Back home in India, Rasam is a must have in our daily lunch menu. After coming to US I do not make it quite often as it has to be featured in a South Indian Kitchen. The goodness of rasam / chaaru cannot be forgotten. It is a comforting soup which aids in digestion and regulates metabolism. Kavin loves rasam and so I make it very often. This paruppu rasam is a simple recipe and his favorite with ghee. As in many (okay, most) of my recipes I have used my favorite kitchen gadget, the pressure cooker.
Ingredients:
Toor dhal / split pigeon peas - 1/3 cup
Garlic - 2 cloves
Tomato - 1 - medium sized - cut into half
Olive oil / Castor oil - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - size of half a lime - Soak in 1 cup of water and extract juice
Rasam powder - 1 tsp - 1 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Tempering:
Olive oil / Ghee - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - a pinch
Cumin seeds - a pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Method:
Wash and soak toor dhal for 30 minutes. Cook the dhal and garlic, tomato, oil, salt, turmeric powder with 3 times water until it is fully cooked and turns mushy when pressed with a ladle. I used my pressure cooker to cook for 3 whistles. When done, drain the water and reserve. Mash the dhal, garlic and tomato with the back of a wooden spoon or ladle until fully mashed. Return the reserved liquid back to the pan and add the tamarind extract and rasam powder. The rasam should be watery at this stage. Add half to one cup of water until desired consistency is reached. Do a taste check for salt and spice (from rasam powder) and allow it to boil in medium heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and continue to heat for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. In another small pan heat ghee and add the ingredients for tempering viz. mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When the curry leaves splutters pour the tempering over the rasam. Serve steaming hot with steamed rice or as a soup before meal.
DH once recited a list of dishes and asked me if I have it in my blog. I said "no" to most of them. Those are the recipes which we make most often but never got a chance to click them. As a part of my ongoing "more rice recipes for blog pact", I thought I should try to click them whenever I can. Here I am with another simple and easy recipe which we make often. Paired with simple curry or just yogurt and pickle, it is a satisfactory meal.
Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Beetroot - 2 small - grated
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Onion - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1 or 2
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Split urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dhal - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Method:
Cook rice and spread in a plate to allow it to cool. Heat oil in a non-stick kadai and splutter the mustard seeds, urad dhal and chana dhal. When the chana dhal turns light brown in color add the slit green chilli and onions. Fry until the onions are cooked and add the cumin powder and salt. Add the grated beetroot and saute for a couple of minutes. Add about 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Cover and cook in medium heat until done. This would take about 10-15 minutes. Mix occasionally to avoid burning. When the beetroot is cooked through, add the cooked cooled rice and mix well. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with any curry of your choice.
Mango season is here and the market is overflowing with mangoes. I picked up a few to try out a few recipes and to slurp it down as such, a simple wish of a true mango lover. When we were kids spending our summer holidays in grandparents' house in the village in India, we got mangoes in abundant. Literally, abundant in big baskets. We used to eat at least a few in a day. Summer holidays were all about, eating, playing and having fun. Also featured on the menu for the holidays would be raw mango rice, mango juice and pickles. I made this easy to make pachadi yesterday as a side dish for sambar rice. It tastes great with rasam and curd rice too.
Ingredients:
Ripe Mango - 2 large - peeled and cubed
Chilli powder - a large pinch or 1/2 tsp (based on spice level)
Salt - to taste
For tempering:
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2 or 3, broken
Method:
In a saucepan add the mango pieces with salt and chilli powder. Add about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of water and cook covered in medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally by mashing the mango pieces to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom. When almost all of the water has evaporated, remove the lid and cook until the remaining water is vaporized. Remove from heat and allow to cool. For tempering, heat oil and splutter the mustard and cumin seeds. Add the chillies and pour this tempering over the cooled mango pachadi. Mix well and store in a dry, airtight container in the fridge. Keeps well for about a week, if it lasts that long for you.
Notes:
A pinch of turmeric powder can be added if desired. I did not add because i wanted the natural color of mango.
I had mentioned about my MIL's handwritten recipe book in my Sundal Kulambu recipe. It is a little book containing less than 20 recipes, all DH's favorites. She gave it to him when he first came to the US and did not have any experience in cooking. I believe he didn't try many recipes but the book was very useful to me. It had all his family recipes many of which were new to me. This Cauliflower Peas Masala recipe is from that book and another one for DH's favorite.
Ingredients:
Measurements in standard cup
Cauliflower - 1 - small - cut into florets and cleaned - approx 2 cups
Peas - 3/4 cup
Onion - 1 cup - chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 2 tbsp
Make a Paste:
Red Chilli powder - 1-1/2 tsp (I used kashmiri chilli powder, if using regular chilli powder use 1 tsp)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 3 cloves
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Method:
Grind the ingredients under "Make a paste" to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a wide kadai and splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the chopped onions and saute until it takes a light golden shade. Add the cauliflower florets and fry for about 10 minutes. The cauliflower pieces should be half-cooked at this time and have a slight crispy outer layer. Add the peas, salt and the ground masala with about 1 cup of water. Allow it to boil in medium-high heat until the raw smell disappears and the peas and cauliflower are cooked through. Mix occasionally to prevent the masala from sticking to the pan. Serve hot with roti, rice or pulao. I did with Carrot Rice.
Notes:
I used frozen peas. If using fresh peas, soak overnight and pressure cook beforehand for about 3 whistles.
This masala can also be made with only cauliflower or only peas.
When I looked back at my posts I saw I didn't have many rice dishes. After all, rice is the staple food of us South Indians. And DH cannot live without rice for more than two days. So I thought I should have more of those recipes in my space. This simple and quick Carrot Rice is my start for my "more rice recipes for blog pact". It is a great lunch box recipe too. Expect more simple rice recipes in my space.
Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Rice - 1 1/2 cups (rice cooker cup)
Carrot - 2 medium sized - grated
Onion -chopped - 1//2 cup
Green chillies - 2 or 3 - slit
Curry leaves - a few
Salt - to taste
Tempering:
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Broken Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp
Method:
Cook rice as twice the amount of water. When done, spread on a plate / cookie pan to cool completely. Meanwhile heat oil in a wide kadai and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the urad dhal and chana dhal and fry until it takes a shade of light brown. Add the curry leaves and slit green chillies and fry for a minute. Onion goes next. Fry for about 3-5 minutes with a pinch of salt until it turns soft. Now add the grated carrot and fry until it is cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Now add the cooked cooled rice and mix well. Serve with any curry of your choice. A simple pickle and papad would also be great.
Ingredients:
Method:
