IDLY STIR FRY/ MIXED VEGETABLE IDLY UPPUMA

This is done using left over idlies, very simple and easy to make. Those who do no like idlies, may like this recipe since it resembles Paneer/Gobi manchurian. But I haven't deep fried the idly pieces instead stir fried them taking health consciousness into account.

INGREDIENTS:
Left over Idlies - 5 to 10
Carrot - 2
Capsicum slices - 1 cup 
Onion - 1 big size
Tomato - 1
Crushed Ginger garlic - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - a little
Salt 

For Seasoning
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp 
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a leaflet
Oil - 2 tsp

METHOD: 
1. Cut the idlies into cubes and keep aside.
2. Chop onion, carrot, capsicum and tomato into small pieces and keep aside.
3. In a thick bottomed pan, add oil, on heating it add mustard and cumin and allow to crackle and add urad dhal and stir till it becomes golden brown. Add curry leaves & asafoetida.
4. Add finely chopped onion, fry till the colour turns transparent, add capsicum and carrot and stir well until it is half cooked. Add tomatoes and cook until it becomes juicy.
5. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, garam masala and salt required for the veggies (Idlies already have salt) and mix well. 
6. Sprinkle little water so that the raw smell goes off.
7. Add chopped idlies and mix carefully so that they get coated with masala well. 
8. Cook for few minutes so that the masalas are well absorbed by the idies. Add chopped coriander leaves, mix well and switch off the flame.
8. Tasty and delicious Idly Stir fry is ready.

Idly Stir fry with Tomato Onion Chutney

Note:

• Keep in mind that the idlies already have salt in them. Otherwise the recipe might turn salty and hard to eat.
• Idly cubes can be fried in oil before adding to the vegetables. It will taste much better and will be an apt lunch box recipe along with Tomato Sauce/Ketchup.

See also for Tomato chutney, Onion coconut chutney

MINT PULAV

Mint has a strong, special and refreshing aroma. Mint is a good appetizer and has plenty of medicinal values.

INGREDIENTS:
Basmathi rice - 1 cup
Onion - 2
Green peas - 1/2 cup (soaked)
Carrot - 2
Beans - 10
Capsicum - 1
Tomato -2
Sambar powder/Red chilly powder - 1& 1/2 tsp
Crushed Ginger garlic - 2 tsp 
Green chilly - 2
Mint leaves - 1 bunch
Coriander leaves - a handful
Lemon - 1/2
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - as desired
Salt
For Seasoning
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 2
Star Anise - 1
Cardamom - 2
Fennel - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Mace/Jathipathri - 1

METHOD:
1. Wash & soak Basmathi rice in water for 20 minutes.
2. Chop all the vegetables and keep aside. Wash and chop the mint, coriander leaves.
3. In a Pressure cooker, heat oil, add all the ingredients given for seasoning one by one and stir well until nice aroma comes out.
4. Add chopped onions, saute well till it becomes transparent, add crushed ginger garlic and cook well until raw smell goes off.
5. Add the chopped veggies, slit green chilly and cook for few minutes. Add little salt and mix well so that the tomato turns juicy.
6. Add Sambar powder/Red chilly powder, required salt for the whole dish and stir well. 
7. Add chopped mint leaves and saute for a minute.
8. Add 1& 1/2 cup of water to the vegetables and allow to boil. 
9. Add the soaked basmathi rice and mix well until it is half cooked.
10. Add lemon juice, coriander leaves, ghee & mix well and close the lid of the cooker.
11. Allow up to 2 whistles on high flame and lower the flame for 5 minutes.
12. Tasty and aromatic Mint pulav is ready to be served with Onion raitha/tomato sauce.

See for Mint Pulav(other version), Paneer Vegetable Pulav, Veg. pulav in this blog.

FRIED RICE

A Simple Chinese recipe done using cooked rice. But cooked Basmathi rice is usually used & suits well. It is simple and can be done in minutes. Suits well for lunch box and children love this recipe,  it is less spicy and aromatic since Basmathi rice has a unique aroma.

INGREDIENTS:
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Carrot - 1
Beans - 6
Capsicum - 1/2
Crushed Ginger garlic - 1 tsp
Spring Onion - 1/4 cup (chopped)
Soya sauce - 1/4 tsp 
Tomato sauce - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Star Anise - 1
Cashew - 5 (optional)
Ghee - 2 tsp
  
METHOD:
1. Chop all the veggies finely and keep aside.
2. Heat ghee in a tawa, add Cashews, roast till golden brown and remove it. Add star anise and stir till nice aroma comes out.
3. Add chopped onions and saute till it becomes transparent.
4. Add crushed ginger garlic and chopped vegetables and cook on medium flame.
5. If you feel that beans needs more time to get cooked, add water in a pan and allow to boil and add beans and cook for 5 minutes and drain the water, add it to the other veggies.
6. Cook veggies well and see that the crunchiness is retained. Do not over cook.
7. Add soya sauce and tomato sauce, pepper powder and required salt and stir gently.
8. Add cooked rice, spring onion and toss well, lower the flame. Taste for salt & spice. Add if needed and switch off the flame.
9. Tasty and less spicy Fried Rice is ready.

Note: 

• If freshly cooked rice is used, allow the rice to cool completely before adding to the vegetables. 

PANEER BHURJI

This is a simple, easy North Indian dish, done using crumbled Paneer/Cottage cheese. It can be done in few minutes with minimal ingredients. A less spicy dish and apt for children.

INGREDIENTS: 
Crumbled Paneer - 1 cup
Onion - 2
Tomato - 2
Capsicum/Peas - 1/2 cup
Green chilly - 1
Crushed Ginger garlic - 1 tsp
Red chilly - Powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/2 handful
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Salt

METHOD:
1. In a thick bottomed tawa, heat oil and ghee, add cumin and allow it to sizzle.
2. Add finely chopped onions, slit green chilly and stir well until the onion turns transparent.

3. Add finely chopped tomatoes, capsicum and crushed ginger garlic and saute well for few minutes in medium flame till the tomatoes turn mushy.
4. Add little salt and cover the lid of the tawa to fasten the cooking.
5. Add red chilly powder, garam masala, required salt and stir well. Sprinkle some water, cook on medium flame until the raw smell goes off.

6. Add  crumbled paneer, coriander leaves, little water stir, for a minute and switch off the flame. Taste for salt and spice.
7. Tasty Paneer bhurji is ready to be served with roti, naan, bread etc.,
8. Paneer Masal Dosa, popular in restaurants now,  can be done by stuffing Paneer bhurji in dosa.

 


 

LEMON SEVAI / LEMON IDYAPPAM

A Popular and simple Breakfast recipe commonly done in Tamilnadu, a healthy one and easy for digestion, as it is done by steaming

See for Plain Idyappam and Sweet Idyappam in this blog

INGREDIENTS:

Raw Rice flour - 1 cup
Turmeric - a pinch
Water - 1 1/4 cup
Salt

For Seasoning
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp
Peanut - 3 tsp
Cashew - 6

Green chilly - 2
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp 
Curry leaves - a leaflet
Coriander leaves - 1/2 handful
Lemon - 1/2
Oil - 2 tsp

METHOD:
1. Heat 1 1/4 cup of water and allow to boil and switch off the flame.
2. In a bowl, add rice flour, turmeric, salt and mix well.
3. Add the boiling water little by little and mix with a ladle and prepare a dough.
4. Some variety of flour may require less/more water, so adjust accordingly.
5. Fill the dough in an idyappam maker, and press it on an idly plate as long circular strings and steam it and keep aside.

Dough, Circular strings & steamed strings

6. In a tawa, add oil, mustard, cumin, after mustard splutters, add urad dhal, chopped green chilly, peanut, cashewnuts and fry well until the nuts become golden brown. 
7. Add asafoteida and fenugreek, curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves and stir well and switch off the flame.
8. Add lemon juice, mix well and add the steamed idyappam  and mix well.
9. The idyappam will crumble into small strings, mix well so that it gets well blended with the seasoning. Taste for salt and add if needed.
10. Tasty Lemon Sevai/ idyappam is ready.

Note:

• Ready made sevai is available in the market. This can also be used.
• Add one cup of sevai to 3 cups of hot water with salt and turmeric and keep it for 5 minutes and drain the water completely. Mix a teaspoon of gingelly oil to the sevai, so that it doesn't become sticky. Now, follow the steps for seasoning.
• Instead of using turmeric powder along with the rice flour, it can be used along with seasoning. But it requires to be mixed well to get an even look while used along with seasoning. 

  
 

STUFFED PARATHAS

INGREDIENTS:

 For outer Cover
Maida/Wheat flour - 2 cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt

For Stuffing
Carrot - 2
Capsicum - 1/2
Cabbage - 1 cup
Potato - 2
Tomato - 1
Onion - 2
Crushed Ginger & garlic - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves - 1 handful
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil - 3 tsp

METHOD:
1. In a bowl, add Wheat/maida, oil and salt. Mix together.  Add water and prepare a soft dough and keep aside.
2. Pressure cook Potato, little salt with 3 whistles on high flame and mash well.
3. In a pan, add oil and saute the onions till transparent, add ginger garlic and cook until raw smell goes off. Add finely chopped carrot, capsicum and stir well.
4. Add finely chopped tomato and cabbage and mix well and cook for sometime.
5. Add all the powders and required salt (potato has been cooked with salt), sprinkle little water and cook well. Add mashed potatoes also.
6. After all the vegetables blend together add chopped coriander leaves, mix it and allow the veggies to cool. Stuffing is ready.
7. Prepare dough ball little bigger than lemon, using a rolling pin, spread to small pooris.

8. Place a portion of the stuffing in the center and cover on all sides using the dough. Make it into an even sized ball. Prepare all the dough with stuffing and keep aside.
9. Sprinkle wheat/maida flour in a flat surface and place the dough. Using the rolling pin, spread the dough carefully, so that the stuffing doesn't come out. See to that all sides are even.
10. Heat a dosa tawa, place the stuffed paratha carefully and cook on both sides. After small brown spots appear, sprinkle oil on all sides.
11. Flip the other side and sprinkle oil if needed. Cook on medium flame, so that the inner portion of the dough is cooked well, but the stuffing is cooked already.
12. Tasty Stuffed Paratha is ready.
13. Serve hot

with Onion raitha or Cucumber raitha.

Note:

• Cook the vegetables well and mash it, so that the filling doesn't come out.
• If wheat flour is used, prepare the dough using warm water so that the dough will be soft.

TOMATO RICE

Simple & Easy, less time consuming recipe, suitable for lunch box and handy item for picnic

INGREDIENTS:
Basmathi rice - 1 cup

Tomato - 2
Big onion - 1
Small onion - 10
Capsicum - 1/2 (optional)
Green chilly 3
Crushed ginger garlic - 1 tsp
 Lemon - 1/2

For Seasoning
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - 1
Fennel - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 leaflet
Corainder leaves - handful
Oil - 2 tbs
Ghee - 2 tsp

METHOD:
1. Wash and Soak Basmathi rice for 10 minutes.
2. In a pressure cooker, add oil, mustard, cumin, after it splutters add cinnamon ,fennel and curry leaves..
3. Add finely chopped onions, cook until transparent, add crushed ginger garlic, cook until raw smell goes off.
4. Add chopped green chillies, little salt and finely chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are cooked well and all the ingredients blend together.
5. Drain the water and add the soaked basmathi rice and stir well for 2 minutes.
6. In a pan heat 1 1/2 cups of water and allow to boil and add to the ingredients in the cooker. Add required salt.
7. Stir in intervals until the basmathi rice is half cooked.
8. Add lemon juice, coriander leaves and ghee.
9. Pressure cook until 2 whistles on high flame.
10. Tasty Tomato rice is ready.
11. It can be served with Onion raitha.

ONION RAITHA PREPARATION:
1. Take a cup of curd and whip adding required salt.
2. Add finely chopped Onions along with 1/4 tsp of chat masala and mix well.
3. Onion raitha is ready.

Note:

• Regular boiled rice can be used instead of basmathi rice.
• 1/4 cup of curd can be used instead of lemon, but the curd should be added along with Basmathi rice. Lemon should  be added only at the end.
• Cinnamon and Fennel are optional. I have added them for their aroma.