Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

Grated carrots                      : 2 cups
Milk maid                            : 1 cup
Sugar                                    : 1 cup

Cashews(broken)                 : 6 nos
Cardamom pdr                     : 1/2 tsp
Ghee                                    : 2 tbsp


Method:

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cashews and fry it till golden brown and remove from the pan and keep aside.
Add grated carrots in the same pan and  saute for 2 mins and add the condensed milk , mix well. Cook it in a low flame till the milk got evaporated. Add the sugar now and mix well. Stir it well till it leaves the sides of the pan.
Sprinkle cardamom pdr over it, mix it.
Garnish it with fried cashews.
  

Payasam (idichu pizhinjathu)

Ingredients:

Broken rice( raw)                       : 1/4 cup
Jaggery (vellam)                        : 1/2kg
Coconut milk (thin)                   : 2 cups
Coconut milk (thick)                 : 1/4 cup

Ghee                                          : 1 tbsp
Cashew & Raisins                     : 1 tbsp



Method:

Wash and pressure cook the rice adding 1 cup of water.
Melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup of water and strain it to remove the impurities.
Either you can extract milk from fresh coconut or use the ready made coconut milk. 
Grate 1 coconut and adding 2 tbsp of warm water, mix well and extract the milk from it and keep aside. This is the 1 st coconut milk or thick milk.
Put the extracted residue in a mixer and add 1/2 cup warm water and blend it  and squeeze the milk from it. This is the 2nd milk or thin milk.

Open the cooker and slightly mash the cooked rice and add the jaggery syrup to that and mix well. Keep it in stove and boil for 2 mins, then add the thin coconut milk. Let it boil for 3 to 4 mins. When it is becoming  thick add the thick coconut milk and remove from fire.
Break the cashews into small pieces. Heat the ghee and and fry cashews and raisins and pour this on the payasam and serve it.

Kal dosa (thattu dosa)

Ingredients:

Urad dal                         : 1/4 cup
Boiled rice                     : 1 cup

Raw rice                        : 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds            : 2 tbsp
Sal to taste
Oil as required


Method:

Soak Boiled rice and raw rice together, Urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 3 hours.
Grind the urad dal and fenugreek first and then the rice. Add salt and mix well. Keep it for min 6 hours to ferment.
Mix well. Heat a dosa tawa, take a full ladle of the batter and pour it on the middle of the tawa and spread it lightly to make thick dosa. Sprinkle little oil over this and close it with a lid. After 2 mins open the lid, turn the dosa and cook it for 1 more min. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve it with chutney or chicken curry.

Pongal

Ingredients:

Raw rice                    : 1 cup
Moong dal                 : 1/2 cup
Water                         : 4 cups
Green chilli               : 1 no chopped finely

Ginger                       : 1 inch pc finely chopped
Whole black pepper  : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds              : 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts              : 5 or 6 break into pcs
Oil                             : 1 tbsp
Ghee                          : 3 tbsp
Curry leaves              : 1 sprig
Salt to taste


Method:

Dry roast moong dal slightly, dont fry till it changes the colour.
Pressure cook rice and dal together with salt and water. Add 1 tbsp of oil to this.  Remove from fire  when it is done and mash it well and keep aside.
Slightly crush the pepper and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a kadai and fry the cashews and remove it from fire.  Add the crushed pepper and cumin seeds to the remaining hot oil and fry it for a few seconds and add chopped ginger and chopped green chillies and fry it for a few more seconds. Add curry leaves.    Add this to the mashed rice and dal mixture and mix well.Garnish with cashew nuts and serve hot with chutney or sambhar!

Rava semiya kitchedi

Ingredients:

Rava                          : 1/2 cup
Semiya(vermicelli)   : 1/4 cup
Onion                        : 1
Green chillies            : 2
Ginger                       : 1/2 " pc
Tomato                      : 1
Mustard seeds           : 1 tsp
Urad dal                    : 1/2 tsp

Red chilli                  : 1 break into 2
Turmeric pdr            : a pinch
Salt to taste
Curry leaves             : 1 sprig
Oil as reqd
Coriander leaves   for garnishing


Method:

Roast rava and Semiya seperately and keep aside.
Chop onion, green chillies, ginger and tomato and keep aside.
Heat oil(approx 2 tbsp) in a kadai, add mustard seeds. When it pops add red chilly,and urad dal. Now add curry leaves, chopped onion, green chilli and ginger. Saute it for 1 min and add chopped tomato. Saute again and add 2 cups of water. When it boils add the roasted semiya. Let it boil for 2 mins, when it is almost soft add the roasted rava slowly and mix well. Remove from heat. Add chopped coriander. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Variation:You can add chopped vegetables like carrot, peas, beans etc to this.  Saute onion, chilli, ginger and add the vegetables and saute again for 2 mins. Then little more water than mentioned in order to cook the vegetables and follow the same method.

Vegetable biryani

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice                             : 2 cups
Onions                                       : 2 nos medium chopped
Carrot                                         : 1 diced
Cauli flower                               : 1/4
Capsicum                                   : 1/2 chopped

Beans                                         : 100 gms cut into small pieces
Peas                                           : 50gms
Paneer                                        :  50 gms diced and fried
Green chillies                             : 2 nos  slit lengthwise
Ginger                                        : 1/2" pc }  make a paste
Garlic                                         : 2 cloves}
Yoghurt                                      : 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Chilli pdr                                   : 1 tsp
Coriander pdr                            : 2 tsp
Tomato                                      : 1 chopped
Coriander leaves                       : 1/2 cup chopped
Oil or ghee                                : 3 tbsp
Whole garam masala                : clove-2, cinnamon- 1/2 " pc, bay leaf- 1


Method:


Heat oil or ghee in a kadai add whole garam masala to it.Fry for a second add chopped onions and   saute this till the onions become translucent. Now add the ginger garlic  paste and saute for a minute. Add green chilles and chopped tomatoes to this. Saute till the tomatoes become soggy. Now add yoghurt and mix well. Add all the vegetables and paneer to this. Add chopped coriander leaves and finally the rice(wash it well before adding). Add 4 cups of water and salt to this and mix well. Transfer this to a rice cooker and switch on to cooking mode. When it comes to the warm mode transfer this to a hot pack and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with raita , pappad and pickle. 



 
        

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked rice               : 2 cups

Lemon Juice              : juice of 1 lemon
Turmeric pdr             : a pinch
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds           : 1 tsp
Red chillies               : 2 break itno 2
Curry leaves             : 1 sprig
Urad dal                   : 1 tsp
Roasted peanuts       : 1 tbsp(optional)
Channa dal               : 1 tsp
Oil                            : 1 tbsp


Method:

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds. When it splutters add channa dal, urad dal, red chillies and saute for a while and add curry leaves, turmeric pdr. Saute for a minute and add the cooked rice. mix well and add the roasted peanuts. Saute for a minute in reduced flame and finally add lemon juice and mix well. Have it with potato chips or kondattam!!