All time successful Veggie Pulao

So couple of days back, I chatted with my favorite cousin, when I say favorite,it doesn't mean that we speak or are in touch with each other, every now and then...nah...thats sooo not us...we tend to speak once in 6/7 months, we are so used to being like this...but the best part of our friendship is that even if we have nothing to say to each other, we aren't bored of each other...atleast I am not...we are so different in our thoughts, still we manage to bear each other :), and we never forget each others b'day...that is something which baffles me!!!
One thing which is common is our struggle to live life the way we want!And now I have found out one more thing and thats our love towards cooking...well as he said, "thats in our genes"!
Again I am sure we will have load of differences in cooking, I am sure he will be trying out all exotic dishes, so unlike me :)
Anyways, now let me jot down my new recipe, which is dedicated to my talented cousin :

Its a simple recipe but whenever I make it, I get loads of praise(ahem, who doesn't love getting compliments!)...recently my grandpa and grandma had visited us and they completely loved it...its simple, easy and yummy!
It doesn't require ghee and suits health conscious group also

So here's my version of Mushroom-Veggie Pulao
The only thing I make sure is all veggies are fresh...I don't store veggies in my refrigerator, I love buying and making them on a daily basis.
Its my perception, but I genuinely feel that anything made with fresh veggies and fresh oil is good for health and absolutely yummy!

Fresh Mushroom Veggie Pulao

Cooking time: 25 mins
If you have the paste ready, then its a lot lesser!

Ingredients
1cup basmati rice...I have made this with normal rice as well, and even that turns out to be good
1 cup carrot grated
1 cup fresh beans
1 cup chopped fresh capsicum
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
Jeera/Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Garlic: 4-5
Ginger: 1 inch
2 green chillies
1 cup pudina/mint leaves
1 cup coriander leaves
1 cup finely chopped spring onion leaves and stems
(Never throw the stems!)
1 medium sized onion: sliced
Garam Masala-4 tsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Oil as required (I use olive oil for this recipe...one can also use Sunflower oil)

I make Garam Masala at home: Once in a week, usually on Sundays, I grind 3 tbsp of fennel seeds, 3 anises, 7 to 8 cloves, 2 to 3 sticks cinnamon and 8 to 9 cardamoms to powder, in a mixer. I store it in an airtight container and use it for the week.


Take 1 cup of rice in a bowl, add 1 drop of oil and required water to it. I usually add 2cup water and microwave rice in the oven for 12 mins, at 320 degrees centigrade. This makes the rice almost cooked
Since you have added oil, once the rice is cool, you will see that it doesn't stick


Step 1: Marinate mushroom with salt, pepper, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp of curd, 1tsp garam masala and 3 drops of lemon juice
Step 2 : Make a paste of ginger and garlic
Step 3: Make a paste of coriander, mint and green chillies with a little amount of water
Step 4:
Take the cooking vessel. Place it in the stove and switch on the gas. Add 2 tsp of olive oil, Once it heats, add cumin seeds. As they crackle, add sliced onion, capsicum and ginger-garlic paste. Fry the above till onion turns transparent. Now add chopped carrot and beans and cook them for five to seven minutes
Add spring onion stems, leaves and mushrooms. Mix them well until veggies are almost cooked
Add salt and pepper as required and  1tsp of Garam Masala.  Mix them well
Add the almost cooked rice and mix it well with all the veggies
Add coriander-mint-chilly paste and again mix them well.You willl get a nice aroma once you mix them
Add 1 cup of water, 2 drops of lemon juice and sprinkle 1tsp of garam masala
Close the vessel with a tight lid and keep the gas in minimum
Once the water has evaporated completely (it would take 15 mins), switch off the stove but let the rice remain closed in the vessel for atleast 1 hour

There you go...fresh mushrooms and veggie pulao is ready to be served with a nice simple raitha
For raitha, I grate cucumber and onions. Add curd with a dash of salt and pepper...
Hmm...how simple could that be :)

You can also replace mushrooms with eggs...you need to boil eggs, once boiled, remove the shell and slice it into two...the marination remains the same, but make sure that the eggs are marinated for a longer time, Roast them in oil and they are mixed at the end, while serving.

Go ahead and please try out and do let me know your feedback

P.S-You could add 2 drops of soya sauce after adding chilly-mint-coriander paste, it gives a tangy twist! :)

Basic Brownie!!!

So I just completed my first project with "S" and it turned out be quite well, the client was very happy with the information we had sought on biomarkers...slept so peacefully yesterday
Since the call was at night, I had the evening to myself, thought of making quick brownies...they are so easy to make
Little "K" is not much into cakes, but one bite of brownie and he says "Mama, these are very nice"

So here's is the recipe for a basic chocolate brownie

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/4th cup butter
1/2th cup vegetable oil
One slab of dark chocolate
2 eggs
Cocoa-1/2 tsp
Pinch of cinnamon
Sugar : Granulated sugar is supposed to be good...I had taken normal sugar and powdered for only a sec
So result is not very fine sugar but coarsely ground
1 tsp of baking powder
Milk if required

I took the butter and half slab dark chocolate seperately and melted them in the microwave.
Take the eggs and seperate the white and yolk in seperate bowls
Beat each of them till the egg white turns white in color and fluffy...beat the yolks as well seperately
I dont have a blender and hence used an egg beater
This is the only time consuming process...it would take 15-20 mins
Butter the brownie cups
Once thats done preheat the oven in 180 degree celsius

Now sieve the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cocoa together

Take a bowl, add the whites and yolk of eggs.
Add melted butter and melted dark chocolate and mix well
Add oil and then add the sieved dry ingredients and fold the mixture
Please do not mix hard, keep folding the mixture
If the batter is very thick, then add some milk but make sure that the batter is not very thin
Now pour the batter to brownie moulds. Make sure that you fill only half of the cup, as brownie would rise
Take the remaining dark chocolate and grate them on top of each brownie cup
Now take the cups and bake them for 25-27 mins
Keep checking after 21 mins. insert a toothpick and check if the batter is sticking on to it
Switch off the microwave when you see batter does not stick to the tooth pick
Keep the brownies inside the microwave for 15 mins and then take them out to cool
Brownies are ready to be served :)

If you dont have brownie moulds, then you can use normal baking vessel as well

Hope you enjoy making them as I did!!!

Getting idli/dosa basics right

My dearest cousin has just shifted to Aussie land. She just asked me the recipe for idli dosa batter. So this is for you madam

Ingredients :
Rice- 2 cups
Urad dal/Uzzhunu-1 cup
Fenugreek seeds/ Uluva seeds - 1 tsp

Soak rice and urad dal separately for at-least 3-4 hrs. Add fenugreek seeds to Urad dal.

After 4 hrs, pour the water out

In the mixie jar, grind both rice and urad dal separately.
Grind rice to a fine coarse consistency adding water if required. Don't add much water
(You can also add 1/2 cup of cooked rice or leftover boiled rice)
While grinding urad dal, use minimum water, As you grind, it will be come very soft and you will see traces of bubbles on top, the more the bubbles, its always better for the batter, as you will have soft idlis. Mix both and keep it for fermentation,overnight.
(Remember that the batter should be thick)

In the morning, take the batter out, it would have increased in volume.
Now divide the batter into two vessels
In one set, add salt and then prepare idlis
In the other set, add salt and water to get batter consistency for dosas
You will be able to make crispy dosas

Kitchen secret : Adding 2 teaspoons of rava flour in dosa batter makes dosas very crispy :)

Above was a shortcut batter to make both, idlis and dosa
However, if you want to make only dosa, you can follow the above process making a slight tweek to the measurements
You can take 3 cups of rice and 1 cup of urad dal. This is only for dosas, you will not be able to make soft idlis with this proportion

Quick Jhatpat Khana

I was busy yesterday morning, had couple of meetings and conference calls
By the time all got over, it was 2 PM...poor my little "K", even though I was giving him nuts and bread in between, I knew that it was time to give him rice and he was longing for it
So here's what I made in a jiff..."K"loved it, guess he was hungry as well

Jeera Rice-1 cup
Onion -1 medium sized, slice it well
Cabbage-1 cup
Carrot- Grated 1/2 cup
Garlic 3 pods
Capsicum- 1/2 capsicum which is well chopped
Green chillies- 2 : make a slit
Pepper to taste
Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp: lightly roasted
Mixed herbs-a pinch
Flaxseeds powder-a pinch
Lemon juice
Salt to Taste
Water - 1+3/4 cup
Oil- 1 tsp

Garam Masala: Combination of Fennel seeds, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Cloves and Cardamoms
The proportion may vary depending on the taste
My proportions are 1/2 cup fennel,5 cinnamon sticks of 2 inches,3 Star Anise, 12 cloves and 6 cardamoms
I grind them in the mixie and before using I slightly dry roast them for 3 minutes

Fist take a glass bowl. Add 1 tsp of olive oil or oil of your choice. Add sliced onions and place it in the microwave in high for 1 minute. Add chopped ginger,garlic,green chillies and chopped capsicum onto the bowl and microwave in high for 50 secs. Add pinch of homemade garam masala, and microwave in high for 30 secs.Now add cabbage, carrot.salt, flaxseeds powder,mixed herbs and pepper to the mix and microwave in high for 2 mins. Add rice and water to the same bowl.Squeeze lemon juice, Mix it well and microwave in high for 21 mins.Add remaining garam masala and garnish with coriander.
Serve it with pappad and raita
Since I was running late. For raita, I took curd, added grated cucumber,salt and pepper

Thankfully "K" loved this simple dish

Funny side of "Theeyal"

"Theeyal" : well this dish in my life has a funny background...I have to share with you those details before coming to the recipe

Well I come from North Kerala and hubby from South Kerala...these two places in Kerala are like India and Pakistan. It always surprises me as there could be such differences in the same state
When I told my parents that I was in love, they were quite ok with it, coz they always  knew that I never understood the concept of arranged marriages (I still don't!)...but drama began when they came to know that he is from South Kerala...oh my god, they said it would have been better if you had brought a north indian or a foreigner...can you beat that?here I got them a nice sweet malu nair boy and this is what I had to hear...life is funny!
But then thanks to god grace, families met and finally we tied the knot
Today my parents love "A" more than me and he is the star of our family. My grandparents adore him. Touch wood, I was lucky and so was he!
In "A's" case also the same thing happened, not that they wanted any north indian or foreigner but yes they preferred someone from South Kerala
However lady luck kissed us and we are together

I never used to cook before my wedding..well I used to but was not into regular cooking
So in our initial days of marriage when "A" told me that he felt like having theeyal...I was in my wit's end
I had never heard of this dish (its a south Kerala dish)
That time I did not have a laptop and after coming from office, when "A" said this, I kept pronouncing Theeyal Theeyal...and then I thought to myself, "well it sounds like a dry sabzi! So I asked him kiska theeyal, and he said ladies finger..well I thought oh he wants okhra sabzi, maybe thats what they call in Thekku (South Kerala)
I made the sabzi in a jiff and had other dishes like Rice, Sambar etc
So "A" sits in the dining table and I serve Rice, Sambar and then he says where is theeyil, I tell him its next to him, he looks at bhindi ki sabzi and says that I dont have theeyal, its some sabzi...I asked him, doesnt theeyal look like this? and then he laughs, laughs and laughs...this is one of the incidents which he and his family still pulls my legs with :)
When my amma (mother in law) visited us for the first time, first thing she taught me was theeyil. But somehow I never liked this dish and because of that even after preparing for so many times, I never got it right and so avoided this dish for a long time
Only when amma (my mil) used to visit our place, was this dish prepared at home
Well this year, since I have stopped going to office and am working from home...I have started spending more time in the kitchen and to me cooking is a stress buster, especially when I have loads of projects to complete.After living with "A" for six years, I have started liking dishes from South Kerala
This year for a change I prepared theeyal once in a week and waited for "A's" reaction, he would have and saw Wow but last week he gave the best compliment. he said I can safely say that your theeyal has reached Mavelikara and immediatly called up amma. She was very happy to hear that
Phew...I was soooo happy...Finally I have done it...it took me so many years but better late than never!
So here I am sharing with you this dish named Theeyal!
Special thanks to Amma for teaching me this recipe

Ingredients :
Grated Coconut-1 cup
Coriander-1 tsp
Red chilly powder-1tsp
Turmeric Powder-1tsp
Fenugreek Powder- 1pinch
Vegetable Pieces or Kashnams could be Shallots//Cherriya ulli sliced- 10-12 or or Ladies finger-1/2 cup or Beans- cut into long pieces, 1/ 2 cup
You could choose any one of the above, my personal fav is small onions :)
Tamarind - Small lemon sized, place it in 2 cups of water
Oil as required
Salt to taste

Methodology
Take a dry pan and roast grated coconut for sometime, till it turns brown. and very crisp
Keep the stove in minimum so that you don't burn the coconut
Add all masalas, namely, turmeric, coriander and red chilly powder and keep dry roasting until the raw smell of masala goes off
Then take a dry mixer, please make sure that the mixer doesn't even have a drop of water
Blend the above in the mixer.
The paste will become thick and pasty and would be blackish browin in colour...you wont get this texture if there is even a drop in the mixie
Now taken a kadai, add 2 tsp of oil
Add the vegetables, fry them in low heat
If you are using shallots, then wait till it turns transparent
Add tamarind water to this. If you are using any other vegetable, wait for the vegetable to be done
Add salt and then a pinch of fenugreek powder
Now add the ground paste which you had prepared sometime back
After add the paste mix it well and simmer for 5 mins. You will see the gravy thickens
Switch off and serve it with hot Rice :)

I have got feedback that I should add photos of the dishes, as that helps so I promise, I will post the snaps of this recipe for sure in sometime :)

Cookies Mama!

Well just read out a Bruno series story to my little one...he loved it and then he asked," Mama, Bruno had cookies, even I want cookies"...so now that he is sleeping , I am checking out for the quickest and tastiest cookie recipe :)
Any recommendations?

Cook in me Part II

So I was left with Banana flower, which was given by "A"'s friend
Banana flower is malayalam is vazha koombu/Vazha Poovu

During my childhood, whenever we used to visit Kerala, my grandma used to make this dish...I was always told that its very good for health and hence used to have it for the sake of good health
Now when I have a child today, I have developed this taste of liking towards these dishes which are good for health and thank my grandma to give this experience

I called up my grandma and mother in law for their inputs...its funny because both are from opposite parts of Kerala
I belong to North Kerala and hubby belongs to South Kerala...so whenever I make a recipe, I get ideas from both sides and try to make the best of both worlds

So let me share my version of Vazha poovu.thoran

Ingredients
Chopped Banana flowers
Moong dal-1/2 cup
Urad dal-1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Dry Red chilly-1
Oil-1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For coarsely grinding
1 cup Coconut
1 green chilly
2 garlic pods
1/2 tsp Jeera(cumin) powder/1 tsp Jeera (cumin) seeds
2-3 shallots (small onions)

First of all you need to peel layer of petals, under each petal you will find a set of flowers.
Take out the flowers and remove the black head which is found in the middle of each flower. Pull out this entire thread and discard them
Cleaning is the only time consuming part of this dish, trust me its worth it :)
Now chop the flowers and as you chop, put them them in a bowl filled with water and turmeric
Once all flowers are chopped, wash the chopped flowers with water

Take a pan, add some oil. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds,urad dal, dry red chilly, curry leaves and saute
Once seeds are spluttered, add chopped banana flowers and moon dal. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and some water. Add salt and close the vessel until both are cooked well
Make sure that moong dal does not get mushy

In the meanwhile, coarsely grind the ingredients below "For grinding" section

Once banana flowers and moong dal mix is done, make sure that water is evaporated completely
Add the coarsely ground mixture, mix it well and increase the heat level and mix them for 2 minutes and switch off gas.
Immediately transfer to a bowl and add some more curry leaves
Dish is ready to accompany rice and curry :)

Cook in me Jagaa :)

Yesterday "A" went to collect a parcel from his frens place. His fren had just been to Kerala and gave him the parcel alongwith a long Kappa and a banana flower
Wow that was a good change..sine for lunch, I had prepared typical kerala curry, kappa reached just at time
I quickly puzhingyafied kappa and oolalala it was yummy time!
Here's the recipe

Kappa : Cut big pieces : 10 big pieces
Turmeric Powder-2 Pinches
Red Chilly Powder-1 pinch
Salt to taste
Water : 11/2 Cup

Cut big pieces of kappa(tapioca)
Places the pieces inside the pressure cooker alongwith turmeric,red chilly powder and salt
Pour water, just enough for the kappa/tapioca to boil
Close the cooker and let the pieces steam well
I waited for 5 whistles to blow

While the kappa is getting steamed, get the next set of ingredients ready

Grated coconut-1Cup
Small Onions/Shallots-4/5 in no.
Green Chillies-4 in no.
Cumin seeds or Cumin Powder-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-2 Sprigs

Grind coarsely the above  ingredients

Now once Kappa is done, take out the pieces and mash them well, add the coarsely grinded ingredients and  finally add a drop of coconut oil to the mashed Kappa
Hmm yummy naadan kaapa puzhukka is ready :)
"A" helped me in mashing Kappa, he was excited to have Kappa and Meen Curry
However I also made coconut chutney without water, as even that goes well with Kappa

Few days back few of our friends arrived at our place for tea ....our home was in a mess......I had no clue as to what to serve them.... I quietly sneaked into our bedroom and called up my ammamma...somehow she always has some recipe which would be user friendly to me
I made the dish in 10 mins and our friends loved it...thank you Ammamma
So here it goes...

Few slices of bread
2 Eggs
1 onion-chopped coarsely
Pinch of turmeric powder
2 Green chillies : Chopped coaresly
3 tbsp milk
Pinch of asfoetida
Pepper powder as per your taste
1/2 tsp butter
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Vegetable Oil-Sunflower or Olive oil
Water

Take eggs and beat them until it turns frothy.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder,salt,pepper powder,curry leaves,milk,butter and asfoetida,coarsely cut onion and green chillies
Again beat the constituents for approximately three minutes
Take a slice of bread
If you want you can cut off the edges (I do not cut them off) and divide the slice into four squares
Dip each square in the mixture/batter and make sure that the batter is well coated both sides
Take the square immediatly or else it would turn soggy and deep fry them in oil till it turns golden brown
Place them in the tissue paper so thatoil gets drained
Have them hot as such or with sauce or pudina chutney
Note:Butter can be eliminated if you are health conscious

Food for thought??? My first blog

This is for those who have always heard 'Humaare North me tho/Down in South we do stuff like this...etc etc'
I happen to be a victim of this.........on a daily basis. I have these bunch of good colleagues in office..everyday during lunch time, their lines start by saying acha yahan daal/sabzi/rice (the list is endless!) aise banta hai?humare North me tho...and they start cribbing of everything which is south indian...sad part is they say these lines everyday....
Heights was when one my friend had come down to Chennai and I had taken her to one of the best places which served Dosas and sambar....believe me this is what she said acha yahaan Sambar aise banta hai?Humaare North me tho....... (for a minute I was wondering where does Sambar originate from..........)
Another instance, where my relatives arrived(I belong to Gods own country).....I took them to the finest North indian resturant in town for breakfast and when they had Puri cholle, their first comment was 'they dont know to make puris' and told me in whispers....can you believe it they do not fry puris in coconut oil!!!
I always think to myself why people crib on these cases...ok if it was an old person saying, I would definitely understand...but when the younger generation says so I feel very bad.....,,,,,I would sincerely request everyone not to crib on the topic of FOOD....
Before you start cribbing, for a second, think of all those people who actually starve to death due to famine and other calamities!!!
Few months back I had been to Brussels on an onsite visit...I was really surprised by the warmth of my colleagues.
They loved Indian food so I used to prepare for them and they used to take me out to the best Belgian restaurants....as days were getting close for me to depart, one day one of my fren...she was an Italian ,she said she would take me to the best place in town which serves Pizzas....We were having a great time, must say that the pizzas were mind blowing.....suddenly an Indian family sat next to our table....they were quite a loud family and when the pizzas were served to them.........BINGO.....this is what they said........Oh here pizzas are made like this??????In our India......and they started cribbing about those pizzas which were served..the only difference was this time it wasnt against any particular region :)