Okra Buttermilk Curry

This is a mild curry that's great with rice and/or rotis.


Okra Buttermilk Curry

200 g Okra
500 g Yogurt
1/2 tsp Turmeric
50 ml Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
4 Red Chillies
2 sprigs Curry Leaves
2 Onions, sliced
2 Green Chillies, cut lengthwise
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp Coconut Oil

Cut the okra into 1.5 cm long pieces. Whip curd with turmeric and keep aside.

Heat oil and season with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds pop, add the onions and green chillies. Saute well.

Add the okra and fry well. Finally add the whipped yogurt, salt to taste and simmer on low heat.

Fenugreek Leaves Rice

This is really a crowd-pleaser! A delicate and subtle flavor from the Fenugreek leaves and so healthy too!



Fenugreek Leaves Rice

3 bunches fenugreek leaves, chopped, with stems, no roots
a pinch Mustard Seeds
a pinch of Urad dal
1/2 tsp of Bengal Gram
4 Red Chillies
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
100 grams Roasted Gram (Pottu Kadalai), powdered
Juice of one lemon
2 cups Basmati Rice, cooked

Heat some oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, bengal gram and fenugreek leaves. Stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the salt, red chillies and mix well. Add the turmeric and roasted gram powder. Stir fry for 2 minutes and take off the heat.

Add the lemon juice. Mix well with the cooked basmati rice.

Greek Potato Salad

The weather has cooled off quite a bit for this time of the year. Thank goodness for that. We had reached 108 deg F! For the last couple of weeks, we've been having rain showers every now and then, and that has really helped.

This salad was perfect for those hot days.


Greek Potato Salad

6 medium Potatoes, diced
6 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp powdered Oregano
1/2 Onion, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

Boil potatoes in water until tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside.

Combine the lemon juice, oregano, onion, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Mix well.

Pour over the hot potatoes.

This salad is even better after the potatoes have had the chance to sit around in the dressing for a while, so might be nice to leave it to soak overnight in the refrigerator.

South Indian Tandoori Chicken

This is my husband's recipe for his beloved grill! He's come up with this after lots of trials and tests. This doesn't compare to the tandoori chicken in restaurants in the way it looks, but as far as he and his buddies are concerned, it tastes far better! So, this is great for those BBQ parties!


Tandoori Chicken - south Indian style!
2 lbs Chicken, mixed pieces with bone, but without skin
1 Onion
1 small piece Ginger
3 tbsp Yogurt
3 tbsp Vinegar
2 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt, as needed
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Curry Powder
1 Lemon
2 cloves Garlic

Grind the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste. Clean the chicken and make 3-4 shallow cuts. In a large plate, beat the yogurt. Into this, add the coriander and cumin powder, the onion garlic mixture, salt, vinegar and lemon juice.

Mix to form a thin paste. Apply into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate for 4 hours, covered in the refrigerator. Grill on a barbecue. I've tried to bake this in the oven and it tastes pretty good, though not as good as the grill. If baking, bake at 400 deg F for 20-25 minutes, and then broil for 5 minutes until brown.

Kali Dal

Though I prefer a simple yellow dal seasoned with a blend of spices, once in a while, I love to indulge in this rich dal made of black lentils, and finished off with dollops of cream! This is a perfect accompaniment to naans.


Kali Dal

Ingredients A:
250 g Whole Black Urad Dal (Black Lentils)
Salt, to taste
5 Tomatoes, chopped fine
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 1/2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Ginger, minced
1/2 tsp Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

Ingredients B:
1 1/2 cups Cream
1/2 cup Coriander Leaves, chopped
6 Green Chillies

Seasoning:
1 Onion, sliced
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
5 Red Chillies
1 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter) or Butter

Wash the lentils. Do not soak. Put the lentils and Ingredients A in a stock pot with enough water to cover plus a little more.

Cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Add Ingredients B. Cook for a further 35 minutes or until lentils are completely cooked.

Heat ghee in a small frying pan. Fry onions, cumin seeds and red chillies. Pour over prepared dal. Serve hot with naan/ rotis.

Puli Kuzhambu

This is a very common south Indian curry, made with a base of tangy tamarind and a vegetable and/or onions. Its very popular and most often served with rice.


Vendakkai Puli Kuzhmabu
(Okra in a tamarind-based curry)

1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tbsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
6 cloves Garlic, chopped
6 shallots, cut in half
1 Tomato, chopped
Gingelly Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3-4 Curry Leaves
2 g Okra, cleaned
1/2 tbsp Tamarind Concentrate dissolved in water OR 1 cup tamarind water
Salt, to taste
1/2 tbsp Sugar

Heat the gingelly oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, fenugreek and garlic. When brown, add the shallots and saute till the onions are a little yellow. Add the okra and fry for a few minutes.

Add the tomato and saute again for a few minutes. Now add the turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry till mushy. Add the tamarind water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until it reduces to half the amount. Add the sugar at the very end, a few minutes before removing from heat.

Serve hot with rice.

Field Beans/ Mochai

This is another wonderful mochai (field beans) recipe. Mochai is one of my all-time favorite legumes. If you can't find field beans in your neck of the woods, substitute fava beans and it'll taste as good.


Spiced Mochai/ Fava Beans/ Field Beans

2 Onions, chopped fine
3 cloves Garlic, chopped fine
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Chilli Powder
4-5 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 cup Green Beans, cooked, chopped
1/2 cup Field Beans/ Mochai, cooked

Heat some oil in a pan. Add the mustard, curry leaves, onions, garlic, turmeric and chilli powder. Keep sauteing until the oil begins to separate from the rest of the spices. Add the cooked green beans and the mochai, stir well for 5 minutes until everything comes together. Remove from heat. Serve warm.