Tomato Rice

Tomato Rice has to be one of those simplest of  variety rice dishes yet can be very fulfilling to your taste buds. It’s one of my favorite lunch box meals in my school days. This is the first year we had a little garden patch in our backyard and we got plenty of tomatoes this season. Tomato rice being like my most favorite of variety rice dishes, I made it from our own garden tomatoes. It’s actually very easy to cook too.

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes : 2 (make it into puree)
• Onion : 1/2 ( Medium)
• Green chili : 4
• Curry Leaves : 5 to 6
• Ginger : 2 tsp ( finely chopped)
• Peanuts : 1/4 cup

For seasonings:

• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds: 2 tsp
• Urad dal : 2 tsp
• Channa dal : 1 tbsp

For masala Powder:

• Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
• Channa dal : 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds : 1/3 tsp
• Curry leaves : 2

Method of Preparation :

1. Fry all the masala ingredients and let it cool for a few minutes. Then grind them into a fine powder.
2. Boil the tomatoes and peel the skin off it. And mash it by hand or using a masher into a puree.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the seasonings and when the seeds sputter, add ginger and peanuts and let them fry for few minutes.
4. Now add onions, green chilies and curry leaves and when the onions turns translucent, add the tomato puree, turmeric powder and little salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes in medium heat.
5. When its come to a complete boil add the masala powder into it and mix it all together. Turn off the heat and make sure the gravy is thick.
6. Now you can mix this gravy with the rice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Rice Payasam (Kheer)

Ingredients

4 tbsp cooked rice
Few roasted cashews
2 tbsp grated coconut
6 tbsp of sugar (add more or less as per taste)
1 cup of milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Mash the cooked rice slightly. Add this and some water and cook for a minute. Add the sugar, cardamom powder, coconut and roasted cashews to it and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the milk and mix well. Serve hot or cold

sambar powder

The sambar powder recipe is from one of my cookery books and it gives the perfect taste of Sambar as prepared in Tamilnadu

Ingredients

3 cups of Coriander Seeds
1 cup of pepper
1 cup red gram dal
1 cup bengalgram dal
1/4 cup fenugreek seeds
1/4 cup mustard seeds
5 cups Red chillies

Dry roast all the ingredients seperately and grind to smooth powder after cooling.

Store in an air-tight container.

Broken Wheat bisibela bhath

Ingredients

1 cup broken wheat
1/2 cup Redgram dal (Tur dal)
Tamarind- a small lemon size
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Bengalgram dal
1 tsp Blackgram dal
Groundnuts- few
Curry leaves- few
Carrot- 1
1/4 cup Peas
Beans- 10
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Jaggery- little
Water
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

For masala paste
1 1/2 tsp Bengalgram dal
1 tsp Blackgram dal
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
2 Red chilli
Cinnamon stick- a small piece
2 Cloves
2 Cardamom
3 tsps Coconut powder

Cut the carrot and beans into long pieces. Clean the broken wheat and dal and pressure cook it.
Soak the tamarind in some water and extract the juice. Roast the masala ingredients and grind it to a paste.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, bengalgram dal, blackgram dal. When it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves, groundnuts, turmeric powder and finally the extracted tamarind juice. Add the masala paste, salt, vegetables and jaggery. Let it cook for some time.

Finally add the cooked broken wheat and dal and mix well. Bring it to a boil. Garnish with coriander leaves and some ghee. Serve hot.

Bhopali Korma

For Non-veg version/the original recipe, Here comes my recipe, with some customizations.
Ingredients for Masala Paste: Coriander seeds-1 tsp
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Cloves-3
Cinnamon-1/2 inch cinnamon
Cardamoms-3
Black peppercorns-8
Bay leaves-1
Curd-1 and 1/2 cup
Nutmeg - a small piece
Corriander Leaves- fistfull
Grated Coconut- 3tsp

Ingredients for Gravy:

Soy Chunks-10
Garlic-4 cloves(finely chopped)
Ginger-1/2 inch finely chopped
Chilli Powder- 2tsp
Vegetable Stock- 1/2 a cup
Oil-6tbsp oil

Method:

Prepare the paste and keep it aside.

Now in a pan, heat the oil, when it splutter's, add the finely chopped ginger and garlic and roast them.

On then add, the soy chunks, which you got to boil for 5 minutes with little salt and squezze it and then wash them in cold water and squeeze them again. now mix the squezzed soya chunks along with the ginger and garlic.

Now add the Paste to the pan and mix well.

Add vegetable stock and mix well, add salt and chilli powder and let them rest in the slow flame, till it emits oil on its sides.

Don't use tangy curd, it may change the taste. This is a 10 minutes whip-out, with minimal work.
Enjoy with Rice or Chapathi's.

Dal Fry

Ingredients

1 cup cooked red gram dal
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 green chillies slit into half
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Few curry leaves
Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Heat oil, add mustard and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add the green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric and ginger paste. Add the cooked dal and salt. Cook for five minutes till all the ingredients blend together.

Garnish with coriander leaves

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Ribbon Pakoda

Ingredients

3 cups Bengalgram flour
1 cup Rice flour
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
Bit of asafoetida
2 tbsp Ghee or hot oil
Oil to fry

Mix all ingredients except oil with water to make a soft dough.

Put the dough in the pressing machine and directly make ribbon pakoda in hot oil.

Deep fry till both the sides are cooked and colour changes. The hissing sound in the oil should stop. Transfer to a kitchen napkin to drain out excess oil.

Store in an air-tight container.

This snack goes to the "Power" less cooking event as well.

Rice sevai tikki

Ingredients

1 cup cooked MTR rice sevai or homemade sevai

2 boiled and mashed potatoes

2 slices of bread

Bread crumbs

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Oil

Mix all the ingredients except oil and bread crumbs. Before adding the bread slice, dip for a second in water and squeeze out all the water. Now make balls of these mixture and flatten it to tikki shape. Coat with bread crumbs.

Cook with few drops of oil on a tava till crispy brown on both sides. Serve hot with sauce/sweet chutney.

Aloo Gobi

Aloo Gobi Masala is my favourite, when i go to restaurant's, But never intended to try it at home till i saw Meeta's Punjabi Aloo Gobi. i took the key ingredients from her recipe and went ahead with my own way of making curry. it came out So Good. we liked it a lot. Thou its a dry one, you can make it in gravy form by adding Fresh Cream in the last. Iam sure this recipe will amaze you all, as it amazed us.

Ingredients:

Desi Ghee - 2 tbsp's

Cumin - 1/4 tsp

Potatoes - 2 Big

Cauliflower - 1 small or 10 floret's

Red Onion - 1 big one (finely chop it)

Tomato - 1 big one (finely chop it)

Powder's to add :

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilli Powder / Cayenne Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Corriander Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

Corriander Leaves(finely chopped) - 1 tbsp's to Garnish

To Crush : ( Crush the following in your Pestle mortor )

Ginger - 1 inch size
Garlic - 5 cloves
Green Chilli -1

Method:

Cut the Potatoes (aloo) into cubes. take care to cut them into equal sizes. also cut the Cauliflower(Gobi) into equal size floret's. Put the floret's in Boiling water with a pinch of turmeric powder for about 2 minute's and drain them and keep it aside. Put the Cauliflower's and Potatoes in your microwe for about 5 minute's, or steam them for about 7 minute's, till they are atleast half-way cooked.

Heat a Pan, add Desi Ghee to it, let the ghee get hot, and add cumin seed's to it. roast the cumin seed's. Now add the Crushes Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli mix to the pan and saute them for half a minute.

Add the Finely chopped onion and saute it till they turn translucent. then add the finely chopped tomato. fry them all for a minute.

Now add Turmeric powder, chilli powder, Corriander powder, cumin powder and Garam masala to the onion tomato mix. let the masala's mix up well with the onion-tomato.

Then add the half-cooked Potatoes and cauliflower to the pan and mix well. cover the pan with its lid and let the potatoes and cauliflower sit in the low flame for about 5 minute's till they get fully cooked.

Add Corriander Leaves to Garnish and add a tsp of desi ghee as a finishing serving touch.

If you want the aloo gobi in gravy form, add 4 tbsp's of fresh cream before a minute to switch of the flame. Serve it with soft chapathi's or Pulkha's.

Hope you all Like it. Iam getting ready with IAVW-Moracco Roundup, my next post will be the roundup. see you all there, till then Have a Happy Weekend!

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Bengalgram dal payasam

ngredients

1 cup bengalgram dal(soaked for 1/2 hr in water and pressure cooked till soft)
1 cup grated jaggery
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Few cashews
2 tsp ghee
A pinch of edible camphor (pachai karpooram in tamil)

Heat the ghee and roast the cashews in it till light golden colour. Add the cooked bengalgram dal to it and roast for a minute. Add the jaggery to it and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Finally add the milk, cardamom powder and cook for 5 minutes. Add the edible camphor just before getting it down from the stove.

Serve hot or cold.

carrots rice

Ingredients

1 cup rice
2 big grated carrots
Salt to taste
2 green chillies
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp ginger paste
A small piece of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 Cardamoms
2 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds

Heat oil,add cumin seeds,cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon. Then add ginger paste, green chillies and the cleaned rice. Mix well. Add grated carrots and salt. Mix well. Pressure cook with 2 cups of water.

Serve hot with any raita.

Ghee Rice

Ingredients

1 cup rice(for basmati, water is 2 cups and for normal sona masuri rice, 2.25 cups of water)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cardamom
Few roasted cashews
2 cloves
Finely chopped coriander leaves

Soak the rice for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain out the water

Heat ghee, add black pepper, cloves and cardamom. Add the rice and roast well in ghee. Add water and salt to it and pressure cook it.

Garnish with roasted cashews and coriander leaves.