Nuts Rava Upma

Upma is one of my favorite food. Any kind of upma will be a treat for me. An easy and quick dish. Sometimes if I need to prepare food only for myself, upma would be my first choice.

Now we are doing this in non-stick pans. But in my childhood days, my mother used to prepare it with iron kadai or in stainless steel kadai. That tastes the best and I always reserve for the layer that sticks with the kadai which used to be crunchy munchy....

When I was at my home for my delivery, whenever my husband asks me what is the breakfast or dinner, I used to say some type of upma. So he used to tease me as "upma family". My husband doesn't like any kind of upma. The word itself is allergic to him. But when I make this Nuts Rava upma he too likes it. As it has nuts it is healthy for kids too. It has less effort as you don't need to cut any veggies..only onions and green chilies will be required for this.

Ingredients:

Rava (Coarse) - 1 cup
onion - 1 small
green chili- 2 medium
ginger - a small piece (optional)
bengal gram - 3 tea spoons
peanut- 3 tea spoons
cashews- 2 tea spoons
mustard seeds- 1/2 tea spoon
urad daal- 1 tea spoon
curry leaves- a few
Oil- 3 to 4 tea spoons
ghee- 1 tea spoon(optional)
salt- as per taste


Preparation:

1. In a kadai/pan heat 3 tea spoon of oil, when it is ready, add bengal gram and peanuts and fry for a min,
2.When they are turning into golden brown color, add mustard seeds , urad dal, cashews and curry leaves one by one.

3. Once the mustard seeds are popped, add the finely chopped, onions, ginger, and green chilies
4.saute it until the onions turn golden brown.(I do not like onions so i cook them well, if you like to bite onions you don't need to let it to golden brown.)
5. Add the rava to this mix and start roasting it in medium flame.Add salt to it
6. In another vessel, measure 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. (simmer flame)

7. roast the rava until the water starts boiling which takes approx 7 to 8 mins.
8. Now add the boiled water to the roasted rava and mix well without lumps in simmer flame.
9. when rava is cooked, add a teaspoon of ghee and switch off the flame.

Serve with sugar/coconut chutney/ curd.

Notes: 

1.If you like a moisture upma add 2 and 1/2 cups of water. for fluffy upma 2 cups are sufficient.

2. The more you roast the rava, the more fluffy the upma will be.

3. Drink more water when you in-take upma varieties. 

4. you can increase or decrease the quantity of nuts per your choice. 

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Snake Gourd Raitha

புடலைங்காய் தயிர் பச்சடி /Snake gourd Raitha:

One of the healthiest Raitha, that goes well with Chapati and Variety rices.
Very easy to make and filling dish for the people on diet control.

This recipe, my mom learned from her meditation class and introduced to our family also. From then it is one of the favorite raitha for us.

I have slightly modified this from the Original version. The below quantity serves 1-2

Raw snake gourd- 3/4 of a cup (finely chopped)
Beaten Curd - 1/2 cup
salt - a pinch
pepper powder - 1 pinch

To temper: (Optional)
Oil - 1 tea spoon
mustard seeds, urad dal -1/2 tea spoon each
peanuts- 1 tea spoon
curry leaves- a few

Preparation:

1. Wash and peel off the skin of snake gourd, and in a bowl take 3/4th of a cup finely chopped snake gourd.
2. beat the curd well and add it to the snack gourd
3. add required salt and mix well.
(do not add water, the veg itself will leave some water, still if that consistency is too thick, add a tea spoon of water to it)
4. If you like to temper, preheat oil in a tadka pan and add peanuts, mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves one by one.

5.Then add this mix to the raitha.
6.Before serving add a pinch of pepper and serve.

Notes:
1.Tempering it is purely optional, But I suggest to temper it with peanuts, which will give you a crunchy bite.
2. In the original recipe, a tea spoon of grated coconut was added.If you like add it to raitha before tempering.

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Garlic Chutney

I was thinking whether I should post this or not.. At last decided to post because, my blog is especially for the beginners and to archive my recipes and trials. Being a beginner, I won't say all my recipes are success or I never failed in my trials.. So My blog can contain the lessons learned and the disasters I make at kitchen:)....This is one of the lesson I learned today and Thought  it might be useful for the new chefs like me... :)

I often make Garlic Chutney and all the time it used to be in mild red or pale color depends on the no of red chilies/ tomato I add.

But today when I made it was in mild red, But when I gave Thalippu / Tadka, It turned (mild) Green. I was wondering why did this happened? I dint add green chilies. And I have not used the Tadka pan for any other fry or tadka today... Is it dangerous? I knew the garlic was quite older like during Christmas I bought from store.. Really not that old, still not sure when they stocked in store!

As usual before taking a decision, just seek help from Google. (Thank god) It was safe... As it was mentioned in that site, my husband told, it flavored strong. Still It was nice with hot and soft idles

What I did different today than usual?

1. I added some onions to it, which I don't do normally.
2. I had to pause the preparation twice for few mins as my husband was getting calls from his office

first when it was only half blended, he got a call, so I had to wait for him to complete.
Again before giving Tadka, he got another call and our daughter was disturbing him, so had to stop my work at kitchen and take care of her...

these two things took almost more than thirty minutes, which resulted getting to know the lesson on why garlic turned to green and an strong flavored Garlic chutney (in green color)

I thought this note will be useful for you, in case if you come across this situation in your kitchen experiments in future. If you know any other facts about this also, please add in comments :) Thanks

Now let us get into the recipe:

Ingredients :

Garlic gloves - 12-15
Onion- 1/4 of a medium sized (optional)
Red Chilies - 3 (I normally use mild spice and this quantity is very hot for me. You can adjust according to your taste)
tamarind - 1 small amla sized

oil-  3-4 tea spoon
mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
Urad daal - 1/4 tea spoon
cumin seeds- 1/4 tea spoon

Preparation:

1. preheat the pan with 1/2 tes spoon of oil, and saute the garlic and onions for a minute ot two.
2. When they are cool down, grind Garlic, onion, red chilies, tamarind and salt into a thin paste.

3. Temper with mustard seeds, urad daal, and cumin seeds, add the ground paste to it. (just add 1/4-1/2 cup of water to it.)
4. Let it cook in the same tadka pan for few mins. (Helps to remove the raw smell after grinding)
5. when it is getting thicken, add a tea spoon of oil and switch off the flame.

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உளுந்து சாதம் / Urad dal Rice

Urad dal rice is one of the famous dish in Tamil Nadu. As I have already mentioned in my uluntu vadai recipe, this dal is good for health and strengthens our bone and muscles.

Urad dal powder is used to cure the bone fractures also.

I remember the good old childhood days when my mother prepares this rice with pulusu, (that is plain tamarind gravy. It used to taste heavenly in that combination.) I used to visit the kitchen every two minutes to check whether it is done.. :)

It is very easy and Quick recipe, which will suit for lunch box also. There are plenty of methods to do this rice. Here I am sharing the method which my mom used to prepare.

Any kind of Urad dal can be used for this rice, but I prefer the one with skin and splited into half. which will give you a better taste, color and aroma.. :)

Ingredients:

Ponni Rice- 1 cup
Splited black urad dal - 1/2 cup
venthayam - 1/8 tea spoon (or just 5 or 6 of it.)
cumin / jeera - 1 tea spoon
garlic - 2 gloves (cut into pieces)
salt - as per taste

Preparation:

1. Wash Rice and dal and soak for 15 mins
2. In a pressure cooker add the soaked rice, dal, cumin, venthayam, garlic,salt and add 3 cups of water.

3. Leave it to 3 whistles and cook.

4. when the pressure is released by itself serve with your choice of tamarind gravy (pulusu) or thogayal.

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Easy peas rice

Peas rice will be loved by kids as they love green peas and the aroma of basmati rice...

I love the smell of basmati rice and whenever i open the rice bag, i use to smell deeply. 

This rice can be cooked with ponni rice also, But normally I prefer making it with basmati. I made this stove top this time, you can make this in pressure cooker also. leave it for 2-3 whistles or per your rice used.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice -1 cup

Green peas -3/4 a cup (fresh or frozen)

Onion -1 small

Green chili -2-3 (medium)

ginger garlic paste -1/2 tea spoon

Bay leave- 1

cinnamon-1 small piece

fennel seeds -1/4 a tea spoon

anistar - 1 floret 

oil-2 tea spoon

ghee-1 tea spoon(optional)

coriander leaves - a few(finely chopped)

Preparation:

1.Soak basmati Rice for 30 mins.

2. In a sauce pan, heat 2 teaspoons of oil and add bay leave, cinnamon stick, fenel seeds, and anistar.

3. Fry them until the nice aroma comes, then add sliced onions and green chili to it.

4. Fry them in medium heat, and dont let it burn. 

5. When the onions are transparent add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves.

6.Add Grean peas and fry for a minute or two.

7.Add 2 cups of water and close the pan with lid.

8. When the water boils and green peas is half cooked, add soaked basmati rice to it and reduce the flame to simmer. close pan with a lid.

9.cook for 10- 15 mins. In between open the lid and stir gently without breaking rice and make sure it is not burning.

10. When the rice is cooked and water is absorbed, switch off the flame.

11. Add a tea spoon of ghee and chopped coiander close with lid for another 5 mins then serve with your favorite side dish.

This will be perfect for lunch boxes and dinner for guests.

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Egg Noodles

Noodles - An inevitable food in my list. I have already told in my Veg Noodles recipe how much i am crazy about noodles.

This time I got this Egg noodle pack for a change, because the shape gives the feel of pasta... I was so attracted to this twisted shape too... :)

 As  my husband  doesn't eat non-veg, the Egg dishes are the feast for him... So I prefer making this often.

Lets get into the recipe now:

Ingredients:

Egg Noodle - 1 cup
(If you are using the same twisted noodle which i have used, take 2 cups)
Egg- 2 nos
carrot,beans and peas - 3/4 cup (altogether)
onions - 1/2 medium
green chili -2
ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
pepper powder - 1 tea spoon
salt -to taste
soy sause - 1/2 a tea spoon (optional)
oil-2-3 tea spoons

Preparation:

1. Take 4 cups of water in a pot and bring to boil. when the water bubbles add the uncooked noodles to it.
2. cook for about 7 to 8 mins or until the noodles is tender.
(If your noodles pack says specific way of cooking, please follow those.)
3.Once the noodle is cooked, drain the water and wash it twice with the cold water (Preferably running water. if you dont have drainer or drinking water tap, you can still add cold water in pan and drain it.)
4. Keep the drained noodles aside.

5. In a pan, pre heat 2 spoons of oil and add green chilies and onions to it and saute for 2 to 3 mins.

6. Once when the onions are turning into golden brown, add the ginger garlic paste to it.

7. Fry until the raw smell of ginger garlic paste goes.

8. Then add cut vegetables to it.

9.Add little salt to it, mix well , keep the flame on simmer and close the pan with a lid.

Let it cook for 5-7  mins

10. In between open the lid and turn the veg, so all the sides of the veg will be cooked even. Add oil to veg if required.

11. When the veg are 90% cooked, break and add an egg and scramble it..

12.  Then add the cooked noodles and mix well.

13. Break another egg and beat it well. then add the beaten egg on top of noodle and mix well. 

14. Add pepper powder and Let it cook for another few  mins. And adjust salt to taste.

15. Add soy sauce and switch off the flame.

Notes:

1.You can add both the eggs before adding noodle also. I like them on noodle so added 1 egg after mixing the noodle with veg.

2. You can add even more veg if you like.

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Thayir vadai

Thayir vadai / dhai vada:

During my visits to Chennai in exam holidays, my uncle and father used to take us to Hotel Saravana Bhavan. Saravana Bhavan is their all time favorite. I have seen them ordering Thayir vadai many times. Though I am a very big fan of Curd, I dint dare to taste it. Because my taste bud was liking the vadai with chutney or sambar or as it is.... What if, in case  I dont like the taste? i may start hating the vadai and curd in rest of my life....

One day the magic happened, when we all cousins and parents were having lunch at saravana bhavan , i was totally attracted by the finely chopped coriander and kara boonthi which was decorating my father's thayir vada plate. I got tempted to taste the boonthi and while scooping it mistakenly a small piece of vada also came with it... it was tasting heavenly... from that time, i never miss a chance to have it.

Here is the simple thayir vada which I make at home. Please check this link for how to make uluntha vadai.

Ingredients:

Uluntha vadai - 4
Beaten Curd -1 and 1/2 cup
 raitha boonthi /kara boonthi- 1 cup
coriander - 1 fistful (finely chopped)
salt -to taste
Note: You can temper curd it if you like.

Preparation:

1. Make uluntha vadai and drain it in tissue.
2. Beat the curd well adding salt to it.
3. soak the vadai in beaten curd for 30 mins to 1 hours.
4. transfer to a serving bowl with some curd on it.
5. garnish with coriander leaves and raitha boonthi and serve.

It will suit for potlucks, parties and evening snacks.

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