Keerai | Palak | Spinach Pulao and Tomato Raitha Type 1!!!

Keerai Pulao | Palak/Spinach Rice is very delicious and tasty variety rice. I prepared this for lunch yesterday. My family liked it a lot.

Serves - 4 persons

Ingredients
Keerai/Palak/Spinach - 1 bunch
Pudina/Mint leaves -1/2 bunch or 2 cups
Rice - 3 cups
Water - 6 cups
Green Chilli - 3 nos(As per your taste)
Ginger - 2 tspns
Onion - 2nos
Cashews - few(Optional)
Spices - 1 no each(Krambu,Elakka,Pattai /Clove, Cinamon, Cardamom)
Oil - 3 tablespoons
Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
Salt
Garlic(Optional) I have not used

 Preparation Method
Wash and chop keerai and pudina and keep aside.
Chop onions and keep aside.
In a Kadai, add 1 tspn oil saute the keerai, pudina, 1no green chilli with ginger for 5 to 7 mins. Allow it to cool. Grind it to coarse paste 2 to 3 times in mixie or blender.
Heat a pressure cooker, add oil, put spices and fry. Add chopped onion, a pinch of salt and a green chilli,(at this stage if you want you can add ginger garlic paste) and saute till onions are transparant.
Now add grounded keerai mixture and saute for few minutes.
Wash and add rice, salt, garam masala and mix. Allow it to boil and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
Wait for steam to release and slowly mix. Garnish with cashews.

Serve hot or warm with Raitha.

Tomato Onion Raitha Recipe

Ingredients
Tomato - 2nos(deseeded and chopped)
Onion - 1 no (chopped)
Fresh curds/Plain yogurt - 2 cups
Green chilli - 1no (chopped)
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 tspn(chopped)

Method
Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients one by one.

Tomato Onion Raitha is ready to serve with the Pulao.

Notes - You can add ghee for flavour with the oil.

This recipe is going to CWS Rice by Reva and Priya. My other entries for this event are Peas Pulao Restuarant Style, Kothamalli/Cilantro Sadam, Vegetable Dum Biryani and Masala Veggie Pulao 

Homemade Oma Podi /Sev | Step-by-Step Diwali Recipe!!!

Oma Podi / Sev is a simple and tasty fried savory. It tastes great as it is and widely used in chaats and mixture. Its aromatic with Omam/Ajwain/Bishop weed. This is popular in all sweet and savory shops in India. This is my kids and in-laws favourite as its not spicy.

This recipe is taught by my in-laws.

Step-by-Step Photos

Testing the flow

Recipe
Ingredients
Kadalai Maavu/Besan/Chickpea Flour - 4 cups
Rice flour - 1 tablespoon
Omam/Ajwain/Bishop Weed - 2 tspns
Salt as required
Oil for deep frying

Preparation Method
Soak Omam in water for 1 hour and then boil it with water to get Omam water. Allow it to cool. This is for mixing the dough.
Then filter the water and keep.
In a wide vessel, put kadalai maavu, salt and mix with omam water as required to a soft dough. Make equal portions of the dough.(1tablespoon rice flour to get crispy)
Heat oil in a kadai/wok, take a small portion of the dough, put in murukku/omapodi nazhi/hand press gadget.
Press in the hot oil fully in a circle wide.
Let it cook, turn around and deep fry.
Take it on a tissue paper and just press by hand and make small pieces.

Homemade Oma Podi is ready. I love this with sambar rice and rasam rice.

Notes :
- Do not put the whole omam as it will block the holes of the murukku nazhi/ gadget.
- Use the fine and small hole sevva nazhi.

- Adding Rice flour(optional), it will be crispy.

Indusladies E-book for Diwali!!!

For the upcoming Diwali on October 26th, 2011, Indusladies is compiling an E-Book called “100 Yummy Diwali Sweet Recipes”. We are collecting Sweet/Dessert recipes from various bloggers to be featured in this E-Book.

This E-book will be made available as a free download to our community's 1.3 Lakh+ members. In addition, they are also be making this E-Book available to our 9000+ Facebook fans and Twitter followers. It's LOTS and LOTS of exposure to those food blogs entering the E-Book!!

We believe this would be a nice way to get the word out about a wonderful blog to the entire membership of IndusLadies!!

Are you a Food Blogger? Or do you have friends who are Food Bloggers? Here's a great news for the Food Bloggers out there who have been blogging  for alteast 1 year now...

Those bloggers interested in submitting a recipe for this E-Book...all you need to do is as follows:

1. Send a link from your blog for a sweet /dessert recipe. It should also include the picture of the sweet/dessert. Your recipe, food picture, recipe URL as well as the entire blog URL will get featured in the E-Book.

2. In return, we need you to do two things:

Now make a blog post in your blog announcing the E-Book compilation by IndusLadies and the recipe you are sending for this E-Book. That way inviting your co-bloggers interested to send in their contribution by Oct 10th,2011.

Any blogger interested can send their entry to partners@indusladies.com by October 8th.

My sweet entries to the event are here.

Sweet Karamani/Black Eyed Bean Sundal | Navarathri Special!!!

Hi Friends,

Hope you are having great time this Navarathri. Have been quite busy with the festive season and couldnot blog. Just posting this recipe I prepared today. This sundal is special for Navarathri as it is a sweet one.

Sweet Karamani Sundal is a sundal prepared with vellam/jaggery and this is very tasty.
Tomorrow is Saraswathi Pooja, Kondakadalai/Chickpea/Garbanzo Sundal is prepared and offered to God with other menu for festivals. To read more on Navarathri click here.

IngredientsKaramani/Black Eyed Beans - 4 cups (Brown or white, I used white)
Vellam/Jaggery - 4 cups(powdered)
Fresh Grated coconut - 1 cup
Elakka/Cardamom powder - 4 pods

Preparation Method
Soak karamani/blackeyed beans overnite with enough water. Pressure cook for about 4 to 5 whistles with water and a pinch of salt in medium flame. (We should not cook anything without salt)
In a kadai or wide vessel, put vellam/jaggery with 1 cup water and boil well. Let it dissolve fully. Then filter it if any dust or mud particles are there. Wash the kadai and add the filtered jaggery, again boil it well till the raw smell goes and it reduces a bit.
Once its boiled, add grated coconut and mix.
Add boiled karamani and mix. Stir in intervals. Let it boil well and until no water left. Off the stove then add elachi powder mix.

Sweet Karamani Sundal is ready to serve to God.

Soya Bean Sundal | Navarathri Recipes!!!

Soya Bean Sundal is very healthy. This time I have not added coconut. Its good for lowering cholestrol.

Ingredients
Soya Bean - 2 cups (Available at supermarket in Dried Food section)
Olive oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Jeera - a pinch
Curry powder - 1/2 tspn(As per your taste)
Asafotida/hing - a pinch
Dry Red Chilli - 1no (As per your taste)
Curry leaves - few
Salt as per taste

Preparation Method
Soak Soya bean overnite with enough water. Pressure cook for about 4 to 5 whistles with water and salt in medium flame.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard wait till it splutters then add asafotida, urad dal, dry red chilli, jeera and curry leaves. Saute till urad dal is brown.
Add cooked soya beans without water.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and curry powder mix well. Cook for 5mins and Off the stove.
Soya Bean Sundal is ready to offer to God, later enjoy.

This is good with sambar rice as sidedish and for lunchbox.

Notes - I have not used coconut here, if you wish you can add.

Try my other Sundal recipes for Navarathri

Kondakadalai/Chickpea/Garbanzo Sundal
Rajma, Soya, Green Gram Sundal
Pacha Payar Karamani Sundal
Verkadalai/Peanut Sundal

Sorakkai/Bottle Gourd Rava Ladoo Repost!!!

I usually make Rava Ladoo, this time tried with Sorakkai/Bottle Gourd. Sometime back this was showed on TV and tried by my friend.  It was different, tasty and moist.

Ingredients
Sorakkai/Bottle Gourd - 1/2 cup
Rava - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup(as per taste)
Elachi/Cardamom - powder of 2 pods
Ghee - 1 tspn + little more
Cashews/Pistachoes - few
Milk - 1 to 2 tspns

Preparation Method
Grate Sorakkai and squeeze just little water but not fully. Keep it aside.

Heat a thick bottom kadai, add 1/2 tspn ghee, add rava and roast till its slightly brown and gets good aroma. Transfer it to a wide vessel. Add sugar, press and mix well with a spoon.

In the same pan, add 1/2 tspn ghee, add grated sorakkai saute till the raw smell goes. Add this to the rava mixture.


In the same pan, add little ghee and fry chopped nuts till brown. Add this also to the mixture.


Now mix everything finely with a spoon.


Sprinkle little milk as sorakkai is little moist and mix to a soft dough by hand.


Take lemon size of the mix to get round shape.


Store it in an air tight container and enjoy. This will be perfect to eat next day or rests for a 2 -3 hrs. Its good to prepare for guests and festivals.

This recipe along with my Carrot Rice Payasam, Dumroot Halwa and MW Low Fat Carrot Halwa, Carrot Halwa, Jackfruit Payasam are going to Celebrate Sweets Fruits n Veggie by Raks and Nivedita.

This recipe alongwith the following is going for
"IndusLadies.com eBook for Diwali.

Badam Puri - http://simplysara07.blogspot.com/2009/05/badam-puri.html

Seven Cup -  http://simplysara07.blogspot.com/2009/06/seven-cup.html

Maaladu/Besan Ladu - http://simplysara07.blogspot.com/2009/03/maaladubesan-laadu-recipe.html

Holige/Obattu - http://simplysara07.blogspot.com/2011/04/holigeobattu-step-by-step-recipe.html

Sorakayi Rava Laddu - http://simplysara07.blogspot.com/2011/04/sorakkaibottle-gourd-rava-ladoo.html

Carrot Rice Payasam - http://simplysara07.blogspot.com/2011/04/carrot-rice-payasamkheer.html

Rajma, Soya, Green, Red Bean | Mixed Legume Sundal | Navarathri Specials!!!

Navarathri is coming, this month end and this Mixed Legume Sundal is a different recipe and healthy one.

Ingredients
Soya Bean, Green Gram, Rajma, Red Gram  - 1 cup each 
Cooking oil - 1 to 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Asafotida/hing - a pinch
Green Chilli - 2nos (As per your taste)
Jeera powder - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Fresh Grated coconut - 1 cup
Salt as per taste

Preparation Method
Soak Rajma overnite for 8 to 10hours. Others for 2-3 hrs. Pressure cook for about red and green gram for 4 whistles with water and salt. Pressure cook Rajma and Soya bean for about 10 whistles in simmer with water and salt.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard wait till it splutters then add asafotida, urad dal, and curry leaves. Saute till urad dal is brown.
Add add pressure cooked dals and mix well.
Grind grated coconut and green chilli to a course paste without adding water. Add this to the sundal. Cook for few minutes. Sprinkle jeera powder.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt mix well. Cook for 5mins and Off the stove.

Mixed Legume Sundal is ready to offer to God, later enjoy.

This recipe is going to MLLA 39 by Cathy and Susan.

Notes - I make it slightly mashy, if you want whole reduce no of whistles.

Nellikai Sadam | Amla | Gooseberry Rice Recipe!!!

Nellikai Sadam | Amla Rice Recipe is a Kalandha/mixed variety rice. This is a very tasty rice and is prepared without onion and garlic. I usually cook many other vegetable rice like Vangibath, Capsicum rice, Capsicum Bath using curry powder etc adding of Nellikai/Amla/Gooseberry was told by my friend in SG. It is also healthy to eat Nellikai/Amla as it is rich in Vitamin C.

Serves : 2 persons


Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup
Nellikai/Amla(Big) - 3nos (Deseeded and grated)
Curry powder - 3 tspns (as per your taste)
Oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Bengal gram - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves few
Hing - 2 pinches
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn or less( I like it more)
Dry red chilli - 1no(optional)
Salt


Preparation Method
Cook rice and keep separately.
In a thick bottom kadai, add oil, mustard wait till it splutters. Put bengal gram, curry leaves, red chilli and wait till it turns brown.
Now add the grated nellikai and saute. Keep it in low flame. Do not over cook. Add salt and turmeric.
Add curry powder and fry till raw smell goes.
Add salt and mix well.
Allow it to cool and then mix with rice and serve.


Nellikai Sadam is ready to enjoy. You can serve with any vegetable curry or raitha.

I love as it is :-)


Notes - The Nellikai will be tangy, so add the curry powder accordingly.

This recipe alongwith Strawberry Milkshake is going to Healing Food Berries Event by Smitha started by Siri.

Mysore Rasam!!!

Rasam is very good for digestion and tastes great with rice and curds.

Today I am giving Mysore Rasam recipe, which was also asked by my uncle in chennai. So here is the recipe mama. Hope you like it.

Ingredients
Puli Thanni/Tamarind water - 1 cup(Soak lemon size tamarind in water and squeeze out the water and filter it)
Tuvaram Paruppu /Toor Dal - 1/2 cup(Cooked and mashed with water by hand or whisk)
Peringayam/Asafotida - 2pinches
Manjal/Turmeric powder - a pinch
Thakalli/Tomato - 1no
Vellam/Jaggery - a small gooseberry size
Salt
Talipu/Seasoning
Ghee - 1 tspn
Oil - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Curry leaves - few

To Grind
Dhaniya/Coriander Seeds - 1 tspn
Tuvaram Paruppu /Toor Dal - 1/2 tspn
Milagu/Pepper - 1/4 tspn(As per your taste)
Jeeragam/Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Varamilaga/Dry Red Chilli - 1no
Thengai thuruval/Fresh Grated Coconut - 2 tspns

Preparation Method
In a kadai, dry roast all the ingredients above to grind to slightly brown except coconut. Once to off the stove add grated coconut and mix. Allow it to cool.
Grind it with water to fine paste and keep aside.
In a vessel, add tamarind water, tomato, turmeric, a pinch of salt and allow it to boil, until raw smell of tamarind goes.
Then add the ground mixture and boil.
Add cooked toor dal and mix. Check for salt.
Add jaggery.
In another pan, add ghee, oil, mustard, wait till it pops, off the stove. Then add asafotida and curry leaves.
Pour this in the prepared rasam. Off the stove.

Mysore Rasam is ready to serve. Enjoy rasam with hot steamed rice.

Upma | Uppittu Restuarant Style!!!

From yesterday Mahalaya Paksham is starting for the next 15days and cooking is done without Onion and Garlic. For Dinner it will be only tiffin. So I prepared this for my in laws and it was yummmmy... I know many of you dont like. But I like it anytime of the day and love it cold or leftover.

Ingredients
Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups + 1/2 cup if required
Cashewnuts -  5 nos slit or broken
Ginger - 2 tspns chopped
Any cooking Oil - 5 tspns or 1/4 cup
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Jeera - 1/4 tspn
Channa Dal - 2 tspns
Hing/Asafotida - 1/4 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Coriander - 2 tspns chopped
Green chilli - 1 no slit 
Salt

Preparation Method
Dry roast the Rava in a kadai until slightly brown and smells good. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool.
In a same kadai, add oil, mustard, wait till it pops, then add jeera, channa dal, wait till its brown, add curry leaves, green chilli, cashews and ginger. Saute till cashews are slightly brown. Add water, chopped coriander and salt. Allow it to boil. Check for salt. you can add a drop of oil here also.
Once its boiled, reduce the flame and add rava, stir continuously and not forming lumps. Mix well evenly.
Close the lid and wait for 5 to 10mins for rava to cook.

Upma | Uppittu is ready to serve. You can serve this with Coconut chutney /Sugar/Sambar.

Notes/Tip -
If salt is slightly more, add 1 tspn of ghee and mix well and garnish fresh grated coconut.

This recipe is going to Vrat Ka Khana Event by Kalyani.

Green Gram Adai

Adai is a popular breakfast/tiffin in Tamilnadu. This time I have added green gram and it was good. I have already posted the recipe here and here.

Ingredients
Rice - 1/2 cup
Green Gram/Pacha Payru - 1 1/2 cups
Channa Dal - 1/4 cup
Toor Dal/Tuvaram Paruppu -1/4 cup
Urad Dal/Ulatham Paruppu - 1 table spoon
Dry Red Chilli -1no
Green Chilli - 1 no
Ginger - 2" piece
Rice flakes/Aval/Poha - 1 tspn
Asafotida/Hing-1/4 tspn
Salt to taste
Curry leaves -few

Preparation Method
Rinse and soak Rice and Dals in water for about 3 to 4 hours.
Then grind to slightly coarse paste in a mixie or blender with chilli, ginger and salt. Transfer it in a bowl and add asafotida and curry leaves. Leave it for 2 to 3 hours.
Then heat a tawa/skillet and spread like dosa. You can make it thick or thin and crisp whatever you like.
Put oil turn and cook for 2mins.

Serve as it is with Ghee/Aviyal/ Molagai Podi/Curds and Jaggery.

This recipe is going to Vrat Ka Khana Event by Kalyani.

Nutty Banana Milkshake!!!

Nutty Banana milkshake is also prepared for my son, who sometimes doesnt eat nuts but loves banana. 

Ingredients
Banana - 1 no
Milk - 1 cup (boiled and cooled)
Sugar/Honey - 1 tspn.
Nuts - Badam/Almond and Pistachos 2nos each

Preparation Method
Take the nuts grind it for 2 whips in a mixer jar, then add chopped banana, sugar and milk and blend it well. Transfer it to a tumbler/glass.

Serve it chill or as it is.

This recipe  along with my Badam Burfi is going to Almonds Desserts Events by Anu.

Manga Thenga Chammanthi | Raw Mango Coconut Chutney

Manga Thenga Chamanthi | Raw Mango Coconut Chutney is a Kerala dish. Its simple and tasty.

I
ngredients
Raw Mango - 1/2 no
Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Green Chilli - 2 nos
Salt

Seasoning
Coconut Oil or Cooking oil - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Venthayam/Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Dry Red chlli - 1 no

Preparation Method
Grind all the ingredients above to coarse paste.
Then season it with the above.

Manga Thenga Chamandhi is perfect combination for Kootu Sadam.

This recipe with brocolli soup is going to Shilpa's Life is Green Event.

Brocolli Soup!!!

Brocolli Soup is a simple and healthy soup. Its good for health as its rich in iron. This is for my son, who love soups.

Ingredients
Brocolli - 4 big florets
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Turmeric - a pinch
Pepper powder - a pinch
Salt

Preparation Method
Wash and rinse Brocolli.
In a vessel, add brocolli, water, salt and turmeric.
Allow it to cool and blend with milk in mixie/blender. Add pepper and warm it.

Serve warm as it is or with Garlic Bread.

Brocolli Soup is ready to serve.

Peas Pulao | Restuarant Style !!!

Peas Pulao is one of my favourite food and I cook on weekends. You can say its my Weekend Specials too. Its simple, delicious and flavourful. My family loves this a lot. Do have a look at other pulao varieties here.

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 2.5 cups
Green Peas - 1.5cups(Fresh or Frozen) I used frozen, thawed.
Spices -Bay leaf/Cinnamon/Cloves/Cardamom - 1 no each
Green chilli - 1 no
Ghee - 1 tspn
Onion - 1 no(Finely chopped)
Oil - 4 tspns
Milk - 1 cup
Water - 4 cups
Jeera - 1 tspn
Ginger and Garlic - 2 to 3 tspns(Finely chopped)
Salt

 Preparation Method
Wash, rinse and soak basmati rice in water.
Heat pressure cooker, add ghee, oil and spices. saute for 2 mins. Add Jeera and saute. Add greenchilli, onion, ginger and garlic. Saute till slight brown.
Add milk and stir. Add water and allow it to boil.
Now add rice, salt and mix well.
Finally add thawed green peas.
Close the lid and cook (dum) for 10mins or pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.

Restuarant Style Peas Pulao is ready to serve.

You can serve this with slightly spiced gravy or dal.

Notes - Can use normal rice also, but its very good in Basmati Rice. I recommend preparing it with Basmati Rice.