Sarkarai pongal

Ingrediends:

• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup
• Milk - 1/2 to 1 cup
• Ghee - 1/2
• Cashew nuts - 10 to 12
• Elachi - 1 

Method:

Boil water in thick bottomed vessel probably a cooker. when the water boils and the picked and washed rice. Let it cook in the water absorbent method. Need not close it. when the rice draws in all the water and is cooked well add the milk and cook in low flame till it is very well cooked. Now add the jaggery either broken into small pieces or shredding it with a knife. Adding jaggery will make the rice little liquid form cooking it in low flame will thicken. Add the ghee and elachi powder and keep it low for five minutes stirring it. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and serve hot.

Note: When you make sarkarai pongal you can also add grated coconut at the end. Another variation is that you can add a handfull of pasi paruppu (green gram dhal) while cooking the rice. 

Mushroom Biriyani

Ingredients:

• Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
• Mushrooms - 10 to 12
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Garlic - 3 to 4 pods
• Bay leaf 
• Clove - 2 to 3
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Green Chilli - 2
• Curd - 2 tb sp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Ghee - 1 tb sp
• Pudhina leaves - few string
• Coriander leaves - few strings
• Salt to taste

                                      

Method:

Soak the Basmathi rice in water. (1 cup rice in 1 3/4 cup of water).

In a pressure cooker heat the oil and the ghee add all the spices. Crush the garlic pods and add. Sauté for a minute then add the sliced onions. Sauté till golden brown. 

Wash and cut the mushrooms into four. In a flat pan add a knob of butter and sauté the mushrooms in it till golden brown and add it to the onion in the cooker. 

Add the tomatoes and sauté well till it is cooked. Now add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. 

When the oil comes out on the sides of the cooker, beat the curd well and pour it. 

Add the basmathi rice along with the water add the pudhina and the coriander leaves. Mix well and close the cooker. 

Keep the flame very low and leave it for 15 minutes without weight. Then turn off the stove and put the cooker weight. Open after 10 to 15 minutes and serve with onion raitha.

Note: While you cook the mushrooms they should be browned slightly that shows the right texture. Mushrooms do not brown when they are crowded. so do it in batch if it is more. if you will like the flavor slightly sprinkle sugar.

Its not necessary to wash the basmathi rice. so soak it with the right amount of water. Normally the ratio of water for one cup of basmathi rice is 1 and 1/2 cup of water. For the rice to be soaked add 1/4 cup of water extra.

Vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients:

• Potato - 150 gm
• Carrot - 75 gm
• Beans - 75 gm
• Onion - 50 gm
• Beetroot - 75 gm
• Coriander leaves - 2 tb sp
• Chilli powder - 1 t sp
• Salt - to taste
• Bread crumbs - 1 bowl
• Maida - 4 tb sp
• Oil - to fry

Method:

Pressure cook all the vegetablesexcept onion. Peel the potato and mash all the vegetables. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion add salt chilli powder and the mashed vegetables and chopped coriander leaves.

Make a paste of maida wit a pinch of salt and little water. divide the vegetable stuffing into equal small balls and press keeping it in the palm like a patty. Dip it in the maida paste and roll over bread crumbs. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the cutlet till golden brown. 

Rich Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

• Tomato - 4
• Bay leaf - 1
• Clove - 3
• Cardamom - 1
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Butter - 1 knob
• Corn flour - 1 sp
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

Blanch tomatoes. (Boil in water cool it and peel the skin). Bled the tomatoes well in a mixie when cooled.

Boil the tomato paste with the water in which it was cooked. Tie all the spice in a soft thin cloth and drop it in the soup. Add salt and pepper. Also add the corn flour paste and boil. 

Note: To make the soup more rich use a spoon of fresh cream. You can also make it more creative with the cream. Or if you are diet conscious you can also use milk instead.

If the soup is more spicy add a little milk to it which will reduce the heat of pepper. It also take the excess salt.

Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• Carrot - 2 tbsp
• Beans - 2 tbsp
• onion - 1 tbsp
• Butter - 1 knob
• Sweet corn - 4 tbsp
• Spring onion - few string
• Corn flour - 2 sp
• Milk - 2 tbsp
• Aginomotto - a pinch
• Salt to taste
• Pepper powder

Method:

In a pan heat a knob of butter sauté the onion. Add the vegetables and sweet corn and four cups of water. Close the pan with the lid and cook the vegetables. Add the salt, pepper and aginomotto. Mix the corn flour in milk and pour it into the soup and bring it to boil. serve it in the bowl and garnish with spring onion.

Note: You can also add few drops of soy sauce but that will change the color of the soup darker and some may not like the flavor also. So it is better to serve the sauce separately. And also if you want you can omit the onion part of it and directly boil the vegetables. the onion adds a flavor to the soup.

Idly

Kushboo idly... kanjeevaram idly.... how lot of varieties do we have with this soft steamed harmless food...?!!

Many of my friends complain of idly not being soft... The problem at many times is the rice variety and the ratio of rice and dhal.

Now lets see how simple it is to have a healthy breakfast.... Hot, Spongy, Soft, Steaming idlies. 

Ingredients:

• Par boiled rice (Pulungal arisi) - 4 cups
• Urudh dhal - 1 cup
• Fenugreek (Vendhayam) - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste.

Method:

Wash and soak rice and dhal SEPARATELY for two hours. Soak fenugreek seed with urudh dhal.

Grind the rice adding water do not grind it coarsely. Grind near to fine. Add salt while grinding the rice itself.

Once rice is ground take it out and then grind the urudh dhal. 

When u grind the dhal Check often and push all the dhal that is stuck on the corners of the grinder and add enough water so that the urudh dhal batter comes fluffy. 

Now pour the urudh dhal batter over the rice batter and mix well and beat the batter with hand. 

Pour it in a little bigger vessel and leave it to ferment for at least 6 hours. 

The batter will have a creamy yellow layer and would have raised in quantity which means the batter has fermented well. 

Now make idlies in the traditional idly vessel with a cloth. 

Note:Do not beat the batter as it may reduce the sponginess of the idly. Do not soak and grind the dhal and rice together. You can ask as Idly rice in the shop which will be little bigger in size. Fenugreek gives color and flavor to the idly and when you make dosa with this batter it really gives a nice aroma. and crispiness. 

Carrot Kheer

Ingredients:

• Carrot - 250 gm
• Milk - 1 1/2 cup
• Condensed Milk - 3 tb sp
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Cashewnut - 10
• Elachi powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Wash. peel and cut carrots into chunks. In little water pressure cook carrots.

In a blender (Mixie) blend the carrot and cashews into a smooth paste. 

In a thick bottomed vessel pour the paste and the stock (water in which you cooked the carrots).

Pour the milk, condensed milk and heat it.

Add the sugar and the elachi powder and heat till sugar dissolves.

Cool it in refrigerator and serve chilled.

Can garnish with grated cashew or saffron. 

Note: If you are health conscious avoid the cashew and the condensed milk. This is really healthy drink for the ones who do not like to eat carrot as a vegetable. Vitamin rich as the main ingredients are only carrot and milk. If you do not have condensed milk avoid that and add a little more sugar and milk. Serve it chilled or hot instead of payasam afetr meal