MUSHROOM PULAO

Basmati is a long grain variety of rice and it has a distinct flavor and gives out a special aroma due to the presence of a 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. Mushroom is a source of powerful nutrients.

I usually make pulav when i am in a hurry as this is a very simple dish. This makes a great lunch box recipe too.

INGREDIENTS

Mushroom 200 g
Peas 1 tbsp
Green chili 2
Carrot cut into cubes 1 no,
Onion 1 medium
Tomato 1 big
Garlic  and ginger paste 2 tsp
Turmeric 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 2 tsp
Ghee/oil/butter 1 tbsp
Bay leaves 2 no.s
Basmati rice 1 cup
Water 1 and 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves

METHOD

Take a deep pan heat oil/ghee/ butter (better to use ghee as it will give a distinct flavor to the rice.

Add the onions,chili and bay leaves and saute till onion becomes brown, add the garlic and ginger paste and stir till the raw smell goes away. Add the carrots and mushrooms(cut 1 mushroom into four) and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the basmati rice(this has to be washed twice and drain all the water) and stir continuously for 5 minutes on low heat.  Add the garam masala powder and saute for a minute and switch off the gas. Let it cool.

Add 1   1/2 cup water to the rice  and transfer it into a vessel. Take a pressure cooker add water in the base put the vessel and pressure cook for 4 whistles.

Take out the pressure cooker lid only after the pressure is slowly released . Serve the mushroom rice pulao hot. Garnish with corriander leaves.

LEMON RICE

Lemon rice is a very easy South indian dish and you can make it when you are in a hurry.You can make it with cooked rice or with left over rice. Lemon rice can be made for tiffin box, picnic or when you are travelling. This can be served with pappads or raita.

 Lemon helps to fight infection and promote immunity. It contains calcium, magnesium vitamin C etc,

INGREDIENTS

Rice 2 cup cooked
Grated carrot 1/4 cup
Peas
Onion 1 medium
Ginger 1inch grated
Green chilies 2 or 3 slit
Curry leaves
Lemon 2 no.s
Salt to taste
Turmeric 1 tsp
Asafoetida 1 tsp
Refined oil 1 tbsp
Peanuts roasted 1 tbsp
Mustard 1 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Coriander leaves

METHOD

Take a deep pan/ kadai and heat the oil add mustard, jeera. When the mustard splutters add curry leaves, onion, green chilies, ginger and fry till onion changes colour.

Add aesofodia, turmeric and fry for a second. Add peas, carrot , roasted peanuts and little salt . Turn off the fire.

Add the juice of 2 lemon. Add the rice and stir mix well. Keep it covered for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Add salt to cooked rice and add to the kadai and stir for 5 minutes,. Garnish with corriander leaves. Serve hot with Pappads.

TOMATO RICE

Tomatoes are sweet, juicy and delicious. They are fat free, low in calories and and have Vitamin C. They protect the body from variety of cancers. Fresh tomatoes help to lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Garlic has antiviral, anti-fungal, antioxidant  and antibacterial properties.

Tomato rice or thakkali (tomato) sadam(rice in Tamil) is a easy recipe to make. If you have time constraint you can prepare this dish with left over rice and serve with raita,/pickle/pappad. This dish can be taken for lunch and makes great tiffin box.

INGREDIENTS

Tomato                                     3
Onion                                         1
Green gram sprouts             3/4 tea cup
Garlic                                         3-4
Ginger                                        1 inch piece
Turmeric powder                 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida                                1 tsp
Green chillies                          2-3 OR
Chilli powder                          1-2 tsp
Cumin powder                       1 tsp
Cooked rice                             2 tea cup
Refined oil/ olive oil           2 tsp
Salt to taste

METHOD  

Heat oil in a large kadai/skillet add the onions and garlic - ginger paste. Saute till raw smell of garlic disappears.Add turmeric powder and asafoetida, saute for a second.

Blend the tomatoes in a blender and add it to the onions. Cook on medium flame till the tomatoes reduces to a thick consistency. Stir occasionally.

Add the cooked rice and the sprouts, nicely mix the rice with the tomatoes. Season with salt,cumin powder and chilli powder/green chilles.

Serve hot with any accompaniment of your choice.

TASTY IDLI

Idli is an ideal south indian breakfast and is famous all over India. It is light and nutritious and can be eaten by people of any age. Even doctors recommend this when one is sick as it is easily digested. Making Idlis is not at all difficult but preparing the batter takes a lot of time as it has to be fermented. Rice and urad dal are the main ingredients which goes into preparing idlis. 

INGREDIENTS

Ponni boiled rice 2 cups

Black gram(urad dal) 1 cup

fenugreek 2 tsp

salt

METHOD

Rice and urad dal(black gram) and fenugreek are separately soaked in water for atleast  6 hours, then it is separately  ground and then they are mixed together  ,salt is added to the batter. First batter for urad dal has to be ground with fenugreek, it should be in thick consistency, as it grinds the urad dal rises, take it out and put in a vessel..Add the rice in the grinder and it should be aslo ground in thick consistency, it should not be ground fine, take it out and put with urad dal batter. Then it is fermented for atleast 7 to 8 hrs. 

Then the batter is poured into special idli vessels after greasing them with oil and are steamed for 10 minutes in rice cooker. Butter knife is used to remove the idlis. This can be served with sambar, chutney and in chutney there are lot of varieties.

I love idilis and like to eat when ever I am hungry . Long time back people used to use mortar and pestle to grind idilis ,it was a tough job. After the invention of grinders it is very easy to make idli batter. As this recipe was limited to south india , after the grinders it has become one of the most popular recipe in whole of India.