How to puree tomatoes

How to puree tomatoes

method

1. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly.
2. Boil some water in a stock pot. In another pot prepare ice cold water and set aside.
3. Cut a shallow X at the bottom of the tomato.
4. When the water starts to boil, turn off the stove. Put the tomatoes into the boiled water and leave it for 30 seconds or till the skin starts to loosen up.
5. When the skin starts to loosen take the tomatoes quickly from hot water and place it in the cold water to stop the cooking process. This method of drenching the veggies in boiling water and cooling in ice cold water is called blanching. Blanching helps to stop the enzymes responsible for ripening the fruits and veggies. By blanching the fruits and vegetables, we are preserving their freshness for longer time.
6. Once the tomatoes are cooled, peel the skin and puree it in a blender.

Tomato puree can be stored in the freezer for longer shelf life. It is hard to scoop out the frozen puree so I usually freeze the puree in ice cube trays & store the frozen cubes in a freezer safe container

Curry Leaf Kuzhambu

Ingredients

• Onion - 2 Medium size
• Garlic - 8 pods
• Tomato - 2
• Fresh Curry leaves - 4 cups
• Almond or cashews - 6
• Coconut - 4 pieces
• Poppy Seeds - 1/2 tspn
• Black Pepper - 1 tspn
• Chilli Powder - 1 tspn
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
• Tamarind - 3 pods or 1/2 tspn paste

health tip

Curry leaves improve functioning of the stomach and small intestine and promote their action. They improve the quality of digestive juices secreted during digestion. Certain ayurvedic research says that curry leaves have some role in controlling non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Curry Leaf Kuzhambu

method

1. Chop the onion, tomato and garlic.
2. Grind Curry leaves, Almond or cashews,Coconut, Poppy Seeds, Black Pepper, Chilli Powder, Cumin Seeds and tamarind pods(if using tamarind paste, no need to add it at this stage) into a fine paste.
3. Heat some oil in a pot & season it with mustard & urad dhal. Saute the onion, garlic & tomato till tomato gets mushy.
4. Add the ground paste, half a cup of water & salt to taste.
   Using sesame oil for seasoning gives a nice flavor.
   
5. Cover the pot with lid and let it cook till the oil separates. Stir it from time to time since the gravy settles down and sticks to the pot if unattended.
6. If using tamarind paste, mix in the paste and let it boil for one more minute. Consistency of this kuzhambu is little thinner than chutney.
   This Kuzhambu can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days. It goes well with rice, Idli & Dosa.
   

Cranberry Puliyodarai

Ingredients

• Cranberry - 1 cup
• Rice - 1 cup
• Channa Dhal - 1 tspn
• Coriander seeds - 1 tspn
• Fenugreek powder - a pinch
• Red chillies - 3 nos
• Sesame oil - 1 tbspn
• Hing - a pinch
• Mustard, Urad dhal & Curry leaves for seasoning

health tip

Cranberries are rich in Vitamin C. Studies show that Cranberries lowers LDL (Bad cholesterol) & increases HDL (good cholesterol) & also helps prevent urinary tract infection.

Cranberry Puliyodarai

method

1. Cook the rice separately. I used Basmati rice but you may use raw rice too. If using raw rice, you might want to increase your cranberry volume by half a cup.
2. Dry roast channa dhal, coriander seeds & 2 red chillies & make a coarse powder.
3. Heat sesame oil in a wide pan & season it with mustard, Urad dhal & curry leaves. Add one broken red chilli, hing, fenugreek powder & cranberry when mustard begins to splutter.
   

   You can also make this paste ahead of time & store it in the fridge for future use.

   
   
4. Add the powdered spices, salt & some jaggery when the cranberry starts to get mushy. Saute all for two additional minutes & turn off the stove.
5. Mix in the rice and add some salt if needed.

Modhagam

Ingredients

• Raw rice - 2 cups
• Moong Dhal - 1/4 cup
• Jaggery - 2 cups
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom Powder - a pinch
• Ghee - 4 tspn
• Water - 6 cups

health tip

Modhagam dish has protein from moong dhal, carbohydrate from rice, iron and calcium from Jaggery.

Modhagam

method

1. Wash rice and dhal separately. Drain and spread them separately on a towel and let them dry for 2 hours.
2. Grind the rice and dhal separately to a course powder. Make sure the powder is bit bigger than that of rava or sooji. This mix can also be made ahead of a day but make sure to dry the rice and dhal completely for a day.
3. Heat ghee in a kadai and roast the rice dhal powder together.
4. In another pan heat 6 cups of water and dilute the jaggery. Filter it through a strainer to remove any impurities.
5. Add the filtered jaggery water to the roasted dry mix of rice and dhal.
6. Cover the mixture with a lid and let it cook. Open the lid and mix it from time to time making sure the mix is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.

You may speed up the whole cooking process by pressure cooking the mixture for 4 minutes or until you hear the hissing sound of the first whistle, whichever is earlier. Only two teaspoons of ghee is needed for the pressure cooking method.

7. Mix in the cardamom powder and grated coconut when the rice is cooked. Turn off the stove and let it cool.
8. When completely cooled, make them into small balls and steam it in a steamer or idli pan for 5- 8 minutes.

Red Pepper Chutney

Ingredients

• Red Pepper - 1
• Medium Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Red chilli - 1
• Ginger - 1/4 inch(optional)
• Hing - pinch
• Tamarind - 1 inch piece
• Sesame oil - 3tspn
• Mustard & Urad dhal for seasoning

health tip

Tomato & red pepper are rich in Vitamin C. An anti-oxidant in tomato called lycopene gets concentrated after cooking the tomato. Anti-oxidant helps to prevent cancer.

Red Pepper Chutney

method

Red pepper chutney is a slight twist to tomato chutney. Red pepper adds unique flavor, color & sweetness to the chutney. The flavor & color gets intense when the pepper is roasted in the oven. Halve the pepper & remove the seeds. Place the halved peppers skin side up in a baking sheet & broil them till the skin gets blisters & charred. Put it in a bowl and cover it with a lid till the roasted pepper gets warm to handle. When it is warm remove the skin & dice it to make chutney. Since I had lot of red pepper sitting in my fridge, I wanted to adopt easier version & used fresh ones instead of roasting them. Though the color and flavor was little lighter, it tasted equally good as the roasted version. This chutney can be used as a spread, dip or as a side dish for dosai & idli. I usually freeze the extra chutney for later use.

1. Remove the seeds from the pepper and dice the pepper(if not using roasted ones), onion and tomato.
2. Heat some oil in a pan (reduce the oil if planning to freeze) & season it with mustard, urad dal & hing.
3. Add the diced veggies along with red chilli, ginger & tamarind. Saute the mixture till the veggies get tender. Let it cool.
4. Grind to a fine paste when cooled. Add salt to taste and the chutney is ready to serve.
5. This recipe is little milder. You may want to adjust the number of chilli to suit your taste.

Summer Garden

Mint Plant

Following is what I learned with gardening my mint plant. I started by rooting the stem (You may use your store bought mint plant stem for this) by putting it in water for a week. As of now, I am growing this plant organically by adding organic miracle-gro fertilizer. Mint plant dies down in winter & comes back every spring. Mint loves part shade. It is better to grow mint in a container to control its growth. Otherwise, it will spread all over the place. It is really a low maintenance herb.

Curry plant

My curry plant is actually three years old. It gave out sucker plant this spring. I pruned it to make it bushier. It loves full sun. As for as the soil goes, curry plant loves acidic soil. Adding used coffee grounds makes the soil acidic. It needs nitrogen rich fertilizer for luscious leaf growth. In addition to feeding organic fertilizers I also add at times egg shells & Pistachio shells to prevent the soil from drying out. I also add vinegar at times especially during summer to make the soil more acidic & diluted butter milk in summer too to impart flavor. As the root will rot easily, I will never over water. This plant can withstand up to 2 inches of dryness.

Banana Plant

I bought it last summer from Lowe's. Its a dwarf variety, never bore fruit & gave out sucker plant this spring. It needs full sun & well drained soil. It is a heavy feeder. I water it regularly & fertilize it every other month during growing season.

Jasmine Plant

Three year old Sambac variety. Blooms continuously from spring to fall. Needs full sun & well drained soil. It is a heavy feeder. So I fertilize it regularly. During blooming season, I use bloom booster. Flowers may become smaller if temperature fluctuates or drops below 70 degrees. Pruning every spring helps to maintain a bushier plant. Leaves can also be removed to channelize the plants energy to produce bigger flowers. Never had problems with it in the past three years.

Adukku Malli

Garlic Pickle

Ingredients

• Peeled Garlic - 1 1/2 cups
• Lemon Juice - Little less than 1/2 cup
• Chilli Powder - 2 1/2 tspn
• Salt - 2 tspn
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn
• Coriander seeds - 1 tspn
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tspn
• Hing - 1/4 tspn
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tspn
• Sesame oil - 8-10 tspn
• Jaggery - 1 1/2 tspn

health tip

Garlic is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, Selenium and has anti-microbial properties. Garlic boosts the immune system, helps control cholesterol and also helps in preventing cancer. Garlic is used as a home remedy to cure gas and stomach bloating.

Garlic Pickle

method

Pickling is one of the way to preserve the vegetables we get in abundance. The acidity of Lemon Juice or Vinegar is the primary ingredient that keeps the bacteria and fungus away from the pickle. Salt also plays a key role in preserving food by its anti microbial properties. Salt has the ability to draw water away from food and keep them dry for longer time. It is not advisable to store pickle in a metal container since the salt combined with the acidity in pickle corrodes the metal. Also, for longer shelf life, remember to store them away from moisture.

1. Peel the garlic pods. You may also do the peeling ahead of time & keep them refrigerated.
2. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds & fenugreek seeds till they turn golden color. Let the dry roasted ingredients cool for some time.
3. Squeeze juice out of lemon as per the above measurement.
4. Grind the dry roasted ingredients above to a coarse powder.
5. Heat sesame oil in a deep vessel (to prevent splattering all over the counter top). Season it with mustard seeds & hing. Add the peeled garlic and saute it for 2 minutes.

   There is no need to saute the garlic for more than two minutes since sauteing more will over cook the garlic & will make the pickle mushy.

6. Add salt & ground ingredients to the garlic & saute them for one more minute. Finally add the lemon juice & let it cook with lid open till the lemon juice condenses to half the quantity. When the lemon juice is condensed & oil starts to separate add the jaggery & turn off the heat. Let the pickle cool. Bottle the pickle when cold. Adding some hot oil at the top acts as a barrier for moisture. Let them completely cool to prevent condensation & then cover it with a lid. Store the pickle in a cool dry place. The picture shown above is not the actual yield for this recipe.
   

   Room-temperature lemons or limes will yield more juice than those that are refrigerated. Microwaving the lemon or lime for a few seconds before squeezing will help extract more juice. Don't overdo it. You don't want to boil the juice. You may also use your palm to roll lemon or lime on your counter top a few times before squeezing to extract more juice.

Homemade Granola

Ingredients

• Rolled Oats - 2 cups
• Chopped almonds - 1/4 cup
• Chopped cashews - 1/4 cup
• Raisins - 1/4 cup
• Dried cranberries - 1/4 cup
• Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
• Honey or Maple syrup - 1/4 cup
• Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
• Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tspn
• Salt - 1/2 tspn

health tip

Granola is packed with vitamins, minerals & fiber. It is a wholesome meal for breakfast.

Homemade Granola

method

1. Mix the brown sugar, honey & vegetable oil in a large bowl until they blend together
2. Add the oats, chopped nuts, salt & cinnamon powder to the liquid mix & toss them all together.
3. Spread the mixture evenly in a cookie sheet & bake it in the oven at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
4. At every 10 minute interval take the cookie sheet out of the oven & flip the granola using a spatula.
   

   Dry fruits & nuts of any choice can be added. Exclude fruits & nuts from this recipe if you are planning to have the granola as a topping for your yogurt.

   
   
5. The granola will still be soft after 25 minutes, but will turn crispy when cooled. Finally, mix in the dry fruits & store it in an air tight container. It will be fresh for 1 week when left outside & for a month when stored in a freezer.
   

Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients

• Medium Eggplant - 1
• Tahini - 1 1/2 tbspn
• Lemon Juice - 2 tspn
• Garlic - 2
• Pepper - 1/4 tspn
• Salt to taste
• Paprika, parsley & olive oil for serving

health tip

Eggplant is an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1, B6 and potassium. It is also a good source of copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin and folic acid. The skin is rich in antioxidant called Nasunin which helps nourish the brain cells.

Baba Ghanoush

method

1. Roast the eggplant on the stove top till the skin is charred.
2. Place the roasted eggplant in a cookie sheet & bake it at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. Peel the skin & dice the flesh when the eggplant is cooled
4. Roast the garlic & place it in the food processor along with diced eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, pepper & salt. Blend it till smooth. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl & drizzle it with olive oil, paprika & chopped parsley.
5. Serve the Baba ghanoush with pita bread or with falafal.

Cranberry Thokku

Ingredients

• Cranberries - 1 1/2 cups
• Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 tspn
• Jaggery - 2.tspn
• Salt - 1 tspn
• Mustard & Cumin seeds- 1/4 tspn each
• Asafoteida(hinge) - 1/4 tspn
• Methi powder - a pinch
• Sesame oil - 3 tbspn

health tip

Cranberries are rich in Vitamin C. Studies show that Cranberries lowers LDL (Bad cholesterol) & increases HDL (good cholesterol) & also prevents urinary tract infection.

Cranberry Thokku

method

Cranberry Thokku is a blend of sour, sweet & spicy taste. You can extend its shelf life by refrigerating it. Because of its health benefits, I usually freeze them up & use it year around to make cranberry rice or to use it as sides for other dishes. I have re-posted this recipe for the "Think Beyond the Usual - Fruits" event.

1. Dry roast the mustard seeds & cumin seeds. Grind it into coarse powder when it is cool.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a deep pan.
3. Add the cranberries, chilli powder & salt. Stir constantly. Cranberries will pop open when exposed to heat. When it starts to get mushy add other ingredients except jaggery.
4. When the oil starts to separate, taste it & add some more salt if needed.
5. Add the jaggery finally & stir it till the jaggery mixes well. Turn of the heat & let it cool before bottling. Keeping the stove on for long time after adding the jaggery results in chewy consistency and is not recommended.
   

   It is always recommended to bottle the thokku soon after it is cooled. If not, cranberry's acidity may etch the metallic pan.

   
   

Cranberry Rice

Ingredients

• Cranberries - 1/2 cups
• Green chillies - 2
• Mustard & Cumin - 1/4 tspn each
• Asafoteida - 1/4 tspn
• Rice - 1 cup
• Salt - 3/4 tspn or to taste

health tip

Cranberries are rich in Vitamin C. Studies show that Cranberries lowers LDL (Bad cholesterol) & increases HDL (good cholesterol) & also helps prevent urinary tract infection.

Cranberry Rice

method

I have re-posted this recipe for the "Think Beyond the Usual - Fruits" event.

1. Dry roast the mustard & cumin seeds & grind them to powder.
2. Grind the cranberries & green chillies into a fine paste.
3. Heat some oil in a pan & season it with curry leaves & asafoetida. Add the ground cranberry chilli paste & saute it along with some turmeric powder(turmeric powder is optional).
4. Cook the rice separately. It should not stick to each other.
   

   Using basmati rice enhances the flavor of this dish.

   
   
5. When the oil separates from cranberry mix add salt, mustard & cumin seed powder.
6. Mix the rice with the paste & garnish it with coriander leaves or green onions.
   

   You may also freeze the cranberries to get their benefits all year around.

   
   

Mexican soup

Ingredients

• Sweet potato - 2 medium
• Medium onion - 1
• Garlic - 2 pods
• Cooked black beans - 1 cup
• Corn niblets - 1 cup
• Medium salsa - 1 cup
• Tomato sauce - 1/2 cup
• Veggie or chicken broth - 3 cups(optional)
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tspn
• Olive oil - 2 tspns
• Coriander leaves & sour cream for serving

health tip

Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A & C. It is a rich antioxidant food as well. Black beans are rich in protein & is a good source of Iron. Tomato sauce & salsa are good source of Vitamin C.

Mexican Soup

method

I had sweet potato laying around in my kitchen for few days. I was not interested in baking it like I do all the time. So I was not sure what to do with it. Luckily woman's day magazine came to the rescue with a Mexican soup recipe that made use of sweet potato. It did not take a lot of time to make the soup since I had all the required ingredients in the freezer. I am a big fan of Mexican soup especially "Qudoba's" tortilla soup. This soup is different from the one served in Qudoba but it did have the Mexican flavor because of the added salsa & black beans. It was kind of heavy & did not need any thickener as required with other soups.

1. Wash, peel & dice the sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes. Dice the onion & garlic.
2. Heat the oil(Olive oil is preferable but any oil of your choice is fine). Saute the onion & garlic. When they turn soft, add the sweet potatoes, cumin powder & broth (or water). Simmer till the sweet potatoes become tender.
3. Blend it with a immersion blender. If using a regular blender let it cool & then blend it into fine paste.
4. Transfer the mixture back into the pot & add tomato sauce, salsa, black beans, corn niblets & salt. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Serve it with chopped coriander leaves, tortilla chips & sour cream. This recipe yields 4-5 bowls.
   

Kale Poriyal

Ingredients

• Kale - 1 bunch
• Onion - 1
• Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
• Mustard, Urad dal & 2 red chillies for seasoning

health tip

Kale is rich in fiber and is a good source of Vitamins like K, A, & C & minerals like folate & iron. Kale is also rich in flavonoid called kaempferol which helps to protect against ovarian cancer.

Kale Poriyal

method

Kale is a leafy green vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family which also includes vegetables like cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts. I have tried Kale before but it has always been on and off. However, after getting to know its health benefits, I have become a convert & decided to add Kale regularly in our diet. This recipe even after multiple tries still tops the chart in our home.

1. Cut the vein in the middle. Chop it finely & wash it.
2. Chop the onion. Wash & soak the moong dal for 5 minutes but not more than that.
3. Heat some oil in a pressure pan & season it with mustard seeds, urad dal & broken red chilli. Saute the onion. When onion turns soft add the chopped kale & moong dal & saute it for two more minutes.
4. Add 1/4 cup of water & let it cook for 1 whistle. Add salt after the pressure goes off. Salt should not be added to greens while they are cooking. I am not sure about the reason (probably it might alter the taste I guess) but is always better to add salt at the end after the greens are cooked. Serve it with rice or have it as a salad.
   

   Toor dal can also be added instead of moong dal. Cook the toor dal & kale separately. Toor dal doesn't have to be over cooked like for sambar. Add the dal after the kale is cooked.

   
   

Chicken 65

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1 pound or 1/2 kg
• Yogurt - 2 tbspn
• Soy Sauce - 1/2 tbspn
• Corn flour - 2 tbspn
• All purpose flour - 1 tbspn
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tspn
• Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tspn
• Garam masal - 1/4 t.spn(optional)
• Lemon juice - 1 tspn
• Salt - 1/2 tspn
• Oil for frying

health tip

Chicken is a white meat low in fat & is a good source of protein.

Chicken 65

method

Chicken 65! How did they name it? Some say 65 ingredients were added to make this dish in the past, others say, it was the 65th item on the menu card of a hotel where they served it. There are lot of stories going around regarding the name for this dish. Anyways, Chicken 65 is such a tasty and popular dish back home in India and has a fiery red color to it. Ajinomoto(MSG) & red food color added to the recipe enhances the taste and color of this dish. My recipe above is devoid of the above two ingredients to be completely home style yet yummy.

1. Wash & cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces. Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl except oil & marinade the chicken for minimum 3 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Take it out after 3 hours & deep fry the pieces. It does stick to the frying pan because of the lemon juice but lemon juice enhances the taste. If you do not want it to stick, you may eliminate the lemon juice while marinading but instead sprinkle it while serving the dish.
3. That is it. Enjoy the dish as an appetizer or as a side.

Marinating the chicken overnight in the refrigerator will help permeate the flavr into the chicken nicely.

Mixed Vegetable Kootu

Ingredients

• Carrot - 1
• Eggplant - 1
• Cabbage -1 leaf
• Potato - 1
• Beans - 3nos
• Peas - 1/2 cup
• Moong dal - 2 tbspn
• Green chilli - 1
• Medium onion - 1
• Kootu Podi - 1 tspn
• Coconut - 2 tspn (optional)

health tip

Veggies are rich in Vitamins, Minerals & fiber. Dal (pulses) is rich in protein.

Mixed Vegetable Kootu

method

Kootu Podi goes very well with this mixed vegetable kootu. I added moong dal for this kottu recipe since channa dal was already added to the podi. I did not want to try red gram dal since it is normally added to all sambar recipes. We usually make sambar when making kootu. However, you may use any kind of dal you want with this recipe. This kootu is both delicious & nutritious. Any vegetable of your choice can be added as well to this recipe.

1. Wash, Peel & dice the veggies & onion.
2. Wash the moong dal & add the diced veggies & onion along with kootu podi. Add 1/2 cup of water & pressure cook the veggies for 2 whistles or till the dal is completely cooked.
3. When the pressure goes off, add ground coconut (optional) & salt to taste. Season it with cumin seeds, curry leaves, slit green chilli & urad dal in some oil or ghee.
4. This recipe serves two people.

Pizza - Indian Style

Ingredients

• For Pizza and Toppings
• Tava Naan - 3
• Mozzarella cheese - 1/2 cup
• Roasted eggplant - 1
• Soy chunks - 4-5 nos
• Other toppings of your choice (onions, olives, pineapple, green peppers...)
• For Pizza Sauce
• Tomato sauce - 5 tspn or pureed tomato - 2
• Chopped tomato - 1
• Finely chopped capsicum - 1/4 nos
• minced garlic - 3
• Olive oil - 3 tspn
• Sombu (fennel) powder, Chilli powder - 1/4 tspn each
• Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tspn
• Basil - 1/4 tspn
• Salt to taste

health tip

Pizza provides nutrients depending on the toppings you add. Diet conscious people may want to reduce the cheese added to the pizza. It is always better to get skim milk cheese which is not only low in fat but is also a good source of calcium like other cheese varieties. Home made Pizza sauce provided with this recipe is also rich in Vitamin C.

Pizza - Indian Style

method

This pizza recipe is in response to the global kadai event "Indian flavor pizza" hosted by homecook recipes which was originally started by Cilantro.

1. To make the pizza sauce, heat some olive oil in a pan & saute the minced garlic & chopped green pepper.
2. Add the tomato sauce(blanch 2 tomatoes & peel the skin, dice it & puree it) & chopped tomatoes & other seasonings. Let the sauce condense.
3. To make veggie meatballs, boil the soy chunks till tender. Drain the hot water, add cold water & squeeze out the excess water. Repeat the process 3 more times by adding cold water & squeezing the extra. Now, after the water is squeezed out, cut the soy chunks into pieces & saute it in a pan by adding some pizza sauce. This helps to infuse the flavor & taste from the sauce to the chunks.
4. Spread the sauce on the naan. Add the desired toppings on top of it & spread the cheese over it.
5. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees & bake the pizza for 7-8 minutes or till the cheese melts.

Make the naan thicker if you desire a pizza with a thick crust.