Cabbage Kari (Poriyal)

My little bro is a great cook too... I guess its in our gene :)... and this is a recipe I borrowed from him... He makes the world's best "Muttaikos (cabbage) Kari" .... It reminds me of our days in the B city... where he used to cook for me... "tomato sambar and cabbage kari "... and till date... I ask him to make this combo whenever we meet ....This is so simple to make... yet I mess it up all the time... and he makes it with great ease...

Ingredients

2 cups of chopped cabbage
1/4 cup of grean peas
1/4 cup of grated coconut
2 red chilli
1tsp of mustard seeds
1tsp of channa dal
1tsp of urad dal
1 tsp of oil
A pinch of Hing (Asafoetida, kayam)
A pinch of turmeric powder
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method

In a Pan add a little water, salt and turmeric powder. Then add the cabbage and cook this until the cabbage is done. ( You can also microwave this for 2 - 3 minutes). In another pan heat oil and then add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the red chilli, channa and urad dal, hing, green peas and curry leaves. Add the cooked cabbage and toss for another 2 minutes. Remove from the flame and add the grated coconut.... Its really that simple....

Tricks: Do not add a lot of water, this will get the cabbage soggy.... If you add too little water, it might burn... So add little by little...

Paruppu Payasam

Yet another simple yet delicious recipe... Feels nostalgic, Komu Paati used to make paruppu paayasam very often when I was a kid...I still remember licking my cups and the banana leaves (during festive occasions) ....I just love it... I would have tried this a zillion times... until recently ... when I found Coconut milk was the secret ingredient....

Ingredients

4 tbsp of Moong Dal
2 tbsp Channa Dal
1/2 cup of Jaggery (Powdered)
1 Cup Milk
1 tsp of ghee
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
Elaichi Powder
Chopped Nuts and Raisins for garnish

Method

Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan and roast the cashews and raisins (or nuts) and keep aside. In this add the moong dal and channa dal and fry for 2 minutes. Pressure cook the dal. In the pan, heat the jaggery in 1/2 cup of water until it dissolves. Strain this to remove any sediments in the jaggery. Place this on medium flame again and add the dal and mix well. Remove from heat and add the milk and coconut milk. Add elaichi and garnish with the roasted nuts.

Yummy lickalicious Paruppu Payasam ready.... You will definitely lick the bowl :) !!!!

Tricks: Do not add milk and jaggery together and heat. The milk might curdle at times.
Paati also used to fry a little grated coconut and use it for garnish.

Vegetable Fried Rice

I have always wondered how a Vege fried rice could be served as a FAST FOOD... I just couldn't believe it is so quick, easy and simple to make...

Mr.B loves the fast food style Fried Rice, I borrowed this recipe from him and gave him a sweet surprise on our anniversary... He was floored... and he had this for lunch, dinner and guess what... he asked me to make for lunch the next day too ... ;)

Needless to say... this was my first attempt... and I seem to have mastered it... hehehe...

Ingredients
1 cooked cup of rice
3/4 cup of chopped cabbage
1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped green beans (or peas)
4 stalks of green onions chopped
1 tbsp of oil
1 tsp of pepper powder
1tsp of soy sauce
Salt to taste


Method

In a pan heat the oil, Add the cabbage, and beans and saute for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and green onions and saute for another minute. Add the pepper powder and salt and soy sauce. Finally add the cooked rice and mix everything well. Remove from flame, garnish with some green onions and serve hot.

This just takes less than 5 minutes to make. It definitely is faaaaaaaast...& Yummmmmmyyy !!!... Try this and you will never buy fried rice from a fast food joint anymore... ;)

Tricks : To cook 1 cup of rice - Boil 2 cups of water and add a tsp of vinegar. The rice will never stick if you add vinegar when you cook the rice. Also, cook until the rice is 90% done and then strain the excess liquid. Cool off the rice by spreading it in a big sheet or a plate.

I am a hard core vege... but for you non-veg lovers...
Add some scrambled eggs to this... n tadaaa...its Egg fried rice !!!
Add some grilled chicken pieces ..... n tadaaa... its Chicken fried rice !!!

Kadai Paneer

This again was something I tried for the first time... and it turned out really well... The freshly ground garam masala made a world of difference. This is so aromatic and gives a special touch to the kadai paneer.

Ingredients

1 cup of paneer, cut into bigger cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 cup green & red capsicums, chopped
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup tomato puree ( or 1tbsp tomato paste)
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1 bay leaf
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped


For fresh garam masala
2 green cardamoms
2 cloves
1/2 tsp of pepper corns
1 tsp of corriander seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick

Method:

In a pan, dry roast all the spices in low flame and grind this into a powder. Heat ghee in a pan, add 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds , bay leaf and ginger-garlic paste. Stir-fry till the moisture evaporates. Also add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric,and tomato puree and stir-fry until they change color and the ghee separates from the masala . Add chopped onions and saute until brown. Then add paneer cubes, capsicum & salt and fry until the paneer is light brown.

Sprinkle a tsp of the fresh garam masala powder and add 1/2 cup of water and cook until the gravy thickens. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with parathas or any pulao. This serves 3 - 4 people.

This is a finger licking recipe.... :)

Tomato Rasam

Amma's recipe for thakkali rasam... I simply love this... I can literally drink cups and cups and cups of this rasam...Pa says he never used to like rasam before marriage... But after mom made this for him, he can never finish a meal without this rasam...My little bro adores this rasam... I still remember the days he used to pack rasam saadam for lunch every single day... It is his all time favorite..Mom Passed this recipe on to me... and now... there is another victim... Mr.B... hahahaha...

Ingredients

2 chopped tomatoes
1 tsp of sambar powder
A small piece of tamarind
(or) 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste
1 small piece of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1/4 cup of toor dal
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of jeera (cumin seeds)
1 tsp of Ghee
salt to taste
2 cups of water
Corriander and curry leaves for garnish

Method

Pressure Cook the toor dal, mash it and pour cup of water and mix well. Let this rest, so that the dal settles to the bottom and the dal water rises up. Soak the tamarind in half a cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Extract the tamarind puree to a pan (you can also use 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste). Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, sambar powder, hing & salt. Give this a good crush with your hand. Cook this mixture for 10 - 15 minutes, till it reduces to 1/3. Add the dal water and keep this on high flame. Bring this to a screaming boil and immediately remove from the flame.

Heat ghee in a small pan, and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter add jeera , a pinch of hing, and curry leaves and pour it on the rasam. Garnish with corriander leaves.

This is YUMMMILICIOUS .... You can serve this as a soup, or serve it with steamed rice.... I even add this to my oats... this makes it 1000 times better than the mundane milk / butter milk serving...

Tricks: Only trick is to cook the initial mixture very well until it reduces. This really makes the rasam taste so yummy....And season with ghee... the aroma is mindblowing...

Chinna Vengaya Araichu Vitta Sambar

What do I say about this, guess Araichu Vitta sambar is more famous with the KIs ;)... Try this and you will never look at Sambar the same way ... heehee...

Ingredients

15 pearl onions (shallots)
1/2 cup toor dal
Tamarind (size of a golf ball)
1tsp of Sambar powder
1tsp of mustard seeds
1tsp fenugreek seeds (methi / vendayam)
salt to taste
2 tsp of oil
3 cups of water

For the paste
1/2 cup grated coconut
5 dry red chilles
1tsp of corriander seeds
1tsp of channa dal
curry leaves

Method

Pressure cook the toor dal in a cup of water. Soak the tamarind in half a cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Strain the tamarind puree and keep it aside. In a pan heat 1tsp of oil and fry red chillies, corriander seeds, channa dal, curry leaves and the coconut and fry until the coconut turns light golden brown. Be careful not to burn the coconut. Cool this and grind it into a smooth paste. Mix this paste with the cooked toor dal.

In the same pan, add a little oil and saute the shallots for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the tamarind puree, sambar powder, salt and 1/2 cup of water. Mix this together cook well for 10 - 15 minutes. The raw smell of tamarind should go away. The mixture should have now reduced to atleast 1/3. Now add the cooked toor dal and the ground masala mix to this. Add another cup of water and mix everything together and bring it to a boil. Taste this, you can add a lil salt if needed (This will cook for another 10 - 15 minutes).

Season the sambar with a little mustard & fenugreek seeds. You can also add dry red chillies, incase you want it to be more spicy. Garnish with corriander and curry leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice...

Yummy Araichu vitta chinna vengaya sambar ready !!!!

Tricks: Amma's little trick, she adds just one shallot with the grinding mixture, this adds a great aroma and taste to the sambar.

You can use any of these vegetables - drumsticks, raddish, pumpkin,bitter gourd, egg plant, potato etc...

As soon as you add the dal and masala, check for taste add a little salt or tamarind paste (do not add the tamarind puree at this point) if needed. If it is less spicy, you can season it with dry red chillies when you season it finally.

Sunday Samayal

This reminds me of my childhood... Every Sunday, yes every sunday... was made special with Amma's mouth watering Chinna Vengaya araichu vitta sambar, Thakkali rasam & Uralai kezhangu fry... Appa used to top this off with Aviyal... I havent had this combo for a long long long time... Thanks to Mr.B... We tried to recreate a bit of this... it was lickalicious....heeheehee...

Instant Tomato Chutney

Thakkali chutney, I can eat it any time of the day and literally with anything... Idli, Dosai, Chapati, Pongal, Upma... name it, I could use a little thakkali chutney with it.... Luckily Mr.B likes this too... this makes life a lot more easier ....

Ingredients

1 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp of chilli powder
2 tsp of gingely oil (sesame oil)
Curry leaves
1/2 tsp of mustard
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
A pinch of salt

Method

In a pan, heat the oil and add the mustard. Once this splutters, add the curry leaves and a pinch of hing. Then add the chopped tomatoes, chilli powder & salt. Cook this for about 10 - 12 minutes. Make sure the tomato is well cooked and all the water has evaporated. You can serve this with idli, dosai, upma, pongal, even rotis.

Thats Instant Tomato Chutney for you.... it sure is yummmmm...

Tricks : You can add 1/2 tsp of tomato paste, that gives it a little kick and tangy taste.

Mix this with a cup of rice... instant tomato rice ready ;)... Pack this with some chips / vadaams... Instant lunch box is ready ...

Arisi Upma

Paaru paati (mom's mom) used to make real yummy arisi upma, I guess this is my mom's favorite... and my hubby's too .... This makes me wonder... has this something to do with Thanjavur... most of the the TIs seem to love this....

I borrowed this recipe from my MIL ...it simply is delicious... and very very easy to make...

Ingredients
1 Cup broken rice (Arisi odasal)
3 cups of water
3 red chilles
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp Toor dal
1 tsp Urad dal
Curry leaves
A pinch of Asafoetida
2 tsp of oil
1tsp coconut oil
Salt to taste

Method

In a flat bottom pan, heat 2 tsp of oil and the mustard. Once the mustard splutters, add the chilli and dals. Then add a pinch of asafoetida and the curry leaves. Add the water and bring this to a boil. Now add salt and the coarsely ground rice. Stir and mix everything immediately, as it might get lumpy if you do not stir at this point. Place a lid and cook this on low flame for 10 minutes. Check if the rice is cooked, if it is not, just sprinkle a little water and cook for another five minutes. Add a tsp of coconut oil finally and serve hot. The coconut oil added finally, brings out a great aroma... and it definitely will get your mouth watering ;)... Serve this with tomato chutney.

Believe me... this is delicious.... :).... Mr.B... will definitely vouch for this... hee hee...

Tricks: To make the rice rava... In a blender / mixie add 1 and 1/4 cup of rice and grind it coarsely. A trick to get even coarse rava is to sprinkle a little water. You might want to run this quickly through a sieve to remove any powder or finely ground rice. This will give you 1 cup of coarse rice rava.

You might want to add 2.5 cups of water initially and then add the water if needed later. This depends on the quality of rice you are using.

Amma's recipe is a little different. She adds a little grated coconut, chopped green chillies and ginger. A wee bit of freshly ground pepper. She also adds a little toor dal when grinding the rice. I always like this better... just bcos.. it carries amma's special ingredient.... "LOTS of LOVE" :)

Matar Paneer

Matar Paneer... Its every vegetarian's favorite...Serve it with hot rotis or plain jeera rice... it definitely tastes divine.... I cant believe ma n pa loved this...They generally preferred traditional South Indian food... Ma even makes it at home these days...

Ingredients

1 cup cubed paneer
1 cup green peas
1 inch cube of ginger
2 - 3 cloves of garlic
6-8 almonds / cashews
2 tsp of tomato paste
1/2 cup onions finely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin / fennel seeds
3 tsp of butter or ghee
1/2 cup of water
Salt to taste
Chopped green corriander for garnish

Method

Add ginger, garlic and almonds to a blender and grind this to a smooth paste. You can sprinkle a little bit of water. Do not add too much, because it might take a little longer to cook. In a pan, heat 2 tsp of butter and add the cumin seeds. then add this paste and fry this until the paste and the butter separate. Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala. Then add tomato paste and cook similarly. Now add the onions and saute them until the onions become transparent. This is the base for any gravy. Use medium flame and a non-stick pan, this will help cook the masala evenly. You don't have to stir this constantly, but do not let this burn. It might take at least 15 minutes for the masala to cook. Now add the paneer and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally add the green peas (frozen) and a half cup of water (add more if the gravy is a little thick) and allow this to cook for the last 5 minutes. Drop in the last tsp of butter and garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with phulkas / rotis....

Its YUMMMMMY YUMM...

Tips - You can also add tomato puree (blanch, peel and puree fresh tomatoes).. I just go with the store bought tomato paste.

You can also add heavy cream with the water to thin out the gravy, this will give a smooth and silky texture... but also bump up the calories... hee hee..

Some recipes call for frying the paneer. But I like it soft, so I don't fry them... phew... added calories... ;)

Brown Garbanzo Beans Sundal

Karuppu Konda Kadalai Sundal, Amma used to make these on Saraswathi Pooja. I just tried to tweak her recipe a little bit...

Ingredients
1 Cup Brown Garbanzo Beans (karuppu konda kadalai)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp mustard
1tsp jeera
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp oil
Curry leaves
A pinch of salt and sugar to taste

Method

Soak the beans over nite and cook them in a pressure cooker. Add the salt when you cook the beans. In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the jeera and onions. Saute Onions and add the chilli powder and garam masala for 3 - 4 minutes. Then add the cooked beans and saute for another 5 minutes on medium flame. Add a pinch of sugar if needed. Garnish with curry leaves and serve. This recipe serves 2 people.

Yummy Sundal Ready !!!!

Tips : You can do a lot of mix n match with this. Try replace onions with grated coconut. This also tastes really good. However my mom's traditional way is to add grated coconut and dried red chillies (without onions, chilli powder & garam masala). You will love this as well.

Parotta

That's my Parotta Master...my dear Chef...my dearest hubby...


I have to get the recipe from him... hope to post it soon...

Mouth Watering JAANGRI

Almost every wedding plate in a South Indian wedding, will include a Jaangri...Or should I say, a wedding plate is incomplete without a Jaangri ;)...

This yummy delight is one of my favorite sweets. I got the recipe from my dear dad and tried it out for Diwali 2008. Guess the pictures speak for themselves... And all my friends will definitely vouch for the taste :)... This was my big success in the first try...

Ingredients
1 cup urad dal (split black gram)
2 tsp rice flour
1 pinch saffron color (orange food color)
1 cup to fry oil or ghee
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup of water
Chopped Pistachios for garnish.

Method

Wash and soak the dal for 1 - 2 hrs. Drain the water completely and grind to a very fine paste (until you reach a thick paste like consistency ). Just sprinkle water as and when you grind. Add add saffron color and rice flour and mix well. Put this mixture to zip lock bag and this is ready to pipe. For the sugar syrup, add sugar and water and heat it in a pan. Bring this to a boil and close to 1 string consistency. Remove it from the flame and set the sugar syrup aside.

In another flat bottom shallow pan, heat the oil / ghee for frying. Place this in medium-low heat, so that the Jaangris cook evenly. Pipe the urad dal mixture. Use a wooden skewer or a fork to gently turn the Jaangris and cook them on both sides. Using a spatula may break them. Once the jaangris are cooked ( you will know this when the bubbles in the oil subside), remove them from the oil and put them into sugar syrup as shown. Just soak them for 2 - 3 minutes and remove it onto the serving dish. Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve. This recipe makes 12 - 15 Jangris.

Important Tips & Tricks

Always try out new recipes in smaller batches :)

For the piping bag, Take a thick Zip-lock bag reverse it .Heat a small nail and pierce the center of the zip lock bag. By doing this you not only create a perfect hole in the center, but also seal the edges. By this way the hole will not tear apart when you apply the pressure while piping the mixture.

For Grinding - Use a food processor / Grinder as this aerates the mixture properly. If you use a Mixie or a blender make sure you do not over heat the mixture and grind for shorter intervals.

For the perfect batter consistency - Mixture should be a fine paste, and should fall like a string when you drop it. This is the right consistency.If it is very thick , sprinkle a little water and thin it out. (If the paste is thin, add another tsp of rice flour - But this will alter the taste and texture of the jaangri).

For the perfect shape - Appa says this comes only with practice...So practice by piping for a trial run on a plate, before you pipe into the oil. Do not give up !! if you do not get it right the first time...You will definitely get it in the 3 or 4 round. Start off with a clockwise motion, draw a big circle. This will be your base. Over this use smaller anticlockwise circular motion to create the overlapping petals.

For Sugar syrup consistency - If the sugar syrup is undone, the jangris may become soggy. If the sugar syrup reaches 2 string consistency or if it boils for a longer time, It will form crystals.

Always use a flat bottom shallow pan to fry the jaangris. This will be easier when you pipe the mixture into the hot oil and help the jaangris float in the oil. Depending on the size of your pan, you will be able to pipe 4 - 5 jangris in one set. This gives enough room for the jaangris to cook evenly.

This is a time consuming recipe... but the final product is worth all the effort. It is real fun to make your own plate of Jangri... Am sure you will enjoy this...!!!

Coconut Chutney

A plate of Idli, Vada, Dosai, Pongal will never be complete without a cup of coconut chutney...

Ingredients

1 cup fresh grated coconut
1 green chilli
salt to taste
2 tsp of split peas (split roast gram dal)
2 tbsp of water
1 small pearl onion (shallot)
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
1 tsp of Urad dal
2 tsp of oil
Curry leaves.

Method

In a mixer, Add coconut, chilli, roasted split peas, onion & salt grind this. Add the water slowly and grind it into smooth paste. For seasoning, Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the urad dal. Once the dal turns light brown add the Curry leaves. You can also add a pinch of Hing if necessary. Pour this onto the chutney and serve.

Enjoiiiiii !!!!

Tips: You can also use frozen grated coconut, Just use Hot water instead of the cold water in the above recipe.

Maddur Vada

This yummy treat was my favorite during my stay in Bangalore...I tried this recipe at home, and it turned out to be a major hit.

Ingredients

1 cup Fine Suji or Fine Semolina (Rava)
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/4 cup Maida or All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tbsp Hot oil for kneading
1 big onion finely chopped onions
1 tsp Fennel seeds (saunf)
2 tsp channa dal or chopped peanuts
1 small bunch Coriander leaves Finely chopped
1 small bunch Curry leaves Finely chopped
2 Green chillies finely chopped
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 cups oil for deep frying

Method

In a mixing bowl add rice flour, maida, rava, red chilli powder salt and hot oil and mix well. Knead this well until it becomes a thick dough. Add the chopped - onions. Coriander leaves, curry leaves, fennel seeds, channa dal and chillies and sprinkle a little bit of water make this into make a thick dough. Take a golf ball size of this mixture and flatten on your hand (apply a little oil over your hand before you do this) or a greased plastic sheet. Drop into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown. Serve with coconut / mint chutney

This is a great recipe... You will definitely love :)

Tips: You may want to knead the plain dough in a food processor / mixie . This gives a uniform dough. Do not add a lot of water, as the onions may also release some water when mixed in. This might make the vada very oily. You can also roll the dough out into 1/2 inch thick sheet and cut using a cookie cutter.

Black Eyed Bean Salad

Try this and you will start loving your salads.

Ingredients

1 cup of boiled Black Eye Beans
1/2 cup chopped red onions
1/2 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
2 tsp lemon juice.
A pinch of salt to taste
A pinch of chilli powder
A pinch of chaat masala (optional)
Coriander leaves

Method

Soak the beans overnight and cook them with a pinch of salt. Drain the excess water and your beans is all ready to be dressed up. Mix all the ingredients and garnish with coriander. This recipe serves two.

Curd Rice

"Dhadiyonnam" , "Thayir sadam" , "Yogurt Rice" ... Well call it anything... it definitely is a treat anytime of the day :)

Ingredients
1 cup of cooked rice
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of curd (yogurt)
1 finely chopped green chilli
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp urad dal
1 tsp of oil
A pinch of salt to taste
A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1tsp chopped coriander & curry leaves

Method

In a bowl mix cooked rice, salt and milk. Add yogurt and mix well. For seasoning, heat a tsp of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the urad dal, chopped ginger, chillies, curry leaves and finally add hing. Add this to the mixed yogurt rice. Garnish with coriander and and serve with pickle or fried chillies (mor molagai). This recipe serves 2 people.

Yummy Thayir Saadam Ready !!!

Tips: Nothing can go wrong with this. Always cool the rice before you mix in the curds and just make sure you do not have sour curds.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients
1 cup of cooked rice
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 finely chopped green chilli
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 dry red chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp channa dal
1 tsp of oil
A pinch of salt to taste
A pinch of sugar to taste
A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1tsp chopped coriander & curry leaves
Roasted cashews

Method
For seasoning, heat a tsp of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the red chillies, urad & channa dal, chopped ginger, chillies, curry leaves and finally add hing. Add the grated coconut and saute this for 3 - 4 minutes. Add this to the cooked rice. Add salt & sugar and mix well. Garnish with cashews & coriander and serve hot. This recipe serves 2 people.

That was easy ... Wasn't it !!!?!!!

Tips: Nothing can go wrong with this. Always cool the rice before you mix. Make sure the rice is not overcooked and does not stick.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients
1 cup of cooked rice
Juice of 2 lemons
1 finely chopped green chilli
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 dry red chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp channa dal
1 tsp of oil
A pinch of salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric
A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1tsp chopped coriander & curry leaves
Roasted cashews or peanuts

Method
For seasoning, heat a tsp of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the red chillies, urad & channa dal, chopped ginger, chillies, curry leaves. Finally add turmeric & hing. In a bowl, add salt and the lemon juice, then the seasoning. Add cooked rice and mix well. Garnish with coriander & roasted nuts and serve. This recipe serves 2 people.


Tips: Nothing can go wrong with this. Always cool the rice before you mix. Make sure the rice is not overcooked and does not stick. Add juice of 2 small lemons first. Remember you can always add if any ingredient is less but never take it out :) .

Experiment: Wanna be creative? Add finely chopped carrots. It takes your lemon rice to the next level ;)

Tomato Rice

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked rice
3 chopped tomatoes
1 chopped onion
1 finely chopped green chilli
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp channa dal
3 tsp of oil
1tsp of chilli powder
A pinch of salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric
1tsp chopped coriander & curry leaves
Roasted cashews or peanuts

Method

For seasoning, heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add urad & channa dal, chopped ginger, chillies, curry leaves. Finally add turmeric & hing. Add the onions and saute them for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the chilli powder and salt to taste. Then add tomatoes and cook until this reduces to a thick gravy. In a bowl, add cooked rice and slowly add this tomato mixture and mix well. Garnish with coriander & roasted nuts and serve. This recipe serves 2 people.

Tips: Nothing can go wrong with this. Always cool the rice before you mix. Make sure the rice is not overcooked and does not stick. Add 3 - 4 tsp of the tomato gravy first. Remember you can always add if any ingredient is less but never take it out :) .

Experiment: Wanna be creative? Instead of the regular seasoning, add a bay leaf, 2 cardamoms, 2 cloves, a tsp of fennel seeds. Then add ginger garlic paste, cook until the raw smell goes off and add the onions and tomato. Add a tsp of garam masala powder and chilli powder and cook this mixture into a thick gravy. This spikes up an ordinary tomato rice to a yummy tomato briyani. Serve hot with raita.

Filter Kaapi

Those were days when I just loved waking up to the aroma of "dikaashan" (coffee) . A cup of fresh filter coffee provided all the energy for a great start.

Guess even today nothing beats a cup of strong "Filter Kaapi".

Ingredients
1 cup of milk
3 tsp of finely ground coffee powder
1/2 cup boiling water
1tsp sugar


Method

To Make the "dikashan", place the coffee powder in the filter and pour the boiling water into this. Keep this aside for 10 minutes. Boil the milk. Now mix in 2 - 3 tsp of dikashan and sugar. The trick to get cappuccino effect is to mix the coffee using two cups. Pour from one cup to another in a quick motion, however the cups should at least be 15 - 20 inches apart. Serve hot.

Tips: You can also use Nescafe Classico instant coffee powder that you get here. Boil a cup of milk for 1 minute. Once it boils, bring it to a second boil for another 30 seconds. Now add 1/2 tsp of Nescafe classico and 1tsp of sugar and mix the coffee using 2 cups. You will get a similar version of the filter kaapi... only instantly...:)

Ghee Pongal

Ingredients

3/4 Cup of Rice
1/4 Cup of Moong dal
3 Cups of water
2 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Jeera
1tsp finely chopped ginger
A pinch of Hing
Salt to taste
Roasted Cashew and Curry leaves for garnish.

Method

Pressure cook the rice and dal in 3 cups of water. In a seperate pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee and add pepper , Jeera and ginger. Once they are roasted add a 1/2 cup of water and bring this to a boil. Add the salt and the cooked rice and mix well in low flame. Remove from flame and garnish with cashew & curry leaves. Add the remaining ghee and Serve hot.

Suda Suda Ghee Pongal ready !!!

Tips: When you make larger quantities, to keep the Pongal hot, place it in the oven (@ 250*F) until you serve. Always serve the Pongal hot...:) thats when it tastes the best...

Happy Pongal

Our Pongal Plate

Chakkarai Pongal

Pongal Special - Thai Pongal - A harvest festival celebrated in the South of India.

This brings memories of Pa taking us to the market to get "Karumbu", " Inji kothu , manjal kothu and vaazhai ilai" for the pooja. And ma making yummy "chakkarai pongal" in the "Pongal paanai". Wish I was a kid again :)

Ingredients

3/4 Cup of Rice
1/4 Cup of Moong dal
1 Cup Milk
3 Cups of water
3/4 Cup Jaggery (Gud)
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Elaichi Powder
Roasted Cashew and Raisins for garnish.

Method

Pressure cook the rice and dal in 3 cups of water. In a seperate pan, Boil milk and add the cooked rice mixture and cook again for another 10 minutes. Then add the jaggery and stir well till it mixes. Add the ghee and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from flame and garnish with elaichi, cashew and raisins and Serve hot.

Jeera Boli

BOGI Festival Special - Bogi , the first day of Pongal. A day when we cleaned out the house and threw away all the unwanted stuff. Somehow, it always brings me memories of Ma making delicious Jeera Boli, paruppu vadai and payasam for lunch.

This time I wanted to try the Boli myself, and they turned out pretty yummy. Thank you amma for the wonderful recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup Maida or All Purpose Flour
4 cups oil for deep frying
2 cups of Sugar
1 cup of water
2 tsp of Pistachios chopped
1 tsp Cardamom powder (Elaichi)
Pinch of salt (to taste)

Method

In a mixing bowl put maida, salt & a little bit of water and knead well. Set the dough aside for 30 minutes. For the Jeera (Sugar Syrup), Heat the sugar and water in a flat bottom pan. Bring the syrup to "1 string" consistency and turn off the heat. Then add cardamom powder. Roll a golf size ball of the dough and roll it out like small puris. Drop these puris into hot oil and deep fry until light golden brown. Soak the puris in the sugar syrup for 5 minutes and fold them in halves.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve. This recipe makes 12 - 15 Bolis.

Foodie turned Bloggie

FOOD - This has always been fascinating me over the years. Maa, Paa, thatha and paati have always showered me with all the great yummy treats at home. They have been a great inspiration in turning my love for food into PASSION for Cooking.

I started experimenting my culinary skills on my brother and now my hubby. Then, I started entertaining a lot of my friends & family with some great recipes that I learnt in the past. Now on popular demand, I am penning them down.

Here are some of the great recipes I borrowed from mom, dad, thaatha n paati, lil brother, my hubby and my friends...

My Experiments with Food