Hello, Hi!
These days, I've been showing you my daily routine
These are my Manchester Diaries
I came here thinking of preparing some tasty food for the kids...
but they are all under strict diet
They are having food only for once in a day
So, I thought of making something traditional
I'm planning to make something which Aswin and Parvathy commonly like
Then make something according to their personal likes
For instance, today is Monday
Parvati follows vegetarian diet on Mondays
Aswin is really fond of Eggs
So, let's make a dish with Eggs
Sambar is something which Aswin really like
Cabbage Thoran is something which they both like
Looking at the combination
Its just a matter of about half an hour for me to prepare all these
We're making Egg Roast, an easy Sambar and an easy Cabbage Thoran
What else is there?
A Pachadi with Ginger (Inji Pachadi)
Cabbage Thoran, Sambar, Ginger Pachadi and Egg roast
That's more than enough
My grandson has to got to his kindergarten as it is Monday
Others have to go to office
I'm free today
After preparing all these, we'll have the food together
At around 3pm, they'll break their fast
For Aswin, it'll be around 4pm
Parvathy will have her food once she reaches here around 6pm
But she'll have a Sandwich at noon
Usually they don’t carry food to the office
They only have food one time a day, at night
After finishing my work, I'll be going to take a tour around Manchester
This is our world
For preparing our Sambar...
the onion which is available here is white in colour
There's no problem in using that
But, as we've got the Indian Onion with us...
let's use that
So take an Onion and a Potato and cut them into half
You can either use ordinary Cucumber...
or the ones used in Salads
I just wanted to show you
Then, a Carrot
Then...
A Brinjal
I bought all these from an Indian store including these two-three Lady's finger
Finally one Tomato
You can add Drumsticks if you have it
Let's cut the vegetables like we usually do for cooking Sambar
I've cut the vegetables
I used the Salad Cucumber here
There's no need of removing it's skin
Everything has been cut into big pieces
Brinjal and Tomato has been cut into two
Cucumber and Potato has been cut into four
Carrot and Lady's finger has also been cut
and finally one Onion
Everything is cut and ready to cook
We're going to add everything into a pressure cooker
Add ¾ cups of Tuvar Dal (Sambar Parippu)
It can vary from ½ cup to ¾ cup depending on our taste
Add ¾ cup if you want the Sambar really thick or else go for ½ cup
Aswin likes Sambar being thick
It's his favourite
I'm adding all the vegetables together
Into this, add Water
Add about...
I've added about 4 cups of water
The level of the water must be above that of the vegetables and Tuvar Dal
Approximately 5 cups of water can be added
Now let's add the powders
Add some Turmeric Powder first
Then comes Kashmiri Chilli Powder
Aswin is not a big fan of foods being spicy
If you like your Sambar spicy, then add 1 tbsp
I'm adding only ¾ tbsp
Next is Coriander Powder
Roughly add the same amount, that is ¾ tbsp
Let's add some Asafoetida Powder
Add about ½ tsp of it
Then add Fenugreek Powder
Add about ¼ tsp of Fenugreek Powder
Next, add some Salt
We can add more accordingly
Now close the lid
We can turn off the flame after one whistle is heard
If it's a cooker without a whistle...
let it cook for about 15 minutes in a medium flame...
Otherwise let it cook in a medium flame until one whistle is heard
Meanwhile I'm going to mince the Cabbage for the Thoran...
then we've got the Ginger Pachadi and Egg Roast left to make
It's been a while after I turned off the stove after hearing a whistle
So it's in a cold state now
Let's check it out
It's cooked perfectly
It's not at all overcooked and the Tuvar Dal is cooked perfectly
You can see it here
On stirring, you can see that the Tuvar Dal is perfectly cooked
The gravy of the Sambar has got the right consistency
I'm turning on the flame again
Let's boil it again...
and then add some Tamarind to it
Tamarind is available here too
I've soaked it in water
Add according to our need...
as the Tomato has got a sour flavour already
We can add more if necessary after checking the salt
Add some Coriander leaves and finally temper it
A bit more salt is required
We've already added Tamarind
Finally add some Coriander
Let it boil a bit more
We should preserve Coriander like this in a box
It'll preserve the freshness
Curry leaves are stored on top and Coriander just below it in a layered form
Let's add the required amount of Coriander Leaves
I think the sourness is a bit low
So let's add a bit more Tamarind about the size of a gooseberry
Only tempering is left
Take a look at the Coconut Oil, it looks like this
It's present in a thick form because of the prevailing climate here
It can be scooped with a spoon
Even though it looks like Butter, it's actually Coconut Oil
Don’t worry, It'll melt
Look how fast it melted
Let's add 1 tsp of Mustard
After that, add dry Red Chillies along with Curry Leaves
The Sambar has got boiled, let's turn off the stove now
Now let's temper it
So our easy Sambar is ready
One dish is finished
All the things required for our Egg roast is ready
Egg has been boiled
Likewise everything required for the Thoran is also ready
Only the preparation part is left
Finally our Sambar is ready
Plates are all ready
Onion for the Egg Roast is here
Take a look at the weather, it's drizzling
The weather keeps on changing here
When I started cooking it was really sunny and now it's drizzling
I really enjoy this sort of weather
I'm mainly using packets of desiccated Coconut
Frozen Coconuts are available
That is also stocked as well
I'm trying my best to make everything using desiccated Coconut
Thoran can be prepared with desiccated Coconut
It's ideal even for Theeyal
One another alternative which can be used is Coconut Milk
It's available in cans as well as packets
Canned ones are used more frequently here
Talking about canned foods...
Let's take the case of Bengal-Gram (Kadala)
We usually soak it in water overnight and then cook it
The process is same for Potatoes
If we have to make Tomato purée...
it should be blanched first and then skin must be removed after putting it in warm water
Here everything is much easier
Cooked Baby Potatoes are available in cans
Canned Tomatoes are available
You just have to add it directly to the curry
Even well cooked Bengal-Gram is also available in Cannes
Everything is stocked here
It's also not that expensive
These items are available everywhere
Soyabean, Butter-bean and all sorts of beans are available
Also a wide variety of corns like Baby-corns, Sweet-corns are also available
Let's open our shelves
I'm opening it with the help of a magnet
All this has been stocked by Parvathy...
and my goal is to finish all these
Here is some Butter-bean
Everything are precooked
I'm will be using this Mango slices for making Mambazha Pulisherry
There are chopped Tomatoes and baked Beans
All these can be used for making breakfast
Everyone here eats English breakfast
I'm thinking of a way of finishing all these
Then there is Red Kidney Beans
All these are cooked
It looks like a mini supermarket
Here is some cooked Chick Peas
And also some Sweet Corn in water
Many things like that
Pasta and other items are available
But I'm concentrating on traditional dishes
It's raining outside, this is the best time to cook
The Cabbage has been cut, cleaned and kept aside
Smash the Garlic gently with the knife
Cut Ginger, Garlic, Chillies and Onion
1 Chilli, around 1 tbsp of Ginger and 2 heads of Garlic
Instead of Cumin, I'll be using Cumin powder
Add some Coconut oil
It will get its real avatar on heating
One tsp of Mustard added has started to pop up
Add 2 or 3 dry Red Chillies
Add Curry Leaves
Let's not add a lot of Curry Leaves...
because its a bit expensive and its availability is limited
So let's not add it like we used to do back home
First add Ginger and Garlic
Along with it, add Green Chilies
The Chilli is really spicy, so one is enough
Usually people don't add Ginger in Thoran...
But as it's Cabbage Thoran there's no problem in adding it
Now let's add Cumin powder to this
Usually we add Garlic, Cumin, Green Chillies and Coconut together
Instead of that I'm adding ½ tsp of Cumin powder
Else you can add 1 tsp of whole Cumin at the time of tempering
I've added Cumin powder
Good aroma of the Cumin and Garlic is coming
It started to smell like a Thoran
Now add Onions
One fully chopped Onion
Back at home we have our red colored Onion
The Onion has started getting cooked
Now lets add...
Cabbage into it
The reason why I cleaned the Cabbage was to get a moisture content
So there's no need of adding any extra water to it
Add around ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder
Add the required Salt
Thoran will be ready in a few minutes
Let's close the lid
Cabbage cooks really fast
It's around 5 minutes now and I'm removing the lid
Our Cabbage is almost cooked
There's a good amount of steam
So it got cooked from that water content in the steam
Salt was added before
Now we're going to add Coconut to it
Back at home we used to grind and add Garlic, Cumin, Coconut and Green Chilli
But here the process is different
Now I'm adding about a cup of desiccated Coconut
Desiccated Coconut means dried Coconut
Wait for 5 minutes, then open the lid and give it a stir
After that, stir again for 5 minutes keeping it open and the Thoran will be ready
Give it a nice stir
Let's stir it with the lid open
Stir for 5 minutes
You can leave the dish on the flame a bit more, if you like it dry
Some amount of moisture is good for the dish
So our easy Cabbage Thoran is ready
It's so fast and easy
Any Thoran can be made similarly
It was Cabbage for today
This method can be used for almost any vegetable
Both of them likes Cabbage very much
One thing that was constant in Parvathy's tiffin...
from school till college was the Egg and Cabbage Thoran
She used to have it with Curd and Rice
She still likes Cabbage
Aswin also likes it
So our Sambar and Thoran are ready
Let's  make an Egg roast quickly
The first thing we need is  of-course Boiled Eggs
Five eggs are boiled and ready with me
Eggs must be slightly cut
Everything rest is really easy
Only the Onion is there to be sliced and it's sliced and ready
Three medium-sized Onions have been used for this
Turn on the stove and add Coconut oil
Rapeseed Oil is something widely used in these parts
Once the oil gets hot, add the Eggs
The Eggs must be fried slightly
Lets fry it a bit
I've slightly cut these Eggs
The masala will be adequate even if we take about 6-7 Eggs instead of 5
This is the first frying process
1 to 2 tbsp of Coconut oil is only required
Let's take it out
To this hot oil add the three medium sliced Onions we already chopped
Stir it until it becomes golden brown in colour
Let's add some Salt to it
Adding Salt will reduce the cooking time
While we're waiting for the colour to change...
let's make Ginger Pachadi
Ginger Pachadi is the easiest of all to prepare
Ginger paste is readily available here in cans
Back at home we used to have crushed Ginger and Garlic stored in our fridge
If we're having the paste ready, then the job is easy
Here I am provided with a lot of Ginger and Garlic paste
So it's a dish that can be made easily
The colour has started to turn Golden Brown...
and it's giving out a good aroma
Let's add Turmeric, Chilli and Coriander powders to it
I'm adding ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder
The powders must be added only after the oil has started to clear...
and when the Onion gives out a good aroma
The smell of Onion getting fried in the oil
Let's add 3 tbsp of Coriander Powder
I usually add 1½ tbsp of Kashmiri Chilli Powder...
but since everyone here don't like the food to be spicy, I'm just adding 1 tbsp of it
Reduce the flame
Let's add the previously fried Eggs to it
To this add the thick Coconut Milk
We're using canned Coconut Milk here
This is the canned Coconut Milk
I've opened a can
Let's add some thick Coconut Milk
Add about 3 to 4 tbsp of it
This dish has got a dry texture as it is Egg roast
Upto half a cup of Coconut Milk can be added...
depending on your preferred level of consistency
Check the Salt and add more if required
Oil will get cleared quickly because of the thick Coconut Milk
I've put the Egg roast on a low flame right now
The masala must cover the Eggs fully
There's two more things to be done
Add 1½ tsp of Vinegar
I'm adding Rice Vinegar. Synthetic Vinegar can also be added.
Add 1½ tsp of it
Also add some Curry Leaves
That's how we finish it
A bit more Salt is required
I've already added 1½ tsp of Vinegar
I've added a bit more now
And the Coconut Milk can be upto half a cup
Our Egg roast is ready
The first thing that we have to do is the tempering
Add Coconut Oil once the Pan gets hot
Add about 1 tbsp
The pan is really hot, lets reduce the flame
First step is to do the tempering for Ginger Pachadi
Add 1 tsp of Mustard
Then add Dry Chillies and Curry Leaves
And finally some Green Chillies
I usually add 2 Green Chillies back at home...
but I'm only adding a small amount to reduce the hotness
Just half of a Chilli is added
Let's add 1½ tbsp of Ginger Paste
Stir it well until the raw taste disappears
Add a pinch of Salt
Add required amount of Salt
This Pachadi can be cooked within minutes
This dish can be categorized as 'Under-5 minutes' dish
All of these can be cooked easily and I hardly took around 30 to 45 minutes
If everything is being cooked simultaneously...
all of it will be ready under 30 minutes
As I was filming this, it costed me some time...
Otherwise the whole lunch would've been prepared under 30 minutes
You can also do like that
Many of you have asked me about the daily Menu
That is the reason why I made this video
To understand what can be cooked as a menu at home
It must cook well and the raw taste must disappear
You can see the Ginger changing it's colour
Let's add thick Coconut Milk after reducing the flame
Add about ½ cup of thick Coconut Milk into this
Look what has happened after adding the thick Coconut Milk
We're adding Coconut Milk instead of crushed Coconut
To make our process easier
Keep it like this till it gets boiled...
and let it turn creamy
Now, turn off the flame
Pachadi is ready
All we have to add is some Curd once it has cooled a bit
Ginger Pachadi is ready
Actually, it will get ready only once Curd is added
It's getting boiled
Let it cool a bit
After that we'll add thick Curd
About ½ to ¾ cups of Curd can be added
More can be added depending on the level of Salt
Therefore, add bout ½ to ¾ cups of Curd after it cools down
The Curd available here is really thick, therefore ½ cup is more than enough
Upto 1 cup of Curd can be added depending on its spiciness...
as both Ginger and Chilli will be contributing to its spiciness
This is really good for digestion
Ginger Pachadi is better than any other Pachadis
All of these are side dishes and Sambar being our main
So every items on our easy menu is ready
I'll just have to clear the kitchen
After that I'll be heading out
I was planning to visit the Bury market
But it's open only thrice a week
I think its Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
It's a huge local market and I wish to show it to you
So we can go the city center
From there we can go to Trafford center
I went there once along with Aswin and Parvathy
I already decided to go there once more as I have to do some shopping there
After finishing the works here, lets head out to Trafford Center
