Rice Kheer Recipe - Sankarathri Special

Rice Kheer Recipe

Ingredients

5 cups Milk

1/2 cup Long-grained rice

2 tbsp Almond powder

1 tsp Cardamom powder

A pinch of Saffron

1 tin Condensed milk

Sugar to taste

Method

Cook rice in a pressure pan with enough water, till soft. Drain and mash.

Heat milk to a thick and creamy consistency.

Add condensed milk, mashed rice, sugar, almond powder, cardamom powder and saffron.

Cook till creamy.

Serve hot with puris.

Sankranthi special food - Muruku

Preparation of Murukkus





Ingredients

100 gm raw rice
200 gm urad dal
15 gm jeera
2 gm asafoetida
ghee
salt 

Method

Soak the rice in water for a while.  Drain out all the water and let the rice dry.  Roast the urad dal. Powder the rice and urad dal separately, then sift them through a fine sieve and mix them together.  Dissolve salt in water and add asafoetida to it.  Add jeera, the salt-asafoetida water and ghee to the sifted flour and knead to prepare firm a dough.  Place the dough in a steel press with a perforated disc to make thin noodle shapes.  Press out the dough into hot oil in a circular motion and leave enough spaces between the murukkus while frying.  Turn them over in the oil once and remove when golden brown in colour.

Idly - Indian Break fast

Idly - Indian Break fast 

Ingredients

Par Boiled Idly rice -3 tumblers or 3 cups

Urad dal (Full) -1 tumbler or 1 cup

You can use any measurement but the ratio of Par Boiled rice and Urad dal should be 3:1

Crystal Salt -4 1/2 tsp (or as required)

Method

Wash urad dal and rice and soak it separately for 4-5 hours.

Grind urad dal in the wet grinder (advisable for soft idlies) until fluffy. Add ice cold water/ordinary water when needed. Add water little by little.

Then grind rice well for 20-30 minutes.

After that add the ground urad Dal to the grounded rice in the grinder and grind for 5 minutes.This is done for mixing the batter well.

Add salt  as per your taste.

The consistency of the batter should neither be thick nor watery. It should be medium. You can master it with practice.

Leave for 6-7 hours to ferment. You could see that the batter would have risen.

Mix the fermented batter well.

Grease idly moulds. Take a scoop of batter and fill it in each idly mould.

Use pressure cooker or any vessel and steam cook the idlis . But the water should be heated well first.

Boil water in a kadai/pressure cooker/any vessel which could hold the idli moulds and place the idly mould with batter in it and cover it with a lid.

Steam cook for 10 -15 minutes.

Prick a fork inside the idly, if it comes out clean - idly is ready .

Have it with any chutney or sambar or  any podi.

Spinach Dal or Palak Dal

Spinach Dal or Palak Dal  

(North Indian Vegetarian )

1  cup(s) split green gram (moong dal)

1  bunch(es) spinach chopped

1  medium tomato(es) chopped

1  medium onion(s) chopped

1  teaspoon(s) cumin seeds

½  teaspoon(s) turmeric powder       

1  tablespoon(s) finely chopped ginger

2  green chilli(es) slit

2  flake(s) garlic

2  tablespoon(s) butter / ghee (clarified butter)

red chilli powder and salt to taste

fresh coriander leaves to garnish.

1. Soak the split green gram in water for about an hour. Grind the garlic, green chilli(es), ginger and onion(s) to a fine paste. Add the turmeric and red chilli powders to the paste and mix. Heat the butter /ghee (clarified butter) in a pan and fry the cumin seeds till they splutter. Add the paste and fry till fat leaves the sides. Now add tomato(es) and salt. Fry / cook on medium level for about 3  minutes.

2. Add the soaked gram and double the water. Cover and boil on medium / low level for about 5  minutes or till the gram is tender.

3. Add the chopped spinach and simmer for about 3  minutes or till the spinach is cooked.

Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Can Serve for 4 people :

Serve with Cumin Rice / Jeera Rice, white rice or Roti. 

Tips for removing garlic skin easily

Tips for removing garlic skin easily

Removing garlic skin is tedious and can consume a lot of time, especially when you’re in a hurry. Warm garlic cloves in the microwave slightly and you’ll see the skin peeling off without difficulty. Also, you can submerge them in water for about 10 minutes before peeling the skin.

Kitchen Tips

That wrapping bananas in a newspaper and then refrigerating them can keep them fresh for longer.

Adding a pinch of turmeric when cooking dal can hasten the cooking process.

Vegetable Biryani

VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice

1 cup Mixed Vgetable (cauliflower, potato, carrot, french beans)

150 gms Green Peas

3 Finely Sliced Onion

2 Finely Sliced Green Chillies

Salt to taste

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder

2 tsp Cinnamon(dalchini), Caraway Seeds(zeera)

4 Cloves (laung)

1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder

4 Tomato

1/2 cup Yogurt (curd)

4 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

3 tbsp Dry Fruits (cashew nuts, raisin)

Preparation of  vegitable biryani :

Wash the basmati rice well before cooking.Then take rice with 3-3/4 cup water and a little salt added to it and 2 tbsp of dry fruits.Cook it in pressure cooker or in a pan or microwave.

Cut all the vegetables into small thin pieces and fry each one of it separately in oil. Fry the green peas also.

Take 1 tblsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, green chilli, cinnamon and caraway seeds powder, cloves, black pepper powder and stir for about half minute. Then add onions and saute them for a minute ot till they get pink in color.

Add salt and red chilli powder and stir.

Add fine chopped tomatoes and fry till they are properly cooked.

Take the yogurt and make it fine by putting in a blender for just 2 rotations. Add this fine yogurt and stir well.Heat it for about 10 seconds.

Add all the fried vegetables.

Add the cooked rice and mix well with very light hands so that the rice grain doesn't break. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Take this vegetable biryani out in a rice serving dish.

Garnish with dry fruits and green coriander leaves.

Serve the vegetable (veg ) biryani hot with raita and pickle.

Bagara Baigan curry - Brinjal masala curry

Ingredients:

Fresh small Brinjal (Indian eggplants) 250 grms

Finely chopped onion one small cup

Ginger Garlic paste 1 tea spoon

Peanuts ¼ cup

Til powder ¼ cup

Dry coconut powder ¼ cup

Cinnamon stick 1″ piece

Cloves  2

Red chili powder 2 tea spoon

Dhania  powder 1 tea spoon

Garam masala powder   1/2 tea spoon

Methi powder   1/4 tea spoon

7 curry leaves

Tamarind juice 1/4 cup

Oil according to your choice or 2 spoons full

Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

1) Roast peanuts and make a powder

2) Heat the pan and put 2 spoons full oil

3) Add 2 cloves, little sajira, patta

4) put finely chopped onions and fry it for a while

5) as the onions get brown colour add Ginger garlic paste

6) fry it for a 2 seconds till the flavour of the paste comes

7) take 250 grams brinjals (6 nos) cut into 4 pieces but

    should not be separated from it (it should look like 
   flower)

8) make paste of  dry coconut powder + peanuts powder +

     til powder by adding tamarind ¼ cup juice + 2 tea 
     spoon red chilli powder + little pinch of 
     sugar/jaggery + methi

     powder and grind this paste well

9) put this paste in the middle of the brinjal

10) put this stuffed brinjal in the pan and fry for a while

11) pour little water add little salt (according to your taste)

      and make it to cook for 10 minutes

12) finally add little dhania powder, jeera powder

13) add coriander leaves for garnish

Now your dish is ready can serve with rice or chapati (roti)

or bagara rice. 

Bhindi Masala

Ingredients:

* 1 pound (1/2 kg) bhindi

* 2 onions, thinly sliced

* 2 tomatoes, chopped

* 1/4 cup oil

* 3/4 teaspoon paprika

* 1 teaspoon amchoor powder (or substitute fresh lemon juice)

* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

* salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

* 1 teaspoon garam masala

* 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Preparation:

- Wash bhindi under running water and slice off the ends.

- Cut each in half. Set aside.

-  Prepare onions and tomatoes. Set aside.

-  In a wok or heavy skillet heat the oil and sauté onions
    until translucent.

-  Add all spices except the garam masala and stir-fry 2 minutes.

-  Add the tomatoes and bhoona * 1 minute. Add the okra
    and stir-fry 2 minutes.

-  Cover and steam over medium heat until tender, about
    12-15 minutes.

-  Spoon the okra onto a warm serving plate and sprinkle
    with the garam masala.

-  Garnish with the coriander and serve while hot.

-  Bhoona is a technique that is essential to Indian cooking.

-  The bhoona technique means that the mixture is cooked
    over medium-high heat, with constant stirring to avoid
    scorching, until all liquids are reduced and the

    spices coat the meat like a paste.

-  About 1/2 cup of water can then be added,
    the dish covered, and a gravy

    created as the dish becomes liquid again.

Pomegranate Salad

Pomegranate and other fruits and vegetables and mixed in this Recipe. This salad is little spicy. Eating pomegranate will improve blood levels. It is a good diet for pregnant woman. Easy to prepare and easy to digest. It contains rich minerals and victims.

Ingredients

1  grated carrot

1 small cup pomegranate seeds

2 small finely chopped pineapple

½ cup cabbage, cut into long strips

¼ tsp pepper powder

Salt to taste

2 tsp olive oil

Mustard for seasoning

½ tsp chopped green chillies (optional)

¼ tsp ginger paste

Method

Boil water in a pan and add cabbage strips. Boil for about 4-5 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, take carrot, pomegranate seeds and pineapple. To this add green chilies, ginger paste, cabbage, pepper powder and salt. Mix it well.

Season the salad with olive oil and mustard.

Low Calorie Fruit Salad Recipe