Sweet and Sour Tofu(Blog's 50th POST!!)

 I am happy to post my 50th recipe in my blog. Have been blogging for almost 1.5 years now. Had a wonderful time blogging and made new friends here who post yummy recipes in their blog. Maintaining this blog has improved my cooking a lot :). In fact I myself refer my blog contents for any recipe which I would forget :). I would like to thank all my blogger friends who made my blog special and encouraged me. Hopefully will give more dishes from my side.

In the 50th post, again comes my favorite TOFU..This time very different with sweet and sour flavors. Very easy to prepare and tastes great. Original recipe is here. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
Chopped tofu cubes - 1.5 cup
Bell pepper(green/red) - 1 cup(chopped lengthwise and thick)
Cabbage - 1 cup (chopped lengthwise and thick)
Oil - 3 tsp
Jeera(cumin seeds) - 1 tsp


For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
Tamarind paste - 3 tsp
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as needed
Shredded ginger - 1 tsp
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp


Preparation:

• Mix the ingredients listed under sauce and make a thick paste, keep aside.
• Heat a pan add oil, fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Keep aside.
• In the same pan, add jeera, bell pepper fry for a minute. Then add cabbage fry for a minute. 
• Now add tofu, sauce, mix well and simmer for 3 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Tofu is ready to be served with rice/roti.

Sending to Bookmarked Recipe - Every Tuesday event by Priya and Aipi.

Have a great week ahead.

Peerkangai Thuvaiyal(Ridge Guard Chutney)

Thuvaiyal is one famous dish of south India which is similar to a chutney consistency. It can be be stored in a refrigerator upto a week. There are many versions of thuvaiyal which can be made with different vegetables, dhal etc. Here I have prepared with ridge guard which is tasty and healthy. It tastes great with white rice and ghee or as a side for roti/poori/dosai/curd rice.

Ingredients:

Ridge Guard - Medium sized 2
Grated coconut - 3 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Urad Dal - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chilly - 3
Garlic pods - 2 (optional)
Salt - as needed
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation:

• Peel the skin of ridge guard, wash the inner portion and chop into small pieces.
• Heat a pan, add a tsp of oil, add ridge guard pieces, fry well and cook until tender. Sprinkle water in between. Keep this aside.
• In the same pan, add the remaining oil, add mustard seeds, hing, urad dal, garlic, red chilly, coconut. Fry well until coconut turns light brown.
• Grind this along with cooked ridge guard, salt and turmeric in a blender adding very little water. The thuvaiyal should not be too dry/watery.

Thuvaiyal is ready to be served. Hope you all had a wonderful week end.

Fenugreek Leaves Sambar

This is a very easily made sambar. Hardly takes 20 mins once the cooked toor dal is ready. I love the flavor of fenugreek leaves especially in sambar. While the sambar was boiling my home was fully filled with fenugreek leaves flavor.

Ingredients:

Washed Fenugreek leaves  - 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Cooked toor dal - 3 tsp
Tamarind Extract - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sambar Powder - 1.5 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Hing - a pinch
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Salt - as needed

Preparation:

• In a pan, add oil, once hot add mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves. When they splutter add fenugreek seeds, urad dal and fry for 5 secs.
• Immediately add fenugreek leaves and fry until all the leaves shrink.
• Add sambar powder. Fry well. 
• Then add salt, tamarind water and bring it to a boil for 3 mins.
• Now add the cooked toor dal and let this boil for 7-10 mins until the sambar becomes thick.

 Tastes great with rice and ghee.

Peerkangaai(Ridge Guard) Masiyal

Normally when I want to avoid the usage of tamarind, I go for this masiyal. Its very very simple to make in a 5 mins time when you have the ingredients ready. Its a healthy and a different dish to try out. It is very mild and not that spicy too. So give it a try.

Ingredients:

Ridge guard(3 medium sized)
Turmeric - as needed for the color
Toor Dal(washed and cooked in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles) - 1 cup
Lemon juice - 4-5 spoons
salt - as needed

For seasoning:

oil - 1 spoon
green chillies - 5(chopped into small pieces)
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Curry leaves - few
asafoetida - 1/4 spoon

Preparation:

• Take out the skin of the ridge guards. Cut it into cubes and boil it in the pressure cooker along with  needed water and turmeric.
• Have the cooked toor dal ready.
• In a pan, add oil, once hot, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, green chillies, curry leaves.
• Now add the cooked ridge guard pieces with salt.
• When the mixture comes to a boil add the cooked dal, mix well and boil for 2-3 mins.
• Switch off the gas and add the lemon juice in the dish once warm.

It goes well with any kind of sambar/kuzhambu rice or with white rice.

Milagu Kuzhambu/Pepper Curry

Ingredients:

For grinding:

Pepper - 1 spoon
Cumin Seeds - 1 spoon
Red Chillies - 5-7
Garlic - 2 chopped
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 spoon
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 spoon
Coriander Seeds - 1.5 spoons
Shallots - 5-6
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Dry roast each of the above ingredient separately, and cool them..Then grind them together into powder. Then mix some water, grind again to make a paste and keep aside.

Other Ingredients:

Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Urad Dhal - 1 spoon
Curry leaves - few(optional)
Salt - 1 spoon
Tamarind Juice - 1.5-2 cups.
Oil - 2 spoons
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 spoon

Preparation:

• In a pan, add the oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves, turmeric powder.
• Add the ground paste along with the tamarind juice and salt.
• Bring the above mixture to a high boil and simmer for five mins.

Tasty Milagu kuzhambu is ready...!!!(Works great for cold, cough, fever...)

Paavakai Pitla

Ingredients:

Chana Dal - 2 spoons
Coriander Seeds - 3 spoons
Shredded coconut - 3 spoons
Red chillies - 5-6
Bitter Guard(Pavakai) ---already cut, washed and cooked with little salt
Toor Dal - 4 spoons already cooked
Oil - 2 spoons
Urad dal - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - as needed
Curry Leaves - few
asafoetida - a pinch

Preparation:

• In a pan, add very little oil and once hot, add chana dal, coriander seeds and fry for 2-3 mins.Then add coconut and fry for 2 more mins. Switch off the pan and grind this mixture to a fine paste(with little water

         (Do not over roast the above mixture)

• In the same pan, add 2 spoons oil, and once hot, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, urad dal. and fry for a few secs.

• Now add the cooked Toor Dal, cooked bitter guard pieces and the paste made earlier.

• Mix them well and let it cook for another 5-7 mins

• Once it comes to a full boil, switch off the flame

 Paavaika Pitla is ready !!!!!