Indian Vegetarian Kitchen

Cauliflower Pulao

2012-05-24T10:28:00.001-07:00

This recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Basmathi rice
2 Cups water
2 Cups of chopped veggies (cauliflower, beans, carrot)
1/2 Cup chopped onion
Salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 Slit green chilli
1 tsp grated ginger garlic
1/2 tsp jeera
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 star anise
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp oil
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and star anise. Add onions, green chilli and ginger garlic paste. Sprinkle some salt and fry till it turns light golden brown.
Rinse basmathi rice. Add the fried onions and cook in 2 cups of water till done.
Heat oil again. Add jeera. After it crackles, add veggies and sprinkle some salt. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder. Fry till the veggies are cooked and cauliflower turns brown and crispy.
Now mix this with cooked rice and add ghee and some more salt if required.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with raitha/chips.

Almond Kesari

2012-05-02T11:25:00.001-07:00

Have you tried my Pineapple Kesari? This is another variation of plain kesari. It tastes really good.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Sooji/Semolina
1 1/4 cup Water
1/2 cup dry Almond powder
5 tsp mtr badam feast (optional)
1/2 cup Sugar
A pinch of Saffron and Cardamom
Handful of roasted Cashews and Raisins
1/4 cup Ghee

Method:
In little ghee, roast cashews and raisins and set aside.
Fry sooji in the same pan on low flame till it turns light golden brown.
Add almond powder, mtr badam feast and cardamom.
In another vessel, boil water and saffron.
Add it to Sooji/Almond mixture gradually and stir continuously to avoid forming of lumps.
When Sooji is cooked, add sugar and mix well. Add ghee and garnish with nuts and raisins.

If you are not using mtr badam feast, increase the amount of sugar to 3/4 cup.

Beetroot Curry

2012-04-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

Many find it hard to cut beetroot. I usually pressure cook whole beetroot and then peel the skin and chop into fine pieces. It makes the cutting part easy. You can also grate beetroot after peeling the skin. That's what I have done here.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized beetroot

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urud dal

2-3 red chillies

Salt

A pinch of hing

1/4 cup grated coconut

A few curry leaves (optional)

Method:

Pressure cook whole beets in water for 3 whistles.

Cool it. Peel the skin and chop into small pieces.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urud dal, curry leaves, red chillies and hing.

When mustard seeds crackle, add the beets.

Add salt and fry for 5 minutes.

Add coconut and mix well.

Serve with rice and sambar.

Poha Halwa

2012-03-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

I am finally back to blogging after a long break! I hope to post recipes more frequently. Poha halwa is my own creation. It is very yummy and tastes close to chakkarai pongal (sweet rice pudding). It takes only 10 minutes to prepare this dessert. Let's move on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

200 grams MTR Badam Halwa Mix
1.5 cups thin poha (aval/beaten rice flakes)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup ghee
Handful of cashews and raisins
A pinch of orange food color

Method:

Roast cashews and raisins in 2 tsp ghee till they turn golden brown.
Set aside.
Wash poha in water and squeeze excess water and set aside. It's ok if it turns mushy. Use only thin variety poha.
In the same pan, add MTR badam halwa mix, washed poha, milk and stir everything together till mixture turns thick. Keep adding remaining ghee while stirring. Add food color and mix well.
Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins.
Serve hot.

Tervis Tumblers!

2011-10-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

This post is a part of a Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Tervis. Tervis tumblers are virtually indestructible - they won't crack, melt, shatter, or chip, and they come with a lifetime guarantee. Even better, their double-wall insulation means hot drinks stay hot, cold drinks stay cold, and your furniture stays clear of those annoying condensation rings!

Recently, I was selected to receive a tervis tumbler! I have been using it everyday and it keeps any beverage hot or cold for longer time. Do buy these beautiful tumblers and try them!
The beverage displayed in this picture is badam kheer. For recipe click here.

Wheat and Nut Laddoo for Diwali

2011-10-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

IndusLadies has compiled an eBook for this Diwali consisting of "100 Yummy Sweets & Desserts recipes", contributed by various Food Bloggers! One of my recipes, wheat and nut ladoo is featured in the ebook (Page 69).

Go ahead and download it @ http://www.indusladies.com/100diwalisweet.

Thank you Indusladies for including my recipe!!

Simple Garlic Rice

2011-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is a quick and easy recipe for garlic lovers!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw Basmathi Rice
4 Garlic pods
1 small Mor Milagai (sun dried chillies)
Salt
3 tsp Ghee

Method:
Rinse basmathi rice and cook in 1 cup of water and set aside.
Heat ghee in a pan. Roast chopped garlic to golden brown.
In another pan, fry mor milagai in 1 tsp oil till it turns black. Crush into small pieces.
Add roasted garlic, crushed mor milagai and salt to rice.
Toss well and serve with onion raitha.

Mutter Paneer

2011-08-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Grind together to a smooth paste:
5 small tomatoes
1 big onion
5 garlic pods
1 green chilli
4 cloves
2 1"cinnamon sticks
small piece of ginger

Other ingredients:
4 tbsp oil
Salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp crushed kasoori methi
1 tsp butter
coriander leaves to garnish
1 cup paneer cubes
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup frozen peas

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add the ground paste. Add chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder. Add some water if the gravy is very thick. Fry till the raw smell goes away and oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan.
Fry paneer cubes to light golden brown. Add the pieces to the gravy. Add peas. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves, kasoori methi and butter.
Serve with chapathis or rice.

Kodak Photo Book

2011-08-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with KODAK Gallery. Recently I was chosen the lucky winner of a free photo book from kodak gallery, a partner of food buzz.
Using the photo book creation software, it's easy to create photo books and photo albums in few minutes by choosing a book size and style. There are three sizes available - large, medium and small. There are two options available to make your photo book. If you are short on time, you can use the quickstart option or choose the step by step option if you want to customize every photo at your own pace. You can easily resize, rearrange, add captions, change layouts, add or remove pages to customize your photo book the way you like. There are tons of cover designs and page background options to give the photo book a professional look. I received mine yesterday and was quite happy with the product. One thing I noticed was the pictures were more saturated than the original ones.

Visit http://www.kodakgallery.com/products/photo-books/pc-Products-c-C830001
to know more on how to create photo books. I had a great experience creating mine.
KODAK Gallery is also providing an exclusive offer to my readers; 40% off a medium hardcover or a large Photo Book. Visit www.kodakgallery.com/creativity and order your photo book. The offer is only available through this URL from 8/1/11 - 8/31/11.

Apple Almond Shake

2011-07-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Apple - 1
Milk - 2 cups
Almond - 10
Cashew - 5
Sugar as needed
Saffron - a few strands
Chopped walnuts - for garnishing

Method:
Peel the skin of apple. Chop into small pieces and grind it with almonds, cashews, sugar and milk.
Filter for smoother, creamier shake.
Garnish with saffron and walnuts.

Tomato Pulao

2011-07-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have already posted Tomato Peas Bath and Mild Tomato Pulao recipe earlier. This is another version I learned from amma. It's so tasty that I had to share the recipe with you all.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups Basmathi Rice
3 tomatoes
1 small onion
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
2 green chillies
2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
Salt
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
A handful of frozen peas

Method:
Rinse and soak basmathi rice in water for 15 minutes. Drain and cook the rice in 3 cups of water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry cinnamon and cloves for few seconds.
Grind tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli to a fine paste without adding water. Add this paste to the pan. Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and cook the gravy until it becomes thick and oil starts to separate. Add frozen peas and simmer for five minutes.
Add this paste to cooked basmathi rice and mix well without mashing the rice.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Onion Vatha Kuzhambu (Onion cooked in spicy tamarind gravy)

2011-05-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

This is a tangy and spicy gravy that goes well with rice and curry. Vegetables like ladies finger, capsicum, sweet potato, drumstick, brinjal can be used instead of onions. Some call it Kaara kuzhambu.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp thur dal or channa dal
A few curry leaves
3 tsp sambar powder
Salt
1/4 tsp hing
3.5 cups tamarind extract from small lime size tamarind
1/2 tsp jaggery
1 tsp rice flour

Method:
Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek, channa dal or thur dal, curry leaves.
When mustard seeds crackle and dal turns brown, add sliced onion and fry till it turns soft.
Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes and extract 3.5 cups of juice from the same.
Add this juice to the cooked onion.
Add salt, sambar powder, hing and allow the mixture to boil for 20 minutes or until oil starts to float on top.
Add jaggery if you like the gravy to be slightly sweet.
Mix rice flour in 1 tsp water and make a thick paste.
Add this paste to the tamarind gravy and stir continuously until the mixture becomes little thick.
Serve with rice, ghee and curry.

Brinjal Capsicum Curry

2011-05-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
3 Indian Brinjals/Eggplants
1/2 cup Capsicum/Bellpepper
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1 Tomato
2 Garlic pods
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 Green Chilli
2-3 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Jeera
Salt
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp Sambar powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
A pinch of Hing
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add jeera and allow it to crackle.
Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli and saute till onion turns transparent.
Add sliced brinjal. Sprinkle salt and fry till brinjal is partially cooked.
Add capsicum, tomato and spice powders and some salt.
Fry till the veggies turn soft.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathis.

Onion Tomato Curry

2011-04-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is a simple curry that goes well with chapathis.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 Onion thinly sliced
3 Tomatoes chopped
2 Green Chillies
1 tsp Jeera
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt
1/2 tsp Chilli powder or Sambar powder as needed
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
A pinch of hing
1 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
Heat oil in a pan.
Add jeera and green chillies.
When jeera crackles, add onion and fry till it turns golden brown.
Add tomatoes, salt, chilli powder/sambar powder, turmeric powder, hing and cook till tomatoes turn soft and oil starts to separate.
Add jaggery or sugar. Mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with chapathis!

Mango Pachadi (Chutney)

2011-04-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Tamil New Year!!
It is customary to make this sweet, sour and spicy mango pachadi on New Year day. This is my mom's recipe. It's my favorite and I love it with curd rice.

Ingredients:
1 Raw mango
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urud dal
1/4 tsp hing
Few curry leaves
1 Green chilli
2 Red chillies
Salt
1/3 cup Jaggery
1 Cup water
1 tsp rice flour

Method:
Chop mango into big pieces (with skin).

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urud dal, red chillies, hing, green chilli, curry leaves.
When mustard seeds crackle, add mango pieces and fry for 10 minutes.

Add 1 cup water, jaggery and salt. Cook until mangoes turn soft. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Take rice flour, add little water and make a thick paste. Add this to the mango mixture. Cook for a minute.
Vepamboo (neem flower) is roasted and added in the end. But I didn't have any.
Serve along with rice, sambar and curry.

Panakam

2011-04-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Rama Navami with this delicious Panakam!

Ingredients:
Grated Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
Dry ginger powder or fresh grated ginger - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 1/4 tsp
Honey - 1 tbsp

Method:
Mix all the ingredients. Stir well until jaggery dissolves in water completely.
Filter and serve chilled.

Aval Vadai (Poha Vada)

2011-04-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Tried this from Edible Garden and it turned out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I really liked it. Thanks for the recipe :)

Ingredients:
Aval/Poha/Rice flakes - 1 cup
Gram flour - 1-2 tbsp
Rice flour - 1-2 tbsp
Salt
Onion chopped - 1/2 cup
Green chilli chopped - 1
Hing - a pinch
Coriander leaves chopped- 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Grated Ginger/Garlic - 1 tsp
Oil - To deep fry

Method:
Wash poha and rinse. Set aside for 10 minutes till it turns soft.
Add rest of the ingredients and form a dough. Add little water if necessary (I added less than 1/4 cup of water).
If the mixture becomes soggy, add some more rice flour/gram flour.
Shape them into 1/4 inch thick discs.
Deep fry till golden brown.
Serve hot with ketchup!

Strawberry Ginger Lemonade

2011-03-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 strawberries
1 tsp grated ginger
A pinch of salt
Sugar as needed

Method:
Puree the strawberries with 1/3 cup water.
To the freshly squeezed lemon juice, add strawberry paste, sugar, salt, grated ginger and 2 cups of water.
Stir well and filter. If the juice is thick, add some more water.
Serve chilled.

I am sending this entry to "it's spring" event hosted by zestyflavors.com

Mushroom Pulao

2011-03-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

I am sure mushroom lovers will love this pulao. I added coconut milk to make the pulao delicious and rich! The ingredient list may be long, but it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
2 Garlic pods chopped finely
A handful of sliced mushroom and frozen peas
1 Green Chilli
2 Cloves
1 Stick cinnamon
1 Bay leaf
1 Star Anise
Salt
1 cup Basmathi Rice
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee
Coriander leaves to garnish
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water

Method:

Heat oil and ghee in pressure cooker.
Add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and star anise.
After a few seconds, add garlic, onion and green chilli. Saute for a couple of minutes.
Add mushroom and peas and stir well.
Wash and rinse the rice.
Add the rice. Saute for a minute.
Add salt, coconut milk and water.
Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
Cool and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with any raitha or chips.

Nombu Kozhakattai (Steamed Rice/jaggery balls)

2011-03-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

This kozhakattai is made on a special occasion called - "nombu". If you are interested in knowing more about this festival, click here.

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 1/4 tsp
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Water - 1 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Dry roast rice flour on medium flame till it turns light golden color. Stir continuously so that it doesn't burn. Allow it to cool.

Step 2: Add fresh grated coconut and cardamom

Step 3: Add very little water (1 or 2 tbsp) to jaggery and heat till it melts (about 5 minutes). Filter the syrup and allow it to cool.

Step 4: Add this syrup to the rice flour/coconut mixture and make a soft dough.

Step 5: Grease your palm with ghee and make even sized balls and steam in pressure cooker for 10 to 12 minutes.

Enjoy it with some butter!

Chayote Squash Curry

2011-02-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
Chayote Squash (chow chow) chopped - 1
Red Chillies - 2
Curry leaves - a few
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urud dal - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil - 2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, red chillies and urud dal.
When mustard seeds splutter, add chayote squash, hing, turmeric, salt and curry leaves.
Close the lid and cook on low flame.
When the squash turns soft, add fresh grated coconut and mix well.
Serve with rice and sambar.

Tindora Rice (Kovakkai Saadham)

2011-02-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
Tindora/Ivy Gourd/Kovakkai sliced - 1 cup
Potato - 1 chopped
Onion - 1/2 cup thinly sliced
Raw/Sona Masuri Rice - 1/2 cup uncooked
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper - 3/4 to 1 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 5 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Method:
Cook rice in 1 1/4 cup water and set aside.
Heat oil in a wide pan. Add jeera. When it crackles, add hing, curry leaves and onion.
When onion turns golden brown, add sliced tindora.
Fry for 5 minutes.
Now add chopped potatoes, sprinkle salt and cover the pan with a lid.
When the veggies are almost cooked, open the lid and fry for 5 minutes until they turn crispy.
Add cooked rice and ground pepper. Toss everything together without mashing the rice.
Serve with pappad or raitha.

Idli Upma

2011-01-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick and simple tiffin made with left over idlis. Picture quality is not up to the mark. I used a different camera this time.

Ingredients:
Left over idlis - 4
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urud dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Idli powder (Milagai podi) - 2 to 3 tsp
Coconut - 2 tsp

Method:
Cool the idlis. Crumble into a coarse mixture and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds and urud dal.
When urud dal turns brown, add curry leaves, hing and crumbled idli.
Add idli powder and coconut and mix well.
Serve hot with yogurt.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

Wish you and your family a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

Fried Idly

2010-12-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is a simple snack you can make with leftover idlis. It is very crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Ingredients:
Leftover Idlis - 3
Oil - To deep fry
Salt
Chilli powder and garam masala powder - a pinch

Method:
Cut the idlis into equal sized pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the idlis till they turn golden brown.
Drain excess oil in paper towel.
Sprinkle salt, chilli powder and garam masala powder when the fried idlis are still hot.
Serve with hot and sweet tomato ketchup.