Sambhar rice/ Bisi bele bath recipe

You will need:

• 1 onion(chopped)
• 2 tomatoes(chopped)
• 3 green chillies(chopped)
• 3 carrots(chopped)
• 1 potato(chopped)
• 1 cup green peas
• 2 cup baby spinach
• 1 cup lady's finger (okra)
• 1 cup eggplant(chopped)
  
• 1½ tsp tamarind paste (You can add more or less according to your taste)
• 7 garlic pods
• ¾ cup toor dal
• ¼ cup moong dal/channa dal
• 1 cup rice
• 5 cups of water
• salt to taste

Hint:

You can add whatever vegetables you have in your refrigerator. This is the nice way to empty your refrigerator.

For tempering:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• ½ tsp urad dal
• 3 dry red chillies
• some curry leaves
• some coriander leaves(chopped)
• 3 tbsp sambhar powder
• ½ tsp asafoetida powder(hing, perungaayam)

Step 1:

Microwave chopped vegetables:

Microwave chopped carrots and potatoes for 6 minutes.

Step 2:

In rice cooker:

In a rice cooker add toor dal, channa dal/moong dal, rice, garlic, tomatoes and add 4 cups of water and allow it to cook.

Step 3:

Stir fry okra and spinach

Take a non stick pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Add the chopped okra and fry it for few mins. Then add chopped onions, eggplant and spinach along with the okra.

Step 4:

Mix veggies with dal

When the dal-rice is half cooked add okra, eggplant, onions,spinach, carrot, potato, peas, tamarind paste, salt with the dal mixture. At this point if you need more water add some. Then allow the dal and veggies to cook till your rice cooker automatically turns to warm position.

Step 5:

Tempering:

For tempering heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and urad dal. When it splutters add asafoetida powder, sambhar powder, curry leaves, coriander leaves. Then add this mixture to the veggie dal rice mixture. Now your sambhar rice is ready to serve.

Enjoy your sambhar rice with pickle, pappad, chicken fry, fish fry, egg bhurjee.

Pongal/ ven pongal Recipe

You will need

• 1 cup Basmathi rice/ sona masoori rice
  
• 1 cup moong dal
• 6 cups water
• 3 green chillies
• ¼ inch ginger
• 1 tsp whole black pepper/ 1 tsp pepper powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ghee
• asafoetida a pinch
• 10 - 15 cashew nuts
• salt as reqd
  
• some curry leaves

Step 1:

In a rice cooker add rice, moong dal, water and cook until its over cooked. Stir occasionally. If need add more water.

Step 2:

Stir fry:

Cut the green chillies and ginger into fine pieces.

Take 2 tsp ghee in a frying pan and add whole peppers, cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Add cashew nuts and remove the pan from heat when the cashews are roasted.

Step 3:

Mixing:

Add the above mixture to the cooked rice and dal. Stir in some salt and mix well. Serve with sambhar and kadala chutney. Enjoy!!!!!!

Asparagus poriyal/ Stir fry

You will need:

• 1 bunch Asparagus
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 2 green chillies
• 5 curry leaves
• ½ cup onion
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• ¼ cup dessicated coconut
• 1 tbsp oil
  
• salt as reqd
  

Step 1:

Finely chop:

Remove the stems of the asparagus. Finely chop asparagus , onions, green chillies and garlic.

Step 2:

Start frying:

Put a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil. Add mustard, cumin, urad dal and curry leaves. Then add chopped onions and 2 green chillies to the pan, and fry for about 3 minutes.

Now add asparagus and salt. Then close the lid for 3 mins. When its cooked add coconut and continuously stir for few more mins. Check for salt.. When they are ready turn the heat off.

Enjoy with chapathi, or as side dish for rice.

Banana nut cake recipe

You will need:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• ½ cup melted butter ( 1 stick)
  
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1½ cup of bread flour (can substitute with All purpose flour)
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts (silvered alomonds, cashews)
• ¼ cup raisins

Step 1:

Preheat the oven:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Step 2:

Making cake dough:

With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last and mix. Mix in chopped nuts and raisins.

Pour mixture into a buttered pan. Bake for 45 mins. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Trip to Luray Caverns, Washington D.C, Amish county etc

Boli

You will need

• 1 cup Bengal Gram (Kadalaparuppu)
• 1 cup Sugar ( I added 1¼ cup sugar because i love sweets)
  
• ¼ cup Gingelly Oil(Nallenna)
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour(Maida)
• Water - As reqd to form a dough
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg(Jathikka) powder
• ¼ tsp Cardamom(Elakka)powder
• A pinch of Golden Yellow Food color (Optional)
• Rice Flour or maida flour - to spread on the board,to prevent it from sticking
• ¼ cup Ghee

Step 1:

Preparing dough

Mix the maida flour and food color together .Add enough water and make it into a soft dough.Pour gingelly oil into it and knead it well until the dough become very soft.Keep it aside for 1 hour to make it more soft.

Step 2:

Making filling

Boil gram with plenty of water until it is cooked soft.Strain it well.Again add some more water,boil it and drain.Add sugar and 3 tsp of ghee into the cooked gram,allow it to cook in medium heat.

Stir continuously until the mixture becomes semi solid.Be careful,it should not become too hard.Now stir in cardamom powder and nutmeg powder into it.Mix well together and grind it using a mixer when its hot. If it becomes cold,the mixture can harden and makes grinding difficult.

STEP 3:

Rolling Boli

Now make equal number of lemon sized balls with both gram mixture and with the dough.Take a ball made of flour,roll out a little on a floured surface( rice flour is spread on the surface).Keep the gram ball in centre of the rolled dough.Cover the gram completely with the dough as shown in the picture.
Now using hand ,press it evenly and make it very smooth. Again roll it out as thin as possible.

Step 4:




Frying Boli

Heat a griddle and cook the bolis just like we do for chappathis.Apply little ghee on both sides.Keep it in an air tight container and keep it in the refrigeretor when it is cooled.Thus, it can be stored for a week.

Handy Hint:..

While rolling with gram mixture it will be sticky. So use lots of flour for rolling. And clean the tava with paper towel after making each boli. The end result will be mouth watering.

Meal Maker Cutlet

You will need

• 1 cup meal maker
• 1 potato
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• ½ cup green peas (optional)
• 3 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 tbsp aniseed(sombu, perinjeerakam)
• 1 tbsp garam masala powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
  
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
  
• some curry leaves (finely chopped)
• coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• salt as reqd
• oil for frying
• 1 egg
• 1 cup bread crumbs

Step 1:

Boil potatoes

Boil potatoes in microwave for 5 mins, then mash it using potato masher and keep it aside.

Step 2:

Soak and grind the meal maker

Soak the meal maker in lukewarm water for 15 mins. Drain them and squeeze them nicely. Then coarsely grind them using blender and keep it aside.

Step 3:

Saute the onions

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds,curry leaves and cumin seeds. Saute the onions and green chillies till it become transparent. Add green peas and stir it for 2 mins. Then add ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and aniseed and stir continuously for 2 mins.

Step 4:

Add the mashed potato and ground meal maker

Add mashed potatoes into the mixture and stir it for 2 mins and then add ground meal maker.Mix it nicely for 1 min and turn off the heat. Let it cool for some time.

Step 5:

Prepare egg and bread crumbs

Beat one egg into a bowl . keep bread crumbs in another bowl.

Step 6:

Dip it and fry

Heat oil in a pan for deep fry.I prefer low heat since everything is already cooked. Now make the mixture into small balls. Dip the balls first in the egg and then into the bread crumbs. Now deep fry it for 2 to 4 mins. Enjoy with mint chutney.

This cutlet tastes good with fried rice, and also as a snack.

Vegetable samosa/ Vegetable patties

You will need:

FOR CRUST:

• 1 cup all purpose flour(Maida)
• 1 tbsp sooji
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil/Butter
• ½ tsp Ajawin(Omam) You can substitute ajwain with dried oregano also.
  
• ¼ cup luke warm water(as reqd to form a dough)

FOR FILLING

• 2 large potatoes
• ½ cup green peas
• 1 onion( finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chillies(finely chopped)
• ½ tsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
  
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• salt as reqd
• coriander leaves chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons oil

Step 1:

For the pastry

1. Sift the flour, add the salt, oregano and work in the oil.
2. Add in half the water and mix to make a soft dough. Add the rest if you need to.
3. Knead the dough until it is soft and pliable.
4. Roll out the dough to about a ¼ inch and cut out in circles.

Step 2:

Boil the potatoes

Boil the potatoes in microwave high for 6 mins and then mash it with potato masher to get mashed potatoes.

Step 3:

Preparing filling:

Heat the oil in a skillet or fry pan. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds and fry until they splutter. Add the onions and cook until transparent. Add garlic, ginger paste and garam masala, coriander powder and chilli powder. Cook for about 3 mins. Add green peas and stir it for 2 mins. Then add the mashed potatoes and stir continuously for 2 mins. Add coriander leaves and salt. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Step 4:

Start stuffing:

Cut the pastry circle in semi circle shape. Now take one semi circle,moisten the edges with water and fold it like a cone. Place a spoon of filling in the cone and seal the third side using a drop of water. Press the edges with fork as shown in pic to make sure that the edges are closed.
Step 5:

For deep frying:

Heat oil to 350 F and cook the samosas until golden brown.

For baking:

Brush samosa with oil. Poke it with fork in the pastry for the steam to escape. By doing like this you can avoid the filling popping out. Place the samosas on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 400F for about 10 minutes, then turn it and bake for 10 mins or until golden brown. If you bake, the texture of the outside will not be as crispy as it should. I prefer baking since its good for health.

Handy Hint:

Serve it hot with mint chutney.