POHA WITH CUCUMBER AND WALNUTS
Serves 3
Preparation time 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 and 1/2 cup Flattened Poha*
3 tbsp of Oil
1 fist full of Peanuts
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 sprig curry leaves
3 tbsp of freshly chopped Coriander leaves
Salt as required
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 Cup Grated Cucumber

Grind together:
fist full of Walnuts
3 tbsp of dry Coconut (copra)

METHOD:
Grate Cucumber and keep aside, Chop Coriander and keep aside.
In a Pan dry saute walnuts for a couple of  minutes, when it cools down, Grind it with grated dry copra into a coarse powder do not grind too much it will become sticky as the walnuts release oil of their own. Keep them aside.
In the same Pan heat oil add all the seasonings one by one in a low flame, Mustard seeds after they splutter add Peanuts and saute them when they start crackling add the dals and fry for few minutes when they change colour, add curry leaves and switch off the stove give a quick stir and add this to Poha then add the Grinded walnut and copra powder add required amount of salt and Lemon Juice then add grated cucumber to it.
Mix well and serve it immediately.
Do not leave it for a long time, it becomes a bit hard..
Enjoy...
will post the other recipes soon.., stay tuned in....

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Everybody has favourite food and relish them right ? As for me, Lemon Rice is my all time favourite, If I see it in any blog post I immediately make it :)).  I know I am so crazy of this rice, After started blogging and taking interest not only in cooking, but everything about it like the facts and figures about every Ingredient used, I sometimes feel why I tend to eat spicy and tangy food more often, is it because I lack something in my body which craves for tangy food..?, whatever it is I love this rice, even if given to me everyday I really don't mind. I suddenly realized I have never posted my favourite Rice dish of all time.
I have little story to tell you, Long back when I was doing my SSLC (10th), I was living in my Aunt's house, My Aunt made Lemon Rice and Curd (yogurt ) Rice and asked me to have food and said she would be back after her shopping and said she would come back and eat.  I always adored Radha perimma's cooking, she was my first Guru who taught me cooking from those days. coming back I ate and sat their studying in the lounge, I don't know how or why,  every now and then I must have got up went to the kitchen and kept eating it, God knows how I did it, I had completely emptied the whole bowl, even today when I think how I managed to eat so much rice!!, when she returned she was so upset that nothing was left and she had to eat only curd rice. She is no more but memories like these are my little treasures with her, who was my favourite periamma.
My mom makes the best chitranna according to me, we are all alike right ?, our Mom's are the best cook in the world and to their Grandchildren too.. :).  I have planned to post a few savouries and sweets when my mom is here with me. Her best recipes which she makes most of the times like day to day are the masala vada, Panniyaaram,Thenga burfi etcc..,
Coming to this recipe, it is kannada influenced lemon rice, which amma makes  when it is any special day like festivals or some kind small celebrations when you get bored of vangi bath, puliyodarai etc..,
In karnataka people use coconut just like keralites they use coconut in most of their dishes especially form Mangalore, sringeri and udupi.  we here in karnataka love coconut so much we tend to use it everything possible, sweets to savouries :).  This Masala chitranna is one such dish as it says in kannada coconut grinded with masala has been used to flavour this rice variety..

KAAYI MASAALE CHITRANNA / COCONUT SPICED LEMON RICE

INGREDIENTS:
1 and 1/2  Cups Rice
4 and 1/2  cups Water*
3 Capsicum
1 Cup Fresh Peas
Required quantity of salt
1/4 cup Lemon Juice

FOR SEASONING:
1/4 oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tbsp Channa Dal
1/2 tbsp Urad Dal
Fist full of Peanuts
2 twigs of Curry leaves (10-15)

FOR THE SPICY MASALA TO BE GRINDED
5 to 6 Green chillies (depending on the spiciness)**
1/4 (10 to 12 twigs) cup of Coriander leaves
1/2 tsp Jeera
2'' Ginger pieces

FOR THE SECOND PASTE
1/2 cup Fresh Coconut
1 tbsp of Poppy seeds
15 Cashews

METHOD:
Wash Rice and with a tsp of oil***, cook Rice with the right amount of water. for 2 Whistles switch of the stove, and leave the pressure cooker to cool. (see notes)
The First Paste:
Meanwhile, roast poppy seeds in a dry pan for a few minutes in a low flame, stop when you start hearing it spluttering , and then your broken cashews just for 2 minutes, let it not change colour.  Allow it cool and grind it with fresh coconut with a little bit of water if needed into a smooth paste and keep aside, until needed.
The Second Paste:
Grind every thing under the spicy masala  to be grinded into a smooth paste.

Chop Capsicum/ Green Bell peppers into small chunks.
By this time your Rice would have cooled down, Remove it from the container and spread it on a large plate or something similar, to cool down, Just fork it through so it is nice and fluffy. Do not mix too much, just spread it around carefully.
Take a Large wok or pan heat the oil keeping it in a low flame, from the Seasoning list, add mustard seeds, once it splutters add Peanuts saute for a minute then add the dals until they change colour to light golden, by that time your peanuts would have started making noises be careful some times they might fly !!, so, that is why I ask you to keep the flame low, if you are not used to this kind of cooking.
Then add the Second paste and saute for 2 minutes, then add Capsicum and fresh peas mix them well together, cover it with a lid , keep the flame low. Leave it until both of them are cooked well if the capsicum is a little bit crunchy it is fine, but let the peas get cooked, (you can even cook the peas separately and add it to the pan by draining the water completely) by mixing now and then to make sure it is not stuck.
Once they are done, then add the First  masala paste and mix well, here you can increase the flame to medium but keep an eye on it and leave it for few minutes until the water content is almost dried up.  Do not allow it dry up too much as the coconut will start sticking to the wok.
Bring the flame down to low then add the required quantity of salt and Lemon Juice mix well then add the cooked rice, combine them all well together.
Taste it and adjust salt and Lemon Juice to your liking Leave the wok on the stove for 5 minutes with a closed lid and in a low flame.
Switch of the stove and remove it on to an other base, mix them once again, so it is all well distributed. Serve it warm and Enjoy....

NOTES:
* I have indicated this mark on the rice, Just to mention that I use Sona Masoori, The quantity of water depends on the Rice you use. Your Rice when cooked should be fluffy and beautiful for making Rice varities.
** My Green chillies were quite spicy so I have used 1/4 cup Lemon juice, what you need to observe is these two should balance there must be spiciness and the tangy flavour to it.

sending this to Vardhini's show me your hits - Rice started by sangee
Anu's Healthy kitchen South Indian Cooking - Series Event #1

The post Kaayi Masaale Chitranna / Coconut Spiced Lemon Rice appeared first on My Veg Fare.

BLACK GRAPES PULIYODHARAI / BLACK GRAPES IN TANGY SPICY SAUCE RICE



INGREDIENTS FOR PREPARING THE PULIKAACHAL
Black Grapes 400 to 450 gms (1and 3/4th Cup Juice)
3 tbsp of  Thick Tamarind Juice ( from 15 gms of Tamarind)
3 tbsp Salt
80 gms Jaggery
60 gms Rasam Powder (Molagapudi)
1 tsp of Asafoetida
1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds/Menthya/Methi seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of Pepper corns
SEASONING:
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
few curry leaves
METHOD:
First of all pluck the grapes from their stalks, Immerse them in salted water for at least half an hour, clean the water and use fresh water and rinse them again, this is the way I always use my Grapes just to make sure that  If it is been treated with Insecticides or pesticides are removed for good.
Microwave Tamarind  for a minute with 1/2 cup of water and allow it to cool .
Meanwhile try to find seedless Grapes, which makes your job much easier, other wise find some body to help you with removing the seeds, mine had single seeds, some were seedless too, so it was quick for my family to remove the seeds. (Just be cautious like me, that they slice one and eat the next one in the process! even then I lost few grapes :)).
Once the Grapes are done, run them in a mixie, and make juice, filter it and you would be left with pith, using some of the juice with the pith again blend it well into a smooth puree. I got exactly 1 and 3/4th cup of Juice, If you have more juice either you drink it or you can use it to make the Pulikaachal only adjust the Ingredients by tasting it now and then :)).

Then take a big pan/wok, heat oil, once it is hot add the sesonings in the list above, once the mustard seeds spluttter, Add the Grape juice and allow it boil, for few minutes until it reduces a little bit, now add the Tamarind juice and allow it boil, once it starts boiling vigorously, be carefully as it starts splattering every where, so I always reduce to a medium flame, and keep stirring around very often which reduces the splattering,
Meanwhile in a pan heat 1/4 tsp of oil and  fry fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and pepper corns, then grind it into a fine powder and keep aside.
When the Juices are boiling add the Rasam powder and the powdered Masala to it and salt and keep boiling for few more minutes, then add Jaggery and now it starts thickening very soon, so be careful keep stirring and it starts to thicken and becomes like a Gojju or should I say kind of lehya (sauce).

Once the Gojju or Pulikaachal is ready as you can see above it was quite tasty.

TO PREPARE BLACK GRAPES PULIKAACHAL/TANGY SAUCE RICE


INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Rice
5 to 6 Cups of Water (use it according to your Rice )
Salt as per taste
SEASONINGS:
3 to 4 tbsp of Oil
2 to 3 Red Chillies
1 tsp Mustard seeds
few curry leaves
one fist ful of groundnuts/Peanuts
1 tbsp channa dal
1 tbsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp of Asafoetida
EXTRA SEASONING FOR THE RICE
3 to 4 tbsp of Til seeds
1/2 cup of Dry Copra/Dry coconut

METHOD:
Now go ahead and prepare the Rice,
First of all Prepare the Rice, Make rice like you make for Chitranna/ or for any Rice bath, allow it cool and separate the grains.
Take a pan and dry fry the Til seeds once they start to splutter, switch off the stove and keep aside when it is cool, Mix it with Grated Dry copra and make it into a powder, this powder will be little moist, no need to panic it is how it is meant to be, Because Till seeds and Dry Copra release their oils when grinding :), Keep this powder ready to use later.
Take a big pan or wok heat oil then add mustard seeds once they splutter add the Ground nuts and fry for few minutes, keep the flame low the peanuts start breaking up or making noises,add the Red chillies, now add the dhals and curry leaves once they change colour put of the stove, I usually add the Pulikaachal to this and loosen it, so it is easy for me to mix it with rice, My mom she spreads the rice on a large plate, top it with the required quantity of pulikaachal/Tangy Sauce needed to the amount of rice we are using and  pour this hot Seasoning on to it. Either way it doesn't make any difference, I prefer to do it like this.
To this Seasoned Pulikaachal add Til and Copra powdered and required amount of salt, then mix it with rice throughly well incorporated.
Once it is well and evenly covered with the Tangy Sauce leave it at least for an hour before serving, this way the rice absorbs the Flavours well and will taste very well.
Serve it with popadoms or Cucumber Raitha or as I love to eat it with Carrot Kosumbari.
Here is an other click of Grapes Rice.

MY VERDICT: When I made it, I asked my Hubby to taste it, he said it has come out very well, only my friend knew I had used Grapes instead of Tamarind, I saw my H raising his eyebrows and said it was really good, My girls were very happy that their favourite puliyogarai still tastes like puliyogarai :)!, and My Son who love and can live on puliyogarai everyday said - Wow mum, an amazing creation, our favourite dish made with healthy Ingredients, He only came to know when I asked him to put the left over pulikaachal into a box and keep in the fridge.
NOTES: Pulikaachal made with tamarind usually stays up to 6 months to an year. I don't know how long this one stays, This kind of Rice, tastes better the next day!, Use pulikaachal to your taste and to the amount of rice you are using.

I like to thanks Satya, for hosting this event Twist the traditional - Puliyogarai, otherwise I would have never thought of trying this out!, Many many thanks to you Satya, this is for your event, I am also sending this to Nivedita's Original Recipes only started by Pari of Food delicious.

C u soon with a new recipe , take care , bye...

The post Black Grapes Puliyodharai / Black Grapes in Tangy Spicy sauce Rice appeared first on My Veg Fare.

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Peanut Spice powder

With a nutty and spicy taste, this powder can be used as a side dish, This also can be used for mixing and eating with rice.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine South Indian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Author Jayasri

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 Cup split roasted skin peeled Groundnuts Peanuts
• 10-12 pods of garlic
• 1/4 bunch or 6-7 sprigs of fresh coriander leaves
• 5-5 Red chillies guntur- badgi
• 1 tbsp or salt as desired
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 cup dry copra or dessicated coconut
• 3-4 flakes or small gooseberry sized tamarind
• 1 sprig curry leaves optional

Instructions

• First of all take a pan or wok dry roast Ground nuts until nice aroma starts coming out of them or when the skin starts peeling off.
• Take out them from the wok and keep it aside to cool
• Next in the same pan or wok take a tsp of oil, heat then add the garlic pods & fry them until they start changing colour to it add the coriander leaves and fry them till they look like withering away.
• With that fry the Red chillies too and fry Tamarind too in it.
• Once all of them are nicely fried take them out and allow it cool
• Meanwhile take the roasted peanuts and remove the husk from them and remove the small node like portion from the top of the nuts when you split open them.
• Take one tumbler of peanuts in measure & mix with all the other ingredients and dry powder in the mixie coarsely.
• put them in a jar & it may last up to 10-15 days.
• It is now ready to be served with plain rice and a dollop of ghee in it!

Notes

These kinds of powders are made in south Indian homes to mix it with rice and eat in their first course of meal

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