RICE KESARI

Kesari is a simple sweet done using rava / semiya  or combining both. Here,  it is done using basmathi rice. North Indians usually prepare this dessert using basmathi rice. Even ordinary rice rava can also be used.

INGREDIENTS:
Basmathi rice - 1cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nut - 10
Saffron - little
Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional)
Salt - a pinch
Ghee 3 to 4 tsp

METHOD:
1. In a tawa, add a teaspoon of ghee and roast the cashews and keep aside.
2. Wash basmathi rice 3 to 4 times until the water is clear. Drain thoroughly and add to the tawa.

3. In a pan, 2 cups of water and bring to boil.
4. Stir the basmathi rice well on medium flame until nice aroma comes out.

5. Add boiling water and mix well. Add saffron and salt.
6. Cook on low flame until the rice gets cooked well. Close with a lid and stir occasionally without breaking the rice.
7. When the water is completely absorbed, add sugar and mix well and cook on low flame.
8. Add cardamom powder, remaining ghee and cook well till the sugar is well absorbed and comes together.
9. Add roasted cashews, mix well and switch off the flame.
10. Tasty RICE KESARI is ready.

Note:

• Adding a pinch of turmeric is to get good colour to the recipe.
• It can be avoided and instead little more saffron can be added by soaking in warm milk and adding along with water to get the colour.
• Proportion of sugar can be increased according to individual wish.

INSTANT SAMBHAR

This South Indian special is usually done using toor dhal or moong dhal or combining both. We need to pressure cook these dhals to prepare sambhar.   This recipe is done using broken gram / split gram along with other ingredients that we use for preparing sambhar. It goes well with idli, dosa, chappathi and poori. An easy side dish for tiffin items which can be done in few minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
Small Onion - 10
Tomato - 2
Sambhar powder-  1 tsp
Green chilly - 1
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a leaflet
Coriander leaves-  little
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt

To grind
Broken gram - 30g
Fennel - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Ginger - little
Tamarind - little 

METHOD:
1. Prepare a smooth paste using the ingredients given to grind.
2. In a tawa, heat oil, add cumin, mustard and allow to crackle.
3. Add urad dhal, curry leaves and asafoetida.
4. Add small onions, green chilly and stir till it turns translucent.

5. Add chopped tomatoes, and cook until it turns juicy.
6. Add a cup of water and allow to boil.
7. Add sambhar powder and cook for few minutes.
8. Add the paste and mix well.

9. It will thicken faster, so adjust consistency by adding water.
10. Add chopped coriander leaves and switch off.
11. Tasty Instant Sambhar is ready.

Note:

• To enhance taste little coconut can be added.
• Broken gram powder without ginger and tamarind can be prepared and stored.
• Crushed ginger can be added along with tomato while cooking.
• Tamarind water or puree can be used along with sambhar powder.

BRINJAL CHICKPEAS MASALA

This is one of the recipes which goes well with all rice varieties. Chickpeas/ Kondaikadalai has to be soaked overnight and pressure cooked before adding to brinjal. Black chickpeas can also be used.

INGREDIENTS:
Brinjal - 200g
Chickpeas - 50g
Tomato - 1
Small onion - 10
Garlic pods - 5
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a leaflet
Coriander leaves - little
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt

METHOD:
1. Pressure cook chickpeas by adding turmeric and required salt with enough water and drain water completely after the pressure reduces.
2. In a tawa, heat oil, add mustard, cumin.
3. After it splutters, add urad dhal, curry leaves and asafoetida.
4. Add chopped onions and garlic and cook till the onion turns translucent.
5. Add chopped brinjal and tomato.
6. Mix well and close with a lid and cook on low flame for few minutes.

7. Add cooked chickpeas, sambhar powder and required salt.
8. Mix well, cover with lid and cook foe few more minutes.
9. Add chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
10. Tasty Brinjal Chickpeas masala is ready.

Tips:- To avoid milk pan burnt while boiling.

While boiling milk in a pan, add little water, in the pan before adding milk. it will avoid burnt

CARROT HALWA using Pressure Cooker

This method comes under cook and serve type. I prepared this recipe, without khoa, condensed milk, milk powder. The grated carrot gets caramelised in the cooking process.

CARROT HALWA 

INGREDIENTS:- ( use same cup for measuring)
Carrot grated -  4 cups
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1& 1/2 cup
Ghee - 5 tsp
Cardomom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashews, Almonds, Raisins - 5 nos. each




METHOD:-
Boil Milk in a pan, till it reduces to half of its quantity. Scrap the sides while boiling. It took nearly half an hour, that is 3/4th cup of milk  is ready to prepare the halwa.
Now, in a pressure cooker (i used 3L pressure cooker), add 4 tsp ghee and melt it.
Roast the cashews, almonds and raisins, remove it and restore it in a bowl.  Add the grated carrot, milk, sugar, cardomom powder and 1 tsp of ghee to the Cooker.

Cover the cooker with lid. Place it on the burner and cook for 5 minutes in High flame, 5 minutes in Medium Flame and 10 minutes in sim flame, irrespective of whitsles. The idea of adding milk is to avoid burnt and to give the taste of khoa.
(Note:-For 4 cups of  grated carrot, 3/4th cup of milk and 3/4th cup of sugar)

Let it release the pressure on its own.

Now, place the cooker on the burner in medium flame and cook till there is no water content.

Caramalised Carrot Halwa is ready to be served. Garnish with fried dry fruits and nuts.

CABBAGE THOGAIYAL | CABBAGE CHUTNEY

This is one of the simple South Indian chutney variety which goes well with rice and tiffin items like idli, dosa etc. It might be a bit refreshing since we always prepare chutney/thogaiyal with coconut, peanut, mint, coriander etc.

INGREDIENTS:

Cabbage - 100g

Red chilly - 2 or 3

Small onion - 6 (optional)

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Channa dhal/ Bengal gram - 1 tsp 

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Tamarind - small gooseberry size

Jaggery - little 

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt

For seasoning

Mustard - 1/4 tsp

Cumin - 1/4 tsp

Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - a leaflet 

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tsp

METHOD:

1. In a pan, add little oil, red chilly, bengal gram, urad dhal and saute well till it turns golden brown. Keep aside.

2. Add little oil and saute onions till it turns aromatic. Add chopped cabbage, turmeric powder and cook well till the raw smell goes off.

3. After it cools well, add all the ingredients in a mixer along with tamarind, salt and jaggery and grind to paste.

4. Transfer to a bowl.

5. In a pan, add oil and all the ingredients given for seasoning one by one and pour over the chutney.

6. Tasty and delicious CABBAGE CHUTNEY is ready.

Note:

• Green chilly can be used instead of red chilly.
• Little coriander leaves can be added to enhance taste.
• Adding onions is optional.

TOMATO SOUP | SIMPLE SOUP USING TOMATO

This is one of the popular soup which we always cherish when we go to any restaurant. Consistency may vary from place to place. Adding sweetness is up to individual taste. Here, I have added rusk bits instead of roasted bread pieces. Fresh cream can be added for rich taste.

INGREDIENTS: 

Tomato - 3

Small onion - 6

Garlic cloves - 3

Ginger - small piece

Bay leaf - 1

Coriander leaves - little

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Corn flour - 1 tsp

Rusk bits - 10 to 15 

Butter - 1 tsp

Sugar/ Brown sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - as desired

METHOD:

1. Pressure cook tomato, small onion, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and bay leaf adding a cup of water.

2. After the pressure settles down, discard the bay leaf, add to a mixer and grind along with the water used for cooking. 

3. Add little water if needed and strain the tomato mixture so that the texture of the soup will remain smooth. Discard the residue.

4. In a tawa, add butter and add the tomato puree and allow to boil.

5. Mix water to corn flour and add to the tomato mixture.

6. Adjust consistency accordingly, add pepper powder, sugar, mix well and switch of the flame.

7. Transfer to the serving bowl and add rusk pieces.

8. Tasty TOMATO SOUP is ready.

Note:

• Add rusk/bread pieces only while serving.
• Tawa roast bread pieces in ghee or oil before adding.
• If the soup becomes cool, warm a while before adding rusk pieces.

RED POHA SWEET using Pressure Cooker

RED POHA SWEET

Ingredients:-
Red poha/ Red Aval/ Red Rice Flakes ( thick poha) - 1/2 cup
Jaggerry - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tsp
Cashews, Raisins - 5 nos.
Cardomom powder - a pinch

Method:-
Wash the poha 3 times to remove dust & impurities. Add all the ingredients mentioned in a bowl, gently mix, cover it with a plate and place it inside the cooker. Using double boiling method, allow 3 whistels on high flame, switch off the flame. Let the pressure release  on its own.
Delicious Poha sarkarai pongal is ready. Garnish with cashews, raisins roasted in ghee.

RED AVAL KESARI

Aval, also known as Poha or Flakes. Like corn flakes, Aval are called as Rice Flakes, enriched with iron, calcium, fibre etc.

RED AVAL KESARI

Ingredients:-
Red aval - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 5 tsp
Water - 2&1/2 cups
Cardamom powder ..as required
Saffron strings ..3 to 4 ( optional)

Method:-
Using a sieve, remove the impurities from Aval/poha.
Dry roast the red aval ( i used the thicker variety) for 2 to 3 minutes or till the time that the flakes can be broken into two pieces. Allow it to cool. Using a mixer jar, make a coarse powder.
 Now boil water in a kadai, add 1 tsp of ghee, saffron stings and add the coarse powder. Keep it in sim flame.

Mix it well to avoid lumps. When there is no moisture content, it is said that the flakes were cooked.

Now add sugar & cardomom powder, mix well till it all binds well.
 Add ghee while mixing. Remove from the flame, when the kesari leaves the sides of the pan.
Healthy red aval kesari is ready to be served....

VENDHAYA KEERAI KARA KUZHUMBU | METHI LEAVES KARA KUZHUMBU

Vendhaya Keerai/ Methi leaves/ Fenugreek is one of the greens variety which has immense medicinal value and health benefits. It helps to lower diabetes, maintains liver health and also helps to increase good cholesterol. It is rich in iron and is a good source of fiber. Many recipes 

like poriyal, kootu can also be done using methi leaves. Tender leaves will be apt for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
Vendhaya keerai - 1 bunch
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Garlic pods - 6
Tamarind -  gooseberry size
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 1/4 tsp
Gingelly oil - 3 tsp
Salt

For Seasoning
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek-  1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - little

METHOD:
1. Wash and chop the methi leaves, onion and tomato.
2. Extract juice from tamarind and keep aside.
3. In a tawa, heat oil and add all the ingredients given under seasoning one by one.
4. Add garlic and onion and saute for a while.
5. Add tomato and cook until it turns soft and juicy.

6. Add methi leaves, stir for few minutes.
7. Add sambhar powder and tamarind juice, mix well and allow to boil for few minutes until raw smell goes off.
8. In a mixer, add coconut and rice flour and grind to paste by adding little water.
9. Add the paste, jaggery and required salt and boil for 2 or 3 minutes .
10. Taste for salt and spice. If needed add accordingly.
11. Tasty and aromatic Vendhaya Keerai Karakuzhumbu is ready.