Chana Masala - step by step | How to make channa masala | North Indian Side dish | Side dish for chappathi

Two years ago I was crazy on channa masala and I used to prepare it once a week at least. But suddenly I don't know why I stopped cooking it. Last week when we went for shopping, while having dinner in saravanabhavan hotel I ordered samosa channa and suddenly I started craving for channa masala. So again went to Mustafa and bought the channa and the very next day prepared the channa masala. 😊.  I already have posted channa masala with different version.

If you like, you could view some North Indian Side Dishes for Chappathi
Lima bean curry
Mushroom Masala
Babycorn Mushroom Masala
Soya Balls Gravy

How to make Channa Masala

Preparation time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min 
Total Time: 30 min | Serves: 4

Recipe Category: Side dish | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

Soaked channa - 2 cups

Cloves - 5 to 6

Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon stick - 3 (1 inch sized)

Bay leaves - 2

Black Pepper Corns - 1/5 tsp ( or  around 6 to 7 )

Oil  - 1 tbsp

Onion -1 small chopped finely 

Green chillies - 2 slit lengthwise 
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Channa masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/5 tsp

Water - as needed ( or around 1.5 cups )

Coriander leaves - few

Salt - as needed

To grind

Oil - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 cup (2 medium sized) chopped finely 

Tomato - 1 cup ( 2 tomatoes ) chopped finely 

Ginger paste - 1tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

To Garnish

Onion - little 

Ginger - little 

Coriander leaves - few

Method

1. Soak channa overnight or 8 hrs at least. Pressure cook it with 2 cups water + 1/2 tsp salt. ( as my cooker is old it took 7 whistles but normally it will take 3 whistles ). 

2. In a pan or kadai, add oil and when it is hot add the ingredients under To Grind one by one. Sauté them well or till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes off. Cool it down. Transfer to food processor or mixer grinder and make a smooth paste. 

3. In the same kadai or pan, add the oil and when it is medium hot add the spices - cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, pepper, fennel seeds. Add the onions and the green chillies. 

4. Sauté them nicely till onions are soft. Add the tomato onion paste now and add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, cumin powder and chana masala powder. 

5. If the gravy is thick add the water now. Allow to boil. Add the cooked channa and let it cook for another 5 min. 

6. Add the coriander leaves, give a stir and switch off the flame.

7. Garnish with onion, ginger and coriander leaves and serve. 

Delicious channa masala is ready to be eaten with chappathi. 

Notes:

1. Instead of normal water which we add in the channa, you can use the water used for pressure cooking the channa. But keep in mind to reduce the salt, while adding as the water has salt already.
2. You can adjust the spiciness as per your taste.
3. If you do not have channa masala, you can go with normal garam masala also.

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Prawn thokku | Shrimp thokku | Eral Thokku | Prawn recipes | Sunday Special Recipes | South Indian Prawn Recipe

If you are my regular reader, you definitely know I am a great fan of prawns. This prawn thokku or eral thokku is my hubby's favorite. It can be had with rice as side dish or with any kind of tiffin items like idli or dosa or chappathi. This prawn thokku can be kept for 3 days also. But in our family it will be over within 1 day as everyone loves it. Now we see how to prepare this prawn thokku. 

You can check all the prawn recipes here.

How to make Prawn Thokku

Preparation time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min 
Total Time: 40 min | Serves: 5

Recipe Category: Side dish | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

Prawns - 1/2 kg (deveined)

Tomato - 3 chopped finely

Onion - 2 (medium sized - copped finely)

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Urud dal - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Green chillies - 2 chopped finely

Cloves - 3 or 4

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch

Cardamom - 1

Star anise - 1

Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp chopped finely

Method

1. Devein the prawns and Soak the prawns with the ingredients under marination for 30 min at least. 

2. In a vessel or kadai, add the oil and when it us hot, add the mustard seeds, and Urud dal, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, star amuse and curry leaves. Fry for a min. Then add the onion and green chillies. 

3. When onions are soft, add the ginger garlic paste. Fry till it's raw smell goes off.  Add the tomato now and sauté it well. 

4. Add the chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Mix well. 

5. Cook the tomato and onion so well that the oil oozes out. Now add the prawns. 

6. Mix the prawns well, donut is coated wth the masala. Do not add any water. The prawns by itself leaves out water and gets cooked by that water itself.  Add the garam masala now and mix it.  

7. Let the oil oozes out again. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it. 

8. Serve the thokku with rice or roti or naan. 

Yummy and tempting prawn thokku is ready

Tags: Prawn Recipes, Shrimp Recipes, Eral Recipes, Prawn thokku Recipes, eral thokku, Tamil Nadu Style Prawn thokku, Shrimp thokku Recipe, South Indian Prawn thokku Recipe, South Indian Shrimp thokku Recipe, How to make Prawn thokku, How to make Shrimp thokku, How to make eral thokku, Sunday special recipe, Side dish for naan

Vendakkai Puli kuzhambu | Ladies Finger Tamarind Gravy | Okra Tamarind gravy | South Indian Kuzhambu Recipes

This Vendakkai Pulikuzhambu or ladies finger tamarind gravy is again a signature recipe of my MIL. My Mothers preparation of the Kuzhambu would be slightly different from this version. Will soon post that version also. We can keep this kuzhambu for 2 to 3 days without fridge also, just by heating in the night. Last week my MIL prepared this vendakkai Pulikuzhambu and I clicked the snaps. We had this Pulikuzhambu with potato roast. 

You can view some kuzhambu recipes below

Sundakkai Vatha Kuzhambu 

Manathakkali vatha kuzhambu

Masal vadai kuzhambu
Paruppu Urundai kuzhambu / Dal balls gravy
Mor Kuzhambu
Vendhaya Kuzhambu

How to make Vendakkai Pulikuzhambu

Preparation time: 12 min | Cook Time: 20 min 
Total Time: 32 min | Serves: 5

Recipe Category: Main | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients
Ladies Finger / Okra / Vendakkai - 1/4 kg

Onion - 2 medium sized 

Tomato - 2 medium sized

Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized 

Grated coconut - 4 tbsp

Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves (optional)

Fenugreek seeds - 2 pinch

Cumin seeds - 1/5 tsp

Chilli powder - 1.5 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp 

Turmeric powder - 2 pinch

Curry leaves - few 

Coriander - few

Hot water - 1/2 cup for soaking tamarind 

Water - as needed ( around 2.5 cups )

Salt - as per taste

Method
1. Wash and Chop the ladies finger and fry it with 1/2 tsp of oil for 5 min. Set it aside. Soak the tamarind with 1/2 cup water to get tamarind extract.

2. In the same kadai, add another 1 tsp of oil and add onion, fry for few min. Add tomato and grated coconut. Fry them nicely.

3. Transfer the content to the mixer grinder and grind to the fine paste. In the same kadai, again add the oil and when hot add the mustard, Urud dal, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds. Add the onion and garlic and fry till onions are soft. 

4. Add the remanding tomato, curry leaves and coriander leaves. When they become mushy, add the chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder.

5. Add the fried ladies finger, water and the tamarind water. Cook for 5 min. Add the ground paste and cook again.

6. If the gravy is thick, add some water. Check for the seasoning and switch off the stove.

7. Serve the spicy vendakkai puli kuzhambu with rice.

Tasty and tangy Vendakkai Pulikuzhambu  is ready 

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Mango Oats Smoothie | Healthy Smoothie Recipe | Breakfast Smoothie Recipes | Mango Recipes | Oats Recipes | Summer Special Drinks| Smoothie Recipes

Mango and Oats Smoothie is a yummy and healthy smoothie, which I tried recently. It is a very filling breakfast smoothie. I had mango pulp which I bought long before and it is going to expire soon. Actually thought of doing Mango Lassi or Mango Lemonade, but want to make it a bit healthy and included oats, dates and milk and that, prepared this healthy Mango and Oats Smoothie. If i have prepared this with fresh mangoes, it would have been much more tastier than this.

You can check some summer special recipes below
Blueberry Milkshake
Strawberry Lassi
Almond Banana Carrot Smoothie
Dates Almond Milk
Apricot Milkshake

Mango and Oats Smoothie for breakfast

Preparation time: 12 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total time: 12 min | Serves: 3

Recipe Category: Smoothie | Recipe Cuisine: International

Ingredients

Mango pulp - 1 cup

Hot milk - 1 cup

Cold milk - 2 cups

Rolled oats - 1/2 cup

Dates - 5 to 6

Honey - 1/4 cup or as per taste

Ground cinnamon - 1/4 tsp + 2 pinch for garnishing 

Method

1. Dry fry the oats for 3 to 4 min, until they become light brown in color. 

2. Wash and deseed the dates. Soak in hot milk for 10 min or until mushy. 

3. Transfer the dates, oats to the food processor and add in the mango pulp, honey, cinnamon powder and milk to it and grind it.

4. Garnish with extra ground cinnamon and serve it. 

Notes: 

1. If you want you can add oats directly without dry frying it or you can even soak oats in hot milk and grind it. 

2. Add fresh mangoes for more tastier smoothie. 

3. Adding ground cinnamon is purely optional. 

4. You can replace the milk with almond milk or soy milk.

Tasty healthy delicious Mango and Oats Smoothie is ready for the breakfast

Tags: Mango Recipes, Oats Recipes, Summer special Recipes, Summer special Drinks, smoothie Recipes, Mango and Oats smoothie, Dates Recipes, how to make Mango and dates smoothie, healthy smoothie welcome drinks, Summer coolers, Smoothies, Smoothies for breakfast, oats in Smoothies, Easy summer drinks