Pineapple rasam

   With few pineapple slices, left over, I settled at this recipe , found at Chef Damodharan's cookbook.  The recipe was very simple, though I twisted the rasam masala with few curry leaves and green chillies addition.  The result was delicate, sweet and sour peppery rasam.  Kids would love it because of an different, 'sweet' quotient into them.  And, elders would welcome an new change.

So, do try and let us know.  Moving on to the recipe.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients required

For the rasam masala

• 21/2 tsp whole cumin seeds/ jeera
• 1 tsp whole peppercorn
• 6-8 tiny garlic pods
• 3/4 tsp finely chopped green chillies
• 8-10 whole curry leaves

Others

• 1 tbspn of oil
• 3/4 tsp of mustard seeds
• Pinch of hing/asafoetida
• Pinch of haldi/turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped pineapple 
• 1/4 cup of finley chopped tomatos
•  1/4 cup of tuvar dal
• Salt, to taste

Method

Coarsely grind all, under rasam masala, without adding water, keep aside.  Soak tuvar dal for atleast twenty minutes and pressure cook them for two whistles with half cup of water.  Blend them , and keep aside.   

Heat oil.  Add mustard seeds and wait till they splutter.

Now, add in hing and turmeric.  Finally add corase paste of rasam masala.  Saute them for an minute.  

Add in pineapple and tomato pieces.  Saute for five to ten minutes, till they turn soft.  

Finally add in mashed tuvar dal, and add salt to taste.  

Let the rasam froth towards the edges.  Switch off the flame and serve hot.  

Enjoy with hot rice  :)

Happy cooking :)

Linking this to Srivalli's CCC Challenge

Chow chow and mutton curry

   I had just left the market with an pack of chow chow.  This green vegetable, resembled potato like in texture.  I wanted to try it differently other than usual poriyal or kootu, which is why I called my aunt.  She told me that chow chow, radhish, carrot and potato are few vegetables that can pair excellently with mutton curry.  Even those who don't like veggies and prefer mutton alone, will find this curry delecious since the chow chow absorbs the flavour of mutton and portrays as same.  You can add green chillies to the masala paste instead of chilly powder, but, since we had an toddler, I sticked with latter option.

Yes, and I made the curry along with mutton and its liver.  Mutton liver or thilli is an excellant source of iron, and moreover they dominated the entire flavour and we all nourished the same.  This curry goes great with rice/idly or dosa.  I hope you try the same and let us know.  

Kundapura kozhi chaaru

    This morning, I was going through my recipe diary.  Initially, when I started to cook, I had this habit of writing down all interesting recipes from TV program.  As week-end special, we always have chicken- so when particular page read, ' Kundapur kozhi chaaru' I got very excited!  All ingredients mentioned was handy at home, so tried these for this week's CCC Challenge.

Kundapura kozhi chaaru is an regional speciality from Karnataka, in a place called, 'Kondapur'.  This curry is more like an soup.  Yes, chaaru is an equivalent term for, 'rasam' in tamil.  This soupy broth is best when served with rice.  This recipe also, involves in an special masala, that imparts an fresh taste to this curry.  To, top this coconut oil and curry leaves added an mystique flavour that circulated the entire home.  Do try this and let us know :)

LUNCH

MAIN COURSE - RICE

•  Tomato baath
•  Bisibela baath
•  Schezwan fried rice
•  Kovaikkai podi saadham
•  Lemon rice
•  Khichdi
•  Puliogare rice
•  Pudhina saadham
•  Tomato rice
•  Egg pulao
  
  
  

·          

SIDE-DISH – DRY

•  Carrot poriyal
•  Kovaikkai fry
•  Mooli patta ki dal
•  Kandhe ki tarkari
•  Milagu cauliflower fry
•  Tawa cooked potato roast
•  Tawa arbi masala
•  Mutton sukka
•  Beans usili
•  Sura puttu
•  Apollo fish fry
•  Masala omlette
•  Mutton chops fry

SIDE DISH – CURRY/ GRAVY

•   Avial
•   Milagu karakulambu
•   Mirchi ka salan
•   Bharwan bainghan
•   Kathirikkai karakulambu
•   Vathakulambu
•   Nethili meen kozhambu
•   Nethili poondu kolambu
•   Kekadacha masala
•   Kozhi kolambu
•   Malvani fish curry
•   Chettinadu chicken curry
•   Saalna omlette
•   Muttai curry
•   Nattukodi pulusu

ACHAAR/PICKLE

•    Punjabi-styled vegetable pickle

Handvo

    Handvo is an Gujarati savoury cake with highly nutritious ingredients.  This cake combines rice and dal as its base and also includes bottlegourd making it an highly suggestable summer intake.  This baked cake is brown and crisp outside, but goes so soft inside.  Sadly, they can't be had alone, need green chutney or shaak.  Here I served this cake with khumb shaak.  Both went really nice.

Ingredients required

To make handvo flour/paste

• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1/4 cup tuvar dal
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp moong dal
• 1 tsp chana dal
• 2 tsp whole wheat
• 1/2 tsp rock salt
• 1/2 cup sour curd

Pudhina saadam/Mint flavoured rice

Why not give this creamy mint rice a try?? Kids will luv to have this mildly flavoured rice

Ingredients required

To make green paste

• 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
• 2 bunch of mint leaves, cleaned and washed twice
• 1-inch piece of ginger

To temper

• 5-6 tsp of oil
• 1 tsp crushed cinnamon
• 1 tsp crushed marathi mogga
• 2-3 green chillies finely chopped
• 4-5 broken cashewnuts
• 4 tsp of finely chopped onions

Puliogare rice

Puliogare rice is my all-time-favourite.  Making this is not quite easy,  needs correct composition of spices in its masala and also the imli added should be reduced to its proper paste-like consistency.  But with practice and patience, I assure, u guys, can make excellant puliogare.

Ingredients required

• Cooked rice two cups
• Puliogare powder-1/4 cup
• Salt- 1 tsp
• 1/2 cup of tamarind extract (Made out of lemon-sized tamarind ball)
• Haldi/turmeric powder-1/2 tsp 

To temper

• 7-8 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp rai/mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp chana dal
• 1/2 tsp split urad dal
• 10-12 broken cashewnuts
• Few sprigs of curry leaves
• 3-4 broken dry red chillies

Method

Heat oil in kadaai, add ingredients for temper one by one.

Then, add in tamarind water.  Tune on moderate to high heat such that tamarind water evaportes and becomes thick paste-like consistency, drizzling oil at top.  This will take time for ten to fifteen minutes.

When imli reduces as shown below pic, add turmeric powder and salt.. cook for two minutes.  Switch off the flame

Add in puliogare powder and adjust salt accordingly.  Add in cooked rice.  It is to be noted that either rice or puliogare paste should be cool/room temperature.  If both rice and paste are hot, then puliogare rice will turn wet and soggy.  One gentle advice is that in such cases, bring them both straight under ceiling fan for twenty minutes and then mix them.  This can really help in creating right rice texture..

Wowieeee puliogare rice was very yummy, I myself finished it all!!!

Guys, do give a try and let me know.....

Lemon rice

Ingredients required

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 3-4 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp haldi/tumeric powder
• 1 tsp salt

To temper

• 4 tsp oil
• 1 tsp rai/mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
• 1/2 tsp chana dal
• Few curry leaves
• 3-4 tsp cashewnuts,broken
• 3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions

Method

Heat oil and add ingredients for temper one by one.

Add in turmeric powder and salt.  Now, SWITCH OFF THE FLAME and add lime juice.  Add in cooked rice too, mix well and serve hot

To acheive best results, add 1 tsp of sesame oil/gingelly oil/nallennai over the rice before mixing

Neer dosa

Neer dosa is from Karnataka cuisine.  Its preparation is quite simple, apart like using urad dal, this dosa is prepared from  rice alone (which is grinded into liquid batter).  Unlike normal dosa batter which is left to ferment for hours together, this is an instant form, u can simply grind and make an instant form of dosa!! isn't this great??  Grated coconut/ coconut milk is added optionally.  Do give a  honest try guys.....

Method is sooo simple.  Just grind half cup of raw rice(soaked for one hour) with 2 tsp grated coconut.  Make the batter too runny or too wateryy (as  'neer' means liquid form)  Later add pinch of salt and drizzle the batter on pre-heated tawa,, twisting the tawa to form circular shape.  Cook on both sides, shape into four and serve with coconut chutney...

Hmm... yummy breakfast!!

Tomato baath (Biriyani-styled yummy tomato rice)

This fabulous rice is quite irresistable... try once and u will be asked to prepare regularly  !!!!

Ingredients required

To temper

• 5-6 tsp oil
• Half cup finely chopped garlic
• 2-3 whole red chillies, broken
• 1 tsp whole jeera

Other

• 1/2 cup finely sliced onion
• 1/2 cup finely sliced tomatos
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp hing/perungayam
• 1 tsp dhanya powder
• 1 tsp jeera powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 1 cup tomato pureee
• 11/4 plain water
• 4 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil in vessel and add ingredients for temper

Add in onions, saute till golden brown 

Add in tomatos and spices

Add in tomato puree and water.  Check salt and spice content in water form. 

Add in basmati rice which was soaked for fifteen minutes and cook on open vessel.  It is best to cook basmati rice in open vessel than pressure cooking because pressure cooking makes basmati rice soggy, but cooking in open vessel renders grainy texture of rice.  Cook till rice rises to top and cook for ten more minutes simmer flame with vessel closed. 

Serve hot with coriander leaves garnished

Hmm.... so yummyyyy

Khichdi- Lunch box idea for kids

   This dish was recommended by my friends and neighbours for varsha(My baby) ever since she was 1+   And the content was also so nourishing that it was all-in-one combo that is rice+dal+vegetables.  I also added 2 tsp of methi leaves to make it even more nourishing.  Though they are traditionally made like biryani procedure, like tempering with garam masalas and adding lot of spices, here i made completely non-spicy version for my kid.  This dish is also good for 60+ people.  There is nothing more nourishing , to consume this khickdi as a valuable evening snack, especially during rainy days.

   Spice-lovers do try spicy version and let me know...

    So ingredients you will need is one tsp jeera/saunf, onion one chopped, tomato one chopped, ginger garlic paste one tsp, mint leaves few, one cup of chopped veggies(carrot, beans, cauliflower, potato, methi leaves), half cup rice and quarter cup dal soaked together, one and a half cup water, mild spice mix(half a tsp salt, pinch of haldi, one tsp jeera powder, half a tsp dhanya powder)

      First heat oil and add jeera seeds, let it crackle.

This is followed by adding mint leaves, onion, ginger-garlic paste and tomato

Later on add chopped veggies and mild spice mix

And that add water and rice-dal mixture

 Pressure cook for three whistles

Yummy khichdi is ready to serve

Tomato rice (Lunch box idea for kids)

Hi
   It is been hardly two days since my kid left to playschool, and now she has a runny nose :(  seems that some of her friends have so,  in  such case, many kids prefer to stay light and dont eat much.  So, we must choose their diet accordingly, here i used tomato(vitamin c  to develop resistance), garlic (antioxidant), jeera and peppercorn(which are usually suggested as an cure to cold, cough) to make this rice, and my home was completely flavoured by this rice.  Since i had specially prepared for my kid (with preference to cold), my husband also pretended to have cold, just to have a spoonful of rice  :)  such was the flavour and taste

     GUYS, do give a try , it came out really well .. and back to recipe

Ingredients required

4-5 tomatos paste(cooked on kadai till get mushy and grind the mixture), 10-12 garlic pods, few coriander leaves,  1 tsp jeera- 1/2 tsp peppercorn roughly ground in mortar and pestle, one cup cooked rice

Method

Finely chop the garlic, in a kadai heat 3 tsp oil and add finely cut garlic

After the aroma is released and garlic turns brown, add the ground mixture of jeera and peppercorn

 Lateron, after 2 minutes, add tomato mixture and let this mixture cook for sometime

 Add finely chopped coriander leaves and cook till the water all evaporates, then add salt

 Add rice to it and mix thoroughly

 Tomato rice is ready to serve