Posting meal recipes

Coconut Rice Utensils Required: Kadai, Ladle to Fry and Mix.
Appox. time : 20 min.

Ingredients     Seasoning

2 cups cooked rice     ½ tsp. mustard
¾ - 1 cup grated coconut     ½ tsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. refined oil (or) til oil      1 tsp. black gram dal (urad dal)
3 tsp. melted ghee     1 tsp. bengal gram dal (chana dal)
2 sprigs curry leaves     A pinch of asofoetida
1 tbsp. chopped coriander
Salt to taste

A few cashew nuts (or) roasted ground nuts (opt)

Method

1.   Spread cooked rice on a plate, sprinkle melted ghee, 1 tsp. oil, salt, mix well and set aside. Please note that the rice should be grainy and not too soft.
2.   Heat oil, add seasonings and when done add curry leaves and grated coconut and fry till coconut turns golden brown in colour. If you are using cashewnuts, break them into small pieces and fry along with seasonings. (or add roasted ground nuts).
3.   Add chopped coriander, mix, remove kadai from fire and pour the seasonings onto the rice and mix into the rice with the tip of your fingers. Keep aside for an hour or so before serving.
Serve hot with appalam and pachadi

Vegetable Pongal
Utensils Required: Kadai / Pressure Cooker, Ladle to Fry and Mix.
Appox. time : 20 min.

Ingredients     Seasoning

1 cup fine rice     3 - 4 cloves
½ cup green gram dal (moongh dal)   2 large cardamoms
½ tsp. turmeric powder     ½” piece cinnamon
1 large onion, chopped     2 - 3 sprigs curry leaves
3 - 4 green chillies (slit)
1” piece ginger (sliced)     Powder roughly
1 each potato and carrot
A few french beans     ½ - 1 tsp. pepper
½ cup shelled peas      1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 + 1 tbsp. ghee
Salt to taste     For garnish

     Few cashew nuts (broken into 2 - 3 pieces)

Method

1.   Lightly roast rice and dal together. Cool, wash and set aside.
2.   Wash and cut vegetables into small pieces.
3.   Heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a pressure cooker add seasonings and when done add green chillies, ginger and onions, fry till onions are browned.
4.   Add vegetables, continue to fry on low heat till they turn soft. Now add rice and dal, fry lightly.
5.   Add turmeric powder, salt and 4 - 5 cups hot water, close cooker and cook till soft and mushy. Remove cooker from fire, keep aside.
6.   Just before serving heat 1 tbsp. ghee fry cashew nuts, remove, set aside. Add powdered pepper and cumin seeds, saute for 1 minute, pour this seasoning into pongal, mix well.
7.   Sprinkle fried cashew nuts and serve very hot with pachadi and potato chips.

Vanghi Bath
(Brinjal Masala Rice)
Utensils Required: Kadai / Pressure Cooker, Ladle to Fry and Mix.
Appox. time : 30 min.
Ingredients     Fry in 2 tsp. oil and powder slightly rough

1 ½ cups rice     1 ½ tbsp. coriander seeds
½ kg thin long brinjals (Mysore variety)   1 tbsp. bengal gram dal (chana dal)
1 tbsp. black gram dal (urad dal)
1 small ball of tamarind     1” piece cinnamon
2 tbsp. +2 tsp. gingely oil (til oil)     3 cloves
2 tsp. ghee     1 marati moggu (opt)
½ tsp. turmeric powder     1 small bit asofoetida
Salt to taste     3 red chillies
      ½ cup grated copra
Seasoning

1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 ½ tsp. bengal gram dal (chana dal)
1 ½ tsp. black gram dal (urad dal)
2 sprigs curry leaves

Method

1.   Cook rice so that each grain is separate, preferably in a rice cooker. Spread on a plate, sprinkle 2 tsp. oil, set aside.
2.   Wash brinjals, slit each into 1 ½” piece and cut each piece into halves - you should have thin long pieces. Extract tamarind water, set aside.
3.   Heat oil add seasonings and when dals turn brown add curry leaves, brinjal slices and turmeric powder and saute on low heat till brinjals have become soft.
4.   Add tamarind water, salt, mix and continue to cook till almost dry. Now add prepared powder, mix thoroughly, remove from fire.
5.   Pour this brinjal masala over the rice add ghee and mix it with the tip of your fingers delicately. Leave aside for sometime before serving.
Note: The same preparation can be made using tomatoes. For seasoning use onion and green chillies.

Vegetable Bath
Utensils Required: Mixer, Kadai / Pressure Cooker, Ladle to Fry and Mix, Serving Plates
Appox. time : 45 min.

Ingredients     Fry in 1 tsp. oil and powder fine

1 ½ cups fine rice     1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 ½ cups grated coconut     ½ tsp. cumin seeds
1 each capsicum, carrot, potato and onion ¼ tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 cup shelled peas   ½ tsp. mustard seeds
A few french beans     1 tsp. black gram dal (urad dal)
2 - 3 green chillies     A pinch of asofoetida
3 tbsp. oil     3 red chillies
1 tbsp. ghee     2 - 3 cloves
1 tsp. turmeric powder     2 large cardamoms
2 bay leaves     2 ½” piece cinnamon
2 tbsp. chopped coriander
1 large onion (chopped)     For Garnish
Salt to taste
     A few fried almonds or cashew nuts

Method

1.   Wash rice, leave on a cloth to dry.
2.   Wash, peel or scrape vegetables; cut into desired size, chop onions.
3.   Add 1 cup boiling water to coconut gratings, cool, squeeze and take out the thick milk. Add 2 more cups of water, pass through a liquidizer, strain, take out second milk. Repeat the process till you have 3 ½ cups milk in all. If there is not enough coconut milk, add water to get the required quantity.
4.   Heat oil add onions and green chillies, fry till onions are browned, add vegetables, turmeric powder and continue to fry on low heat till vegetables have turned soft. Add salt while frying. When vegetables are done remove from kadai, set aside.
5.   Add 1 tbsp. ghee to kadai, add bay leaves and rice, saute till rice is lightly browned.
6.   Add coconut milk, half of the chopped coriander some salt and the prepared powder. Allow this to cook, preferably in a rice cooker.
7.   When rice is done add fried vegetables, mix thoroughly and let the biriyani remain in the cooker till serving time.
To Serve - Transfer rice onto a rice plate, garnish with fried nuts and the rest of the coriander. Serve with onion pachadi and potato chips.

Huli Chitranna

Utensils Required: Kadai , Ladle to Fry and Mix.
Appox. time : 20 min.

Ingredients     Fry in 2 tsp. oil and powder

1 cup fine rice     1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 large ball tamarind     ½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. turmeric powder     ½ tsp. fenugreek seeds
Lemon-size ball of jaggery     ½ tsp. pepper
2 - 3 sprigs curry leaves     8 - 10 red chillies
½ cup grated copra     A small piece of asofoetida
½ cup roasted ground nuts
½ cup gingely oil (til)     Roast dry and powder separately
Salt to taste
      ½ cup sesame seeds (ellu, til)

Seasoning

1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. each bengal gram dal ( chana dal) and black gram dal (urad dal)
1 - 2 red chillies (broken)
2 sprigs curry leaves

Method

1.   Boil rice, so each grain is separate, leave on a plate to cool. Sprinkle some oil.
2.   Boil tamarind, extract pulp, sieve to remove fibre and grit, set aside.
3.   Heat oil, add seasonings and when dals turn golden brown in colour add tamarind extract, salt, turmeric powder, curry leaves and allow the mixture to simmer on gentle heat for sometime.
4.   When oil starts to surface add prepared powder, copra gratings and jaggery; mix and allow once again to simmer, stirring every now and then, till oil surfaces.
5.   Now add powdered sesame seeds and ground nuts, mix, remove from fire, allow to cool thoroughly.
Note : This is referred to as Chitranna gojju and will keep for a long time in an air tight container or bottle.
6.   Put 3 - 4 tbsp. of gojju onto the cooled rice and mix delicately with the tip of your fingers. Add as much gojju as you need to for the rice. Store the rest for a rainy day!
Serve after 3 - 4 hours of mixing along with fried appalams.