Tindora Rice - ತೊಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ ಭಾತ್

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

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

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!