Cabbage Carrot Parathas

I generally make parathas with Aloo,gobhi or paneer. But one day I was craving for parathas and I was left with a few carrots and a piece of cabbage in the fridge.even the potato tray was nearly empty.this leaves me with no choice but to experiment with cabbage and carrot parathas.there was also another constraint - no onion and no garlic as Navrathri is on and my mom will not touch it if I add some tithe dish.i was little worried whether there would be any cabbage odour but everything had evaporated from my mind when I tasted the heavenly parathas.so it is a must try recipe which is healthy too.

Preparation time:40 mins

Makes:10 parathas

Ingredients:

Cabbage-250gms

Carrot-1 no

Jeera-1 tsp

Chilli powder-1 tsp(according to your spice tolerance)

Garam masala-1 tsp

Kasuri methi-1 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Salt -to taste

Oil-2 tsp

For outer covering:

Whole wheat flour-2 cups

Salt-to taste

Water - to knead 

Procedure:

1.In a large mixing bowl add the flour and reunited salt and add required water little by little and knead in to a soft pilable dough.Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it aside.

2.Chop the cabbage and carrot very finely.I used my vegetable chopper to do the job.if you don't have one you can also grate both the vegetables.

3.Heat a pan with 2 tsp of Poland add the jeera.after it splutters add the cabbage and carrot and sauté well.Add turmeric powder,chilli powder,salt and garam masala to it and mix well.Add the kasuri methi and sauté the mixture till the raw smell of all powders are gone.

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4.Switch off the flame as our filling for the paratha is ready.

5.Take a small ball size dough and roll in to a small chappathi and place two spoonfuls of the cabbage carrot filling inside it and wrap it inside the dough .

6.Dust some flour on the wrapped filing dough and roll out in to parathas.It should be neither too thick nor too thin.If it sticks to the rolling plate dust some flour and roll it out

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7.Heat a non-stick pan and add a tsp of oil and place the paratha on top of it.Once it gets cooked on the downside ,flip it and add another tsp of oil so that both the sides are evenly cooked golden brown.

8.Serve hot with a pickle or tomato thokku and curd.Optionally you can add a blob of butter on top of the parathas before serving.

 Tips:

*You can add ginger garlic paste before sauteing the vegetables for the filling.

*Chopped onion can also be added along with cabbage and carrot but it has to roasted till     transparent before adding cabbage and carrot.

*Roll out parathas evenly and lightly  otherwise the filling will come out when you roll out.

*Don't avoid kasuri methi as it adds a very nice flour to the paratha and it is healthy too.

*You can also add chopped coriander leaves to the filling.

Easy Besan Laddu(Gram flour Laddu)

Few years back I got the idea of making besan Laddu when I was stocked with a lot of gram flour in my kitchen shelf.In tambrahm day to day cuisine it is the least used ingredient(daily basis) i.e. we use it for dish like mor kuzhambhu(South Indian kadhi) and bajji or pakoras.After searching on the internet I found this recipe of besan laddu which is very simple and sounded delicious too.Even for a first timer this recipe is fail proof and can win you a lot of praise when made during Navrathri or Diwali and shared with the near and dear ones.

Makes:around 20 laddus 

Preparation time:30 mins

Ingredients:

Gram flour or besan -2 cups

Sugar-2 cups

Almonds-1/2 cup

Cardamom powder-2 tsp

Ghee-1 cup

Procedure:

1.Grind sugar,almonds and cardamom to a fine powder.( keep few almonds for garnishing).

2.Roast gram flour with 3 to 4 tsp of ghee till the gram flour turns golden brown and nice aroma arises.

3.Switch off the flame and mix the sugar mixture along with the gram flour.When it is warm add the melted ghee spoon by spoon and mix it thoroughly.

4.Take little flour inside your palm and press it hard to form a ball .If it holds the shape firmly then you can stop adding ghee. If the ball breaks then you should add more ghee spoon by spoon till you get a firm Laddu.

5.Garnish the besan laddu with few sliced almonds and serve.

Tips:

*I added ghee based on the ability to make laddu's out of besan mixture and the given quantity of ghee is the closest approximate value.

*Make laddu's when the mixture is warm and also add melted ghee.These help in getting a firm laddu.

Ghee Ven Pongal

With navarathri on the run,I wanted to post a recipe that could be made as an offering to the deities.So I asked mom and she told me that ven pongal is one among the offerings and I decided to go ahead with it as it is also very easy.Though ven pongal recipe is quite very easy not all ven pongals are tasty...so I would like to share a few things which I learnt from my mom and on my own experience that will help you make a delicious pongal which will make everyone happy.

Preparation time:30 mins

Serves:3

Ingredients:

Raw rice-1 cup

Moong dal-1/2 cup

Salt-to taste

Ghee-4 tbsp

Oil-1 tbsp

To temper:

Peppercorns-1 tbsp

Jeera-1 tbsp

Very finely chopped ginger -2 tsp

Curry leaves- few

Cashews-10 nos

Procedure:

1.Pressure cook raw rice and dal with 4 cups of water till they are mushy.

2.Add the required amount of salt to this rice and dal mixture.

3.In a pan add the ghee and oil and heat it.add the tempering ingredients and roast them till the cashews turn golden brown and the curry leaves are crispy.

4.Switch off the flame and add these tempered ingredients to the rice dal  mixture.

5.Garnish with few curry leaves and serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

Ghee Pongal

Tips:

* Do not omit ginger and curry leaves as they add a nice flavour.

*Add pepper and jeera only during tempering and not along with rice and dal mixture.

*Keep some hot water ready before serving and if the pongal becomes hard ,you can add little hot water to it so that it  comes to the correct consistency.But do not add cold water as it will destroy all the flavours.

*You can add a tsp of ghee on top of the pongal in the plate just before serving for a nice ghee rich flavour.

Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Briyani

Who won't crave for hot and spicy Hyderabadi veg briyani?I love it and I some how feel that the nearest Grand snacks restaurant ie amirtham in my area serves the best veg Dum Briyani. And whenever we feel like having Dum Briyani we go there.i tried once at home but isn't get it perfectly(it was good but not same as the one we ate at the restaurant ).So after a lot of trail and errors over a period of time I finally got a dum Briyani which was close to the taste of amirtham restaurant and my folks were happy and relished it.Though this Briyani was spicy for us ( our husband and kid's spice tolerance is very very low),you can add more green chillies or red chilli powder if your spice level is high.

Preparation time:35 mins

Serves:3

Ingredients:

Basmati rice-2 cups

Mixed  chopped Vegetables(carrot,beans,cauliflower,potato,peas)-1 1/2 cups

Thinly sliced onions(lengthwise)-1 no

Tomato purée -from 1 tomato

Ginger-1 inch

Garlic-6 cloves

Small onions-5 nos

Curd-1/2 cup

Bay leaves-4

Cinnamon stick 1/2 inch -3 nos

Peppercorns-5

Cloves-4 

Cardamom-4

Slit Green chillies-4

Chopped coriander leaves-1/4 cup

Mint leaves-1/4 cup

Cashews-5 

Raisins-5

Chilli powder-2 tsp

Turmeric powder -1 tsp

Sugar-1 tsp

Garam masala-1 tsp

Oil-2 tbsp

Ghee- 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1.Wash and Soak 2 cups basmati rice in 3 cups of water for 20 mins.

2. After 20 mins add the whole garam masala(2 bay leaf,1 cardamom,2 peppercorns,2 cinnamon sticks and 1 clove) and cook them till they are fluffy and 3/4 th cooked.I cooked in a heavy bottom Kadai with lid on, till they are 3/4 th cooked.

3. Spread the cooked rice on a plate and let it cool down and the grains separate.

4.Take half portion of this rice and mix 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and keep it separately.

5.Grind ginger,garlic and small onions to a fine paste.

6.Heat a wok with 2 tbsp of oil and add the remaining bay leaves,cinnamon,cloves,peppercorns,cardamom and a tsp of sugar

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7.when the sugar carmelises add the sliced onions and slit green chillies and sauté till the onions are golden brown.

8.Add the ground garlic,ginger and onion paste and mix well and cook for minute.then add the tomato purée ,chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt and sauté till the tomatoes are cooked.

9.Now add 1/4 th cup of curd and mix well.add the vegetables and half of coriander leaves and mint and sauté well for a minute.now add a cup of water and close the wok with a lid.

10.Cook till the vegetables are done.the consistency should be semi-dry gravy.Before taking it off the heat,add garam masala.

Preparation of Dum :

11.Fry the cashews and raisins in a tbsp of ghee and keep it separately.

12.In a heavy bottomed pressure cooker add a tbsp of ghee and spread half of the white and yellow rice and then spread the vegetable gravy, add the fried nuts and raisins,and some coriander and mint leaves

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13.Add the remaining white and yellow rice on top of the vegetables and spread some nuts,coriander and mint leaves. Add the remaining curd on top of this rice.repeatthe above process if you have more rice and vegetable gravy( if you are preparing for a large group).

14.Close the cooker with the lid but don't put the whistle and simmer the flame.let it cook for 8-10 mins.

15.After this time, open the cooker and mix it delicately so that the rice don't get mushy and you can add another tbsp of ghee when mixing the rice to get a rich taste and flavour.Serve hot with raita.

Tips:

* I didn't have star anise, but you can add it if you have along with cinnamon and other spices.

*Make sure you cook the basmati rice to 75% . It gets cooked fully when it is on dum.

*The vegetables mixture should be semi-gravy and not completely dry.

*If you wish,you can garnish the hyderabadi vegetable dum briyani with fried onion slices.

Vegetable salad with green chutney and roasted Peanuts

Few years back I used to say eeewww :-(,when I see a salad and believe me now I started eating them on a regular basis.This time the credit goes to my mother in law as she makes salads regularly at home and everyone likes to eat it.After marriage I was surprised to eat raw vegetables along with rasam or sambar.But some of my mother in law's salads are really tasty with addition of simple ingredients and also due to the increasing awareness of healthy eating,I developed a like towards tasty salads and they are truly stomach filling and helps you to take reduced amount of rice or roti.It serves as a good side dish for sambar or vathakuzhambu  with hot plain rice also.

Serves:3

Preparation time:10 mins

Ingredients:

Grated Carrots-2 nos

Finely Diced cucumber-1 no

Finely chopped onion-1 no

Finely chopped tomato -1 no

Pomegranate kernels -from 1/2 of its fruit

Roasted and coarsely powdered peanuts-4 tbsp

Green chutney-3 tsp

Salt-to taste

Chopped fresh Coriander leaves- few

Procedure:

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and serve.yummy vegetable salad is ready to eat.

Tips:

1.Refrigerate salad for later use.

2.To know how to make green chutney click here.

3.You can even add chopped capsicum,steamed American sweet corn kernels to this salad.

Potato Cauliflower Masala Dosa

Masala Dosas always top our menu for either breakfast or dinner and leave us a feeling of had a grand and filling meal.This potato cauliflower masala dosa is yet another variety which is very tasty and delicious and very simple to make.It tastes good with coconut chutney or tomato/onion chutney but we like to eat it even without any sidedish as the masala itself makes it up for all.

Preparation time :20 mins

Serves:3

Ingredients:

Cauliflower florets-from 1 small cauliflower

Boiled potato -3 no s

Small onions(chopped)-10 nos(if you don't have small onions you can use big onion)

Chopped tomato-1 big no

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Salt-to taste

Jeera-1 tsp

Oil-2 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves-few for garnish

To be grinded to a fine paste:

Garlic-5 to 6 cloves

Ginger-1 inch

Cinnamon stick-1/2 inch

Cloves-1

Cardamom-1

Bay leaf-1

Poppy seeds-1 tsp

Cashew nuts-3 to 4

Coconut-2 tbsp

Fennel seeds-1 tsp

Procedure:

1.Soak the cauliflower florets in hot water with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder.

2.Grind the above said ingredients to a fine paste .

3.Heat oil in pan and add jeera.After it splutters ,add onions and sauté well.

4.After the onions turn transparent add tomatoes,turmeric powder,chilli powder and salt and mix well till the tomato gets cooked well. 

5.Now add the ground paste and roast well till the raw smell goes off.

6.Add the cauliflower florets and add a cup of water and cook till the cauliflower florets are soft.Now add the boiled and mashed potatoes.cook till the mixture thickens and there is no water in the gravy.

7.After all the water has been absorbed and the mixtures becomes thick switch off the flame and add chopped coriander leaves.

8.Make dosas as usual and place a ladle of this delicious masala in the middle of the dosa and fold the dosa and serve the potato cauliflower masala dosa hot with coconut chutney or tomato onion chutney.

Tips:
*You can also add peas to this masala.
*I used multi grain flour to make the dosas and hence the color of the dosa is a bit different.
*You can add a blob of butter on top of the dosa before serving.