Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

Broccoli is an easy cooking veggie, which has amazing health benefits with low calorie and high fiber content.

Ingredients:

Broccoli – 1 medium size

Onion – 1 no chopped

Tomato – ½

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Chili powder – 1tsp

Coriander powder – 1tsp

Salt to taste

To Temper:

Oil – 2 tsp

Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves few

Method:

• Clean, wash and cut broccoli into small florets. Soak these florets in warm water for 3 minutes and strain the florets from the water.

• Heat oil in a pan add fennel seeds and curry leaves. When they started to splutter, add onion and fry till they turns translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry until soft.

• Then add broccoli florets along with garam masala powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and sauté well.
• Sprinkle some water and cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes in a low flame, until the water gets absorbed.

Serve hot with rice…

Note:

• Can add crushed garlic pods to get more flavor.
• Take care the veggie should be semi cooked for good crunchiness should be there.
• While choosing a Broccoli pick the one, which is in dark green color.

Vendaikai Fry / Varuval

It is very tempting and crispy fry perfect with any kind of dish like sambar or morekulambu.

Ingredients:

Vendaikai / Ladies finger – 200 gm
Chilli powder – 2tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying


Method:

• Wash and clean the vendaikai and dry in a tissue paper . Now chop them into roundels as shown below.





• Heat oil in a pan and sprinkle the chopped ladies finger and fry them in medium flame and flip well for even cooking till the sound ceases and crisp. Remove from oil and drain in tissue paper.





• Now add turmeric power, chilli powder and salt and mix it well.

Enjoy the crispy vendaikai fries with hot rice!!

Raw Banana/ Plantain / Vazhakkai Podimas

This is my MIL recipe.I am not a big fan of Vazhakkai but when I tasted this podimas I started liking and enjoyed it. It tastes delicious with sambar sadam or you could try simply with hot rice & ghee which tastes excellent.

Ingredients :

Raw Banana / Vazhakkai/ Plantain – 2
Onion – 2no (finely chopped)
Red chili – 6
Turmeric powder -1/4tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal – 1tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4tsp
Curry leaves few
Coriander leaves few garnishing (Optional)
Salt to taste
Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

• Wash and cut the two edges of raw banana and cut into two pieces.
• Boil water and add the raw banana with skin and cook for 10 to 12 minutes till the skin turns to dull color.
• Drain out the water and peel the skin and grate the raw banana.





• Heat oil in a pan and season it with mustard seeds, urad dhal, red chili, Curry leaves and asafetida.
• Now add the onions sauté until it turns transparent.





• Add the turmeric powder and the grated raw banana and cook covered on low flame for couple of minutes.
• Finally add salt for taste and mix well and remove from flame.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with rice.

Yummy Vazhakkai podimas is ready to serve.

Note:

• Do not over boil the raw banana.
• If u feel the grated Plantain is too dry then you can sprinkle some water while cooking.
• Finally, even can add few drops of lemon juice for tangy taste.

Pumpkin Sweet Thoran

Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking. Whenever I buy pumpkin my first choice of recipe is this sweet thoran. It is very simple and tasty recipe with coconut and jaggery. Pumpkin is one of the very fastest cooking vegetable but the only time consuming part is cleaning. Apart from this, pumpkin is a good boost for immune system which is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Their seeds also have many health benefits, as they are a good source of protein, zinc, and other vitamins.

Ingredients :

Pumpkin – 1 cup
Jaggery – ½ cup
Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp
Roasted gram powder – 2tbsp
Ghee – 1tbsp


Method:

• Clean, remove skin and chop the pumpkin into small cubes.
• Boil water in a pan and add the chopped pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes till soft but no to mushy.
• Drain the water and spread them in a plate.





• In a pan and add jaggery with water just to immerse it and when it dissolves strain the jaggery water to avoid sand and again keep the jaggery water in fire and once it starts bubbling add grated coconut and pumpkin and stir for couple of mins.





• Finally add the roasted gram powder and mix quickly without forming any lumps.
• Stir on lower flame until all combine well (mix gently) and finally add 1 tbsp of ghee.
• Remove it from fire and serve it.

Yummy Pumpkin sweet thoran is ready to serve…

Note:

• Choose Pumpkins that is heavy for its size.
• Adjust jaggery as per sweet taste.
• The only challenge is in getting the pumpkin cooked in correct way to be soft and not to mushy or overcooked.