Simple and Easy Mutton Curry

This is my Mom’s version of mutton curry which I used to cherish from childhood. The smell of this yummy curry will awaken our taste buds and the nostalgic feeling that surrounds this delicious dish is awesome. When I was small, my mom used to make this often and the aroma of this dish drag me towards the kitchen and I used to steal mutton pieces :-)

As my mom is here with me nowadays, she made it and the magic was created again, which would not have happened if I made the same way as she made the curry. Try this out and you will get the magic… Btw, this time the mutton pieces were stolen by my li’l one… :-)

Ingredients:

1. Mutton- ¾ Kg
2. Onions- 3 nos
3. Shallots- 9-10 nos
4. Green Chillies- 3 nos
5. Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tbsp
6. Tomato- 1 no
7. Red Chilli Powder- 3 tbsps
8. Coriander Powder- 3 tbsps
9. Turmeric Powder- 2 tsp
10. Garam Masala Powder- 2 tsp
11. Fenugreek Powder- 1 tsp
12. Curd- ½ Cup
13. Water- 2 Cups
14. Oil- 2 tbsps
15. Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
16. Fenugreek Seeds- 1 tsp
17. Curry Leaves- few
18. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Wash and drain the mutton pieces and keep this aside.
2. Slice the onions and crush the shallots coarsely.
3. In a cookery heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
4. Add the sliced onions, green chillies slit and crushed shallots. Stir till all the raw smell disappears. Add the ginger and garlic paste, mix well.
5. Add the drained mutton pieces, tomato,curd and potatoes and add the garam masala powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder,turmeric powder, fenugreek powder and at last salt. Mix well and pour water and pressure cook the mutton till it is cooked well. Serve this along with steaming hot rice.

Carrot Cupcakes

After all the holi celebrations, I am back with a yummy and deliciously baked carrot cupcakes. Many people love carrots. Carrots are used in many ways as in salads, curries, fries, rice etc. etc.. I love these cupcakes as they are so moist and flavorful with grated carrots and ground cinnamon.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a classic combination. But as I made this for my calorie conscious husband and my little one who is a choosy eater, I didn't decorate my cupcake. I have left it plain and simple. This has a light crumb texture.

I have made regular cupcakes as well as mini cupcakes and those mini cupcakes were a hit among my little one’s friends. Hope you all love this. Just try it out…

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour- 1 Cup
2. Sugar- 1 Cup
3. Baking Soda- 1 tsp
4. Ground Cinnamon - 1 tsp
5. Salt- 1 tsp
6. Oil- ¾ Cup
7. Eggs- 2 nos
8. Grated Carrots- 1 ½ Cups

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl along with ground cinnamon.
3. Add the sugar and oil, beat well till all the ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Sieve the flour , salt and baking soda thrice and fold this in the above mixture little at a time. Add the grated carrots and fold well.
5. Pour the batter in cup cake mould and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Yummy carrot cupcakes are ready to eat.

Roasted Eggplant Chutney/ Chutta Vazhuthananga Chammanthi

You might have noticed that in my blog till now I have posted only one eggplant dish as my husband is a big choosy eater of vegetables and this eggplant is a big No No for him. But as I made this chutney, without knowing he tasted it and liked it a lot. Only later he came to know about the eggplant in it :-)

I love this vegetable a lot. In any form I love to eat this. In this recipe, the eggplants are roasted over direct flame till it turns dark and the skin can be peeled off. This dish gives a unique smoky flavor. This chutney tastes superb not just with rice, but along with idly/dosa as well.

Just try this out…

Ingredients:

1. Eggplants- 2 nos
2. Red Chillies- 4-5 nos
3. Shallots- 6-7 nos
4. Salt- as per taste
5. Tamarind- a small piece
6. Coconut oil- 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Roast the eggplants on direct flame and turn the eggplants using tongs so that the skin is charred and blistered uniformly.
2. When the eggplants are cooled, peel the skin and chop into small pieces.
3. Grind all the ingredients (except coconut Oil) along with the chopped eggplant till it turns into paste.
4. Transfer this to a serving bowl and at last add the coconut oil. Serve this along hot steaming rice.