LEFT OVER TOMATO GRAVY AND RICE TURNS INTO - CRUNCHY CAULIFLOWER RICE / GOBI RICE - WITH NO MASALA

Preparation time - 5 minutes

Soaking time - 15 minutes

Cooking time - less than 10 minutes

Cauliflower is very good for health, especially heart disease and cancer. It has lots of fiber and vitamin C. The born story of this recipe, I have two left over items, rice and tomato gravy. I want to finish it off. So I planned to prepare this delicious cauliflower rice. Because my kid loves rice with any tomato flavored gravies, so that I had mixed them and turns out yummy. I was very happy while my little picky eater enjoyed it. Let us go to the recipe.

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup
Tomato gravy - 1/4 bowl
Cauliflower - sliced - 1 small bowl
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as needed
Oil - 2 to 3 tsp

Method

                                      

• Wash and sliced the cauliflower. Add cauliflower, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt in a bowl and mix well. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

• Heat oil in a pan and fry these marinated cauliflower slightly. Don't over cook. Cauliflowers must have the cruchy taste. So half cook with sprinkle of water. Just close the lid for 2 or 3 minutes. Not more than that.
• Once the cauliflower is done with its crunchiness, remove it from the heat.
• Take a bowl, add rice, tomato gravy ( I used the left over gravy which I made for poori) and mix well gently without smash the rice. Then add the crunchy cauliflower into the mixed gravy rice and mix gently.
• Left over rice and gravy turns into yummy crunchy cauliflower rice with no masala. Serve it with raita or as such or as you wish.

I am sending this to cutchi kitchen's LeftoverMakeover giveaway

TASTY YUMMY CURD RICE - MOST POPULAR SOUTH INDIAN CUISINE

Serving size - 3

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Cooking time - 30 minutes

Curd rice is the most popular south Indian cuisine which always take at the end of the lunch menu. This rice keeps our body cool. It is especially more delicious during summer. I love garnished curd rice very much. Curd rice is also known as yogurt rice which is not only tasty and yummy but also harmless food for babies too. 

Ingredients

Rice - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1 cup
Cream - 2 tbsp (optional)
Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt - as required

For seasoning 

Green chillies - 3 (chopped)
Hing powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

For garnishing 

Cilantro - 2 tbsp Finely chopped
Carrot - 1 tbsp ( grated)optional
seedless grapes - few (optinal)
Pomegranate - few ( optional)

Method

• Wash rice, pressure cook the rice with 1/2 cup extra water than usual and keep 1 whistle extra for well boiled rice.
• Take the boiled rice and smash it well with large spoons. Add salt, curd and mix well. 
• Then add cream, milk and again mix well.
• Heat oil in a small pan for seasoning, add mustard seeds, once it cracked, add curry leaves and green chillies, then hing powder and urad dal. Remove it from the stove before it gets burn or darker.
• Add the seasoning to the curd rice and finally garnish with cilantro and fruits or carrot. But I din't use carrot or fruits, because my husband does not like those taste in the curd rice.
• Serve it with pickle or any side dish or as such. I enjoy this garnished curd rice as such. 

I am sending this tasty garnished curd rice to

COCONUT MILK RICE / THENGAI PAAL SADHAM

Serving Size - 3 

Preparation time - 15 to 20 mins

Cooking time - 30 to 40 mins

 

 

 

This is my husband's favorite dish. He is an ardent lover of cooking. He is also one of my best teachers in cooking. He inspired me by cooking my favorite and delicious dishes. I want to dedicate this recipe for him. It is a delicious recipe. I got it from my aunt(Mrs. Jamuna Mohandoss). She is a wonderful cook. I want to thank her for sharing this recipe.

Ingredients

 

 

Fresh coconut milk - 1 1/4 cups
Basmathi rice - 1 1/4 cups
Water - 1 1/4 cups
Cinnamon - a small piece
Cloves - 2
Star anise seed - 1
Green chillies - 8
Shallots - 8
Garlic - 5 pods (optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbs
Curry leaves - 1 sprig (optional)
Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Salt - as required
Ghee - 1 1/4 tbs

Method

 

 

1. Wash basmathi rice and soak in the water for 15 - 20 minutes.
2. Mean while, extract fresh coconut milk from shredded coconut with luke warm water.(see the note below on how to make fresh coconut milk)
3. Heat ghee in a pan, add cinnamon, cloves, star anise seeds and fry for 3 or 4 seconds.
4. Fry green chillies for 3 or 4 seconds. Add shallots, garlic and ginger garlic paste. Fry for few seconds.
5. Add curry leaves and cilantro. Fry until the raw smell goes from ginger garlic paste.
6. Drain basmathi rice from the water and keep the water aside.
7. Add the drained rice to the mixture and fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until the rice are slightly crisp.
8. Remove the rice mixture from the pan to electric rice cooker.
9. Add water, coconut milk and salt to the rice mixture in the electric rice cooker. Cook until the rice is cooked.
10. After 15 minutes remove the rice from the cooker and mix thoroughly. Serve hot with chicken curry or any veggie curries or gravies.

Note

(Ratio of shredded coconut & water is 1 : 1 1/4)

1. Grind 1 cup of shredded coconut with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of luke warm water. Squeeze the ground coconut to extract coconut milk. Filter the coconut milk into another bowl.
2. Repeat until you have enough coconut milk.

I'm sending this new recipe to FEAST FOR YOUR GURU

FEAST FOR YOUR GURU

Click here to go to Zesty South indian Kitchen

I'm also sending this to Hubby's delight contest, click on the logo to go to the event page




I'm sending this to my friend Nithu's Kitchen

Event Announcement & Giveaway - Walking Through the Memory Lane  

which is hosted for her friend Gayathri from Gayathri's cookspot

VEGETABLE PULAO

Serving Size - 3

 

Preparation time - 10 minutes (rice soaking time is not included)

 

Cooking time - 30 minutes

 

 

I usually make 2 types of vegetable pulao. This is the recipe which I follow my Chithi (Mrs.Sudhandhira Nagarajan). She is our home chef :) She made lot of varieties for us. I love her cooking. I want to share this recipe with my blogging friends.

 

Ingredients

 

 

Basmathi Rice - 1 1 /3 cups
Water - 2 2/3 cups
Cinnamon - 1/2
Cloves - 2
Bay leaf - 1/2
Onions - 1/2 (chopped)
Green chillies - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
Cauliflower - 8
Carrot - 1 (chopped)
Beans - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Potato - 1/2 (chopped)
Turmeric powder - less than 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Curd - 2 or 3 tbsp
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt - as required

Method

 

 

 

 

1.  Wash basmathi rice and soak rice with water about 15 to 20 minutes.
2.  Heat ghee in a pan, add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and fry for 3 seconds.
3. Add green chillies and fry for 5 seconds. Add onions and salute it for a minute.
4. Add gingergarlic paste and salute it until the raw smell goes from ginger garlic paste.
5. Add all the veggies and fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala. Fry for few seconds. Don't allow masala to burn without water. If you want to avoid burning, add little water.
7. Add curd to the mixture and salute it for a minute.
8. Drain basmathi rice and keep water aside for cooking.
9. Add rice to the veggie mixture in the pan. Mix well and fry all together until the rice becomes crunchy.
10. Add rice, salt and water (which we already kept aside for cooking ) to electric rice cooker. Allow it to cook completely.
11. Serve this veg pulao with paneer curry or any vegetarian or non vegetarian curries / gravies.

TRADITIONAL CAPSICUM RICE

Serving Size - 2 

 

Preparation time - 10 minutes 

 

Cooking time - 10 minutes

Capsicum is very good for health. Capsicum contains capsaicin which reduces extra fats in our body. It prevents heart diseases. This capsicum rice is delicious to eat. Even kids love it very much. It is one of my little one's favorite.

Ingredients

For Powder

Mustard seeds - 1/8 tsp
chana dal - 1 tsp
Peanuts -  1 tbsp
Coriander seeds -1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Shredded coconut - 1/2 tbsp

For Rice

Cooked rice - 2 cups
Onions - 1/4 cup
Capsicum - 3/4 cup (chopped)
Curry leaves - 3 or 4
Water - 1/2 cup
Cinnamom stick - 1/2 no.
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt - as needed

Method

For Powder 

 

 

 

1. Heat pan with no oil, add mustard seeds, peanuts and fry for a minute.
2. Add Chana dal, coriander seeds and fry less than a minute.
3. Add urad dal and red chillies for a while.
4. Remove all from the flame and allow it to cool.
5. Grind all the ingredients with coconut into fine dry powder.  

For Rice

 

 

1. Add little oil in the cooked rice and mix gently.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon and mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add curry leaves and onions. Fry it for a minute.
3. Add capsicum and fry it for a minute. Add water and allow it to boil until capsicums are cooked.
4. Add ground powder into the mixture and mix well. The mixture becomes thick or allow it to thick.
5. Add rice to the mixture and mix gently. 
6. Capsicum rice is ready. Serve it with chips or fryums or appalam.

COCONUT RICE / THENGAI SADHAM

Serving size - 1 or 2

Preparation time - 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time - 5 minutes (Rice cooking time is not included)

 

 

Coconut rice is very famous and important mixed rice varieties in South India. Most of them think coconut increases cholesterol. Of course, they are right. But be clear, we can reduce cholesterol by uncooked coconut and cooked coconut on the flame increases cholesterol.

Ingredients

Cooked rice - 2 cups
Shredded Coconut - 1/3 cup
Green chillies - 5
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/3 tsp
Curry leaves - 4 or 5
Hing powder - a pinch
Cilantro - handful (Garnishing)
Splitted Cashews -  10(optional)
Carrot - 1 tbs (optional)
oil - 2tsp
Salt - as needed

Method

 

 

 

 

1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add curry leaves, hing powder and green chillies. Fry for few seconds.
2. Add cashews, urad dal and fry for 10 - 15 seconds or until before it turns golden color.
3. Switch off the stove and add shredded carrot, shredded coconut with salt into the seasoning. Fry for a minute. Don't cook coconut much, it will increases cholesterol. 
4. Add cooked cooled rice into the mixture and mix gently.
5. Garnish it with cilantro.
6. Coconut rice is ready. Serve it with chips, vathal or appalam.

 Note:

1. Cooked rice should be fluffy and each of the rice are seperate.
2. Normal rice is good to taste than the basmathi rice.

TAMARIND RICE / PULI SADHAM

Preparation time - 5 minutes

Cooking time - 20 minutes 

 

Tamarind rice is a kind of mixed rice which is very popular in south India. It is one of the favorite prasadhams of Lord vishnu. It is also known as Puliyodarai. It is very tangy.

Ingredients

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ground nut - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 10-12
Hing powder - 1/3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery / Brown sugar - 1 tsp
Home made puliyodarai powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind juice - 1 cup
Water - 1/2  to 3/4 cup
Boiled rice - 1 medium size bowl
Sesame oil - 3 or 4 tbsp +  2 tsp

Salt - as required

Method

To prepare tamarind paste :

 

1.  Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, fry ground nuts for 6 to 7 seconds in a medium flame.
2. Add hing powder, curry leaves and channa dal, fry for 5 seconds. Add urad dal and red chillies. Fry for half a minute. Add turmeric powder and fry for 5 seconds.
3. Add tamarind juice, water and salt into the seasoning. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes in a high flame or until the raw taste goes from tamarind water.
4. Mix home-made puliyodarai powder with 1 1/2 tbsp of water and add to the boiling tamarind water mixture.
5. It will be thicker within 15 minutes. Don't forget to stir frequently. Add jaggery to the tamarind paste before 5 minutes to switch off the stove and mix thoroughly.
6. Puliyodarai or tamarind paste is ready.

For mix rice with paste

 

 

1. Add sesame oil to the boiled rice and mix gently.
2. Add enough paste to the rice and mix thoroughly, but gently.
3. Make sure it should not be sticky. 
4. Pulisadham is ready. Serve it with coconut thuvayal which is the best combination.

Note

1. Boiled rice should not be hot.
2.  Don't burn any ingredients while seasoning. It will affect the taste.
3. While thickening the paste, stir often. Otherwise, it will be burn in the bottom and spoil the whole food.