Mint Paratha with Paneer and Onion

Pudhina Parathas are Indian flat-breads made with layers of aromatic mint leaves and a light dusting of spices. This makes a truly fragrant and delicious paratha, especially if you enjoy minty flavors.

My cousin and I frequently exchange notes on what we are cooking just to inspire and motivate each other, especially on those days and evenings when we are looking for excuses to not cook ;). So, when she told me she was making pudhina parathas for dinner a few weeks back, I needed no more inspiration! I was so motivated that I got carried away and added paneer and onion as well. This is yet another simple and flavorful flat-bread!
 

Pressure Cooker Sambar

To those who are familiar with sambar, the title of this post perhaps makes little sense. This is basically an easier, one pot (well almost) version of making sambar - a vegetable and lentil gravy cooked in a tamarind broth. Usually, yellow lentils are cooked separately, the vegetables and spices are stewed in tamarind juice, and then the two are mixed together. In this version, everything is plopped into a pressure cooker and the sambar is ready within minutes. While the cooker is working, I usually saute some onion and tomatoes in spices and then add it to the sambar to make the dish a little more tastier. If you choose to not do this extra, then this is truly a one-pot-dish!

I must thank my cousin for introducing me to this version. It is one of my frequent go-to methods of making dinner. I rummage the fridge and throw in all the veggies I can get my hands on into the cooker, add the lentils, spices, and tamarind juice and after two whistles, sambar is ready, and surprisingly it's so much more tastier because the flavors of the vegetables truly seep in to the sambar. The only thing to do ahead of time is to soak the lentils for at least 30 minutes so that they cook in time with the vegetables in the cooker.

Vella Cheedai / Seedai

Today is Janmashtami or Gokulashtami - Lord Krishna's birthday. On this festive day, cheedai/seedais, which are deep-fried balls made primarily with rice flour and black gram flour, are prepared. As with most Indian delicacies, there are sweet and savory versions of cheedai. 

I'm sharing a popular sweet version of cheedai today. It is a simple preparation with jaggery syrup sweetening rice flour and black gram flour. Some toasted sesame seeds, coconut and cardamom season the cheedais with crunch and flavor. 

Cheedais have a notorious reputation for bursting when frying in hot oil. It has led to many unfortunate accidents. However, sweet cheedais are less prone to bursting than its savory counterpart. So, if you are attempting this for the first time, be a little cautious and step slightly away from the oil, keeping your face and limbs at a safe distance when the cheedais are frying. But, don't fret much. If an accident-prone clumsy person like me can make this cheedai safely, so can you!

Murukku / South-Indian Chakli

Murukku is a very popular deep-fried savory snack that's made during festive occasions like weddings, Diwali, and other religious days. Tomorrow is Gokulashtami - Lord Krishna's birthday. So, this is one of the many savory dishes that's made to celebrate the day. 

My husband and I love murukkus, however, these murukkus are made entirely by hand instead of using any equipment to press out the spirals. The prepared dough is slowly spun in a twisted rope-like fashion to make the murukkus, as shown in this video. Now, to do this one needs a special skill and dexterity that I lack! My mom always says this skill is something that you are born with - like the ability to touch your nose with your tongue ;). I have resisted this idea and have tried several times to make these murukkus by hand when I was a teenager, but my success rate has been erratic. I don't want to discourage anyone, though! This is just my limitation. 

So, I have started to make these murukkus using a press. After all, the ingredients are the same, and consequently, the end product tastes the same. If the murukkus are made using a press, they resemble chaklis - another Indian deep-fried equivalent of murukku.

Here's the simple procedure to make murkkus.

Tiffin Sambar / Hotel Sambar

Sambar, the most common South-Indian gravy/side dish has many avatars with slight variations. The most common form of sambar is made by stewing spiced vegetables in a tamarind broth and cooked yellow lentils. In this version of sambar that mirrors the version that's served in hotels, cooked mung beans (moong dal) is added instead of yellow lentils. Also, there's freshly ground spices such as coriander seeds, red chillies,  coconut, cumin, ginger, and garlic. Finally, as an irrevocable rule, there's ghee (clarified butter)! Un-apologetically so.

I have added radish, eggplant, onion and tomatoes. You can add any kind of vegetables, but try to always include onion and tomato. They make a difference to the flavor. 

This sambar goes great with dosas and idlis. It's simply a fantastic combination, which is why this is specifically called "tiffin" sambar (in South-Indian lingo, dosas and idlis are called tiffin items). 

Here's how it's done.