Sindhi KadiI

This tangy curry is traditionally made by the Sindhi community from Northern India. Serve it with a long-grained, fragrant rice like Basmati. Since it's full of vegetables and made with tomatoes and gram flour, it's also nutritious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor/ Tuvar Daal (split yellow pigeon peas)
• 8-10 large tomatoes sliced thick
• 3 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1/4 tsp asafetida powder
• 3 tbsps bengal gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup baby okra (whole or with tops and tails trimmed)
• 1 cup beans cut into 2" pieces
• 1 cup carrot cut into thick slices
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Soak the Toor/ Tuvar Daal in hot water for 1 hour.
• Boil the Daal in a pressure cooker with water and the tomatoes till done. To do this, once you have closed the pressure cooker cook on a high flame till you hear the first whistle (pressure release). Now reduce the flame to a simmer and cook till you hear 2 more whistles. Turn off the fire.
• Whisk the Daal and add hot water (if necessary) till you get a smooth, soup-like consistency.
• Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds, green chillies and asafetida. Cook till the spluttering stops.
• Now add the gram flour. Cook till the raw aroma of the gram flour is gone - it will turn pale brown.
• Now add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder and turn off the flame.
• Add this mix to the Daal. Season with salt to taste.
• Add the vegetables and cook till done.
• Serve piping hot with a long-grained, fragrant rice like Basmati and Poppadums (papad).

Tomato Kadi

Tangy, tasty and so simple to make, Tomato Kadhi goes really well with plain boiled rice. It's also full of veggies, so it's good for you too.

Ingredients:

• 15 large tomatoes
• 3 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups mixed vegetables - cauliflower, carrot, green beans, baby okra
• Fresh chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation:

• Cut the tomatoes into quarters and boil in 3 cups of water till soft. Mash well and strain through a soup sieve to make purée. Add enough water to this to get a thin soup consistency. Put back on the stove and bring to a boil.
• While the tomato purée is boiling, heat the oil in a small pan on a medium flame. Add the mustard, fenugreek and cumin seeds, green chillies and curry leaves to the oil and fry till the spluttering stops.
• Immediately add this mix to the tomato purée and mix well. Add the red chilli powder, salt and the mixed vegetables and stir. Simmer and cook till vegetables are done.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot plain boiled rice.

Quick Carrot Rice

Ingredients :
Boiled rice-4 to 6 cups
Chopped onions-1 cup
Carrots-3 to 4
Dhania-2tsp
Coconut-1tsp
Red chillies-4
Cloves,posto, brinji leaves-as required
Oil-for frying
Salt,Chilly powder, Garam masala-to taste



How I Made This :
Boil carrots for few mins and then grate them.
Grind red chillies,coconut and dhania in a mixie.
Heat oil and fry the spices.
Add finely chopped onions,the ground powder,and grated carrots and mix well. Fry this for few minutes.
Add salt,chilly powder and garam masala. Saute well for a minute.
Now add the boiled rice and mix well.
Voila - Serve hot !!

Note :  You can also add roasted cashews and chopped corianders for garnishing

COCONUT RICE

This is a South Indian recipe for coconut rice. Fried coconut and cashewnuts are added to boiled rice and garnished with ghee and coriander leaves.

Ingredients:


400 gms biryani rice
120 gms coconut
40 ml ghee
25 gms black gram dhal
25 gms broken pieces of nuts
6 gms dry chillies
2 gms curry leaves
2.5 gms asafoetida powder
20 gms (minced) coriander leaves
Salt to taste

How to make coconut rice:

* Boil rice and keep aside.
* Fry coconut evenly to a golden colour on a slow fire.
* Heat 3 dessertspoon of ghee. Fry the cashewnuts and remove.
* Fry the broken pieces of dry chillies, black gram dhal, and curry leaves well.
* Mix rice, coconut, nuts, 1 teaspoon of ghee and salt.
* Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

TOMATO RICE (THAKALI SADHAM)

INGREDIENTS:
 2 Cups Long Grained/Basmathi Rice
4 medium sized Tomatoes
1 Big Onion sliced
2 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp MTR Pulav Masala
1 Tbsp Butter
Salt as per tastes
Coriander Leaves for garnishing

METHOD:

• Wash and cook rice adding enough salt and let it cool completely.
• Heat the butter and add sliced onion and fry till transparent. Then add garlic and fry until transparent.
• Now add chopped tomatoes along with all the rest of the masala ingredients and keep frying until the tomatoes are properly cooked and become mushy.
• Mix the above with rice and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with chilled raitha and enjoy!!!

LEMON RICE

Lemon Rice is a delicious South Indian dish you can easily put together when in a hurry. You can also make it with leftover rice. Serve Lemon Rice with a Raita (yogurt salad) and Poppadums for a simple yet tasty meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked Basmati rice (or leftover rice)
• 2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 3-4 curry leaves
• 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1" piece of ginger grated
• 1/2 cup peanuts (roasted and unsalted)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Gently roast and then coarsely powder the coriander seeds. Keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry till the spluttering stops and add the ginger and peanuts. Fry for another minute. Add the turmeric powder and turn off the fire.
• Add the lemon juice and mix well.
• Add the rice, roasted coriander powder and salt to taste and mix thoroughly.
• Serve with a Raita and Poppadums.