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.

Mealmaker Manchurian

As we know, soy is a major source of vegetarian protein and so my mom used to cook soy chunks or meal maker since our childhood, I am particularly fond of its chewiness when cooked and crispiness when not cooked (Yeah weird, but I used to snack on them ;)).  But for some reason, may be because it resembles meat in texture and looks, my husband does not like it at all. I buy it part of the groceries and try different recipes to feed him that; of all recipes Manchurian gave me quite a success. 

Ingredients:

1.     Meal maker - 1 cup

2.     Onion - 1

3.     Green chillies - 1

4.     Capsicum - 1

5.     Corn flour  - 2 tbsp

6.     Salt to taste

7.     Chili powder – 1tsp

8.     Pepper crushed – ¼ tsp

9.     Oil – 2 tbsp

10. Garlic – 3 cloves finely chopped

11. Ginger garlic paste – 1tsp

12. Soy sauce - 1 tsp

13. Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp

14. Vinegar – 1 tsp

15. Spring onion for garnishing (if available)

Method:

Step 1: Boil meal maker in salt water; drain and wash and rinse with cold water, squeeze out and keep aside
Step 2: Mix corn flour, salt, chili powder, pepper, ginger-garlic paste in a bowl with few drops of water to make a thin paste
Step 3: Coat the masala paste to meal maker and shallow fry them till crisp. Drain oil and keep aside.

Step 4: In the same tawa, add garlic, onion chopped, green chili, capsicum one by one in that order and sauté them for just 1 minute
Step 5: Add tomato sauce, soy sauce and adjust salt/ chilli. Sprinkle some more crushed pepper for flavor.
Step 6: Finally add fried meal maker, spring onions and toss and serve as starter. This is dry.
Step 7: If you require with gravy, before you add the meal maker add corn flour dissolved in water to the masala and stir until thick. Then add meal maker and cook for 1 min before serving.