Simple Mutton soup

Today i made mutton gravy. Just thought of making soup. Back in India i have seen my M-I-L pressure cooking all the mutton, then she takes just takes the water to make the soup and the mutton for other recipes. But i tried the same and the mutton got over cooked. So this time took few mutton pieces just for soup.

Ingredients:

Mutton - 4 small pieces.

shallot - 1 finely chopped

Tomato - 1/4 ( Medium size)

garlic - 1 ( Very small grated)

Green chilly - 1 slit

Pepper Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

salt - to taste

cilantro - 2 spring

water - 1.5 cup

Method:

Pressure cook Mutton, shallot, tomato, green chilly, salt with 1.5 cups of water for 5 to whistle, or until the mutton is cooked.

once the pressure is released, add pepper powder and grated garlic.Boil for few minutes.

add cilantro and turn off.

Serve hot!

Yogurt rice / Curd rice / Thaiyr sadam

                        Made this for a pot luck. I have never tried my hands in yogurt rice, this is my first attempt to make it for a big group. Good dish for summer to beat the heat! here you go with the recipe, all the measurement are purely to taste.

Ingredients

rice - 1.5 cups ( I used sona masoori)
Milk - 3 cups ( I used 2% )
Thick plainYougurt - 1.5 cups
sour cream - 6 table spoon
Carrot grated - 6 table spoon
cucumber chopped - 6 table spoon
raw mango - 6 table spoon
curry leaves - 1 spring
cilantro - 1 hand  finely chopped
Green chilly finely chopped - 1
salt - to taste

To Temper:
Oil - 2 table spoon
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urid dhal - 1 t sp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Ginger chopped - 1 table spoon
Hing - 1/8 tea spoon

Method:

Pressure cook rice with 4.5 cups of water.

Mash the rice with the back of the spoon well, when it is warm add the milk.
Let it cook for a while, now add yougurt and the sourcream.
Add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Heat oil in a pan, when it is hot temper with the ingredients under 'to temper' and pour it on top of the rice.

Mix well and serve it with pickle !

Note: Adjust the Yogurt based on the sourness, if you are going to make it well ahead increase the milk and reduce the yogurt. Make it little watery as it tends to thicken up slowly.

Sago Vadam / Javvarisi vathal

I have never made Vathal/vadam. There was a small pack of sago sitting in my pantry for a real long time. Wanted to get rid off it. That's when I made this and I got the recipe from my mom.
When I deep fried them, it turned out good and my daughter said "Yummy mummy", I was so happy :)

Ingredients:
Sago - 1 cup
sour and thick butter milk - 1/3 to 1/2 ( depending up on the sourness, mine was not very sour, so I used  1/2 cup).
Water - 2.5 cups for soaking + 5 to 5 1/2 cup for cooking.
Lemon - 1/2
Food color - Few drops of your choice

To grid:
salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Green chillies - 5

Method:

Soak sago in 2.5 cups of water for atleast 3 to 4 hours. After 4 hours you could see they would have doubled in the quantity and size.

Grind green chilli and salt  with little water.

Use a pressure cooker or a real heavy bottom pan for this recipe.
Boil 5 1/2 cups of water, once it comes to a boil add the soaked sago along with the water.
Keep stirring continuously, to avoid forming lumps or getting burnt at the bottom.

sago has to come to a porridge consistency. I had no clues what my mom was talking about. Then she told me the sago would become transparent and the color would change. Just before switching off, add the green chilli paste.

It took around 15 to 17 minutes to cook altogether after adding the sago to the water.
Don't cook to a thick consistency. Let it be little watery,as you let it cool, it would thicken a bit.
Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes, when it is slightly warm ,add the buttermilk and lemon juice. Mix well.

If you wish to add food color, pour them to separate containers, add few drops of food color, mix well.

My mom used big cotton cloth to pour the vathal. Since I don't have them here, I used a cookie tray and lined it up with cling wrap.
Took a small spoon full of sago mixture and poured onto the tray and made a small circle.
I let it dry in the backyard under the sun for couple of days.

When they are completely dry, store them in air tight container.

To make the vathal, heat a pan of oil and deep fry them!

Vola, you would be so proud when you make it all by yourself!!!