Green Peas Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice - 1 cup

Onion - 3/4 cup, sliced lengthwise

Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped

Boiled Peas or Frozen Peas - 1 cup

Green Chilies - 2, finely chopped

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick

Bay Leaf - 1

Oil - 1 tbspn

Salt to taste

Method:

Clean, wash and soak the rice for approx. 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Saute for a minute and add onions, garlic and green chilies. Sauté until the onions turn translucent.

Add the drained rice and cook on a slow flame for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of hot water and salt and mix well. Lower the flame as much as possible, cover the pan and cook till the rice is almost done (cook till most of the liquid is absorbed). Gently stir in the boiled peas. Cook for some more time till the rice is done. Serve hot.

If you are using rice cooker transfer the entire content to the cooker and cook till the rice is done. Serve hot with any gravy of your choice.

Jeera Rasam

Ingredients:

Jeera/Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Toor Dal - 1 tbspn

Curry Leaves - a sprig (12 leaves approx)

Sambar Powder - 2 tsps

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Tamarind - a small gooseberry size

Oil - 2 tspns

Salt - according to taste

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Add a tsp of oil in a pan and roast the toor dal till it turns golden brown. Now add the cumin seeds and fry for a minute. Switch off the stove. Keep it aside. In the same pan add the curry leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes. Cool completely. Grind the fried toor dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves with little water to a smooth paste. Keep it separate.

Soak the tamarind in one cup of warm water. Squeeze and extract the pulp. To this add 2 cups of water, sambar powder, turmeric, asafoetida and salt. Let them boil for 15-20 minutes or till the raw smell of the sambar powder goes off. Add one more cup of water. Now add the grounded paste and mix well them well. Switch off the stove as soon as the rasam starts to bubbles up (approximately 2 minutes).

Heat a tsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. As soon as it splutters, switch off the stove and pour this tempering over the rasam. Serve hot with rice!

Steamed Rice Balls/Upma Kozhukattai

Makes 12-14 balls

Ingredients:

Idli Rice Rava/Rice Rava* - 1 cup

Red Chilies - 3, crushed

Coconut - 1/4 cup, grated

Water - 2 cups

Oil - 1 tbspn

Salt to taste

To temper;

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Curry leaves - a few

*Grind the raw rice coarsely like rava/semolina, sieve it and use this rice rava for preparing this dish.

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add urad dal and fry till it becomes golden brown. Now add asafoetida, curry leaves and crushed red chilies. Saute for a minute.

Add 2 cups of boiling water, salt and add the rice rava slowly, stirring continuously. Cook till it becomes thick and leaves the side of the pan. Add grated coconut and switch off the stove. Cool it.

Make small balls out of it and steam cook for 15- 20 minutes(Use idli cooker or pressure pan for steaming).

Serve hot with chutney or sambar.

Spinach Aloo Paratha/Palak Aloo Paratha

 

Makes 6 Medium Size Parathas

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 cups

Besan Flour - 1/3 cup

Potato - 1 boiled and grated

Spinach - 3/4 cup, chopped

Green Chilies - 2, chopped

Curd or Milk - 4 tbspns

Oil - 1 tbspn

Salt to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and make a dough.

Roll out the dough into small or medium rotis of your choice with the help of a little flour.

Heat a tawa and place the rolled out parathas on it. When the top of the parathas change color, flip over and spray some oil over it. After about 20 secs flip over and press and rotate the parathas with a kitchen towel. The parathas would puff up. Serve hot with a dollop of butter or with curd and pickle.