Bengali khichdi

Ingredients :

• For the stuffed vegetables :
• Small potatoes - 3 to 4 [ peeled ]
• Small brinjals - 4 [ stems removed ]
• Carrot - 1 [ peele  and  cut into small cubes ]
• Small sweet potato - 1 [ cut into small cubes ]
• Besan [ kadalai mavu ] - 2 tbls
• Chopped coriander - 1 hand full
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 tabl . sps
• Dhania jeera powder - 3 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Chilli powder - 4 tsp
• Seasame seeds - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Green chilli, ginger - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Oil - 3 tbl

Other ingredients :

• Un cooked long grained rice - 1 cup
• Masoor dal - 1 / 2 cup
• Cinnamon - 1 / 2 inch stick
• Cloves - 2 
• Cardamoms - 2
• Chopped onions - 1 cup
• Bay leaf - 1
• Green chillies - 2 slit
• Ginger - 1 small piece
• Garlic - 2 flakes
• { grind all three together ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - little [ for garnishing ]

For the stuffed vegetables :

Make cross slits on the potatoes and brinjals, taking care not to separate segments and keep aside.cut carrots, sweet potatoes into big cubes, and keep aside.Mix all remaining  ingredients in a bowl and mix well to make the stuffing. Stuff the potatoes, sweet potatoes, brinjal with the prepared stuffing. Keep the remaining.

Method :

Clean,wash and soak the rice and masoor dal for 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Put 3 cups of water to boil. Crush the cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms lightly and keep aside. Heat the pressure cooker on a medium flame and when hot, add the onions and dry roast till they turn light brown in colour. Add the crushed spices and and bay leaves and dry roast for a few seconds. Add the rice, dal, green chilli , giner ,garlic paste, turmeric powder and mix well. Then add the stuffed vegetables, remaining stuffing and hot water and mix gently. Close the lid and wait till 4 whistle to come. Remove from the gas, when the pressure goes open the lid and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot. Pour 2 spoon fresh  ghee and mix well. 

Beetroot, cucumber and tomato raitha

Ingredients :

• Low fat curds whisked - 2 cups
• Grated beetroot - 2 tablespoon
• Grated cucumber - 2 tablespoon
• Chopped tomatoes - 1 / 4 cup
• Roasted and lightly crushed peanuts - 1 tbsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Finely chopped green chillies - 1 / 2 sp
• Sugar - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Cumin seeds - 1 / tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch

Method :

Whisk the curds and add the grated beetroot, cucumber, tomatoes, peanuts, coriander, green chillies, sugar and salt. Keep aside. Then heat a small pan on a medium flame and when hot, add the cumin seeds and dry roast for about 30 seconds. Add the asafoetida and dry roast for 3 seconds. Pour this mixture over prepared raitha and mix well. Serve cold.

Shahi korma biryani

Ingredients for the yellow rice :

• Basmathi rice - 1 1 / 2 cup
• Cloves - 3
• Cardamoms - 2
• Bayleaf - 1
• Cinnamon - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - as required

For the shahi korma :

• Cloves - 2
• Cardamoms - 2 to 3
• Bayleaf - 1
• Chopped or grated onions - 1 / 2 cup
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 / 2 sp
• Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Vegetables - 1 1 / 2 cup

 [ mixed boiled vegetables like carrot, french beans, potatoes, fresh green  peas etc. ]

• Milk - 1 / 2 cup [ low fat milk ]

To be ground into a paste:
Broken cashewnuts [ kaju ] - 2 tbsp
Poppy seeds [ khus- khus ] - 2 tbsp

 [ soak the cashewnuts and poppy seeds in 1 / 4 cup of warm water for an hour. Grind them in a mixer into a smooth paste and keep aside. ]

For the yellow rice :

Clean and wash and soak the rice in water for an hour.  Drain and keep aside. Then bring 2 cups of water to boil. Mix together all the ingredients along with the hot water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook  for 2 whistle. Then allow the steam to go and open the lid. Separate each grain of rice lightly with fork. And keep aside.

For the shahi korma:

Heat a non- stick pan on a medium flame and when hot add the cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf and dry roast for 5 minutes. Then add onions and ginger garlic paste and dry roast on a slow flame till the onions turn in pink colour. Sprinkle a little water over it if the mixture starts burning. Add the tomato puree, sugar, salt, and simmer for 5 minutes on a low flame while stirring continuously. Add the vegetables, milk and the prepared paste and mix well and simmer for 10 minutes on a low flame and keep aside.

How to arranged :

Divide the yellow rice inti 2 equal portions and keep aside. Put  milk at the bottom of a glass baking tray and spread one portion of the yellow rice in an even layer. Spread the shahi korma over it. Again spread the remaining yellow rice over the shahi korma in an even layar. Cover with an aluminium foil  and bake in a pre - heated oven for 10 minutes, or microwave for 5 minutes. Turn upside down on a large serving plate just before serving. Serve hot with raitha and pickle.

Red rice flakes [ poha ] uppuma

Ingredients :

• Red rice flakes [ aval ] - 2 cups [ heaped ]
• Onions big - 2 [ chopped ]
• Green chillies - 3 to 4 [ cut in to lenth wise ]
• Turmeric powder - 1/ 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbl. sps.
• Curry leaves - little 
• Chopped coriander leaves - little

For seasoning :
Mustardseeds, black gram dhal, bengal gram dhal, and curry leaves.

Method :

If thick rice flakes are used, soak it in just enough water for 1 hours. If thin flakes are used, wash well, squeeze and do immediately. Chop onions into small pieces and chillies lengthwise. Heat oil in a deep kadai, add seasonings, green chillies and then onion. Saute till onions change its colour. Add soaked rice flakes [ which is separated well with hands] with salt, and turmeric powder.  Stir constantly in high flame till raw smell goes. Add grated coconut and mix well . garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
Your  yummy  red rice flakes uppuma is ready.

Hara bhara subz pulao

Ingredients :

• Soaked basmathi rice - 1 1 / 4 cup
• Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
• Fresh green peas - 1 / 4 cup
• Potato slices- 1 / 2 cup
• Onions - 1 / 2 cup [ chopped ]
• Salt - as required
• Fresh coriander leaves - little [ for garnish 
• Green paste - 4 to 5 tbls. sps.

For making green paste :

• Fresh grated coconut - 1 tbsp
• Mint leaves - 1 / 4 cup
• Coriander leaves - 1 / 2 cup
• Rice flakes [ poha ] - 1 tbsp [ soaked ]
• Green chillies - 2 to 3 [ roughly chopped ]
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

 [ Mix all the ingredients and blend to a smooth paste in a mixer using little water. Store in a fridge till use. You can also make large batch of this paste and freeze it upto 3 months. ]

Method :

Put  3 cups of water to boil, clean  wash  and soak the rice for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside. Mix all the remaining ingredients including the  hot  water in a pressure cooker and presure cook for 2 whistles. Then allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Separate each grain of rice lightly with a fork.Then garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with carrot, onion, tomato raitha.

Note :

Rice is a storehouse of various nutrients like carbohydrates, protein,iron etc. And when combined with veggies it makes a wholesome meal.

Green paratha

Ingredien

• Fresh green peas - 1 hand ful
• Palak leaves - 4 to 5
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1 / 4 bunch
• Green chillies - 4 to 6
• Onion - 1 chopped
• Garlic flakes - 2 chopped
• Ginger piece - 1 / 2 inch piece chopped
• Garam masala powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Tomato - 1 chopped

 [ grind all these ingredients in mixie to a smooth paste. ]

For dough - :

• Wheat flour - 1 1 / 2 cup
• Maida - 1 / 4 cup
• Salt - little
• Melted butter or oil - 1 tbl. sp
• Sugar - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/ 2 tsp
• Fresh ghee or oil - as required for roasting

Mix the flours together in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt  butter, and  the ground masala.  Mix well with the flour till butter blends. Slowly add water and kneed to a smooth dough, pat and kneed well for several times.
Make balls and roll out into medium parathas. Roast on a hot tawa first one side.Turn over and apply ghee or oil on top. When its puffs press with landle and roast till light brown on both sides.Serve with thick curd and chunda [ sweet mango pickle refer in my pickle items.]

Vegetable oats [ healthy break fast for all age group ]

Ingredients :

• Grated vegetables - 1 / 2 cup [ carrot, cabbage or cauli flower. ]
• Onion - 1 [ grated ]
• Green chilli - 1 [ chopped ]
• Ginger - small piece [ chopped ]
• Black pepper powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Roasted jeera powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Boiled and mashed moong dahl - 1 / 4 cup
• coconut milk - 1 cup
• Oats - 1 bowl
• Salt - as required
• Sugar - 1 / 2 sp
• Oil - 2 tbls. sps.
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

First keep one deep bottom vessel on the gas. Heat oil, add cumin seeds. When it pops add onion along with green chilli, and  ginger. Fry for 2 second till it change in colour. Then add chopped vegetables and fry  till it become soft, then add mashed dahl along with required water. Add salt, pepper powder, jeera powder, and sugar. Mix well, then add oats. Stir well . [ the oats get well cooked and kanji become thick ] Before remove from the gas add coconut milk. When one boil comes remove from the gas. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot. Healthy and tasty oats  is ready.