Pongal (Rice-Pesar Pappu ) with Coconut-Tamarind Chutney

Whenever I feel tired or want to prepare something in less time, the one thing that comes to my mind is Pongal which is very easy to make and healthy too. One can have it as breakfast or lunch and can be served with favourites chutneys or yogurt. This recipe can be prepared using a pressure cooker(with 2-3 whistles) or in a heavy bottomed vessel. I have prepared it in a vessel.

Serves 2-3 people
Preparation Time 30-40 mins

Ingredients for preparation :
 
Rice Ordinary/Basmati 1 cup
Pesarpappu/Split Yellow Moong Dal 1/2 cup (Soaked in water for 5-10 mins)
Ginger Grated 1 tbsp
Mint leaves 1/4 cup
Coriander chopped 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder 1/4 tbsp (optional)
Peppercorns 1/2 tbsp
Green Chillies 3-4
Jeera 1 tbsp
Onion chopped 1 small
Oil or Ghee 1 tbsp (preferably ghee for better taste)
Salt to taste
Water 2 1/2 cups

Method:

1. Heat oil/ghee in the vessel. Add peppercorns, jeera, chopped onions, slit green chilles, chopped coriander, mint leaves and grated ginger.
2. Fry them till the onion loses its transprency.
3. You can add turmeric powder if you like.
4. Then add salt according to taste, rice along with the soaked moong dal/pesar pappu to it and mix well.
5. Now add the water and cook with covered lid on medium heat till the rice and dal are cooked evenly.
6. Rice - Pesar pappu/Moong dal pongal is ready.
7. Serve it with chutney or yogurt.

Coconut -Tamarind Chutney

Serves 2-3 people
Preparation Time 20-25 mins
 
Ingredients for preparation :
 
Coconut grated 1/2 cup
Tamarind soaked for 5 mins a small ball
Red Onion small 1/2
Salt to taste
Jeera 1/2 tbsp
Dhanyalu/Coriander seeds 1/2 tbsp
Green Chillies 2-3 (according to your spice level you can increase or decrease)

Method:

1. First dry roast coriander/dhanyalu, jeera without burning them and make a powder.
2. To the powder add coconut, tamarind, green chillies, salt and grind well. Add very little water if its too dry to grind.
3. Once you see a paste of it add the red onion and just try to grind roughly for a sec and not much so that the chutney still has small pieces of onion which will give a nice taste when eating.
4. Chutney is ready to be served and goes well with rice.

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Crispy Palak Pakora

I had a lot of spinach/palak and made this snack using it. Pakoras are usually served at tea time with ketchup/green chutney. The directions to make them are as follows.

Serves 2-3 people
Cooking Time 20 mins

Ingredients for preparation :

Finely chopped fresh Spinach - 3/4 cup
Besan -1 cup
Ajwain/ oma/ vamu seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
garam masala (optional) - 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
1 tsp hot oil
Pinch of baking soda
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Take a bowl and mix together chopped spinach, besan, ajwain seeds,red chilli powder, turmeric powder,salt,garam masala and a tbsp hot oil together. Add water and make batter without forming any lumps.
2. Heat oil in a pan on medium level. Drop spoonfuls of batter in the oil and fry till crispy and golden brown.
3. Remove from oil and place the pakoras on tissue/paper napkins to avoid excess oil.
4. Serve hot with tea or with ketchup or a chutney of your choice.

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Payasam with Vermicelli/Kheer

When it comes to having something sweet made of milk the one thing I like is kheer. Kheer/ Payasam is often offered as a part of prasadam to God mostly in South India. I used to relish this dish back home in India whenever it was made, without getting bored. It is can served hot or cold.

Serves 4-5 people
Cooking Time 20 mins or less

Ingredients for preparation :

Vermicelli - 1 Cup
Milk 2 1/2 cups
Cashews/Almonds(or any dry fruit of your choice) roasted in very less or 1/4 tbsp ghee
Saffron 3-4 thread
Sugar - 1/2 cup (increase or decrease according to your taste sweet level)
Ghee 1/4 tbsp

Method :

1. First roast the dry fruits of your choice ( i used cashews ) in ghee and keep aside.
2. Then roast the vermicelli in 1/4 tbsp ghee (or you can use roasted vermicelli available at Indian stores).
3. Heat a vessel and add the roasted vermicelli to it and immediately add the milk and mix well.
4. Then add the amount of sugar you want according to your sweet level and mix it well.
5. Add the saffron and cashews and keep stirring on medium heat till the milk comes to a boil.
6. Then check if the vermicelli is cooked and the dish is ready.
7. Serve hot or cold by itself or some prefer to have it with puri too.

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Lunch with Bitter Gourd Fry/Kakara Kaya Vepudu and Sorakaya/Bottle Gourd Dal

As a child, I remember my mother preparing Bitter Gourd pulusu(tamarind juice with some masala). I never use to like Bitter Gourd because of its bitterness

which kept me away from eating or even tasting it. But as we all women know things change once we get married and we get to learn and try knew things.

When I visited India this year, my sister convinced me in tasting this recipe which she made and said it wont be bitter at all. I liked it so much that i tried it after coming back to US. And here goes the recipe of Bitter Gourd Fry/Kakarkaya Vepudu. 

Serves 2-3
Preparation Time 35-40 mins
 

Ingredients for preparation :

 

Bitter Gourd/ Kakarkaya thoroughly washed 2-3
Curd 1-1.5 cups
Turmeric powder 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds/Jeera 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tbsp
Dry Red Chilli 2
Urad dal 1 tbsp

To make a dry powder :

Curry leaves 1/2 cup
Chilli powder 1/2 tbsp -1 tbsp depending upon your spice levels.
Jeera 1tbsp
Dhanyalu/Coriander seeds 1 tbsp

Method :

1. First scrape off the rough sides of the Bitter Gourd and cut it into round pieces.( scraping as shown in pic above)
2. Take a medium bottomed vessel and add the curd, turmeric powder, tamarind, little salt and the Bitter Gourd pieces to it. Now place the vessel on the stove and turn on the heat.
3. Let it cook for around 15-20 mins with covered lid until the water evaporates from the curd.(This process is to eliminate the bitterness).
4. Once you are done with it keep it aside and let it cool.
5. Remove the tamarind pieces out of the vessel and throw it.
6. Now take a saute pan, heat oil and add urad dal, mustard seeds, jeera, red chillies and fry them.
7. Then add the Bitter Gourd pieces and salt to it and saute them nicely.
8. Lastly, add the dry powder made out of the ingredients stated above and mix well.
9. When you start seeing the dryness the Bitter Gourd Fry is done.
10. Serve hot with rice and dal.

Sorakaya/Bottle Gourd Dal

Serves 2-4
Preparation Time 20-30 mins

Ingredients for preparation :

Bottle Gourd 1 small
Toor Dal 1/2 cup
Onion chopped 1 small
Tamarind water 1/2 cup
Chilli powder 1tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tbsp
Few Curry leaves
Oil 3-5 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies 2-3
Cumin seeds/Jeera 1/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds 1/2 tbsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Garlic cloves 1-2

Method :

1. Wash the dal and pressure cook it with little tumeric powder, oil and salt.
2. Now take a deep vessel, heat oil then add asafoetida,mustard seeds, jeera, red chillies, curry leaves and chopped onion.
3. Fry them nicely till the onions loses its transparency.
4. Then add turmeric, chilli powder, salt and mix it.
5. Now, add the Bottle Gourd pieces cut into cubes with the skin on, to it and saute them. Let it fry for some time covered till the Bottle Gourd becomes soft.
6. After which add the tamarind extract or water to it and bring it to a boil.
7. Lastly, add the cooked dal to it and mix well.
8. Let it cook on medium flame for 5 mins and the dal is ready.
9. Serve hot with rice or roti with your favorite curry.
   

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Tomato Chutney

Tomato Chutney is easy to prepare and goes well with rice, roti or idlis. Basically, a chutney can be made dry or wet. Since it is intended to be consumed quickly after preparation it does not contain any preservatives in it unlike the pickle which contains preservatives and stays for longer period.

Serves - 4 to 5 people

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients for preparation :
 

Tomatoes 5-6
Green chillies 4-5 or more according to your spice levels
Lemon sized tamarind ball soaked in water for few mins.
Mint leaves 1/2 cup
Jeera 1/4 tbsp
Oil 2 -3 tbsp
Salt

For Seasoning :

Oil 1 to 2 tbbsp oil
Mustard Seeds 1/2 tbsp
Jeera 1/2 tbsp
Dry Red chillies 1 - 2
Urad dal 1/2 tbsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Few curry leaves
Garlic cloves 2

Method :

1. Wash the tomatoes and cut each tomato into 2 or 3 pieces roughly and keep aside.
2. Now take a saute pan, add oil, then add tomatoes,green chilles, jeera, mint leaves, one garlic piece and lastly salt.
3. Cover the pan and let it cook on low to medium heat for 10-15 mins till the tomatoes become soft and the water that comes out from them evaporates.
4. Remove the tomatoes mixture in a plate and let it cool for few mins.
5. After cooling, make a paste of it in mixer/grinder along with the tamarind ball.
6. Put the paste in a container.
7. Now, for seasoning heat oil in a small pan and add the pinch of asafoetida to it.
8. Then immediately add urad dal, jeera, mustard seeds, red chilles, curry leaves, crushed garlic piece to it. (Cruching garlic and then adding it gives a nice aroma and taste)
9. Lastly add this seasoning to the tomato paste made and mix well.
10. Tomato chutney is ready to serve.

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