Geetha's Kitchen

A few vegetables suitable for Aviyal Mmmm... Aviyal! Just the mere sight of the cornucopia of vegetables set aside for the day's meal proclaimed without a doubt what was forthcoming and ensured that there would be no complaints or tears at meal time. The veggie basket was full to the brim with a large slice of winter melon (Chinese name), green unripe bananas or plantains, a type of true yam called 'chenai', carrots, green 'Opo' squash, big golden hued cucumbers, slender green or purple eggplants, long green stick-like moringa pods called 'drumsticks', Gavar or regular green beans and a green mango or two. Aviyal literally means 'this and that' and includes at least 5 to 7 mild veggies or more. My mother would make a huge pot of aviyal to serve over hot steamed rice accompanied by lots of fried plain papadams; one of the perfectly jubilant meals of our childhood days! Amma loved making aviyal as much as we loved eating it since she co...

Cauliflower with carrots and peas, Cherry tomato salad , Fresh yogurt , Simple Dal , Roti with  ghee Another everyday vegetable that cooks quickly and is a wonderful accompaniment with a myriad of other dishes! Serve with rice or roti (a whole grain flat bread also known as chapati), some dal/bean dish and/or some plain yogurt to provide a nutritious meal. It makes a wonderful veggie wrap rolled up in a Chapati or Whole Wheat Tortilla with a little Cheddar, Jack, Parmesan, or Goatmilk cheese. Dals are split and skinned dry beans. In addition to being used as main ingredients in many dishes they are also used toasted in the Tadka/Talippu to add a nutty taste and slight crunch in South Indian Cuisine. Urad dal and Chana dal are the traditional dals used in Tadka. Urad dal is creamy white and looks a little like short grain rice; the Chana dal looks like yellow split peas. If these are unavailable, go ahead and make the dish without them since split peas do not ma...

Simple Toor Dal This is a very simple and delicious dish made with skinless Toor dal that can be served alone as a soup or with any kind of rice or breads. Toor dal looks a little like yellow split peas and either the yellow or green split peas can be substituted for the toor dal. The use of a pressure cooker to cook the dal speeds up the process considerably. All one needs to complete the meal is a side vegetable or salad, rice or any kind of bread and a bowl of yogurt. Ingredients: 1 cup Toor Dal 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric 1 tsp Salt or to taste Tadka/Thalippu 1 Tbsp Ghee or Oil 1/2 tsp brown Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 or 2 pinches Asafoetida 1 green Chili, such as Serrano or Jalapeno 1 sprig Curry Leaves 4 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro Leaves (Dhania/Kothumalli) Method: Check for stones then wash the dal. Cook in water to cover with the salt and turmeric until very soft and creamy. Thin the dal with boiling water if a thinner dish is preferred. Set aside. Prepare tadka: Heat t...

This fabulous Apple Carrot Chutney is not just pretty on the plate, it is pretty delicious on the palate too! When my mother started making this recipe on a crisp yet sunny fall day many years ago, I was very skeptical about the apple-carrot combination; but Amma just smiled and told me to wait and see. The rest is history! Autumn with its bounty of fresh apples is the perfect time to make this chutney. The bubbling pot of the apple carrot chutney fills the home with a wonderful aroma and warmth on cool crisp days. A jar of Apple Carrot Chutney makes a wonderful gift for any occasion. Ingredients: 5 lbs McIntosh Apples 2 lbs Carrots 2.5 lbs Sugar 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Ground Dry Red Chili 3 Tbsp grated Fresh Ginger 2 Lemons 1/2 tsp freshly ground Cardamom (about 12 pods) 1/4 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg Method: Wash the apples, peel, core and dice. Wash, peel and finely dice or shred the carrots. Place apples and salt in a large stock pot with the sugar. Heat, stirring constantly unt...