Subz Pulao

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice - 2 cups [ soaked in water for 20 minutes ]
• Carrots - 2 [ cut into small cubes ]
• Cauliflower - 250 gms [ cut into small florets ]
• French beans - 10[ cut into small pieces
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cashewnuts - 8 to 9
• Onions - 2 [ sliced finely 1 cup ]
• Salt - as required
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Kasoori methi - 11/2 tsp

Grind to paste :

• Garlic flakes - 4 to 5
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece [ chopped ]
• Saunf - 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 small piece
• Cloves - 3
• Green cardamom - 2

[ Grind all these ingredients in mixer with little water and keep aside ]


Method :

Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pan. Add cashewnuts and fry till it changes into golden colour. [ Remove from the oil and keep aside ]. Then add bay leaf and onions to the same oil. Cook till the onions turns into golden brown color. Then add the ground paste to the oil, stir fry for 2 minutes & add the vegetables & fenugreek leaves. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add 4 cups of water, salt & lemon juice. Drain the soaked rice and add to the water. Allow them to boil and let the heat get reduced. Cover the pan of rice with a well fitting lid. Cook on very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until its done. Otherwise you can transfer to cooker and wait for 2 whistles to come. Finely add the fried cashewnuts and mix well. Serve with onion raitha and fried papad.

Arvi [ Sepakazhanku ] Dhum

Ingredients :

• Arvi - 1/2 kg [ boil and remove the skin and cut into round pieces ]
• Whiped curd - 3 to 4 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Daniya - 1 tbsp
• Green chillies - 6 to 7
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
• Garlic flakes - 2 [ optional ]
• Salt as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - for frying
• Cinnamon, cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Method :

First boil the arvi in a cooker till 3/4th gets cooked. [ you can also cook in kadai with enough water ]. Then remove the skin and cut in to big pieces. Meantime fry daniya, jeera, black pepper in kadai without oil till nice aroma comes. Remove from the gas and grind along with ginger, garlic, turmeric, and salt in a mixer to a smooth paste and mix with curd. Then add the boiled arvi in the curd mixer and keep for 1/2 an hour. After 1/2 an hour, keep one fry pan in a gas and add oil. When it becomes hot, add cumin seeds. Wait for a second till jeera pops. Then add the soaked arvi to that and fry in a low flame till the sabji gets completely roasted in all sides. Finally heat a spoon of ghee and fry cinnamon, cardamom powder in that and add to the arvi. Mix well and garnish with fresh curry leaves. Serve with phulka or sambhar rice or rasam rice.

Dhal Paratha [ Payatham Paruppu ]

Ingredients for stuffing :

• Payatham paruppu - 1/2 cup
• Finely chopped onions - 1/4 cup
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Chopped mint leaves - little
• Red chilli powder - 1tsp
• Dhaniya jeera powder -1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Lemon - 1/2
• Oil - as required

Method :

Cook dhal in enough boiling water, till the dhal starts splitting. Then drain the water completely. Then mix with other ingredients. Squeeze lemon and mix well. Use this stuffing 1 or 2 tbl sps per paratha.

Tip : Use ghee and oil mix together for making parathas. This will give a good taste.

Subz Lajawab

Ingredients :

• French beans - 8 to 10 [ cut into 1/2 inch pieces ]
• Carrots - 2 [ cut into 1/2 inch pieces ]
• Green capsicum - 1 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Cauliflower - 1/4 [ separated ]
• Potatoes - 2 small [ boiled and cut into small pieces ]
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Boiled onion paste - 1/4 cup
• Green chillies - 2 [ slit ]
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Sugar - little
• Tomato puree - 2 table spoon
• Green cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Fresh cream - 2 tbsp

Method :

Heat the oil in a non- stick kadai and add the bay leaf. When it begins to change its color, add the onion paste and saute over low heat, till the oil gets separated. Do not brown the paste. Then add the green chillies, coriander powder, salt, sugar and chilli powder and saute for 2 minutes. Then add tomato puree and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add french beans, carrots, capsicums, cauliflower and potatoes. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes till its nicely cooked. Finely add cardamom powder and fresh cream. Mix well and keep for 3 minutes in a low flame and remove from the gas. Serve hot with puri, roti and parathas. 

Peas In Tomato Gravy

Ingredients :

• Fresh peas - 1/2 kg
• Simla mirchi - 1 big [ green colour] [ cut in to cubes ]
• Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Oil - 3 table spoon

Grind together :

• Red ripe tomatoes - 5 to 6
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1 small bunch

Method :

Take one kadai, heat oil and fry the ground paste in medium flame till the oil is separated from it. Add water, peas, capsicum pieces and salt. Cover and cook in a medium flame till the peas and capsicum becomes soft. Remove from the fire when the gravy becomes thick. Serve hot with phulkas, parathas.


Note :

If you are using dry green peas, soak it 10 hours in enough water. Pressure cook peas and do the recipe. Use ripe red tomatoes only in any gravy for best results.

Ten Useful Tips !!

1. Green Chillies - Though spicy but has good character in it :

Green chillies contains an antioxidant which contains Vitamin C in it & helps not only in fighting cancer but also many other diseases.


2. Methi seeds [ fenugreek ] together with coconut oil - Prevents hair loss:


Mix one spoon of fenugreek, one spoon of amla [ avla ] paste, 100 gms of coconut oil and cook well till it turns into a complete oil. Applying this oil daily, will help in preventing hair loss.


3. Amla [ Avla ] juice - Vanishes Stomach ulcer  :


By drinking this amla [ avla ] juice together with one spoon of honey daily twice a day will help in curing stomach ulcers.


4. Ajvan [ Omam  powder ] - Helps in curing nose blockages :


While suffering cold, running nose take this ajvan powder, put it in a cloth and fold it tightly for a certain period of time. By inhaling this often will help in curing nose blockages.


5. Turmeric, Fenugreek and Dry ginger - Helps in curing joint pains:

Take these turmeric powder, fenugreek and dry ginger [ sount ] of 100 gms each, mix well and make into a nice powder. Mix well with warm water. Having the same during your breakfast and dinner will help in curing joint pain, back pain etc. & so on.

6. Dry ginger, Black salt and Ajvan powder - Helps in curing knee pain :

Take 5 gms of dry ginger [ sount ], 50 gms of black salt and 100 gms of ajvan powder. Mix them well in a kadai & heat it. Put the same immediately in a dry cloth or handkerchief & fold it tightly. Use the same to give hot fermentation to the wounded portion of the knee gently. You will get a relief within a short span of time. If the cloth becomes cold after some time, you can re-heat the same in a tawa & re-use again.


7. Neem leaves and honey - Helps in preventing skin problems :

Take some amount of neem leaves, make a juice of it & mix along with 2 spoons of honey. By applying the mixture on your skin daily, twice a day, will help in preventing skin problems.


8. Turmeric - Helps in fighting cancer cells :

Turmeric is also called the king of masalas. It not only brings a good color in food but also helps in fighting fatal diseases like cancer. It has such a kind of substance in it that it not only helps in fighting cancer cells but also helps in preventing healthy cancer cells from growing further.


9. Boiled ginger with milk - Helps in curing cough flames :


When there is a problem cough flames hidden inside our chest, during that time before going to bed, take a small ginger, boil the same and mix it with one glass of milk. Drinking the same will help in curing the cough flames hidden inside our chest. You can have it daily till its completely cured.


10. Water chestnut - Helps in curing skin problems :

Water chestnut contains rich amount of Vitamin A in it. It not only helps in curing skin problems but also helps in beautifying the same. It helps in preventing dry skin and protects the skin from sunlight.

Tomato Kara Kuzhambu

Ingredients :

• Tomatoes [ red ] - 3 to 4
• Dry red chillies - 5 to 6 [ soak in water ]
• Seasame oil - 5 tbl sp
• Garlic flakes - 2 to 3 [ optional ]
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Jaggery - little
• Grated coconut - 1 tbl sp
• Curry leaves - little

Grind masala powder :

• Tuvar dal - 2 tbl sp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Raw rice - 2 tbl sp
• Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp

 [ Fry all these ingredients without oil in a kadai till nice aroma comes. Then grind along with tomatoes, red chillies [ soaked ] and coconut to a smooth paste.]


For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Dry red chilli - 1 [ broken ]

Method :

Take one vessel, add seasame oil. When it becomes hot, add the seasoning. When mustard seeds pop, add the ground masala and mix well. Add required amount of water. Then add salt, tamarind paste, turmeric, red chilli powder and jaggery. Allow to boil for 10 minutes in low flame. When raw smell goes and kuzhambu gets ready, remove from the gas. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve with dosas and hot steamed rice.