Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients:

three and a half cups of water
half cup of curd
one cup of mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, green peas, potatoes)
2 Onions
2 Tomatoes
2 cup of Basmati rice
3 tsps of ghee
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of sounf
one tsp of dry mint leaves
1/4th tsp of turmeric powder
4 stalks of finely chopped coriander leaves
Bay leaf - 2
Cloves - 2
Oil - 6 tsps
Cinnamon stick - 2
Cardamom - 2
Ginger- garlic paste - 2 tsps
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
2 tsp of coriander powder
one tsp of salt

Procedure:

Soak Basmati rice for 15 minutes. Drain the water completley. Add a tsp of oil and microwave for two minutes or roast the Basmati rice slightly in ghee
In a sauce pan, talk half the qty of oil and ghee. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds and saunf. Saute for a while. Add green chillies, mint leaves, coriander leaves. Fry until crisp. Add onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and saute till tomatoes become soft. Add the veggies with salt. Add rice. Transfer to a pressure cooker and add 1/2 cup of curd and three and a half cups of water and cook until two whistles. After release of pressure, add ghee and coriander leaves.

Tomato Pasta recipe

Ingredients:

4 diced tomatoes
2 bowls of boiled pasta
one sliced onion
3 tablespoons of grated cheese
one tablespoon of butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 green chillies

Procedure:

Melt Amul Butter in a pan. Fry onions for a minute. Add chillies, tomatoes.Fry for a minute. Add boiled pasta, pepper and salt. Cook for two minutes. Add grated cheese and microwave for 30 seconds. (Readymade pasta should be boiled in water with salt)

Mango salad

Ingredients:

2 cups of mixed fruits (pineapple, mango, apple, green and black grapes)
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
2 tablespoons of grated coconut
one dry red chilly
one tablespoon of sugar
salt to taste

Procedure:

Chop the fruits. Add sugar and keep it aside. Grind coconut with very little water. When finished add mustard seeds. Grind for few seconds till the mustard seeds are crushed. Add the coconut paste and mix well.

Bread Upma

Ingredients:

one tablespoon of coconut (optional)
a pinch of turmeric powder
3-4 curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida
1/4th tsp of mustard seeds, cumin seeds and udad dal
2 cups of Bread pieces
1/4th cup of onions
Oil for seasoning
1-2 green chillies
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Procedure:

Heat the oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, udad dal. When they start spluttering, add curry leaves, chillies. Saute onions till golden brown. Add bread, sugar, coconut, salt. Mix well. Coriander leaves can be used instead of coconut.

Beetroot Curry

Ingredients:

3 cups of chopped beetroot
1/4th cup of fresh coconut
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 dry red chilly
4-5 curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida
1/4th tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 cup of chopped onion(optional)
salt to taste

Procedure:

Pressure cook beetroot with little water until 2-3 whistles. Heat the oil. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, small onion and red chilly. Saute till onions are tender. Add asafoetida, turmeric powder, beetroot and salt. Saute for few minutes. Garnish with coconut.

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 250 grams
Maida - 2 tablespoons
Cornflour- 2 tablespoons
Red bell pepper - 1/2 cup diced
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsps
Onion (diced) - 1 cup
3 green chillies slit into thin pieces
salt to taste
Tomato sauce - 4 tablespoons
Soya sauce - one teaspoon
5-6 Curry leaves
a pinch of baking soda
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

Wash the cauliflower with a little salt dissolved in it. Make a thick batter of cornflour and maida (like idli batter). Add 1/2 the qty of red chilly powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt and a pinch of soda. Coat the cauliflower florets with batter. Heat the oil. After adding the florets, lower the heat. Drain and keep aside. Heat one tablespoon of oil. Add one teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste (till light brown). Add onions, green chillies, bell pepper. (Do not brown the onions). Fry onions for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining qty of chilly powder, curry leaves, tomato sauce, soya sauce. Add one tablespoon of cornflour dissolved in 1/2 cup of water. Add the fried cauliflower. Mix it well for few minutes and garnish.If you want more gravy, add more cornflour in water.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

one cup of rice (freshly cooked)
one tablespoon of cashewnuts (optional)
one tablespoon of peanuts (optional)
1/2 potato (optional)
1 curd chilly (optional)
one tablespoon of chana dal (presoaked in water for half an hour)
1/2 tablespoon of udad dal
1/2 tablespoon of oil
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilly pieces
4-5 curry leaves (compulsory)
3/4th juicy lime
2 green chillies
1/4 teaspoon salt and turmeric
1/2 tablespoon of ghee

Procedure:

Fry peanuts and cashewnuts in ghee. Heat the oil. Add curry leaves. Then add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When it splutters add green chillies, chana dal, udal dal, potatoes.Saute them. In the end add turmeric powder and saute for two minutes. Add the sauted ingredients, cashews to the rice. Add lemon juice and salt. Mix well

Test:

After adding lime juicei,it should immediately taste like a fresh lime wedge other wise add some more juice

Pulikachal

Ingredients:

100 gms of tamarind (cricket ball size)
400 ml of water
2 tablespoons of coriander seeds (coriander seeds and sesame seeds should be dry
roased and ground into a fine powder)
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
one tsp of mustard seeds
4 tablespoons of groundnuts
4 tablespoons of cashews
one tablespoon of udad dal
one tablespoon of chana dal
4 tablespoons of gingelly oil
a pinch of asafoetida
8-10 curry leaves
one teaspoon of turmeric powder
5 red chillies
salt to taste

Procedure.

Soak tamarind.Heat the oil. Add asafoetida, curry leaves, udad dal, chana dal, peanuts, cashews. Fry until light brown. Add turmeric powder and chilly powder.Add the tamarind juice. Add salt. Cook for 15- 20 minutes on medium flame stirring occasionally. Finally add coriander and sesame seeds powder.

Aama Vadai

Ingredients:

Tuvar Dal 1/4th cup
Chana Dal 1 cup
Udad dal - one teaspoon
Moong dal - one teaspoon
Raw rice - one teaspoon or rice flakes - one teaspoon
Few sprig of curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida
Few strands of Coriander leaves
Oil for deep frying
2-3 dried red chillies
salt to taste

Procedure:

Wash the dals and then soak for half an hour. Grind with very little water. Deep fry the vadas.

Vendaya Kulambu

Ingredients:

Onion 1 No.
One Cup of Mixed Vegetables (Brinjal, Okra, Pumpkin)
Tomato 1 No.
2 tablespoons of gingely oil
1/2 tsp of Mustard seeds
1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoons of Toor Dal
3 Red Chillies
one sprig of curry leaves
one small lemon sized tamarind
2 tablespoons of Sambar powder
one tsp of turmeric powder
one tablespoon of salt
a pinch of asafoetida

Procedure:

Soak tamarind. Cut veggies. Heat the oil. Fry asafoetida, mustard seeds, red chillies, fenugreek seeds, toor dal, curry leaves. Roast well. Add Sambar powder, turmeric powder. Add tamarind water, salt. Bring it to a boil. Fry onion and tomato separately. Allow it to boil till the veggies are well cooked.

Rava Dosa

Ingredients:

one teaspoon of salt
2 measures of idli batter
seven measures of fine rava (I use dosa batter spatula for measuring the rava and idli batter)
200 ml of water
Few strands of coriander leaves
3 tablespoons of oil
Cumin seeds, ginger, chillies and curry leaves
Plain ghee for roasting

Procedure:

Mix idli batter, rava, salt, coriander leaves, salt with water. Heat the oil. Add cumin seeds, ginger, chillies and curry leaves. Add this to the batter. Heat the griddle. Spread the batter starting from the sides and finish in the middle. Drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil and 1/4th tsp of ghee. When it turns into golden brown, turn it over and remove from fire. Batter should be very thin. (thinner than the dosa batter)

Crispy Puris

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat flour
approximately one cup of water for kneading
one heaped tablespoon of sooji
1/2 teaspoon of salt
one teaspoon of oil
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients. Add warm water gradually to make a smooth but firm dough. Then take about a tablespoon of dough. Roll it. Deep fry till it gets puffed and turns into golden colour.

Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

3 Medium Onions or 2 Spring Onions
5-6 stalks of coriander leaves
one teaspoon of oil
2 tsp of Mustard seeds
4 tsp of Udad dal
2-3 dried red chillies
a pinch of asafoetida
one tablespoon of oil for onions
one tablespoon of tamarind pulp
Salt
Water - 1/4th cup

Procedure:

In 1/4th cup of warm water soak one tablespoon of tamarind pulp for 15-20 minutes. Squeeze out the tamarind juice and discard seeds, fibres to get a thick tamarind paste. Do the seasoning with udad dal, mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies. Let it cool down. Powder it by grinding. Heat one tablespoon of oil. Saute the onions (Medium flame) till golden brown. Blend/Grind seasoning, tamarind paste, coriander leaves, salt, onion. Add one to two tablespoons of water (if necessary)

Rava Kesari

Ingredients:

one cup of sooji
a pinch of kesari powder mixed with milk (optional)
one cup of ghee
Cashewnuts and raisins
Cardamom powder
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of boiled milk/boiled water (2 cups of water + 1 cup of milk)

Procedure:

Heat one tablespoon of ghee. Roast sooji on a low flame till light brown. Remove from fire. Fry cashewnuts and raisins till light brown. Remove from fire. Boil the milk and add water to it. When it starts boiling, add sooji slowly to avoid lumps. Cook until it becomes a smooth creamy paste. Add sugar and the remaining ghee. Cook for 10 minutes on low fire stirring it continuously. Mix cashewnuts, raisins and cardamom powder.

Rice flour upma

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup
one big gooseberry sized tamarind soaked in water (prepare one to one and a half cups of tamarind water. Do not add excess water otherwise it will become very sticky)
one small teaspoon of salt
Chana dal - 2 tsp
Udad dal - 2 tsp
6-8 dried red chillies (can be adjusted according to taste)
Curry leaves
Curd Chillies (Mor Melaga vattal)- optional

Procedure:

Heat the oil. Fry chana dal, udad dal, red chillies, curd chillies. Add rice flour. Roast for few minutes. Add salt, tamarind water. Simmer and keep churning the dough until small balls of rice flour are formed.(small hard balls)

Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

one medium cauliflower
Oil for seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Udad dal - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1
Onion - 1
one green chilly
one small piece of ginger

Procedure:

Blend tomato, onion, green chilly and ginger. Cut the cauliflower florets into small pieces. Boil for about 4-5 minutes. Heat the oil. Add mustard seeds, udad dal and the onion-tomato gravy. On a medium low flame cook for five minutes. Then drain the boiled cauliflower florets and add it to the gravy. Cook till the cauliflower becomes soft.

Aloo Palak

Ingredients:

Spinach - 500 gm
one green chilly
coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
One potato
a pinch of turmeric powder
Salt
Oil - 1 tsp


Procedure:

Wash, peel off the potato and cut it into small pieces. Wash Spinach properly and shred it into small pieces. Add one tsp of vegetable oil. Cut a green chilly and fry for 15 seconds. Mix the cut vegetables and add a small amount of water (50 ml). Add coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Then stir and close the lid. Simmer for about ten minutes.

Palak/Methi Sambar

Ingredients:

one large bunch of fresh methi/fresh palak/Chinese Spinach
one cup of Toor Dhal cooked until soft
a pinch of asafoetida
Few Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
half teaspoon of Mustard seeds, udad dal and chana dal
one teaspoon of tamarind paste diluted in one cup of water
one tablespoon of sambar powder
salt to taste
one green chilly (optional)

Procedure:

Wash and clean the methi leaves. Remove the stalks and use only the tender green leaves. Chop this finely. Heat the oil. Add mustard seeds, udad dal and chana dal and green chilly.Add curry leaves. Fry the methi leaves on slow fire. When the leaves become tender, add salt, asafoetida and sambar powder. Stir fry for a couple of minutes more. Add the tamarind water and let the mixture boil for a little longer. Lastly mash the toor dal and add it to the gravy. If watery mix one teaspoon of rice flour with little water and add it to the sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Puran Poli

IngrediAents:

Chana dal - 1 cup
All purpose flour/ Maida - 1 cup
Powdered Jaggery - one to one and a half cup
Ghee - 1/4th cup
2 powdered cardamom seeds

1/2 cup of water

Procedure:

Prepare dough with flour, water, 1-2 tablespoons of ghee. Pressure cook chana dal with plenty of water till one whistle. Do not overcook chana dal.Add Jaggery without adding water. Prepare purnam in a pressure pan. Let it cool.Purnam should be like a firm ball. Take the dough. Add ghee and knead and punch for 5-10 minutes. Divide the dough. On an aluminium foil apply ghee and keep the dough and fill the purnam inside it(lime sized purnam). Cover by bringing the edges together and press it.Dip your finger in oil. Add, flatten the ball, starting at the edges, gradually going towards the centre. Warm the tava (do not heat). Fry and cook on medium low applying ghee till golden colour on both the sides.