Cauliflower Briyani

CAULIFLOWER BRIYANI
Ingredients:
cooked rice - 2 cups
cauliflower - 2 cups
salt to taste
tomato - 3 (finely chopped)
onion - 2 (finely chopped)
green chillies - 3 (slit in between)
corriander leaves - a handful - chopped
curry leaves - 10 - 15 (chopped)
ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
garam masala - 1/4 tsp
cloves, cinamon and cardamom - 1 each
oil - to fry

Method:
- wash and clean the cauliflower
- keep it aside- add oil in a pan
- add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom
- add green chillies and onions and fry till they turn golden brown
- add tomatoes and ginger garlic paste
- fry till the raw smell goes off and the tomatoes are smashed
- add salt, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala powder
- add the corriander and curry leaves and fry
- now add the cauliflower and add 1 cup of water and close the pan with a lid
- it will cook in its own juices and when the masala is dry add the rice and mix well
- serve with raita

The idea was dervied from Radhika Vasanth.

Rava Kesari

RAVA KESARI
Ingredients:
Rava - 1 cup
sugar - 1.5 cups
water - 2.5 cups
pineapple essence - 1 tsp
yellow colour - 1 pinch
ghee - 3 - 4 tbsp
cashews - 8 - 10
kismis / raisins - 8 - 10
Method:
- in a pan add the water and sugar
- bring that to boil
- add the colour and the rava slowly
- and allow that to cook
- add the essence and keep mixing so that it doesnt stick to the bottom of the pan
- on other side add ghee and fry the cashews and when they turn golden colour add raisins
- keep it aside
- when the kesari is cooked, the rava will become transparent
- now add the ghee and the fried nuts
- mix well and serve hot.

Shezwan Egg Fried Rice

SHEZWAN EGG FRIED RICE
Ingredients:
cooked rice - 1 cup
soya sauce - 1 tbsp
red chilli sauce - 2 tbsp
eggs - 3
oil to fry
salt to taste
ajinomotto - 2 pinches
shezwan sauce (store bought) - 4 tbsp
white pepper - 1 tsp
garlic - 5 - 6 (finely chopped)
Method:
- in a pan add oil
- add garlic and fry till the flavour comes out
- add the eggs and scramble them
- when done add the salt, white pepper, soya sauce, chilli sauce, shezwan sauce and ajinomoto
- mix well when the mixture is dry add the rice and mix well
- serve hot

Moong Dhal

MOONG DAL
Ingredients:
Moong dal - 1 cup
onion - 1 (finely chopped)
tomato - 2 (finely chopped)
sambar powder - 1 tsp
salt to taste
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Seasoning:
oil - 2 tbsp
curry leaves - 10
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
urad dal - 1 tsp
garlic - (crushed) - 4


Method:
- in a pressure pan add moong dal, tomato, onion, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt to tase
- pressure cook for 4 - 5 whistles
- make a fine paste
- in a pan add oil
- when the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dal, garlic, and fry for 2 mins
- add to the dal mixture
- Goes well with rice and chappathi.

This is my mom's recipe. She prepares this recipe almost everytime my hubby comes home. Very easy to prepare and good to eat when its served hot.

Double Beans Briyani

DOUBLE BEANS BRIYANI
Ingredients:
rice - 2 cups (soaked)
curd - 1 cup
double beans - 1 cup (soaked, deskinned)
salt to taste
green chillies - 4 (slit in between)
onion - 2 (thinly sliced)
tomato - 2 (cut them into cubes)
corriander leaves - 1/4 cup
ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
corriander leaves - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 10 - 12
cloves, cinnamon, cardamom - 2
oil - to fry

Method:

- in a pressure pan add oil

- add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom

- add the green chillies and the onions

- fry till golden brown

- add the tomatoes and fry for 4 - 5 mins

- add salt, add corriander powder, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste

- mix well

- add the double beans

- fry well and then add the rice and curd

- add 4 cups of water and corriander leaves

- fry well for 2 - 3 mins

- cook in pressure pan for 2 whistles and serve

Corriander Chicken

CORRIANDER CHICKEN
This recipe was taken from the website www.vahrehvah.com.This recipe came out too well and was really good to taste with rice and dal.

Ingredients:
chicken - 3/4 kg
corriander seeds - 2 tsp (ground to a course powder)
corriander leaves - 2 cups
curry leaves - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 6
salt to taste
curd - 1/2 cup
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
oil to fry
coconut - grated - 2 tsp
poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
- soak the poppy seeds in water for 1 hr
- grind corriander leaves, curry leaves and the green chillies to a fine paste
- add oil in a pan
- add cumin seeds
- add the corriander powder and fry
- add the green paste and fry
- when they are slightly thick add salt, ginger garlic paste
- fry well
- now add the chicken and curd
- mix well
- grind the poppy seeds and the coconut to a fine paste
- mix well to the mixture
- cook till they are thick and coat to the sides of the chicken
- serve!

Cauliflower Potato Masala

CAULIFLOWER POTATO MASALA
Ingredients:
cauliflower - 2 cups
potato - 2 (peeled and sliced)
onion - 1 (finely chopped)
tomato - 1 (finely choppped)
salt to taste
oil - to temper
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
corriander leaves - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
cloves, cinnamon and cardamom - 1 each
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
garam masala - 1/4 tsp
water - 1 cup

Method:
- clean, wash and cut the cauliflower into small florets
- in a pan add oil
- add the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom when the oil is hot
- add the onions and fry till golden brown
- add the tomatoes and ginger garlic paste
- add the salt and fry till the raw smell is gone
- add the red chilli powder, corriander powder, garam masala, pepper powder
- mix well
- fry till the raw smell goes off
- add the cauliflower and potato
- fry for 2 - 3 mins
- add the water and corriander leaves
- allow that to cook covered and till the moist is fully absorbed
- it takes very less time for the cauliflower to cook but potatoes take time. SO ensure the pottaoes are finely chopped for a quicker and tastier preparation
- serve as a side dish for rice or chappathi..

Carrot Raitha

CARROT RAITHA
Ingredients:
carrot - 5 (grated)
green chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
salt to taste
curd - 1 cup


Method:
- Mix all the ingredients
- leave it to rest for 10 mins before serving
- goes well with pulao or briyani

Sathu Mavu Dosa

SATHU MAVU DOSA
Ingredients:
Sathu mavu (sathu mavu powder like Manna) - 4 - 5 tbsp
dosa batter - 4 - 5 laddle
oil - to fry
Method:
- mix the sathu mavu powder and dosa batter to a fine dosa batter
- now when the dosa tava is hot add one laddle of batter and make dosas
- add oil along the sides and make dosa
- when one side is cooked turn the dosa to the other side
- when done serve hot.

Urundai Kulambu

PARUPPU URUNDAI KULAMBU
Ingredients:
For the balls:
channa dal - 1 cup
onion - 1 (finely chopped)
red chillies - 2
salt to taste
saunf - 1/4 tsp
garlic - 3 - 4 pods
For the gravy:
tamarind - size of a lemon
tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)
onion - 1 (thinly sliced)
green chillies - 2 (slit in between)
salt to taste
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
corriander powder - 1 tsp
hing - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 4 - 5
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
urad dal - 1 tsp
oil - 2 -3 tbsp
coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Method:
- soak the channa dal
- and grind all the ingredients along with the channa dal in the balls ingredients to a vada batter
- make it into balls and steam them as how idli is made
- leave it aside
- extract the tamarind juice and leave it aside
- in a pan add oil
- add mustard seeds and urad dal when the oil is hot
- when they change colour add the curry leaves, green chillies and the onion
- fry well till that changes colour
- now add the tomatoes, red chilli powder, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt, corriander powder and hing
- fry well until the raw smell vanishes and the tomatoes are smashed
- now add the tamarind water and cook for 4 - 5 mins
- add the balls one by one carefully
- cook for another 4 - 5 mins
- now add the coconut milk to this and bring it a boil.
Can be served with rice, chappathi, dosa, idli, appam and idiyappam

Vegetable Stew

VEGETABLE STEW
Ingredients:
potato - 2 (boiled)
carrot - 2 (boiled)
salt to taste
coconut milk - 1 cup
water - 1 cup
green chillies - 2 (slit in between)
coconut oil - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 5 - 6
pandan leaf - 1 (optional)onion - 1/2 (thinly sliced)

Method:
- in a pan add coconut oil
- add curry leaves and the pandan leaf
- now add the onion and saute for a min
- now add the cubed potato and cubed carrot
- add salt and water
- add green chillies
- bring to a boil
- when it boils add the coconut milk and serve after a boil
Serve this with appam, idiyappam..

Carrot Rice

CARROT RICE
Ingredients:
grated carrot - 1 cup
cooked rice - 2 cups
green chillies - 3 (finely chopped)
onion - 1 (finely chopped)
curry leaves - 10 - 12
salt to taste
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
urad dal - 1 tsp
channa dal - 1 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
- keep the cooked rice aside and allow that to cool down
- now add oil in a pan
- when its hot add the mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal
- fry till the channa dal changes colour
- now add the curry leaves and onion and fry till they turn golden brown
- add salt if necessary
- add the green chillies and the carrot
- fry for 2 - 3mins
- mix this to the rice serve!

Note:
- I didnt add curry leaves.. but by adding that will really give a good flavour. I didnt have the leaves in my researve. Can also add fried cashews if you want.. Though its optional.

Thanks to my MOM....
Though she was never a good cook... when I did this dish I remembered my school days. She used to pack this for lunch. I always loved ghee.. SO she adds ghee instead of oil

Appam

APPAM
Ingredients:
idli rice - 1/2 cup
rice - 1/2 cup
urad dal - 1 handful
fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
coconut milk - 1 cup
salt to taste
soda - 2 pinches

Method:

- soak rice, idli rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds in water for 3 - 4 hrs

- now grind this into a fine, smooth thick paste/batter

- dont make it too watery

- add salt and mix well

- leave it to ferment in room temperature for 8 - 10 hrs.

- then when about to prepare appam, add the soda and coconut milk and mix well until it comes to a dosa consistancy

- now pour a laddle of this batter in the center of an appam kadai

- hold the handle of the kadai and swril the kadai so that the batter spreads all around and the center should be thick

- close it with a lid and cook for 2 mins

- so that it is crispy on all the sides

- serve with vegetable stew or coconut milk.

Pudina Rice

PUDINA RICE
Ingredients:
rice - 2 cups
pudina - 1 cup (cleaned and washed)
salt to taste
tumeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
green chilli - 4
onion - 1
tomato - 2
garam masala (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves) - 1 each
freshly grated coconut - 3 tbsp
oil - 4 tbsp
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
coconut milk - 2 cups
water - 2 cups

Method:
- in a pressure cooker, add oil
- add the whole garam masala and fry
- add the finely chopped onions and fry till they turn golden brown
- add the ginger garlic paste and the chopped tomatoes - fry
- add salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder
- add the pudina and fry for 2 mins
- grind green chilies and the coconut into a fine paste
- add them to the pudina and fry for 2 - 3 mins
- now add the rice and fry for another 2 mins
- add the coconut milk and water
- mix well and leave it to cook for 2 whistles
- serve hot with raita.

Kaju Katli

KAJU KATLI
Ingredients:
milk powder - 1/2 cup
powdered sugar - 1 cup
cashew nut powder - 1 + 1/2 cup
cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
yellow colour - a pinch

Method:
- in a pan add sugar and the milk powder
- keep stirring and make sure that it doesnt change its colour.
- now allow that to cool
- add the cashew powder to this
- add the colour and the cardamom powder
- mix well
- add few drops of water and knend it to a dough
- roll into a 1" or a 1/2" roti
- cut them into diamonds..serve ...

Thanks goes to:

www.showmethecurry.com

Thanks this recipe came out too well and it was pretty easy too. There is no need to add the food colouring.. but just added to see how that would look..

Grape Squash

GRAPE SQUASH
Ingredients:
cleaned seedless black grapes - 1 kg
sugar - 1 .2 kg
water - 1 lt
sodium benzoate - 1.5 tsp
citric acid - 4 tsp

Method:
- add the grapes in a juicer and grind it to a thick juice, do not add water.
- strain it and leave it aside
- add sugar in a pan and add water
- bring them to a boil
- add the citri acid and the sodium benzoate and mix well
- allow it to come to a boil for another 2 mins
- now add the grape juice and mix well
- allow it to cook under medium fire, while stirring in regular intervals and cook for 30 mins
- remove the scum / faom which forms on the top
- allow it to cool
- strain and pour them into plastic bottles.

Shelf time - 4 months

To serve:
- add one quarter of this syrup to 3/4 of water- add sugar if necessary, serve chilled.