Zardha Pulav

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Cardamom - 3to 4
• Pure ghee - 3 tbl. sps.
• Kesari powder - 1 / 4 tsp
• Milk - 1 / 4 cup
• Water - 1 1 / 2 cup
• Sugar - 1 / 2 cup
• Peeled almonds - 5to 6
• Broken walnuts - 1 tsp
• Rose water - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Sweetles khova - 100 gms.
• Powdered sugar - 2 tsp

Method :

Wash and soak rice for half an hour. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, add cardamoms and fry for a minute. Add 1 1 / 2 cups of water with kesari powder. When it starts boiling add rice and hot milk. Close the vessel and cook in low flame till rice becomes tender. Make a thick sugar syrup by dissolving it in 1 / 2 cup of water and boiling it, crumble khova and powdered sugar, rose water, finely chopped nuts. When rice is cooked and moisture is evaporated add sugar syrup and khova mixture. Mix gently and cook in low flame for 10 to 12 minutes till moisture dries up. Arrange in a serving plate and garnish with kesar and chopped nuts. Enjoy your yummy zardha pulav.

Stuffed Ladies Finger

Ingredients :

• Ladies finger - 1 / 2 kg [ tender ones ]
• Onion large - 3
• Green chillies - 8 to 10
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for frying
• Fresh grated coconut - little [ for garnish ]
• Chopped coriander leaves - little [ for garnish ]

Method :

Wash and cut ends from ladies finger. Using a sharp knife make a long slit in the center and carefuly take seeds from inside. Then mince onions, green chillies, and the seeds [ which is taken away from ladies finger ] into very fine pieces. Fry them in oil till raw smell is lost. Then mix salt to that, and stuff inside ladies finger. Then take a non- stick flat pan and arrange stuffed pieces in it with oil. Cook in reduced flame, with a lid on top turning gently in between.  When vegetable become soft remove from the gas and garnish with fresh grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice and roti.

Chocolate muffins

Ingredients :

Sift together :

• Maida - 2 level cups [ 200 gms. ]
• Baking powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cooking soda - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cocoa - 3 tbl. sps. [ level ]
• Salt - a pinch

 
Blend in a mixie :

• Sugar - 1 cup [ heaped ]
• Fresh cream - 3 / 4 cup
• Fresh thick curds - 3 / 4 cup
• Vanilla / Chocolate essence - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Powder sugar in a mixie [mixer]. Add other ingredients and whip lightly. Mix sifted ingredients to that in clock wise direction. Blend with spatula using cut and fold method. Pour in muffin moulds, top with choco chips and bake at pre-heated oven at 180˚C for 20 to 25 minutes.

Raisin vanilla muffins

Ingredients :

Sift together :

• Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
• Cornflour - 1 / 4 cup
• Milk powder - 1 tbl. sp
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Baking soda - 1 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Boil together :

• Milk - 1 1/2 cups
• Raisins - 1 / 2 cup

Cream together :

• Butter - 1 / 2 cup
• Powdered brown sugar - 3 / 4 cup
• Vanilla essence - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Sift the mentioned ingredients together twice. Boil raisins in milk until it becomes soft. Allow it to become luke warm. Then add [cream] butter and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and whip again. Mix sifted ingredients and raisins with milk. Mix gently. Pour in muffin moulds and bake in a preheated oven at 180˚C to 200˚C for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve muffins when it is warm.

Carrot Pulav [ rice ]

Ingredients :

• Rice - 1 cup
• Carrots - 3 [ big ]
• Onions - 2 medium sized
• Roasted peanuts - 2 tbl.sps.
• Oil - 2 tbl. sps.
• Ghee - 2 tbl. sps.
• Salt - as required
• Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
• Cloves - 2

For masala powder :

• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 3 / 4 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 3 to 4
• Grated dry coconut - 2 tbl. sps.

 [ heat a tea spoon of oil fry the above ingredients, finally add coconut fry till brown and powder. ]

Method :

Cut onions into small pieces. Blanch whole carrots in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes and then grate it. Cook rice, allow it to cool and separate the grains. Then heat oil, fry cinnamon, clove and onions. Fry till it becomes transparent. Add grated carrots, fry till the raw smell goes. Sprinkle water if necessary. Add rice, salt, powdered spices and fry over high flame for few minutes. Before removing from the gas, add powdered  peanuts and ghee. Mix well and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with fried papad and thick curd.

Tender Coconut Pancake [Dosa]

Ingredients :

• Tender coconut [ vazhukai] - 1 cup
• Coconut water - 1 / 4 cup
• Corn flour - 3 tbl. sps.
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - little [ chopped ]
• Oil - 1 / 4 cup

  
Method :

First take tender coconut, green chillies, salt and grind them in mixer, adding little coconut water and make a smooth paste. In that mix chopped coriander leaves. Then heat a nonstick tawa and pour thick dosa. [do not spread]. Fry both the sides with oil. Cook in low flame only. Cook till there is no raw batter on top of the dosa. Serve hot with green chilli chutney and tomato chutney. Enjoy your tasty and soft pancake. [dosa].

Aratikaya podi [ vazakkai podi ] [ andhra dish ]

Ingredients :

• Raw banana - 3
• Finely cut onions - 1 / 4 cup
• Tamarind - gooseberry sized
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for frying
• Fresh curry leaves - few [ for garnish ]

Fry and powder :

• Red chillies - 4 to 5
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Black gram dhal - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dhal -1 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Peel outer skin and cut banana into four lengthwise pieces and then slice into thin pieces. Keep immersed  in water till  required. Then remove pieces from water and fry it in oil till it turns golden. Cool down to room temperature. Grind fried ingredients to coarse powder, add salt, tamarind and run the mixie once. Add fried vegetable pieces and pound coarsely. [ run the mixie at low speed for short intervals stirring once or twice in between ]. Then heat rest of the oil and fry onions till crisp and golden. Add pound pieces and fry for few more minutes. Remove from the gas. Serve with steamed rice,roti  etc.Garnish with fresh curry leaves.

Chow chow thalimpu [ andhra dish ]

Ingredients :

• Chow- chow - 2 [ medium ]
• Garlic - 2 flakes[ chopped ]
• Onion - 1 [ chopped ] 
• Aniseed - 1 / 4 tsp [ roasted and powdered ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2tsp
• Salt - as required
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dhal - 1 tbl.sp.
• Oil - for frying

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Black gram dhal - 1 / 2 tsp
• Broken red chilli - 1
• Curry leaves - few

Method :

Dry roast bengal gram  dhal  till golden and crush coarsely [ fine rawa consistency ]. Peel garlic, chop onions finely and keep aside. Scrape outer skin and cut chow- chow into medium sized pieces. Then heat oil in a shallow pan, add seasonings and then onion. Fry for 5 minutes, add chow- chow pieces and stir for another 3 minutes. Then add just enough water, turmeric, chilli powder, aniseed powder, salt, garlic pieces and cook till vegetable become tender. [ close with a lid ]. When vegetable is threefourth cooked and still there is moisture add bengal gram dhal powder and close the lid again. [ reduce flame ]. Cook till dhal becomes soft, sprinkle little water if necessary. When moisture is absorbed completely remove from fire. Serve with roti, and rice.

Variations :  Use snakegourd instead of chow-chow and make the recipe.

Coconut Laddu

Ingredients :

• Grated fresh coconut - 2 cups [ heaped ]
• Sugar - 1 1 / 2 cups
• Sugarless koa - 100 gms
• Cardamom powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Fresh ghee - just enough to form balls.

Method :

Take a heavy kadai and mix grated coconut, sugar, koa, cardamom powder  with  little water and keep over medium flame stirring constantly till it forms a thick mass. [ do not  allow the mixture to turn into brown colour while cooking. ] When it becomes luke warm [ bearable to touch ] take small quantities in greased hands [ apply little ghee to hands ] and prepare laddus .

Flower, Tendli [ ivy gourd, kovakkai ] green masala curry

Ingredients :

• Cauli flower - 1 small flower [ cut into small flowerettes ]
• Tendli [ kovakkai ] - 1 / 4 kg. [ cut into thin round pieces ]
• Salt - as required
• Oil - 3 tbl. sps.
• Onions - 1 [ cut into pieces ]
• Coriander leaves - little [ for garnish ]
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 2 to 3 ark
• Sugar - 1 / 2 sp [ optional ]

Grind together :

• Onion - 1 [ cut into pieces ]
• Green chillies - 2 to 3
• Garlic flakes - 2 flakes
• Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbl. sps. [ heaped ]
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1 hand full

[grind all together in mixer coarsely and keep aside. ]

Method :

Cut cauliflower into small flowerettes and keep in salted water for 10 minutes. Cut tendli into small round pieces. Heat oil in fry pan, add mustard seeds. When it pop add cut onions and fry for few minutes. When it become soft add cauliflower, tendli with salt, sugar and turmeric. Mix well and add 1 / 2 cup water. Close with a lid till the vegetable cook well. Then add the ground masala and mix well. Allow to cook in low flame till the curry becomes dry. Remove from the gas and garnish with chopped coriander and curry leaves ark. Serve with roti, and rice.

Nellai Melagu Kulambu

Ingredients :

• Small onions 1 / 2 cup [ peeled ]
• Garlic flakes - 4 to 5 [ peeled ]
• Seasame oil - for frying
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Jaggery - 1 tbl. sps.

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Grind together :

• Black pepper - 2 tbl. sps.
• Cumin seeds - 1 tbl sps.
• Coriander seeds - 1tsp
• Fenugreek - 1 / 4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Ginger - small piece
• Dry red chillies - 6 to 8
• Grated coconut - 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Tamarind paste - 2 tbl. sps.

[ fry the above spices in little oil till golden and grind with little fresh curry leaves to coarse paste and keep aside. ]

Method :

Heat oil in a frying pan, and seasonings and then onions, garlic and fry till onions become golden. Add ground paste, salt, turmeric, jaggery and little water to get gravy  consistency. Boil till oil floats on top. Remove from the gas. Serve with idli, dosa, and cooked rice.  You can keep it in the  fridge for 15 to 20 days.

Palak Kadhi

Ingredients :

• Low fat curds [ dahi ] - 1 cup
• Bengal gram flour [ besan ] - 2 tbsp
• Green chilli ginger paste - 1tsp
• Green paste - 1 tsp
•  [ 1 tsp grated fresh coconut, 1 / 4 cup mint leaves, 2 cupe coriander leaves, 1 tbsp rice flakes, [ soaked ]
•     2 green chillies, 1 tsp jeera and salt. Mix all the ingredients and blend to a smooth paste in a mixer using little water. ]
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Curry leaves - 2 to 4
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Sugar - little
• Grated garlic - 1 / 4 tsp
• Palak puree - 1 / 2 cup
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - little [ for garnish ]

Method :

Whisk the curds along with the besan and 2 cups of water till it is smooth. Then add the ginger- green chilli paste and mix well. Then keep aside. Heat non- stick pan on a medium flame and when hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and dry roast for about 30 seconds. Add the besan-curds mixture and continue stirring till it comes to boil. Add the sugar, garlic, spinach puree and salt. Mix well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with roti, steamed rice.
    

Vegetable khichdi [ Handi khichdi ]

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Mix dhal [ soaked ] - 3 / 4 cup
• Cauliflower florets - 1 / 2 cup
• Potato cubes - 1 / 2 cup
• Chopped onions - 1 / 4 cup
• Finely chopped coriander leaves - little
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Dhania - jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Green chilli, ginger, garlic paste - 1 / 2 tsp
• Clove - 1 or 2
• Cardamom - 2
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon - small piece
• Dhania chopped - 2 tbl.sp [ for garnish ]

Method :

Clean, wash and soak rice and dhal for 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Combine together cauliflower, potatoes, onions,coriander, turmeric, coriander-cumin seed powder, chilli powder, ginger-green chilli paste, garlic paste, clove, cardamom, bayleaf, cinnamon and salt in a cooker or handi and mix well. Add the rice, dhal to the vegetable mixture and mix gently and keep aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Put 3 cups of water to boil, pour in to the cooker and close the lid and wait for 4 whistle to come. Otherwise pour the water to the handi, mix well and cover and cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes or till the rice and dhal gets cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with pickle, and wafer.

Wheat [ lapsi ] kesari

Ingredients :

• Broken samba wheat [ lapsi ] - 1 cup
• Finely grated white jaggery - 1 1 /4 cup
• Water - 4 cups
• Chopped nuts - as required
• Ghee - 3 tbl sps.
• Cardamom powder - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Fry lapsi in 1 tbl sp ghee till nice aroma comes. Heat jaggery with water till it is dissolved completely.  Then remove from the fire and strain through a fine sieve to remove dirt.  Then mix lapsi, remaining  ghee, cardamom powder and jaggery syrup and cook it in the pressure cooker. Wait for 2 whistle to come. Allow it to cool, mix well, and add fried nuts. If you need add more ghee. Your tasty easy lapsi kesari is ready to serve.