Carrot Thuvaiyal

My mom used to prepare this carrot chutney that goes well with hot steamed rice and ghee, it is so heavenly to have this on fasting days when the only meal is the mid-day meal. I make this mostly to accompany idli/ dosa. It has a natural sweetness from carrot and the flavor of roasted carrot itself is so good. One of my friends had recently tried this and was happy that her kids who don't eat carrots just loved it.

Ingredients:

1. Carrot – 4
2. Tamarind – a marble size
3. Red chillies - 3
4. Salt as per taste
5. Oil - 1 tsp
    For tempering:
6. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
8. Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
9. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
10. Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Heat oil in a pan and sauté the peeled & sliced carrots until soft and keep aside

Step 2: Roast the red chillies in a same oil.

Step 3: Now put carrot, chillies, salt and tamarind into a mixer and grind coarsely using water.

Step 4: Temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves

Mint Pulao

This is another simple rice variety that came as a savior during my kinder-garden stages of kitchen particularly when I invited people home for lunch or dinner. The aroma that comes when you open the cooker just masks any flaws in its cooking and it is very compatible with plain raita to complex gravies. Sometimes easy works get great recognition and this is one of them so I love to cook this simple recipe again and again.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1.       Mint leaves – 2 cups cleaned

2.       Green chilies – 3

3.       Garlic cloves – 5

4.       Coconut – 2” piece

5.       Ginger – 1” piece

6.       Onion – 1

7.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

8.       Cinnamon – 1” piece

9.       Bay leaf – 1

10.     Cloves – 2

11.   Ghee roasted cashew nuts – 1 tbsp (optional)

12.   Oil – 2 tbsp

13.  Basmati rice – 2 cups

      14.   Ghee – 1 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Grind together the mint leaves, green chilies, garlic, ginger and coconut in a mixer jar into fine paste.

Step 3: Heat oil directly in the cooker, temper with: cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and sauté thinly sliced onion in it till crisp and brown.

Step 4: Add the ground paste and sauté until raw smell goes and oil starts to separate.

Step 5: Drain and add the rice and fry for 2 minutes.

Step 6: Now add enough water for the rice to cook and necessary salt.

Step 7: Mix well and close the lid to pressure cook for 2 whistles or until it is done.

Step 8: When the pressure subsides, open drizzle a spoon of ghee and mix well.

Step 9: Garnish with roasted cashew nuts and serve with raita or gravy.

TIPS:

* Amount of water and time required depends on rice you use. Use the measures that you usually use for plain steamed rice.

*You can temper only the cumin seeds in ghee and mix at the last to have the cumin seeds crispy and flavorful.

*Adding a spoon of lemon juice at the end is optional.

Pottukadalai Urundai

Pottukadalai or roasted Bengal gram is more prevalent in south Indian cooking especially in the inevitable coconut chutneys. So all of us have this all the time at home which means this sweet can be prepared instantly with things at home within the time taken for preparing a hot cup of tea. My granny used to give me powder pottukadalai and sugar when she ran short of snacks at home while I come from school, this is an extended version of that snack. Once my sister-in-law had sent some pottukadalai ladoos that her mom prepared; I can say this is also an inspiration from that.

Ingredients:

1. Roasted bengalgram - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Ghee - 1/4 cup
4. Cardamom - 4
5. Cashew nuts - 6

Method:

Step 1: Powder the roasted bengal gram and then sugar with cardamoms in a dry mixer and put them in a bowl.

Step 2: Heat a spoon of ghee and roast the broken cashew nuts in it and take them out; melt the rest of the ghee in the same pan.

Step 3: Now to the bowl with flour and sugar, add cashews and ghee.
Step 4: Mix well with a spoon.

Step 5: Roll into small balls and store in an airtight container.