SarasYummyBites

Inji Thogayal / Ginger Chutney

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4 ~ 5

Sources: www.sarasyummybites.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup / 50 grams ginger, Washed, deskin and chopped

1 tbsp urad dhal 

1 green chili

3 red chilli

1/4 tsp asafoetida/ hing/perungaayam

Gooseberry size tamarind 

1/4 cup coconut pieces

Salt to taste

1 tsp oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a skillet, add urad dhal, fry till it become golden brown. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.

2. In same skillet, add ginger pieces, green and red chillies powder, hing, asafoetida. Saute for few minutes in low heat.

3. Add coconut and tamarind. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. 

4. Grind the fried ingredients to fine paste. Adjust salt to taste.  Serve with rice along with sambhar or rasam. (Add mustard seeds, curry leaves seasoning if needed).

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Gothumai Rava upma / Crackled wheat Upma with Bell pepper

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 ~ 30 minutes

Serve 2

Source: sarasyummybites.com

Ingredients:

3 shallot / small onion, medium size

1 small tomato

1 bell pepper , any color

3 green chillies or to taste, Split into two

1/2 cup crackled wheat rava

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional)

Salt to taste

Minced cilantro as needed

For Seasoning:

2 tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 string curry leaves

1 /2 tsp minced ginger

2 tsp urad dhal 

2 tsp channa dhal

Method:

1. Wash and chop the vegetables to required size and shape. Set aside.

2.  Heat oil in heavy bottom pan, add mustard seeds. Once it pop, add remaining seasoning ingredients. Saute for few second to change it color and become crispy.

3. Throw in onions, chilies. Saute for few minutes. When it become soft and transparent, add tomatoes. Cook for few minutes till it become soft. Followed by bell pepper. Cook for 3~ 5 minutes. Add turmeric and chili powder(optional) along with salt. Stir for few seconds. 

4. Pour in 2 cups boiling water( this makes cooking easier). When it starts to boil, add 1/2 cup of crackled wheat. Mix once to avoid any lumps. Adjust salt to taste. Cover and cook it for 15 minutes. Stir in between. Once done, turn of the heat and add 1 tsp of ghee for flavour.  Transfer it to serving dish and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambhar.

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French Beans Usili / Green Beans Usili / Beans Usili

Preparation: 20 ~ 30 minutes

Soaking time: 2 ~ 4 hours

Cooking time: 25 ~ 35 minutes

Source: sarasyummybites.com

Ingredients:

1 lb / 500 grams beans

Salt to taste

For Paruppu Usili:

3/4 cup toor dhal

1/2 cup channa dhal

5 ~ 6 red chillies 

1 inch ginger

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup shredded coconut or whole coconut cut it into pieces

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

For Seasoning:

2 tbsp cooking oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 red chili, broken into pieces or to taste

2 string curry leaves

Minced cilantro (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and soak both the dhal for 2 ~ 4 hours, depends on your time availability.

2. Wash and remove the string from beans and chop them in to pieces. Set aside.

3. Grind all the grinding ingredients listed above in to fine paste, not too smooth.

4. Steam the ground dhal in a greased idly plate or bowl for 15 ~ 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.  Once it comes to room temperature, scramble it with your fingers or using fork.

5. Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil and add mustard to crackle. Then add chilies, curry leaves. Saute for few seconds.

6. Throw in chopped beans and saute for 5 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup of water and salt. cook it with out covering the pan in medium heat. Stir in between.

7.  When beans become soft, throw in scrambled dhal mixture to the beans and mix to corporate the mixture to beans. Adjust salt to taste. Serve hot with rice. 

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Dadhiyonnam / Temple style Curd Rice / Perumal kovil Thayir Sadaam

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 3 ~ 4

Source: sarasyummybites.com

Ingredients:

1 cup raw rice

1 tbsp. butter

11/2  cups milk or more if needed

4 tbsp. curd

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp mustard  seeds

1 tsp channa dhal or as needed

2 green chills, chopped finely or to taste

1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 ~ 2 string curry leaves

Minced cilantro as needed

Method:

1.  Cook rice with 3 1/2 cups of water till it become soft and mushy. Turn of the heat and allow the rice to cool. Do not drain the excess starch from the rice.

2. Boil the milk and allow it  cool little bit. Meantime, heat oil in a skillet and add the seasoning ingredients one by one after mustard seeds splutter.

3. Fry the seasoning ingredients till it become crispy.

4. Add the seasoning to the cooked rice along with curd, butter and salt.

5.  Pour in lukewarm milk and mix with spatula to avoid any lumps. Add milk or water to required consistency. Adjust Salt to taste.

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Carrot Rasam

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup toor dhal

2 long carrots

1/4 tsp hing

1 big size tomato, chopped

1 green chili

2 tbsp. thick tamarind juice or to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Minced Cilantro as needed

For Grinding:

1 tbsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Coriander seeds

For Seasoning:

1 tsp ghee or cooking oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Curry leaves as needed

2 red chilies, broken in to pieces or to taste

2 garlic pods

Method:

1. Wash, peel the skin of the carrots and cut it in to two halves. Wash toor dhal and pressure cook with sufficient water along with carrots for 3 ~ 4 whistle. keep it aside.

2. In separate bowl, take chopped tomato, turmeric powder, tamarind juice, hing, salt and green chilies.

3. Add 2 cups of water.  Cook and boil it for 10 minutes. Once the pressure drops in pressure cooker,  Open and mash the dhal along with carrots. Before mashing, take one carrot. Chop the cooked carrot and keep it aside.

4. Pour the mashed carrot dhal mixture to tomato mixture. Add more water if needed. Allow the rasam to cook for few minutes. 

5. Grind the grinding ingredients to coarse powder and add it to rasam. Mix and cook it for 2 minutes. Once done, turn off the heat and cover the rasam with lid or plate.

6. In a kadai or skillet, heat oil. Once oil is hot, add mustard seeds, allow it to splutter. Then add curry leaves, red chilies and crushed garlic, cooked carrots. Sauté for few seconds in low heat and pour it to rasam. Serve hot with rice.

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Badam Pal / Almond Milk

Preparation time: 5 ~ 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 ~ 3 

Ingredients:

1/4  cup almonds ( I used deskin almonds)

1/2 cup water

2 ~ 3 cups milk

1/4 cup  + 1 tbsp sugar or to taste

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Few saffron strands

Method:

1. Soak almonds in warm water for 10 ~ 15 minutes. Drain the water.  Peel and discard the skin.

2. Grind deskin almonds with 1/2 cup of water to smooth paste.

3. Heat the milk and bring it to boil. Add almond paste and saffron. Stir and cook the almond milk for 10 minutes in medium heat. Add more milk if needed.

4. Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook it for few minutes until sugar dissloves. Serve hot or cool as needed. (If you are serving cool, refrigerate for few hours). Garnish with sliced almonds before serving.

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