry ingredients except the nuts. Add the nuts after sifting :)
Beat all the wet ingredients until well blended.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients and beat them (for a min or two) to get a smooth batter. 
Add 3-4 Tbsp of milk/water if the batter seems a little stiff. 
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
Gently spoon the batter into mini cups (If using cup liners, place them in a muffin plate and spoon the batter). I used silicone (heart shaped) mini cups which don't need liners or a muffin plate. 
Arrange the batter filled cups on a cookie sheet (or the muffin plate as is) and place in the preheated oven. Let it bake for 25-27 min or until a toothpick comes out clean upon piercing the center of the cup cake. 
Devour upon cooling!!

Makes 32 mini cup cakes

 Preparation Time 15 min  ; Baking Time 27 min 

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Posted by Harini on Saturday, April 3, 2010
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Fried Okra / Bhendi Fry



This version of Bhendi Fry is an inspiration from egglesscooking.com where almost the same kind of mixture is used to make this in the microwave. I have slightly altered the ingredients to make the fry in a skillet. We were getting bored with the routine kind of recipes with Okra so wanted to try something different. As I mentioned before I am experimenting more for Blogging:) Needless to stress, all the experiments have been cleared for publishing by my greatest critic (my husband, of course, Who else? :)).





Ingredients -

Okra/Bhendi 1/2 lb
Besan/Chick pea flour 2 Tbsp
Rice Flour 2 Tbsp
Dhania-Jeera Powder 1/2 tsp
Amchur Powder/Dry Mango Powder 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Chaat Masala 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Turmeric a pinch
Curd (Yogurt) 2 Tbsp
Salt as per taste
Oil 2 tsp


Method of preparation - 


Slit the Okra vertically and then make 1 inch pieces.
In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients except oil and mix well to make a thick batter.
Add the okra pieces and coat the mixture on all the pieces uniformly and set it aside for 10 min.
In a hot skillet, add oil and gently pour the mixture and fry until the okra is well cooked.
Take care to keep stirring the okra lest it should get burnt.

Switch off the flame and serve it hot as a side dish with Dal/Sambar or munch it as a snack!


Serves 4 Adults 

Preparation Time 40 min

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Posted by Harini on Thursday, April 1, 2010
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