Cabbage Rice

This is a quick and healthy meal and is a good way to get children to eat cabbage :) Here is what you will need for this yummy dish :

• Cabbage - 250 gms
• Tur dal - 5 tablespoons
• Garam masala - 2 tablespoon
• Cumin seed - 2 teaspoon
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2 teaspoon
• Raisins - 1 teaspoon (Optional)
• Cashewnuts - 1 teaspoon (Optional)
• Cinnamon stick - of 2" length
• Cloves - 4
• Cardamom - 3
• Ghee or Oil - 2 tablespoon
• Onion - 1
• Basmati rice - 2 glasses
• Salt - to taste
• Water - 4 glasses
• Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon (Optional)

For garnishing (optional)

• Finely chopped coriander(cilantro) leaves - 1/4 cup
• 2 medium sliced tomatoes sliced into thin rings

How to make it:

• Wash, drain and dry the rice.
• Heat the margarine/oil a pressure cooker and add crushed cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, finely chopped onions, raisins, cashew nuts, ginger garlic paste and garam masala.
• When the onion turns golden brown in color, add the finely chopped cabbage and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add rice and tur dal. Fry for 3 minutes.
• Add the water,turmeric powder and required salt.
• Cover the pressure cooker and pressure cook with weight, for approximately 4 whistles.

Empty the rice into the serving bowl and decorate with tomato rings and finely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves. :)

Note: You can try the same preparation by replacing cabbage with finely chopped tomatoes/eggplant/boiled green peas/carrots and beans

Mushroom Peas Subji

I walked into Heritage (a local supermarket) and saw fresh mushrooms :) I picked up a packet and loads of other things too. As you might've already guessed, its Mushroom and peas subji with Phulka's tonight :)

Here is what you will need :

• 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
• 500 gms button mushrooms, cleaned and cut into quarters
• 1 large onion chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic chopped finely
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tbsps oil
• 2 tbspsTomato puree
• 2 tbsps Curd
• Chopped fresh coriander to garnish

How to make it :

• Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan, on a medium flame. When hot, add the cumin seeds and fry till spluttering stops.
• Add the garlic and fry till pale golden. Now add the onions and fry till soft.
• Add the peas and mushrooms and the powdered spices. Add salt to taste and cook till the mushrooms begin to give off their juices. Stir occasionally.
• Add tomato puree and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes until he raw smell disappears.
• Add curd and mix. Cook for about 10 - 15 seconds and switch off before it starts beginning to bubble, else the curd will split.Turn off fire.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot ! :)

Green Chilli Pickle

I remember my granddad buying fresh green chillies by the kilo and my grandmum would transform them into yummy Green chilly pickle. I never got the opportunity to learn how to make it, but this comes close to it :)

Here is what you will need:

1 kg green chillies - slit in half with the stalk intact
1 cup salt
1/2 kg mustard oil
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp turmeric
powder
200 gm ginger - finely ground
250 gm garlic - finely ground
100 gm cumin seeds - roasted and ground
200 gm large mustard seeds - roasted and ground
1 cup sugar
200 gm tamarind
3 cups of white vinegar

How to make it:

Marinate the chillies in salt for at least two hours.
Soak the tamarind in the vinegar for at least two hours and extract the pulp.
In a large vessel heat the mustard oil and add red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
Add the ginger and garlic and mix well. Continue stirring for some time.
Mix in the cumin powder and mustard powder.
Pour the tamarind-vinegar pulp and mix well.
Add sugar and cook on low heat for some time.
Now add the chillies and cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat till the oil seperates.
Cool and transfer into a glass bottle.

We're done !

This goes well with phulkas, roti's, any rice, bread spread, dosa's, just about anything :)

Masala Upuma

This is a little different from the normal upma. If you love the flavour of Indian Spice in moderation, you are sure to love this one.

Here is what you will need :

1 cup semolina
11/2 cups water (keep extra hot water to be used if required)

For the Tempering:

1 medium sized onion, sliced fine
2 green chillies, chopped
1/4 cup oil
1 inch cinnamon
2 cloves
1 green cardamom
6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 medium-sized ripe tomato, chopped
salt ( adjust according to taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
juice of ½ lime

To Garnish:

1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp ghee
6 - 8 cashew nuts

How to Make This :

• Fry the semolina lightly in a kadai, stirring continuously so that it does not brown. Transfer on to a plate.
• Heat the water, and keep it simmering on the stove.
• Heat oil in a kadai, and add the spices and curry leaves.
• Add onion slices and green chillies sauté till onion is light brown, add ginger-garlic paste and tomato, sauté for 2 minutes till tomato turns soft.
• Add the hot water, and turmeric When the water boils add the semolina stirring vigorously, to avoid lumps being formed. If the semolina is not cooked ladle some of the reserved hot water on to the mixture, taking care to add very small quantities at a time, otherwise the whole mixture will turn soggy.
• Pour the juice of the lime over the uppumav and mix well. Cover with a lid and keep it on low heat.
• Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the cashew nuts till light brown
• Stir the upuma after a few minutes and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and cashew nuts for garnish.

Voila ! Its done :) Can be had as breakfast or an evening snack when kids return from school or as dinner.

Can be served with coconut chutney .

Onion Raw Mango Chutney

This is something Prerna brought for lunch today and it was really yummy :) it gets done pretty soon too :)

What you will need :

2 medium onion - chopped roughly
1 medium raw onion - cut up into cubes
2 red dry chillies (adjust according to taste)
2 cloves of garlic
pudina leaves - 10 - 15 nos
Salt to taste

How to make it :

Put all of them together in the mixie and roughly whisk intermittently until roughly ground.

Optional : You can make a tadka of oil and mustard seeds and add it to this.

Goes well with phulkas :) If ur taste buds are a little like mine, you might like it with dosa's and idli's too :)

Punjabi Tinda Subji

The other day, I was having lunch with my friend Prerna and she had brought this awesome Tinda subji. I've made a few changes to change the taste a bit .

What you will need:

• 5-6 Tindas washed & chopped into quarter pieces (Tinda's are generally round so cut them in 4 equal parts)
• 1-2 small & round potatoes washed & chopped into quarters
• 1 medium sized onion washed & finely chopped
• 1 tomato washed & finely chopped (you can use tomato puree as well)
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 a cup of water
• 1/2 tsp Jeera
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3/4 tsp garam masala
• Green coriander leaves for garnishing

How to make it :

• Heat oil in a pan
• Add jeera seeds, when the aroma comes, add the onion & saute till they are golden brown.
• Then add ginger-garlic paste & fry for a minute.
• Now add all the spices & fry for a minute.
• Add the chopped tomatoes & let it cook till they are well cooked & soft (if tomato puree is used then cook till oil is visible at the pan's side)
• Now add the tinda & a little water & cover the pan with a lid to cook it till its a little soft.
• Then add the potato pieces & cook till they are soft.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves

Serve with Roti's/ Naan's or as a porial with rice !

Raw Mango and Onion Chutney

A chutney with raw mango and onion may surprise you, but making this a part of your daily diet helps to prevent you from sunstrokes. And guess what ? It gets done in 10 minutes with ZERO cooking :)

What you will need to make 1 cup of Chutney :

• ½ cup raw mango, grated
• ½ cup white onions, grated
• 2 tablespoons grated jaggery (gur)
• ¼ teaspoon black salt (sanchal)
• ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin seed (jeera) powder
• ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
• Salt to taste

How to make the Chutney :

• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
• Keep aside till the jaggery melts.
• Cover and keep refrigerate till required.
• Serve the chutney with lunch everyday.

Note : This lasts for up to 3 days if refrigerated but it's best to make it fresh everyday.

Palak Rice

Its been a while since i tried anything new ..more because summer is here and I prefer to have just poha and loads of watermelon for dindin. I bought a couple of bunches of palak yesterday with the thought of making palak dal with rice but ended up making palak rice instead :) There obviously is a reason behind it ... I have put on a few inches around my waist and some how think eating rice and dal wud make me put on more than"Variety" rice as it seems to be lesser to eat :P( rice and dal and porial and papad and pickle and a second helping :P) .. As long as the nutrition goes in, I will cook in any form :) so here is how you can make this yummy and simple "Palak Rice" yourself...

These are what you will need :

Rice - cooked - 2 cups

Spinach/ Palak - chopped -4 cups

Onion - chopped - 1

Ginger & Garlic paste -2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

That looks a lot but sure is easy once you start cooking.. This is how you make it :

• Cook the rice and keep it separately
• Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions, ginger and garlic
• Once the onions are cooked and light brown, add all powders except garam masala and pepper and stir well
• Add the chopped palak and mix well and leave to cook covered and on low flame for 3-5 minutes
• Palak will have given out water and at this stage, add the water and the cooked rice, garam masala and pepper and mix well
• Keep on flame for another 3 minutes and turn off heat and we're done ! :)

Goes great with curd / papad / pickle or coconut chutney .

Onion Chutney

While growing up we stayed in Thiruvanmiyur for a while and this is a recipe I picked up from the "Aunty" downstairs. I loved it since day 1 :P


What you will need :

• 3 large onions chopped or sliced
• 1" piece of ginger
• 2-3 green chillies (optional)
• 2 tbsps cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 dry red chillies broken into 1" bits
• Salt to taste

How to make it:

• Grind the onions, ginger and green chillies (if using) to a smooth paste . Remove into a serving bowl.

• In a small pan, heat the oil on a medium flame till it is very hot. Add the cumin seeds and fry till they stop spluttering. Now add the dry red chillies and fry till they turn darker.
• Add this tempering mixture of oil, cumin and red chillies to the onion-ginger-green chilli paste. Add salt to taste. Stir to mix well.

Serve as a chutney, dip or use as a sandwich spread!

P.s: If you don't like the raw taste, can fry the onions a bit until pink and then grind with Ginger and chillies.

Spicy Peanut Chutney

It tastes great with Idlis and Dosas :)

What you will need :

1 cup plain peanuts (with or without skin, as preferred)
5 dry red chillies
Salt to taste
Walnut-sized ball of tamarind (to make tamarind juice if you want a wet chutney)

How to make it :

• Heat a griddle till it is very hot, on a medium flame. Roast the peanuts and dry red chillies (stirring frequently) on this griddle till they give off a gentle cooked aroma.
• Allow to cool completely and then grind the peanuts and chillies to a coarse powder .
• Add salt to taste.
• If you want a wet chutney, soak the tamarind in a bowl just covered with hot water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes or till soft. Then squeeze the tamarind (while still in the water) with your fingers, to release the pulp from it. Squeeze till you get most of the pulp off and into the water. Now strain the liquid to remove pith and any seeds. Tamarind juice is now ready to use.
• Add enough tamarind juice or paste to your previously prepared Chutney to get a thick consistency.

Serve with anything :)