Pudina Pulao

Last week saw this recipe in a cookery show. Tried it out and it came out wonderful. I personally don't like pudina much, but after trying out this recipe i do it often. So lets start!!!

Serving Suggestions:   2

Ingredients:
Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
Pudina - 1 cup
Peas(frozen) - 1/2 cup
Small onion shallots - 10
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 2
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic - 4
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Salt - as per taste
Water- 2 cups
Lime juice - 1tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Clove - 2
Cinnamon - 2
Cardamom - 2

Method:
1.Soak basmati rice for atleast 10 minutes. 
2.In a kadai, add one tablespoon of ghee and add the soaked rice and fry till all the water gets absorbed. Set it aside.Pressure cook the rice with 2 cups of water for 3 whistles.
3.I used frozen peas which can be soaked in water for 5 minutes and can be used directly.If using dry peas, soak it in water 12 hours before.
4.In a kadai, add one tablespoon of oil. Add the onion shallots and fry till it turns golden.
5.Add green chilly and fry. Add ginger, garlic, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, pudina, coriander leaves, coconut. Fry for 2 mins, cool and grind with little water.
6.Add oil and ghee in another pan, fry the ground paste in medium flame for 2 mins. Add salt and peas and mix till raw smell disappears.
7.Now, add rice to it and mix. Add lime juice and required salt for the rice.
8.Add little ghee to the rice, close and cook in low flame for 10 mins.

Serve it with onion or any other raitha of your choice.

Kadamba Kuzhambu

This kuzhambu is my mother's recipe.  It is very easy to prepare and tastes so yummy. As the name says, "kadambam" here refers to the mix of spices used in this kuzhambu. Come on, lets try it out!!!

Serving Suggestions: 4

Ingredients: 
Tamarind - A lime sized ball
Capsicum, green - 1 cup , cubed
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Sesame oil - 4 tbsp

To roast in oil and grind:
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Moong dal - 1 tsp
Toor dal - 1 tsp
Black peppercorns - 6
Red chilly - 4
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Hing - little
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
1.In a pan, take 3 tbsp sesame oil.  Add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add capsicum, little salt and fry it for a minute.
2.Soak tamarind in hot water.  Drain and collect the tamarind water.
3.To the pan in step 1, add the tamarind water and required salt, curry leaves.
4.When it boils, add the grounded paste and stir without forming lumps.
5.If too watery,add 1 tsp of rice flour in water and pour into the kuzhambu.
6.Add 1 tbsp sesame oil and switch off the flame.

Vazhaipoo Vadai

Here comes the crispiest and yummiest vadai. Vazhaipoo is very healthy veggie.  We can make a variety of dishes using this veggie, from soups to curries.  In this list, i gave a thought to do this vadai.  Though, we usually use all dals in equal proportions to make vadai, to get the crispiest vada i added only channa dal to this. Here it comes!!!

Serving Suggestions: Makes 10 vadas 

Ingredients:
Channa Dal - 1/2 cup
Vazhaipoo - 2 cups
Red chilly -3
Hing - little
Salt - To taste
Curry Leaves - few

Method:
1.Clean and chop the vazhaipoo finely and put it in buttermilk.
2.Take 1/2 tsp of channa dal and soak it separately in hot water for 20mins.
3.Soak the remaining channa dal in warm water for 1/2 an hour.
4.Grind channa dal soaked in step 3 wit salt,red chilly and hing. Then, add channa dal soaked in step2 coarsely.Sprinkle little water if too dry.  Just whip it once.
5.Drain vazhaipoo, rinse it twice in water and clean it thoroughly.
6.Add chopped curry leaves,vazhaipoo and use your palm to shape it into vadas.
7.Heat oil in a kadai in medium flame and drop the vadas.
8.Fry till golden brown.Drain excess oil using kitchen towel.

 Enjoy with your favorite chutney.