Quick & Easy Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients

1 cup rice

2 cups water

1 cup mixed vegetables (carrot, potato, peas, and beans)

2 onions

2 green chilies (or ¼ tsp red chili powder)

1 tsp ginger & garlic paste

1 cardamom

small piece of cinnamon

2 cloves

2 tsp oil

2 tsp ghee

Salt to taste

Method

Wash rice and drain it. Wash and cut vegetables.

Heat ghee and oil in a pan add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon

green chilies, onions & sauté.

Add ginger garlic paste and sauté.

Add all the vegetables and mix well.

Add rice and sauté for a minute.

Add salt + 2 cups water and boil.

When the water starts boiling, reduce the flame,

cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Simple Vegetable Pulao is ready to serve.

Garnish with fried bread / paneer / mint leaf
You can cook this in rice cooker or non stick pan also.

Oats Idly

Ingreients

1 cup oats

½  cup godhumai rava or lapsee rava        

½  cup curd          

½  cup water 

½  tsp Eno fruit salt (or a pinch soda)

1 tsp Lemon Juice           

1 chopped green chilli

1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped carrot & few green peas (optional)

Few chopped coriander & curry leaves 

2 tsp oil

¼  tsp mustard     

¼  tsp red chilli powder ( optional)

salt to taste

Method

Dry roast oats until nice aroma comes, powder it coarsely.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard when it starts spluttering

add then add green chilli, ginger and curry leaves.
Add rava mix well and fry for a minute.

Transfer to mixing bowl, add oats, salt, curd, lemon juice,
carrot, green peas and coriander leaves and water mix well.

Make  batter which consistency is similar to our idly batter and set aside for 15 minutes.

Add Eno fruit salt just before making idly and mix well.

This will help you to make your idly soft.

First steam the cooker well then keep ready your idly plates greased with oil.

Take a ladle of batter to the idly plate, fill it to all plates, cover  and cook without weight for steaming.

Steam it for 15 minutes,  after 10 minutes you can open the cooker.

Healthy & delicious oats idlies are ready.

Serve hot with any chutney of your choice / sambar/ pickle.

Can eat without any side dish also.

Aloo Gobi Muter

Ingredients

1 cup cauliflower florets (Gobi)

1 cups peeled & chopped potatoes

½ cup fresh or frozen peas (muter)

¼ tsp red chilli powder

 ¼ tsp masala powder 

A pinch turmeric powder

2 tbsp oil

Few coriander leaves for garnishing

Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook potatoes with salt & turmeric powder. (1 whistle)

Boil cauliflower with salt & turmeric powder and drain water.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard, when mustard starts spluttering

Add urad dhal, (or use only cumin )boiled potatoes and cauliflower.

Add red chilli powder, masala powder and mix well.

Cover with a lid, cook in low flame for 5 to 10 minutes.

Finally add frozen peas and mix well. 

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ready to serve simple and tasty aloo gobhi muter.

Goes well with hot rice / roti/ naan/ phulkas.

Cauliflower gravy

Preparation time 5 minutes

Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower (separated into small florets)        

2 onions

1 tomato

1 capsicum

½ cup tomato puree

¼ tsp pav baji masala powder / red chilli powder

½ tsp ginger & garlic paste

A pinch turmeric powder

1 tsp butter / oil

Salt to taste.

Method

Boil water and add cauliflower florets with salt and turmeric powder.

Cook till half boiled, drain water and keep aside.

Cut onions, capsicum and tomato.          

Heat butter in a pan add onions sauté for 2 minutes.

Add ginger & garlic paste sauté.

Add capsicum and tomato mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

Add pav paji masala power, turmeric powder and salt mix well.

Now add tomato puree and boiled cauliflower mix gently.

Cook for 5 more minutes.

Cauliflower gravy is ready to serve.

Goes well with hot rice / chapathi / poori

Paneer and capsicum subzi

Quick & easy recipe

Preparation time 5 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients

100 gms panner

2  capsicum

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp tomato sauce

1tsp ginger & garlic paste

¼ tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp oil / ghee / butter

Salt to taste

Method

Cut panner and capsicum in to pieces.

Heat butter in a pan, add ginger & garlic paste sauté for a minute.

Add capsicum and red chilli powder sauté for 2 minutes.

Add panner, salt, soya sauce and tomato sauce mix well.

Cook for another 2 minutes and switch off the gas.

Paneer and capsicum subzi is ready to serve.

Goes well with roti & naan. 

Thiruvathirai Kali

Ingerdients

1 cup raw rice

1 ½  cups Jaggery powdered

¼  tsp cardamom powder

Few cashew nuts & raisins

4 tbsp ghee

3 ½ cups water

Method

Dry roast rice in a pan till brown color. You will get nice aroma from the rice.

Cool it and powder to coarse consistency in blender. (like rava)

Boil 3 cups of water.

Add 1 spoon ghee in cooker then add boiled water. (prevent sticking to the bottom)

Add powdered rice mix well.

Pressure cook this for 15 minutes in low flame, with whistle.

Since it is roasted rice flour the cooking time & consumption of water is more.

Mean time in another pan add ½ cup water and powdered jaggery.

Melt it and filter it to avoid any impurity in the jaggery.

Allow to boil, till raw smell of jaggery goes.

Now add this to cooked rice flour and mix well.

Cook in low flame till all water gets absorbed.

Add remaining ghee in a pan, fry cashew nuts and raisins add this to above.

Add cardamom powder and mix well.

Thiruvathirai kali is ready.

This kali is served with Thiruvathirai  kootu.  (mixed vegetable kootu).

Thiruvathirai  kootu (Mixed vegetable kootu)

Ingredients

1 cup mixed vegetables (Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, broad beans,Green Mochai Kottai, Vazhakka, potato)

A pinch turmeric Powder

3 green chilli

¼ cup grated coconut

Few curry leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Boil all vegetables with little water, salt and turmeric powder in pressure cooker for 1 whistle.

Grind coconut and green chilli to a fine paste.

Add this to boiled vegetables cook for 5 minutes and add curry leaves.

Thiruvathirai  kootu is ready.

Serve hot with kali.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients

1 cup raw rice                       

4 Tomatoes                        

2 Onions                         

1 Green chilli                  

Few green Peas                             

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp garlic     

A pinch turmeric powder               

1 tsp red chilli powder             

1 tbsp ghee

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp fennel

1 tbsp chopped mint & coriander leaves

Salt to tast

Method

Pressure cook rice with 2 cups of water.

Heat ghee and oil in a pan add fennel, ginger and

garlic sauté for a minute.

Add green chillli and onion.

Fry till it turns light brown.

Add finely chopped tomatoes and fry till it is cooked.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, peas and

salt mix well cook for five minutes and switch off the gas.

Now combine this with cooked rice and mix gently.

Garnish with freshly chopped mint & coriander leaves.

Simple tomato rice is ready to serve.

 Serve hot with onion raitha and potato chips.

                                                             

Potato Bonda ( Urulaikizhangu Bonda )

Ingredients

¼ kg boiled and mashed potatoes

1 chopped green chillie

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped coriander & curry leaves

1 cup gram flour

1 tabs rice flour (optional)

Red chillie powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

A pinch asafetida

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp mustard

Oil for deep frying

Salt to taste

Method for stuffing

Pressure cook potatoes with salt and turmeric powder.

Peel the skin and mash it well.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard, when it starts spluttering

add green chillie, ginger, and curry leaves.

Add mashed potatoes mix well and cook for 5 minutes, switch off the gas.

Squeeze the lemon juice, add coriander leaves mix well and set aside.

Stuffing is ready.

Method for batter

In a bowl take gram flour, rice flour, asafetida, salt and chillie powder.

Add little water and mix well, make a batter like dosa batter.

Batter for bonda is ready.

Method for bonda

Heat oil in a pan for deep fry.

Make small balls of potato mixture.

Dip each ball in the batter and deep fry them.

Serve hot potato bondas with any chutney or sauce.

Tomato Pulao

Ingredients

2 cups basamthi rice

2 cups coconut milk

2 cups tomato puree (juice of 6 tomatoes in a blender)

2 onion

1 green chilli

¼ tsp fennel  

1 cardamom

½ masal powder

½ red chilli powder

2 tsp ginger & garlic paste

A pinch turmeric powder

2 tabs oil

1 tabs ghee                                                                                             

Few coriander & mint leaves 

salt to taste

Method

Wash basmati rice and set aside.

Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker.

Add Fennel, cardamom and onion saute till onions are brown.

Add ginger & garlic paste and saute for a minutes.

Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, masala powder

and green chilli mix well.

Add tomato puree and allow to boil.

Add rice, coconut milk and salt mix well.

When it comes to boil close the lid, when the steam comes well,

put the whistle and cook in low flame for 10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander and mint leaves.

Serve hot with potato chips or any raita.

Potato & Paneer kofta

Ingrdients

¼  kg potatoes

100 gms panner

3 tomatoes

3 onions

2 cardamom

6 badam or cashuw net (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes)

1 green chilli

½  tsp red chilli powder

¼  tsp masala powder

A pinch turmeric powder

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

2 tbsp coriander leaves

2 tbsp corn flour

1 tbsp roasted gram flour

oil for deep fry

Salt to taste

Method

Heat a tsp of oil in pan, add cardamom, ginger, garlic and onion saute well.

Add chopped tomatoes cook till tomatoes are soft.

Add turmeric powder,red chilli powder and salt saute for 2 minutes.

Allow to cool then add soaked nuts grained to fine paste.

Now in another pan add this paste and cook for 10 minutes in low flame. 

add masala powder mix well, now your gravy is ready.

Peel the potato skin and cut in to pieces.

Pressure cook potatoes with salt.

Mash the potatoes well and set aside.

Grate the panner and set aside.

In a bowl add mashed potatoes, grated panner, green chilli,

red chilli powder, coriander leaves, corn flour, roasted gram flour

and salt mix all ingredients well.

Now take a small quantity of the mixture make small balls

from it and deep fry them in oil.

Now your koftas are ready.

Before serving add the koftas to the gravy.

Goes well with fried rice / naan /  roti /

Tomato & Peas Kurma

Ingredients 

5 Big ripe tomatoes

Hand full off boiled peas

4 tbsp of coconut (or ½ cup coconut milk)

½ tsp red chilli powder

1  green chilli

1 cardamom

1 tsp ginger& garlic paste

¼ tsp masala powder

¼ tsp fennel

Few curry & coriander leaves

2 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Method

Grind coconut, green chilli and cardamom to fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan add fennel and tomatoes let it fry in oil for about 5 minutes.

Fry  gently, else tomatoes will get squashed.

Add  ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, salt and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add boiled green peas mix well.

Add coconut paste (or coconut milk) and masala powder mix well.

After a boil, turn off the gas. 

Garnish with fresh curry and coriander leaves.

Goes well with Aapam / hot steamed rice / roti.

More Kuzhambu

Ingredients

1 cup Sour curd / thick butter milk

3 or 4 tbsp grated coconut

100 gms chopped ladies finger

3 green chillies

1 red chilli

¼  tsp mustard

¼  tsp rice flour

Very little fenugreek

Few curry leaves

4 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Method

Sauté ladies finger in oil until well cooked and then add little salt set aside.

Grind coconut, rice flour and green chillies with little water to fine paste.

Add turmeric powder, salt to the coconut paste with little water and cook for 5 minutes.

Now add curd and fried ladies finger mix well.

Cook in low flame switch off the gas when it is frothy. (It should not boil)

Season it with mustard, fenugreek, red chilli & curry leaves.

Goes well with hot rice.

Potato curry or paruppu usili along with pappad will be the perfect combination for this.

Other vegetables used for more kuzhambu - white pumpkin / colocasia (seppan kizhangu) / chow chow.

Maladoos

Maladoos are easy to make.

Ingredients

2 cups roasted gram dhal powder

2 cups sugar powder

1 cup ghee

¼ tsp cardamom powder

Few cashew nuts

Method

Powder the roasted gram dhal and sugar separately in a mixer jar.

Grind it to a fine powder.

Fry the cashew nuts in ghee until brown and keep aside.

Now add roasted gram flour, sugar powder, roasted cashew nuts

cardamom powder and mix well.

Heat remaining  ghee in a pan, add this to above mixture.

Mix well, set aside for 2 minutes.

When the mixture is warm, shape in to balls with your hands.

Grease your hands with ghee to avoid sticking.

Tasty maladoos are ready to serve.

  

Stuffed Bread Pakoda

Ingredients

10 Bread slice

1 cup gram flour

1 tbsp rice flour (optional)

A pinch asafetida

½ tsp red chilli powder

4 boiled potatoes

2 tbsp green chutney

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1 lemon

Oil to deep fry

Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook potatoes with salt and turmeric powder.

Peel the skin and mash it well.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard when it starts spluttering add boiled potatoes.

Add lemon juice to the above mix well and set aside, filling is ready.

Combine gram flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, asafetida and salt mix well.

Add required water to the above and make batter and set aside.

In one bread slice apply green chutney evenly.

In another bread slice apply tomato sauce evenly.

Now spread mashed potatoes on one bread and cover it with another.

Press gently, cut and dip this in gram flour batter.

Deep fry in hot oil.

Ready to serve hot stuffed bread pakoda.

Jeera Rice

Ingredients

1 cup rice (Regular or basmati)

2 cups water     

2 tsp cumin seeds

Few cashew nuts            

2 tbsp ghee       

Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook rice with 2 cups of water. (2 whistle)

In a pan heat little ghee, fry cashew nuts and set aside.

In the same pan heat remaining ghee add cumin seeds

when it starts spluttering add cooked rice & salt mix gently.

Cover the pan with a lid & cook in low flame for 2 minutes.

Granish with cashew nuts.

Baingan ka salan (Brinjal gravy)

Ingredients

For grinding

1 tbsp peanuts

2 tbsp coconut 

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

Other ingredients

½  kg Brinjal (small)                      

¼ tsp mustard

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp kalonji (onion seeds - optional)

1 Red chilli and 1 green chilli 

1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste 

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chili powder

1tsp masala powder

2 sliced onions

A pinch turmeric powder

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves d

Few curry leaves

2 tbsp thick curd

Oil to deep fry

Salt to taste  

Preparation 

                                                           

Heat pan, dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds & coconut.

Grind this into paste and set aside.

Wash the brinjals and wipe with towel, without any water and slit them into four.

In another pan heat oil deep fry the brinjals and set aside.

Method

Heat oil in a pan add mustard, when mustard starts spluttering

add cumin, red chilli, kalonji, sliced onions and  curry leaves.

Cook this till onions are golden brown in color.

Add ginger garlic paste cook this till raw flavor goes.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder

green chilli and salt sauté for a minute.

Now add peanut and sesame paste mix it with little water.

Cover with lid and cook in low flame for 20 minutes, stir in between.

Add curd, once it comes to boil, add fried brinjals &  masala powder mix gently.

Cover with lid on and let it cook for 10 minutes in low flame.

Then add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Goes well with jeera rice/ chapatti/ poori.

American corn & Cheese soup

Ingredients

1 cup American corn

2 spoons grated cheese

1 onion

Few ginger & garlic

¼ spoon black pepper powder

2 spoons corn flour

½ spoon butter / oil

Salt to taste

Method

Boil American corn with water for 5 minutes and set aside.

In a pan add ½ spoon of butter add onion, garlic and ginger sauté for 2 minutes.

Now add boiled corn along with water.

Mix the corn flour with little water add this to above with salt and allow to boil.

Finally add grated cheese and freshly crushed pepper powder.

American corn cheese soup is ready to serve.

Channa Masala

 Ingrdients

200 gms channa ( chickpeas)

3 onions

4 tomatoes

1 tbsp channa masala powder

1 tsp amchur powder

1 tsp chopped ginger                                         

1 tsp chopped garlic         

1 tsp sambar powder / red chilli powder

A pinch turmeric powder

Few coriander leaves

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Preparation

Wash and soak channa overnight.

Pressure cook channa without salt for 5 to 6 whistles.

Grind tomatoes in to puree and set aside.                         

Grind 2 tbsp of boiled channa in to a paste and set aside. (for thick consistency of gravy)

Method

In a pan add oil in that add ginger, garlic and onion sauté for 2 minutes.

Add  chili powder,  turmeric powder, amuchur powder and cook for a minute.

Now add tomato puree and cook well till raw smell goes.

Add channa with required water and salt and cook for 10 minutes.

Finally add channa paste & channa masal powder mix well.

Cook for 2 more minutes in low flame.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.  

Ready to serve hot channa masala.

Goes well with  chapathi / poori.

We can do bread channa also.

Vazhakka Puttu

Ingredients

5 small raw bananas (Big 2)

¼  tsp mustard

1 tbsp gram dhal

1 red chilli

A pinch asafetida

Few curry & coriander leaves

1 tsp finely chopped ginger

1 green chilli & 1 red chilli

2 tbsp coconut

2 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Method

Steam  vzhakka with skin in cooker for 1 whistles.

(Keep in cooker without water)

Let it cool and remove the skin and grate it.

Now heat oil in a pan, add mustard when it starts spluttering

add channa dhal, red chilli, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and sauté.

Add grated vzhakka  slat and cook for 4 minutes.

Now add coconut and mix well, cook for 2 more minutes.

Add coriander leaves.

Ready to serve hot vzhakka  puttu.

Goes well with smabar / rasam / curd rice. 

Thattai

Ingredients

2 cups rice flour

½ cup roasted gram flour

1 tsp red chilli powder

¼ tsp asafetida            

1 tbsp gram dhal (soaked in water for 15 minutes and filtered)

tsp butter            

Salt to taste.

Method

In a pan add rice flour, roasted gram flour, red chilli powder,

asafetida, curry leaves, soaked gram, butter and salt mix it well.

Add water little by little and mix all these ingredients to make dough.

Now make small round shape balls out of the dough.  

In plastic sheet spread oil, and keep this.  

Now close the plastic sheet, gently press with flatten vessel (coffee davara)

Heat  oil in a pan.

Slowly turn the plastic paper on your palm and it will come easily.

Now drop this into hot oil and deep fry it.                                                                           

The simple and the delicious thattai is ready to serve.

Variation - In dough you can add white sesame seeds and crushed peanuts also.

Dum Aloo

Ingredients

½  kg potatoes

2 onions

1 tsp jeera

1 tbsp gram flour

¼ cup fresh & thick curd

½  cups of tomato puree

small piece of ginger

few garlic

¼ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp saunf powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

½  tsp kashmiri red chillie powder

¼ tsp masala powder

oil to fry

salt to taste

Preparation

Peel the skin and cut the potatoes.

Heat oil in a pan, deep fry the potato in high flame and set aside (otherwise it will be very oily)

In a pan add 1tsp oil in that add onion, ginger and garlic fry for 5 minutes.

Grind the above in to paste and set aside.

In a bowl add curd, coriander powder, saunf powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder

mix well keep aside.

Method

Heat oil in a pan add jeera and  gram flour fry until it turns in to golden brown.

Now add tomato puree and onion paste and fry well.

Add this to curd.

Add the fried potatoes, mix it well and add 1cup of water.

After the gravy boils, let it cook on low flame for 10 minutes. (stir in between)  

Finally add masala powder and mix well.

Serve hot with poori /paratha / naan /fried rice.

Mint Rice (Pudina rice)

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati rice
2 cups water
1 bunch mint leaves
Small piece of ginger
2 tbsp coconut
1 green chilli
4 pods garlic
1 tsp fennel (saunf)
A pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp oil
2 tsp ghee
Salt to taste.

Method

In a pan add a tsp of oil in that add fennel,
ginger, garlic, green chilli and mint leaves fry for 2 minutes.
Now add coconut (don’t fry) to the above and grind to a fine paste.
In a pressure cooker add ghee, 2 cups of water and boil it.
Now add the above paste and turmeric powder mix well.
Finally add rice and salt mix well and cook for 2 whistle.
Simple mint rice is ready to serve with any raitha.

Chocolate Balls

Ingredients

35 Marie biscuits

2 tbsp cocoa powder

½ tin condensed milk (or ½ cup powdered sugar)     

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp desiccated coconut 
Few gems 

Method

Make a fine powder of the biscuits in a mixer.

Add cocoa powder, condensed milk, butter, coconut and mix well,

make it in to dough (sprinkle little milk if needed)

Make small balls of the dough and make it in to round shape.

Garnish with gems and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Enjoy the delicious chocolate balls.

Tip -while using sugar powder use ½ cup milk.

  

Besan Ladoos

Ingredients

2 cups basan flour

1cup Powdered sugar

1/2 cup ghee

1/4 spoon caradamom powder

few cashew nuts ( roasted)

A pinch nutmeg powder

Method

Powder the sugar and keep aside.

Now in a pan add ½  cup of ghee, heat well.

Add besan and roast it in low flame until color changes

to golden brown, and you will get nice aroma from the flour.

Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning at the bottom.

Now switch off the gas.

Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and roasted cashew nuts.

Now add powdered sugar and mix well, set aside for 2 minutes.

When the mixture is warm, shape in to balls with your hands.

Grease your hands with ghee to avoid sticking.

Garnish with any dry fruits.