Monday, January 31, 2011

Idli(rice cakes)






Ingredients


  • Boiled rice                              3 cups
  • Raw rice                                1 cup
  • Urad dhal                               1 cup
  • Fenugreek seeds                    1/2tsp
  • Salt                                        3spoons


Method



  1. Soak rice and fenugreek seeds together and urad dhal seperately for 4 hours.
  2. Grind urad dhal first in a wet grinder then grind the rice.
  3. When the rice is ground add the urad dhal flour also into the grinder.
  4. Add salt and grind for few more minutes so that it mixes well and allow it to ferment.
  5. Once the flour rises and ferments pour it into idli plates and steam it for 20 minutes.
  6. Serve with cocnut chutney,sambhar,kothsu,onion chutney,pudina chutney or tomato chutney.
  7. It is a very easyily digestible and popular breakfast or tiffin in south indian homes.
















                                                   once it has fermented it doubles in size.


                                            Grease the plate with oil and then pour the dough.



                                                                 Steam it for 20 minutes


                                                 Serve with cocnut chutney and sambhar.



channa masala or chole


Channa Masala or Chole is a famous punjabi vegetarian dish prepared with chickpeas or white kabuli channa.It is served with Big sized pooris called Bhatures and of course it goes well with most of the Indian breads and even with normal bread.It is protein rich and healthy and very tasty.It is a very common dish in our house.I make it quiet ften.We mostly have it with Phulkas or rotis or sometimes with rice or bread when it is left over.My friend recently told me a new tip for making this channa to make it a little more tasty.She asked me to add one tsp Tomato Ketchup and one tsp Sugar to the channa, i tried it and it was so good if you like a little sweetness in the food you can try it out otherwise you can omit the sugar part.I drizzled a little lemon juice on top and had it along with some Onion slices it was so good and yummy!!!!!!


Palak Roti

Palak Roti  is the Indian flat bread with chopped spinach leaves and some spices added to it to make it more healthier and tastier.Palak Roti is nothing but adding chopped palak or spinach to the wheat dough and making a helathier version of the chapathi or roti that you make.


You will Need
  • One cup of Wheat flour 
  • One small bunch of Palak Leaves
  • Salt to Taste
  • Half a tsp of Chilli powder
  • Half a tsp of Cumin powder
  • A pinch of Turmeric powder
  • Half a tsp of Garam masala powder.




Method
  1. Clean and cut the palak into small pieces.add it to the wheat flour.
  2. Add all the other ingredients and make it into a soft dough.
  3. Roll it out into rot is and cook it on the taw a on both sides.
  4. Serve hot with dhal,vegetable or raita.



Sunday, January 30, 2011

Appam

Ingredients
rice   2 cups
urad dhal  1/4 cup
coconut milk 1 cup
soda        1/2 tsp
salt
sugar 1tsp


Method


soak rice and dhal for 4 hours.grind into a smooth paste with salt and allow it to ferment.
just before making the appam add a little sugar,soda and coconut milk.
keep the dough in a dosa consistency and spread it into a appa kadai and close it and cook it.
once it gets cooked like in the above picture serve with stew.

Pudhina rice







You will Need

  • One cup Basmati Rice
  • One bunch of Pudhina or Mint leaves
  • Two pods of Garlic
  • Small piece of Ginger
  • Two Green chillies
  • One sliced Onion
  • One Carrot
  • Ten Peas
  • One Potato
  • Salt to taste
  • Ghee
For Seasoning
  • Two Cardamom
  • Four Cloves
  • One small Cinnamon stick
  • One Bay leaf
  • One tsp Fennel Seeds


Method

1.cook basmati rice in the rice cooker and spread it on a plate and cool it with little ghee.
2.Grind pudhina,greenchillie,garlic,ginger and a little scraped cocnut or raw onion for binding.
3.Slice the onions and fry it in a thick pan with some oil with all other seasonings.
4.Add the ground paste and fry further.
5.Dice the vegetables and boil with salt and add it to the onions.add salt and fry for a minute.
6.Cool the mixture and add the rice and mix well.add ghee while mixing if required.it adds taste.
serve with raita.



Saturday, January 29, 2011

Curd rice/Yogurt Rice/Bagalabath

Curd Rice or yogurt rice is the most comforting food of south India especially Tamilnadu. You may call it curd rice,bagalabath or yogurt rice but it is basically cooked and mashed rice with yogurt,salt and some seasonings.It is very easy to make and it is very safe and comforting food because of the hot and humid climate in this part of the world.
I am not a big fan of curd rice but my husband is happy with curd rice and pickle.He has a sensitive stomach so i make curd rice for him a lot of times especially when he comes back late from work because it is easily digestible and safe food.
My mother used to make one big bowl of curd rice and serve us with freshly made aavakkai during peak summer.



Tomato rice

I  make tomato rice in three different ways.This type of tomato rice i ate in a restaurant called arusuvai in T Nagar.I quiet liked it so just came home and tried it.Those who like the flavour of mint and saunf will really like it.
Ingredients

 Rice
1 cup
Onion
2
Tomatoes
3
Green chillies
3
Mint leaves
1cup
Salt
2tsp
Oil
2tbs
Saunf
1tbs

Method
1.Cook rice in a rice cooker with little less water than usual.cool in a plate byspreading it in a plate and  adding 2 tbs of oil or ghee so that it does not stick to each other.

2.Heat oil in a pan add saunf and  fry the onions  and green chillies.

3.Add tomatoes,salt and fry well till the raw smell goes.add Mint leaves fry for a minute
4.Cool the mixture and mix it with the cooked rice and serve with chips and raita.




Friday, January 28, 2011

kozhukattai(ulundu)















The outer dough preparation is given in the vella kozhakattai page it is the same.

for the filling

  • Urad dhal    1cup
  • Green chillies   4
  • Asafoetida   pinch
  • Salt
  • Lemon juice
  • Mustard seeds
  • One tsp of oil


Method
Boil water with salt and gingelly oil,when it starts boiling add rice flour slowly,without forming any lumps.
bring it to chapati dough consistency and put off the gas and close and keep it for half an hour.
For the filling(ulundu poornam)
1.soak urad dhal for half an hour

2.Grind it with green chillies,salt and asafoetida.grind into a coarse paste.

3.Apply oil in the idli plates and Steam it  for 20 minutes


4.Take it out cool and break it into small pieces.If it is a little hard whisk it in the mixer for few seconds like sometimes we do for paruppu usili.

5.Heat oil in a pan crackle mustard seeds and add the broken urad dal and saute for few minutes.
add lime juice at the end and the filling is ready.
6.Make a cup like mould with the rice flour and fill it up with poornam and close it in the shape shown in the picture and steam it in the idli plate for 20 minutes.


Friday, January 21, 2011

Brinjal rice











Ingredients
rice           11/2cups
brinjal       300gms
big onions 300gms
green peas  1cup peeled
corianderleaves   2tbs
turmeric powder  1/2tsp
salt

For the masala (roast and grind)
channa dhal  11/2tsp
dhania seeds 11/2tsp
red chillies      6
clove              2
cardamom      1
cinamon stick  small piece
saunf              1/2tsp
khus khus       1/2tsp
dry coconut     1tsp

method
cook the rice in the rice cooker with little less water than usual so that rice does not stick to each other.
roast the ingredients in little oil and powder it (not very smooth)
slice the onions and brinjal lenghtwise and boil the peas seperately.
heat oil in a kadai add mustard seeds and channa dhal and add onions,fry for few minutes and add brinjal and fry till the brijal is cooked by covering it for few minutes.add boiled peas.
add turmeric powder,salt and the masala powder and mix with the cooked rice.
garnish with corianderleaves and serve with any raita.

Baingan bartha



Ingredients

Big brinjal
1
Onions
2-3
Tomatoes
2-3
Turmeric powder
1/4tsp
Salt
11/2tsp
Chilli powder
1/2tsp
Garam masala powder

Ginger(sliced)
few
Garlic chopped
2pods
Coriander powder
1/4tsp
Cumin powder
1/4tsp
Coriander leaves
2tbs


Method
  1. Roast the brinjal on fire until the skin becomes black then cool,peel,mash and keep it separate.
  2. Chop onions,garlic and tomatoes into fine pieces.
  3. Fry cut onions in a pan till transculent,add garlic,tomatoes and fry till the raw smell goes.
  4. Add all the powders,peas and the mashed brinjal and fry for few more minutes.
  5. Garnish with coriander leaves and sliced ginger and serve with roti.
Suggestion
  • Boiled green peas can be added to enhance the taste and colour.
  • Chopped green chillies can also be added.
  • This given quantity serves four to five people.
  • Serve hot baingan bartha with any kind of hot roti

Rajma(kidney beans)

Rajma(kidney beans)is a very popular north Indian Dal.I learnt to make most of my north Indian food from my friend Jyoti in Singapore when i started my family.I often make this Dal because it is very tasty and my kids love it.



Ingredients


Rajma
200gms
onions
3
Tomatoes
3
Coriander leaves
For garnishing
Turmeric powder
1/2tsp
Chili powder
1tsp
Garam masala powder
1tsp
salt
To taste
Jaggery or sugar
1tsp
Coriander powder
1tsp

To grind


Ginger
Small piece
Garlic
3 or 4 pods
Mint leaves
2tbs
Tomato
half
Onion
half


To season

Cumin seeds
1tsp
cloves
4
cardamom
2
Cinnamon
1inch
                                          
Method


            Soak rajma seeds overnight.pressure cook the Dal for 25minutes with salt and turmeric powder.


Chop onions and tomatoes.Grind some onions,tomatoes,ginger,garlic,mint leaves into a paste.


Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds,cloves,cinnamon,cardamom and  cut onions and fry till brown then add cut tomatoes and the ground paste and  fry until raw smell goes.

                                 Add turmeric powder,chili powder,coriander powder and salt


                                           mash some cooked rajma and add it to the gravy


                                            add the boiled rajma(beans) and garam masala powder.


             Boil till the gravy thickens.Add jaggery(optional)at the end and garnish with coriander leaves.


 Serve hot with rotis or rice


Saturday, January 8, 2011

Dhal Makhni







Ingredients

Black urad Dal
1cup
Rajma beans
10
oil
3tbs
Cumin seeds
1tsp
Onions
3
Tomatoes
3
Ginger
Small piece
Garlic
3pods
Turmeric powder
1/2tsp
Chili powder
1tsp
Cumin powder
1tsp
Coriander powder
1tsp
Garam masala powder
11/2tsp
Coriander leaves
2tbs
Salt
2-3tsp


Method
1.Soak urad Dal and rajma over night.pressure cook till soft for 25 minutes.
2.cut onions,tomatoes,garlic and ginger into small fine pieces.
3.Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds,fry onions till brown then add tomatoes,ginger and garlic paste and fry till        raw smell goes.
4.Add all the powders and cook till it becomes thick .
5.Garnish with coriander leaves.served along with all kinds of rotis and pulao.
Notes

  • You can add fresh cream at the end to make it more rich in taste.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Cauliflower and Potato



Ingredients
Cauliflower
1(med)
Potato
1
Onion
1-2
Toamto
1
Peas(shelled)
1/2cup
Capsicum
1
Turmeric powder
1/4tsp
Chilli powder
1/2tsp
Garam masala powder
1/2tsp
Salt
11/2tsp
Coriander leaves
1tbs
oil
2tbs
Cumin seeds
1tsp


Method

  1. Dice all the vegetables
  2. Boil water put the diced cauliflower,potato,peas shut off the stove close the vegetables for ten minutes.
  3. Heat oil in a thick pan add cumin seeds and fry onions till brown and tomatoes till cooked.
  4. Add rest of the vegetables stir fry for 5 minutes.
  5. Add turmeric,salt,chilli powder and finally garam masala powder.

Suggestions


  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with phulkas.