Homemade Strawberry Jam
I never knew that strawberries are grown in India too, until we visited Munnar in 2011. Because of its packing, I always thought that it was imported. When we went to Mattupati Dam, Munnar, we saw vendors selling strawberries.
At Kannan Devan tea board Munnar, there were stalls selling varieties of green tea, masala tea, etc and chocolates, jellies and jams. We bought strawberry jam, it was not like regular jam, it had fruit pulps and was very yummy. After having tasted it, I derived this recipe.
Cuisine: Indian
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Yields: 250 gms
Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries: 200 gms
Sugar: 50 gms
Lemon Juice: 2 tea spoons
Water: 3 tea spoons (Optional)
Method:
1. Wash the strawberries well in running water and roughly cut into pieces.
2. Place a pan on the stove over medium flame.
3. When it is hot, add the strawberries and keep on stirring till it becomes mushy.
4. If you want, add water in this stage, otherwise skip it.
5. Add the sugar and stir well till it thickens.
6. Put off the flame, when it becomes semi solid.
7. Add lemon juice and mix well. Let it cool.
8. Transfer it to a clean container and store in refrigerator.
Note:
1. It stays well for a month.
Thakkali Sambar or Tomato Sambar
This sambar is an exclusive recipe of my husband's paternal grandmother (Seshamma). This has been passed on to three generations. This is a tiffen sambar, which goes very well with idli, dosa and puri. This is favorite among kids, ie my son and his nephews, with this sambar these kids tend to eat more dosa's or idli's. So once in a while we make it at home and enjoy seeing the kids relishing the food.
As the name implies, you need lot of tomatoes, since the tomato prices has come down(currently), this is the ideal season to make it.
Cuisine: South Indian
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 to 5 persons
Ingredients:
Tomato: 1/4 kg or 4 big ones
Onion: 1 no big
Curry leaves: a few nos
Coriander leaves: 1 teaspoon
App purpose chilli powder: 1 & 1/2 tea spoons
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Salt as needed
Asofotedia: 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seed: 1/2 teaspoon (Optional)
Water: 3 cups
Oil as needed
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
For Grinding:
Grated coconut: 2 table spoons
Garlic: 4 to 5 pods
Fried gram: 1 table spoon
water as needed
Method:
1. Wash the tomatoes well and chopp it well. Keep it aside.
2. Chop the onions and keep it, wash curry leaves, coriander leaves and keep it ready.
3. Place a pan and heat it over high flame, add 2 tea spoons of oil, when the oil is hot add mustard seed and allow it to splutter, then add fenugreek seeds.
4. Add the chopped onions and fry till it becomes translucent.
5. Then add tomatoes and cook till it becomes mushy, add chilli powder and salt. Mix it well.
6. Add 3 cups of water and let it boil.
7. In the meantime grind a smooth fine paste of the ingredients mentioned for grinding using a mixie.
8. Now simmer the flame and add the ground paste and stir well. Keep on stirring so that no lumps are formed.
9. Let it boil for 6 to 7 minutes.
10. Add asofotedia, mix well and let it boil for 2 more minutes.
11. Add chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves and put off the flame.
12. Transfer it to a serving bowl.
13. Enjoy it with dosa.
Note:
1. Make sure to simmer the flame, while adding the fried gram, coconut, garlic paste and also keep on stirring it since fried gram tends to form lumps.
Methi Malai Matter Paneer
Yet another Punjabi subzi, this dish is mildly spicy and slightly sweet, yet very flavourful. It goes well with rotis and phulkas. Traditional fresh cream and butter is added to make this gravy rich and creamy. But I added unsweetened khoa to this, the taste was simply yummy and similar to the original recipe.
Cuisine: Punjabi/ North Indian
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yields: Serves 4
Ingredients:
Peas or Matter: 1 cup
Paneer: 100 gms
Ginger garlic paste: 1 teaspoon
Unsweetened Khoa: 50 gms
Kasuri methi: 1 & 1/2 tea spoons
or
Fresh methi leaves: 1/4 cup tightly packed
Finely chopped onion: 1 no + 1 no
Green chilli: 2 nos
Cashews: 10 to 12 nos
Coriander chopped: 1 teaspoon
Shah jeera: 1 teaspoon
Oil: 2 tea spoons
Method:
1. Cut the onion roughly into cubes and take a sauce pan, add 2 cups of water, add the onions, green chillies. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
2. Take the onions and green chillies, cool it to room temperature and grind to a fine smooth paste.
3. Cut paneer into cubes, de-shell the peas and keep. Finely chop the remaining onion.
4. Soak cashews in water for 10 minutes and grind it to smooth paste. Crumble khoa using your finger and keep it aside.
5. Place a pan or kadai on the stove over medium flame, add oil when it is hot, add shah jeera and ginger garlic paste. Fry it till the raw smell goes off.
6. Add chopped onions and fry it till it becomes translucent.
7. Now add the ground paste of onions and fry till the oil floats on the top.
8. Add the peas and stir, add 1 cup of water and let it boil.
9. When the peas is cooked, add paneer and let it boil for a few minutes.
10. Add the crumbled khoa and add 1/2 cup of water. Stir well.
11. Now add the cashew paste and cook till the raw flavour of cashews goes off.
12. Add crushed kasuri methi and close it with a lid and led it simmer for 5 minutes.
13. Add chopped coriander and transfer it to a serving bowl.
14. It goes well with roti;s, phulkas or jeera rice or pulao.
Note:
For ginger garlic paste, it is 1 inch piece of ginger with 6 to 7 pods of garlic.
