Drumstick leaves masala rice a perfect lunch box recipe packed with loads of antioxidants n highly nutritious greens.. usually used in making poriyal, sambar n tis is def a welcome change for this green..
What you need:
Rice - 1 cup
Thoor dhal - 1/4 cup
Drumstick leaves / Murungai Keerai - 1/2 cup (cleaned n washed)
Onion - 1 no, chopped
Garlic - 2 nos, chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Red chilly - 1 no
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
To dry roast and grind to smooth powder:
Urad dhal - 2 tsp
Split roasted gram / Pottukadalai - 2 tsp
Raw rice - 2 tsp
Red chillies - 5 nos
Coconut gratings - 1 tbsp
How to make:
Wash and cook rice and dhal together. Heat oil in a pan add mustard once it splutters roast urad dhal, gralic flakes and then onion and cook till soft.
Add drumstick leaves, salt add 1/4 cup water and cook. Once done add the spice powder mix well n add cooled rice dhal mixture and mix well.
Serve hot with dollop of ghee with masala papad!!
A sooper hit dessert Mango rabdi made to suit our need a low fat version using slim milk and unrefined organic brown sugar ..
What you need:
Low fat Milk - 1 cup
Mashed Mango Pulp - 1 cup
Organic unrefined Brown Sugar - 2 tsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
How to make:
In a non stick pan allow milk to boil once it reduces to half add sugar, cardamom powder and cook for few minutes.
Switch off the flame and allow to cool. Add mashed mango pulp and mix well garnish chopped almonds and serve chilled!!
Picked up mangoes 3 kg for Rs.100 and tat made my day.. Though Agni Nakshatram is over its still damn hot n stepping outside the house in afternoons seems to be a tougher task.. Made mango lemonade to quench my thirst before stepping out..
What you need:
Mango - 2 nos, skin removed and flesh chopped
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Organic Brown Sugar as reqd
Water - 3 cups
How to make:
Add mango pulp in a processor and blend until smooth with sugar.
Add water and give quick stir again. Remove and add lemon juice and mix well refrigerate and serve chilled with some finely chopped mint leaves added to it!!
Breaking brains on what to cook for breakfast is the toughest task for any Indian women and def for me.. it has to be sooper quick, healthy and simple too.. Decided to post few quickies.. 90% of Indian women are making thr kids eat corn flakes for breakfasts and consider themselves as proud mothers.. It's not tat am blaming em its the ingredients going in making em flavorful with high amount of artificial flavors, sugar content and emulsifiers used in it..
Nowadays no kids are in favor of idli and dosa except that they like pooris.. Try feeding em high protein and fibre rich dishes atleast for 4 days and can stick on for other 3 days with thr usual ones.. This is one such healthy breakfast and flavorful one..
What you need:
1 cup - Moong Dhal
2 nos - Green chillies
1/2 tsp - Ginger
2 tbsp - Carrot, grated
2 tbsp - Bell Peppers, finely chopped
2 tbsp - Onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp - Fresh Coriander, chopped
Salt as reqd
Pinch of Asafoetida
How to make:
Soak dhal for 2 hours and grind to smooth batter by adding green chillies and ginger. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
Heat a non stick dosa pan pour the batter spread it once done on one side flip it and cook on the other side until golden in color and serve hot with some spicy chutney for breakfast!!
For this month Shhhh Cooking secretly challenge was paired up with Viji same minded people were paired up so she knows my mind n gave me samai / little millet as the secret ingredient.. Made a quick one pot khichdi for lunch with samai rice.. Added more veggies to make it a complete meal.
What you need: Adapted from Padhuskitchen
Little Millet / Samai - 1 cup
Moong dhal - 2 tbsp
Mixed Veggies - 1 cup (Carrot, Beans, Potato, Green peas)
Onion - 1 no, sliced
Green chilli - 4 nos slit
Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Ghee - 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp
Whole black pepper - 2-3
Red chilli - 1
Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
How to make:
Wash and soak millets along with moong dal in 1 1/2 cup of hot water for 2 -2 1/2 hours. Heat oil in a pressure pan, add cumin seeds, red chillies, hing black pepper and curry leaves.
Add chopped onions, ginger, green chillies and saute until onions turn pink. Then add all the vegetables, drumstick leaves, turmeric powder, salt needed and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the soaked millet along with the water. Close the cooker and cook for 2 whistles on medium flame, then simmer for another 5 minutes and switch it off. Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker, add a tsp of ghee and mix the well.
Serve hot with cup of curd, pickles n some munches to go along..
Thin crust pizza always attracts me but why is that no wheat crust pizzas avbl?? This made me make my own pizza... loads of pickled veggies n my fav veggies went into it.. Simple and damn quick to make.. more imp cost effective..
What you need:
Whole Wheat Flour - 3/4 cup
Instant Dry Yeast - 1/4 tsp
Garlic Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup or as reqd
For Topping:
Pizza Sauce - 3 tbsp
Tri colored bell peppers - 1 cup, chopped
Sweet corn - 2 tbsp
Black olives - 6 nos
Pickled Jalapenos - 5 nos
Cheddar cheese - 1/2 cup (shredded)
How to make:
In a deep bowl take add all the ingredients from "flour to sugar" and mix well. Make a dent, add oil and hot water and make it to a sticky dough , then on to a light floured surface knead the dough for 6-8 minutes. The dough should not be too sticky or too hard .
Cover with wet cloth for an hour or until doubles punch the dough and transfer it to lined baking tray. Preheat oven to 220 degree C.
Roll it into thin disc prick the dough spread the sauce add the veggies, sprinkle cheese, lightly brush the edges with olive oil and bake for 15- 20 minutes or until bottom turns light golden brown and cheese melted.
A simple Madras style sambar sadham made spicy suiting our taste buds..Sunday lunches are always special coz i cook whatever SH prefers n other days it totally depends on me.. He was bit upset that it was brown rice but other than that he loved the taste.. Also made brown rice rasam sadham, thayir sadham, manthakkali keerai masiyal, vendakkai kari, omam arisi vadaam n maangai oorukkai..
What you need:
2 cups - Cooked Brown rice (1 cup rice pre soaked for 1 hr add 3 cups water and cook in pressure cooker for 6 - 8 hisses)
1/2 cup - Thoor Dhal
6 nos - Pearl onions
2 cups - Carrot, Beans, Capsicum, Green peas (chopped)
3/4 tsp - Tamarind paste- a small lemon sized ball
2 tbsp - Sambar Powder
gen pinch - Turmeric powder
gen pinch - Asafoetida -
1 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 no - Red chilli, broken
1 sprig - Curry leaves
1 tsp - Oil
1 tsp - Ghee
2 tbsp - Fresh coriander, chopped
What you need for the masala:
5 nos - Red chillies
1 tbsp - Coriander seeds
1 tsp - Channa dal
1 tsp - Urad dhal
1/4 tsp - Fenugreek seeds
1 no - Clove
3 tbsp - Grated coconut
Dry roast and grind to smooth paste.
How to make:
Pressure cook dhal with 1 tomato and 2 green chillies until soft and mash well.
Heat oil in a kadai add mustard seeds once it cracks add red chilly, curry leaves, hing saute well and add onions mix well and add veggies and saute add salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste and 2 cups water and let it cook until raw smell goes off.
Add the masala and mashed dhal and 1 cup water and bring to gentle boil now add cooked brown rice mix well add ghee and sprinkle fresh coriander and serve hot !!
Poondu Idli podi spicy n garlicyy perfect with idli /dosa n uthappam espcly as podi dosa works wonder..
What you need:
Garlic pods - 20 pods
Uradh Dhal - 1 cup
Red chillies - 1 Hand full
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Salt as reqd
Oil - 1 tsp
How to make:
Roast the garlic and chillies sep in oil and cool them. Roast uradh dhal until it turns golden in color and cool it. Grind all together until grainy add salt and asafoetida at the last round.
Cool it and store in container and use it!!
A protein rich soya chunks n tri colored bell pepper curry cooked in mildly spiced tomato puree and cooked till it thickens. It tastes awesome with any Indian bread and any flavored rice varieties.
What you need:
2 cups - Soya chunks (cooked in boiling ot water with gen pinch of salt n drained)
1 cup - Tri colored bell peppers, diced
1 no - Onion, chopped
2 nos - Tomatoes, pureed
1 tsp - Ginger n garlic paste
1 tsp - Red chilli powder
1 tsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp - Cumin seeds
Gen pinch garam masala
2 tbsp- olive oil
Salt as reqd
2 tbsp - Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
How to make:
Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds once it splutters add onion, ginger and garlic paste mix well add salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, tomato puree and cook until raw smell goes off.
Now add bell peppers, soya chunks, garam masala cover and cook until the curry thickens sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and serve hot!
What you need:
