Spaghetti with broccoli and tomatoes

Ingredients:

100gms spaghetti cooked as per instructions on pack
100gms broccoli florets
100gms ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1tbsp dry basil
1tbsp dry oregano
1/4 tsp red chilli or paprika flakes
Salt to taste
2tbsp butter (optional)
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper powder - a dash

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When hot add chopped garlic and fry till garlic begins to brown.
2. Add broccoli florets and saute for 2-3 mins.
3. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano and chilli flakes. Cover and cook till brocolli is al dente (almost done).
4. Add in the spaghetti, a dash of black pepper powder and toss well. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
5. Turn off flame. Add the butter and mix well. 
6. Serve hot with orange juice and fresh salad.

If you prefer this richer, add 2-3tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese on top before serving. This tastes great without any cheese.

South Indian vada curry

Ingredients:

For the vada
Chana dal/Bengal gram -1 cup, soaked for 4 hours
Whole red chillies - 2, soaked with the dal
Coriander leaves - 3-4 tbsp, finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Onion finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Oil for deep frying
Oil - 2 tbsp, for tadka
Bay leaf - 2-3, for tadka
Jeera - 2 tsp, for tadka

For the  gravy
Onion -3/4 cup (finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 cups (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coconut milk - 1 cup, diluted with another half cup water to a total of 1 1/2 cups

For the masala mix
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
Green chilli  - 3-4, can be adjusted to desired spice level, but it tastes best on the slightly spicier side
Fennel seeds/saunf- 1-1 1/2 tsp. I like to use more as it give amazing flavour
Cloves - 4-5
Green cardamom - 2-3
Grind the above together to a paste with little water

Method:

1. Drain the water from the dal and rinse it well. Grind the dal+red chillies with salt,  turmeric powder with as little water as possible. 
2. Mix chopped onions and coriander leaves with the vada batter.
3. Heat oil in a kadai, drop tbsp full of batter and deep fry on medium heat till golden brown. Once cool enough to touch, break the vadas into 4-5 pieces and set aside.
4. For the gravy - Take a couple of tbsp of the hot oil in another kadai or pan, add bay leaf and jeera and saute for few seconds, then add onions and saute until golden brown. 
5. Then add salt and the ground masala and saute for a few more minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, and turmeric powder. Cook on medium-high flame till oil separates.
6. Then add the coconut milk, adjust salt and bring it to boil. Let the raw smell of coconut dissipate, there will be a hefty aroma of the spices and the coconut that will occur in a couple of mins.
7. Add the vadas and simmer for five minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot either alone as a snack or with south Indian 'parotta' (you can find frozen variety at the grocery store or make your own - which is a lengthy process on its own), or puri.

Homemade bread rolls

Kavita Sharma shared this lovely recipe for homemade bread. It turns out fluffy and delish!

Ingredients

All purpose flour/maida- 500 gms
Fresh yeast- 1 1/2 tbsp & if dry yeast-3/4 tbsp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Milk- 1/2 cup
Eggs- 1 for mixing & 1 for brushing.
Sugar-  4 tsp
Salt-  1 tsp
Poppy seeds-  1tbsp

METHOD :

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water
2. Sift flour and salt together, add the oil and one egg to the flour. Add yeast mixture and enough
warm water to make a soft dough.  Knead well.
3. Cover with a wet cloth and leave for 2 hours to prove.
4. Knock back the dough and put it in a loaf dish. Knock down or punching back the dough is very important process and takes about 20 mins of kneading continuously.
5. Brush with beaten egg and keep aside for 10 mins and brush again.
6. Sprinkle poppy seeds.
7. Bake in a hot oven for about 10 mins or till done (will double & golden brown. Temperature 200 to
220 C or 400-425 F

Potato Frittata

One more tasty dish from Ajita's kitchen!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil (can use regular/olive oil or even butter)
1 medium potato
1 medium onion
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
3 eggs
Handful of coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Grate the potato and onion and keep separate.
2. Heat the oil in a pan. When its hot add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and
saute a bit more.
3. Add the potato and cook until the potatoes are soft. Add the coriander.
4. Spread the mixture across the pan evenly.
5. Break three eggs into the mixture carefully, ensuring the yolks remain intact.
6. Sprinkle salt & pepper and close the lid. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve hot with salad or garlic bread.

Pongal Recipes

So its Pongal today, the harvest festival - one of the very important festivals especially in South India. Sitting here in the US, I do miss home and all the festivities that go with Pongal. This day is also celebrated as Makar Sankranti in the rest of the country and is marked by fun, good food, friends and family and the hope for a bountiful year ahead. So here are the Pongal dishes we make at home.

We make two types of Pongal: Venn Pongal - a savoury variety and Sakkarai Pongal - a sweet dish. Traditionally, pongal is cooked in a clay or brass pot (vengala paanai/pot) that is decorated with flowers and is used specifically for this purpose. These are accompanied by aviyal and vadai.

Pongal
The basic preparation for both the varieties is the same. This is my variation of pongal where I use more daal than usual because I like the taste and consistency.

Ingredients:
New rice (any variety) - 2 cups
Moong daal - half cup
Tuver daal - half cup
Milk - 4 tbsp
Water - 5 cups

Method:
1. Wash the rice and daals together a few times. Add the washed rice/daal mixture, 4 cups of water, and the milk to the decorated pot. If you don't have a pot handy (like me :)) use any large stockpot.
2. Put this on the stove and bring to boil. Traditionally when making pongal on the festival day the stove is cleaned, rangoli applied to it, the pot is decorated with tilak/kumkum, and flowers and the food is cooked outside. The exact Sankranti time is noted and the pot is put on the stove a few minutes before this time to allow the water is to boil over. At the moment the water boils over, the family gets together in front of the stove and bangs steel plates and shouts 'Pongal-o-pongal' and a prayer is offered to the Sun God.
3. Once the water boils over, the pot can be covered and left to simmer or if you're impatient like me, transfer the mix to a pressure cooker and cook on medium for 3 whistles.

VennPongal ingredients:
Half cup ghee
Half cup or more of cashew nuts
2 tsps black pepper
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Jeera - 2 tsp for tempering

1. Once the cooker cools down, take out a third of the cooked rice for sweet or sakkarai pongal.
2. While the cooker cools, chop up half a cup of cashew nuts...more if you like it and fry them in the ghee. Add the curry leaves and jeera when the cashews turn golden and remove from heat.
3. Add salt and coarsely crushed black pepper to the remaining rice mixture. Add the hot ghee and cashews and mix well. Serve piping hot with aviyal.

Sakkarai/sweet pongal ingredients:
Jaggery - half cup
Brown sugar - quarter cup
Cashews - half cup
Raisins - quarter cup
Ghee - quarter cup
Cardamom/elaichi powder - half tsp
Water - 3/4 cup

1. Heat the water and melt the jaggery and brown sugar in it till they dissolve completely.
2. Add the rice, cardamom powder and mix thoroughly ensuring that all the rice is thoroughly mashed.
3. Fry the cashews in ghee till golden, add the raisins and fry for a few seconds. Add this to the rice/jaggery mixture and stir till thoroughly incorporated. Enjoy hot.

Jammu Style Rajma

This recipe is also courtesy of my lovely friend Kavita Sharma! Girl, your dishes are super yum!

Ingredients:

Rajma - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 large, finely chopped
Onions - 2 medium, finely chopped
Masala paste - grind together 2 inch piece of peeled ginger, green chillies to taste
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Ghee or clarified butter - 2 tbsp
Oil (anything except canola or olive oil) - 2 tbsp
Turmeric (haldi) powder - 1 tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida  (hing) - 2 pinches
Bay leaf - 2
Cloves - 3
Kashmiri red chilli powder - to taste (remember you're also adding green chillies, so go easy!)
Black  salt - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste (remember you're using black salt! so go easy!)
Water - 4-5 cups


Method:

1. Soak the rajma over night or for a minimum of 6 hours.
2. Pressure cook the rajma with salt,  1 inch stick of cinnamon and around 4 cups of water for 4-5 whistles on a medium flame. This should take around 15-20 mins.
3. Take oil and desi ghee both. When it is hot, add cumin seeds, hing, bay leaf, cloves and finely chopped onions.
4. Cook stirring occasionally. When it turns red add ginger chilli paste.  Saute for a minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, haldi, dhaniya powdr, kashmiri lal mirch and garam masala.
5. When the gravy it starts leaving oil from the sides add cooked rajma.
6. Cook over slow flame for 15 mins.
7. Add 1/2 tsp black salt
8. Finally garnish with green coriander
9. Serve hot with rice or naan! Add a dollop of butter before serving if desired.

Portobello Taquito

I know its been a long time since I posted a recipe to this blog, but I've been held up with tons of things happening, including a move from India to the US. One thing that I am certainly enjoying here is the massive variety of fruits and vegetables that are available year round :-). I have been letting the cook inside have a lot of fun, experimenting with different cuisines, making my own salad dressings and pasta sauces et al. Here is my version of a Portobello Taquito.

Ingredients:
3  large portobello mushrooms, chopped coarsely
1 small onion chopped finely
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp jalapeno in brine
1/4 tsp cumin/jeera powder
1/2 cup crumbled paneer (can be replaced with mozzarella cheese if you want it to be richer)
salt and red chilli powder to taste
5 tbsp olive oil
leftover phulkas or tortillas

Method:
* Pre-heat oven to 425F alternately
1. Heat a kadhai, add 3 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add minced garlic and fry for a few mins, then add chopped onions and cook till onions start turning golden.
3. Add jeera powder, jalapenos, mushrooms, salt and red chilli powder. Cook till all the water from the mushrooms evaporates.
4. Add the paneer and cook for about 2 more mins.
5. Put a generous helping of the mushrooms on a phulka or tortilla and roll it up. Brush the outside with olive oil and bake in preheated oven for about 12 mins till outer shell turns crispy. Serve with salsa and a salad on the side.

Note: If you do not have an oven, you can apply oil to the roti and roast it on a tawa till it turns golden and crispy. Then add the stuffing and roll it up before serving. Traditional taquitos require that the roti or tortilla be deep fried, but I like to avoid anything deep fried, so roasting makes good sense :-)

Cauliflower Stifaldo

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower, chopped into large pieces
2 medium red onions chopped into rings
5 large garlic cloves julienned
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups tomato puree
4 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley and 1 tbsp olive oil for garnish

Method:
1. Clean and chop the cauliflower. Steam it in the microwave on high for about 6 mins.
2. In a large wok or kadhai add the oil and fry the onions till they start turning golden. Add the garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Add the tomato puree, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the cauliflower and mix well so that it is completely covered in the sauce. Add a little water if needed.
5. Cover and cook the cauliflower till all the gravy is absorbed and oil starts coming off on the sides. The cauliflower should be breaking into smaller pieces but not become mashed.
6. Once done, transfer to serving bowl and pour the olive oil over the stifaldo. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with toasted garlic bread.

Mushroom Stroganoff with cooked broken wheat

Of late I've been on a health-food streak and have discovered a few things that I felt like sharing here. The one main ingredient that I've 'discovered' as a superb substitute for rice is 'daliya' or broken wheat!! It seriously solves the craving that most rice-eaters get when on a diet that restricts rice consumption and when people are faced with rotis for lunch and dinner :). I highly recommend substituting daliya for rice in dishes like pulao, khichidi, etc. It tastes delicious, is more filling than rice, and results in less carb cravings as it has a lower GI value. Here is a recipe for some mouthwatering mushroom stroganoff with cooked daliya.



Do note that this recipe has been modified to the ingredients available commonly in India :)

Ingredients:
500 gms button mushrooms washed and quartered
1 large onion finely chopped
2 heads spring onions/leeks chopped
2 tbsp oil
4-5 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp dried OR half cup fresh parsley
40ml vodka (unflavoured)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
half cup malai from curd OR take half cup Amul fresh cream and add 2 tsps of curd to it and leave for a few hrs. It should not be too sour, but should have a slightly sour taste
1 1/2 cups water
salt, red chilli flakes/powder and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic till soft and pink.
2. Add the leek/spring onion and fry for few more minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and chili flakes and fry till mushrooms start changing colour to light brown.
4. Add parsley, vodka and lemon juice. Cook for a few moments and then add the water. Let it boil till the water reduces to about 1/3rd.
5. Add the sour cream, salt and pepper and let it just start bubbling. DO NOT BOIL. Serve immediately with cooked broken wheat made.
6. For cooking the wheat, heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add 1 1/2 cups wheat and roast till it becomes light and gives off a nice fragrance. Add 3 1/2 cups water and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. If the wheat is not roasted, it will become gooey.

Baked spinach macaroni

Ingredients:
200 gms macaroni or pasta
3 medium bunches spinach, washed and coarsely chopped
3 cubes Amul cheese
1 200ml pack tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
1tbsp dried basil
3tbsp butter

Method:
Cook the macaroni or pasta al dente and set aside.
In a pan, heat half the butter and when it melts, add the tomato puree. Cook for a minute, then add the spinach, basil, salt and pepper. Cook covered till spinach wilts. Add the macaroni and mix well.
Crumble the bread and add the rest of the butter to it and mix well. Grate the cheese.
Grease a casserole and pour in the macaroni. Layer the bread on top and finally sprinkle the grated cheese.
Pre-heat oven to 250°C and bake the macaroni for about 30-35 minutes till the bread turns nice and crisp.
Serve hot with sour cream or tomato sauce and cold orange juice or a glass of champagne.

Stir fried veggies with baked paneer and brown rice

Ingredients:
Brown rice (basically unpolished rice) - 2 cups
Assorted vegetables - 4 cups (I prefer Broccoli, red and yellow capsicum, baby corn, zuchhini, yellow squash, or a combination of these)
Sundried tomatoes - 1/2 cup, either with our without oil
Salt - to taste
Italian seasoning - you can get this at any big grocery store. In case you dont find this then mix one tsp each of red chilli flakes, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley.
Paneer/cottage cheese - 400 gms cut into shape of your choice. I prefer square or circle. Approx 100 gms per person
Black pepper powder - to taste
Olive oil - 3 tbsps

Method:
1. Put the brown rice with 4 cups water in a cooker and cook for 2 whistles. Once the cooker cools, drain excess water and keep rice aside.
2. While rice is cooking, cut all veggies in approx 1.5 inch pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil, add the veggies, seasoning, sun dried tomatoes (if using the one with oil, reduce 1.5 tbsp from the frying oil) and stir fry till capsicum is soft.
4. Pre-heat oven to 200C, wrap paneer in aluminum foil and bake for 20 mins.
5. Now in a plate, serve a cup of brown rice topped with a dollop of salted butter, a large helping of veggies and a paneer piece topped with barbecue sauce. Serve hot!

Maam paruppu (mango seed) kuzhambu

This is a very yummy recipe for the summer months when mangoes are in abundance. Goes well with plain rice and curd rice.

Ingredients:
Maam paruppu (the inside of mango seed) - 3 nos
Whole red chillies - 2-3
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds (whole)- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
Jaggery - small piece
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tsps
Curry leaves - a few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Tamarind - 1 lemon sized ball

Method:
1. Boil water and cook the maam paruppu in it for 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 tsps oil and fry the red chillies, pepper, coriander and cumin seeds.
3. Make a paste of the roasted spices and the maam paruppu by grinding them in mixer.
4. Soak the tamarind and extract the juice.
5. Heat 1 tsp oil and fry the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add the tamarind juice, spices-maam parupu paste, salt and jaggery. Bring to boil and simmer till the raw smell/taste of tamarind goes, roughly 10 mins.
6. Serve piping hot with rice.

Koshari

This vegetarian dish is a Egyptian-style chilli and great when you need to feed a crowd on the cheap.

Ingredients:
1 cup masoor ki dal or brown lentils
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup uncooked pasta (small shells or elbow macaroni is best)
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oil
400 g chopped tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes (or more to taste)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
1. Cook the lentils and rice together in in a pressure cooker till they are tender.
2. Cook the macaroni in a separate pot. Rinse and strain when done.
3. Fry the onions and garlic in the oil until golden. Add the tomatoes, chilli flakes, salt and pepper to taste and let it bubble for 10-20 minutes or until thickened and sauce like. You can now puree the sauce in a food processor until smooth or just leave as is.
4. Mix the lentils, rice and macaroni together in one pot.
5. Place some of the lentil mixture on each plate and top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with more hot chili powder or salt and pepper, if desired. Serve hot with vegetables of your choice or as is with chips.

Simple pilaf with paneer roundels and vegetables

Ingredients:

For Pilaf
2 cups basmati rice
1 cup tomato puree
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
3 tsp semiya or semolina
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Parsley for garnish
2 cups water

For Paneer roundels:
200 gms paneer (you can get a block of paneer and use a steel tumbler to cut through it for giving it a round shape and then slice the roundel length-wise to make 2 or 3 slices)
5 tbsp barbecue sauce

For vegetables:
1 floret broccoli
1 medium red capsicum
1 medium yellow capsicum
1/2 zucchini
1/2 cup mushrooms, cleaned and halved
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Get the pilaf ready by frying the chopped onions in oil, then adding the tomato puree, salt, chilli powder, rice, semolina and water (this can be adjusted as per requirement) and steaming the rice in either a rice cooker or in a closed pot till the rice is done.
2. Chop the vegetables coarsely. Heat olive oil and stir fry the vegetables till al dente (almost done. Fry the mushrooms separately as they will give off water, then drain the excess water and add this to the vegetable mixture. Do not season this till serving time as the vegetables are wont to give off water when salt is added.
3. Heat the barbecue sauce in a sauce pan. Add the paneer roundels to the sauce and cook for 1 min.
4. Meanwhile, put the pilaf in a cup and pack it well. Invert the cup on a plate to make a sort of pilaf-cake. Put a paneer roundel on one side and seasoned vegetables on the other. Pour the barbecue sauce on the roundels, pop a sprig of parsley on the pilaf for decoration. Serve piping hot with lemon soda or any drink of your choice.

Pasta with sauteed vegetables

I know its been awhile since I last posted a recipe here...not that I ran out of recipes, but just didn't find the time to add more :-).

Ingredients
3 tbl spoons Olive oil
2 cups of pasta (Penne / Fusilli)
1 big onion , sliced thinly
5-6 garlic flakes , sliced
1 bunch Spring onions 
Few brocolli flowerettes
2 big Bell peppers -  1 big green and 1 red or orange or yellow
10 pieces Cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes
Few black olives halved
1 spoon of dried rosemary or thyme and oregano
Chopped Fresh basil leaves or mint leaves (according to  your preference and taste)
A cube of Parmesan cheese (tastes best) or even cheddar would do
Pepper crushed coarsely using mortar and pestle

Method
To cook the pasta:

1. Boil water in a thick sauce pan, for one cup pasta take one and a half cup of water and add pasta to the boiling water.
2. Add required salt and a spoon of olive oil, cover the pan cook for about 5-10 minutes stirring once in between till the pasta is done al dente (in Italian this means to the tooth, meaning it should be chewable)
3. Drain all the water, run the cooked pasta over in regular water to bring them back to room temperature.
Set them aside.

For the vegetables:
1. In the same thick saucepan, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, add the thinly sliced onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Add rosemary and half of the finely chopped spring onions reserving the rest for garnishing
2. Add the brocolli and cook for a minute, then add the thinly sliced bell peppers and saute them til they are half cooked. Add some salt just enough for the vegetable quantity,remember, we have already added salt while cooking pasta.
3. While the veggies are still crunchy add the halved olives and halved cherry tomatoes. Do not cover and cook as the water droplets would bring in moisture.Stir frequently and ensure that they are not overcooked (the vegetables need to be still crunchy, not soft)
4. Add the coarsely crushed peppercorns and then add the cooked pasta to the vegetables and toss. Now add the oregano, cook for less than a minute and remove from heat. Add the chopped fresh basil or mint leaves and grated cheese, and mix well. They will blend in the heat. Toss the contents once for them to mix, garnish with spring onions and serve hot

The above dish can be eaten as it is or can be served with pasta sauces. When you serve with sauces, keep the number of veggies and spices added to pasta minimal as the sauce itself would bring in a different flavour
Check the pasta sauce section for recipes

Baked Vegetable Casserole

Well, I'm back to posting after a couple of hectic weekends :-). Here is a recipe for a delicious casserole that goes beautifully with steamed rice or toasted garlic bread.

Ingredients:
100 gms broccoli
100 gms yellow squash
100 gms zucchini
1 nos each of red and yellow bell-peppers
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsps freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder
3 tbsps maida (all purpose flour)
3 tbsps butter (if using yellow butter, adjust salt accordingly)

Method:
1. Wash and chop all vegetables into 1/4" pieces. Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees C
2. In a pan melt the butter and add the flour to the melted butter. Cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes or till the raw fragrance of the flour is gone
3. Gradually pour in the milk and stir continuously to ensure lumps are not formed. In case the mixture appears to be getting lumpy, immediately remove from heat and run through a hand-blender or mixie to remove lumps. Put it back on the stove and cook, stirring constantly, till it turns thick.
4. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg powder. Cook for 1 min and remove from heat
5. In a greased casserole dish, place all the vegetables and pour the sauce on top. Ensure that all vegetables are coated. Cook this in an oven, at 250 degrees C for 30 mins or till sauce turns brown at the edges
6. Serve hot with fresh steamed rice or toasted garlic bread

Jazzed-up curd rice

Well, this is a jazzed up version of the eternal classic, curd-rice, just to add a bit of spice to the regular version :-)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 cup curd
1 small green chilli
2 tsps chana dal and urad dal (bengal gram and black gram)
1 tsp mustard seeds
A few curry leaves
1 tsp ginger paste OR 1" piece of ginger grated
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 medium onion chopped finely
2 tsps oil

Method:
1. In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the chana dal and urad dal and fry till they turn golden.
2. Add chopped onions and fry till they begin to turn golden around the edges. Add ginger paste and fry for a few seconds.
3. Add the green chilli and curry leaves, chopped coarsley, and turmeric powder and fry for 5 seconds. Turn off the stove and remove from heat.
4. Add the rice, sugar, salt and curd and mix well. the mixture will become a light yellowish colour.
5. Serve with pickles :-)

Mixed bagala-bath (mixed veg rice)

Well, its the end of the week and many of us face  familiar situation. Stuck late in the office on Friday evening, so no time for getting groceries. You get home and find that you don't have enough of any vegetable to make a decent dish. Happens quite often doesn't it, well here is a dish that can help in such situations :-)

Ingredients:
1 potato
1 capsicum
2 carrots
A handful of beans
1 raw banana
1 lemon sized ball of tamarind soaked (you can use leftover vathakuzambu/sambhar instead of tamarind paste)
1 cup tuver dal
1 1/2 cups rice
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2-tsps sambhar masala
2 bay leaves
3 tbsps ghee,
1tsp each of jeera and mustard for vaghar
Salt to taste

Method:
1.Wash the rice and tuver dal (in case you are using leftover sambhar, reduce the quantity if tuver dal and sambhar masala accordigly), chop the vegetables into 1 1/2" pieces (any combination of vegetables can be used if you don't have the above mentioned ones)
2. Put the rice, dal, vegetables, salt, sambhar masala and turmeric powder, tamarind paste with around 3 glasses of water into a cooker. Cook for 3 whistles and remove from flame
3. Once the cooker cools, open it and mix the contents well. The dal, rice and vegetables should have cooked well and must be in the consistency of khichidi
4. In a small kadhai, heat the ghee and add the bay leaves, red chilli powder, garam masala, jeera and mustard and fry till mustard crackles. Add this to the rice-veg mix and stir well. Serve hot with roasted papad and raita/curd

Nest and Eggs

This one is a good-looking dish that can do well when you have kids over for dinner/pyjama parties.

Ingredients:
1 pack instant noodles (I prefer Top Ramen)
2 medium sized potatoes, boiled peeled and mashed
3-4 slices of bread, crumbled
Salt as per taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Choice of filling (hard-boiled eggs, shelled/leftover mixed veg sabji/boiled peas sauteed with onions/any leftover minced meat or chicken dish)
Oil for frying

Method:
1. Prepare the noodles as per instructions on pack, albeit with less water as they need to be dry
2. Knead the bread crumbs into the mashed potatoes along with the turmeric and chilli powders
3. Make an egg sized ball of the mix, poke a hole in the middle with your thumb about the size of a small lemon. Stuff the filling and close the opening. If you're using boiled eggs, then make a layer of potato-mash to cover the egg
4. Deep-fry this ball till it turns golden brown. Leave on absorbent paper to remove excess oil
5. For serving, layer the noodles in a plate to make it look like a nest, add one or two 'eggs' in the middle of the 'nest' and garnish with chopped coriander leaves to make it look like a real nest
Serve hot with tomato sauce and enjoy watching the kids dig in. You can also make 'eggs' with different fillings so that the eater gets a surprise with each 'egg' :)

Vegetable Dum Biryani

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
100 gms each of potaotes, cauliflower, beans, carrots and peas
4-5 large onions
2 bay leaves
2" piece cinnamon (dalchini)
1 1/2 cups curd
2 tsps turmeric powder
2-3 green chillies
Salt to taste
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp white butter or ghee
Everest biryani masala as per taste (any brand can be used, but I prefer Everest as it has the right mix of spices to my liking)
5 tbsps oil

Method:
1. Wash the rice well and boil it in 4-5 cups of water along with 1 tbsp salt till it is 70% done (crush the rice to check, the core of the grain should be uncooked)
2. Drain out all the hot water and set aside
3. Chop the potaotes, carrots and beans into 2" pieces (potatoes and carrots should be shaped like finger chips/french fries). Cauliflower should be cut into 2" florets. Cut the onion in half and julienne them
4. Take the oil in a kadai and fry the onions till they turn golden brown. Remove all excess oil and set aside.
5. In the same oil, fry the bay leaves, cinnamon and green chillies for a few seconds. Add the chopped vegetables, salt to taste (remember to add a bit more as this will be the salt needed for the rice too). Cover and cook for 5 mins
6. Take the curd in a bowl and beat it well. Add the garam masala powder, turmeric to the curd and mix well. Add the vegetables to the curd mix and marinate for 15 mins
7. The biryani can be cooked in a closed pot or a rice cooker. I will list both the methods here.
RICE COOKER METHOD
8. Pour the vegetable-curd mix into the bottom of the rice cooker. Layer the rice on the top of the vegetables and finally sprinkle the fried onions on top. Cover and leave to cook automatically. When the rice cooker turns off, add the ghee/butter and the coriander leaves to the rice and leave for 5 mins.  Mix well and serve with papad and raita

CLOSED POT METHOD
8. Grease the pot/handi. Add the vegetables at the bottom, layer the rice and onions as mentioned above. Cover the handi and seal it with roti dough. Cook on low heat for 10-12 mins. Once done, add the ghee/butter and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot

NOTE - I prefer the rice cooker method as it prevents the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning which spoils the fragrance of the biryani :-)

EGG BIRYANI
In a variation, substitute the vegetables with hard-boiled eggs cut from the middle length-wise