Athirasam

Ingredients:

• Good quality raw rice - 1 k.g. and 200 gms
• Jaggery - 1 / 2 k. g.
• Powdered cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Oil - for deep frying

Method:

Wash well and soak the rice for 1 hour. Drain the water throughly through a drainer. Then powder the rice, sieve nicely and keep in a thali. Grate the jaggery, keep 1/4th glass water in a frying pan and add the grated jaggery. When it comes to a thick consistency [i.e if you drop in water it should not dissolve], pour the rice flour slowly. Keep on stirring. When it becomes thick, stop putting the rice flour. It should be a thick dough, allow to cool. Then dip your hand in oil and  make medium round vadas [ athirasam ] with 1/2 inch thickness, the size of  your palm over a greased polythene or banana leaf. Heat oil in a frying pan, place one adirasam at a time, turn the other side slowly. When it comes to a golden brown color, gently remove from the oil pressing with wooden stick to remove all the oil from the adhirasam. Keep a colander or tissue over a basin and place each athirasam gently. When the oil is totally removed, keep in an air- tight container.

Ordinary Idli

Ingredients

• Good quality boiled rice, raw rice, or idli rice - 2 cups
• Good quality of whole white urad dal - 1 cup
• Salt - as per taste

Method:

Wash and soak rice and urad dal each in 2 separate vessels. Grind urad dal and rice each separately. Urad dal should be ground to a very fine  paste adding just enough water, the rice should be ground almost finely [separately]. Then mix both the batter of urad dal and rice in a large vessel for fermentation adding enough salt. Mix well and keep. Allow to ferment overnight or atleast 8 to 10 hours. If you keep the batter for more than 12 hours the colour of the idli will slightly change to creamish colour. The batter should not be too watery or too thick. Greese each idli mould with till oil, pour one ladle of the batter in each mould and steam for 10 mints. Then remove the idlis after 10 mints and keep in a cassarole.

P. S.
1. You can make stuffed or sandwich idlis by keeping boiled vegetable subji in between the batter.
2. You can mix fried and crushed moru milagai with the idli batter and make idlis to give it a different taste.
3.The same idli batter can be poured into small moulds to make mini idlis.

Veg - Manchurian

Ingredients:

• Cabbage grated - 1/2 cup
• Cauliflower grated - 1/2 cup
• Carrot grated - 1/2 cup
• Capsicum - 1/4 cup [ finely chopped ]
• French beans - 50 gms [ finely chopped ]
• spring onions - 1 bunch [ finely chopped ]
• Green chilies - 2 [ finely chopped ]
• Garlic flakes - 4 [ finely chopped ]
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece [ cut into small pieces ]
• Pepper powder -  1/2 sp
• Aji-no-moto - 1/4 sp
• Conflour - 4 tbl. sp
• Maida - 2 tabl . sp
• Soya sauce - 1 tabl . sp
• Tomato ketchup - 2 tabl . sp
• Garlic chili sauce - 1 tabl . sp
• White vinegar - 1 tabl . sp
• Oil - for deep frying

Method:
Take one deep bowl and put all grated vegetables, adding salt, pepper powder, aji-no-moto, maida, cornflour to that, mix well with hand. Don't add water, make balls from that and deep fry in oil till it turns brown and. keep aside. In the meantime, take 2 tabl . sp  of  cornflour and dilute in the water. Then take one kadai, keep on the gas, pour 2 tabl . sp of oil to that, add finely chopped  garlic, green chili, ginger to that and fry for 2 mins, then add soya sauce, garlic ginger sauce, tomato ketchup. Add cornflour water to that and mix well. If it becomes thick then add  the fried balls to it. Before removing from the gas, garnish with chopped  spring onions. Serve hot with fried rice.

Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Black or white pepper powder - 1/2 a pinch
• Aji-no-moto - 1/4 sp
• Salt - as required
• Soya sauce - 1 tabl . sp
• Cabbage grated - 1/2 cup
• Carrot grated - 1/2 cup
• Capsicum - 1/2 cup [ cut into finely ]
• Spring onions - 1 bunch [ chopped nicely ]
• Oil - 2 tabl . sp

Method:
Wash and soak the rice for 15 mints and pressure cook and keep aside. Allow the rice to cool. Then take one big kadai, keep on the gas and pour the 2 tabl .sp of oil, heat it and add the cut onions, then grated vegetables one by one and fry for a minute, add salt, pepper powder, aji-no-moto, then soya sauce and mix well. Then add cooked rice and mix well. Keep gas in high flame. Before removing from the gas, garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot with Manchurian.                                                                                                                        

Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower - 1/2 cup [ cut into dices ]
• Potatoes - 1/2 cup [ cut into dices ]
• Carrot - 1 [ cut into pieces ]
• Green peas - 1/4 cup
• Onion - 2 [ cut into 1/2 inch lenth wise ]
• Green chili - 2 [ slit and keep ]
• Coconut milk - 2 cups[ 1st, 2nd, 3rd extract of milk ]
• Curry leaves - little
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
• Coconut oil - 2 tbl . sp
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece [ cut into piece]
• Cut coriander leaves - little

Method:
First boiled the cut vegetables in the 3rd extract coconut milk till it becomes soft and keep aside. Then
take one deep bottom kadai, keep on the gas pour 2 tabl sp of coconut oil, heat it and add onions, slit green chilies, curry leaves, cut ginger and fry for 2 mins in low flame. When the onions turn brown in color, put turmeric powder and add the boiled vegetables along with the milk and fry for 5 mins. Then add the 2nd extract of coconut milk along with required salt. Allow to boil for 10 mins. When its ready, before removing from the gas, add the first exract coconut milk. When it starts boiling, switch off the gas and garnish with cut coriander leaves and curry leaves. Serve with roti, rice and aapam.

Carrot Peas and Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

• Onions - 2
• Carrot - 3 or 4
• Cauliflower - 1
• Peas - 1/2 cup shelled
• Oil - 1 1/2 tbl . sp
• Capsicum - 2 [cut into cubes]

Grind together:

• Onion - 1
• Ginger - 1/4 inch piece
• Red chilies - 8
• Coconut - 1/2 scraped
• Jaggery - 1 sp
• Tamarind - small lime sized
• Garam masala - 1/2 sp
• Salt - as required

Method:
Cut onions finely. Dice all other vegetables into 1 inch pieces. Grind the masala and keep aside. Heat oil in a shallow pan, add cumin seeds, when it splutters, mix onions and fry till transparent. Add the raw vegetables, fry for 2 or 3 minutes, put the ground masala without water, and fry for 5 mins. pour enough water, salt and jaggery. Cover and cook till the vegetables are soft. Serve with coriander leaves decorated on top.

Note: The vegetables can be steamed beforehand in the above recipe.

Palak Paneer Biriyani

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Cauliflower - 1/2 cup [ cut into small pieces ]
• Cashewnuts - 10
• Panner - 1/4 cup [ cut into tiny pieces ]
• Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece
• Cardamoms - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Bay leaf - 2
• Palak leaves - 5 to 6[ blanch in hot water for a minute and cut into tiny pieces ]
• Ghee - 2 tbl sp
• Oil - 2 tbl . sp
• Onions - 2 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Salt - as required
• Red chili powder - 1 sp
• Red tomatoes - 2 [ chopped ]
• Tomato puree - 1 tabl . sp
• Ginger - 1 sp [ cut into thin pieces ]
• Saffron - little [ mix in the warm milk ]
• Tomatoes - 2 [ cut into thin rings ]
• Fresh cream - 1 / 2 cup
• Butter - little
• Green chili paste - 1 / 2 sp
• Garlic flakes - 2 to 3 [ chopped into very small pieces ]

Method:
Wash and soak the rice for 20 mins. Then take one pressure pan pour ghee and oil together add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, cashews.  When the cashews turns into golden colour, add flower along with salt and fresh cream. Pour water and mix well. Close the lid and wait for 3 whistles to come. After the pressure goes, open the cooker and allow it to cool. Meanwhile, take one kadai and place it on the gas, pour 1 sp ghee heat it, add finely cut onions, fry for a minute and add cut palak leaves, salt, green chili paste and mix well. Add little fresh cream, mix well and keep aside. Again keep the kadai on the gas, add little butter to it, heat it add chopped garlic pieces, fry for a minute and add cut tomatoes, paneer, along with tomato puree, salt, red chili powder, little cream and mix well. Fry for 2 mints and keep aside. Meanwhile, preheat oven at 200 degrees, take one oven glass vessel and apply little butter to that. Keep the tomato rings in the bottom of the vessel, on top put the boiled rice one layer, sprinkle garam masala powder, then apply [ kasar, curd, cream and mix together] on top put ginger pieces, after that pour palak gravy, again cooked rice one layer, sprinkle garam masala powder, again add kasar, curd, cream mixture and then paneer gravy on top and finally add the remaining cooked rice. Cover with aluminium foil paper and keep it for 10 mins. Your yummy palak paneer biriyani is ready to eat. Serve hot.