Masala Chitranna & Recipes from blog buddies:

Masala Chitranna

Chitranna or more familiarly known as Lime Rice is a quick and easy meal. Plain Lime Rice can become boring at times so my mom used to jazz it up a bit with veggies, same tasty goodness but more colourful and filling.

You will need:

1 cup Rice
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
½ tsp Chana dal
6-8 green chillies
4-5 cloves of Garlic
Few curry leaves
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 cup green beans (French cut)
1 cup Carrots (French cut)
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
2 Tbsps Oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp Lime juice
Chopped coriander

Cook the rice and keep aside. Boil the beans and carrot, drain and keep aside.Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. Add the urad dal, chana dal and curry leaves. Saute for a minute and add the slit green chillies. Add the sliced onions and when they are half done add the chopped garlic. (Note: The finer the garlic is chopped the stronger the flavour, so cut garlic as per your preference) Saute till onions are soft. Add the turmeric powder and sauté for 2 minutes. Lastly add the boiled veggies and fry for a minute. Turn off heat and add the cooked rice, salt and lime juice. Mix well and garnish with chopped coriander.

Other bloggers’ recipes

When I started my food blog I was instantly bombarded with so many other food blogs, because one link lead to another and then another…so it was a host of recipes all along. Everything looked so good that I wanted to try them all(call me over ambitious/greedy..hehe) I finally had time to try other recipes and it sure was a break from deciding what to make for lunch/dinner. Blogger buddies’ recipes did all the deciding for me!

Tomato Puris

I tried Suma’s Tomato Puris…simply delicious…loved the colour.

I couldn't resist taking pictures while the puris were still getting done, I feared they would flat out on me as soon as I plated them!!

We had ours with Chole, Suma suggests an Eggplant accompaniment which I'm gonna try soon.

Unniyapams

This is Annita’s Unniyapams. When I was studying in a residential school in Ooty, we were served Unniyapams occasionally. Unniyapam is a Kerala specialty. I was craving for some last night and I googled and found her recipe. I didn't use the baking soda and sesame seeds. I also substituted the coconut bits with grated coconut.I must say the first bite was pure nostalgia!

Shahi Bell Peppers

I also tried Asha’s Shahi Bell Pepper, but forgot to take a pic…I guess I was too eager to eat!! :)

Thanks for the wonderful recipes ladies!! I still have a long list of “to try” recipes, all bookmarked neatly, I believe I will get to each one of them some day soon :)

Have a great weekend !!! :)

Ghee Rice and Veg. Korma, Paneer Peshawari

Ghee Rice and Korma is a delicious combo and easy to make at home.

The korma sometimes spelt korma, qorma or kurma is a popular dish all over India. Made with a unique blend of spices, yoghurt, nuts and sauces, korma can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Korma has its roots in the Moghulese cuisine of Northern India. It is a characteristically creamy and silky Persian-Indian dish which can be traced back to the 16th Century and the Moghul insertions into the North-Western parts of India and modern day Pakistan. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Korma we make in South India is a good accompaniment to rice, chapathis or dosas.

Ghee Rice

You will need:

3 cup Basmati Rice
6 tbsps Ghee
¼ cup Green peas
½ “ pc Cinnamom
2 Cardamoms
2 Cloves
2 Onions chopped or thinly sliced
6 Green chillies slit
1 ½ cups Milk
3 cups Water
¼ tsp Lime juice
Salt to taste

Wash and soak Basmati Rice for 15 minutes. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Stir for a minute and then add the onions and green chillies. Fry till onions are soft. Add the green peas and sauté for a minute. Add the milk and water, salt to taste and close lid. Increase heat to high. When steam begins to rise, reduce heat and slowly remove lid. Add the Basmati Rice and the lime juice. Stir and close lid. Cook on high and when steam begins to rise, place weight on the cooker and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Mix well and serve with Kurma.

Vegetable Kurma

You will need:

1 cup Cauliflower florets
1 large potato cubed
½ cup Green peas
2-3 onions thinly sliced
2 Tomatoes cubed
1/4 cup Oil
½ tsp Mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Chopped Corriander

To Make a Paste:

½ Cup fresh coconut gratings
2 tbsps Fried Gram (Hurgadale)
2 Tsps Red chilli powder
2 tsps Corriander powder
1 tsp Jeera powder
¼ tsp Garam masala
3-4 cloves of Garlic

Boil peas, potatoes and cauliflower. Drain and keep aside. Place paste ingredients in a blender and make a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the sliced onions and sauté till onions are soft and translucent. Add the paste and fry for 4-5 minutes. Now add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the boiled veggies and salt to taste. Mix well and bring to a boil. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with Ghee Rice. Can also be served with chapathis and dosas.

Paneer Peshawari

¾ cup Paneer cubes
2 Onions – 1 finely chopped; 1 thinly sliced
3 Tomatoes – 1 ½ finely chopped; remaining thinly sliced
2 Bell peppers – green, red, yellow thinly sliced
1 tsp Cumin seeds
½ tbsp Cumin powder
½ tbsp Corriander powder
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsps Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Kasthuri Methi leaves
3 tbsps Oil
2 tbsps Butter
½ cup Fresh cream
3 tbsp Cashewnut paste
Salt to taste
Water as required

Soak a handful of cashewnuts in warm water for a few hours. Grind to a fine paste and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and when it begins to splutter add the finely chopped onions. Fry till onions are soft and light brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder. Mix well and sauté till oil floats on top around 8-10 minutes. The longer you fry the better the taste.

Now add the sliced onions, tomatoes and bell peppers. Add about a cup of water and cook on medium. Let the veggies cook and come to a boil. Stir in the paneer cubes, cashew paste, cream and the kasthuri methi. Add salt to taste. Top with butter and serve hot with chapathis/naans.

AFAM & Fresh Produce of the Month :Grapes all the way!

This month’s Fruit is the juicy Grapes…fresh or dried its hard to resist grabbing a handful. I love grapes and always have some at home when its in season.

Green Goddess

Nah I’m not talking about any goddess, that's the name of my drink..don't ask me why :)

You will need

1 ½ cups Green grapes (seedless)
½ cup Milk
1 ½ tbsp sugar
½ tsp Cardamom powder

Place all of the above in a blender and give a good whizz. The grapes should be blended well and you should be left with a semi-thick mixture. Pour into glasses, chill and serve.

When my granny first made this she had us guessing what was in it. We’ve all tasted Black grapes juice, which is very common, but this was the first with green grapes. It tastes just as delicious and a great treat on a hot day!

Grape Chaat

Not all grapes are sweet and the sour ones just make me pucker. I really am not for tart stuff so when I come across sour grapes, I have a good way to eat them.

You will need:

1 cup Grapes (Black and Green)
1/4 tsp Red chilli powder
1/4 tsp Chaat Masala powder
1/4 tsp Salt

Half the grapes, toss them with a salt ,red chilli powder and Chaat Masala you have some great tasting Grape chaat, and the sourness…all gone!

The salt actually helps cut the sourness and you won’t have to fret on not having sweet grapes. This salad can be made with sweet grapes too, the grapes just get better!

Raisins (Onadrakshi) Gojju

In one of my previous posts I had mentioned Pineapple Gojju. Following the same recipe you can substitute Pineapples with soaked boiled Dry grapes (Raisins) and you have Raisins Gojju, a popular dish served at almost every wedding in South Karnataka..

I’m posting the recipe here again.

You will need

1 cup raisins
8-10 Byadagi dry red chillies
2 tbsps Corriander seeds
½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
¼ tsp Hing
1 tbsp Urad dhal
1 tbsp Chana dhal (kadlebele)
4 tbsps dry coconut gratings
Salt to taste
Oil and ghee
100 gms Jaggery
100 gms Tamarind (soak in water and extract the juice)

Soak the raisins and boil them in hot water.Keep aside. Roast the red chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad and chana dhal, and coconut gratings each separately in little ghee till fragrant. Grind the roasted ingredients with water, tamarind juice and jaggery to form a rough paste. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and hing. Now add the boiled pineapple chunks. Add the ground paste, salt, tamarind juice and jaggery, bring to a boil. Add water if required to make a gravy like consistency. Serve with hot steamed white rice and ghee.

These are my entries to "Fresh Produce of the Month:Grapes" at Martha's and A Fruit A Month (AFAM) hosted by Swapna of Swad

RCI:K -- Rasam and Sambar powders, Rave Rotti

More entries to this month's RCI:K, being from Karnataka its impossible to stop with just a few entries :) I often make Rasam and Sambar and use both the powders, I thought it would be a good idea to have the recipes to make these powders in one post so that I can refer back to it any time. Rasam powder, Sambar powder and Rave Rotti are my entries to Asha's RCI:K.

Rasam Powder

¾ cup Byadagi dry red chillies
¼ cup Guntur dry red chillies
2 cups Corriander seeds
1 ½ cups Cumin seeds
½ cup Whole black pepper
½ cup Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds)
½ cup Mustard seeds
¾ tsp Asafetida
4-5 whole turmeric bits
3-4 cups Curry leaves

Lightly roast each of the above separately in a pan and grind all together to a fine powder. This is Rasam powder and can be used to make different varieties of Rasams. Store in an air tight container at room temperature and use as required.

Sambar powder

1 cup Corriander seeds
½ cup Cumin seeds
1 ½ tbsps Whole black pepper
1 ½ tbsps Mustard seeds
1 ½ tbsps Fenugreek seeds
¾ cup Urad dal
¾ cup Chana dal
1 cup Curry leaves
¼ tsp Asafetida
1 Whole turmeric bit
¾ cup Dry red chillies
½ cup Poppy seeds
1 cup Dry coconut grated

Lightly roast each of the above and grind together into a fine powder. This is Sambar powder. Store in a air tight container at room temperature and use as required.

Rave Rotti

This is the first time I tried Rave(semolina) rotti, my mom used to make this very often when I was back in India. Last night I was deciding what to make for dinner and thought of Rave rotti but didn’t have the recipe. Was too late to call mom so I had to go by memory…it did turn out good I must say!

You will need:

2 cups Regular Rava (Semolina- Upma Rava)
1 ½ onions finely chopped
1 tsp Green chilli paste
½ cup chopped coriander
Salt to taste
¾ cup Thick curd (yoghurt)
Water as required
Non stick pan or pans used to make Rottis

Toast the semolina on a low flame till it becomes light and fragrant. Let cool. Add the other ingredients and mix to form a pliable dough. Keep aside for atleast an hour, the longer the better.

Smear oil on the non-stick pan. These rottis need to be hand patted so don’t heat the pan. Place a small ball of the dough on the pan.Pat into thin rottis, wet fingers as you go so that the patting is easier. Pour ¼ tsp of oil on top and place the entire pan on the stove.

Cover and roast on medium flame. Covering helps cook both sides. When the upper side is done, uncover and roast for another minute or two, this helps crisp the rotti a little. When done, fold and serve hot with your favourite pickle and ghee.

To make the next rotti, cool the back of the pan under running cold water and you can immediately pat another rotti on the pan. When you have guests its best to use two pans. And if you are using non stick pans,wait till pan cools rather running it under cold water, could make the pan bend.

Grilled Sandwiches and Oven Roasted Fries

I’ve always been a great fan of junk food ( I think many heads are nodding a “me too”) and the best eateries back home have got to be in Bangalore..from the roadside gol guppas to the small fast food joints. There was one such fast food joint bang in the middle of the busiest shopping Complex in Jayanagar, "Cool Joint" which serves an array of grilled sandwiches, chats, fresh fruit juices and mouth watering desserts at very low prices. Those familiar with Bangalore will know exactly what I’m talking about.

The last few months before I got married, I stayed in Bangalore at my granny’s and my brother and I made endless visits to Cool Joint…the yummy huge Veg. Grilled Sandwiches, a tall glass of fresh fruit juice and of course the glorious warm black forest cake with cold vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce…ohhh makes me drool! A few days back I felt like eating the same Grilled Sandwich and was really missing it…I distinctly remembered what went into the sandwich so thought of giving it a try at home. Few sizzles on the grill and voila..we were chomping on delicious Grilled sandwiches..here’s how I made them.

You will need

8 slices of bread
10 slices of tomato
10 slices of Cucumber
4 slices of Onion
2 tbsps butter
Cheese slices (any cheese, I used Mozzarella, which is the stringiest and best for grilled sandwiches)
Pudina chutney
Grill pan or toaster grill (sandwich maker)

To make Pudina chutney

Mint – 1 to 1 ½ bunches
Garlic – 4 to 5 small pods
Onions- ½
Green chillies – 7-8
Cilantro (coriander) – ½ bunch
Salt to taste

Grind the above with little water. Store in an airt tight container and refrigerate. Freeze in a plastic container if you want to store it for a long time.

Apply pudina chutney on one side of each slice of bread. Place tomato, onion and cucumber slices. Place the cheese slices and then the other slice of bread, pudina side down. Apply butter to the top slice and place butter side down on a grill pan or in the toaster grill. If using a grill pan butter only one side and apply to the other side when you flip it.

(If using a toaster grill apply butter on both sides and close grill. Toast according to manufacturer’s instructions)

I used a grill pan and placed something heavy on the bread to get good grill marks. I placed another pan on the sandwich and placed two heavy food cans. This helped even grilling. Each side takes about 2 minutes or less so watch carefully when the bread is on the grill...can burn easily. Before you flip the bread to grill the other side apply butter and then flip.

When done, cut into triangles and serve with ketchup/sauce.

Oven Toasted Fries

I love French Fries (who doesn’t!) and I’m always looking for ways to make them in a health way at home. The best way is to roast potatoes in the oven, they not only taste better but a lot of the grease can be done away with.

You will need:

12 Red russet potatoes
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
¼ cup Olive oil
¾ tsp Dried Oregano
Few tbsps Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 F. Quarter the potatoes (leave skins on) and toss with salt, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl to coat well. Evenly layer the potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle dried oregano on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes till potatoes are browned and crisp on the outside. Flip potatoes every 10 minutes to ensure they cook evenly.

Once done, sprinkle parmesan(if using) on the hot potatoes. This helps melt the cheese. Serve immediately by itself or along side grilled sandwiches.