Mexican Rice

  After  coming to Canada i got a chance to eat various cuisines, that's the advantage of working in a multi-cultural company. We have a pot luck quite frequently and i get to eat many food varieties. Sometimes its doubles from Trinidad and Tobago,Mexican rice and Burrito from Mexico,Quiche from Spanish colleagues,Pasta from Italy, Mac n Cheese from Canada and offcourse our humble Samosa.This Mexican rice is stuffed into the Burrito along with other suffing. First time when i ate Burrito i liked the flavour of the rice and it made me try this rice. It's a very simple and mild rice. 
Calls for very few ingredients and which you will have in your pantry at any given point of time.Here is the recipe

Ingredients:-

Rice 1 cup
Tomato 2 puree
Onion  chopped finely
Garlic 2 chopped finely
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Capsicum 1 chopped finely
Oil 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:-

Take oil in a pan. Add garlic and onions. Fry until onions changes colour.

Add the rice without water. Roast it for 3-4 minutes until all the water dries up.

Now add Capsicum,tomato puree and salt.

Mix well. Add 2 cups of water.

Sprinkle cumin powder.

Cover and cook in a low flame.

I served this rice with a dahi kadhi and capsicum fry. I know its a weird combination but nothing wrong in trying it..I call it a fusion....

Velluli murukku / Garlic Murukku

We have a store near my house where we used to buy different varieties of murukku and one of them was velluli murukku. Basically that store was run by a tamil family and after the store came into our locality people stopped making murukku or pindi vantalu at home.I remember for 250 gms its was 10 rupees, not sure how much it is now...it's been almost 3 years i had anything from that store.

Of all the murukkus i used to love this murukku and mom used to buy that for me. I took this recipe from my favourite book Kanta mani Vantalu. My kids too love to eat murukku. As now i am at home with kids as they are having Spring break i had some time today, so made these. These will last  for few days not to worry about what snacks to pack for school next week. Here is the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

Besan/Sangapindi 2 cups
Rice flour/Biyam pindi 1 cup
Seasame seeds 1 tbsp
Cummin powder 1 tsp
Hing a pinch
Ghee 4 tbsp
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Garlic 3
Red chilly whole 4
Little water

Grind garlic and red chilly with water. Just make a coarse paste.

Method:-


Mix all the dry ingredients.

Add ghee, garlic and red chilly paste.

Add enough warm water and make a hard dough.

I used 3 eyed holes in the murukku maker.

Grease the murukku maker and fill it with the dough.

Heat oil. Press small batches on a plate like the below pic and slowly leave them in the hot oil.

Fry until the bubbles subsides and take them out on a tissue.

Once cool store them in a air tight container.

Bhendi Masala

 

This recipe is from my friend Sandhya who blogs at Swaadhist. The recipe was awesome sandhya and we all enjoyed it. Going to include this in my everyday cooking. I followed the recipe but made a small change of including Magaz in place of cashew nuts.

Ingredients:-

Bendi or lady fingers 1 lb
Oil 4 tbsp
Butter 2 tbsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Kasuri methi 1 tbsp
Amchur powder 1 tsp

Onion Paste
 Onions chopped 3
 Green chillies 3
 Ginger 1 inch pc
 Garlic 3 pods

Make a smooth paste of the above ingredients.

Tomato paste

Tomato chopped 2
Magaz seeds 4 tbsp
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp

Make a smooth paste of the above ingredients.

Method:-

Chop bendi into long pcs and microwave high for 3 minutes. Keep aside.

In a pan take oil. Once hot add cumin seeds.

Then add onion paste.Fry for a while and add sugar,salt,haldi powder and butter.

Let onion paste fry for another 5-7 minutes.

Now add the bendi,amchur powder,coriander powder,Chilly powder and garam masala powder.

Mix gently. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste and little water.

Cover and cook until tomatoes are cooked well. When tomatoes are cooked oil starts oozing out.

Then add kasuri methi and switch off the stove.

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Red Chilly Chutney

In my house i have a standard menu. Dosa is must for 5 days a week,then one day is for bread and egg and one day is for idly or peserattu. And its boring to have the same chutney every day. So i keep on changing the chutnies to be served with the dosa. Today recipe is about red chutney.

Ingredients:-

Channa dal 3 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies 7-8
Freshly grated coconut 1/2 cup
Oil 2 tbsp
Tamarind a small pc
Salt to taste

For seasoning

Oil 1 tbsp
Rai few
Udad dal 1 tsp
Channa dal 1 tsp
Curry leaves few
Hing

Method:-

Take oil in a pan once slightly hot add channa dal. Saute for a while. Add red chillies and saute for another 2-3 minutes (here we not frying it completely).

Switch of the flame,add tamarind and coconut.

Let it cool down and add salt and make a fine paste in a blender.

For tempering take oil in a small pan,when hot add channa dal followed by rai and udad dal. Then add curry leaves and hing.

Add this to chutney and serve with dosa or idly.

Isn't it simple and calls from very few ingredients.

Broken Wheat (Dalia) Upma

 
Got inspired by my fb friend Sridevi i am trying to eat healthy. Started taking Ragi java (porridge) for breakfast. My mom takes everyday a cup of ragi and when she was here she used to give my younger girl. My younger one loves it and after my mom left i never made it again. Now inspired by Sridevi  i am trying to eat healthy and i stopped eating non-veg. That calls for another post about why i left non-veg. Now coming to today's post, broken wheat upma or godhum rava upma. I have one on my blog and this breakfast is my dad's favorite breakfast. After he passed away we hardly used to make these. I was browsing healthy breakfast recipes and came across it. And then i checked my blog i have masala godhum rava upma. This is quite similar to what i had posted earlier. Here is the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

Broken Wheat/Godhuma rava 1 cup
Onion 1 chopped
Green  chilles 2
Ginger 1 inch pc chopped
Garlic 1 chopped
Carrots 1 chopped
Peas few
Capsicum 1 chopped
Baby corn few
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

For seasoning

Oil 3 tbsp
Rai/mustard 1/4 tsp
Udad dal 1/2 tsp
Curry leave few

Method:-

Take a pan with oil. Add the seasoning.

When the seasoning splutters add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a minute.

Add onions and green chillies. Sprinkle salt.

Fry until onions are light pick colour.

Add all the veggies. Fry for a while.

Then add the broken wheat, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Mix well. Add 3 cups of hot water.

Mix well and place the lid.

Cook until water dries out and wheat is cooked.

Serve hot with any chutney or pickle as per your choice.

Rumali Roti

Rumali roti is must in any functions and this is the first time i made them. They came out so soft and more important very easy to make them. This recipe is from my fav chef Sanjay tumma of Veh re vah chef. Calls for very few ingredients and can be easily made on tawa. Here is the recipe :-

Ingredients:-

Wheat flour 1 cup
Maida 1 cup
Salt to taste
Ghee
Enough water to make dough
Dry Wheat flour

Method:-

Mix Wheat flour,maida and salt. Make a soft and some what wet dough. Let it rest for half an hour.

Take two small size balls. Press each of the small into small flat rounds with hands.

Spread ghee on both the flat rounds. Place one of the flat rounds on the other (ghee sides).

Sprinkle enough dry flour and with a rolling pin make thin round. The flour stretches a lot. Keep on doing until roti is too thin.

Keep a big tawa on high flame. The tawa should be too hot. Carefully place the roti on the tawa.

Press with hand and once bubbles start coming up, turn and fry on the other side.

Once other side starts getting blisters take it off from the tawa.

Take the roti and tear into two.

Believe me it take out so soft just like the one which are served at the family functions or the restaurant.

Serve hot and enjoy.