Urulaikizhangu Curry / Batatachi Bhaaji/ Potato Roast Curry

Potato/Aloo /Batata/Urulaikizhangu...the name itself is so special and mouthwatering. A versatile vegetable and everyone's favorite from kids to adults.

Here is a simple yet yummy stir fry to go well with any south indian or north Indian main course .Pairs well with  Maharashtrian delicacy Varan Bhaat , South Indian main course like sambar or kootu or tamarind based gravy like vethakolambu or milagu kuzhambu  and
an awesome side dish for the ever comforting Rasam rice or Curd Rice.

Roti ,Dal and Potato curry is an eternal favorite in our family. 

Batatachi bhaaji and varan bhaat is a staple combination in a Maharashtrian household. 

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Complexity : simple
Serves : 2-3

 Ingredients

2-3 medium sized potatoes
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves/kadipatha/karvepillai
Pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method

• Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes and soak them in water until you are ready to cook 
• .Soaking the potatoes in water prevents it from turning black and also helps in cooking easily.
• In a kadai/ wok heat some oil and splutter the mustard seeds,udad dhall and chana dhall.
• Add in the curry leaves,asafoetida,haldi and the diced potatoes after draining the water and saute well.
• Add in the salt and chilli powder and toss again.
• Sprinkle some water and cook with lid covered. 
• Open the lid and saute  at regular intervals to prevent the potatoes from burning .
• Sprinkle some water if you feel the potatoes are still uncooked .
• If you take a piece of potato and press in between your fingers it should mash easily. This is the test to check if the potatoes are cooked.
• Continue to cook on low flame till the potatoes are evenly roasted and become slightly crunchy and crisp. Keep tossing at intervals to prevent the potatoes from burning.
• Turn off the stove and garnish with fresh corriander and serve it for lunch,

South Indian Filter Coffee

The charm,flavor and taste of freshly brewed Filter Coffee cannot beat any of the instant coffee brands in my opinion. Though the process is slightly lengthy to prepare a cup of coffee,but its worth all the effort.

South Indians  especially Tamilians are filter coffee lovers and the common scene in the early morning in most households would be the men folk reading the Daily newspaper ; HINDU or The Times of India to be precise and the women folk religiously handing over the cup of filter coffee mostly known as KAAPI (south indian phonetic rendering of COFFEE) to their better halves.

Quick Introduction to filter coffee : The art of mixing freshly boiled milk to athick decoction obtained by brewing best quality finely ground coffee powder in a traditional coffee filter or the Percolator .

Semia /Vermicelli Upma - Shavigge Uppit

Upma is one of the staple breakfast menus in most of the households.Its quick and easy to make at the same time , sumptuous and filling when you add vegetables to it.

Rava Upma,Sabudana Upma,Variations of Poha - Tamarind Poha,Aloo Poha,Vegetable poha ,Broken Rice Upma etc etc are some of the varieties of upma you can try.

Semia Upma is made using vermicelli. You can use any variety of vermicelli that you like . Now a days we get millet based vermicelli too which can be used . Today's recipe, I have used the traditional normal non roasted vermicelli. 

The tip to get perfect Semia upma is to roast the vermicelli to perfection and the proportion of water . For 1 cup vermicelli I always use 1.75 cups of water. This ratio gives me the perfect semiya upma.

This version of semia upma has tomatoes and peas ,while you can even make the vegetable version following the same procedure by adding extra veggies of your choice.

I use the non roasted vermicelli of MTR Brand  and do the roasting at the time of preparation.In case you use the roasted vermicelli,the steps remain the same except that you save time on roasting the semia.

These upma varieties can also be packed for lunch box for kids as well as adults.

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 2-3
Cooking Complexity : medium
Water ratio : 1 cup vermicelli : 1^3/4th cup water.

Ingredients

1.5 cups unroasted semia/vermicellii
2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
handful of frozen/fresh peas
2-3 green chillies chopped
6-7 curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dhall + channa dal
pinch of asafoetda/hing
pinch of turmeric
3 - 4 teaspoons oil
salt as needed

Method

• 
• In a frying pan ,add about 1/2 tsp oil and add roast the vermicelli until it turns golden
brown.Saute occassionally to prevent the burning of vermicelli.Keep aside.
• If using pre roasted vermicelli,skip the above step
• In a kadai/wok,heat some oil,splutter mustard,the udad dal,channa dal ,the green chillies and curry leaves.Saute once.
• Add the tomatoes,green peas ,haldi,asafoetida,salt and saute and let the tomatoes cook until soft.
•       Tip : Incase of adding vegetables,saute them also at this stage,add about half cup water  and let the vegetables cook.
• Add about 2^1/2 cups of water and bring it to a boil
• Add the roasted vermicelli and quickly stir it to avoid formation of lumps and set the flame to medium.
• Close a lid and cook for about 5-7mins or until the water is absorbed into the vermicelli completely.
• Open the lid and let it cook for another 2 mins.
• Turn off the stove ,close the lid and let it rest for about 5mins . This will make the upma turn fluffy and the vermicelli will remain separate.  
• Vermicelli upma is now ready to be served with any accomapniment of curd ,chutney ,pickle of your choice.

Notes

1. You can a tablespoon of freshly grated coconut in the end for extra flavor and taste.
2. Finely chopped mint can be added at the time of boiling water,this gives a minty flavor to the upma.
3. You can serve it with some mixture or boondi for added crunch .

Coconut Chutney / Thengai Chutney

This chutney absolutely needs no introduction.A versatile dip to go along with Dosas,idlis,medhu vada,upma,pongal and any south indian tiffin item. This is a must have as an accompaniment for the daily breakfast

There are a lot of variations that can be done to prepare this coconut chutney.Today's recipe is a very quick and simple recipe.

The other recipes of coconut chutney shall be posted soon.

Fun facts 

Sept 2 is celebrated as World Coconut Day 🥥 

Jain Version : Omit the ginger and follow the recipe as is.

Preparation time : 10 mins
Cooking time : Nil
Complexity : simple
Serves : 2-3

 Ingredients

to grind
1.5 cup fresh grated coconut at room temperature.
2-3 green chillies
2 tsp chutney dhall / fried gram /pottukadalai
small piece ginger (optional)
salt as per taste

For tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp udad dhall
pinch of hing/asafoetida
1-2 dry red chilly.

Few curry leaves 

Method

• Take all the ingredients mentioned under "to grind" in a mixie jar.
• add about half cup of water and grind till you get a semi smooth paste. The chutney has to be a little coarse so that you can feel the texture of the coconut gratings while you savor it.
• If you like your chutney to be a little runny,adjust the water accordingly.
• Heat a small pan with little oil and temper with mustard and udad dhall and add it to the ground chutney.

Notes

1. Use only the white gratings of the coconut.  If you use the brown portion , the color of the chutney will appear little brownish .
2. If you are using coconut bits instead of grated coconut, then using a knife or peeler scrape out the brown part from the base and then use for making chutney.
3. Incase by mistake you add in the brown portion while making chutney, add a few sprigs of fresh corriander this will give a bright  green color to the chutney and the brown color will be masked.
4. Thaw the coconut without fail if you are removing from freezer else when you grind it will release the oil and the taste , texture of the chutney will be oily and greasy .

Vegetable Rava Upma | Rava Kichadi | Rava Baath

Rava/Sooji Upma is a very filling and delicious breakfast which is staple across India. Upma loaded with vegetables is known by different names like Rava Kichadi , Rava baath , veg upma , veg uppitu.  Rava Kichadi is not be confused with the traditional Khichadi made from Rice and lentils .

Rava kichadi is slightly soft and gooey as compared to plain rava upma. Rava kichadi is a term used in Tamil Nadu and this is something I learnt after my marriage .Back home at Amma's we would call it as plain upma and veg upma.

I prefer to roast the rava just at the time of making the upma rather than using the store bought pre roasted rava. I roast it separately in a dry kadai when I make upma with vegetables. You can roast the rava in microwave too . 

Microwave hack to keep the rava pest free

It is believed that if one is able to cook a perfect lump free Rava Upma, then the person has a good understanding of cooking.

As rava baath is packed with vegetables you can have it as is with a cup of thick curd or coconut chutney or tomato chutney if you like a dash of extra spiciness and zing to tickle your palate.

 The coconut chutney has to be runny and not very thick like the one served with idlis and dosas.

soft and binding Upma : 1 measure of rava needs 4 measures of water  other wise if you like a
grainy Upma  : 1 measure rava is to 2 measures of water.

Post updated in Feb 2025

Presenting a very old post,with lot of new photos ,extra information ,tips and tricks to male a delicious melt in mouth rava kichadi. 

Preparation time : 15 mins
Cooking time : 30 mins
Serves : 2-3
Complexity : Medium High

 Jain version of Rava Upma ,donot add onions ginger,potato and carrots in the recipe.

At home,we like rava baath to be soft but grainy,so I use 3 cups of water.  

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Ingredients

1 cup rava/sooji/semolina
1 cup assorted vegetables finely chopped(beans,carrot,potato,peas,cabbage , capsicum)

1 onion finely chopped (optional)
2 to 3 green chillies finely chopped
6-7 curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped / grated
Salt as needed

Pinch of sugar
3 tablespoon of oil.

To Temper
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dhall + channa dhall 
pinch of asafoetida/hing/perungayam
1 tsp haldi/turmeric

Method

• Place 3 cups of water for boiling in a saucepan.
• In a kadai heat the oil and temper with mustard seeds,udad dhall,channa dhall and hing one by one .i.e. first the mustard must splutter completely only then add the dhalls.
• add the finely chopped ginger,onions ,green chillies and curry leaves and saute well till onion turns pink.
• Add the turmeric, finely chopped veggies and saute well with salt. Cook covered for 3 to 4 mins till the vegetables become soft .
• Add the roasted rava and fry it for 3 to 4 minutes along with the vegetables.
• Gently pour the boiling water and mix well so that the mixture is lump free. Add a pinch of sugar at this stage.
• Close the kadai and cook for 5 mins or until all the water is absorbed into the rava.
• Slowly open the lid,mix the upma well ,turn off the stove and let it rest for about 5 mins .
• Garnish with lots of coriander , drizzle some ghee .If you like, you can garnish some freshly grated coconut as well.
• Serve hot with curd or coconut chutney of your choice.

Carrot Kosambri / Carrot Koshimbhir - Vegan Salad

Kosambri (Kannada) ,Koshimbir(Marathi),Kosumalli (Tamil) is an Indian Salad made out of  fresh carrots or cucumber .Some times a handful of soaked Moong Dhall/ Yellow Lentils is added for extra flavor and taste. 

I generally donot like to add moong dhall to my kosambri . I prefer to taste the carrots and relish the mild dressing of fresh coconut scraping and the seasoning of mustard , lentils and green chillies along with asafoetida .

Its a common practice in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to have this as a part of menu for special occasions like weddings,festivals,poojas at temples or a special function at home. Ugadi /Gudi Padwa meal is incomplete without a kosambri .

If carrots are not in season then Vellarikaai Kosmalli / Southekaai Kosambri is served.

Carrot Sambol is the Srilankan version of Carrot Kosambri with some mild variation.

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

250 gms carrot - grated
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
Kothmir/ Hara Dhaniya /Cilantro / Corriander leaves 
few nos. Curry leaves / kadipatha/karivepilai
Salt
pinch of sugar
Tempering
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Udad dhall
1 tsp Channa Dhall
2-3 dry red chillies
pinch of asafoetida

Method

• Squeeze out the water from the grated carrot and put it in a huge serving bowl.
• Prepare the seasoning using mustard seeds,udad dhall,chana dhall.Once all of these splutter,add the red chillies ,curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Pour it on the carrots.
• Add the grated coconut,salt,sugar and toss well. 
• Finally garnish with fresh corriander and serve.

Note:

• Salt tends to leave water and make the salad soggy,so add the salt just before serving.
• If you would like to add moong dhall,soak it for about 15-20 mins in warm water and then add it to the carrots and toss well.
• For those who love the flavor of lime,you can squeeze about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and toss well. Do this just before serving to avoid the salad from turning soggy.
• Carrot can be substituted with cucumber or you can take half proportion of each i.e carrot and cucumber and make this salad.

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