Capsicum Masala Rice - Version 1

Ingredients:
Capsicum - 1 Cubed  (Medium or large size)
Salt - To taste

For Powder:

Raw peanuts - 2 table spoon
Corriander seeds - 2 table spoon
Urid dhal - 2 table spoon
red chilly - 3

For rice:

Basmathi rice - 1 cup

To Temper:
Oil - 1 Table spoon
Ghee - 1 Table Spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring

Method:

Dry roast all the ingredients under 'For Powder' until light golden color.Let it cool for some time and then make a dry powder in the blender.

Mean while soak, basmathi rice for 20 minutes and i pressure cooked with less than 2 cups of water with 1 tsp of oil. ( After 1st whistel, keep the flame in low and turn off in 5 minutes) or cook in your method. Rice should not be mushy. Once the pressure releases, gently fluff with fork the cooked rice and make sure the rice is not smashed when taking out.

Heat oil and ghee together.When hot add mustard seeds and curry leaves.When they splutter add chopped capsicum, add salt and saute well. When they are 3/4th cooked add the ground powder and cook for few minutes.Now add the cooked rice and mix well. Adjust salt. Top it with 1 tsp of ghee to add a nice flavour.

Fish Fry - Method 2

Ingredients:
Tilapia - 2 Fillets
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 3/4 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Lemon  ( small ) - 1/2 ( Squeeze the juice)
pepper and Jeera powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - As per taste
oil - For shallow frying

Method:

Wash the Tilapia Fillets and drain the water completely. I cut  them to small pieces.

Mix Red chilly powder, Garam Masala powder, Ginger Garlic paste, Turmeric Powder, Lemon juice, Pepper and Jeera powder, Salt and 1 tsp of oil in a bowl.
Rub the paste in the Fish pieces, Marinate them for at least 2 hours.

Heat 2 to 3 table spoon of oil in a pan, When it is hot, add the Pieces and fry them on both sides until it is cooked. Make sure you don't over crowd when shallow frying.

Yummy Fish fry is ready!

simple Channa Masala

Ingredients:
Channa - 1/2 cup ( soak overnight in water ).
Onion - 1/2 chopped (Medium size)
Tomato - 1  and 1/2 chopped
Garlic - 1 big
Ginger - small piece ( equivalent to garlic )
chilly powder - 1 tsp
corriander powder - 1tsp
Heavy whipping cream - 1 tsp
Oil - few tsp

To Temper :
Bay leaves - 1
Cloves  -1
Cinnamon - 1 small stick

Method:
Pressure cook the soaked channa with needed salt and keep it ready.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add onion , garlic and ginger.Saute well and then add tomatoes.Once the tomatoes turn mushy.Add the chilly powder and corriander powder. Saute for few minutes and turn off.
Let it cool for a while.Later make a paste out of it adding water in the Blender.

Heat 1 table spoon of oil, once they are hot, add the items given under 'To Temper'.Add the ground paste and add needed water and let it boil for few minutes.Add the needed salt for the gravy alone.

Now add the cooked channa. Adjust water and other spices if needed.I just smashed them once with the smasher.Just before turning off, add the cream.Give a stir and turn off.
Serve hot with rotis, bhaturas, poori and rice.

This is a basic version, there are lot of variations, which i would post soon.

Quick Bhaturas

Ingredients:
Uncooked Tortillas
Oil for deep frying

Method:
This a quick version, it may not be same as the traditional Bhaturas we make from scratch. But considering the time and effort, its really worth to try these in case of parties. You get these uncooked tortillas from COSTCO.

Take them from the freezer and thaw them ( by keeping it outside for atleast 2 hrs).Heat oil in a pan, cut them in to 4 triangles before frying( as they are big in size) and deep fry both sides.Serve with Channa. It's absolutely delicious.

Coconut chutney Version 3

Ingredients:
Grated coconut  -1 cup ( Fresh would taste better )
Green chilly -  2
Dhaliya/ pottukadalai - 2 table spoon
garlic -  1(very small)
ginger - twice the size of garlic
jeera - 1/8 tsp
shallot - 1 (very small)
salt -  1/3 tsp or to taste

To Temper:
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urid dhal - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 1 string


Method:
Grind everything together to a fine paste with needed water in the blender.

Heat oil in a pan, once the oil is hot add mustard seeds, urid dhal and curry leaves.When the splutter, turn off the gas and pour it on top of the ground chutney.
Serve with Idli, dosa or pongal. It would taste amazing!

Microwave paalkova

Ingredients:
Sweetened condensed milk -1 can

Curd - 1tea spoon

Ghee - 1 and 1/2 tea spoon

Milk - 2 table spoon

Method:

Mix all together in a microwave safe bowl. keep in microwave for 5 to 6 minutes at the max.Don't over cook.

Microwave for 5 minutes uncovered ( Make sure to take them out and give a stir for every 2  minutes).
After the first 5 minutes, take out and give a quick mix and microwave again for 30 seconds.
Some times it may be ready by now and it really depends on the power of the microwave.
This is how it looked after 5 min and 30 seconds.

But mine wasn't ready, so i kept in the microwave for another 15 seconds.

Each microwave is different so keep an eye after 5 minutes,When the texture becomes porous and thick, it's time to stop.
Let it cool down for few minutes, then transfer to a airtight container, else not they would become hard.
Quick and easy Milk kova / Paal kova is ready!

Kale poriyal

Ingredients:
Kale - 1 small bunch.
Toor dhal - 2 table spoon
grated coconut - 2 table spoon
onion - 1/2 chopped finely
mustard - 1 tsp
urid dhal - 1 tsp
dry red chilly - 2

Method.
Pressure cook 2 table spoon toor dhal and keep it ready. Don't over cook the dhal.You must be able to see the texture of the dhal, but when you press with your fingers it should smash.
wash the kale very well and then remove the thick stem and chop them finely.
Heat  a wide pan, add 2 tsp of oil.When the oil is hot add mustard and urid dhal , when they splutter add the dry chilles.Now add onion and saute for some time.Add in the chopped kale, saute for some time and close the lid.The kale should cook in the steam itself, no need to add water.Once they shrink well, add the needed salt, cooked dhal( drain the water from dhal and use it some thing else) and coconut.cover and cook for some time and turn off.

Cone Dosa

My daughter loved the cone dosa at a friends place.Just learnt the trick from my friend, its very simple though.Many might have already known how do that, but for those who have no clue, here are the pictures.