Peas Pulao

• Soak 1 cup of rice in equal amount of water for about 20 mins
• Heat 1 tsp of butter and 3 tsp of oil in a pan
• Season it with 6 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cardamoms, 1 spring of curry leaves, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 2 long green chilly slit lengthwise
• Add 2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste and saute well till raw smell disappears
• Add 1 red onion finely chopped and salt per taste
• Saute the contents till onions turn translucent
• Add 1 cup of frozen peas (carrots/beans is fine too)
• Add 1/2 tsp of any briyani/pulav masala
• Add 1 tsp of pepper powder
• Add 1/4 tsp of cumin powder
• Saute all till the peas is half done (about 3 mins or so)
• Now drain and save the water from the rice
• Add the drained rice and stir for 2 more mins
• You may add 1 tsp of oil at this stage - optional
• Add 1 handful of cilantro leaves (and optional: mint leaves if any)
• Add the drained water PLUS 1 cup of water
• Taste test the water for salt and spices. Add salt/pepper accordingly
• Optional: Add 1 tbsp of whipping cream or coconut milk
• Cover the pan with an airtight lid and leave on medium flame for 6 minutes
• When you see craters forming in the surface, that is an indication that almost all water is gone
• Now simmer the stove to the lowest possible flame and leave it on for 10 minutes
• Serve hot with raita or any spicy curry as side or even as is
• Tasty pulav is ready in just under 30 mins!

BisibelaBath

The Red color is due to the Beets I added.. :) But I swear this is BisibelaBath. LOL!

• To roast in 1/2 tsp of oil: (add in the given order, giving few seconds gap before adding another)

1. - 1 tbsp of Dhania
2. - 2 long Red Chillies
3. - 1 tsp of Chana dhal
4. - 3/4 tsp of Urid dhal
5. - 1/4 tsp of Cumin seeds
6. - 1/8th tsp of Methi seeds
7. - 4 curry leaves
8. - a pinch of Hing
9. - 1 tbsp of Dried Coconut powder (or Copra)

• Grind the above to a fine powder and set aside.
• Soak a gooseberry size tamarind in little water and squeeze the juice, and set aside
• Pressure cook 1/2 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of Toor dhal with 4 cups of water for 5 whistles
• (water ratio is roughly 3+ times the rice+dhal quantity)
• Cube all the desired vegetables into big pieces
• The vegetable selection can be anything like Potato, Carrots, Beets, Cho-Cho, White pumpkin, Beans
• In a pressure pan, heat 3 tsp of oil and 1 tsp of ghee
• Season it with 1tsp of mustard seeds
• When the seeds splutter, add 1 spring of curry leaves, 2 red Chillies
• Add about 10 pearl onions (or 1/4 red onion finely chopped)
• Saute the onions till translucent
• Add salt per taste
• Add the cubed vegetables and saute till they are half done
• Now pour the tamarind paste, the ground powder and stir well
• Add the cooked dhal-rice mixture into the pan
• Add about 1/2 cup of warm water* and pressure cook the contents again for couple of whistles
• *Use your discretion to add extra water..
• Garnish with cilantro leaves and optionally a tsp of ghee and serve hot with raita

Pudalangai Paruppu Kootu

• Soak 1 handful of Chana dhal in enough water for about 2 hours
• Cook the dhal in microwave for 10 minutes. The dhal should be cooked but not mushy
• Slit open the Snake gourd (Pudalangai), scoop out and discard the white seedy part
• Chop the vegetable into thin bite slice pieces
• Heat oil in a pan and temper it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds, curry leaves, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, pinch of hing
• Add 1 red onion finely chopped and saute till translucent
• Add about 3 finely minced garlic pods
• Add salt per taste and a pinch of Turmeric powder (haldi)
• Add the vegetables and saute till they are almost done
• Add 1 tsp of red chilly powder and saute for 5 more minutes
• Now add the cooked chana dhal
• Optionally you may add 1/2 cup of water to adjust the consistency
• Cover and cook for 15 minutes
• Optional: Sprinkle 1 tbsp of coconut powder and leave for 2 more minutes
• Serve with Bread or Roti or Rice or as plain side

Bachelor Rasam

This is a literally under 10 mins Rasam.
Ideal for busy moms or hungry bachelors. :)

Okay.. here is the catch.. you got to have cooked Toor dhal and the store bought masalas.
While all of you know about the store bought rasam powders/paste, what is new that I want to share with you? Well, it is the mix and match recipe I follow that brings about a "I can't believe it is instant rasam"  feel.
No grinding, No cutting.. Just toss in all ingredients for a delicious Rasam in under 10 minutes. You may even drink it as soup for cold reliefs.

• Always stock some cooked Toor dhal in the fridge. It keeps fresh for atleast a week
• You need 777 Garlic Rasam Paste and Sakthi Rasam powder (or any Rasam powder..)
• Soak 1 inch Tamarind piece in little water and squeeze the juice (or use 1 tsp of tamarind paste)
• In a pan heat 1 tsp of oil, season it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 2 red chillies, 1 spring of curry leaves, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, and a pinch of hing
• Keep the stove in low flame and add 2 tsp of garlic rasam paste
• Saute the paste in low heat and add the tamarind water
• Add 1 tsp of Rasam powder, 4 tbsp of toor dhal
• Add 2 cups of water, and salt per taste
• Let it simmer in medium heat till froth begins to collect at the sides
• Toss in a handful of cilantro leaves and let it come together for 2 more minutes
• You may (optionally) add 1 more spring of curry leaves at the end
• Serve hot with hot plain rice and scrambled eggs (According to my son, "No Rasam is complete without scrambled eggs". Yes, that is his own words this Morning after a jiffy Rasam I made in 10 minutes on demand. :) )

Thayir Kuruma (Thayir Aloo Kurma)

• Boil about 4 potatoes (pressure cook) , peel and cube them into big pieces
• Grind 1/2 red onion and 1 tbsp of KasaKasa into a fine paste and set aside
• Heat 3 tsp of oil in a pan
• Season it with 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 tsp of Fennel seeds, 1 spring of curry leaves
• Add 2 long green chillies slit lengthwise
• Add 2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste and saute all well in low flame
• Add 1/2 red onion finely chopped. Add a pinch of salt and Saute till the onion browns
• Add the ground onion paste, a pinch of Turmeric powder (Haldi) and saute well till oil oozes out
• Add 1 tsp of red chilly powder, 2 tsp of dhania powder and saute for a minute
• Add the cubed Alu and stir well till the masala coats the potatoes
• Add 1 cup of water, cover and cook for 7 minutes
• When the water comes to a boil, simmer the stove
• Beat 1 tbsp of curd in 3 tbsp of water
• Add the beaten curd to the curry slowly and simmer for another 5 minutes
• It is important to keep the flame low anytime you add buttermilk or milk to the curries so the milk/curd will not break down and disintegrate
• Add raw curry leaves at teh end for additional aroma
• Serve hot with Rotis or Idli/Dosa or even plain rice

Aval Upma

Delicious Aval Upma in 10 minutes!

An easy/quick life saver it is. Be it sudden guests or sudden hunger, got Aval? You got yourself a feast.

• Soak 1 cup of Aval (preferably the think ones) in just enough water to immerse it for about 5 minutes
• Drain the excess water without squeezing the poha (Aval). Squeezing might make the Aval unhappy
• In a pan heat about 2 tsp of oil and season it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• Allow it to crackle (a trick my DH is yet to learn!! )
• Add a spring of curry leaves, 1 tsp of urid dhal, 1tsp of chana dhal, a pinch of hing
• Optional: add broken cashews, peanuts and roast them for a minute
• Add 1 long green chilly, finely sliced
• Add thinly chopped red onions (1/2 medium size onion or about 10 pearl onions)
• Add salt per taste and a pinch of turmeric powder
• Saute the onions till they turn translucent (Do not brown them. Onions must remain crunchy)
• Now toss the soaked Poha and stir for few mins on low flame
• The Aval must be well coated with the oil and turn yellow
• Sprinkle coriander leaves and remove from the stove
• Serve hot with raita or as is
• Optional: you may squeeze some lemon juice (very little) for a different flavor

Happy Vinayagar Chaturthi 2010 !

Happy Ganesa Chaturthi, Folks!

I made 3 varieties of Sweet kolukattai and 1 Kara kozhukattai along with Ellu urundai and Aval urundai.
The dishes came out so good that within minutes my folks employed themselves as the proxy of  Pillaiyar and consumed them all in one go!

I know.. I know.. The recipes are long due from last chaturthi... I shall post the recipes soon. :-)