Coconut milk rice

This is coconut rice with a difference. It is a simple dish that has the sweet aroma of coconut milk and tempering of curry leaves and black gram. It tastes heavenly when eaten alone or with some stir fried vegetable. I make this on summer days as it is cooling.

Ingredients:

White rice - 2 cups
Coconut milk - 2cups
Cardamom powder - 1tsp
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Black gram - 1tsp
Red chilly - 1(broken into 2)
Coconut oil -2tsps
Salt to taste

Method:

Add the coconut milk, cardamom powder, salt and two cups water to the rice. Cook in a pressure cooker till done. Temper mustard seeds, black gram, red chilly and curry leaves in coconut oil and garnish the rice.

Lasagne sheet payasam

I made this payasam as some lasagne sheets were lying idle in my kitchen.  This payasam will look like pal ada paradhaman and taste like vemilcilli payasam.

Ingredients:
Lasagne sheets - 2
Sugar - 1cup
Milk -2cups
Condensed milk - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1tsp

Method:
Break the lasagne sheets into small pieces. Soak in water for 10 minutes and cook in the same water for another 10 minutes. Then add the milk and boil. Finally, add the condensed milk and simmer for few seconds. Cool for 5 minutes before adding sugar and cardamom powder.

Summer special

This dessert does not require any cooking. It is made with coconut milk and few fruits available during this season.  Yellow banana, ripe mangoes and ripe jack fruit make a great combination for this recipe.
Ingredients:
Grated coconut – 1cup
Yellow banana -1
Jack fruit pieces – few
Ripe mango – 1
Sugar -1tsp
Raisins -few (for garnishing)

Method:
Soak the grated coconut in half cup of warm water for few seconds. Grind it in a blender and strain it. It will yield half cup of coconut milk.
Grind the jack fruit and sugar finely. Add it to the coconut milk. Top it with mango and banana pieces. Garnish with raisins.
Note: Coconut milk can be chilled before adding the jackfruit pulp.

Mixed Thepla

Thepla is a Gujarati snack food. This spicy flat bread is made with whole wheat flour, fenugreek leaves and grated bottle gourd. It is flavoured with carom seeds, asfoetida and chilli powder.  In India, carom seeds or bishop's weed is known as Ajwain and omam.

Ingredients:
Fresh Fenugreek leaves - 2 cup
Whole wheat flour - 6 cup
Grated bottle gourd - 1 cup
Chilli powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder -1 tsp
Carom seeds -1 tsp
Asafoetida -1/2 tsp
Salt  and oil -As required

Method:
Combine all the ingredients and knead into soft dough without using water. Rest it for 10 minutes. Knead again using little oil and divide it into equal balls. Roll out the balls into thin flat breads.
Heat a griddle and cook the flat bread on both sides using little oil. Serve with cheese spread or tomato sauce.
  

Kadamba Sambhar

 This is a different sambhar that has vegetables, and two lentils. It goes well with rice and flat bread.


1.    Mixed Vegetable- 100gms
2.    Chick pea - 1/4 cup(soaked overnight)
3.    Split pigeon pea - 1.1/2 cups
4.    Tamarind Pulp – 1cup
5.    Sambhar powder – 3tsps
6.    Turmeric powder – 2tsps
7.    Asafoetida powder - 1/2tsp
8.    Mustard seeds – 1tsp
9.    Sugar – 1tsp
10.    Grated coconut – 4tsps
11.    Chopped coriander leaves – 2tsps
12.    Curry leaves - few
13.    Oil and salt - as required
Method:
Cook the chick pea in a pressure cooker till soft. Cook the split pigeon pea with asafoetida and one teaspoon of turmeric powder. Mash it well and keep it aside.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When it crackles add the grated coconut and fry till brown.
Dilute the tamarind pulp with two cups of water. Add the balance turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Cook the vegetables in it. Then add the cooked chick peas and sambhar powder. Add more water and bring it to pouring consistency. Simmer for few seconds. Garnish with curry leaves, coriander leaves and fried coconut.

Crispy corn balls

This is an easy to make snack, which uses fresh fenugreek leaves and corn.

Ingredients:
Chick pea flour -2cups
Grated fresh corn -1cup
Onion - 1(finely chopped)
Green chillies -3(finely chopped)
Chopped coriander leaves -2tsps
Chopped fenugreek leaves -5tsps
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method:
Mix everything except the oil. Make stiff dough by adding few spoonful’s of water little by little. Divide equally and make round balls out of it. Deep fry them in batches on medium heat. Serve with tomato sauce.

Note: Fresh corn can also be ground coarsely in a blender.

Spicy spinach potato gravy

This looks bland, but it is very spicy. It goes well with flat bread or steamed rice.

Ingredients:

Spinach - 1 bunch

Potatoes -100gms

Curry powder/garam masala -3tsps

Chopped onions - 2cup

cumin seeds -1tsp

Garlic paste -1tsp

Green chillies -2(finely chopped)

Chopped coriander leaves -2tsps

Salt and oil -As required

Method:

Boil the potatoes with the jacket. Peel and mashed it. Set it aside. Wash and chop the spinach finely. In a frying pan, fry the cumin seeds in little oil. Then add the onions. Fry for few seconds. Next add the garlic paste, green chillies and curry powder.  Sauté for few seconds. Add the chopped spinach, salt and two cups of water. Close and cook till done. Finely, add the mashed potatoes and coriander leaves. Simmer for a while till it reaches the consistency of gravy.

Note: Since sour ingredients like tomatoes, lemon or tamarind are not added, two teaspoons of yoghurt can be added in the end or before serving to reduce its pungency.