MILLET CURD RICE

Curd rice completes a meal, at least for South Indians. This humble dish is a comfort food that we all love with or without any accompaniment. Thayir Sadam, as we call in Tamil is a delicacy and loved by all . We usually make curd rice with rice and sometimes with vermicille (bagala bath) and present it in different ways ~ we temper it with cumin and mustard, add fruits, veggies or consume as it is. 

Here, I've used millets to prepare the curd rice. Millets have a lot of health benefits and it's suitable for all age groups. I've already shared a millet recipe - one pot sambhar rice. Here's another simple and tasty one from my kitchen. At home, mom prepares curd rice by mashing the rice well and adds more milk than curd so it's never sour even if we have it late. It also gives it a rich and creamy taste. I've incorporated the same method here just that I've added milk while cooking the rice itself instead of adding it to cooked rice. 

This is made with Barnyard millet but you're free to choose the millet variety of your choice. If you're using rice instead of millet then cook it in a pressure cooker with water in 3:1 ratio i.e 3 cups water for 1 cup rice because we're looking for a mushy consistency. Once the rice is cooked, mash it further adding milk and temper!  

INGREDIENTS

Barnyard millet - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Thick curd/yoghurt - 1/4 cup

Water (to cook millet) - 1 + 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

For Temering

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Dry Red chili - 2 

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp 

Curry leaves - 6

Coriander - chopped finely for garnish

METHOD

Wash the millet in water for about 5-6 times. This recipe uses Barnyard Millet, feel free to use any variety of your choice. Add the millet, water and required salt in a vessel or boiling pot and keep it on high until it boils. After the first roaring boil, slow down the heat, add the milk and keep mashing until all the liquid is absorbed by the millet. This will take about 7 minutes. Switch off the heat, mash the millet further with a wooden ladle. Check for salt and add the yoghurt. Give it a good mix. 

In a small pan, heat oil, add mustard, cumin, urad dhal, dry chili and once the mustard splutters and the urad dhal has become light brown add the asafoetida and curry leaves. A quick stir and add to the curd rice. Transfer it to the serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander. 

Note:

You can add grated carrots, pomegranate or chopped ginger if you prefer. It enhances the taste. 

BANANA AND CINNAMON SMOOTHIE

There're days we like to start our day with a light and healthy breakfast. A smoothie or a health shake is what strikes us first. Smoothies are filling, healthy, light and easy to prepare on a busy day. Though they're easy and fuss free to prepare, it gets boring to have the same everyday. Why not try and play with spices is what struck my mind.

Cinnamon is one of the few spices that's used in cooking, baking, to spice tea and flavour cakes. It pairs beautifully with fruits and love the aroma of fresh cinnamon in cakes. This urged me to try using it for a smoothie too. I had planned on a banana smoothie for breakfast to make it easy as it was a busy day ahead. To make it interesting, added this wonderful spice and oh it was heaven!

The creamy banana with cinnamon makes it rich in taste. Make sure you use fresh cinnamon powder, though you can use store bought ones, the fresh one has its place. For sweetness, it has honey, as you all know I don't like to use white sugar and avoid it as much as I can. You're free to use sugar or any sweetener as per your taste. I've used milk to blend them, vegans can choose a nut milk instead. 

INGREDIENTS

To make a tall glass of smoothie

Banana - 2 (I've used hill banana)

Milk - 1 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Honey - 2 tbsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

METHOD

Chop the bananas into small pieces, add it to a blender along with milk, honey, water and cinnamon. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender till you get a creamy frothy texture. Serve it immediately or cold. Here you go, your breakfast smoothie is ready!

You can use all milk and no water for a nice thick smoothie. In that case, add 1+1/4 cups of milk. Vegans can substitute nut milk in the above recipe. The milk quantity remains same for nut milk but please add water if you're using a nut milk.

If you're serving this for kids, replace milk with vanilla ice cream and they'll love it! If you're using a mixer jar to blend, first blend the banana, milk and honey nicely. Then add the water and cinnamon. Also, try it with other fruit combinations and drop in your feedback. 

VEGETABLE CLEAR SOUP

The one thing that we all crave or wish to have when we have a cold is some good hot soup! At the same time who feels like preparing one with all the blending, grinding and boiling procedure when we're sick.. this recipe comes in handy and my go to recipe for such times! 

It's one pot, no grinding required, mild and soothing! You can prepare this soup with veggies of your choice. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

Carrot  - 2

Beans - 10

Frozen peas - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1

Tomato - 2

Garlic - 3-4 cloves

Cumin - 1/4 tsp

Clove - 2

Freshly ground pepper - 2 tsp or more as per taste

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Water - 4 cups

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt

METHOD

Chop the beans into 2 inch pieces and the carrots into thick pieces. Slice the onions and cut each tomato into 4 pieces. In a pressure cooker, add oil and saute the onion and the veggies. After a minute or two add the tomatoes with salt, turmeric and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add required water. Check for salt and add more salt and pepper if you require. Close the lid, after 3 whistles switch off  the heat and let the pressure release. In a small kadai, temper cumin and clove. Open the lid and add the tempering to the soup. Mix and serve hot. 

Isn't this simple? 

SPICY CHILLI POTATO FRIES

Potato is one versatile vegetable and loved by all. From soup to desserts it can be used in all! So here's another recipe with the versatile potato. Potato fingers is a good old recipe and I've already posted one of my Potato Fingers recipe but this one is a little spicy and different from that. Try it out, it's very simple to prepare. A very good evening snack recipe that can be had with rice preparations too.

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes - 3 medium size

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Corn flour - 2 tsp

Salt 

METHOD

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into long strips. In a bowl add chilli powder, salt and corn flour. Mix well. Heat oil and fry immediately. Serve hot. Add corn flour if you're going to fry it immediately otherwise add when you're going to fry them. 

PUMPKIN AND BROWN CHANNA PORIYAL/ PUMPKIN AND BROWN CHICK PEA STIR FRY

Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A, which aid vision. It is high in antioxidant and a good source of Vitamin C. Pumpkin poriyal is what all of us usually make at home. I came across a recipe which added channa or chick pea to it and I found that interesting. I don't remember the other ingredients of that recipe so did a basic poriyal with onion, pumpkin and finally added boiled chick pea. It was different and good.

INGREDIENTS

Yellow Pumpkin - 250 gms

Onion - 1 sliced

Brown channa/ chick pea - 1/2 cup boiled 

Cumin pwd - 1tsp

Turmeric pwd - a pinch

Dry Red chili - 1

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Sesame oil - 2 tbsp  (can use any oil) 

Salt

METHOD

Wash, peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of Gingely/sesame oil and temper the mustard, cumin seeds and red chili. Add the onions and saute till light brown. Then add the pumpkin along with turmeric and cumin powders. Cook on high flame for a minute and then close the lid and cook on low heat till the pumpkin gets tender. I dint add water. Once it's done, add the boiled chick peas and saute for 2 mins till it gets coated with all the masala. Serve hot. 

PASTA SALAD

I love salads and these pasta salads are my favourite for it's simplicity and taste. These salads are kept on all the buffets these days! As usual, I wanted to re-create that at home just by tasting and without finding out what actually goes in. I usually do such experiments at home, sometimes, it's a hit and at times it's a miss. Don't worry! I share only the hit ones here.

Here's my recipe for the pasta salad, try it out and I'm sure you'll love it. It's a cold salad, so chill it before you serve. Also, do add your favourite seasoning or veggies to it if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS

Pasta - 100 gms (I've used Penne)

Fresh cream - 1 tbsp

Eggless Mayonnaise - 1 tbsp

Cherry Tomatoes - 5

Fresh Basil - 3 leaves

Celery - 1 tbsp finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper - a pinch 

Salt

METHOD

Boil pasta with enough water and salt. Add a drop of oil to prevent from sticking together. Make sure you don't over cook them. Once done, run under cool water. Add all the ingredients except cherry tomato and give a good mix. Finally add the cherry tomatoes and give a light mix. Chill and serve!

Note

If you don't have cherry tomatoes, then use 1/4 tsp tomato sauce to give a tangy and sweet taste. Use not more than 1/4 tsp otherwise it'll alter the whole taste. 

VEGAN DATES SMOOTHIE

This smoothie is an ideal breakfast for kids as well as adults. It's vegan too! Made with Arabian dates and raw peanuts, it has all the necessary nutrients for a power packed breakfast. At home, I avoid using sugar as much as I can so I've used honey for this one. You can use sugar if you prefer.

*Peanuts are not only good in taste they're also rich in monounsaturated fats and numerous other nutrients that have shown to promote heart health. It's a legume and not a nut! They're rich in antioxidants and folic acid. They're low in carbs but packed with protein, vitamins, fibre and minerals. It has a low glycemic index, hence suitable for diabetic patients too.

Since we're using raw peanuts here, it should be soaked in water overnight or at least for 6-8 hours. This eliminates digestive issues caused by having raw peanut. Please don't skip this process. It is necessary.  

INGREDIENTS

For a big glass of smoothie

Raw peanuts - a handful, soaked in water overnight. 

Arabian dates - 6

Honey - 1/2 tbsp 

Water - 1 cup or more

METHOD

Blend the nuts with little water to a smooth paste, then add dates and honey. Use more water if required to get the smoothie consistency. Pour it in a glass and enjoy! 

 Note

Feel free to use any fruit of your choice along with dates or without dates. 

*Source - www.whfoods.com 

ROASTED BELL PEPPERS AND PESTO SANDWICH

I love wholesome sandwiches, it's simple to prepare and filling too. Ever since I had a yummy sandwich stuffed with bell peppers and loads of mozzarella at a near by cafe, I wanted to re create the same at home. It was delicious and I gobbled all of it without the tomato ketchup (I usually need tomato ketchup for every bite I take) so you can imagine how good it was!

So here's the recipe for the yummy, hearty and healthy sandwich! I've been getting a lot of requests for vegan recipes, so here you go! This is Vegan too! Please feel free to use cheese if you're not a vegan! To add some flavour I wanted to use some quick pesto sauce (my recipe). You can omit this if you don't like pesto.

INGREDIENTS

Bread - 6 slices (to make 3 sets)

Vegan Pesto sauce - 3 tbsp (recipe below)

Red bell pepper - 1 (thinly sliced)

Green bell pepper - (thinly sliced)

Onion - 2 (finely sliced)

Egg-less Mayonnaise - 3 tbsp 

Olive oil - 1 tbsp 

Salt 

Freshly ground pepper for seasoning

METHOD

To prepare the pesto sauce:

Pesto sauce is a combination of crushed garlic, fresh basil, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil. It originates from Italy. The traditional way of preparing, is by pounding the ingredients using a wooden mortar and pestle. Since it's vegan I haven't added cheese in my recipe. Also, instead of pine nuts I've used walnuts. I've also added a few fresh thyme leaves along with basil. 

In a mixer coarsely powder 4 whole walnuts, then add 2 garlic cloves roasted in olive oil or use it raw, 2 handful of fresh basil, a sprig or 2 of fresh thyme, 4 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Using the pulse mode blend to coarse mixture. 

Bell pepper stuffing:

Heat olive oil in a pan, when hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt and saute till light brown, add the bell peppers and saute till they're soft, add required salt and a pinch or two of pepper. 

Assemble & Toast

Take a slice of bread and, apply the pesto sauce, add some filling and 1 tbsp of mayonnaise to another slice and close with it.  Follow the same for other slices. If you like it with cheese, add some grated cheese. I would suggest mozzarella  or cheddar or a combination of both for the filling and some butter to toast. 

Toast the sandwich in a pan with olive oil or use a sandwich maker. Enjoy the yummy goodness!

POTATO FINGERS

It's raining in Chennai now so how about some hot potato fingers to have by the window sill, enjoying the rain? Here comes the recipe for homemade, all time favourite potato finger- Indian style.

INGREDIENTS

Potato - 2

Salt 

Chili powder - 3-4 pinches

Oil to deep fry

METHOD

Cut the potato into thin strips. Heat oil and when ready add the potato fingers and fry only till the potato turns pale yellow and remove immediately. Repeat this until all the strips are fried. Cool them. Heat oil (let it be smoking hot) and add the lightly fried and cooled potato strips. Fry till they turn golden brown. When hot and just out of oil, add the salt and chili powder and toss well. Here you go! Homemade potato fingers is ready to eat! You can add seasoning of your choice. Try black pepper and salt or add some chili flakes and oregano to make it Italian!

BROCCOLI AND POTATO STIR FRY

Potato and broccoli fry tastes great with any rice preparation, roti or simply relish it like a healthy snack. The potatoes are crisp and the broccoli is cooked soft which makes it a nice combination. Try this and you're sure to like it.  

INGREDIENTS

Potato - 3 medium (cubed)

Broccoli - 1 whole (small size)

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp

Sambhar pwd - 11/2 tbsp

Turmeric - a pinch

Salt to taste

METHOD

Wash and clean the broccoli. Cut them into big florets, don't cut them into small pieces, it might get mashed while boiling. Boil the florets in a wide vessel with little salt for about 5 mins. Drain the water and let it cool.  In a non stick pan, add little oil, when hot add the mustard seeds and let it crackle then add the cumin seeds. Now add the cubed potatoes, turmeric, sambhar pwd and give a good mix. Cook till they turn little brown and then add the broccoli. Don't add water while cooking this, may be little oil if necessary. This gives a nice crisp to the potato but make sure it's cooked in non stick pan. Check for salt and turn off the heat. Serve hot. 

CARROT PATTANI PORIYAL / CARROT AND PEAS STIR FRY

A quick and easy to make side for rice. I like it with hot sambhar sadam. This is a non spicy and tasty preparation, can be made without onions too. 

INGREDIENTS

Carrot - 4 (grated)

Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Peas - 1/2 cup

Green chili - 2

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - a pinch

Salt to taste

Curry leaves - 5

METHOD

In a kadai or non stick pan, add little oil and crackle the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and green chilies. Chop only the ends of the chili, needn't slit or break into halves. Now add chopped onions, little salt, turmeric and saute for 3-4 mins. Add grated carrots and saute for 2 mins, add 1/4 cup water, close the lid and cook for about 5 mins in high. Add more water if it gets burnt, open and check in between. Once all the water has been absorbed and the carrots are cooked, add peas. I use frozen peas, in case you're adding fresh peas, boil them separately and add now. Mix well, let it cook for about 2 mins, check for salt. Serve hot. 

SNAKE GOURD RINGS

This is something different and easy to try with snake gourd. Apart from the boring and usual podalanka poriyal, podalanka or snake gourd can be used to make something interesting like this. Its similar to the bajjis we eat, so it can be prepared as an evening snack, served as a starter or even with a rice preparation. 

INGREDIENTS

Snake gourd - 2 (small size)

Gram flour - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1/2 cup

Chili pwd - 1 tsp (add more if you require)

Salt 

METHOD

Wash and wipe the snake gourd dry. Scrape the skin lightly and cut them into rings. Remove the pith from the rings and keep the chopped rings aside. Prepare a batter with gram flour, rice flour, chili pwd and salt with water. It should resemble dosa batter. Check for salt and chili pwd and add more if required. Now add chopped snake gourd into the batter. Heat oil in a kadai and fry them. Snake gourd rings are ready!! 

BAKED MULTIGRAIN CRISPS/CRACKERS

Preparing roti and poori with whole wheat and multigrain was little boring so wanted to try something different at the same time healthy. Here comes the recipe to a HEALTHY, NO BAKING POWDER, NO BAKING SODA, NO OIL, NO BUTTER multigrain crackers. Relish these lovely crisps with mayonnaise or any dip of your choice. I tried it with egg less sweet chili mayo and it was yummy!

It doesn't involve any hard work and its not time consuming. It can be made in ten minutes and will sure be a good evening snack or even a starter. You can even try it out with whole wheat and get experimental by adding herbs and spices of your choice. 

INGREDIENTS

Multigrain flour - 1 cup 

Salt - 1 tsp

Chili pwd or pepper pwd - 1/4 tsp

Dry herb - 1/4 tsp 

METHOD

Mix the multigrain flour (I used Ashirvad multigrain flour) salt, spices and herbs first. Mix well and check for salt and spice level. Then make a dough by adding little water. The dough should be tight. Please ensure that you add water little by little to make a perfect tight dough. Roll it like a chappati, using a fork make holes on it. This prevents puffing up and cut into pieces with a knife. The thinner you roll, the crisper the cracker. 

Pre-heat the oven to 200 c for 10 mins. Place a baking sheet on a tray and then place the cut pieces. Bake for 15 mins or until the they turn light brown.

MUTTAI PORIYAL/EGG SCRAMBLE

Egg scramble is not a new preparation to most of us but each of us do it in a different way. At home, I prepare it differently when it accompanies rice, a little different from this method for chappati and with a little twist and flavour for bread. This preparation tastes good with rice. Will soon be updating the other methods.

INGREDIENTS

Eggs - 2

Onion 2 - finely chopped

Green chili - 1 cut into 2 halves 

Turmeric pwd - a pinch

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - chopped for garnish

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt

METHOD

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil , once hot add the onion and green chilly. Sauté for 2-3 mins and add the ginger garlic paste. Once the raw flavour of the paste goes and the onions have turned light brown, break the two eggs, add salt, turmeric and scramble on high flame for 2 mins and for 4-5 mins on medium flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

GARLIC BUTTER

This homemade garlic butter is very simple to prepare and can be made in no time. It can be used on a toasted bread, can be added to pasta or spaghetti to give a nice flavour or even to temper your dhal fry. I usually spread this on a slice of sweet or milk bread and then toast it on a tava and have it. Oh, its simple delicious! The taste of butter and the aroma of garlic with chopped coriander leaves is irresistible.

INGREDIENTS

Table Butter - 1 pack (100g)

Garlic cloves - 4

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

METHOD

Soften the butter with the back of a spoon. You can either chop the garlic finely and add or paste it and add its juice alone with a filter. Since we're using table butter, salt is not required. After adding the garlic, give a mix. Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Set in fridge for a few minutes and use it as you prefer. It can be stored for up to 2 days but having it fresh makes it more tasty.  

CHAPATHI AND BELL PEPPER STIR FRY

Usually, when I have left over chapathis's at home, I make kothu parota or make rolls with a filling or simply eat it with any left-over gravy. This time I wanted to make something different and also make use of the lovely and fresh bell peppers I bought. My kitchen is open to all kinds of culinary experiments and so I tried to cook something interesting with chapathi and bell peppers. It was a hit!

When I gave some to my parents, they asked me what it was. Since naming my dish dint really occur to me, I just called it - Chapathi & Bell peppers Stir Fry. Name it however you want but try this out and I'm sure you'll like it. 

INGREDIENTS

Chapathi/roti - 4 torn into pieces

Onion - 1  

Bell peppers - 2 (one of each yellow and red)

Cumin Pwd - 1/2 tsp

Chili Garlic sauce - 1 tbsp

Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt 

METHOD

• Chop the onions and the bell peppers roughly

• Heat oil in a Kadai and add the chopped onions and bell peppers. Cook in high heat for 3- 4 mins. Add the cumin pwd and mix well. 

• Add the chapathi pieces, soya sauce and Chili garlic sauce. Give it a nice stir and switch off the heat. 

The picture above may not be very appealing but it definitely tastes nice. The slight crunchiness of the bell peppers and the mix of cumin pwd with the sauces gives it a different taste. 

CHEESY MINT SANDWICH

This sandwich can be prepared in no time. Actually feels silly to write ingredients and method for this post. Nevertheless, I hope it helps beginners. Here goes the recipe for an utterly simple and utterly delicious mint and cheese sandwich. 

INGREDIENTS

Bread slices - 4

Pudina/ mint chutney - 2 tbsp

Cheese slices - 2

Ghee or Butter to toast

METHOD

Spread the mint/pudina chutney on a bread slice, place a cheese slice and close it with another slice of bread. Toast it on a tawa or a sandwich maker. Use a little butter or ghee if you're using a tawa to toast. This is too simple and can be made in a jiffy with left over mint chutney at home and tastes yummy. 

PANEER DOSA

INGREDIENTS 

Paneer (grated) - 100 gms/ 1 cup

Onion (finely chopped) - 1

Tomato (chopped) - 1

Red chili pwd - 1 tbsp

Turmeric pwd- a pinch

Curry leaves - 4

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

METHOD

Heat a kadai and add 1 tbsp of oil. Add the mustard, cumin seeds, curry leaves and throw in the chopped onions once it crackles. Saute and wait till it turns light pink. Now, add the chopped tomatoes and the chili pwd. Mix well and cook for ten mins or till it turns mushy. Add the required salt and mix the grated paneer into it. Stir and cook for about 2 mins. Let it cool and just smear a generous portion on your dosa (just before serving it from the tawa) and roll or pack as shown below to enjoy yummy paneer dosa. Alternatively, it can also be used as a side dish for dosa. 

Note*

Do not add water and cook in medium flame. 

Paneer can also be cut  into very small cubes instead of grating