Beetroot Rice

Rice is a staple food in the South Indian families. We eat rice for at least one meal everyday. Some of my non Indian friends call me "Starch Girl" :)
Most of the times rice is served with a curry or a vegetable side dish or the rice is cooked along with vegetables and/or lentils.

I often find it easy and interesting to make rice with different vegetables.
Here is a simple rice dish made with grated beetroot.




Ingredients:

• Beetroot: 2 medium sized
• Onion: 1 medium sized(finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Garam Masala: 1 tsp
• Oil: 3 tbsp
• Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp(optional)
• Cooked Rice: 2 Cups

Tempering:

• Split black gram(Urad dal): 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Curry leaves: 4
• Dried red chillies: 2(broken)
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
• Asafoetida(Hing): a pinch

Procedure:

1. Add oil to a pan and when the oil is heated, add the seasoning ingredients in the order mentioned.
2. When the seeds start spluttering, add the onions along with a pinch of salt and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Now add the grated beetroot and mix well and cover the pan with a lid and cook for few minutes until the beetroot is cooked and becomes soft.
4. If you want to serve the beetroot as a side dish with cooked rice, you can stop here.
5. To make the rice, continue reading.
6. Now add the cooked rice to the beetroot mixture, add the garam masala powder and mix gently.
7. If you like your rice spicy, add the red chili powder and adjust the salt.
8. Turn off the stove.
9. Serve with Raitha/Yogurt chutney.

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Red Lentil Rice

Before I start cooking, when time permits, I go through the food blogosphere to get some inspiration and ideas. Sometimes it is the recipe that grabs my attention, but most of the time it is the beautiful pictures that really make me drool so much that I cook immediately.

Even though you know that recipe, have been cooking for ages, when you look at a beautifully taken shot, you feel like eating it right away.

This is one such recipe from DK's Chef In You. this is the second recipe I am trying form Chef In You. The first was Tres Leches Cake. What I like about her site is the step by step instructions with pictures. You don't even have to read through the whole post. A glance at the pictures is enough.

Red lentils are the easiest of the lentils to cook. You don't need to use a pressure cooker. when you are in a time crunch these are the best lentils to use. You can make any kind of dal or sambar too with these red lentils.



Ingredients:

• Onions: 1 medium sized.
• Red bell pepper: 1/2
• Green bell pepper: 1/2
• Red lentils: 1/4 cup
• Uncooked Rice: 1 cup
• Green Peas: 3 tbsp
• Green Chillies: 3(cut length wise)
• Cilantro( finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Green onions(finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
• Oil: 4 tbsp
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Garlic" 2 cloves(minced)
• Bay Leaf: 1
• Cinnamon: a small piece
• Cardamom: 2
• Cloves: 4-5
• Water/stock: 2.5 cups

Procedure:

1. Add oil to a pan and saute the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, garlic and turmeric for a minute.
2. Now add the onions, green chillies and salt and saute until the onion becomes soft and transparent.
3. Now add the vegetables - bell pepper and peas and fry for few more minutes.
4. When the vegetables are half cooked, add the rice and lentils and fry fore 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add the water/stock and adjust the salt.
6. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for few minutes stirring in between until the rice is cooked. Takes about 10 minutes.
7. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and turn off the stove and keep the pan covered for few more minutes.
8. Garnish with cilantro and green onions before serving.

Note: You can add any vegetables. Carrots, potatoes and green beans would taste great.

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Colorful Potato Curry

Potato is one vegetable that is everybody's favorite. I have never met a person who doesn't like potatoes and they obviously taste good cooked in a any form.

I usually make this as a side dish with rasam or sambar. Addition of cilantro and red pepper falkes make this dish vibrant and colorful.
The picture was taken before adding cilantro. The kiddo doesn't like the cilantro, so I had to add after she was done eating.



Ingredients:

• Potatoes: 4(medium sized)
• Onions: 1(medium sized)
• Green onions: 3
• Red Pepper Flakes: 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Cilantro(chopped): 2 tbsp

Tempering:

• Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
• Curry leaves: 4
• Hing: a pinch

Procedure:

1. Wash the potatoes, peel them and dice them into small cubes and add them to a bowl of water and set them aside.
2. Finely chop the onions and set them aside.
3. Add oil to a pan and when the oil is heated, add the tempering ingredients and when the seeds start spluttering add the onions and fry for 2 minutes.
4. Now add the potatoes, sprinkle 1/4 cup of water on the potatoes, add slat, mix them well and cover the pan with a lid and cook the potatoes for 5 minutes.
5. Now remove the lid stir the potatoes and fry them util they turn little crispy and are completely cooked.
6. After the potatoes are completely cooked, adjust the salt and add the red pepper flakes, chopped cilantro and the green onions turn off the heat.
7. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Note: This curry can be used as a sandwich stuffing too. I usually make sandwiches with the left over curry.

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Tofu in Sichuan Sauce

Chinese food at home and from scratch? Sounds good isn't it?
It is easy to cook Chinese food if you have the ready made sauces. But, if you can make the sauce at home from the most common ingredients, what's better than that.

I follow this recipe for the Sichuan Sauce. It is simple, can be made with the readily available ingredients and most importantly can be prepared in 5 minutes.

I usually use paneer( Indian Cottage Cheese) with it and make Sichuan Paneer. This time I used fried tofu in the sauce. I followed the recipe for the sauce exactly as mentioned in the above link. I just doubled the quantity so that is is sufficient for one pack of tofu.



Ingredients:

• Tofu firm style: 1 pack
• Green onions: 4
• Crushed Red Pepper: 1 tsp

For the sauce:

• Chicken Broth : 6 tbsp
• Tomato Paste: 2 tbsp
• Balsamic Vinegar: 4 tsp
• Sugar: 2 tsp
• Soy sauce: 2 tsp
• Sesame Oil: 1 tsp
• Corn Starch/Corn Flour: 1/2 tsp
• Crushed Red Pepper: 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. Dice the firm style tofu in to small cubes and deep fry them in oil until they turn brown.
2. Set the tofu aside and prepare the sauce.
3. To prepare the sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
4. Now add the fired tofu to a large bowl and add pour the sauce on the tofu and leave for few minutes to let the tofu soak in the sauce.
5. Garnish with finely chopped green onions and crushed red pepper.
6. Serve hot with white or brown steamed rice or with Chinese style vegetable fried rice.

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Pomegranate Milkshake for Pinktober

October is national breast cancer awareness month. Everything turns pink in October.
From the flight crew wearing pink uniforms to football players wearing pink helmets and shoes- Everyone doing their part for the breast cancer awareness.
I too have been thinking of doing(cooking) something pink for pinktober in honor of all those who suffered/suffering from breast cancer. All the recipes I could think of were sweets/desserts and I am not a sweet person and I wanted to post something healthy and not loaded with calories and sugars.
Yesterday, when I was opening the pomegranates, the idea of pomegranate milk shake struck me and I tried it immediately. I have heard about the pomegranate milk shake before, but this is the first time I am making or trying. However the color of the milk shake is not as pink as I wanted it to be. It turned out to be pale pink. May be I should have added some more seeds.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today and is the most common cancer among women. Many people have lost their loved ones to this dangerous disease.
Let's do our part in preventing this disease. It is important for women to catch the disease when it is still in early stage. Regular mammograms, together with monthly breast self-exams are the best ways for women to protect themselves.

Eat Healthy - Live Healthy



Ingredients:

• Pomegranate seeds: 1 cup
• Milk: 2 cups
• Sugar or Honey : 4 tsp

Procedure:

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend for few minutes.
2. Strain the milkshake through a strainer to remove the seeds.
3. Serve chilled.
4. Add fresh pomegranate seeds to the milk shake before serving.

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A simple cauliflower fry

If a recipe is simple, requires less cutting and cleaning and can be done in 10 minutes, who doesn't want to try it. I love super fast recipes. I hate cutting and cleaning as much as I like cooking.
When it is raining and you are in a mood for some spicy tangy food and you are lazy to cook, here is a simple recipe for you.




Ingredients:

• Cauliflower florets: 2 cups
• Dhaniya(Coriander) powder: 1 1/2 tsp
• Jheera(Cumin) powder: 1 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric: 1 tsp
• Sal to taste
• Lime juice: 1/2 tsp
• Aamchur powder: 1/2 tsp( optional)
• Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
• Ground black pepper: 1/2 tsp
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Water: 1/2 cup
• Chopped Cilantro: 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Rinse the cauliflower under water and cut it into small florets.
2. Add oil to a pan and add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, aamchur powder, red chilli powder, black pepper and fry for few seconds.
3. Now add the cauliflower to the oil and gently mix them so that the spice mixture is evenly coated.
4. Now add the salt and water and cover the pan with a lid and cook for few minutes until the cauliflower is cooked. Keep stirring in between. Add more water if required.
5. Once the cauliflower is cooked, remove the lid and fry until the water is evaporated.
6. Add lime juice and adjust the salt.
7. Garnish with cilantro.
8. Serve hot with steamed rice or bread/roti.

Note: Adding aamchur is optional. If you are not using aamchur, add more lime juice.

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Gongura Sorakaya Pulusu

Gongura is a leafy vegetable widely used in South India. It has a sour taste.
It is difficult to find Gongura in the place I live. So I decided to grow them. Usually Gongura is made in to a pickle/pachadi. Since I did not have enough to make pachadi, I made the gongura pulusu. Doesn't it feel good to cook with home grown vegetables? and the best thing about gongura is it doesn't catch any bugs.
I tried my hands at growing different vegetables, but when they get bugs I loose my interest in gardening.

Ingrediesnts:

• Gongura Leaves(rinsed): 2 cups
• Bottle Gourd(Sorakaya)(Cubed): 1 cup
• Channa Dal: 2 tbsp
• Onions(Finely chopped): 1/2 cup
• Green chillies( Cut length wise): 4
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Garlic cloves: 2

Seasoning:

• Urad Dal: 1/2 tsp
• Mustard Seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves: 5
• Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
• Hing: a pinch

Procedure:

1. Soak the channa dal in water for 4-5 hours.
2. Chop the sorrel/gongura leaves.
3. Add oil to a pan and add the seasoning ingredients in the order mentioned.
4. When the seeds start spluttering, add the onions and the garlic cloves.
5. When the onions start to turn brown, add the chopped bottle gourd, green chillies and the sorrel/gongura leaves.
6. Add the soaked channa dal.
7. Add little water and cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for few minutes.
8. Keep stirring in between.
9. Add more water if required.
10. When the sorrel leaves and the bottle gourd are completely cooked, add the salt and turn off the stove.
11. Serve with steamed rice and ghee.

Note: Adding bottle gourd is totally optional. This curry can be made just with the gongura leaves and channa dal. 

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