Beans Stir fry

Simple Beans stir fry.......hhmm yummy with rasam rice or curd rice or just mix with plain rice and ghee..
divine..
Yet one more family favourite. My husband simply loves beans stir fry of course with cocnut.
Most of the south indian food ....vital ingredient...coconut...yes me too..love coconut in my food.
This is a simple, basic beans stir fry recipe done in jiffy...

Ingredients:
Fresh Beans - 250 grams chopped,
Oil - 1 teaspoon,
Mustard - 1 teaspoon,
Asafoetida - a small pinch,
Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon,
Dry Red chillies -2 broken,
or
Green Chillies - 2 chopped,
Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves torn,
Coconut grated - 1 tablespoon,
Salt.


Method:
Cook beans in as little water as possible with  little salt and a pinch of sugar.
Take care to not overcook.
Do not cover and cook as the beans may lose it fresh green colour.
After beans is cooked, drain the water completely  and plunge them into ice cold water, to avoid further cooking and also to retain the green colour.
You can use the beans cooked stock in your rasam or sambhar.
In a kadai heat oil, add mustard.
When Mustard crackles, add asafoetida.
Add urad dal and fry until pink.
Add red or green chillies.
Add curry leaves.
Add cooked beans and fry for couple of minutes.
Adjust salt.
Add coconut and mix well and serve.

Vegetable Pulao

This is my friend G's recipe. I should say she is a wonderful cook and a good friend of mine.
I have made some modifications according to the taste of my family.
Though my veg pulao is a restaurant style and I will post it sometime.
Original recipe calls for adding coconut, I have omitted it.
Again it makes a delicious one pot meal with raita and goes without saying, that good for packed lunches too.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2cups (soaked for 15 minutes),
Oil - 2 Tablespoon,
Shahi Jeera - 2 teaspoon
Onion - 2 medium sliced,
Tomato - 4 chopped,
Mixed Vegetable - 1 cup chopped (beans, carrot, potato, peas...)
Salt.

To Grind:
Saunf - 1 teaspoon,
Cinnamon - 2 inch peice,
Cloves - 5,
Star Anise - about 1/4 inch size,
Cardamom - 1,
Green Chillies - 10-12,
Ginger - 1 inch,
Garlic - 5 cloves,
Coriander - 1 teaspoon,
Mint - 1 tablespoon,
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon.

Method:
Grind the ingredients under the grinding table to smooth paste with as little as water as possible and keep aside.
In a broad pan add oil and heat.
Add shahi jeera and allow to crackle.
Add onions and fry until light brown.
Add mixed vegetables and fry for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and fry until mushy.
Add ground paste and fry until nice aroma emits.
Add 4 cups of boiling water. (measurement is always 1 cup of rice : 2 cups of boiling water).
Add salt and stir.
Drain the water from soaked rice completely.
Add rice to boiling water.
Cover and cook until rice is completely cooked and fluffy. (about 15-20 minutes approximately).
Enjoy with raita.

Note:
If you do not have shahi jeera add normal cumin seeds.
To cook rice for pulao, always add boiling water.
 After adding rice to boiling water, cook the rice in high flame until the water evaporates(approximately 10 minutes)
Completely lower the flame after water evaporates and cook for another 5 more minutes.
Remove from heat and cover and keep for 2 more minutes.
Take care not to stir the rice too many times while cooking.
Whole process of cooking the rice, might need only 2-3 times of stirring to ensure even cooking.
Add a teaspoon of ghee once completely cooked to enhance the flavour and taste, again its optional.

Onion Poha

Yet one more classic South Indian Karnataka breakfast.
It is savoured as a morning breakfast.
Goes well even with evening tea.
Chai and poha completely compliment each other.

Ingredients:
Thick Poha - 2 cups(Soaked in water and drained),
Oil - 1 tablespoon,
Mustard - 2 teaspoons,
Cumin - 1 teaspoon,
Asafoetida - a pinch,
Ground nuts - 1 tablespoon,
Chana Dal - 1 teaspoon,
Green chillies - 6-8 finely chopped,
Curry Leaves - 10-15 leaves,
Onion - 2-3 medium (chopped),
Salt,
Sugar - 1 teaspoon,
Coconut grated - 1 tablespoon,(optional)
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon.

Method:
In a kadai, heat oil.
Add mustard seeds, when it crackles add asafoetida and cumin.
Add groundnut and chana dal and  fry until brown.
Add green chillies and curry leaves and fry.
Add chopped onion and fry until pink.
Add soaked and drained poha.
Add salt and sugar and mix well.
Cover and cook in very low heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add Grated coconut(optional) and chopped coriander.
Allow this to cool for 3-4 minutes.
Add lemon juice and serve warm with tea

Raw Mango Rice

Mangoes always makes my mouth watery.
I like them raw, ripe and even half ripe.
I like grated raw mango with my poha and upma.
Again this is a very basic simple raw mango rice.
Great as breakfast, lunch, dinner or even packed lunches.
Can be made in jiffy and enjoyed by whole family.
HHmmm....my mouth is watering, although I had it just now.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 1/2 cups(cooked and cooled),
Raw Mango - 1 cup grated ( has to be sour),
Green Chillies - 5-6,
Salt.

To Temper:
Oil - 1 tablespoon,
Mustard - 2 teaspoon,
Asafoetida - a large pinch,
Groundnuts - 1 Tablespoon,
Chana dal - 1 teaspoon,
Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon,
Whole Red Chillies - 3-4 broken,
Curry leaves - 1 sprig,
Chopped Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon,
Coconut grated - 1 tablespoon(optional).

Method:
Cook rice and spread it to cool. I would like to cook at least 2 hours before and cool it.
Add salt to rice once it is cooled.
I grinded together raw mango grated and green chillies together without water to smooth paste.(I grinded as my son doesnt like the raw mango grating with his rice)
The water in the mango is enough to grind it.
Now it is completely up to you  to grind or not.
In a medium broad pan add oil and heat it.
Add mustard seeds when it crackles add asafoetida.
Add groundnuts and chana dal.
Once they are browned add red chillies and curry leave.
Now if you have not grinded green chillies, you can add chopped green chillies at this stage.
Add turmeric powder and ground mixture
or
Grated Raw mango and fry it, until it comes to a lump without sticking to pan.
Add chopped coriander and grated coconut and mix well.
Add this mixture to cooked rice and mix well.
Warm the rice and serve.

Note:
Raw mango has to be sour, other wise it will not balance the spice, salt and sourness in the rice.
Coconut is completely optional or you can flavour it with a teaspoon of coconut oil.
You can also grind coconut along with raw mango and green chillies without water.

Chana Pulao

This is, I would say the choley with rice to make a one pot dish, instead of choley and chapati or poori or bhatura.
This is one pot dish great for quick meal and complete in itself.
Great for packed lunches too with some raita or if you like it my way with curd rice.
This is a very simple pulao, can be made in 15 minutes with 15 minutes of preparation time.
I tried this for saturday afternoon lunch with curd rice and the family just loved it and enjoyed.
Now coming to the recipe,

Ingredients:
Chickpeas or Chana - 1cup(soaked for 6-8 hours),
Basmati Rice - 2 cups(soaked for 15 minutes)
Oil - 1 tablespoon,
Cumin - 2 teaspoon,
Onion - 1 large sliced,
Fresh Ginger and Garlic Paste - 1 teaspoon,
Tomatoes - 3-4 medium.(thinly sliced).

Dry Spice Powders:
Red Chilly Powder -11/ 2 teaspoons,
Coriander Seeds Powder - 2 teaspoons,
Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
Salt.
Kasoori Methi or chopped Coriander - 1 teaspoon.

Method:
Cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker with enough water and salt for 5-6 whistles until soft, but not mushy.
In a large pan, heat oil and add cumin.
Once the cumin crackles, add onion.
Fry onion until light brown.
Add Ginger-Garlic paste.
Fry until raw smell evaporates.
Add tomatoes and fry until mushy and oil leaves the sides.
Add all the dry spice powders except garam masala powder.
Fry for 1-2 minutes, until raw smell evaporates.
Add 4 cups of boiling water. I  always add 2 cups of boiling water for 1 cup of rice.
It depends on the quality and maturity of rice.
Add garam masala powder.
Add Kasoori Methi now, if you are adding it.
Completely drain water from rice and add it to the boiling water.
Cover and cook until the rice is completely cooked and fluffy.
Add chopped coriander and mix well and enjoy with some raita

Note:
For fresh ginger garlic paste,  chop  both of them finely and finely paste it in a pestle and mortar or
place the chopped ginger and garlic on a wooden top and roll it from a rolling pin.
Take care while adding salt as we have added salt while cooking chickpeas as well.
Save the chickpeas cooked stock and add to the pulao instead of plain water, so the nutrients stay intact.
If you dont have dry chickpeas or no time to soak, you can use tinned chickpeas as well. cook them only for 3 whistles.

Plantain Stem Raita or vazhathandu Raita

Vazhzathandu or plantain stem is one of my favourite veggies.
I love this in either raita or just simple stir fry with coconut.
Even kootu is said to be very tasty, but I have never tried it.
It rich in dietary fibre, so more reasons to eat at least once a week.
My grand mother used to cook it to perfection, even now I miss her food.
Now coming to the recipe,

Ingredients:
Plantain Stem - 1 medium size,
Salt,
Yogurt - 1/2 cup.

To be Ground to Paste:
Coconut - 1 cup,
Green chillies - 4-5,
Cumin - 1 teaspoon.

For tempering:
Oil - 1 teaspoon,
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon,
Asafoetida - a pinch,
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig.

Method:
Cut the outer part of plantain stem, until you get white firm stem.
Cut them into roundels, carefully removing the fibre from your index finger.
Chop them into small pieces and drown them in sour buttermilk or lemon juice squeezed water to avoid darkening of the plantain stem.
Once the plantain stem is chopped cook them in boiling water with little salt until completely cooked and drain water and keep aside.
Ground the ingredients under grinding table.
First grind coconut with little water to fine paste and then add cumin and green chillies to coarse paste.
In a medium broad pan , bring ground paste and plantain stem to boil.
Switch off the flame. Add Yogurt and adjust the salt.
Temper with ingredients under the tempering table.

Rajma

Rajma or red kidney beans  in gravy is one of the family favourite.
Love to have this with hot steamed rice and some raw roundels of onions.
My kids fight with each other to have the last bit of it.
Very satisfying, comforting rajma chaval.
I do with lot of variations, depending on the mood of the day while cooking rajma chaval.
Today I am  posting a very basic rajma recipe, but with lot of flavours.
Now coming to the recipe,

Ingredients:
Rajma or Red Kidney Beans - 250 grams(soaked for 6-8hours),
Oil - 1 tablespoon,
Cumin - 1 teaspoon,
Onion - 1 large,
Ginger - 1 inch,
Garlic - 2-3 cloves,
Tomatoes - 3-4 medium sized,
Mint - 1 tablespoon chopped.

Dry Spices:
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 teaspoon,
Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon,
Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
Salt.

Method:
Pressure cook red kidney beans with enough salt and water.
Grind onion, ginger and garlic  into fine paste without water and keep aside.
Boil tomatoes in hot water, until you are able to remove the skin, cool, remove the skin and puree it and keep aside.
In a medium broad sauce pan heat oil, add cumin.
When cumin crackles add ground onion, ginger and garlic paste.
Fry in medium low heat until the mixture turns pink in colour and fat leaves the sides.
Add tomato puree and allow to boil until the tomatoes are cooked and the raw smell evaporates.(approximately 4 minutes)
Add all the dry spices except for garam masala powder.
Fry the dry spices for couple of minutes.
Add cooked rajma with the cooked  liqueur.
Add Garam masala powder and cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Finally add chopped mint and serve with hot steamed rice.

Note:
If you find beans cooked stock is more, save some and add it later if required.
The longer it simmers, it tastes better.
If you do not have mint, you can either add kasoori methi or fresh finely chopped coriander.
Take care while adding salt as kidney beans is also cooked with salt.