Tomato Rice Bath

Ingredients ( Serves for 4 )

Tomato - 7
Rice - 3 cups
Onions - 3
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Garlic - 10 pieces
Green chilies -4
Cinnamon - 1 piece (3 inch)
Cloves - 5
Cardamom - 3 (optional)
Bay leaves - 3
Chilly powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Coriander powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Ghee - 2 tea spoon
Lemon - 1/2.
Coriander and Curry leaves - some

1. Wash tomatoes and chop into smaller pieces.

2. Rinse rice thoroughly in water and soak for 15 minutes.

3. Cut 2 onions, peeled ginger, garlic, 2 cloves, a bit of cinnamon and grind them to a coarse paste.

4. Cut remaining 1 onion  and green chilies length wise.

5. Drain the rice well. Heat 2 table spoon of ghee in cooker, fry the rice gently for 3 minutes.

6. Remove the rice from cooker and add 7 table spoon of oil , add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add green chilies, onions, remaining cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, bay leaves and fry until onions turn light brown.

7. Now add the ground coarse paste and fry until the raw flavor goes.

8. Add the tomatoes and fry them by chopping with the spatula. Fry until the tomatoes become watery and  the raw smell goes..

9. Add Chilly powder, Coriander powder, pinch of turmeric, salt and fry for another 2 minutes.

10. Add fried rice to this and mix well.

11. Now add water , half cup lesser to 1:2 of rice and water.. Meaning... for 3 cups, I added 5 1/2 cups of water and not 6 cups.. because tomatoes itself will have 1/2 cup of liquid content.. Taste and add salt.

Note : Above ratio is for Normal rice, For Basmati 1 : 1.25 of rice and water ..(reduce 1/2 cup of water)

12. Close the cooker, and cook until 3 whistles.

13. Once done, mix gently by adding some ghee and lemon extract.. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note : Adding saffron color is optional , but I did not added any color..

14. Serve with Raita or gravy..

Ladies Finger (Okra) fry

Simple Bhindi fry recipe..

Ingredients

Ladies finger - 1/2 kg
Onions - 1 medium sized
Garlic - 5 pieces (crushed)
Chilly powder - 3/4 tea spoon
Coriander powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil - 3 table spoon
Salt to taste
Curry leaves and Coriander leaves - some

1. Wash ladies finger thoroughly.

2. Chop them into smaller pieces. We can chop quickly by arranging as depicted..

3.  Chop onions and crush the garlic

4. Heat 3 table spoon of oil in non stick kadai and add mustard seeds, once it splutters add garlic, curry leaves and onions and a pinch of salt, fry until onions are cooked... (no deep frying of onions)

5. Add pinch of turmeric powder, chilly powder ,coriander powder and salt to it and mix well.

6. Now add the chopped ladies finger and mix thoroughly..

Note : It may appear very dry initially, but the veggie will leave enough moisture...

7. Close with a lid and lower the flame.

8. Cook for 15 minutes in low flame by occasionally mixing them. Taste and add salt if required..

9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side dish..

Green leaves Stir Fry

This simple & healthy recipe is common for most varieties of green leaves ... I used Arai keerai (Thotakura in Telugu ) in this recipe. 

Ingredients

Green leaves - 2 bunches

Onions -1 medium sized

Garlic - 4 pieces (crushed)

Chilly powder - 1 tea spoon

Coriander powder - 1/4 tea spoon

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hing - a pinch

Grated coconut - some

Salt to taste

1. Clean the green leaves, remove the wider stem and the root part.

2. Wash them thoroughly, 3-4 times( to wash off mud substance, if any) and drain. 

3. Heat 2 table spoon of oil, add mustard seeds, once splutters add 1 red chilly , pinch of hing, garlic and onions and fry till onions turn brown.

4.  Add chilly powder, coriander powder, salt and pinch of turmeric powder. Mix well..

Note : Generally green leaves does not require much salt...

5. Add the drained green leaves to it and mix until the leaves shrink

6. Close it with a lid and cook for 15 minutes in low flame. No need to add water as there will be enogh moisture from the green leaves.(Do not over fry as it may change the taste)

7. Once the green leaves are cooked, add some grated coconut and remove from the flame.

{ Groundnut powder can also substitute coconut.. }

This arai keerai poriyal can be served with rice or as a side dish..

Egg Curry

Egg Masala Curry...

Ingredients

Egg - 5
Green chilies - 3
Chilly powder - 1 tea spoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Garam Masala - 1 tea spoon
Onions - 3
Tomatoes - 2 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 10 pieces
Cinnamon - 1 piece
Cloves - 3
Turmeric powder - some
Hing - some
Salt to taste
Curry leaves, coriander leaves - some

1. Boil the eggs, peel the skin and cut each into 2 pieces lengthwise.

2.  Cut 2 onions, ginger and peel the garlic pieces.

3. Grind them along with 1 piece of cinnamon and 3 pieces of cloves into a coarse paste.

4. Heat 3 tea spoon of oil, add mustard seeds, once splutters, add some hing, green chilies, 1 onion ( sliced lengthwise ) and fry till onions turn brown.

5. Add finely chopped tomatoes and fry for 3 minutes.

6. Add chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cumin powder, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder  and fry for 2 minutes.

7. Add water and boil for 5 minutes.

8. Once gravy boils, add sliced eggs to it and gently mix.

9. Allow it to boil till gravy thickens and garnish with coriander leaves..

Note : 1 small cup of finely ground coconut paste can be added to increase the taste..

Pongal (Ven Pongal)

Pongal is a common break fast item, made quicker and simpler..

Ingredients ( Serves for 3 )
Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Rice - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - some
Green chilies - 3
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Ghee - 1 tea spoon
Oil - 6 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Pepper - 1/4 tea spoon (Roughly Crushed)
Mustard seeds - some
Salt to taste

1. Mix rice and dhal and wash thoroughly.

2. In a cooker, add 3 cups of water, salt , 5 tea spoons of oil, 1 tea spoon of ghee.
Add rice and dhal to it and pressure cook until 5 whistles.

Note: Taste the water and add salt

Tip : Water measure is 1: 2 [+1], if you have 4 cups of rice and dhal, add (4*2) + 1 = 9 cups of water.

3. Meantime, cut green chilies length wise, crush the pepper roughly. And keep ready other ingredients for seasoning. The tea spoon, I use to measure is depicted..

Note : Pepper can be crushed or added as a whole..

4. Heat 2 tea spoons of oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add cumin seeds, pepper, chilies and fry them. Add ginger and curry leaves at end and remove from flame.

5. Add this seasoning to the cooked rice and dhal and mix well, add some ghee if required.

6. As value addition, fry cashew nuts and add them to the pongal.

The above measure serves for 3 people.

Sundakkai Curry ( Turkey Berry Curry )

A sour and hot gravy prepared with Turkey Berry (Usthikaya in Telugu ) .

Ingredients

Fresh Sundakkai (Turkey Berry) - 2 cups
Shallots or small onions - 150 g
Garlic - 15 pieces
Tomato - 2
Tamarind - lemon sized
Chilly powder - 1 tea spoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Hing - a pinch
Fenugreek powder - roasted and ground - 1/2 tea spoon.
Coconut - 5 pieces (1 1/2 inch)
Curry leaves and coriander leaves - some
Gingelly Oil - 4 table spoon.
Salt to taste

1. Clean the sundakkai and crush them roughly

2. Wash them thoroughly in water, so that most of the seeds come out. Wash 3-4 times.

3. Peel off the skin from onions and Garlic.

4. Cut the onions and tomatoes into smaller pieces.

5. Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice

6. Heat Gingelly oil (cooking oil can also be used) in kadai and add mustard seeds, once it splutters add garlic, curry leaves, onions and fry until onions turn golden brown. Add tomatoes and fry thoroughly..

7. Add coriander powder, hing, chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. Fry for a minute.

8. Add sundakkai to it and fry for 5 minutes.

9. Add some water to this and cook.

10. Once cooked, add tamarind juice extract and add salt if required.

11. Meantime, grind the coconut and extract milk ( we can extract up to 3 times )

12. Once the gravy thickens, add coconut milk and stir well.

13. Add 1/2 tea spoon fenugreek powder. Fenugreek powder can be made by frying fenugreek seeds without adding oil and finely grinding. Having this powder in hand will help us to add in all types of puli kulambhu (sour gravies).

13. Lower the flame, close with a lid and allow it to boil for 15 minutes.

14. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.