Simple Beans Curry

Ingredients

1 Cup Chopped Green Beans

1/4 Cup onions

1 tsp Coconut powder

1 tsp green chillie paste
2 or 3 Red chillies

1/2 tsp ginger and garlic paste

salt to taste

seasoning (mustad, cumin and urad dal)

2 tsp oil

Procedure:

1. Take a big pan and add oil and seasoning to it.

2. When it gets starts spluttering add green mirchi paste and onions

3. Add ginger garlic paste 

4. Add boiled green beans 

5. Atlast, add salt and coconut powder cover it with lid and let it stand for 5 min.

6. Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Palak Mixed Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

Palak (spinach) - 3 bunches

Mixed vegetables - 200 gms (carrots, potatoes, brinjals, cabbage, beans)

Onions - 1 big

Tomatoes- 2 big

Masoor dhal - 1/4 cup

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves - 1 tsp (chopped)

Oil as required

Salt to taste

Grind together:

Green chillies - 3

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 4 flakes

Cumin seeds - 1/2tsp

Dhania - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Clean and cut spinach (palak) finely.

2. Heat a tsp of oil and fry cut palak for a minute. add little water and cook till soft mash coarsely.

3. Chop onion and tomatoes finely.

4. Dice all the vegetables, add enough water and cook till soft.

5. Heat oil in a pan, fry the onion till light brown add ground paste, tomatoes, turmeric powder, salt. Cook till the gravy becomes thickens.

6. Add mashed palak and cooked vegetables reheat and cook till slightly thick.

7. For tempering: heat 1 tsp of oil season with musturd seeds, cumin seeds pour this into the cooked mixture.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves, serve hot with rice.

Kofta Curry

Ingredients:

• For the koftas:
• 2 cups peeled and diced boiled potatoes
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, sweet corn) boiled
• 1 cup paneer cubes
• 2 tbsps of thickened/ heavy/ double cream
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts and cashewnuts)
• 1/4 raisins chopped fine
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil to fry the koftas

• For the sauce:
• 3 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 2 large onions quartered
• 2 tomatoes quartered
• 2 tbsps garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp poppy seeds lightly roasted and ground into a powder
• 3 tbsps nuts (cashews and almonds) ground into a thick paste
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsps garam masala

Preparation:

• Mash the potatoes, mixed vegetables, paneer and cream together. Add the kofta spices to this mash and mix well. The resulting dough should be firm. If not add some more boiled potato. Season with salt.
• Make this dough into balls and put 1/2 a tsp of the nut and raisin mix in the center of each ball. Roll into perfect rounds.
• Heat the oil kept aside to fry the koftas, on a medium flame. Deep fry these rounds till pale golden in colour.
• Drain on paper towels and keep aside.
• For the gravy, first heat the 3 tbsps of oil in a deep pan and fry the onions till light brown.
• Grind into a paste along with the tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin and red chilli powders.
• Put this paste back into the pan and fry till the oil begins to separate from the masala.
• Add the poppy seeds powder and nut paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of warm water (the sauce for this dish is meant to be thick so do not add too much water) to this masala to form a sauce/gravy. Mix well. Season with salt.
• Bring the sauce/gravy to a boil and then reduce the fire to a simmer.
• Gently add the kofas to this sauce/gravy and cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes.
• Turn off the fire and sprinkle the garam masala all over the top of the dish. Cover immediately and allow to sit for 5 minutes and serve hot.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked Basmati rice (you can also use leftover rice)
4 large ripe tomatoes cut into cubes
2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 large onion chopped fine
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
1" piece of ginger and garlic Paste
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the mustard seeds and green chillies. When they stop spluttering add the onion and fry till soft.
Add the tomato and ginger and mix well. Cook till the tomatoes turn pulpy.
Add the coriander, cumin and garam masala powders, salt to taste and mix well. Cook on a low flame for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Turn off the fire and add the rice. Mix well.

Peas Pulav

Ingredients :

Basmati Rice                 1 cup 

Peas                         1 cup

Onions                       1 NO

Ginger                       1'inch piece chopped finely

green Chillies/serrano pepper 2 nos

Salt                         Acc to taste

Cinnamon                     1 piece

Cloves                       1 no 

Bay leaf                     2 Nos

coriander                    for garnish

Butter/Ghee/margarine        2 tbsp

water                        2 cups

cashew                       1/4 cup
sugar                        1 tsp

Method: 

Soak The Basmati Rice in water for half an hour 
before cooking.Wash & drain the rice.

In a rice cooker or in a pan take some butter/ghee.

AS it starts melting add  bay leaf,cinnamon,cloves.

fry for a minute till the aroma starts filling the 
room at which time start adding chopped ginger,serano 
pepper & Peas.

Fry them briefly & add the rice,salt & sugar .

Fry it till all the rice is quoted with ghee & spices.

Add the water & cover the lid.

In a seperate pan add a little butter & fry the cashew
pieces & keep aside.

In the same pan fry the onions till it turns translucent 
& brown.

Garnish the rice with cashews,onions & coriander.

Carrot Rice

This is a very delicious and nutritious recipe of carrot rice made from carrots and spices like cinnamon and cloves.

Ingredients:-

Basmati rice - 1cup
Grated carrot - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 sliced
Green chilly - 2 slited
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Bay Leaf -1
Cloves -4
Cinnamon Stick -1
Curry Leaves -8-10
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala or pulav masala- 1/2 tsp
vegetable oil/Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Broken cashew nuts - 5 to 6

Method:-

1. Wash and cook the rice seperately with 2 cups of water. Spread in on a tray and let it cool.
2. Heat little ghee or oil in pan, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon ,cloves and Bay leaf.
3. Add thinly sliced onions and green chilli and fry till pink.Add cashew nuts fry it for a min.
4. Add grated carrot and curry leaves.Saute for a while then add turmeric, chilly powder and salt
5. Once the carrot is done add garam masala and cilantro.
6. Finally add the cooked and cooled rice adjust the salt , add lemon juice, mix it gently and serve with Raita and Chips.

Ingredients:-

Palak

Cooked rice

Onions 1

Zeera 1 tsp

Cinnamon 1

Clove 1

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Green chillies 2

Lime juice 1 tbsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Method:-

1. Cook rice in regular way
2. Boil palak with green chillies,strain it and make puree of it.
3. Heat oil add cinnamon,clove and zeera,when they splutter add onions
4. Fry onions till pink colour and add ginger garlic paste.
5. Saute till raw smell of ginger garlic smell goes.
6. Add palak puree and cook till oil separates.
7. Add salt and add cooked rice .
8. Mix thoroughly and add lime juice.

Serve with raita..Lime juice can be adjusted according to the taste.

Capsicum Rice or Vangi Bath is an ideal lunch box dish. The ingredient list may be long. But it is very easy to prepare. Try and let me know!

Ingredients:
Basmathi Rice - 1 Cup
Capsicum/Green Bell Pepper - 1 Big
Oil - 3 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Coriander leaves - to garnish

Seasonings:
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urud Dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Red Chillies - 2
Cashews - a few (optional)
Hing - 1/4 tsp

Roast in 1/4 tsp ghee and powder:
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Red chillies - 4
Urud Dal - 1 tsp
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Method:
Cook basmathi rice in 2 cups of water. The grains should be separate. Set aside.
Roast the ingredients listed above to golden brown and powder.
Heat oil/ghee in a pan.
Do the seasoning.
When mustard seeds crackle, add chopped capsicum. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder.
Fry till capsicum turns soft.
Gently add rice and roasted powder and toss well.
Add salt.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Have it with raitha or chips.

Cabbage Rice

Ingredients:

•1-1/2 cup Basmati Rice
•1 Whole Cabbage
•1 cup Green Peas (soaked)
•2 Medium-Sized Onions (sliced)
•1 Tomato (chopped)
•2 Green Chilies (chopped)
•2-3 pods Garlic (chopped)
•1 inch Ginger (chopped)
•1 tsp Cumin Seeds
•2 tbsp Coriander Powder
•1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
•1 tsp Red Chili Powder
•5-6 twigs Coriander Leaves
•2 tbsp Oil
•Salt to taste

How to make Cabbage Rice:

•Wash the rice and cook it such that all the grains remain separate.
•Place the cooked in a plate to cool.
•Put chopped cabbage, a pinch of salt and turmeric powder in a vessel.
•Keep it on medium flame and let the cabbage be cooked.
•Cook the peas in a pressure cooker. Remove from the fire after 1 whistle.
•Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add cumin seeds and allow spluttering.
•Add chopped chilies, ginger, garlic, tomato and onion slices into it.
•Stir till onions turn light golden in color.
•Now add cooked cabbage, peas, coriander powder, turmeric powder and red chili powder to the above.
•Once the cabbage is slightly tender, add the cooked rice and a pinch of salt to the above. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
•Add some water and cover the vessel with a lid until the water dries completely.
•Remove rice from the heat.
•Garnish Cabbage Rice with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Serve rice with papad and Curd.

Tamarind Rice

This recipe I learnt from my mother-in-law. I like this recipe for its spiciness and it has a sour taste. The recipe can be stored for more days in the refrigerator if cooked with proper care. I like this recipe cooked with gingili oil than the other normal oils. It adds flavor to the recipe. Here it goes!

Ingredients

1 cup rice (Sona Masoori)
Lemon size tamarind
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 dried red chilies
2 tsp of roasted peanuts
3-4 tsp gingili oil
Salt for taste

Dry roast powder

½ tsp of mustard and methi seeds, dry roast and powdered.


For seasoning

Mustard, Chana dal, urad dal, and curry leaves


Method


Cook rice and allow them to cool
Soak tamarind in two to three cups of warm water and extract the juice from it. The consistent should be thick.
Heat oil in pan, add mustard, chana dal, urad dal, peanuts, red chilies and curry leaves and sauté them.
Add the dry roasted powder and sauté them with the mixture.
Add tamarind extract, pinch of asafoetida and salt. Keep stirring constantly till the tamarind extract reduces its volume and becomes to a thick pulp.
Add the gravy to the rice and mix well. You can keep the rest of the gravy in the refrigerator. It will stay in the refrigerator for more than 20 days if cooked properly.

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice is a delicious South Indian dish you can easily put together when in a hurry. You can also make it with leftover rice. Serve Lemon Rice with a Raita (yogurt salad) and Poppadums for a simple yet tasty meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Basmati rice (or leftover rice)
2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
1" piece of ginger grated
1/2 cup peanuts (roasted and unsalted)
1 tsp turmeric powder
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Gently roast and then coarsely powder the coriander seeds. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry till the spluttering stops and add the ginger and peanuts. Fry for another minute. Add the turmeric powder and turn off the fire.
Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Add the rice, roasted coriander powder and salt to taste and mix thoroughly.
Serve with a Raita and Poppadums.