Cabbage Spinach Rice

Once I was thinking about what to cook for lunch box and I was having very less cabbage at home and some spinach. Thought to make rice out of it and started cooking cabbage rice. It turned out so well that my husband’s colleagues appreciate it a lot. Even I like it so much that I had 2 servings of it. Usually I eat very less rice but that day had a lot.

Ingredients:
2 cups Basmati rice
2 cups chopped cabbage long length
1 cup chopped spinach
3green chilies finely chopped
1 garlic Pod finely chopped
1 medium sized onion long length chopped
1tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
4 Black peppercorns
3 cloves
2 inches cinnamon
½ tsp turmeric (haldi)
1tsp sambar masala
3tsp oil
1 tsp ghee
4 cups water
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Wash Basmati rice 3 times and keep it aside for 10 minutes. Now take one kadhai and add oil followed by cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, chilies, onions and haldi. Stir it for 2 minutes and add cabbage, Spinach with pinch of salt and cook it for 3-4 minutes. Then add basmati rice into it and mix well and roast for 2-3 minutes. Add sambar masala, salt and water. Keep it for cooking on medium heat. Once it’s cooked add 1 tsp of ghee and mix well. Ghee gives best aroma and taste to cabbage, spinach rice.

Flaxseeds (Javas/ Alashi) chutney

Recently I read one article about flaxseeds and went to the market for searching how they look and to see what it is exactly and came to know its Alashi. My mom used to make chutney out of it and there are various benefits of it.It lower cholesterol, protect against heart dieses, control high blood pressure and help to protect from cancer.

Ingredients:
1 cup Flaxseeds
6-7 Dry red chilies
4 tsp Peanuts
5-6 curry leaves
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Roast Flaxseeds for 5 minutes and keep it in one plate. Then roast chilies and curry leaves together for 2 minutes and keep them in the same plate of roasted flaxseeds. Now roast peanuts for 7 minutes on medium flame till they become brown and keep them in the same plate let everything get cool. Take a coffee grinder or small mixer attachment for making half crushed powdered chutney with some salt for taste.

Srawberry Banana Smoothie

This is one of the breakfast or after school healthy smoothie. Yesterday I suddenly come up with this delicious smoothie. Try it and enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 big recipes or 5 medium strawberries
2 Bananas
2tsp of sugar
1 cup vanilla yoghurt
1 cup milk
5 tsp orange juice
1tsp honey

Preparation:
Cut strawberries and Bananas into half and put all ingredients in the mixer and enjoy delicious creamy smoothie.

Green Chutney

This is the basic chutney which is useful in various recipes so one must thing to keep it in the freeze. I normally make it once the first one gets over.It can stay for 5-6 days in the freeze.You can store it in the deep freezer also if you want to keep it for long.



Ingredients:

2cups coriander leaves, washed and chopped well.
5 tbsp dry coconut powder
4 chilies chopped
1 Garlic chopped
1tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Put all ingredients in the mixer with 6 tbsp of water and grind well. Consistency should not be too thin or too thick. It should be easy to spread.

Sandwiches

This is one of my favorite tea time snack. Sometimes if I don’t have time then I make it for lunch. Its fast,quick and tasty.

Ingredients:

4 slices of sandwich bread
1tsp butter
2 tsp Green chutney
8-10 cucumber pieces
4 thin salad tomato slices
¼ tsp chat masala
Tomato sauce

Preparations:

Spread butter on all slices followed by green chutney. Arrange 4 to 5 slices of cucumber on one slice of bread and sprinkle chat masala. Then arrange 2 tomato slices on same bread and sprinkle chat masala and add some tomato sauce on it. Cover the bread with another slice of bread. Continue same with the other two slices also. Cut it slanting with the knife. If you are serving it to kids make 4 square pieces. So they can eat it neatly.

Variations:

You can add boiled potato slices, red onion slices and even cooked beet slices with some chat masala sprinkled on it. You can add one cheese slice too.

Tomato chi poli (Roti)

I never thought of making this recipe.Many times I make parathas for lunch box.One day I was not having anything for making parathas.I was thinking what other variety I can prepare in parathas then suddenly it clicked me that I am having many tomatoes at home and I started to make unusal red tomato poli.

Ingredients:

1 Large or 2 small tomatoes
1 Garlic pod

2 cups wheat flour

1tbsp Haldi

2-3 tbsp Red chili Powder

1tsp each coriander and jeera powder

1tsp jeera( Cumin seeds )

6 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Oil

Salt for taste

Preparation:

Chop tomatoes, garlic into small pieces. Take one pan and add ½ tsp of oil then add jeera and tomatoes, garlic then add coriander, jeera, haldi ,chili powder and cook it for 2-3 minutes and till it get soft. Now add coriander leaves and salt and mix it well and keep for cooling. Then add wheat flour and make it a dough. It will not need water but if you require then add a little and form a dough with little oil and keep it aside for ½ hour. Now heat the skillet. Make12-13 balls out of dough and roll like a roti. Spread few drops of oil on skillet and roast the poli from both side and enjoy it with butter, pickle.

Fodani chi Poli

This is one of the best recipe out of rest chapati which my mom use to make.I love it so much that once in a while I make extra chapatis so they will remain for the next day and can eat fodani chi poli.

Ingredients:

6-7 chapatis ( You can take as many as you want)
3 green chilies chopped
5-6 curry leaves
3 tsp oil
1tbsp mustard seeds
1tbsp jeera ( cumin seeds)
1/2 tbsp haldi
A pinch hing
1 medium size chopped onion.
1/4 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
4 tbsp coriander leaves chopped ( Optional)

Preparation:

Make very small pieces of chapati and kneed them well so they will be like very small.You can put them into chopper also for fast and easy job.Now take one kadhai and add oil let it become hot and then add mustard seeds.Let them crackled then add jeera,hing,haldi,curry leaves,chilies and onions.Let onions become pink and transparent for about 2 minutes.Now add small chapati pieces,salt and sugar and mix it well.Keep a lid on kadhai for 3 minutes and then again mix well.Let the poli become soft and cooked.Fodani chi poli is ready to eat.

Idli,Sambar and chutney

This is one of south Indian breakfast menu which is yummy in taste and very healthy and fulfilling breakfast.I was in Hyderabad for 3 years and neighbour use to make Idli 3 times in a week for breakfast and my son started loving it.I thought to learn from her.Thanks to Nagini for showing me this wonderful recipe. I make it many times for Dinner also Nice hot Idli, Saambar and chutney....Yummy

Ingredients:
For Idli:

1 cup Urad daal
2 cups Idli Rawa
Salt for taste
1/2 Tsp ENO fruit salt.

For Sambar:
1 cup Toor Daal
3 tsp Tamarind (Imli) Soak into lukewarm water
2 tsp Saambar masala powder
1/2 tsp Haldi
Pinch hing
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 small onion chopped into thin long length
2 small tomatoes chopped into cubes
1/4 cup Bottled gourd cut into cubes
3-4 dry red chilies
6-7 curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

For Chutney:

1/4 cup Roasted and peeled peanuts
1/4 cup dry or fresh coconut
1 tsp Tamarind ( Imli ) soaked into lukewarm water
3-4 green chilies
1 tsp oil for tadaka
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad daal
1-2 dry red chilies cut into 2 pieces
5-6 curry leaves
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Idli:

Soak Idli Rawa in one bowl adding 4 cups of water. Wash and soak urad daal into another bowl for about 6-7 hours. After 6-7 hours put Urad daal into grinder/ Mixer with very less water say about one inch more than urad daal and grind into smooth paste. Remove water from idli rawa and add urad daal batter into idli rawa's bowl and mix it well. Now keep the mixture for ferment say about 10 hours. Use a wide and big bowl. Now take idli plates and place a drop of oil in each idli mould and spread it over the entire mold. Take one big pot or pressure cooker and add 2 glasses of water and keep it on medium heat for boiling. Now take some batter into another bowl add 1/4 tsp of ENO and set into all molds and then steam it for 12 mins on high heat ( If you are using cooker then don't put whistle ) Remove Idli's from mold with knife and set for another batch if you need more. Have it with Saambar and chutney.

Saambar:

Cook Toor daal with double amount of water in a pressure cooker. Mash it well. Now take one big pot add some oil once it gets hot add mustard let it get crackled then add hing, haldi, red chilies followed by onions, tomatoes and bottle gourd. Let all vegetables get cooked. Now add cooked and mashed toor daal into it. Add 2 1/2 cups of water. Then add salt, sambar masala, tamarind juice. Consistency should not be too thin or thick. If you find you need some more water then you can add it. Let it get boiled nicely and then enjoy with Idli

Chutney:

Put roasted peanuts, coconut, tamarind juice, salt, chilies into mixer with 7-8 tsp of water and let it get into smooth paste. Remove into a small bowl. Now take oil in one small skillet let it get hot then add mustard let it get crackled, add urad daal, red chilies, curry leaves. Once urad daal turns into pink color remove from fire and pour it over chutney bowl and mix it well. Enjoy with Idli.

It’s a lot of work and efforts to make this recipe but really worth it. Try it and enjoy each and every piece of idli with delicious sambar and chutney.

Sabudana Khichadi

My Mother in Law makes lovely khichadi. I haven't tasted khichadi like her yet.Saabudana khichadi is one of my Families favorite recipe for breakfast specially on Sundays....but it’s very heavy and with lots of calories but once in a while it’s really good to enjoy it’s amazing taste. Normally people make this khichadi for fast so if you have one stove recipe for fast it will make you full and you will not feel hungry or like having something after each and every hour....Enjoy and give it a try....
Ingredients:

1cup Sabudana (Sago)
2tsp ghee or melted butter
1/4 cup roasted and powdered peanuts
1/4 tsp jeera
2 green chilies finely chopped
1small potato cut into cubes.
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Garnishing:
Finely chopped coriander and grated fresh coconut
Preparation:

First wash Sabudana and soak it into water but not much water just 1inch more than sabudana. Soak it for 5-6 hours or overnight.
Take one kadhai and add ghee into it on medium high heat then add jeera followed by chilies and potatoes. Let potatoes get cooked for 5 mins. Add a pinch salt into potatoes while cooking. While the potatoes gets cooked add peanut powder, salt and sugar into sabudana and mix it well. Now add into cooked potatoes stir it for 3-4 mins and keep lid on kadhai for 5 mins and give another stir for 3-4 min. Do it for 2 to 3 times and let sabudana cook well. Khichadi is ready garnish with coriander and coconut and enjoy.

Kaande Pohe

Mine and my husband’s favorite dish for any time say for breakfast, meal or snack time....Tasty hot kaande pohe.

Ingredients:

2 cups Thick pohe
1 medium size onion (Kaanda) finely chopped
1/2 medium size lemon
1/4 cup oil
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp jeera
A pinch hing
1 tsp haldi
8-10 curry leaves
3 green chilies split and cut long lengthwise
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt according to taste


Garnishing:

Finely chopped coriander leaves and fresh grated coconut

Preparation:

Sieve poha and then wash them and keep it aside.
Heat oil into one kadhai on medium high flame then add mustard let them crackle then add jeera, hing, haldi , chilies and curry leaves. Now add washed poha into a kadhai and add lemon, sugar and salt mix well and keep a lid on kadhai for 3-4 mins. After that stir one more time and keep a lid for another 5 mins and tasty poha's are ready to eat. Garnish with coriander and coconut.

Variations:

You can make batata pohe using 1 potato instead of onion and may be onion, potatoes and green peas

Upama

My first ever try in the kitchen....I use to help my mother in kitchen but not did cooking till I was in 7th standard. Once my mom was so busy in her work on that day that she didn't get time to cook anything for me and my 2 brothers and we all were so hungry after school. She told us she will take 5 to 10 mins more and she will make something for us. I thought that she works so much everyday and then cook everything at home starting from Breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner for us then I can try to make something for her after her busy work some hot dish and then I started making Upama on my own without any help. I was remembering all the ingredients and directions my mom follows.

Ingredients:
2 cups Rawa(Suji)

1 medium size onion ( finely chopped)

3 Green chilies split into half(Log length cut)

8-10 curry leaves

12 tsp oil

Pinch hing

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Urad daal

1/4 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Garnishing:coriander leaves and fresh grated coconut, Thin sev(Optional)

Preparations:
Roast Rawa in a pan till turns pink for 5-7 mins and keep it aside. Keep 5 cups of water into one pan and keep it for boiling.Take one Kadhai and put oil into it and keep it on medium high. Once oil become hot add mustard seeds let them crackle and then add urad daal, hing and curry leaves and chilies let Urad daal turn into pink color and add onions and let then cook for 2-3 mins till they turn pink. Add roasted Rawa into it stir for 2-3 mins. Add sugar and salt and stir. Now add hot water into kadhai and stir for 1 min and keep a lid on the kadhai for 2-3 mins then stir

once again and keep a lid for another 5 mins. Hot Upama is ready. Serve into one bowl and garnish with coriander, coconut, sev.

My first try on that day was amazing. My mom loved it a lot and everybody enjoyed, appreciated a lot. From that day my journey started towards cooking......give it a try and enjoy...