Feel free to pass your comments, feedback, advices or recipe requests / suggestions through comments of this blog or email to illatharasi@gmail.com. All your suggestions are welcome!!!



Thursday, March 12, 2009

Beans Rice


I usually try this simple rice for lunch box, whenever I feel lazy to cook 2-3 dishes. Its wholesome to have it with vegetables. Can try the same recipe with carrot, beetroot, cabbage, potato, etc.


Ingredients:
Cooked rice - 6 cups
Beans - 3 cups, finely chopped
Onions - 1, medium sized, chopped
Curry leaves - few
Green chillies - 3-4, cut into small pieces
Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Ghee - 2 tablespoons


Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add ghee, fennel seeds, onions and fry for 3 minutes.

Then add ginger and garlic paste, curry leaves, green chillies and fry until onions turn golden brown.

Once it is done, add chopped beans and cook until beans are soft. Add cooked rice, salt and mix well.

Serve it hot with papad.


Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves 2-3 persons

Kuzhi Paniyaram



This is one of the famous snack from Chettinad cuisine. It can be prepared easily from Idli batter either sweet or salty. I tried it salty and spicy. Check it out!


Ingredients:
Idli batter - 3 cups (check the recipe below)

Onions - 1, medium sized, finely chopped
Green chillies - 2-3, cut into small pieces
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Coriander leaves - few
Oil - 1 tablespoon


Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Allow mustard seeds to splitter in it.
Add urad dal, curry leaves, onions, green chillies, asafoetida powder and fry for few minutes until all onions turn golden brown.
Then mix this and coriander leaves with the batter.
Heat the paniyaram pan(I missed to take a picture, will add it later) and apply little oil in each of the holes.
Once it is hot, pour the dough and allow it to cook on both sides.
Serve hot with coconut chutney.


Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves 4-5 persons


Idli batter:
Ingredients:
Boiled Rice - 4 cups
Urad dal - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Method:
Soak rice in water for 2-3 hours and dal in water for 45 mintues, before you are ready to grind.
Grind them seperately and mix them with salt and water, if required.
Ferment it for 8 hours or leave the dough overnite, so that it is perfect for the mornings.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Capsicum Fried rice


Very easy to make and tasty to eat. Try it out.

Ingredients:
Capsicum (Bell peppers) - 1-2 cups, chopped into pieces
(Combine red / green / yellow, so that rice looks colourful)
Cooked long grain rice or fragnant rice - 3-4 cups
Garlic - 2-3 cloves, finely chopped
Green chillies - 2-3, cut into small pieces
Onions - 2, medium sized, finely chopped
Dried basil leaves (powdered) - 1 teaspoon
Light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves - few for garnishing
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add chopped garlic and green chillies.

Fry for 2 minutes and add chopped onions. Saute until onions turn golden brown.

Add capsicum, basil leaves, salt to taste and fry until they are cooked.

Then add soya sauce and mix well. Add cooked rice and mix well. Add little salt if required.

Fry for 5-10 minutes and serve hot with vinegar chillies.


Cooking time : 15-20 minutes
Serves 2 persons.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Snakegourd Spring Onions poriyal(Stir-fry)


Snakegourd helps stimulate the production of body fluids thus relieving dryness. It can disperse phlegm, remove pus, expel toxic matter and is anti-inflammatory. Snakegourd can act as a natural antibiotic, expectorant, laxative, and can be used for abscesses boils bronchitis, constipation, jaundice and hemorrhoids. It helps with breast and lung tumors, and can promote lactation. It has been shown to be excellent for diabetes.

For more information click
here and here


Ingredients:
Snakegourd - 1, medium sized
Spring onions - 1 bunch
Onion - 1, medium sized
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chillies - 3-4
Curry leaves - few
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 1 or 2, as spicy required
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Method:
Wash snakegourd and deseed it. Cut into small pieces and keep aside. Chop spring onions and onion.

Heat oil in pan and allow mustard seeds to splitter in it. Add urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves and fry for a minute.

Add chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown. Then add snake gourd and saute well.

Cook it covered for 10-15 minutes until they are soft. Meanwhile, dry grind coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds to a fine powder.

Once snakegourd is cooked, add spring onions, grinded coconut to it and saute well.

Add salt to it and mix well. Cook it for 5-10 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or chappathi.


Cooking time - 20-30 minutes
Serves 3 persons.