Indian Style Pasta - Semiya Bath

When one is bored of the Rava upmas , semia upma is good for a change. I have used the pre roasted variety of semia made from durum wheat. Though the upma appears lumpy when it is hot, it loosens out once it cools down . This makes a good , filling, tiffin box meal too.

Ingredients

Semiya ( vermicelli ) - 1 1/2 cups, roasted
Water - 3 cups
Onion - 2 medium , sliced
Green chilly - 5 no.s
Ginger - 1 tbsp , finely shredded
Oil - 3 tbsps
Cinnamon - 1'' piece
Cloves - 3
Elaichi - 1
Carrot - 1/2 cup, juliennes
Beans - 1/2 cup , juliennes
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 spoon
Coriander - a little
Salt - to taste

Method

Drop the whole spices into hot oil to release it's flavors.
Stir in the chillies & after a minute add the onions, ginger & vegetables & stir fry till done.
Pour the measured water & add the salt & bring to a boil.
Toss in the semia & cook till all the water is absorbed.
Put off the gas & mix with lemon juice & sugar.
Garnish with coriander.

Suggestion

Can use tomatoes to add some color & tang.
Fried cashews & coconut shavings would make an attractive & tasty garnish.

Nellikayi ( gooseberry ) Chitranna

The magical ingredient of today is Nellikayi. Come winter , it is a joy to see cartloads of these nuggets in the markets in all their green glory. Amla is revered & held supreme in Ayurveda system of medicine. As we all know , it is excellent source of Vit C. And this vitamin happens to be a good anti oxidant. It ia a combination of sour, sweet & astringent tastes. And used for many home remedies. It preserves well in the form of murabbas & pickles, & also dried as suparies. For starters, I'm presenting a easy , tasty rice using this wonder fruit.

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup , cook & cool
Peas - 1/2 cup , cooked
Coriander - 2tbsps , to garnish
Grind , with a tsp of water -
Goose berry - 3 No.s, sliced
Coconut - 2 tbsps grated
Green Chillies - 8 No.s
Jaggery - 3/4 tbsp
Salt - To taste
To Temper-
Oil - 3 tbsps
Mustard, jeera, Urad dal, Channa dal, curry leaves , turmeric powder, Hing

Method

Temper the oil . When the dals get golden color, toss the gooseberry mixture in & stir fry till the raw smell goes for a couple of minutes.
Now add the rice , peas & mix well till the rice is hot.
Garnish with chopped coriander.

Suggestion

Try using Red chillies in place of green chillies.
As a variation vegetables like carrot & beans can be used.
A handful of peanuts can be stir fried along with the tempering .
Cashew can be used for garnish.

This is my contribution to the APS - Rice event.

Jeerige Chutney

Jeerige chutney, with distinct aroma of jeera coming thro' , makes a flavourful accompaniment with rice. Having coconut as it's base, it is balanced with the sweet & sour tastes from jaggery & tamarind. It is a very simple & tasty chutney using very few ingredients. One can also benefit from the many therapeutic properties that jeera is know for.

Ingredients

Coconut - 1 cup, grated
Jeera - 2 tbsps
Red Chilly - 4 & 4 ( guntur & byadigi )
Tamarind - 1 tbsp , soaked
Jaggery - 3/4 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp, for tempering
Mustard , Curry leaves & Hing

Method

In a pan, stir fry coconut, jeera, red chillies till the moisture in the coconut reduces & a good aroma emanates.
To this add the tamarind , jaggery & salt & grind to a chutney with little water.
Temper with mustard & hing.
Serve with hot rice, roties etc.

Flavorful Methi Pulav

Methi leaves are in season & I'm perpetually trying out different ways of using them while the season lasts, by trying out various recipes. The Blogosphere , is of course , of immense help. This time , Methi leaves added a additional dimension to the regular vegetable pulav.
Lightly spiced with the whole spices & the coconut milk takes the rice to another level.

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup , wash & soak for 20 mins
Methi leaves - 2 fistful, pinch out leaves from stem , wash & drain
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Carrot - 1/2 cup , chopped
Peas - a handful
Onion - 2 medium, sliced
Green chillies - 8 , slit
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsps
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 2''
Marati moggu ( capers ) - 4
Cashews - a few
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Method

In the Pressure cooker temper the oil with the whole spices. Drop the cashew and stir till done . Drop in the chillies & stir for a minute till white blisters appear on them.
Saute' the onions lightly, turn in the carrots, peas & methi leaves & stir fry for a few minutes till the leaves wilt.
Drain the rice & add it to the vegetables & stir it for 2 minutes let the rice get coated with oil.
Pour in the the water & coconut milk and bring it to a boil with sufficient salt .
Cook on high flame till 1 whistle, reduce flame and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Open after the pressure is released . Mix the lemon juice.
Serve by itself or with Raitha.

Suggestion

Basmathi rice can be used.
Beans , potatoes, cauliflower are the other vegetables that could be used in the pulav.

Creamy Custard with Bananas

Custard with fruits is an ever so popular dessert & one never gets tired of eating this over the years. It is made with wholesome milk, enriched with the addition of fruits & dry fruits. It allows easy variations & I've suggested some of them below.


Ingredients

Full Cream Milk - 1/2 liter
Custard powder ( Vanilla Flavor ) - 3 tbsps
Sago - 1 tbsp
Bananas - 2 cups chopped
Raisins - 2 tbsps
Cashew - 2 tbsps, broken,

Method

• Mix the custard powder with a couple of tbsps of cold milk / water & set aside.
• Bring the milk to a boil, lower the flame, pour in the reserved custard powder mixed in milk, stirring all the while. The custard should coat the spoon , is a good way to check for the right consistency of the custard. If not add some more custard powder mixed with water & cook till thick.
• Add the sugar & cook till it dissolves. Put off the fire. Cool the custard to room temperature , stirring in between to discourage the formation of scum.
  
• Fry the sago in a few drops of ghee for a while. Pour in some water & cook till soft.
  
• When the custard is cool , mix in the chopped fruits , raisins , Cashew bits, cooked sago & refrigerate .
• It makes a yummy dessert when served cold.

Suggestions

Mixed assorted fruits or any fruit of your choice can be used.
Dry fruit assortment of choice can be used. Chopped wet dates go well with the custard.
Set jelly & cut into cubes . This will make a great garnish for the custard.
Cooked Vermicelli could be mixed in as a variation in place of sago.
China grass can be set , cut into bits & mixed in the custard for variety .
Could there be more possibilities ........can anyone suggest ?

Sending this to RV's & Sudeshna's Desserts & Ice cream event.

Delectable Sweet Corn Curry

My ongoing quest for Side Dishes brought me to this recipe by Tarla Dalal. I like her style & would want to try many more of her recipes.
This dish , as the name suggests uses corn as the main ingredient. I have deviated from her recipe slightly by using tomatoes to off set the sweetness of the corn & also to add a contrast color. Also , I crushed some of the corn . This will not only bring out the flavors of the corn , it will also add body & thickness to the gravy along with the coconut & poppy seeds. It turned out to be a mildly flavored, tasty gravy which is certain to win over one and all.

Ingredients

Sweet Corn Kernels - 2 cups, cooked
Coconut milk - 2 cups , Extracted from 1 cup of coconut
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 2 no.s, chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Spices - 2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 2 cinnamon

Grind the following :
Green chillies - 6 no.s
Onion - 2 med. , chopped, sauteed lightly
Fresh coconut grated - 1 tbsp
Coriander - a handful
Garlic - 8 cloves
Ginger - 1" piece
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp , toasted lightly

Method

Take a tsp of oil in a pan & lightly saute the onions & grind with the rest of the ingredients into a paste with some water.
Use oil & ghee & temper the whole spices when the oil is hot .
Stir in the masala paste & fry for a few minutes till the raw smell goes.
Crush half of the kernels roughly in the blender . Add it along with the whole kernels.
Pour in the coconut milk & add salt. Adjust the consistency.
Add the tomatoes too.
Bring to a nice boil.
Put off fire & sharpen with lemon juice.

This is off to Think Spice Think Poppy Seeds Event, run by Rv and Sunitha

Egg Fried Rice

I regularly prepare Vegetable Fried Rice , but Egg dishes are a new terrain to me. I have always been a vegetarian , but as my children like Non - Veg food & eggs , occasionally I try something with eggs for their sake. I fancied the fried rice using eggs in Yummy food by Lubna , & set out to try the same. I have always admired this blog for the exquisite photographs & recipes as many others.
I made some minor changes to the recipe to suit my style , & it was a super duper hit. Eggs are nutrition - dense, & have high quality proteins. It is not only colorful visually, but a treat to the taste buds also.
This recipe goes out to everyone who love their EGGS !
Carrot Bundles have been used as a garnish. I've par-boiled carrot sticks held together by spring onion leaves.
Ingredients

Jeera rice - 1 cup
Oil - 4 tbsps
Cinnamon - 2'' piece, broken up
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 1
Green Chillies - 5 , slit
onion - 1 medium size, sliced thinly
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsps
Tomato - 2 small, remove seeds & chop finely
Eggs - 2 No.s
Mixed cooked vegetables - 1 cup ( carrots, beans , corn, peas )
Spring Onion - 1 cup , chopped
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Coriander - 2 tbsps , chopped.

Method

Soak rice for 15 minutes, drain water & cook with 1 1/2 cups water & cool.
Take oil in a pan , temper with the spices - cinnamon, cloves , cardamom.
Tip in the green chillies & stir for a minute .
Add the onion & saute till is transparent.
Ginger garlic goes in next , stir till the raw smell fades.
Tomatoes go in now. Stir & let cook till it is soft.
Beat the eggs lightly , pour in & cover for two minutes . scramble, & stir it till it is dry.
The cooked vegetables can be added now & half of the spring onion also. Stir fry for two minutes.
Finally, the rice goes in .
It is a good time to season with pepper powder & salt.
Mix well till all the flavors blend in & the rice is hot.
Garnish with the other half of the spring onions & chopped coriander.
Serve hot with Tomato sauce or any other sauce of choice, & indulge.

Sending this to simply,food - create and carve event.