Tindora Rice - ತೊಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ ಭಾತ್

Sunday 27 March 2011

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2 people

You will need:
  1. Tindora / Ivy Gourd / ತೊಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ: 200 gms - diced into 1/2 inch pieces
  2. Onions: 1no.
  3. Rice: 1 cup
  4. Garam Masala: 1 tbsp
  5. Red Chilli powder: 1 tspn
  6. Peanut/ಶೇಂಗ/ಕಡ್ಲೆಬಿಜದ ಪುಡಿ: 1 tspn (optional)
  7. Cumin seeds/ಜೀರಗೆ: 1 tspn
  8. Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
  9. Hing/Asafoetida: 1 pinch
  10. Salt to taste
  11. Lemon juice to taste
To cook:
  • Cook rice in a pressure cooker. Once cooked, spread it on a plate and let it cool.
  • Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. 
  • Now add the onions and saute until golden brown.
  • Add the chopped tindora and let it cook until soft
  • Add garam masala, red chilli powder, salt and peanut powder. 
  • Then add the cooked rice and lemon juice and mix well. 
  • Serve hot with raita!
Tindora rice

Vada Sambhar - ವಡೆ ಸಾಂಭಾರ್

Preparation time: 35-40 minutes

Serves: 2 people/10 vadas

Vada - ವಡೆ

You will need:
  1. Urad dal/ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೆಳೆ: 3/4 cup
  2. Pepper seeds: 8-10 nos
  3. Salt: according to taste
  4. Green chillies: 2-3 - chopped
  5. Cilantro: chopped
  6. Cooking oil: 4-5 tbsp (for frying)
To cook:
  • Soak the urad dal in water for at least 4-5 hours. Once soaked, grind it along with the pepper seeds and salt in a mixer/blender until you get a smooth paste. 
  • Add 1-2 tbsp water if required. The batter should NOT be watery. 
  • Once nicely ground, add chopped cilantro and green chillies to the batter. 
  • Heat the cooking oil in a wok.
  • Wet your palm and place some batter on it. Make hole in the middle and shape it like a donut.
  • Drop this batter onto the heated oil and fry it until you get a nice golden brown colour.
  • Serve hot with sambhar!
Vada Sambhar

Sambhar - ಸಾಂಭಾರ್ 


You will need:
  1. Toor dal: 1 cup
  2. Onions: 2 nos - roughly chopped
  3. Curry leaves: 4-5 nos.
  4. Mustard seeds: 1 tspn
  5. Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
  6. Hing/Asafoetida: a pinch
  7. Sambhar powder - 1 tbsp
  8. Salt to taste
  9. Water
To cook:
  • Pressure cook the dal and keep it aside
  • Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Add hing once the seeds start spluttering.
  • Add the curry leaves and chopped onions and saute until they turn translucent. 
  • To this, add the cooked dal, water, salt and the sambhar powder. 
  • Bring this to boil and serve it hot with idlis or vada!

Potatoes & Spinach Curry - Aloo Palak Sabzi

Sunday 6 March 2011

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2 people

You will need:
  1. Potatoes (medium size): 3-4 nos
  2. Spinach: 1 bunch
  3. Cloves: 5-6 nos.
  4. Salt
  5. Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp

To cook:
  • Pressure cook the potatoes with some salt. 
  • Once cooked, peel and dice them into half inch pieces and keep it aside
  • In a pot, cook the spinach with water for about 5 minutes.
  • Once cooked, remove it from the pot and let it cool
  • Now grind the cooked spinach in a blender along with the cloves
  • Heat oil in a skillet and add the blended spinach. You can use a lid to cover the skillet until the spinach stops spluttering.
  • Keep stirring the spinach until the water and oil dry up. You will know the spinach is done once you start getting lumps.
  • Now add the cooked potato pieces and some salt if required. 
  • Give it a quick stir and enjoy it hot with chapatis!

Rava Idli - ರವೆ ಇಡ್ಲಿ

Preparation time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 2 people / 12 idlis
 
You will need:
  1. Semolina/Rava/Sooji/ರವೆ: 1 cup
  2. Green Peas (optional): 1/4 cup
  3. Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
  4. Curry leaves: 3-4 nos.
  5. Green chillies: 3-4 nos. 
  6. Coriander
  7. Chana Dal: 1/2 tsp
  8. Urad Dal: 1/2 tsp
  9. Cashews: 5-6 - broken into pieces
  10. Yogurt: 2 tbsp
  11. Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
  12. Asafoetida / Hing
  13. Cooking Oil: 1/2 tbsp
  14. Water
  15. Salt

To cook:
  • Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds and hing.
  • Then add the chana dal, urad dal and cashews and saute until golden brown
  • Then add the green peas, green chillies and curry leaves. 
  • Now add the rava and mix well. Take it off the stove. The rava only needs to be warm and does not need to be roasted.
  • Let the rava mixture cool and then transfer into a bowl.
  • Add yogurt and baking soda and stir for approx 2 minutes or until you see the batter rising. 
  • Add a little more baking soda if you want really fluffy idlis.
  • Add some water to get a smooth batter. 
  • Now add the coriander leaves and salt and mix well.  
  • Apply oil to the idli stand and pour the batter. 
  • Let it cook for at least 10-15 minutes.
  • Serve hot with coconut chutney!

Kidney Beans-Rajma Curry & Jeera Rice

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2 people

Kidney Beans / Rajma Curry

You will need:
  1. Rajma / Red Kidney Beans: 150-200 gms
  2. Onions: 1 no. - finely chopped
  3. Garlic: 1 no. diced
  4. Tomatoes: 2 nos. -diced/pureed
  5. Red chilli powder 
  6. Rajma Masala powder/paste: 1 tspn
  7. Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
  8. Salt
To cook:
  • Soak the kidney beans in water preferably overnight or for a minimum of 6-8 hours.
  • Once fully soaked, pressure cook the beans along with some salt. Keep this aside.
  • Heat oil in a skillet and add the onions and garlic. Saute until they turn translucent.
  • Now add the pureed tomatoes and stir it for a while.
  • Add the red chilli powder, rajma masala powder/paste and salt.
  • To this, add the cooked beans and mix well. 
  • For a gravy consistency, add in some water. 
  • Rajma curry is ready!
Rajma Curry with Jeera Rice
Jeera Rice:

You will need:
  • Long grain/ Basmati Rice: 1.5 cups - thoroughly washed
  • Cumin Seeds: 1 tbsp
  • Ghee/Butter: 1 tbsp
  • Salt (optional)
To cook:
  • Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker.
  • Add cumin seeds and saute until brown.
  • Now add the washed rice and stir it for about 1 minute.
  • Add water (1.5 times the quantity of rice) and close the pressure cooker lid
  • Let it cook until you hear a couple of whistles.
  • Serve it hot with the Rajma curry! 

      Pigeon Peas Pulao - ತೊಗರಿಕಾಳು ಪುಲಾವ್

      This is one quick and easy pulao that uses minimum ingredients and there's hardly any chopping/dicing involved.

      Preparation time: 10 minutes

      Serves: 2 people
       
      You will need:
      1. Rice: 1 cup - thoroughly washed
      2. Pigeon Peas / Toovar lilva /  ತೊಗರಿಕಾಳು (fresh/frozen) : 100 gms
      3. Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
      4. Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
      5. Cloves: 4 nos.
      6. Cardamom: 4 nos.
      7. Bay leaves: 1-2 nos.
      8. Curry leaves - 3-4 nos.
      9. Green chillies: 3-4 nos.
      10. Turmeric powder
      11. Asafoetida / Hing
      12. Cooking Oil - 1 tbsp
      13. Salt
      14. Coriander: to garnish
      To cook:
      • Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds.
      • Once the seeds start popping, add ingredients (nos 3-9)
      • After the spices give out a nice aroma, add in the pigeon peas and mix well
      • Add the rice now and stir this for about 1 minute
      • Add 1 cup of water (the rice to water ratio should ideally be 1:1) and salt. Mix well.
      • Close the pressure cook lid and let it cook until you get a couple of whistles. 
      • Garnish with coriander and serve hot with some ghee on top!
      Pigeon Peas Pulao

      Tip:
      • Increase the quantity of water (preferably more than 2X rice) and add whole black peppers - et voila.. pigeon peas khichdi!
      • If you can't find pigeon peas, add green peas instead plus a pinch of red chilli powder for an extra kick!  

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