Product Review: Priya Biryani Paste

Have you ever tried to make biryani from the scratch? I have and it is probably one of the most difficult things to get right. I love Biryani. Having lived in Hyderabad, my love for Biryani has only grown. Here, we do get to buy some killer biryani but it costs £7 a pop. For the last 2 weeks, S has been nagging on and on for Biryani and at the Indian store he found the Priya Paste and brought this home. I was very  very apprehensive. Usually these pastes taste like Vinegar and that's it.

How to make it was pretty straight forward. 2 cups of rice, 2 cups of cauliflower, carrots, beans, peas and potato, 4cups of water, salt, 2 tsp Ghee and 2 tsp of paste into a rice cooker and cook away. While making this, the fragrance was HEAVENLY! I mean, we couldn't wait for this to get cooked.

This tastes EXACTLY like a hyderabadi biryani. If you know Hyderabad House biryani then this is it. I will Definitely recommend this paste for everyone. :-) Go get it.

Paneer Burji

We were at the Indian Store, and we found a good, fresh block of Paneer. I simply could not resist buying it and I am glad I did! I usually do not prefer paneer when I am at a restaurant because of the deep frying process. However, this Burji has been something I have been meaning to make for S and he has now fallen in love with this! I am certain this will be one of the dishes he demands for a while at least. Get some store bought Naans and you are set!

Panner: 250Gms, Grated
Oil: 1 tablespoon
Onion: 1 medium, chopped finely.
Green Chilli: 2 chopped fine
Bell Pepper: 1 chopped fine
Tomatoes: 2 chopped Fine
Turmeric: 1 pinch
Red Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander Powder: 1/2 tsp
Jeera Powder 1/2 tsp
Kasuri Methi: 1 tsp
Lemon Juice
Corriander chopped

-Heat a pan with some oil and add the onion and green chilli. Saute with some salt.
-Once done, add the bell pepper and the masalas and stir for a minute.
-Now add the tomatoes and cook until done. You should get a nice thick, cooked paste
-Add the Grated paneer and stir well until combined.
-Finish with some corriander and lemon juice. Make sure you do not overwork the paneer.

Venthaya Keerai Thogayal

The last 2 weeks have been interesting in terms of the kind of food I cooked at home. I happened to lay my hands on a lot of keerai varieties including the original Indian thandu keerai, agathi keerai, baby spinach and of course, Venthaya Keerai. We prefer venthaya keerai either in a paratha or in aloo methi. I tried out this thogayal today and I reckon that it is a pretty awesome dish.

Methi Leaves/Venthaya Keerai: 1 bunch, washed, stalks removed, roughly chopped
Urad Dal: 1/4 cup or 3 tbsp
Red Chillies: 4-5
Hing
Salt
Tamarind: a small marble size, soaked in water and extracted or 1 tsp pate

Heat a skillet/pan, dry roast the urad dal till it turns pink and keep it aside.
Now, add a tsp of oil and roast the chillies, keep aside.
In the same pan, add the leaves and stir fry for about 2 mins until wilted and cooked.
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend well until smooth.
Adjust seasoning and serve with hot rice/idlis/dosai.

Keerai Masial

I think this is one of the most healthy ways to eat spinach and is definitely the tastiest. I prefer to use the Frozen Spinach simply because it saves time on chopping. If you use fresh leaves, make sure to wash it atleast in 3-4 changes of water and chop as fine as you can. Also, once cooked you need to mash it up by hand/blender.

Spinach: Frozen Cubes: about 4 per person.
Salt: to taste (spinach holds much lesser salt than any other veggie. So use less and add more later)
Turmeric: a tiny pinch
Hing: 1/4 tsp
Water: 1/4 cup.
Rice, Urad Dal, Mustard Seeds, Red Chilli: For tadka.
Oil: 1 tsp. Use coconut oil for added flavour.

--Take water in a sauce pan and bring to boil with salt and turmeric.
--Add the spinach cubes and cook until it is thawed and for another 2 minutes.
--Add the Hing, remove from the hob.
--Make a tadka with Rice, Urad Dal, Mustard seeda and Red Chilli. Pour on top of Spinach.

This is a great combination with Pulisheri/Vatha Kuzhambu/Curd Rice.

CousCous Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Salads are obviously healthy, but can be incredibly boring. I had a packet of Cous Cous and was wondering what to do with it, when I remembered a sald I had at M&S. It was very very tasty and filling!

CousCous: 1/2 cup
Chickpeas: 1 tin, drained.
Mixed chopped Veggies: aubergines, carrots, potato, onion, Swede, Courgette: total 2 cups
Garlic: 2 whole, unpeeled cloves
Salt
Olive Oil
Butter: a small teaspoon
Cumin Powder: 1 tsp
Lemon
Mixed Salad Leaves

--Take the couscous in a bowl. Add the butter, some salt and pour 1.5 times boiling water and cover and leave for 10 minutes.

--Pre-heat oven to 200C.

--Take a baking tray, add the veggies and garlic and mix in olive oil and cumin.

--Bake for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are well roasted. You can prepare this in bulk and store in a fridge for upto 3 days.

-- Now, combine the chickpeas and couscous. Add the cooled mixed veggies, season with some lemon and adjust salt.

--Serve on a bed of salad leaves.

An added flavour would be Mint/Basil Leaves. But entirely optional.

Crushed Chilli

I know that this does not qualify as a recipe, per se. However, there are days when we refuse to have Molaga Podi or chutney with Idli/Dosa. My grandma came up with this one, and I love it on any given day!

Green Chillies: Spicy ones : 2-3
Salt
Hing
coconut oil: 1/4 tsp
Curd: 3 tablespoons.
Water: 2 tablespoons

Crush the green chillies. You can split them down the middle and squish them with your fingers.
Add the salt, hing, oil and water. Mix well.
Add curd and adjust the seasoning.

Onion Chutney

This is a great combination for Dosa or Idlis. You will need a blender, though.

Urad dal: 3 tablespoons
Red Chillies: 4-5
Curry Leaves: 1 Sprig
Oil: 2 tablespoons.
Onions: 2 medium, sliced thin.
Mustard seeds: 2 pinches
Hing
Salt
Tamarind: size of a cherry soaked and extracted

Heat a wok with oil, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chillies and curry leaves.

Saute until the dal is pink.

Now add the hing, onions, salt and saute until cooked.

Put the whole lot into a blender with the tamarind extract and blend well.

Vegetable Poha

This is probably one of the healthiest dinners we have had in a while. Very easy too.

Poha/Pawa/Aval: Medium thick: 2 cups.

Cabbage finely chopped: 1 cup
Carrots finely chopped: 1 cup
One potato, cubed
Peas: 1/2 cup.
Onion: 1 medium: finely chopped
Ginger chopped: 1 heaped tablespoon
Green chillies: 2-3 finely chopped.
Curry Leaves: 1 sprig
Lemon: 1
Corriander leaves: to taste
Salt
Hing
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Peanuts/urad dal/chana dal/mustard

--Begin by washing the poha and draining it. This will soften it.
--Before you start chopping everything, cut the potatoes and cook them separately and drain.
--Chop everything and keep it ready. Alternatively, you can pick up stir fry veggies from a store. saves time.
--Heat a wok with some oil.
--add the peanuts, urad dal, chana dal and mustard with curry leaves and let it splutter.
--Now add the green chillies and ginger.
--Add Onions with some hing and salt and allow it to cook.
--Now add the turmeric and red chilli powder and rest of the veggies and potato.
--When everything has combined and shrunk (takes about 5 mins) add the poha.
--Stir well.
--Pour the lemon juice over the poha, adjust seasoning and garnish with corriander. Chances are, you may have to fix the hing and salt at this point.

One Pot Sambar Rice.

Ever had days when you absolutely couldn't bring yourself to spend more than 5 mins next to the stove? Well, I have those days sometimes and the result is this dish AKA Kootan choru. Easy, wont take more than 5 mins prep.

You need a pressure cooker to make this one. So keep one handy before you start.

Potatoes: 2
Onions: 2
Capsicum: 1
Green Chilli: 1
Carrot: 1 (optional) or any veg that goes into a sambar.
Tuvar Dal: 1/2 cup
Rice: 1.5 cups
Tamarind: a lime sized ball, soaked and extracted.
Hing
Turmeric powder
Sambar Powder: 2tablespoons
Salt

Cut the veggies into big chunks and throw into the cooker.
Add the dal, rice, turmeric, hing, salt and sambar powder.
For regular raw rice, you need 3 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. So, for this quantity you need 6-6.5
Measure the tamarind water and for the rest, add plain water.
Cover the cooker. Leave it on until about 4-5 whistles.
Once the cooker has cooled, mix the whole lot and pour a teaspoon of ghee and some corriander leaves.
This is a really healthy, wholesome meal.

Banana Snack-- Again!

So, the banana toast has been a hit and now I have way too many bananas at home and not enough bread. Ideally this recipe is done with the Kerala Banana/Plantain. But I just made them with the regular ones.

Banana- 2 sliced medium.

Ghee/Butter- 2 tsp

Sugar: 2tablespoons

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet/pan.

Pour the butter/ghee and immediately add the banana pieces. Do not stir yet.

Add the sugar over the banana pieces. Let them sit for a minute or two.

Once the pan is a lil smoky and you can smell the caramel, try and turn the bananas around.

If you fail, simply toss the pan. Let it sit for a minute.

Remove it onto a plate and you are good to go.

Dont miss out the caramely bits. These are to die for! :-)

Yummy Banana Toast

I know that it has been a loooooooong time since I blogged a recipe. Well, here's one for an easy yummy snack!

Bread Slices: 2, Buttered on one side. I prefer white.

Butter: for bread and for toasting. Lets say, 2 tablespoons.

Banana: 1 Sliced.

Honey: 1 - 2 teaspoons.

Cinnamon: a dash. [optional]

--Heat a skillet/pan - something that is thick.
--In the meantime, butter the bread slices and place the sliced banana pieces on a slice and pour the honey over it. Sprinkle the cinnamon powder.
--Place the other slice over the bread with banana.
--On the heated pan, add a knob of butter.
--Place the bread on the pan and hold it down with a flat spoon/spatula.
--Wait for a minute or until the side has browned.
--Turn over the bread and add more butter. Hold it down until the side has browned too.
--Cut the sandwich and serve.

The method is similar to cheese toast. You can substitute the banana with Cheese, onions and chilli for a really nice cheese toast.

Paneer... Kadai Paneer

The most favoured accompaniment to almost every kind of roti. I am ALL for shortcuts. However, there are some things you should take time for. One of them is this dish. By time, I mean 5 minutes. Before you cook, get this powder ready. Here's the recipe.

Jeera : 1 teaspoon
Peppercorn : 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds: 1/4 tsp
Corriander Seeds : 1 tablespoon
Red Chilli : 2 [More if you prefer heat]

Put the whole lot onto a pan, dry roast them on a medium heat until the spices release its fragrance.
Cool the mix, powder it and store it.

This is Kadai Masala that can be used for Paneer and vegetables. I usually make this for twice the quantity and store it. Saves me a lot of time. Now, onto the paneer gravy.

Paneer: 250 grams
Onion: 1 small finely chopped
Tomatoes: 2 medium finely chopped
Garlic: 4 cloves finely chopped
Green Chillies: 2 finely chopped.
Kadai Masala:  2 tsp
Salt: To taste
Kasuri Methi/dried fenugreek leaves: 1 tsp.
Oil: 2 tablespoons

Heat Oil and sautee the onions until they are almost done.
Now add the garlic and green chillies and stir for a minute.
Add the tomatoes, kadai masala and stir well.
Cook this until the tomatoes are done and you can see the oil leaving the sides of the pan.
Add the paneer at this point and cover it and cook for about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in between to ensure the paneer/gravy is not burning or sticking to the pan.
Garnish with corriander and serve hot with rotis.

Time Out and back now...

Had been a hectic month and now back to some regular blogging. Lemme start with something simple. How about some Pickle? The green mango one! Here's the recipe.

Raw sour green mango - 1 large or 2 medium Chopped finely.
Salt: a teaspoon [This could be more or less depending on your salt and the mango. So fix it.]
Red Chilli Powder: 1.5 tsp
Ground Fenugreek Seeds: 1 tsp
Asafoetida/hing: 1/2 tsp
Gingelly Oil : 2 tablespoons [If you dont have this, go buy some! Not worth making the pickle without this]

Add salt to the chopped mangoes and leave it to soak it all up for an hour.
Now Heat the oil, and when it is at a high temperature, add the powders and take it off the flame.
Pour the oil mix into the mangoes.
Taste to fix the hing/salt. Your pickle is ready.

This pickle is great with Idli/dosa/curd rice and even bread! If you know my brother, you are nodding your head :-)

P.S: I have absolutely no idea how to tell if a mango is raw or slighly ripe. Trust your shopkeeper or ring up S and ask him!

Penne in White Sauce.

The easiest way to get this dish done is to use the bottled white sauce. The trouble though, is the presence of eggs in the sauce and a general lack of flavour! Here's what I do to make a nice penne in white sauce.

Penne: 2 cups, Boiled al dente/ just a little under done.
Butter : 2 tablespoons
Flour: 2 tablespoons
Milk: 1.5 cups
Garlic: 2 pods, finely chopped.
Italian Mixed Herbs: 1 tsp
Pepper: 1 tsp

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees
Heat the butter in a pan, add the garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Now add the pepper, herbs mix well.
Add the flour and fry for 20 seconds.
Now pour the milk all at once and stir well, until smooth and without lumps.
Bring this to a nice thick consistency.
Put the pasta in this sauce, mix well and move to an ovenproof dish.

You can top this pasta with some sauteed carrots, beans, capsicum and peas.
Again, top with some nice cheese and parmesan.
Bake this for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden and delicious.

Spring Onions

We found some really fresh Spring Onions and couldn't wait to cook with it. However, I wanted to make something really quick and uncomplicated. Here's what I did.

Spring Onions : 3 bunches chopped
Onion: 1/2 sliced thin
Fenugreek Seeds/methi: 1 tsp
Red Chillies: 2 broken
Oil: to fry
Sambar powder: 2-3 tsp
Hing: a small pinch
Besan: 2 tablespoons.

Heat oil in a pan, add the methi and red chilli when the oil is hot.
Now add the sliced onions and fry for a few minutes.
Now add the spring onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the Sambar powder and saute for a minute.
Add the Besan and stir well. fry for a few minutes.
Now, add some water until you get some gravy.
Allow it to boil for 2 minutes. Add salt to taste.
This is great with Rotis.

Aloo Methi

This is Sukriti's recipe. The way they make it at her home. I have been a fan of this mild, fragrant dish since day 1. Here's the recipe:

Potatoes: 2-3 medium: Chopped into small cubes
Methi Leaves: Cleaned and chopped roughly/Frozen methi - 2 cubes
Whole Corriander Seeds: 1-1.5 tablespoons
Red Chilli: 2 - Broken into small pieces.
Salt: To taste
Oil: 3-4 Tablespoons

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan.
Add the red chilli flakes and corriander seeds. Fry for a minute.
Now add the chopped potato and cook until they are almost done.
Finally, add the methi leaves, salt and mix well.
Dont cook the methi leaves too much.

This is a great accompaniment for Rotis. I know that there are many recipes out there that need soooooooo many ingredients. And I have tried most of them. This one is my favorite. :-)

Kadala Curry

This dish is the ultimate kerala/mallu food experience. I mean, Nothing can possibly be tastier than this curry with Puttu. I make this quite often for S and I am always thinking of Anna. He loves this dish and I cant wait to cook this for him. Anyway, I should be taking pictures of all the dishes. Unfortunately, S is not patient enough to wait for photography. Sigh! So, here goes the recipe.

P.S If you are living in the UK or the US where canned Garbanzo/chickpeas are available, go grab a few cans. Its dirt cheap and saves you a a lot of trouble.

Canned Chickpeas : 2 cans or 500 grams (cooked)
Red Onions: 2 medium - Chopped Fine/sliced fine.
Tomatoes: 2 medium - Chopped.
Jeera
Mustard
Curry Leaves
Turmeric
Red Chilli Powder/Paprika:

To Grind:
Small red onions/Pearl Onions/Shallots: 6-7 Peeled
Curry Leaves- 2 sprigs
Dried Red Chillies: 5-6
Corriander Seeds: 1-2 tablespoons
Coconut, grated- 1 cup (fresh/frozen. NO dessicated stuff!)

1) To make the paste:
Heat oil in a pan, add the chillies, curry leaves and small onions and fry for a minute.
Now, add the corriander seeds, fry for about 4-5 seconds.
Add the coconut and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Blend the mix in a blender with some water. This should be a fairly thick paste.

2) In a large pan, heat oil and crackle the mustard, jeera and curry leaves
Now add the onions and fry with a little salt.
Once cooked, add turmeric and paprika and the tomatoes.
Cook until the tomatoes are pulpy and oil leaves the sides.
Add the chickpeas- One can drained and another one drained halfway. This water is tasty
Once the mix boils, add the ground paste.
Cook for a minute or two.
Garnish with some corriander leaves.


This is a really tasty accompaniment for - Dosa, Idli, Puttu, Appam, Idiappam.

Parippu Podi - Dal Powder

My mother in law makes the best Parippu Podi in the world. Seriously. And we brought some with us to London. It was over in a month. What do I do? I was given the recipe, and I made this stuff here. Took me 10 minutes!!!

Toor Dal : 1 Cup
Urad Dal: 1/4 cup
Red Chillies: 4-5
Jeera: 1 tablespoon
Pepper: 1 tablespoon.
Hing: A generous Pinch
Salt : To taste.

Dry roast the dals separately, add to the blender.
Dry roast the red chillies and add to the blender.
Now blend them until mixed. This should be a rough blend.
Dry roast the jeera and pepper.
Blend the Jeera and Pepper and mix in the dal blend.
Blend them together for 2-3 seconds.
Season with salt and hing.

Mix this powder with hot rice and ghee. :-)

Things I have to have in the kitchen.

1) Asafoetida/hing/perungayam : This stuff is magical. From Keerai Masiyal to Paneer, this goes into it all. A lot of people I know tend to believe that this is used exclusively for South Indian dishes. BIG myth! I have lived with a lot of North Indian people- Marwadis, Pahadis, Punjabi etc. Every single one of them use this spice. So. Start using it in your curries. This rocks.

2) Kasuri Methi: This is nothing but dried fenugreek leaves that have a flavour to die for. I will post a paneer recipe soon. This fragrant leaf transforms curries to a really super dish. Try this in Dal, Curries and Roti. Yum!

3) Nallennai/Gingelly Oil/Sesame Oil: Dosa can not be made with anything else. I use this oil for most of my south Indian cooking. This is what I use to make Sambar, Puliyodharai, Dosa, Ingi Curry and what not. Love the flavour!

4) Coconut: Come on. This is integral to every lunch dish I love. And for puttu. And for Kadala Curry. [Recipe is coming up next]

5) Garlic: I have tonnes of this in stock. I use it for Rasam, Poondu Kozhambu, Curries and Chinese. Love this good stuff. And beats cholestrol too.

6) Soy Sauce: Chinese. Yes. I have a few recipes that my friend passed on to me. Really good Indian stuff. And soy sauce is used to flavour it. Try it. It is awesome!

7) Ghee: I make my ghee at home from a good white butter that is unsalted. Its dead easy and tastes awesome. This goes into Rasams, Pulisherri, payasams, pongals and into S's lunch. They say 2-3 drops of Ghee on a daily basis does good to you.

8) Dals: Atleast 3 to 4 types. This is for variety in  tadka dal, and to make adai. Essential stuff!

Dal Makhni

Ok. So I dreaded making this one! Simply because I was not sure if I could handle all that cream and butter and what not. "Someone" has been nagging me for over a week for this dish. I took the plunge today and It was actually quite nice. Just needs a bit of prep work. And sorry about the haphazard recipe. :D

Urad Dal: 1/2 cup [The whole ones with skin]
Red Kidney Beans/Rajma: 1/2 cup

Soak the two overnight.
Pressure Cook with salt, 2 crushed garlic pods, half a sliced onion, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, a tiny pinch of turmeric and a teaspoon of red chilli powder.
This takes about 20-30 minutes to cook.
The dals must be soft and mashed.

Now, Heat a pan with some oil and 2 tablespoons of butter, throw in some cumin seeds.
Add 4 pods of garlic and 1 inch piece of ginger, chopped. Fry for a minute.
Now add one medium onion- chopped.
Cook until onions are browned.
Add a teaspoon of ground garam masala and red chilli powder.
Add 2 chopped tomatoes.
Cook until the oil leaves the side.
Add this to the dal mix and stir well.
Add 2 tablespoons of cream and mix.
Leave this on a low flame for about 20 minutes.
Let it simmer away and you have some yummy dal!

When you serve, add a teaspoon of butter and a drop of cream.

Vanilla Butter Cookies

I like cookies. But I like them when they are freshly baked and not from packets. And I like them when they dont have any eggs in them. I usually make these cookies when I have the time, and they are almost always perfect. Here's my recipe:

Flour: 225 grams/ 1 & a 3/4 of a cup
Butter: 125 Grams/ 1 cup
Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
Sugar; 100 Grams ( You can add more if you like it really sweet) / Under a cup. lets say about 3/4 of a cup
Milk: 2 tablespoons ( If needed)

Pre-Heat the oven to 180 C. No, I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit!  Google it.
In a deep bowl, sift the flour.
Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour with your fingertips
It will become breadcrumb like. Or like Puttu Maavu - For those who know what it is.
Now, add the sugar and vanilla essence and mix well.
Ideally you should get a smooth dough like mix. If its crumbly, add the milk and mix.
Now Roll it out on a dusted surface and cut it with a cookie cutter.
Lay it on a dusted tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.
When done, pull it out, allow to cool and store.

Oats Dosa

S's mom is diabetic and the doctor has warned her to quit eating rice, or else. So I started hunting for recipes with absolutely no rice. She prefers Dosa/Idli. So I focused on those dishes. I came accross 2 recipes that seemed interesting. One was an Oats Dosa and another was Oats Idli. I tried the Oats dosa and it was actually yummy. So, here's the recipe.

Oats: 1 cup
Wheat Flour: 1cup
Semolina/Rava: 3/4 cup
Salt: To Taste
Red Chilli Powder: 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek Powder: 1 tsp (optional)
Hing/Perungayam/Kayam: a generous dose.

1) Put the oats into your mixer and grind it to a powder. Do not add any water.
2) Take this oats powder into a mixing bowl, add the wheat flour and every other ingredient and mix well.
3) Make sure it is not lumpy.
4) Make Dosas as you normally would. It is really tasty.

Note: I avoided adding mustard, green chilli etc because it has oil. You can add them if you don't mind the oil.
The Original Source is Veg Inspirations- A blog which I follow regularly and is on the right side of this page. :-)

Chutney!

Today's brunch was adai dosai with carrot chutney. I was looking to make a chutney with no cocnut and the best bet was this carrot chutney. It is faintly sweet, mostly spicy and Nice! This is great with adai and works with regular dosa and idli. Here's the recipe:

Grated Carrots: 1-11/2 cups. I usually grate 2 medium carrots.

Roasted Groundnuts - 1/4 cup. Or 3 tablespoons

Red Chilli: 4-5 nos. I add about 7. S likes it spicy.

Garlic Pod: 1.

Tamarind: a small bit

Oil: 1/4 tsp

Corriander powder: 1 tablespoon

Salt : to taste

Dry roast the garlic and chillies. Dump into the mixer.

Add the roasted groundnuts.

Now pour 1/4 tsp of oil and sautee the carrots for a few minutes.

Add the corriander powder to the carrots and take it off the heat.

Add the tamarind, salt and carrots into the mixer and blend well.

Carrot chutney is ready!

Note:

You can add a quarter cup of roasted coconut if desired.

Palpayasam/Kheer

Sometime last year, my cousin sent me this blog that was written in a language that I could so relate to, about dishes that I grew up eating. Since then, I have always read that blog before I made anything. Just to be sure. And her recipes are spot on! I made palpayasam today and I followed her shortcut method. Simply brilliant! I will post my measurements and also the link for the original blog.

Milk - 3 cups. I used 2%, Full cream is better though!
Sugar: 1/4 Cup. You can add more if you like it more sweet.
Rice: 1 tablespoon. I used sona masuri. It will be great to use kerala payasam rice.
A table spoon. Yes, just the spoon.

You need a pressure cooker. And one that is big enough to hold the milk and rice.

Now you have to clean the cooker in boiling water. Straight off the kettle. Clean the whistle and the tablespoon also.

Now, pour the milk into the clean cooker. Add the sugar. Boil them.
Once the milk has boiled, stir in the washed rice.
Now cover the cooker, with the whistle.
Cook this in a low/medium flame for about 30 minutes.
Bingo! Great payasam with minimal effort ;)

Ammupatti's link: http://bhagavathy.blogspot.com/2007/07/recipe-palpayasam.html

Rasam.

This is the most simple south indian dish and every person I know cooks this differently. S loves rasam and will only be too happy if I made this everyday. I just don't make it everyday. I get bored! The best rasam that I have ever had has been made by my grandma. And then my aunt in Trivandrum. They follow a different recipe from each other! I have some lovely rasam podi made by my mother in law and I set about making it my way- minimal or no effort!

Tomatoes: 2
Tamarind: Size of an amla
Rasam powder: 3 heaped teaspoons
Water: 4 -5 cups
Hing: a pinch
Turmeric: a pinch
Mustard, Jeera: 1 tsp
Ghee: 2 teaspoons
Curry Leaves: 4-5
Corriander Leaves: to taste.
Jaggery: 1/4 tsp.

Take a bowl, put in the tamarind and pour the water.
Squeeze the tamarind well.
Throw in a tomato, squeeze it into the water.
In a saucepan, heat the ghee and fry the mustard, jeera and curry leaves.
Pour the tamarind water.
While waiting to boil, add the rasam powder, chopped tomato. salt, turmeric and hing.
Let it boil for 10-15 minutes until the raw smell of tamarind vanishes.
Now taste the rasam, add Jaggery to adjust the taste.
Finish with corriander leaves!

Trust me, you need to use Ghee. The entire flavour depends on the jeera roasting in ghee.

Aloo Baingan

S loves brinjials/aubergines. And he never stops asking me to make something with them. Now, he hates Garam masala. There you go. I have to make some good stuff minus THE good stuff. Sigh! Here's the recipe for a non-authentic, customized aloo baingan.

Potatoes: 2 - cubed

Small baingan - 5-6 whole, stalks removed and slit into half, but not all the way.

Onions: 2 finely chopped

Ginger, garlic, green chilli: finely chopped.

Tomatoes: 2-3

mustard, jeera: 1 tsp each

Corriander powder : 2 teaspoons

Jeera Powder: 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Salt: to taste

Oil: 2 tablespoons

Boil the potatoes with salt and turmeric and keep it aside.

Heat oil, add the jeera and mustard and then add the ginger, garlic, green chilli.

Now add the onions and fry well.

Add all the masalas and 2 teaspoons of water. Mix well, and add the chopped tomatoes.

Cook for 4-5 minutes, add the baingan and cover and cook well until the baingans are almost cooked.

Now add the potatoes and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with corriander and serve with rotis.

Monday Lunch- Coconut Rice

Monday Mornings are horrible! There are a zillion things to do around the house and I am always short of time. One of my favourite mixed rice dishes is Coconut Rice. I made this for lunch today and S loved it! Here's the recipe.

Rice: 2 cups: Cooked. Use Sona Masuri if you can.
Oil: 1 tablespoon
Mustard Seeds, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, Red Chillies, Curry leaves : Generous Quantities
Hing/Asafoetida/Perumkayam: A big pinch
Coconut: Grated: 1-1.5 cups

Cook the rice and keep it aside.
Now do a tadka with all ingredients except the coconut, add it to the cooked rice.
Now dry roast the coconut until you get a nice aroma and is lightly brown.
Add this also to the rice.
Mix well, adjust the salt and serve hot.

I made a simple dal to go with this today. It was a good combo.

Simple Aloo Curry

I crave for potatoes sometimes. And I can't be bothered to spend hours in the kitchen over anything, except of course, Baking! Here's the recipe to a quick aloo dish that someone cooked for me when I was living in Delhi and which I Love with some rotis.

Potatoes: 3 Chopped into big pieces and cooked. Or, use some baby potatoes.
Corriander Powder: 2 tea spoons
Cumin Powder: 2 tea spoons
Garlic Cloves: 3-4 chopped/paste
Tomato : 1 or 2 Chopped fine or pureed
Tamarind Pulp: 1 tbsp
Oil: 2 tablespoons
Salt
Corriander leaves

Cook the potatoes and let them drain.

Heat a pan, pour the oil in, add the corriander powder,cumin powder, garlic cloves,tomatoes, tamarind pulp and salt. Yes. Everything in at the same time.

Cook the lot on a low flame for about 10 minutes or until you can see the oil on the surface.

If you think the curry is too sour, add a tsp of sugar.

Now add the potatoes, coat them with the gravy and cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Keep stirring so you dont burn the gravy.

Garnish with corriander leaves.

Bread Upma

Sunday Morning. Wake up late. And ask the man "what do you want for breakfast?" He says "Anything." I say "Fine. I will give you cereal." He says"no!" and pulls a face. The options are given one after the other : Dosa, Puttu, Upma... Nope. Nothing meets his fancy. I give up and as a last option say "Bread Upma" BINGO! Fine then. This is how I made it and the picture is how it looked!

Bread : 6 slices [I used wholemeal]
Oil : 2 Tablespoons
Mustard: 1 tsp
Peanuts: 2 tablespoons
Curry Leaves: 4-6 nos
Ginger : 1 inch piece chopped fine
Green Chillies: 4 to 5 [Depending on how spicy you want it]
Onions: 2 medium sliced fine.
Tomatoes: 2 big ripe ones, sliced
Green Peas: 1/4 cup
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing/Perumkayam: 1 pinch


Heat a kadai and fry the mustard, peanuts and curry leaves.
Add the Ginger and Green Chillies and then add the onions.
Add Salt and fry well, until the onions are limp but cooked. [ Bread has salt. So be careful about the amount you add]
Now add the turmeric, red chilli powder and hing.
Add the peas and tomato and let it cook for a few minutes
Chop up the bread into bite sized pieces.
Add it to the tomato mixture. Mix well.
Every piece of bread must be coated with the mix. Add 2 tablespoons of water if you would like.
Finish with some corriander leaves.

Curd Semiya

This is one of those dishes I came across while in Hyderabad. This is great quick meal, and is very healthy. This is brilliant for folks with Diabetes as well. So, here goes.

Vermicelli/Semiya : 2 Cups
Oil: 2 tablespoons
Onion: 1 Chopped
Green Chilli: 2 nos
Curry Leaves : 2-4
Mustard, Urad Dal, Chana Dal : for frying
Curd: 2 -3 Cups

Take a thick bottomed pan and fry the vermicelli in a small amount of oil.
Now, cook the vermicelli in 4 cups of water until done.
In a kadai heat oil, fry mustard, Urad Dal, Chana dal and curry leaves.
Add Green Chilli and Onion  and fry well.
Add this mix to the cooked Vermicelli, add the curd and chill for a few minutes.
Eat this cold, after garnishing with corriander leaves.

Semiya Payasam

This is a payasam that everyone loves in my family and I love making. Growing up, I remember, my Mom made this very frequently. She loved it and she would almost always serve it cold. :-) So here goes the recipe- Very easy to prepare.

Milk: 2 Cups [Preferably Full Cream]
Water: 1/3 cup
Vermicelli : 2-3 tablespoons
Ghee/Clarified Butter: 2 Tablespoons
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Raisins/Almonds/Cashew: 1-2 Tablespoons

-Get hold of a heavy bottomed pan. If you can't, use the base of a pressure cooker.
-Pour in the water first and then the milk. Boil well.
-While the milk boils, heat half the ghee and fry the vermicelli until brown and fragrant.
-Once the milk has simmered for about 10 mins, add the vermicelli and cook for 10-15 mins.
-Once cooked, add the sugar. This releases some water. So boil away for another 10 mins.
-Now, fry the cashew and raisin in ghee and add to the payasam.
-The payasam should be creamy and medium-thick.

Notes:
- Adding the water first will minimize the quantity of milk that sticks to the bottom. Easier to clean!
- Do not add sugar until the vermicelli is cooked. Sugar hinders cooking.
-If your payasam is watery, dont worry. Give it an hour off the flame. It should thicken up.