Muskmelon Milkshake.

Muskmelon milkshake is a tasty and refreshing drink mainly served in summer to beat the heat. Muskmelon milkshake is made with muskmelon chunks, sugar, boiled and cooled milk. Muskmelon is a sweet fruit with soft flesh and have a capability to maintain cooling effect in our body.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Muskmelon Milkshake.

Ingredients:

Musk melon.         -1/ 2
Sugar.                     -2 tbsp
Boiled Milk.           -3/4 cup
Cardamom powder.-1tsp
Ice cubes.              - few (optional)

Method:

1). Cut the muskmelon into halves, discard the seeds and remove the outer skin. Chop the muskmelon into small chunks and keep aside.

2). Boil 3/4 cup of milk and allow the boiled milk to cool and keep aside.

3). In a blender add the muskmelon chunks, sugar and blend a smooth puree. 

4). Transfer the puree to a large bowl. Add boiled and cooled milk into the bowl. Mix the milk with muskmelon puree. Add cardamom powder into the bowl and mix well. Check the sweetness and add little more sugar if you need and mix well.

5). Pour the muskmelon milkshake into serving glasses.Add ice cubes on top if you like. Muskmelon Milkshake is ready to drink. 

Taro Root Potato Coconut Milk Curry.

 Taro root potato coconut milk curry is a very tasty and easy to prepare delicious gravy dish made with potato, taro root and instant coconut milk goes well with rice.The following ingredients are needed to prepare Taro root Potato Coconut Milk Curry.

Ingredients:
Potato.             -1 large
Taro root.         -4
Green chillies. -4
Coconut milk. -3/4 cup
Mustard seeds.-1tsp
Cumin seeds.  -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves.  -1 sprig
Asafoetida.     -1/2 tsp
Salt.                -to taste
Coconut oil.   -2 tsp

Instructions:
1). Peel the outer skin of potato and chop it into 1 inch thick lengthy pieces. Peel the outer skin of taro root and chop them into 1 inch thick lengthy pieces. Half slit green chillies.Keep aside.

2). In a bowl add 25 gm instant coconut milk powder and 3/4 cup of water and mix well without lumps. Keep aside the instant coconut milk.

Method:
1). Wash the chopped potato and taro root pieces in water and drain water . In a vessel add the chopped potato, chopped taro root sand 1 and 1/2 cup of water. Boil and cook on low flame. After 10 minutes add half slit green chillies and required salt into the vessel and cook on low flame till the potato and taro roots become soft.

2). Add instant coconut milk into the vessel and mix with the cooked potato and taro roots.Once the boiling bubbles starts to appear switch off the flame.

3). Heat 2 tsp coconut oil in a small pan for tempering and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Add curry leaves and asafoetida into the pan and saute well. Switch off the flame and pour the above tempering into the curry in the vessel.

A very tasty and delicious Taro Root Potato Coconut Milk Curry is ready to serve with rice.

Beetroot Masala

 Beetroot masala is a delicious side dish made with beetroot and potato goes well with chapathi, dosa, phulka and steamed rice.The following ingredients are needed to prepare Beetroot Masala.

Ingredients:
Beetroot.              -1
Potato.                  -2
Onion.                  -2
Green chilly.        -3
Ginger chopped.  -1tsp
Curry leaves.        -1sprig
Turmeric powder. -1/4tsp
Red chilli powder.-1tsp
Asafoetida.           -1/2 tsp
Lemon juice.        -1/2 of a lemon
Urad dal.              -1tsp
Chana dal.            -1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds.     -1tsp
Cumin seeds.        -1tsp
Fennel seeds.        -1tsp
Dry red chilly.       -2
Salt.                       -to taste
Oil.                        -1tbsp
Water.                    -as required

Instructions:
1). Boil beetroot and potato in sufficient water till soft. Peel the boiled beetroot and potato and mash together without lumps and keep aside.

2). Slit green chillys. Finely chop onion and ginger. Keep aside.

Method:
1). Heat 1tbsp oil in a wide bottom pan. Add urad dal and chana dal into the pan and saute well. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds.Add broken dry red chillys into the pan and saute in oil.

2). Add slit green chillies, curry leaves, chopped ginger and saute well.

3). Add finely chopped onion and required salt into the pan and saute well.

4). Add turmeric powder, red chilly powder and asafoetida into the pan and mix well.

5). Add boiled and mashed beetroot potato mixture and little water into the pan and mix well.

6). Lastly add lemon juice and mix with all the ingredients in the pan and switch off the flame.

Beetroot Masala is ready to serve with steamed rice, dosa, phulka and chapathi.

Green gram Potato Curry / Kerala Cherupayar Curry

Cherupayar curry is a kerala style green gram curry adding potato and freshly ground coconut cumin green chilly masala paste and goes well with puttu and rice.The following ingredients are needed to prepare Green gram Potato Curry /Kerala Cherupayar Curry.

Ingredients:
Green gram /Cherupayar. -1 cup
Potato.                  -1 (medium size)
Green chilly.         -1
Garlic.                   -2 cloves
Red chilli powder. -1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder.  -1/4tsp
Salt.                        - to taste

For grinding Coconut Cumin Green chilly Paste:
Grated coconut.-1cup
Cumin seeds.    -1/2 tsp
Green chilly..    -3

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds.   -1tsp
Dry Red chillies.-2
Shallots.              - 6
Garlic cloves..     -3 
Curry leaves.       -1 sprig
Coconut oil.        -1tsp

Instructions:
1). Wash and soak green gram /cherupayar in water for 8 hours or overnight.

2). Peel, wash and chop potatoes into small cubed pieces. Pressure cook the potato cubes along with soaked green gram,1 green chilly 2 garlic cloves,1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chilly powder and sufficient water for 3 whistles. Keep aside the cooked green gram potato mixture.

3). Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, 2 green chillies in a mixer grinder to a fine paste.Keep aside the  freshly ground coconut cumin green chilly masala paste.

Method:
1). In a wide bottom pan add the pressure cooked green gram potato mixture, required salt and 1 and 1/2 cup of water and boil on low flame.

2). Add freshly ground coconut cumin green chilly masala paste and 1 cup of water into the pan and mix with the cooked green gram potato mixture.The curry will thicken as it cools. Add required water and adjust the consistency. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes on low flame or until raw smell of the masala goes out and stir well in between. Switch off the flame.

3). Heat 1tsp coconut oil in a small pan for tempering and splutter mustard seeds. Add broken dry red chilly pieces and curry leaves into the pan and fry in oil for a second. Add garlic cloves and shallots into the pan and saute well till garlic and shallots becomes light brown. Switch of the flame.

4). Pour the tempering into the green gram potato curry  cherupayar curry in the pan and mix well.Transfer the cherupayar curry to a serving bowl.

Green gram Potato Curry / Kerala Cherupayar Curry is ready to serve with puttu or rice. 

Green Brinjal Masala Stir Fry.

 

Green brinjal masala stir fry is a simple and easy to make delicious side dish and goes well as a side dish with rice.The following ingredients are needed to prepare Green Brinjal Masala Stir Fry.

Ingredients:
Green Brinjal.      - 4
Turmeric powder. -1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder.-1tsp
Coriander powder. -1tsp
Asafoetida.            -1tsp
Mustard seeds.       -1tsp
Urad dal.                -1/2 tsp
Methi seeds.          - 8 seeds only
Salt.                       - to taste
Cooking oil.           -2 tsp

Instructions:
1). Remove the stem and wash the green brinjals and cut them into two halves lengthwise and chop into small pieces.

2). In a mixing bowl add the chopped green brinjal pieces. Add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, asafoetida (hing powder) and required salt into the mixing bowl and mix with the chopped green brinjal pieces using your hand and keep aside for 15 minutes to marinate the green brinjal pieces.

Method:-
1). Heat 2 tsp oil in a wide bottom pan. Add urad dal and saute well.Splutter mustard seeds and methi seeds.

2). Add the marinated green brinjal pieces into the pan and saute well on low flame.Add 1/4 cup of water into the pan and mix well. Cover and cook the green brinjal pieces till soft on low flame. Saute in between to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.

3). Once the green brinjal pieces become soft and the water is fully absorbed switch off the flame.Transfer the green brinjal masala stir fry to a serving plate.

Very tasty Green Brinjal Masala Stir Fry is ready to serve hot with rice.