Vegetable Soup (Indian Italian Combo)

Apart from jam and jelly, what could be a better accompaniment for croissant? Then my thought went to Olive Garden where we have bread sticks with soup. Ta - Da - Da.....Why should not I try some kind of soup that will go well with croissant? I made it Indian style with a nice Italian touch.....& it was just amazing with those buttery flaky croissants....

Try this soup with croissant or bread or simply as such for a healthy filling breakfast.

Ingredients

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp (Refined Oil can also be used)
Onion - 1/2 handful ( finely chopped  )
Tomatoes - 2 ( finely chopped)
Carrot - 1 handful ( finely chopped )
Beans - 1 handful ( finely chopped )
Green Peas - 1/2 handful ( finely chopped )
Spinach - 1 handful ( finely chopped )
Sweet Corn - 1 handful ( finely chopped )
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Italian Seasoning - 1 tbsp
Fresh Basil (optional ) - 1 tbsp ( finely chopped )
Coriander Leaves - 1/2  handful ( finely chopped )
Parsley ( optional ) - 1/4 handful ( finely chopped )
Salt - To Taste
Water - twice the amount of final required soup consistency

Method

1. In a pan, add oil. When hot, add the onion.
2. Saute the onions till they turn slightly transparent.
3. Add the tomatoes and saute for 2 min. It is not required that tomatoes should turn mushy.
4. Add the vegetables one after the other and saute for about 2 min.
5. Add the chilli powder and turmeric & saute for a minute.
6. Add the Italian seasoning, the parsley and coriander leaves with required salt.
7. Add water and let this boil on a high flame for about 15 min till the veges are cooked & the amount of water reduces to half.
8. The final consistency should be a watery soup good enough to dip the bread / croissant.
9. Serve with bread / croissant / bread sticks or have the soup as such.

Note

1. Vegetables can be added of any choice. Even bitter gourd (pagarkai) can be added while preparing the soup for diabetic people.
2. Its easy to prepare and healthy to eat since it includes many vegetables.
3. Even leftover veges can be used to make this soup.
4. The taste of the soup varies with the veges added.

Thakkali (Tomato) Kurma

Ingredients

Oil - 3 sp
Mustard + Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Curry leaves - 10 Nos.
Coriander leaves - 3 strings
Onion - 1 (medium sized - finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 (large - finely chopped)
Coconut - 1/8 th of a whole coconut
Gram Dhal - 1/ 4 of a handful (Pottu kadalai / Pori kadalai)
Green Chilli - 2
Fennel (Perunjeeragam) - 1/ 2 sp
Coriander powder - 1/2 sp
Red Chilli powder -  1/4 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Salt - To taste

Method

1. Add the coconut, gram dhal, green chilli and fennel in a mixie / blender and grind to a fine paste with required water.
2. In a pan, add oil.
3. When the oil is hot, add the mustard, urad dhal, curry leaves & coriander leaves.
4. Add the chopped onion and fry till the onion become transparent.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes turn mushy.
6. Make sure that the onion & tomatoes combine together and oil starts to separate out. (This step is the secret for this tasty bread / tiffin accompaniment)
7. Now, add the grind masala along with necessary amount of water.
8. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt.
9. Let this boil until the required consistency is reached.
10. This is the best of all the vegetarian bread accompaniments.
11. Serve with chappathi, paratha, dosa or idli.

Chettinad Spicy Chicken

Need a spicy chicken recipe that goes excellent with rice & all tiffin varieties.......Stop here.... Read below............Proceed to the kitchen.

Ingredients

Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut into small bite - sized pieces)

Ginger - 2 inch piece

Garlic - 6 pods

Green chilli - 2

Gingelly oil (Nallenai) - 3 sp

Cinnamon (Pattai) - 1 inch piece - 4 Nos.

Cardamom (Elachi / Elakkai) - 3 Nos.

Cloves (Kirambhu) - 5 Nos.

Bayleaf - 1 (medium sized)
Whole Pepper (slightly crushed) - 1/2 sp

Big onion (very finely chopped) - 1 large

Tomato - 3 (very finely chopped)

Coriander powder - 1 sp

Red chilli powder - 3/4 sp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 sp

Chicken masala powder -3/4 sp (optional)

Salt - To taste

Method

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces (so that the masala gets incorporated into it), wash throughly and keep aside.
2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a fine paste adding necessary water.
3. In a pressure cooker under medium heat, add oil.
4. When oil is bubbling hot, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and crushed pepper.
5. When these start to splutter, add onions (very finely chopped so that it gets nicely fried).
6. When the onions are deep fried but not brown, add the tomatoes.
7. Fry well till the tomatoes turn mushy. (make sure the onion & tomatoes got mixed with eachother and oil starts oozing out)
8. To this add the grind paste and fry for another 3 min till the raw flavor goes off.
9. To this, add the the masala powders and salt. Fry for another 2 min in a low - med heat. Don't burn.
10. Add the chicken pieces and mix them together with the whole masala.
11. Add sufficient water (this quantity of water determines the final gravy consistency. So care needs to be taken).
12. Check for salt & chilli powder.
13. Close the cooker & cook in a medium heat for  5 - 8 whistles.
14. Serve with white rice / Idli / Dosa / Chappati / Parotta.

Note

1. The taste of this recipe lies in ' how patiently the ingredients are fried in a medium heat'.
2. Never burn the ingredients while frying.
3. Pepper can be added as whole (20 Nos.) instead of crushed.
4. Chicken oozes out lots of oil. So better check on the oil added.
5. Tastes excellent when the gravy thickens. So if found too watery, simmer (don't boil) in a low - medium heat till the required consistency is reached.