Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng is a version of fried-rice of Indonesian origin. Traditionally it is served for breakfast, and is made with leftover rice. I made some rice and refrigerated it overnight to make this as typically I make only just enough and won't be having any leftovers. It is spicier than typical Chinese fried rice and so suited better for our taste-buds used to the spicy Indian cuisine.

Recipe source: Show me the curry

Ingredients:

Oil -2 tbsp

Butter – 2 tbsp

Garlic – 2 tbsp, minced

Eggs- 1. beaten

Rice – 1 cup raw rice cooked

Salt – to taste

Black Pepper Powder – to taste

Sweet Indonesian Sauce (Kecap Manis) – 3 tsp or as needed

Shredded Cabbage- 1/2 cup, packed

Green Beans – 1/2 cup, cut diagonally

Carrots – 1/4 cup, shredded

Bell Pepper (Capsicum) – 1/4 of Bell Pepper

Firm Tofu – 1/4 cup, cubed (optional)

Sambal – to taste 

Garnish

Egg-4

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil and add in the Butter and allow it to melt. While it is still melting, add in the minced Garlic. Add in the beaten Egg. Stir and cook.

Add in cooked and cold Rice. Mix and allow the Rice to heat up. Season with Salt and Black Pepper.

Add in Kecap Manis (Sweet Indonesian Soy Sauce) or soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar and mix till it has coated all the rice. Add in the Vegetables and Tofu and mix well till everything is incorporated well.

Add in Sambal and give it one final mix. Remove from flame and plate as desired.

In a small skillet, heat a tsp of Oil and make a fried egg, once done, season with Salt and Red Chilli Powder. Plate on the Nasi Goreng and serve.

Dukbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)

Aishwarya has friends from different nationalities. Whenever her friends comes over, I serve only mildly spicy dishes  thinking that they won't be able to tolerate spicy food as well as we do. So it was a surprise to me when Aishwarya's Korean friend wanted to try out the Indian pickle. At first I refused, thinking that it would be too hot for her, but she insisted on having it and ate it without any issue. Then she told me that some of their Korean food was even spicier.This made me wanting to try some such hot dishes.
This is one such dish I tried out.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Sticky Rice Cake Sticks,
2 Cups of Cabbage
1/2 Onion
1/2 Carrot
2 King mushroom
2 Green Onion
5 Garlic
2 1/2 Cups Water(if you prefer less sauce add 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
1 Tbsp Pepper Powder
 2 Tbsp Corn Syrup
1/2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
 Sesame Seeds  and green onion to garnish (optional)
Method:
Sock the rice sticks for a minimum of 1 hour.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan.Saute garlic and onion for a few seconds,add rest of the vegetables.Add water and rest of the ingredients and cook stirring occasionally till the sauce gets almost dried up.Serve hot by garnishing with green onion and sesame seeds.

Jeera Rice

The party season is on. Though the Thanksgiving  is over, the party schedule still remains hectic - with both hosting and participating. I have already started planning the dishes for Christmas and New Year. I know a lot of you out there would be like me, who loves planning ahead.
Jeera rice is a rice dish that I always include in most of my lunch or dinner parties. One reason is that this goes well with any of the Indian curry preparations. Another reason is that it is an easy, yet deliciously flavorful rice preparation.
Recipe source: Vah Re Vah
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice (pre soaked  for 30 minutes)
1tbs butter or ghee
1/4 cup cilantro
2 green chilli
1 tsp jeera (cumin)
1/8 cup mint (optional)
1 pinch saffron (optional)
to taste salt
1 and 1/2 cup water
Method:
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.Add cumin and once they splutter,add green chilli , mint and cilantro and saute for a minute. Add water  and  add presoaked rice along with saffron and salt. Pressure cook this for 5 minutes after steam comes and you put the weight on at low heat. Serve this with raita and curry of your choice.

Ariyunda /Rice Ladoo

Ariyunda can be considered one of the traditional desserts of Kerala cuisine. It is something that is easy to make, yet tastes delicious. This would have taken  me about 10-15 minutes to make this batch. In the traditional way of making it, fresh coconut has to be crushed together with jaggery in an ural (a bigger version of a mortar). As I didn't have access to this way of making it, in order to get a similar effect, I have lightly roasted the coconut together with the jaggery so that these blend together well. An added advantage of this method is that as the water content in the coconut is reduced, the sweet can keep fresh longer.
Ingredients:
Flattened matta rice(kerala brown rice)/matta rice - 1 cup
Powdered Jaggery-3/4 cup
Grated Coconut  -3/4cup
Cardamom - 5
Method:
Dry roast the  flattened rice in medium heat till they turn crispy.  Once it cools powder the roasted rice  along with the cardamom to a fine powder and transfer to a bowl.
Lightly roast  coconut along with the powdered jaggery at medium heat . Put the coconut jaggery mix in a grinder and pulse this for a few times. Mix this with the rice powder mix .
Take a handful of the mixture and start shaping to small balls.(In case the mix is dry add a few teaspoons of milk little by little till its right to make the balls)
You can store them in a clean and air tight container to enjoy later.Tastes best the same day.

Black Pepper Ghee Rice

Last few days I had been feeling under the weather with some bad cold and fever. I was having a bad appetite and was in no mood to cook. So when Jay asked me what I would like to have for lunch, I remembered seeing this recipe at Radhika's blog that looked appealing - definitely for someone in my condition. I did ask Jay to make some little modifications as I wanted it more spicy and zesty. It did turn out good and gave me some relief from my sore throat and perked-up my taste-buds.
Recipe adapted from:Tickling Palates
Ingredients:
Basmati rice/Jasmine rice – 1 cup
Black pepper corn – 1 tbs
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Shallots – 10 to 15
Garlic cloves – 10 to 12
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Ghee – 2 to 3 tbs
Method:
Cook 1 cup of rice and set it aside. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and fry the pepper corns at low to medium heat till they are crisp.Set this aside and do the same with the cumin. Once both pepper and cumin cools, powder them fine.Add the remaining ghee to the kadai and sauté finely sliced shallots and garlic till they almost turn golden color. Now add the turmeric powder saute for a few seconds,add salt, ground powders and the cooked rice and mix well  till all the rice is well coated. Serve hot and with love. As per Radhika  you can do this in oil too but since pepper is a heat provider to our body, using ghee acts as a coolant and it is also appetizing at the same time.

Vangi Bhath /Spicy Eggplant Rice

Literally translated "Vangi Bhath" would be, eggplant rice. This spicy rice preparation is from South India, but surprisingly it is not popular in Kerala, the southern most state. I got introduced to this dish during my college days in Bangalore, the present day Bengaluru. Being an eggplant lover, I loved it the first time I tried this. If you love eggplants and hasn't tried this yet, this is a must try for you. I am sure you will love this.

Ingredients:
Cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice- 2cups
For Vangi Bhath Masala:
Cinnamon sticks -1" piece
Cloves -5
Chana dal -1 tbsp
Coriander seeds-1 tbsp
Urad dal -1 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies -to taste
Sesame-1 tsp
Cumin-1/2tsp
Pepper-1/2tsp
Method:
Dry roast the following in low flame on a heavy bottomed skillet: Cinnamon Stick, Cloves and Channa Daal. After a minute or two, add in Coriander Seeds, Urad Daal and Red Chillies and roast till you get a color and aroma. Add the sesame and toss well before removing from fire. Once done, transfer to a plate or a bowl and allow it to cool down. Once the spices have cooled down, grind to a fine powder and set aside till ready to use.
Rest of the ingredients:
Eggplant/Brinjal -2 medium sized (cut into big chunks)
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Chana dal -1 tbsp
Raw Peanuts -2 tbsp
Curry leaves -1 sprig
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Potatoes-1/2 cup(1"piece)
Green Beans -1/2 cup (1" piece)
Garlic-2 cloves
Tamarind Pulp- 1/4 cup or soak a small lime sized tamarind in warm water for 15 mins and extract the juice
Dry Coconut Powder -1 tbsp
Jaggery -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro-to garnish

Method:
Heat oil in a pan.Once hot, add mustard Seeds and allow them to pop. Add the chana daal and saute for a few seconds. Add the raw peanuts and fry them till the daal and the peanuts turns golden brown. Remove all this and set aside. Now in the same pan add 2 tbs more or so of oil and fry the eggplant,potatoes and beans along with turmeric powder,curry leaves and garlic.When the veggies are three-fourth done, add the Vangibhath masala,tamarind juice,salt, jaggery,dry coconut powder and cooked rice along with the fried seasoning. Mix well and serve hot after garnishing with cilantro along with raitha.
Sending this over to Radhika's Let's Cook Sereis # 11 ~ Rice

to Cooking Challenge - Flavors of Tamilnadu by Vidhya and also  to Dish out-Brinjal & Garlic  hosted by Sangeetha's, an event by Vardhini  along with Eggplant Parmesanand Eggplant in Plum Sauce

Turmeric Rice

Ingredients:
Long grain rice - 2 cup
Water - 3 cups
Vegetable oil - 1 tbs
Turmeric powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Minced garlic - 1 !/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Chill paste - 1 tsp

Method:
Combine all the ingredients and pressure cook for 5 mts. Fluff with the fork and serve.
Goes well with any curry or you may make a fried rice with this and call it golden fried rice

Source : Martin Yan's Quick and Easy

Methi Corn pulav

This is an easy Pulav that is tasty as well as easy. I got the recipe from The Budding Cook. I haven't made any changes to it except that I substituted the dried methi (fenugreek) leaves with fresh/frozen leaves. It is my  daughter's favorite as she loves corn. This is for all the corn and methi lovers out there.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp ghee

1 bay leaf

1 stick of cinnamon

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ - ¾ tsp of a mixture of powdered cloves, pepper and cardamom

2-3 green chillies

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

2-3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 medium onion, thinly slice 

1cup fresh or frozen methi

¾ cup frozen corn

Approximately 2 ½ cups cooked basmati rice

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat ghee in a large pan. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and the spice mix followed by the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Sauté till the onions are translucent. Fish out the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.

Add the kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the frozen corn to this and mix well. Cook until the corn has thawed in the pan and the water content (from the frozen corn) has evaporated.

Add the cooked rice and mix well. Serve hot with raita.

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday Event over at US Masala

Kichadi

This is a very easy one pot meal .And this is that dish I cook on days I have an asthma attack ,I think now  you people can guess how easy it is.Though its easy it doesn't compromise on taste or nutrition,you will understand when you read the ingredients used.This tastes well when its still warm.I like to have this with some mango pickle.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice or Jasmine rice-1 cup

Mung Dhal-1/2 cup

Cut vegetables(carrots,peas,beans,potato)-1& 1/2cups

Cumin-1 tsp

Ghee-2 tsp

Asofoetida -1/4 tsp

Turmeric-1/4tsp

Green chilli-2

Salt as required

Method:

Heat a pressure cooker and add ghee. When the ghee is hot add the cumin,asofoetida and turmeric.Immediately add the vegetables, dhall,rice ,salt and 2 1/4 cups of water .Close the cooker and when steam comes put the weight and reduce the heat and pressure cook for 5 minutes.After the 5 minutes and when the pressure is released open the cooker stir all the contents well.Now you have your warm tasty and nutritious meal ready .

Pathiri

Pathiri is a traditional North Kerala food, usually served for breakfast or dinner. My memories of this is connected with our visits to my grand-mom, who was an expert in making these delicacies. This is dedicated to her, the best cook I had ever known.


Ingredients:
Roasted rice-powder - 2 cups
Water - 2 cup (if using un-roasted rice powder, use 1 1/2 cups of water)
Salt - to taste
Cooking Oil / butter - 1 tsp
Method:
Heat water, along with salt and oil and when it starts to boil, add rice powder and stir well. Take this off the fire and knead it well when it becomes bearable to touch. Make a smooth dough, as for making chapattis.
Make lemon sized balls  and roll them out using a press pan or the rolling pin, just like making chapatthis. Heat a non-stick pan and put the pathiri on it, turning it after 20-30 seconds.
Before serving, you can apply fresh coconut milk on this to enhance the flavor and taste.
This goes well with any spicy curry. I typically serve it with egg masala.

Pea Pulav

This is a simple, wholesome and quick-fix recipe which doesn't look or taste anything like you made it in a few minutes! This goes well with spicy curries or just with some cucumber salad.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups (preferably, Basmati or Jasmine rice)
Green peas - 1 1/2 cups (I always use frozen green peas)
Ghee - 2 tbs
Onion - 2 (sliced)
Cardomom - 4
Cloves - 6
Cinnamon - 1'' stick
Salt - to taste
Method:
Wash and soak the rice in water for 1/2 an hour. Drain the water. Heat the pressure cooker and add 1 tbs ghee first. Fry the sliced onions till they turn golden brown. Remove the onions and drain them and keep aside. Add the remaining ghee and put the whole spices in the cooker. Now add the rice and saute for a minute. Add the green peas and saute for another minute. Now add 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and when the steam comes, put the weight on and cook in low flame for 5 minutes.
After you open the lid, stir in the fried onion and you are ready to go!.