Carrot Chutney:

This is a boon to moms who are not able to get their kids to eat Carrots :) This is great with adai and works with regular dosa and idli. Here's the recipe:

What you will need :

Grated Carrots: 1-11/2 cups. I usually grate 2 medium carrots.
Roasted Groundnuts - 1/4 cup. Or 3 tablespoons
Red Chilli: 4-5 nos. I add about 7. S likes it spicy.
Garlic Pod: 1.
Tamarind: a small bit
Oil: 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tablespoon
Salt : to taste

How to make it:

• Dry roast the garlic and chillies. Dump into the mixer.
• Add the roasted groundnuts.
• Now pour 1/4 tsp of oil and sautee the carrots for a few minutes.
• Add the corriander powder to the carrots and take it off the heat.
• Add the tamarind, salt and carrots into the mixer and blend well.

Carrot chutney is ready!

Note: You can add a quarter cup of roasted coconut if desired.

Tomato Bath/ Tomato Khichidi

I don't feel like cooking today ... only because its not fun cooking for just one person.. So, I decided to cook something fast and yummy and something that would make me want to eat :) For those who hate the normal Upma, this is a good variation and is a hit with the kids as well.

What you will need :

• Sooji ½ cup
• Chopped tomatoes 2
• Chopped onion 1 small
• Green peas ¼ cup (optional)
• Grated carrot ¼ cup (optional)
• Curry leaves 6 to 8
• Finely chopped coriander 1 tbsp
• Bay leaf 1
• Cinnamon 1 inch
• Cardamom 3
• Cloves 2
• Ginger garlic paste
• Water one and a half cups
• Oil 1 to 2 tsp
• A pinch of turmeric
• Salt to taste

How to make it :

• Dry roast the sooji till a nice aroma comes out.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamoms, and cloves.
• Add chopped onion and curry leaves. Fry till onions turn translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes. and cook till tomatoes are done.
• Add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, green peas, and grated carrot. Fry for a minute or two.
• Add water and salt to taste, and bring to a boil.
• Add sooji slowly stirring continually to avoid formation of lumps. Cover and cook on a slow fire stirring occasionally till done.
• Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander and a dash of ghee.

It goes well with curd/ potato chips/ coconut chutney or eat it as it is :)

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

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice- 2 cups
Baby carrots- 8 (can use regular carrot )
Beans- 10
Capsicum- 1/2
Cabbage- 1/4 cup(shredded)
Spring onions- 2 stalks
Minced garlic- 2 tsp
Eggs- 2
Soy sauce- as required
Sesame oil- 1 tsp

Method:

Cook rice with 4 cups of water. Spread on a big plate and cool. All the grains should be seperate. Heat oil and sesame oil together in a wok. when the oil is smoky hot add finely chopped carrots, beans and garlic. cook for 3 mins. Then add capsicum. fry a minute. Move the vegetables to one side of the kadai and add eggs to the wok. Scramble them after adding some salt and pepper. when done mix with vegetables. Do not over cook vegetables . It has to be crisp. Add rice,salt, soy sauce and 1/4 tsp pepper. Toss everything well. You can add crushed red pepper if you want the rice to be spicy.

NOTE:  If you want Mushroom fried rice, reduce the amount of vegetables and add cooked,shredded Mushroom. To make schezwan fried rice , add some chilli paste and tomato sauce.

Carrot Kosambari

Ingredients:

Carrots-2 ( finely grated)

Moong dal-1 1/2 tbsp(soaked for 30 mins)

Green chillies- 2

Corriander leaves- few

Coconut- 2 tbsp(grated)

Salt- as reqd

Lemon juice- (optional)

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and season with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.