Lunch box special (parupu usili, parupu rasam(without rasam powder), rice)

I tried Chithra Vivek's Paruppu usili using cluster beans (kothu avaraikai, gor chikudukaya)its really nice side dish for rasam and rice.

I have shared here the recipe of rasam without using rasam powder.

Parruppu Rasam (without rasam powder)

Ingredients:

Tuvar Dhall - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - 1 normal lemon size

Tomato - 1 no.

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Water - to make rasam for two persons.

For seasoning:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp (coarse powder not fine powder)

Red chillies - 2 no.

asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

• Cook the dhall and keep it aside.
• Extract the tamarind juice
• Cut the Tomato into pieces.
• In a pan, add the oil to get heated.
• Now add the Mustard, cumin seeds, once it splutters add the Pepper powder, asafoetida and the Red chillies.
• At the last add the tomato and saute only once (optional) or else add the tomato to the rasam directly.
• In a vessel, add the tamarind extract, salt, water, tomato and the seasonings from the pan, and allow it to boil for 10 minutes and add the dhall and againbboil it for 5 mins.
• Hot Rasam is ready to serve. Garnish it with cilantro and curry leaves.
• It goes highly with paruppu usili as done by chitra in her previous recipe.
• This was the lunch box today in our house.

Useful Tip

When you store coriander leaves (kothamalli, cilantro) in the fridge, it gets rotten soon.

Here is an idea which i tried for this.

Just in a vessel add water, cut the roots of the cilantro and immerse the cilantro in this water and keep it in the fridge. It stays fresh for long time.

Pidi Kozhukattai ( Savour Mothak ) and Tomato Chutney

INGREDIENTS :

TO MAKE THE FLOUR FOR MOTHAK:

Rice : 1 Cup
Tuvar dal : 1/4 cup
Jeera - 2 tbsp
Pepper corns : 1 tbsp
Hing : A pinch

TO MAKE THE MOTHAK :

Mustard : 1tsp
Channa dal : 1 tsp
Urad Dal : 1 tsp
Hing : A pinch'
Green/ red chillies : 4 nos
Grated Coconut : 4 Tbsp
Salt: To taste
Curry leaves : 4 Nos
Chopped Cilantro : 1 tsp
Oil : 2 tbsp
Water : 2 cups

TO MAKE THE CHUTNEY :

Ripe tomatoes : 4 nos
Red Onion : 2 Nos
Curry leaves : 4 nos
Urad dal : 2 tbsp
Red chillies : 4 nos ( as per taste)
Salt : To taste

DIRECTIONS :

Dry grind all the ingredients stated in flour section above coarsely.

In a pan heat the oil, add mustart, urad dal, channa dal and hing. When the mustard splatter add the curry leaves, chillies and add water. When the water starts boiling add coconut, cilantro and salt. Stir well and then add 1 cup the coarsely grounded flour. Stir well until the flour absorbs all the water and comes in the form of a round dough. Remove it from heat and allow it to cool. Then make small round balls of it and steam cook in the idli plates for 7 mins. Allow the pressure to reduce and then open it.

To make the chutney:

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Cut the tomatoes, onions and chillies. Place them on a tray, add the urad dal, curry leaves and season with salt. Coat everything with oil and place it in oven for 15 mins or until the tomatoes are soft. Then cool if off and grind it. Season it with mustard and hing on top. Yummy tomato chutney is ready.

Serve the savour mothak with this chutney!

Beans Parupusli ( Beans and lentils )

Ingredients:
French beans - ¼ kg
Tuvar dal - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Asafetida powder - ½ tsp
Red chillies - 4 Nos
Curry leaves - 4 Nos
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsps
Channa dal - 2 tsps
Oil - 3 tsps


Method:

Soak the tuvar dal for about an hour and drain well. Grind the dal, turmeric and asafetida powders, red chillies, curry leaves and salt into a pate without adding water. Heat the oil in the pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal and aesofotida. When the mustard seeds splatter and dals become lightly pink add the paste and mix well. Cover with a lid and simmer it until the lentils are cooked and start to become crumbly.
Chop the beans into small pieces and cook with a little salt till well done but firm in a microwave.
When the beans are ready add it to the crumbly lentil mixture and strill well. Simmer it for 5 minutes until all the flavours blend well.

Serve it hot with More kozhumbu ( South Indian khadi ) or Rasam.

Tomato rice

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Onion - big size - 2 nos

Tomato - 2 nos

Green chillies - 1 to 2

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Sambar powder or chilli powder - 1tspn

Coriander powder - 1/2

Salt - to taste

Elaichi (Cardamom) - 1

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch pice

Cloves -2

Oil or Ghee - as required

Garam masala powder optional

Directions

• Cook the rice and make it to cool and separate it
• Finely chop the onions and tomato
• Heat the Oil in a pan add the fennel seeds, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.
• Then add the grenn chillies, onion and ginger garlic paste
• Saute it well
• Add the tomato and salt, saute till it becomes like a gravy(add water if necessary two or three spns)
• Now add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. If you are adding sambar powder no need to add coriander powder.
• Add garam masala powder if cinnamon, cloves are not added before
• Saute them well till the raw smell of the powders are removed.
• Now add the cooled rice and mix it well till the rice gets heated up in a low flame.
• Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro leaves
• Now hot and spicy tomato rice is ready to serve.
• Serve it with Onion raitha. If you like you can taste this with Potato chips, Appalam also.

Pasta

Ingredients:

Pasta (Macroni - shell shaped or tube shaped) - 2 cup

Onions - 2 nos (chopped thin vertically)

Tomato - 2 nos (finely chopped)

Green chillies - 2 to 3

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Soya sauce - Optional

Fennel seeds(saunf) - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Curry leaves, coriander leaves - for garnishing

Directions:

• Boil water in a vessel (1litre), add the pasta(Macroni) and 1 tbsp salt.
• Cook it for ten or more minutes till the pasta gets cooked.
• Drain the water in a stainer and pour some cold water on the pasta (to remove the stickyness) and drain the excess water.
• Now in a pan heat the oil, add fennel seeds , green chillies, onion, ginger garlic paste and tomato. Saute them well. Sprinkle some water if needed. Add salt to taste(chk and add salt as already salt has been added to pasta while cooking)
• Now add the cooked pasta and mix it well. Soya sauce if prefered can be added at last.
• Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves
• Serve hot and spicy pasta with Tomato sauce

Crazy Kitchen

Hi friends

This is one of the Crazy thing i did in my kitchen recently.

I just wanted to prepare mini dosas for my kid. But Unfortunately the Batter was little watery than the normal batter so it flowed down the pan and formed this shape of dosa.

Everyone were laughing at my home seeing this dosa. It seems like a dosa flower. Just have a look at it friends.