Tutti frutti cookies

This is an egg less cookie made with all-purpose flour, custard powder and tutti fruti.

 

                                                Tutti frutti
Tutti frutti is candied raw papaya, which is available in all grocery and department stores. It is used in the preparation of biscuits, bread, fruit salads, custards, ice cream besides dry fruit rice. It is an ideal ingredient for food decoration and colourful food presentation.

Ingredients:
Tutti frutti -1/2 cup
All purpose flour -2 1/2cups
Custard powder -1/2cup
Baking powder - 1pinch
Butter -100gm
Powdered sugar -100gm
Pineapple essence -1/2tsp
Milk/water - 2tsps

Method:
Combine the all-purpose flour, custard powder and baking powder. Sieve twice and keep it aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and butter nicely. It should look like a paste. Add milk to this sugar mixture and stir well. Then slowly add the dry ingredients and the tutti frutti pieces. Add the pineapple essence. Mix well and make soft dough out of it. Flatten it with a rolling pin and cut into square pieces. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 c for 15 minutes. 

Onion rava dosa

This dosa is crispy, perforated and never round like other dosas.  I call it instant dosa as it does not require fermentation. When dosa is made from a batter using rice flour, all purpose flour, and semolina, it is called plain rava dosa. To make onion rava dosa add chopped onion to this batter. To make dried fruits dosa add chopped nuts and dried fruits of your choice. If plain rave dosa is wrapped with fillings of spiced potato, it becomes rava masala dosa.  If it is wrapped with cauliflower Manchuria, it becomes Chinese dosa. 
 

                                      other side of the dosa
Ingredients:
Semolina/rava – ½ cup
Rice flour – 1 cup
All purpose flour/maida – 3cups
Finely chopped onions – ½ cup
Chopped green chillies and coriander leaves -2tsps
Salt and oil – as required
 
Method:
Mix all the flours and salt. Add three cup of water and make a smooth paste. Add more water to make it to pouring consistency. Finely add the chopped vegetables.  Heat a griddle on high flame. 

Grease it and pour ladles of the batter over it. Do not spread it. Cook on both sides. Serve with red chutney, dosa podi and sambhar.

Peanut sesame balls

                                             
This sweet dish made of just three ingredients is not only an offering to the gods but also an ideal food on fasting days. Roasted sesame and peanuts along are brown sugar can pack a lot of energy. In fact, a handful of sesame seeds contain more calcium than a glass of milk. Besides, its high zinc content helps to boosts bone mineral density. Peanuts are also rich in minerals with high concentrations of anti-oxidants. 

Ingredients:

Roasted and husked peanuts - 200gms
Roasted white sesame seeds -50gms  
Powdered brown sugar - 1cup


 
           Roasted white sesame seeds


Method:
Combine everything and grind it coarsely in a blender. Make equal size balls out of it. Store it in an air tight jar.

Note: Roasted and husked almonds can also  be added to this sweet to give that extra crunch.

Banana cheese tango

This is a simple and tasty sweet that can be made with just three ingredients. Kerala banana is one fruit lends itself to various innovations.  Hence, I have tried to bake it with a dash of cheese.  

Ingredients:

Kerala banana – 2

Brown sugar – 4tsps

Grated cheese – 2tsps

Butter for greasing

Method:

Grease an oven proof dish with butter. Slice the bananas and arrange them at bottom of the oven proof dish.

Put the brown sugar over it.  Sprinkle ¼ cup of water.

 Top it with grated cheese. 

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 150°C for 15 minutes.

 Note: Choose ripe but firm Kerala bananas.

 

Chilli pepper balls

Fried dumplings made of chilli peppers are a popular street snack in South India.  It is known as milaga bajji in Tamil and is sold widely on Marina beach and Elliots beach of Chennai. Milaga bajji is prepared by frying chilli peppers that are dipped in chickpea batter. I have given a twist to this recipe by giving it a ball shape.

                                          Chilli peppers
Ingredients:
Chilli peppers/bajji milaga - 4to5
Chick pea flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 4tsps
Chilli powder - 2tsps
Baking soda - 1pinch
Salt and oil - as required
     
Method:
Mix the flours and chilli powder.
Cut the chilli peppers into 1/2 inch rounds. Rub some salt to it and set it aside for few seconds. Then, sprinkle the flour mixture over it.  Add little water and mix till the peppers are coated well. Make round balls out of it and deep fry them in hot oil. When they turn crispy remove on an absorbent paper. Serve it with tomato ketchup.
    

Vengai Kuzhambu (onion curry)

This is a simple and easy to make curry that goes well with steamed rice. It can be eaten along with any stir fried vegetable or pappadam.

Ingredients:
1. Shallots -100gm
2. Tamarind pulp 1- cup
3. Turmeric powder- 1/2tsp
4. Asafoetida powder 1/4 tsp.
5. Sambhar powder- 3tsps
6. Fenugreek powder- 1tsp
7. Mustard seeds- 1tsp
8. Sugar- 2tsps
9. Curry leaves - few
10. Sesame oil - 1tsp.
11. Salt and oil - as required

Method:
Add sugar, salt and two cups of water to the tamarind pulp. Keep it aside.
In a frying pan, heat some oil and add the mustard seeds. When it crackles add the
shallots and fry till it turns brown. Then add the fenugreek powder, asafoetida powder, turmeric powder and the sambhar powder in quick succession. Pour this mixture into the tamarind water. Boil till the shallots are cooked. Check for consistency and salt. Boil again. Garnish with curry leaves and sesame oil.

Vegetable adai

This is an easy to make pancake that can be had for breakfast. It has vegetables like carrot, capsicum and onion to make it nutritious. Other seasonal vegetables like blanched peas and grated cauliflower can also be added to make this pancake. 
Ingredients:
Parboiled rice -1cup
Black gram - 2tsps
Grated carrot - 2tsp
Chopped onion -2tsp
Chopped capsicum -2tsp
Chopped coriander leaves -2tsp
Chopped green chillies -1tsp
Grated coconut - 1tsp (optional)
Salt and oil - As required

                                          other side of the pancake
Method:
Soak the parboiled rice and black gram together for four hours. Grind them to a course paste and ferment it overnight or at least for eight hours.
Mix salt and vegetables to the batter. Check the consistency. It should be in pouring consistency but thicker than dosa batter.
Heat a griddle and grease it well. Pour one ladleful of the batter on it. Spread it out to make a thick pancake. Drizzle little oil on it. Cook on both the sides. Serve with sambhar or tomato sauce.

Banana stem kootu

Banana stem is rich in fiber and is rich in potassium and vitamin B6 just like the fruit. It is believed to have a cooling effect on the body and hence, is recommended in tropical climates.

Ingredients:
1. Banana stem - 400gms
2. Yellow green gram - 1/4cup
3. Turmeric powder -1tsp
4. Grated coconut - 1cup
5. Cumin seeds -2tsps
6. Red chillies - 2
7. Beaten curd -1tsp
8. Sugar - 2tsps
9. Curry leaves - few
10. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
11. Black gram - 1tsp
12. Salt and oil - as required
 

                                         banana stem

Method:
Grind the grated coconut, cumin seeds and red chillies coarsely. Soak the yellow green gram in water for ten minutes. Cut the banana stem into small cubes. Place them in water to which curd has been added. Swirl the water with a fork for few seconds and remove any strings attached to it. Wash and cook in two cups of water along with yellow green gram and turmeric powder. When it becomes soft, add salt and sugar. Cook for few more seconds. Then, add the ground paste and curry leaves. Simmer till is well blended. Garnish with mustard seeds and black gram tempered in oil.

Nei appam

Nei appam or unni appam is a traditional sweet dish of Kerala. This sweet dumpling fried in clarified butter or oil is an offering to the deity in many temples of Kerala, besides the ISKCON temple. This is also prepared during weddings and festivals like Karthigai deepam.

The basic ingredients for making nei appam are brown sugar, rice and clarified butter. However, other ingredients like yellow plantain, wheat flour, black gram and all-purpose flour are also added to make the appam softer.

A special frying pan made of bell metal is used to make this dish. It is heavy and has deep cups in it, which helps to cook the appam evenly. What is more important is that it cooks slowly and fills the kitchen with its sweet aroma.  

Ingredients:

Raw rice -1 cup
Brown sugar -1 cup
Cardamom powder -2tsps
Grated coconut - 2tsps
Clarified butter or oil for frying

Method:
Soak the rice in water for 4 hours. Drain and grind to a smooth paste along with brown sugar. Set it aside for 4 hours. Just before preparing, add the grated coconut and cardamom powder. Check the consistency. It should be in pouring consistency, like dosa batter. Heat the special vessel. When it turns hot pour clarified butter in each of the cup of the vessel. (Fill it lower than the brim of the cup). When the clarified butter reaches near smoking point, reduce the flame to the minimum. Then, pour one ladle of the batter in each cup. Allow it to cook. Turn it and cook on the other side. Pierce it to check if it has cooked in the inside. When it turns golden brown, remove it.

Mysore pak

 Mysore pak is a sweet made with split chick pea flour (besan), sugar and clarified butter. This sweet is prepared in almost all the houses during Diwali and it is a hit with everyone except the calorie-conscious.
This sweet originated in Mysore or in the kitchens of Mysore palace to be precise. Interestingly, there are over 18 methods of making Mysore pak.  No wonder that Maddappa (the cook in the kitchens of Mysore palace) did not know how to name it. He simply said it as Mysore pak meaning sweet of Mysore (Pak means sweet in Sanskrit). 
The ratio of the three key ingredients (chickpea flour, sugar and clarified butter) decides the flavour, texture and taste of Mysore pak. The consistency of the sugar syrup is also equally important. Thicker the syrup, harder will be the Mysore pak.  Similarly, more sugar will absorb more clarified butter and result in the residue of the latter in the end.
The process of making this sweet is simple. Sugar syrup and the chickpea flour should caramelise along with the clarified butter. In fact, clarified butter would reduce the crystallization of sugar to give the Mysore pak a soft texture. 
Chick pea flour can either be dry toasted or fried in generous amount of clarified butter. The latter gives a better taste and flavour to the sweet.
Sometimes milk is also added to the chick pea flour to prevent it from forming lumps.
Sweets shops prefer to add edible soda ( sodium bicarbonate) in the end of the process. This results in a brown tinge in the middle, leaving the top and bottom with golden yellow colour.

Ingredients:
Chick pea flour - 1cup (levelled)
Sugar - 2cups
Clarified butter - 2cups
Water - 3/4cup


Method:
Grease a deep plate with clarified butter. Keep it aside. Heat 1cup of clarified butter. Reduce the flame and add the chick pea flour. Fry till it changes colour. Remove from flame.  Keep stirring for few more minutes.
In a heavy bottomed pan add the sugar and water. Place it on high heat and allow it to boil. Stir occasionally. When it reaches one thread consistency, reduce the flame and add the chick pea mixture. Keep stirring continuously, while adding small quantities of clarified butter. The mixture will turn thicker and absorb all the clarified butter. Keep stirring till it leaves the sides of the pan and starts swelling. At this stage remove the pan from flame and pour over the greased pate. Cut into desired shape after it cools for few seconds.

Note: Check the consistency of the sugar syrup by pressing a drop of the sugar syrup between two fingers. It should be stiff and show one thread.     

Vvazhakkai thoran

Raw plantains are referred to as vazhakkai in Malayalam and Tamil language, while thoran is a Malayalam word, which is referred to any dry side dish. Vazhakkai thoran is a simple high fiber side dish that goes well with sambhar and rasam. This is also very good for diabetics due to its high fiber content.

Ingredients:
1. Raw plantain -2
2. Turmeric powder -1tsp
3. Grated coconut -1/2cup
4. Green chillies -3
5. Red chilly – 1(broken into two)
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Mustard seeds -1tsp
8. Black gram -1tsp
9. Salt and oil – as required

Method:
Chop the green chillies finely. Mix it with the grated coconut. Keep it aside. Cut the raw plantain into small segments. Add turmeric powder, salt and cook in two cups of water. Drain the water. Set it aside. In a frying pan temper the mustard seeds and black gram in little oil. Then add the curry leaves, red chillies and boiled plantain.  Stir fry for few seconds. Then add the grated coconut mixture. Stir over a low flame till it is blended.

Peanut Sundal

Peanut or groundnut is part of the bean family. A 100gm of peanut gives 567 calories, but its glycemic Index is very low. Hence, it is highly recommended for diabetics. Peanuts also give quick energy boost because of the nutrient content in them.
In south India, sundal (snack) made of boiled peanut is an offering to the gods during navarathri.


Ingredients:
Raw peanuts -100gms
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds -1tsp
Chilli flakes -1tsp
Curry leaves -few
Salt and oil - as required

Method:
Soak the peanuts in water for about 7 hours.
Cook it along with the water in a pressure cooker, till it turns soft. Remove from the cooker and drain the water. Keep it aside.
In a frying pan, temper mustard seeds and curry leaves in little oil. Then add the boiled peanuts, salt and chilli flakes. Saute for few seconds. Garnish with grated coconut.

Festive offer

The price of the kindle version of this book has been slashed to Rs 100 in India and by 50% in other market places for this festive season. To download this book, here you go...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KRX8APC

Happy reading and happy cooking.

Pineapple curry

When we need to try some mango delicacies during the non-mango season, then, pineapple comes handy. Of course the flavour will be that of pineapple. Pineapple can be used in the place of mango in all the recipes that use mango as the main ingredient. This curry is one that is similar to mango curry except that we use tamarind here instead of curd. 

Ingredients:
Ripe pineapple – 1 (250gms)
Grated coconut -1cup
Tamarind paste – 1tsp
Red chillies - 5
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Brown sugar – 2tsps
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt and oil- as required

Method:
Fry the fenugreek seeds and red chillies in little oil. Grind it along with grated coconut to a smooth paste. Keep it aside. Skin and cut the pineapple into cubes. Cook it in one cup of water along with tamarind paste, salt and turmeric powder. When the pineapples are cooked, add the ground paste, brown sugar, curry leaves and more water. Check the consistency. Simmer for few seconds. Garnish with mustard seeds tempered in oil.

Eggplant poriyal

Eggplants are of many types. My favourite is the bottle eggplant which lends itself nicely for stir frying.  This poriyal or stir fried vegetable is mildly spiced with dosa podi, curry leaves and grated coconut. It is a good accompaniment for sambhar and rasam rice.
 
Ingredients:
Bottle eggplant - 1 (250gm)
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Dosa podi - 2tsps
Grated coconut - 4tsps
Mustard seeds -1tsp
Curry leaves -few
Salt and oil - as required

Method:
Cube the eggplant and place it in water. In a frying pan temper mustard seeds and black gram in little oil. Add the eggplant, turmeric powder, salt and one cup of water. Close and cook for five minutes till it is done. Open and stir in the grated coconut, curry leaves and dosa podi, Add little oil if necessary. Stir fry for few seconds till the water dries up.


Note: For dosa podi refer podi dosa recipe.

Happy Onam

                               Onam 2014 falls on September 7. On this occasion,  I wish all the readers a very happy and properous onam.Onam is  the only festival in Kerala which is celebrated by all irrespective of  any caste, creed or religion. The key to this ‘harvest festival’ of the state is the preparation of Onam Sadhya (grand vegetarian lunch served on a banana leaf). It also reminds us of the vamana avatar of lord Vishnu and the visit of  king Mahabali from patala (underworld).  Interestingly, the birthday of Sri Padmanaban (the presiding deity of Thiruvananthapuram temple ) also falls on this day -  (TheThiruonam day of Chingam)

Modak rolls

Modak is a steamed sweet, with rice based covering and filling of grated coconut and brown sugar or spicy lentils.
On Ganesh Chaturthi day, different types of modaks are made and offered to lord Ganesha. Generally, modaks are made of coconut and brown sugar filling. However, modaks with other fillings like cooked black gram, sesame seeds and lentils are also made. The shape of the modak also differs depending upon the filling. It may shaped like a pier top if the filling is made of coconut and brown sugar or oblong if the filling is made of lentils and spiced with green chillies.
At times, after making modaks, you may be left with some filling and the covering dough. On such occasions, you can be a little creative and make modak rolls. 
 

Topped with  filling

                                            

Ingredients:
Grated coconut -1cup
Brown sugar -1/2cup
Cardamom powder -1/2tsp
Rice flour -1cup
Water -2cups
Banana leaves for wrapping
Oil for greasing

                      Rolled and sealed before steaming

Method:
In a thick bottom pan heat the grated coconut and the brown sugar. Keep stirring it until the brown sugar is blended well with the coconut. When it reaches a near solid consistency, switch off the flame. Add the cardamom powder and allow it to cool. This forms the filling for the roll.

In another pan, heat two cups of water till small bubbles begin to form at the bottom of the pan. (Do not boil). Lower the flame and stir in the rice flour. Cook over a low flame stirring continuously, till it becomes a mass of soft dough. Cool it. Take a lemon size ball of dough. Spread it evenly over a greased piece of banana leaf. Top it with little filling. Roll it like a spring roll. Seal the ends and steam for few minutes. Cool and cut into discs before serving.
 

Cottage cheese crepe

  Cottage cheese crepe is a dosa that has fillings of spicy cottage cheese. Hence, it is also known as paneer dosa. Paneer means cottage cheese in Hindi. I must say it is a blend of north and south India, because the filling has the flavour of garam masala from north India while the dosa is essentially south Indian.  

                                  cottage cheese filling in the middle

Ingredients:
Dosa batter - 4cups
Crumbled cottage cheese -2cups
Tomatoes -2
Green chillies -2
Onion - 1
Garam masala powder -1tsp
Turmeric powder -tsp
Sugar -1tsp
Chopped coriander leaves - 2tsps
Salt and oil - As required

Method:
Chop the onions, tomatoes and green chillies finely. Keep it aside.
In a frying pan fry the onions and green chillies in little oil. When the onions become transparent, add all the powders. Saute for few seconds. Then, add the tomatoes, salt and sugar. When the tomatoes become mushy add the crumbled cottage cheese. Stir for few seconds, till everything is blended well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Spread a ladle full of dosa batter on a hot griddle. Drizzle little oil over it. Flip and cook on both sides. Then place the cottage cheese filling in the middle and wrap the ends to make it look like a roll.
 
Note:  You can also make spicy cottage cheese wraps, by wrapping thin flat breads with this filling.




 

Coriander leaves rice

Coriander and its leaves are widely used in Indian cooking. Coriander, which is also known as Chinese parsley and Cilantro, offers a lot of health benefits.
A 100g of coriander leaves provide just 23 calories but it is rich in vitamins, antioxidants and dietary fibre, which helps to bring down the bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase the good cholesterol (HDL).
Here is a tasty and flavourful recipe made with coriander leaves and rice, with a dash of lemon and green chillies.
 

                                        Coriander leaves
Ingredients:
Cooked white rice -3cups
Fresh lemon juice-3tsps
Green chillies - 4
Mustard seeds -1tsp
Black gram -1tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2tsp
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - I bunch
Chilli flakes – 1/2tsp
Roasted peanuts – 3tsps
Oil and salt - as required

Method:
Cut the coriander leaves and grind it coarsely along with green chillies. Keep it aside. In a frying pan heat mustard seeds with one teaspoon of oil and allow it to crackle. When it stops crackling add the black gram and fry it to a brown colour. Then take the pan away from heat and add the ground paste turmeric powder and curry leaves. Sauté while it is still hot. Then add the cooked rice, lemon juice and salt. Mix well. Garnish with chilli flakes and peanuts.

Beaten rice payasam

Beaten rice or flattened rice is known as poha in hindi. On Krishna Janmashtami day beaten rice is a main offering to lord Krishna. Beaten rice can be prepared as a sweet along with brown sugar or as paysam using milk. Payasam is a sweet pudding usually made with milk and sugar or with brown sugar and coconut milk.

                                                                     Beaten rice
Ingredients:
1. Beaten rice – 1 cup
2. Milk - 3 cups
3. Condensed milk – 1/2 cup
4. Cardamom powder – 1tsp
5. Sugar – 6tbsps
Method:
Fry the beaten rice on a low flame for few minutes. Cool and crush it coarsely. Add milk and cook for five minutes. Then, add the condensed milk. Simmer for few seconds.  Remove from flame. After ten minutes, add cardamom powder and sugar.

Broad bean poriyal

Poriyal is a stir fried dry vegetable. It goes well with sambhar rice, rasam rice and Indian flat breads.
Broad beans are high on fiber and hence highly recommended for diabetics.

Ingredients:
1. Broad beans- 250gms
2. Turmeric powder - 1tsp
3. Grated coconut - 1/4cup
4. Green chillies -2
5. Mustard seeds -1tsp
6. Black gram - 1tsp
7. Salt and oil -as required

                                                                 Broad beans         

                                                            Width wise cut broad beans
Method:
Grind the coconut and green chillies coarsely. Keep it aside. Wash and chop the broad beans width wise finely. In a frying pan, temper mustard seeds and black gram in little oil. Then add the chopped broad beans, turmeric powder, salt and one cup of water. Close and cook stirring in between. Once it is cooked add the ground coconut. Stir for few seconds.

Raw plantain fry

This is an easy to make stir fry vegetable using very few ingredients. This high fiber side dish goes well with rasam and sambhar rice.

Ingredients:
Raw plantain -2
Turmeric powder -1tsp
Onion - 2 (chopped )
Mustard seeds -1tsp
Dosai podi -3tsps
Curry leaves - few
Salt and oil - as required 

                                            Raw plantain  
Method;
Peel and cube the plantain. Cook it in 4cups of water along with turmeric powder and salt. Drain the water and keep it aside.
In a frying pan, temper mustard seeds in little oil. When it stops crackling, add the chopped onion and curry leaves. Saute for few seconds. Then, add the boiled plantain and the dosai podi. Lower the flame and stir fry occasionally till it turns crispy.  

Note: For dosai podi recipe refer podi dosa recipe.

Together for 76 years

   My mother-in law and father-in-law        
        

 Today is a special day for our family as my in laws are celebrating their 76th wedding anniversary.  Today, both of them will be entering the 77th year of togetherness. From this day, the entire year is ahead for us to celebrate their diamond jubilee. One can call it platinum jubilee too. It is not important to just name it as diamond or platinum. The life they have lived together is very important for us because there is much to learn from them. For this very reason, I had dedicated my book - “veetu saapadu" to them.
My father-in law is 98 years old and my mother-in-law is 92 years old. They got married in 1940. My father-in-law lost his father, when he was barely 5 years old. His father was a gold medallist from the Gundiy college of Engineering -Madras (now Anna University). He built the Yakara Bridge in plaghat (Kerala). It still stands there strong. We remember him every time we pass through that bridge. My father-in-law was brought up by his father's brother, who was a great doctor (known as Dr Vaidyanath Iyer) in Trichur. However, my father-in law was destined for a job in railways, which forced him to travel all over India. My father-in law’s pillar of support was his mother who lost her husband at the age of twenty two. However, she passed away at the ripe age of 78.
I  must say that my father-in-law is patience personified. This quality makes him close to everybody. He knows many things about the pre-independence period. In fact, he is a store house of information, like our history books. I came to know more about my grandfather (my dad's dad,-the first Indian to get F R A S) from him.
My mother-in-law is also a store house of information. She can speak at length  about the entire family she knew for four generations with ease. In fact, her memory is so sharp that she can recollect her days as small child even today. More important is that she always carries a smile with her. This is infectious and makes her dear to everybody.

                    My brother-in-law with his wife

 Interestingly, today is also the wedding day of my brother-in-law (my husband's elder brother and my in-laws first son). Today, they will be celebrating their 33nd wedding anniversary along with my in-laws. just the way they were celebrating all their wedding anniversaries for the last 32 years.  My brother-in-law and my co-sister are happy go lucky types, which makes them special.
I wish both the couples keep celebrating their wedding days together like this for many more years.
 

Cup idli

There are many types of idli like Kanchipuram idli, kadabu idli and stuffed idli. Cup idli is another idli, where idli batter is steamed in cups generally used for baking cakes. When presented with small pieces of vegetables, it looks attractive, besides being healthy. This is again another tiffin to bring kids to the table to eat good food.

Ingredients:

Idli batter - 4cups
Chopped vegetables - 1/2 cup
Red chutney - 2tsps
Oil for greasing
Cup cake moulds

 
Method:
Grease the cup cakes moulds. Pour the idli batter in each and steam it till done. Remove from the cup and arrange in a plate. Spread little red chutney on each idli. Decorate with the chopped vegetables. I have used capsicum and carrot to decorate it.

Simple side dish

 

Cook up a tasty dish using all the left over vegetables.This recipe uses cauliflower, carrot and potato, besides onion in its preparations. It tastes great with flat breads. However, it can also serve as side dish for sambhar and rasam rice. 

Ingredients:
Chopped cauliflower - 1 cup
Chopped carrot - 1/2 cup
Chopped potato - 1/2 cup
Choped onion - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Chilli powder - 1tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves  -few
Salt and oil - as required
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:
In a frying pan, temper mustard seeds in little oil. Add the onions and curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn transparent. Then add the vegetables  and all the  powders. Saute well. Add one cup of water and salt. Close and cook till the vegetables become soft. Open and cook to dry up any residue of water. Garnish with coriander leaves.  

Baked rice

This rice, which is loaded with spinach, baby corn and colourful capsicums is a meal in itself. Cooked long rice is drenched in white sauce and placed between a layer of blanched spinanch and baby corn and capsicums in different colours. Then it is drizzled with a layer of grated cheese and baked to perfection.

Ingredients:

Blanched and chopped spinanch - 1/2 cup
Blanched and chopped baby corn - 1/2 cup
Cooked long rice- 3cups
Chopped mixed capsicums - 2cups (red, green & yellow)
Chili flakes - 1tsp
Black pepper powder - 1tsp
Tomato sauce - 2tsps
Grated cheese - 1cup
All purpose flour - 2tsps
Cold milk  -2cups
Olive oil - 2tsps
Salt to taste

Method:
Smear little salt to the capsicum and baby corn . Keep it aside.
Dry toast the flour till it changes colour. Remove from heat and add the milk. Cook on low flame stirring continuously till it thickens. Cool for a while. Then, add half the cheese, salt, pepper powder and tomato sauce. Keep this sauce aside.

                                         before baking
 
Grease an oven proof dish. Arrange the blanched spinach and baby corn in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the chilli flakes over it. Top it with cooked rice. Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the rice. Then arrange the capsicums over it. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over it.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 30-35 minutes.  

Tomato broken wheat

This is ideal for breakfast or even for a light dinner.  It also tastes great when accompanied with some stir fried vegetables. It is made with Indian samba broken wheat, which has high fiber and a low Glycemic index. This kitchadi is excellent for diabetics.

Ingredients:

Samba broken wheat – 1 cup

Onion -1

Tomato -2

Turmeric powder -1 tsp

Sambhar powder- 1 tsp

Sugar- 1 tsp (optional)

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Curry leaves-few  

Chopped coriander leaves- 1 tsp

Salt and oil - as required

                           Samba broken wheat

Method:

Puree the tomato in blender. Keep it aside.  Heat a frying pan and crackle the mustard seeds with one teaspoon of oil. Add the onions and curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn brown. Stir in the turmeric powder and Sambhar powder in quick succession. Fry for few seconds.   Then add the tomato puree, salt, sugar and two cups of water. When it begins to boil, add the broken wheat. Close and cook till it is done. Alternatively, you can place everything in a pressure cooker and cook for few minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.