Semiya Payasam

Ingredients:

Milk 1 litre
Sugar 1/2 Kg
Vermicelli (Semya) 1/2 Kg
Ghee 4 tbsp
Cashewnut 10 nos(adjust as u wish)
Cardamom 5 nos(adjust as u wish)
Dry Grapes 10 nos(adjust as u wish)


Procedure:
1. Heat the Ghee in a pan and roast the cashews for about 1min. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same Ghee fry Vermicelli/Semya and roast until they start turning brown.
3. In a Milk Pan, heat the milk. When the milk starts to boil add the roasted vermicelli.
4. Cook for 4-5min or until the vermicelli is soft and well cooked. The mixture starts thickening.
5. Add the Cardamom powder and mix well.
6. Turn off the heat and add the powdered sugar. Mix well until the sugar dissolves.
7.Garnish with roasted nuts and raisin.

Raagi Rava Dosa

We all have eaten crunchy, paper like rava dosa. I wanted to make something different, which was quick, easy and also healthy. Did you know that Raagi contains high protein. Raagi flour has advantages of slow digestibility and high calcium content as well.

So, I changed the recipe for rava dosa quite a bit. Tried this twice at home and each time it was a super hit. So, here comes the recipe for Raagi-Rava dosa.

Ingredients:

1 cup Raagi flour - Raagi hittu
1 cup Rice flour
1/2 cup Rava -
1/2 cup Besan flour or Kadale hittu
1 tsp Jeera
2 finely chopped green chillies
salt to taste
1 onion finely chopped
Method:

Mix all the above ingredients 1-7 with water except onion. Make sure there are no lumps at all in the dosa batter. The consistency should be as watery as Lassi or Neeru majjige. Heat a non-stick pan or tava. I didn’t use a non-stick pan; used a normal Iron tava. I saw this trick in youtube by VahRehVah chef. The chef there puts onion first on the Tava, and then sprinkles dosa batter on the Tava. It wasn’t easy for me to do that, so I did pour the dosa batter the normal way, but didn’t spread the batter on the tava.

So, first and foremost sprinkle onion on the tava As shown below. This is optional and you can leave it if your are making this on days during which you don’t eat onion.

Next, pour the batter as thin as possible on the pan, and add oil on top and sides of the dosa. Don’t spread the batter at all. See the image below:
Once the dosa is done on one side, turn over and let it cook on the other side as well. Serve with pickle, chatni or even better my daughter’s favorite Jam. Enjoy crunchy Ragi-Rava dosa.

Egg fried Rice

This is a very simple and easy way of preparing Egg Fried Rice....It takes just 15 minutes to do this, once the rice is cooked..I just love the aroma you get from the Basmati Rice when it is cooked...You can also try using Long Grain Rice.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Basmati Rice
2 Large Eggs
2 Tablespoon Milk
2 Drops Vanilla extract (Optional)
4 Green Onions chopped
1/2 Cup sliced Mushrooms
1 Green Chilly (Jalepeno)
2 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper Powder(Little)

Preparation:


1. Cook the rice....There are 2 ways of cooking rice....For convenience i cook the rice in my rice cooker with 1 1/2 cups of water... Another way of preparing rice is to bring about 4 Cups of water to a boil in a vessel...Add the rice and stir it until the rice is cooked..Drain the rice through a sieve and rinse it with lots of cold water...Drain the water completely.

2. Take a small bowl and beat the eggs and milk...I add 2 drops of vanilla extract to it...But it is optional.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the green onions, chilly (jalepeno) and the sliced mushrooms...Fry it for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the beaten eggs to the frying pan and stir it around to scramble them.

5. Now, add the rice to the pan and stir fry it for about 5 minutes, until the rice is heated...Later, add 3-4 drops of soy sauce, salt and pepper and stir it.

6. Egg Fried Rice tastes good when served hot.

Carrot Pudding (Carrot Kheer)

Kheer or Payasam is a traditional Indian dessert made during festivals and celebrations. It is usually made with rice, vermicelli (semiya), sago and lentils. Carrot Kheer (Payasam) is a simple delicacy made with carrots, milk, cashews and sugar.

Ingredients:

2 Medium Sized Carrots
2 Cups Milk
4 Cardamom Pods
1 Tablespoon Cashews
2 Cups Sugar
Little Ghee or Clarified Butter


Preparation:

1. Peel the carrots and cut them. Boil it till they are tender. Cool it and blend it to a fine paste.

2. Toast the cashews in ghee or butter till they are golden.

3. Boil the milk in a pan for abt. 10 Mins and add the carrot paste and stir it for abt. 10 Mins.

4. Combine the sugar, cashews and crushed cardamom. Keep stirring for abt. 20 Mins on low flame until the milk thickens.

5. Refrigerate and serve cold. Carrot Kheer tastes good when served hot too.

Beetroot Pachadi

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups grated beetroot
• 1-1/2 tsp Grated ginger
• 1 Finely chopped onion
• 3/4 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 Sprig curry leaves
• 2 Green chillies, split
• 2 Cups curd
• 1-2 tbsp Oil
• Salt to taste


How to make Beetroot Pachadi:
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Fry the mustard seeds.
• Add onion and fry until it turns brown.
• Mix green chillies and keep stirring.
• Add the grated beetroot, curry leaves, ginger, and salt to taste.
• Simmer it until the beetroot is cooked properly.
• Add curd to the mixture when cool.
• Beetroot Pachadi is ready.


Suggestions:
Use a mixture of buttermilk and curd if you prefer the pachadi to have a thin consistency.

Gutti Vankaya Curry

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggplants(gutti vankay), small size
• 1 Tamarind
• 1 Onion
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Chilly powder
• 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic
• 1 tbsp Garam masala powder
• A pinch turmeric powder
• Oil as required
• Salt as required


How to make Gutti Vankaya:
• Cut onion and place them in blender along with tamarind, garam masala powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and ginger-garlic.
• Make a coarse paste, set aside.
• Now Cut the eggplant into 4 and fill some of the paste into them.
• Repeat the procedure for the remaining eggplants.
• Fry the leftover paste in the oil and add salt to it.
• Sauté for about 10 to 15 minutes until the raw smell leaves.
• Combine turmeric powder with it.
• Add the stuffed eggplants and coat them properly with the cooked paste.
• Cover and add little water to it, curry should not be liquid it should be semi dry.
• Cook until eggplants are tender.


• Guttu Vankaya is ready to serve.

Paani Poori

rava - 100g, maida - 100g, mint leaves - 1 cup, coriander leaves - 1 cup, salt - 1/4 teaspoon, green chillies - 2 small, tamarind - lime sized, potatoes - 1/4 kg.
Puris: Mix rava and maida, add water to make a tight dough.ake large chappathis using this flour and cut out small round shapes from the large one.Deep fry these in oil till they become crisp.
Sauce:Grind mint leaves, coriander leaves, salt and green chillies into a thick paste. Soak tamarind for 3 min and extract the juice.Mix the ground paste with the tamarind extract.
Boil potatoes whole and cut into small pieces (Do not mash). Spread 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder on the potatoes and fry in 4 tsp oil.While serving, make a hole inside each puri and place some amt of sauce inside it. Place a potato piece inside the puris.

Rava Bonda

Rava - 3 Cups, Rice Flour - 1 Cup, Curd : 1 Cup, Cashew Bits, Green Chilly 3pcs,Salt to suit taste, Oil for frying.
Mix roasted Rava, Rice flour, Curd, salt , Cashews and Green Chillies to get a semi solid batter. Take small balls and deep fry it in Oil. If needed, coconut shreddings can be added to the batter. Remove from the frying pan after the balls become golden in colour. Serve it with Coconut Chutney.

Bajji

Take gram flour(Senaga pindi) and rice flour in the ratio 2 1/2 : 1 (5 cups gram flour and 2 cups rice flour) and mix it with water to make into a loose paste.Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp asafoetida, and saffron(kesari powder) to get the desired colour. Slice the vegetables (potato, onion, plaintain, brinjal).Dip it in the flour mixture and deep fry until it is fully cooked.

Rasam - Spicy South Indian Soup

We need ....

Medium sized tomatoes - 5 (cut into cubes)
Rasam powder - 2 tsps (I used 777 Madras rasam powder)
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (increase if you want a more spicy version)
Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized ball (soaked in 3/4 cup water)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
asofetida/hing - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste


For the tadka/popu.....

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Dried Red chillies - 2 (broken to half)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch (for garnish)

How to....

In a sauce pan, heat ghee and oil together. Add tomatoes, turmeric, hing and mix well. cover and cook till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy and the juices running out.
Add pepper, rasam powder and mix well.
Add water and bring to a boil
Squeeze out the pulp from soaked tamarind and add it to boiling rasam.
Add salt to taste, mix well. Cover and simmer for 5 mts.
In a pan, heat oil on low flame. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Add dried red chillies, curry leaves. Fry for 30 secs. Turn off the heat and add the popu/tadka to rasam.
Garnish with cilantro/coriander. Serve hot with rice, ghee and papaddums

Bhel Puri

For the bhel


2 cups of puffed rice
½ cup sev
½ cup of papadi’s broken
1 onion finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup boiled chopped potatoes
1/4 cup boiled chana
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
salt to taste
Green Chutney


2 cups coriander leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
5-6 green chilies
1 tbs lime juice
Salt to taste

Grind the above items to a fine paste by adding required water


Tamarind Chutney

3/4 cup tamarind water (lemon size tamarind soaked in water)
1/2 cup dates deseeded
3/4 cup jaggery (brown sugar )
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp salt
In a pan add the tamarind water, seedless dates, jaggery, cumin powder, and salt. Bring them to boil and cook for 8- 10 minutes until the mixture reduce to a thick liquid. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool, and grind to a smooth paste.


Method


Mix puffed rice, sev, and broken papadi in a large bowl. Add onions, tomato, cooked chana, boiled potato, add required green and tamarind chutney. Mix well and garnish with sev and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately :)

Notes


You can store these chutneys in a container and keep refrigerated.
Add ingredients of your choice to the bhel puri.
Bombay Bhel puri mix is available in the stores, just buy that and add chutneys and ingredients of your choice.

Crispy Rice Loops ( Chegodilu)

Ingredients:
-> 2 cup(s) rice
-> 4 tablespoons butter
-> milk as required to make a soft dough
-> salt to taste
-> oil for deep frying


Wash the rice and spread it on a piece of cloth. Wait till it dries completely. Dry grind it to a fine powder.
Mix the rice flour, butter and salt well. Add milk little at a time to prepare a soft dough. Knead well. Take small portions of the dough and roll them with the palms into thin elongated string-like shapes just over 2" long. Now, let both the ends meet to form oval loops. Join both ends and press well so that they don't open up while frying. Prepare such loops with the entire dough and make batches.
Heat the oil to a smoking point for deep frying in a pan. Drop in the first batch of loops carefully in the oil. Reduce the heat and fry on a low flame stirring continuously till the loops turn crisp and golden brown in color. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat the procedure for the rest of the batches. Let it cool. The crispy loops can now be stored in an air tight container and enjoyed when you wish even over a week's time.
Serve with: hot tea / coffee

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:
-> 3 cups rice
-> 1 onion, finely chopped
-> 2 lemon
-> 200 gms ginger and garlic,
chopped
-> ½ coriander powder
-> ½ tbsp haldi powder
-> 1 tsp chilli powder
-> 100 gms peanuts
-> coriander leaves
-> salt to taste

For garnishing :

-> Chana dal
-> Urad dal
-> Mustard seeds
-> Red chillies

Method :
Heat some oil in a pan and sauté the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal and the red chillies
Put onions in the oil and sauté them properly.
Put chilli powder, haldi powder, peanuts and coriander powder to the oil
and let them blend with the mixture
put some salt to taste and lastly put the coriander leaves .
Boil the rice separately and keep them in a plate and allow the rice to cool
down.
Put the lemon juice to the rice and then the mixture to the white rice.

Fried Rice

Ingredients :
-> 1 cup medium grain rice
-> 1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
-> 1 carrot, finely chopped
-> 2 to 3 cabbage leaves, finely chopped
-> 6 to 7 french beans, finely chopped
-> 1 tbsp. oil
-> ¼ tsp aji-no-moto
-> 1½ tsp soya sauce
-> 1 tsp chilli sauce

Method :

Boil rice till each grain is separate and almost cooked. Drain and keep it to cool in a plate.
Heat oil in a pan and put vegetables, except spring onions.
Stir fry till it becomes crispy, put spring onions, salt and sauces.
Mix properly and pour over the rice.
Combine the rice and vegetables gently, till evenly coated.
Adjust sauces and salt as per taste.
Before serving, heat properly either in oven or in microwave.
Ready to serve hot.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:
-> 3 cups rice
-> 1 onion, finely chopped
-> 2 tomatoes
-> 200 gms ginger and garlic,
chopped
-> ½ tsp coriander powder
-> 1 tsp chilli powder
-> 100 gms peanuts
-> coriander leaves
-> salt to taste

For garnishing

-> Chana dal,
-> Urad dal
-> Mustard seeds
-> Red chillies

Method:

Heat some oil in a pan and sauté the mustard seeds, chana dal,urad dal and the red chillies
Put onions and tomatoes in the oil and fry them properly.
Put chilli powder, peanuts and coriander powder to the oil and let them blend with the mixture.
Put some salt to taste. Lastly, put the coriander leaves .
Boil the rice separately and keep them in a plate and leave the rice to cool down.
Put the mixture to the white rice.

Ginger Chutney

Ingredients :

a small piece ginger
1 cup coconut gratings
4 roasted red chillies
salt to taste
6 green chillies
tamarind lump (size of bengal gram)




Method :

Grind coconut gratings with roasted red chillies and tamarind smoothly.
Before removing, put ginger, green chillies and salt to the masala and grind for another few minutes.
No seasoning is required for thick chutney.
Otherwise, season with mustard and curry leaves in oil.
Brahmi (ekpani) leaf chutney is prepared by the same method.
Only a handful of brahmi leaves are mixed while grinding the chutney.
Retain some chutney in the grinder.
Put as much water as desired. Stir well.
The same is ginger/brahmi leaf thambli.

Mango Pickle

Ingredients :

1 large mango
½ cup red chilli powder
¼ tsp haldi powder
½ tsp methi seeds
¼ tsp mustard
¼ tsp hing
¼ cup salt
¼ cup cooking oil

Method :

Slice mango into small dices, removing the pitt, put salt and haldi.
Keep it aside for 4 to 5 days. Put red chilli powder to this mango and mix it properly.
Roast methi seeds and dry grind it and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan, and put mustard, and hing and let it cool.
When the above oil becomes room temperature, mix it with the mango, and put the roasted methi powder.

Lemon Pickle

Ingredients :
6 lemon
big piece ginger, finely chopped
15 green chillies, chopped
¼ tsp haldi powder
¼ tsp methi seeds
¼ tsp mustard
a small pinch hing
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cooking oil

Method :
Cut lemon into small dices, add salt, haldi, and keep it aside for 4 to 5 days. Put red chilli powder to this lemon and stir properly. Roast methi seeds and dry grind it and keep it aside.
Keep 2 cups of water to boil and add this to the soaked lemon.
Fry mustard, hing, green chillies, and ginger in oil and add this to the lemon.
Put the roasted methi powder when the above is cool i.e. room temperature.

Mixed Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
1 small carrot
1 florrette cauliflower
½ capsicum
2 to 3 french beans
30 gms sweet peas
1 onion
1 small piece cabbage
½ tsp soya sauce
½ tsp each grated ginger and garlic
¼ tsp crushed red chilli
½ tsp sugar
2 tsp cornflour
1 blob butter
2 cups water
salt to taste

Method:
Cut all the vegetables and heat butter in a pan.
Put ginger, garlic and vegetables. Mix the vegetables properly and fry the vegetables for about 3 minutes.
Put water and allow it to boil. Combine cornflour in ½ cup cold water and add to the soup, stirring simultaneously.
Keep it to boil again. Add chilli, sauce and sugar and boil till it becomes thick and transparent.
ready to serve hot.

Sweet Corn Soup

Ingredients:
1 corn
spring onion
vegetable stock
5 tsp tomato sauce
1 cloves cinnamon
1 cloves cardamom
2 tsp pepper
½ onion
1 tomato
4 green chilies
salt, sugar to taste

To be ground into paste
onion
tomato
green chilli

Method:
Add the required vegetable stock and the ground paste.
Now take a cloth and put the spices and make that into a small bag
Put the corn and allow them to boil for 20 minutes.
Then put the sugar, salt and pepper and the spring onion.
Now add the tomato sauce.
Take out the vessel and remove the spice bag.
Ready to serve.

Hot And Sour Vegetable Soup

Ingredients :
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp soya sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
½ cup corn
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup water
1 tsp oil

Method :
Mix vegetable broth, soya sauce and seasonings in a saucepan.
Keep it to boil and add vegetables. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Put lemon juice, and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
Mix together cornstarch and water. Stir the paste into the soup, and continue to cook until the soup becomes slightly thicker, for about 3 minutes.
Mix in oil and serve hot.

Rava Laddu

Ingredients :
1 cup rava
1 cup sugar powdered
¼ cup ghee
cashews less than ¼ cup
raisins less than ¼ cup
1 to 2 elaichi





Method :
Dry roast rava for a few minutes till the flavour comes out.
Combine this rava with powdered sugar.
Fry cashews in ghee and mix it with the above.
Pound elaichi properly and add it to the above mixture and make small balls.

Mysore Paak

Ingredients :
1 cup besan
1 cup sugar
2½ cups ghee
½ tsp cardamom powder


Method :
Heat half the quantity of ghee in a vessel.
Roast besan, previously sieved for 2 to 3 minutes with it.
In another vessel put a cup of water to sugar and cook till a sticky syrup is formed.
Combine the roasted flour with it and stir constantly.
In the meanwhile, hot ghee should be ready in another vessel, placed on flame.
While stirring the besan mixture with the right hand constantly, put heated ghee in a stream with the left hand.
when the paak is ready, the blend turns light brown and becomes porous and spongy like a bread slice.
Sprinkle cardamom powder over the blend, turn it over and quickly transfer to a thali.
The paak sets within a minute.
Slice into pieces with a sharp knife at once.

Mutton Biryani

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Mutton
• 2 Cups basmati rice
• Few flakes garlic
• 3 tsp Coriander powder
• Dried coconut
• 1 Inch stick cinnamon
• 3 Green chillies
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 Cup onion
• 1 Inch piece ginger
• 1 tsp Poppy seeds
• 3 Cloves, peppercorns and cardamoms
• 1 Cup curd
• 1/2 Cup onion
• 2 Bay leaf
• 8 tbsp Fat
• Salt to taste


How to make Mutton Biryani:
• Clean the meat and cut into pieces.
• Soak the meat in curd.
• Roast cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns and powder cloves. Make powder.
• Grind ginger, red chillies, green chillies, half the onions, garlic and copra.
• Now heat fat in a pan. Add chopped onions and ground spices.
• Fry until onions turn golden brown.
• Now add meat and fry well. Add poppy seed powder.
• Add salt and remaining curd. Cook till meat becomes tender.
• Add powdered spices to it and remove from the flame.
• Chop remaining onions. Fry them in fat in a separate pan.
• Add cloves and bay leaf.
• Fry for few minutes and add rice. Fry for another few minutes.
• Put salt to taste and make the quantity of water double.
• Remove from the flame when rice gets cooked and no moisture is left.
• Arrange a part of cooked rice in a pan and sprinkle saffron water over it.
• Place the meat over it and cover with rice layer once again.
• Garnish with fried onions and nuts.
• Mutton Biryani is ready.

Fish Biryani

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups basmati rice
• 1 Cup tomato puree (preferably fresh)
• 1 Cup coconut milk
• 2 Cups of water
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala(optional)
• 10-12 pieces of thorn less fish
• 1 Inch ginger
• 8 Flakes garlic
• 1 Cup yogurt
• 4-5 Green chilies
• 1 Bunch coriander leaves
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 2 Onions sliced
• 2 tsp Oil
• Salt to taste


How to make Fish Biryani:
• For Marination:
• Grind ginger, garlic, green chilies, turmeric, and salt into a fine paste.
• And marinate the fish with it.
• Sprinkle with coriander leaves and keep aside for at least 30 min

Rice Preparation
• In a pan put 1 tsp oil and fry the rice for 2-3 min.
• Then add the tomato puree, coconut milk and 1-1/2 cups of water.
• Add salt, chili powder, garam masala and mix it very well.
• Cover the pan with a lid.
• Partially cook the rice (80%) on a slow flame.

Fish Preparation
• In a pan put 1 tsp oil and sauté the onions to golden color.
• Add marinated fish to it put some water and cover with the lid for 5-6 min
• Do not to break the fish pieces when stirring.
< br>Final preparation
• Take a baking dish, layer the rice then arrange the fish with its gravy and then again layer of rice.
• Add the milk so that the rice doesn't dry.
• Cover with aluminum foil and keep it in the preheated oven for 7 min.
• Fish Biryani is ready.

Hyderabadi Biryani

Ingredients:

• ½ kg Basmati Rice (semi-cooked)
• 1 kg Meat (boneless)
• 500 gm Curd
• 4-6 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 4-6 Green Chilli
• 2 Big Onions (sliced)
• ¼ cup Lime Juice
• ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
• A pinch of Caraway Seeds (Shahi Zeera)
• 5-6 twigs Coriander Leaves (chopped)
• 5-6 twigs Mint Leaves (chopped)
• 2 pinch Saffron (Kesar)
• 1-2 Cinnamon (Dalchini)
• 2-3 pods Cardamom (Elaichi)
• 2-3 drops Saffron Color
• 1-2 pods Clove (Laung)
• 2 cup Oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Ghee


How to make Hyderabadi Biryani:
• Wash and chop the meat into square pieces.
• Smear the pieces of meat with ginger-garlic paste. Keep them to marinate for an hour.
• In the meanwhile, fry the sliced onions on low flame till light brown.
• Let the onions cool down and crush them in a plate using your hand.
• Now, add crushed fried onion (three-fourth), curd, red chilli powder, cinnamon, green chilli paste, cardamom, shahi zeera, coriander leaves, clove, saffron water, mint leaves and salt to the marinated meat.
• Leave the meat as it is for 1 hour.
• Make the mixture of aromatic water by adding salt (one tsp), cinnamon, clove, cardamom, mint leaves and coriander leaves in a little water.
• Now spread a layer of semi-cooked rice in a heavy bottomed vessel.
• Add saffron color, limejuice, ghee and the remaining crushed onions over the layer of rice.
• Spread a layer of marinated meat over this, and again spread the remaining semi-cooked rice.
• Now add the aromatic water in a circular motion over the rice layer.
• Now tightly cover the vessel with a lid. Keep it on a low flame.
• Remove the vessel from the flame exactly after 15 minutes.
• Hyderabadi Biryani is ready to eat. Serve hot.

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

-> finely grated carrots - 1 1/2 cups,
-> sugar - 1 cup,
-> mixture of milk and water - 1 cup (the proportion may be
as you like),
-> cashews- 6,
-> cardomoms - 4,
-> ghee 3 tsp

Method:

Peel all the carrots and grate them finely. Pour 3
teaspoons of ghee in a frying pan. Add 6 cashews and
powdered cardomoms (4).Fry till you get the smell of
roasted cashews.Pour the mixture of milk and water. Add
sugar. When the water comes to boil, add 1 1/2 cups of
grated carrot and stir slowly and constantly in low heat
until the mixture turns into a soft paste. After adding
sugar, you may have to cook around 7 - 10 minutes to get
the desired consistency for halwa. Do not heat the mixture
too long, so as to prevent it from getting hardened.

Gulab Jamoon

Ingredients:

-> bread
-> milk
-> cardamom
-> sugar
-> water as desired


Method:

For the sugar syrup.
Add 1 cup sugar and 2 powdered cardamom in one glass
water and boil till it becomes thick syrupy in consistency.
For the balls
cut out the brown edges of the bread and mix with milk
till u get a dough consistency. Make it into small balls
and fry in oil till golden brown .
Put these balls in sugar syrup . serve when cool.

Chicken Curry Recipe

Prep: 20 mts, Cooking Time: 25 mts

Serves 5-6 persons

Cuisine: South Indian.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces

1 cup small onions, shallots (sambar onions)

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

10-12 curry leaves

1 cup coconut milk (extract from 1/2 coconut)

fresh coriander leaves for garnish

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Make a paste:

2 green chillis

8 garlic flakes

1″ ginger

1 tsp poppy seeds (soak in warm water for 10 mts)

Roast and make a powder:

1/2 tsp pepper corns

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 tsp fennel seeds

1 1/2 tbsps coriander seeds

6-8 dry red chillies

2 cardamoms

1″ cinnamon

6-7 curry leaves

1/2 tsp oil





1 Drizzle a vessel with oil and roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, red chillis, cardamoms, cinnamon and curry leaves on medium heat stirring constantly for 2 mts. Remove from fire, cool and grind to a powder.
2 Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, green chillies and poppy seeds. Keep aside.
3 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the small onions and curry leaves and saute till transparent.
4 Add the ground paste and cook for a minute before adding the chicken and cook on high heat for approx 4 mts and do stir the chicken once in a while.
5 Reduce to medium heat, add salt, turmeric pwd and tomatoes and combine well. Let the chicken cook in this for 4-5 mts, uncovered.
6 Now add the coconut milk and transfer the contents to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 4 mts or until one whistle. Open lid and combine well.
7 Finally add the ground masala pwd and cook for 3 mts. Turn off heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
8 Serve hot with white steamed rice, biryani, chapatis or dosas.

Note:

Adjust the green chillis, red chillis and pepper corns according to your spice level. Ensure that the chicken doesn’t pressure cook for more than one whistle, as it could get mushy if pressure cooked beyond the required time. In fact, mutton is usually used for this recipe but it tastes equally good with chicken.

Chicken Masala Balls

Boneless chicken pieces, onions, fresh coriander leaves, green and dry red chillis, ginger, garlic, cashewnuts and roasted spices are ground to smooth paste and shaped into bite sized balls and deep fried (can be grilled too). The grilled balls are absolutely perfect on their own and offer a healthy alternative but nothing to beat the crisp deep fried version..:)


Chicken masala balls have a hot and spicy aroma that fills the room while being cooked and a flavor that makes these party appetizers almost impossible to resist. I’ve made this recipe twice these past few days and I can tell you, it’s a keeper, guaranteed to add flavor to a festive day like Kanuma. Serve as a snack/appetizer or as a side dish with rice and curry.


Chicken Masala Balls Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 30-40 mts

Makes approx 30 balls

Cuisine: Andhra.

Ingredients:

-> 1/2 kg boneless chicken pieces, cleaned and washed

-> 1/4 kg onions finely sliced

-> 8-10 fresh green chillis

-> 5-6 dry red chillis (adjust according to your choice)

-> 15-20 garlic flakes

-> 3″ piece ginger chopped

-> small bunch coriander leaves, chopped

-> 4 tbsps coriander seeds

-> 1 1/2 tbsps cumin seeds

-> 2″ cinnamon stick

-> 3 green cardamoms

-> 5-6 cloves

-> 20 cashewnuts

-> salt to taste

-> oil for deep frying



1 Heat a tbsp of oil in cooking vessel. Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamom, red chillis and cashewnuts and stir for a minute till a nice aroma emanates the whole kitchen. Be careful not to burn the spices. Cool.

2 First grind the roasted ingredients along with ginger, garlic and green chillis to a coarse paste. Next add the chopped raw onions, coriander leaves, chicken and salt and grind further to form a smooth paste like shown in the picture above.

2 Add a tbsp of oil to the ground mixture and mix thoroughly before shaping into small lemon sized balls.




3 Heat oil for deep frying. Once its piping hot, reduce flame to medium and place these balls in the oil and fry them to a crisp, golden brown color.

4 Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chutney.




Note:

The green and red chillis can be adjusted according to your spice level. The chicken balls can also be grilled for a more healthy version.

Semiya Upma Recipe

Prep & Cooking Time: 20 mts

Serves 4-5 persons

Cuisine: South Indian.



Ingredients:

-> 2 cups vermicilli, roast in a tsp of ghee for 4-5 mts till golden brown

-> 1 finely sliced large onion

-> 3-4 slit green chillis

-> 1″ ginger finely chopped

-> 1 large tomato, chopped

-> 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (optional)

-> 1/2 tbsp oil

-> 1 tsp ghee or butter

-> salt

For seasoning:

-> 1 tsp mustard seeds

-> 1/2 tbsp split blackl gram

-> 1/2″ cinnamon stick (optional)

-> 12-15 curry leaves

1 Boil 4 cups of water and add the vermicilli along with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil. Once the vermicelli is cooked (it should be just soft and not mushy), turn off heat, pour the vermicilli into a colander to drain completely and pour cold water over it and keep aside.

1 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the black gram and curry leaves and saute them till the dal turn slightly brown and a nice aroma emanates the kitchen.

2 Add the sliced onions, green chillis and ginger and saute for 2 mts.

3 Add the chopped tomatoes and saute on medium heat for 4 mts. Add salt to taste (remember you have already added salt to the boiling vermicilli, so add accordingly).

4 Now, add the cooked semiya to the sauteed onion-tomato base and mix it lightly and see that no lumps form and it combines well. Add a tsp of ghee or butter and combine well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

5 Serve hot with chutney or pickle of your choice.

Note:

For variation, garnish with grated coconut and add 1″ cinnamom stick (during seasoning). You can added roasted cashews too.

Rava Dosa

Ingredients:

-> 2 cups semolina/rava
-> 1/2 cup rice flour
-> 1/2 cup maida (all-purpose flour)
-> 1 1/2 tsps cumin seeds
-> 1 tsp grated ginger
-> coriander leaves - 2 tbsps (optional)
-> curry leaves - few (optional)
-> finely chopped green chillies - 1 or 2
-> salt to taste
-> water - 6 cups (approx)
-> oil as required
Combine all the above ingredients except oil and let the rava dosa batter sit for half an hour to an hour. It might thicken after a while as rava absorbs the water. At the time of making dosas add more water such that it is of pouring consistency (like thick buttermilk). Pre-heat an iron tawa on high for a minute. Do the water test (sprinkle few drops of water over the hot tawa such that it sizzles) and reduce heat. Pour a ladle full of dosa batter from the outward base of the tawa in a circular motion (as shown in the picture below). Fill the gap in the middle with dosa batter. Don’t drop batter like a thick lump but pour all over, evenly, filling the gaps. Pour 1-2 tsps of oil like drops along the edge of the dosa and the gaps in the middle.



Increase heat to medium flame and let the dosa cook for around 3 mts. At this point increase flame to high and let the dosa roast for a half a minute or so. If you want a slightly softer dosa, remove the dosa at this point.



But for a crisper dosa, let the dosa roast further on high for another one mt or till it reaches a nice golden brown stage like shown in the image below. Serve hot with chutney or sambar.



It takes practice to prepare rava dosas. You need to keep in mind a few things while making dosas.
~ Prepare the batter at least an hour or half an hour before you actually want to eat the dosas.
~ There is no need of fermentation for ravva dosa batter unlike masala dosa batter. Its instant.
~ The batter should not be thick but of pouring consistency like a thick buttermilk consistency.
~ Letting the batter sit in the refrigerator for a few hours also helps in attaining crisp dosas not that you cannot prepare crisp dosas with batter sitting for just an hour. Infact the dosas you see in this post were prepared from dosa batter that was mixed just an hour before preparation.
~ Infact the most important factor in the making of ravva dosa is adjusting the heat control. An iron tawa requires higher heat as compared to non-stick pan. I have used an iron tawa and so adjust heat according to the pan you use to prepare dosas. You need to be around the stove while preparing these dosas.
~ There are many variations in preparing rava dosa. You could add grated carrot and coconut to the batter along with rest of ingredients. Or add some sliced onions while the dosa is cooking. Broken cashewnut pieces can also be added to the dosa batter.
~ At the time of preparing rava dosa, use the ladle to stir the dosa batter well, as the flours tend to sink to the bottom of the vessel like a thick residue. So combine well each time you pour the dosa batter over the tawa.
~ You can flip the dosa and cook the other side as well but I don’t usually flip the dosa. I let it cook on one side only.
~ A cast-iron tawa is best or a non-stick pan (used exclusively for dosas) can be used to prepare rawa dosas.
~ Don’t skimp on the oil to save a few calories, as it helps the rawa dossa get crisp. (don’t ever think of calories when you want to relish rava dosa):)
~ The batter can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days after which it will turn sour (i.e the dosas prepared from batter more than 3-4 days old).

Soya Chunks Vegetable Pulao Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 45 mts, soaking of rice: 15 mts

Serves 6 persons.



Ingredients:

3 cups basmati rice – washed and soaked in water for 15 mts

1 cup dried soya chunks - washed and boiled in water till soft

2-3 tbsp ghee

1 tsp shah jeera

2 bay leaves

2 big onions finely sliced

1 tbsp grated ginger

3-4 green chillies slit length wise

1 cup chopped mixed vegetables like beans, green peas, carrots or potatoes

½ tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

3-4 tbsps of fresh mint leaves (pudina)

3 cups of freshly extracted coconut milk

2 ½ cups water

2-3 tbsps lemon juice

fresh coriander leaves for garnish

3-4 bread slices (cubed and lightly fried in ghee) - optional

8-10 cashewnuts (lightly roasted in ghee till golden brown)

For Masala Powder (lightly dry roast in a pan and grind to a fine pwd)

2 green cardamoms

4 cloves

2” cinnamom stick

3-4 pepper corns

1/4 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1-2 dry red chillis

1 Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add shah jeera and bay leaves and stir for a few seconds till the jeera splutters. Add the sliced onions, grated ginger and green chillis. Saute the onions till they turn pink.
2 Add the mixed vegetables and on medium heat, let them cook. Add salt and keep covered for 4-5 mts.
3 Add turmeric pwd, masala pwd and combine well. Stir fry for a minute.
4 Add the cooked soya chunks and keep covered for 2 mts. Add the mint leaves and combine.
5 Add the coconut milk, let it come to a boil, reduce heat and add the water. Bring to a boil again.
6 Add the drained basmati rice and mix well. Add salt, if required, at this stage. Reduce heat to medium and let it cook covered with lid.
7 Finally, once the rice and vegetables are cooked, add the lemon juice, fried bread cubes, fried cashewnuts and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
8 Serve with raita, mixed vegetable curry or chicken curry.




Note:

The above spices measurements can be categorised as medium spice. You can increase the use of green chillis, cloves, pepper and dry red chillis, if you want a spicer pulao. I have used less spice to suit my toddler’s palate. If you dont have a coconut on hand, replace the coconut milk with water, but the flavor of pulao will differ.

Pulagam Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 30 mts including soaking time of rice

Serves 4-5 persons

Cuisine: Andhra

.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old basmati rice (any variety of rice can be used like sunnalu or sona masuri)

1/2 cup split yellow moong dal (pesara pappu)

1 tbsp ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds

10-12 fresh curry leaves

1/4 tsp whole black pepper (optional)

salt to taste

3 ½ cups of water

10-12 cashewnuts lightly fried in ghee till golden brown

1 Wash the rice and dal and soak them together in water for 15-20 mts.
2 Meanwhile in a heavy bottomed vessel or pot, heat ghee. Add the cumin seeds, let them splutter and turn slightly brown. Add the curry leaves and black pepper corns and fry for a few seconds.
3 Add the drained rice and dal and combine with spices and fry for a few seconds.
4 Add water and salt and pressure cook till the rice and dal are cooked and soft.
5 Garnish with fried cashwenuts and serve with tomato chutney or avakai.


Note:

You can slightly dry roast the split moong dal before soaking in water along with rice. You can also add an extra glass of water if you want a more gooey texture of the lentil-rice medley.