Baby corn - Mint Pulao

An easy one-pot meal with an aromatic combination of flavorful mint and sweet little baby corn! It is also an ideal lunch box recipe. I came across the baby corn pulao in jeyeshriskitchen. She had used coriander and here I have substituted it with mint as I like mint a lot and moreover mom wanted the bunch of mint leaves that she got the previous day to be used when they are fresh itself!! I took this to office for lunch along with capsicum raita and it was yumm :)

INGREDIENTS

• Basmathi Rice - 1 Cup
• Baby Corn – 5
• Mint leaves – 1 small bunch
• Grated Coconut - 2 Tbslp
• Onion – 1, sliced lengthwise
• Garlic - 2 pods
• Green Chilli - 2
• Oil  - 2 Tbslp
• Cardamom - 2
• Water - 1 and 1/4 Cup
• Salt - As required

METHOD

1. Soak the basmati rice for 10 minutes in 1 and 1/4 cup of water
2. Wash and  cut the baby corn into small rounds
3. Grind the mint leaves, garlic, green chilli and coconut into a very smooth paste and keep aside
4. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and fry the cardamoms for a few seconds. Next add the onions. Saute the onions till they turn transparent
5. Now add the baby corns and saute for 2-3 minutes in low flame
6. Add the ground mixture to the baby corn and onion. Mix well so that the mint mixture coats all the baby corns
7. Add the rice, water and salt
8. Pressure cook for a whistle and then simmer it for 5 more minutes
9. Fluff it up with a fork so that the rice grains are separated. Serve with any raita

Whole wheat honey oats bread

I recently attended a baking course and since then, I've been really tempted to try a lot of cakes and cookies. But what kept me on hold was the usage of maida and sugar in all baking products. Yes cakes are junk food and I didn't want my health and interest for baking part ways. So, then came the idea of using whole wheat flour instead of maida!! While I was just thinking about this on my way back home from baking class, I was held up in traffic jam and what struck my eyes then was, SUBWAY and my favorite bread at subway is honey-oats bread. That's how I ended up utilizing my Sunday evening by baking a healthy bread at home. There were a lot of recipes for this bread online and I referred a few that were easy to understand. Let's jump in straight to the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

• Whole wheat flour - 330 gm
• Boiling Water - 285 ml
• Oats - 50 gm
• Honey – 70 ml
• Butter – 15 gm
• Salt – 1.5 Tsp
• Dry Yeast – 0.8 Tsp
• Warm Water – 30 ml

METHOD:

1. Combine oats, honey, butter and salt with boiling water in a large mixing bowl. Keep it aside for an hour
2. When the oats mixture is almost ready (i.e. after 50 mins), in a small bowl, sprinkle the dry yeast over warm water (if the bowl is cool, then wash it in warm water before use). Gently mix it so that the yeast dissolves and let it stand until creamy for about 10 minutes. Once it is ready, pour the yeast mixture into the oat mixture and gently mix it.
3. Add the flour to this mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with a wooden spatula after each addition and make sure not to over mix
4. When the dough has come together, put it out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 20 minutes (Rigorous exercise for your arms!!). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn it so that both sides are coated lightly with oil (as shown below) 
   
5. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set it aside in a warm place until it doubles in volume. This will take about 1 hour.
6. Remove the dough and put it again on a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf tin. Cover the loaf tin with a damp cloth and let it rise until doubled in volume. This will take about 40-45 minutes (I had only a smaller size loaf tin, so I split the dough into two – one into a loaf tin and other into a small  round cake tin)
   
7. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 C.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped (A lovely aroma of oats and honey will spread across your home.. yumm)
8. Remove the loaf from the pan, and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack
9. Enjoy this fresh and healthy home-made bread along with any spread of your choice!

Orange Pulav

This is yet another treasure from mom's collection of Mallika Badrinath books. Mom is an expert in making this unique orange pulav and I tried my hand at it for the first time! It is neither too sweet nor spicy and hence will go with any spicy raita or gravy (rajma gravy would be my choice) This time I made this in the morning to pack for my lunch before starting to office and hence didn't have time for any gravy, so just made capsicum raita.

INGREDIENTS:

• Ripe oranges - 3
• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Onions - 2
• Green chillis - 4
• Giner garlic paste - 1 Tsp
• Fresh coconut, grated - 1/4 cup
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
• Cardamoms - 2
• Orange red or Kesar colour - a pinch
• Ghee or oil - 3 Tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped - for garnish
• Seedless green grapes - for garnish

METHOD:

1. Wash and soak rice for 10-15 mins
2. Cut onions length-wise and slit the green chillis
3. Extract coconut milk from the grated coconut and take juice from 2 oranges (keeping one aside for garnish). Strain to remove the seeds. (As I already said, I was in a hurry and hence put the grated coconut and oranges together in a juicer and extracted them together - mom's tip!!)
4. This orange juice and coconut milk mixture together should measure 2 cups
5. Heat ghee or oil in a pressure cooker and fry bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, green chillis and then onion
6. Once the onions turn translucent, add the ginger-garlic paste and rice (drain the rice well after it is soaked for 10-15 mins). Fry for further 2 minutes
7. Boil the 2 cups of orange juice-coconut milk mixture. Add the required amount of salt at this stage to the liquid
8. Once it starts boiling, pour it over the rice and add the colour
9. Mix very gently and pressure cook for 10 mins. Remove from fire
10. Garnish as desired with green grapes, orange pieces, finely chopped coriander leaves and also fried cashewnuts if you wish to!
11. Enjoy the yummy orange pulav with any masala raita or spicy gravy

Vegetable Au Gratin (With a healthy twist!)

Vegetable Au Gratin is usually fully packed with cheese but here is an interesting healthy version to it, which I came across in Nita Mehta's diet recipes book, where the white sauce is made without fat! 

INGREDIENTS:

• Peas - 1/4 cup
• Carrots - 2 small sized
• Beans - 10
• Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
• Tomato ketchup - 1 Tsp

For the sauce:

• Whole wheat flour - 2 Tbsp
• Milk - 2 cups
• Freshly chopped coriander leaves - 2 Tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 Tsp
• Pepper - 1/2 Tsp
• Red chilli flakes - 1/2 Tsp
• Oregano - 1 Tsp

METHOD:

1. Chop beans and carrots into small cubes and cauliflower into small florets
2. Wash all vegetables, remove water and put them directly into a pressure cooker
3. Add 1/4 cup of water, 1/2 Tsp salt and mix well
4. Pressure cook till just before the whistle is about to blow
5. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan and boil them stirring continuously. When the milk starts to boil, reduce the flame and continue cooking for 5 more minutes
6. When the mixture becomes thick, add the vegetables and cooke for 2 more minutes on a low flame, stirring continuously. Remove from fire
7. Add the tomato ketchup and mix well. Taste and add more salt as per your taste
8. Grease a glass baking dish and pour the prepared vegetable mixture into it
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 20 minutes till it browns on the top

Seppankizhangu Roast (Taro root/Arbi roast)

Seppankizhangu roast is not made often at my home considering the fact that it is a deep fried dish. But when it is a special occasion or special lunch then this recipe always finds a place in the menu and is a top favorite among all of us at home. Here goes the recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

• Seppankizhangu/arbi/taro root - 1/4 kg
• Rice flour - 1/2 cup
• Chilli powder - 2 Tsp
• Asafoetida - a generous pinch
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for deep frying

METHOD:

1. Wash and clean the seppankizhangu. Pressure cook it with little water for 1 whistle
2. Once the pressure cools down, carefully peel off the skin and cut into small round pieces. Keep aside
3. Mix together all the remaining ingredients - rice flour, chilli powder, asafoetida and salt with water, to form a thick batter (thicker than bajji batter)
4. Now add in the cut seppankizhangu pieces to the batter and mix well so that the pieces are coated well with the mixture
5. Heat oil in a broad pan
6. Once the oil is hot, fry the marinated seppankizhangu pieces by dropping each pieces separately in the oil, so that they don't stick together
7. That's it. Crispy seppankizhangu roast is ready! it tastes best when served hot and crispy. It can be stored in air-tight container for a day or two but the crispness would not be retained

Chilli Garlic Rice (Easy lunchbox recipe)

While browsing through mom’s collection of Mallika Badrinath books, I came across this tasty fried rice recipe. The chilli and garlic together make it so flavourful. This can be an ideal lunch box recipe too. If you have the vegetables cut and ready, then it is very easy to make it in the morning and pack for lunch!

INGREDIENTS

• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Cabbage - 1 cup (cut length wise)
• Capsicum - 1/4 cup (cut into 1/2 inch pieces length wise)
• Beans -  1/4 cup (cut into 1/2 inch pieces length wise)
• Carrots – ¼ cup (grated)
• Onions – 2
• Spring onions – 1 small bunch
• Sprouted whole green gram – ¼ cup (Soak whole green gram in water overnight. Drain the water and hang in a muslin cloth for a day till it sprouts and it can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator)
• Oil – 3 Tbsp
• Aji-no-moto – ¾ tsp (optional – can be added for extra flavour)
• Salt – as required

Grind Together

• Red chillies – 7 to 9 (depending on how spicy you want it to be)
• Garlic – 5 flakes

METHOD:

1. Wash and soak rice for 10-15 minutes
2. Cook in 15 cups of boiling water, till the rice is half cooked
3. Drain the water and leave it aside to cool completely. Separate the rice grains using a fork so that it dries well
4. Add the ground red chilli-garlic mixture to the rice and mix well
5. Heat oil in a broad pan and fry the vegetables one by one as follows: Onions, beans, carrots, sprouts, capsicum, cabbage and spring onions
6. If you are adding aji-no-moto then add it to the vegetables while frying and stir in a high flame
7. When the vegetables are tender, add salt and cooked rice
8. Continue frying in high flame till the rice is very hot
9. Serve hot with raita or pack it for an interesting lunch break

Madhur Vada

Madhur Vada is my mom's speciality! It has a unique taste to it and is my favorite among all vadas. Last evening when I was back from work, mom surprised me with my favorite Madhur Vada and I am very happy to share with you all this recipe from my mom's cheerful kitchen :) :)

INGREDIENTS

• Rava (Semolina) - 1/4 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4 cup
• Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
• Maida - 1/4 cup
• Onions - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
• Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves - 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)
• Green chilles - 1/2 Tbsp (finely chopped)
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for deep frying

METHOD:

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil in a bowl
2. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil and add it to the flour mixture. Bind them together by mixing using your finger tips
3. Divide the flour into equal portions
4. Sprinkle water to the first portion, so that it becomes a thick dough*. Roll it like a ball
5. Flatten this on a plastic sheet or plantain leaf into a thin vada
6. Prick small holes in it with the help of fork (this helps the vada to be crisp)
7. Deep fry in hot oil till crisp and brown

*Water has to be sprinkled to each portion separately just before frying

They can be stored in air-tight container for 3-4 days at room temperature. But the crispness will be retained only for a day

Methi Pulav (No Onion - No Garlic recipe)

Methi (Fenugreek leaves/Vendhaya Keerai) is said to have a lot of medicinal values like it reduces cholesterol, reduces cardiovascular risk, has a cooling effect on the body, beneficial for people with diabetics and even lactating mothers. These leaves are very aromatic but at the same time have a little bitter taste. But here I am going to share a recipe that completely hides the bitterness and stores all the health benefits of methi :) 

Methi Pulav is a very simple recipe and it has very less ingredients too. I have not added many spices because I didn't want the flavor of methi to be dominated. The secret to the reduction in methi's bitterness in the recipe is the addition of tomatoes!

INGREDIENTS

• Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
• Methi leaves - 1 bunch (finely chopped)
• Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
• Chilli powder - 1 Tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
• Water - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
• Oil - 1 Tbsp
• Salt - as required

METHOD

1. Soak basmathi rice for 10-20 minutes
2. Heat oil in directly in a pressure cooker
3. Once it is hot, add the cumin seeds
4. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes
5. Now add the methi leaves and fry for 2 more minutes
6. Drain the soaked rice, add it to the tomatoes and methi and fry for a while
7. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder
8. Add water, salt and pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles depending on the quality of basmathi rice
9. Serve with any raita of your choice

This is also an ideal lunchbox recipe :) 

Eggless Glossy Lemon Cake

This cake has a unique tangy flavor and a very soft and spongy texture. The glossy lemon icing on the top adds on to the tangy flavor. I recently came across this recipe in spiceupthecurry.com and made it when we had guests at home and it was a super hit ! It is better to make the cake the previous night before serving, so that the icing softens and forms a perfect smooth texture.

INGREDIENTS:

Dry Ingredients:

• Maida – 1 ¾ cups
• Baking soda – 1 Tsp
• Baking powder – 2 Tsp

Wet Ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter – 1/2 cup, at room temperature
• Granulated sugar –1/2 cup
• Yogurt – 1 ¼ cups
• Fresh Lemon juice – 3 Tbsp
• Lemon zest – from 1 lemon

For Icing:

• Powdered sugar (icing sugar) – 1 cup
• Fresh Lemon juice – 2 Tbsp

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C for at least 10 minutes
2. Grease a can pan of your choise and keep it aside
3. Sift together maida, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl
4. Take the soften butter(in room temperature) in bowl. Beat it till light with stand/hand mixer or by hand with wire whisk. If you are beating it with hand in a wire whisk then make sure to beat it very well till you get a creamy texture
5. Add the sugar and continue to beat till the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth and fluffy
6. Add yogurt and beat it till it is mixed well
7. Add lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix it well
8. Add the flour mixture in parts and bet till is incorporated but do not over mix it
9. Pour batter in the greased cake pan. Lightly tap the pan to remove any air bubbles
10. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or a toothpick/knife inserted in middle of cake will come out clean. Mine was done in 30 minutes
11. Let it cool for a while and then remove the cake from the pan and cool it on a wire rack

Prepare Icing:

1. Sift powdered sugar in a bowl
2. Add lemon juice and stir until you get thick glossy texture
3. Add more lemon juice and sugar as required so that the icing has a smooth and running flow
4. Once the cake is completely cooled, pour the icing on top of the cake and spread it, it can also drop on the sides of the cake
5. Make sure to prepare the icing only after the cake is cooled, else the icing will harden
6. After the icing is done, let the cake cool for a few hours or even better, overnight and then serve
7. Enjoy the super soft and spongy glossy lemon cake :)

Carrot Kheer (Carrot Payasam)

This is a super easy and very tasty kheer/payasam. The sugar that is to be added is also very less compared to the regular kheers/payasams, as the carrots themselves add to the sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

• Medium sized carrots - 6 to 8 
• Milk - 1/2 lt 
• Sugar - 3/4 cup  (depending on the sweetness of carrot and your preference, this can be varied)
• Cardamom powder - 1 Tsp
• Dry grapes, cashew nuts - for garnishing 

METHOD

1. Peel and dice the carrots into cubes. Then pressure cook them with very little water for 1 whistle
2. Let them cool for a while and then grind it into a smooth paste. If you want the kheer to be more rich, then while grinding the carrots you could also add a few soaked and peeled almonds
3. Mix the ground paste, milk and sugar and bring it to boil
4. Remove from flame and add the cardamom powder
5. Fry the cashew nuts and dry grapes in very little ghee and garnish the kheer with the nuts

Sweet Ragi Balls - Iron rich recipe

Whenever my mom sees Ragi related stuff in the supermarket, she always gets nostalgic and starts telling about how she used to give me only ragi and not any readymade baby foods to me when I was an infant :) This time she got a pack of "Ragi Huri Hittu" (Raosted Ragi powder) when she had been to Bangalore. So this iron rich recipe is my mom's childhood favorite and is a very healthy evening snack for kids!

INGREDIENTS:

• Roasted Ragi Flour - 1/2 cup (If you don't get the roasted flour, you could use regular ragi flour and dry roast it)
• Jaggery - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 2 Tsp
• Grated coconut - 3 Tbsp
• Milk - few Tsp as required

METHOD:

1. Mix together all the ingredients very well. You could even beat it in a mixer for a few seconds
2. The consistancy of the mixture should be such that it can be easily made into small laddus/balls
3. If it is too dry, then add a few spoons of milk
4. Divide them into equal portions and roll them into small balls
5. This is the best way to make kids eat the iron rich ragi :) This is not only for kids, even adults can have it but the amount of jaggery and ghee can be reduced and the reduction in ghee can be replaced with more milk