Vegetable Fried Rice

A Chinese invasion that is so welcome in Indian houses. I think Fried rice is the second favorite chinese food after the noodles in Indian household. Here is how I make it.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice - 1 cup
2. Carrot - 1/2 cup (long cut)
3. Capsicum - 1/2 cup (long cut)
4. String Beans - 1/2 cup (long cut)
5. Mushroom - 1/2 cup (small cut)
6. salt 
7. pepper
8. soya sauce - 2 tablespoon
9. olive oil


Recipe:

There are two parallel activities and a final mix.

I. Basmati rice preparation

1. Soak Basmati rice for 15-20 minutes.
2. Then add salt to it and cook in an uncovered pan.
3. When rice is evenly tender, drain the excess water and rinse in cold water and keep the rice aside.


II. Vegetable Fry

1. In a fry pan, pour olive oil, and add carrot and tenderize it.
2. Then add beans and keep frying.
3. After beans becomes tender add capsicum and fry.
4. Finally add mushroom. Add salt in pinches throughout the vegetable frying process.


Final Mix

1. After both processes are over, mix the rice in the frying pan and add pepper and salt with medium heat. Stir well. If you are dexterous, toss the rice.
2. Add soya sauce and stir well.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup and potato chips!
 

Vegetable Biryani

JB brand of masala is a relatively unknown and new one in Madurai area. I just got a sample of it and prepared Veg Briyani. It was good.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 big (long cut)
3. Tomato - 1 big (medium cut)
4. Green Chilly - 3 (long cut)
5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
6. Curd - 1 tablespoon
7. Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
8. Vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, beans, potato) - small cubes
9. Oil
10. Salt
11. JB Biriyani Masala - 2 tablespoon
12. Coriander and mint leaves

Recipe:

1. Soak the rice for 15 minutes.
2. In a kadai, pour oil, fry onions till light brown.
3. Put green chillies, ginger garlic paste and saute.
4. Add tomato and a pinch of salt and soften.
5. Put all the vegetables, the masala powder and salt and stir well.
6. Add the coriander and mint leaves and curd and keep stirring for 2 mins.
7. Add 2 cups of water.
8. In an electric rice cooker, transfer the contents of the kadai.
9. Drain the water from the rice and add drop the rice in the cooker.
10. Stir well and add the lemon juice and close the lid and let the cooker do its job.

Serve hot with raita or gravy.

Kallaa Sambaar [Paavakkaa Saambaar] {BitterGourd Lentil Stew}

Arun's bachelor Saturdays many a time ended with bittergourd sambar and potato fry. Man has a liking for bittergourd in any form of dish. Well, let me please him once in a while.

Ingredients:

1. Toor dal - 1/4 cup
2. Bittergourd - 1 (round cut, peeled)
3. Tomatoes - 1 big (6 pieces)
4. Mustard
5. Cumin seeds
6. Fenugreek seeds
7. Turmeric
8. Sambar bhurko - 2 tea spoon
9. Green chilly - 2
10. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
11. Coriander leaves
12. Oil
13. Salt

Recipe:

1. In  a pressure cooker, boil the toor dal with enough water and allow for 2 whistles.
2. In a kadai, heat some oil and then add mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, green chilly and saute.
3. Add tomatoes with a pinch of salt and soften it.
4. Now add the bittergourd, turmeric and salt and fry for a minute.
4. Add the sambar bhurko and add half cup of water and keep aside.
5. Pour this mix to the dal and add enough water/salt as you like.
6. Close the lid and wait for one whistle.
7. After the pressure is gone, remove the lid and add the asafoetida and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice and ghee!!

Kudi Ounty [Kozhi Kuzhambu] {South Indian Chicken Stew}

This is the traditional Sourashtrian Kudi Ounty made from authentic Ounty Bhurko. Third day of most Sourashtrian marriages is the day of the meat feast. Kudi Ounty is a must number in the feast!

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Bone-in  - 500 gram  (small cut)
2. Onion - 1 big (small cut)
3. Tomatoes - 3 small (medium cut)
4. Ounty Bhurko / Kuzhambu podi - 2 table spoon
5. Salt
6. Black Pepper  (ground)
7. Cumin seeds (ground)
8. Oil
9. Garlic - 1 clove


Recipe:

1. In a cooker, heat some oil and fry onion and garlic till light brown.
2. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt and saute
3. Add the Ounty Bhurko, Chicken pieces and salt; mix well.
4. Pour 1 1/4 cups of water and close the lid.
5. Pressure cook till 3 whistles and switch it off.
6. After pressure is released, open the lid and add ground pepper and ground cumin seeds.
7. Boil for 4-5 minutes in simmer mode.

Serve it hot with white rice and sometimes even with Idly/Dosa.

Soya 65

Vegetarian's chicken.... Non-vegetarian's solace during the month of Purattasi... Protein rich food....  That is our Soya 65. Soya chunks have been usually included in pulao, gravies.. but the fried version is tops I say!

Ingredients:

1. Nutrela Soya meal maker - 250 gram
2. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
3. Chicken masala - 1/2 sachet
4. Salt
5. Oil

Recipe:

1. In a draining pan, fill 3/4ths water and drop the soya chunks in it. Add salt. Boil till the chunks become tender.

2. Drain the hot water and rinse the soya 2-3 times with cold water.
3. Squeeze the chunks with hand and drain all the water content.

4. In a bowl, mix chicken masala, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Then add the soya chunks to it and give a nice coating.

5. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
6. Heat some oil in a kadai, and fry the chunks in as many instalments as the size of the kadai permits.
7. Take out the fried Soya 65 and put it on kitchen tissue so that the excess oil is absorbed.

This is a good side for Sambar rice, rasam rice. Good for a snack as well.

Chicken Chops

This is my first ever attempt at non-veg gravy. Success!! Thanks to MIL and her years of experience with non-veg.

Ingredients:
1. Chicken (bone-in) - 2 pounds (small cut)
2. Onion - 2 (medium size)
3. Tomato - 2 (medium size)
4. Ambat Bhurko Or Chicken Curry masala - 3 spoon
5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 spoon
6. Karunanidhi Curry Masala (Optional) - 1/2 spoon
7. Unground extra masala (Cardamom sticks, Cloves, Fennel seeds) - 1 tea spoon
8. Oil
9. Salt

Recipe:

1. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and fry the Unground masala.
2. Add finely chopped onion and fry till it is light brown.
3. Add Ginger garlic paste and keep frying.
4. Add finely chopped tomato and little salt. Fry till it becomes pulpy.
5. Add Ambat Bhurko, salt and chicken. Pour a cup of water.
6. Let the pressure cooker whistle at you 3 times. :). Ensure chicken has become tender. Else let it whistle once more.
7. Remove the lid and add karunanidhi curry masala and boil for 5 mins.

Serve hot with Idly, chappathi or variety rice.

Beet Root Rice

Arun's favorite lunch during school days was the BeetRoot rice prepared by MIL. It is very nutritious, tasty and easy to prepare.Even today he takes beetroot rice for lunch every fortnight :)

Ingredients:
1. Beet Root - 1 (big)
2. Green Chilly - 2 (round cut)
3. Curry leaves
4. Mustard
5. Salt
6. Oil - 2 teaspoon
7. Rice - 1 cup

Recipe:
1. Peel the root and grate it medium small.
2. In a kadai, add mustard, curry leaves, green chillies to heated oil.
3. Mix the grated beetroot and saute for 5 minutes in medium flame.
4. Add salt and continue for 1 more minute.
5. Then cover it and leave in medium flame for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Mix the boiled rice with the beetroot till no white spots appear in the rice.
7. Serve hot.

Boiled egg sprinkled with salt and pepper, Potato chips are good sides for this dish.

Potato Stew (Kerala Style)

My MIL lived in Kerala for two years. She loved God's own kingdom so much that she almost turned a mallu :).  Her cuisine became rich with some Kerala dishes. I love her simple Potato Stew very much. Here is how I make it.

Ingredients:

1. Russet Potato  - Two

2. Onion - One (long cut)
3. Green Chillies - 4 (long cut)
4. Curry Leaves - 5 leaves
5. Garlic - 1 clove (disc cut)
6. Coconut oil - 3 tablespoon
7. Coconut milk - 1 cup
8. Salt

Recipe:
1. Boil the potatoes; peel and cut it in cubes.
2. In a kadai, heat 2 tablespoon coconut oil.
3. Add the potatoes and fry for a minute.
4. Add onion, garlic and green chillies and keep frying.
5. Add salt and add the coconut milk. Pour half cup water and boil covered in low flame.
6. When the coconut smell subsides, add curry leaves and one tablespoon of coconut oil.

Serve it hot with Puri or Roti!

Pasta

I never learned to cook pasta. Couple of years ago, we tried the BreadBowl Pasta from Dominos. It was delicious! From what it looked like, I tried to cook pasta one day, like an experiment. Alas! The experiment was not bad. I have been mixing and matching various things. I think this post is my simple way to make pasta. Check it out.



Ingredients:
1. Pasta (any kind) - 1/4 lb (nothing is hard and fast.. just see if it will be enough for two)
2. Carrot - 1/2 cup (long cut)
3. Capsicum - 1/2 cup (long cut)
4. mushroom - 1/2 cup
5. American cheese - 1/2 cup
6. Pasta sauce / Ragu - 1/2 cup
7. Salt
8. Olive oil - 3 tablespoon
9. Ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Recipe:
1. Boil the pasta with salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil in 2qt water and drain it. Keep aside
2. In an uncovered pan, pour olive oil. Fry the vegetables till they become tender. Add salt as needed.

3. Add the pasta to the fried vegetables and mix in low flame.
4. Sprinkle the black pepper.
5. Add pasta sauce and mix well, again in low flame.

6. When coated well, add 1/4 cup cheese and stir well till it melts.
7. Pasta is ready!



To enhance taste sprinkle cheese and serve it hot!

Loula Puri [Inippu Vadai]

Day before yesterday was a Friday! Friday evenings usually begin with a snack. This Friday I prepared our favourite sweet, the Sourashtrian Loula Puri! Loula, pronounced as 'low-lay' means thin. But the apt word would  be sweet. Because this is a vada type of thing that is sweet. This sweet is made usually on Varalakhsmi vrath.

Ingredients:

1. Maida - 1 cup

2. Sugar - 1/4 cup  (I make it mild sweet always :) )

3. Rava - 2 tbsp

4. Cashews (broken) - 15 to 20

5. Oil

Recipe:

1. In a bowl, mix the maida, sugar and rava with water. The mix should be like dosa batter.

2. Keep the mix aside for 4-5 hours.

3. In a kadai, fry cashews till golden brown.

4. Transfer the cashews to the mix in the bowl.

5. Heat oil in kadai.

6. Take the batter in a deep spoon and pour it in the oil. Make sure the spoon is deep enough to make a decent size puri.

7. Fry till light golden brown and then dry it in tissue covered bowl.

Agasthir Ounty [Vendakkai Kuzhambu] {South Indian Okra Stew}

My MIL is here with us. Such a joy to have her here. She is a very good cook. She has lived in many cities of TamilNadu. Also a few years in North India. Her cooking has so much variety. I will introduce the basic sourashtrian 'ounty' with Ladies Finger flavor prepared by her.

Ingredients:

1. Tomato - 1 big

2. Okra - 15 to 20

3. Mustard - 1 teaspoon

4. Ounty powder - 1 tablespoon

5. Tamarind - A ping pong ball size

6. Toor Dal - 1 teaspoon

7. Gingelly oil - 1 ounce

8. Salt

Recipe:

1. Heat the oil in a cooker and pop the mustard seeds.

2. Add Toor Dal and bring it to a golden brown.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they get smashed.

4. Add the cut okra. The cut size should be about an inch. Fry for a couple of minutes.

5. Add Ounty powder, salt and extracted tamarind water.

6. Add a cup of water and mix well.

7. Put the lid on and bring it to a whistle under medium flame.

8. Switch the flame off and wait till the steam is out.

9.  Open the lid and boil the ounty for 5-10 minutes on a medium flame.

10. The ounty would have sufficiently thickened by now.

11. Serve it hot with white rice.

Quick Rotti Halwa

In 2009 I tried Rotti Halwa with tea rusk.The taste was ok-ok. Last year I tried it with white bread. Arun used to tell me how my cousin in Kendall Park made this once. I created a short cut version of it based on my mom's idea ;-)

Ingredients:
1. White bread  - 3 slices
2. Sugar - 1.5 cup
3. Cold water - 2.5 cups
4. Ghee - 3/4 cup
5. Cashew nut - 10 nos.
6. Cardamom - 6 nos.

Recipe:
1. Medium toast the bread slices.

2. Grind the bread to crumbs in a blender. This should be about a cup.

3. In a cooker, take two spoons of ghee and add the bread crumbs. Fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add cold water and keep boiling till the bread crumbs become soft.

4. Add sugar and mix it well.
5. Add half a cup of ghee and close the cooker with its lid. Keep on medium flame.

6. Wait for 8 whistles and switch the flame off and remove the lid after the steam is out.
7. The mix will be watery now. So keep stirring it for 30-45 minutes on medium flame. The mix will be semi solid now.
7. In a kadai, add two spoons of ghee and fry the cashew nuts.
8. After cashews become golden brown, put it in the cooker along with some cardamom.

You must be wondering how this is quick?? This has taken more than 1.5 hours!! Well, the traditional way of making this halwa does not involve pressure cooker. This will easily add 4-5 hours of stirring!! Now you do the math... Ain't it quick?? :)