Easy Ragi Dosa

Preparation:30 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: Makes 4 serving

Ingredients

2 cups ragi (nachni / red millet)
1/2 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
1 tsp salt
oil for cooking

Method

Soak urad dal and ragi separately in enough water for minimum of 4 hours or overnight.Grind the urad dal into a smooth paste. Keep aside.Blend the ragi into a smooth paste and keep aside.Combine the urad dal batter and ragi batter together with salt ina deep bowl and mix well.Cover and keep aside to ferment overnight or until it doubles in volume.Heat a non-stick tava and grease it with little oil.Spread a spoonful of batter and spread into a thin dosa.Cook till it turns crisp and golden brown from both the sides.Serve immediately with sambhar.

Yummy Pudina Rice

Preparation:15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups long grained rice (basmati)
salt to taste
2 green chillies
1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves (phudina)
1/2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
a pinch red chilli powder
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
a few curry leaves (kadi patta)
a pinch turmeric powder (haldi)
a pinch garam masala
a pinch asafoetida (hing)

Method

Pressure cook the rice till 2 whistles on medium heat.Remove from cooker when steam escapes and let it cool.Take a mixer and grind mint coriander leaves and green chillies.Now heat the kadhai and put oil when oil becomes hot add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,curry leaves,turmeric powder,hing,and the mint and coriander, chilli paste.Saute for 20 seconds and add coriander powder and cooked rice garam masala and salt.Mix well and cook for one minute or till it becomes hot.Serve hot.

Kakarakaya Ulli Karam

Preparation:4 hrs
Cook: 45 mins
Total Time: 2854 hours 45 minutes
Servings: Makes 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

250 gms bitter gourd (karela)
1 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp
4 onions
salt to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds
4 to 5 whole dy kashmiri red chillies
3 to 4 garlic (lehsun) cloves
oil for cooking
pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp chilli powder

Method

Peel the skin of karela and cut it into small piecesSoak the pieces in little salt and tamarind water for atleast 5-6 hours.Squeeze all the excess water from the karela pieces and keep aside.Heat the oil in a pan and fry the karela pieces till light golden brown few pieces at a time and keep aside.Roast the cumin seeds, corriander seeds, dry red chillies lightly till the aroma of the spices is released.Grind the onions, tamarind, spices(jeera, dhaniya, redchillies, turmeric, chilli powder, salt) and garlic cloves to a paste.Heat the oil(used for frying karela pieces) and put the paste and cook till the paste starts releasing the oil.Now add the karela pieces and mix well.Serve hot.

Aloo Mutter

Preparation :15 mins
Cook :20 mins
Total TIme :35 mins
Servings :Makes 4 servings

Ingredents :

1 1/2 cups potato cubes
1 cup green peas
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 tsp finely chopped ginger (adrak)
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
3/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste

For The Garnish
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)

Method :

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, add the cumin seeds and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato purée, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander- cumin seeds powder and garam masala, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the potatoes, green peas, ¾ cup of hot water and salt, mix well and pressure cook on a medium flame for 3 whistles.
Allow the steam to escape using natural release method, ( refer handy tip ) before opening the lid.Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Handy tip:
Handy tip:Natural release method: to use this method, remove the pressure cooker from the hot burner and let the pressure drop by cooling down naturally. It works best for grains and for beans that you might use for salads, as quick-releasing the pressure can cause the beans to split apart.

Potato Bonda Chettinad Style

Preparation:5 hrs
Cook: 30 mins
Total Time: 3305 hours 30 minutes
Servings: Makes 30 bondas

Ingredients

For The Batter
1 cup raw rice (chawal)
3/4 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
salt to taste

For The Potato Mixture
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1/2 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)
1 tbsp bengal gram
1/2 kg boiled and mashed potatoes
2 finely chopped onions
6 finely chopped green chillies
1\" piece finely chopped ginger (adrak)
1/2 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Other Ingredients
oil for deep-frying

Method

For the batter
For the batterSoak rice and urad dal for 2 hours. Add salt and grind it to a thick and fine paste (consistency of the batter should be a little thicker to idli batter). Keep it aside.
For the potato mixture
For the potato mixtureHeat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, urad dal and gram dal. Once the seeds crackle add the onions and ginger and saute till the the onions are translucent. Add green chilles, turmeric powder and saute for 3 minutes. Add salt, mashed potatoes and coriander. Mix well.Divide the potato mixture into 30 small balls and keep aside.Heat oil in a kadhai. Dip the balls in the prepared rice-urad dal batter and deep-fry for 5 minutes.Serve immediately.

Ragi Vegetable Khichyu

Preparation:12 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total Time: 24 mins
Servings: Makes 4 serving

Ingredients

1 cup ragi (nachni / red millet)
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup grated bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki)
3 tbsp boiled sweet corn kernels (makai ke dane)
3 tbsp grated coconut
2 tbsp peanuts
3 cups sour buttermilk
2 tbsp sesame seeds (til)
2 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
8 to 10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

For Garnishing
1 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp chopped coriander (dhania)
1 tsp sesame seeds (til)

Method

Lightly roast the ragi in a kadhai, cool and grind coarsely.Heat oil in a kadhai add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.When the seeds crackle, add the curry leaves and saute for 10 seconds.Add the peanuts and sauté for 2-3 minutes.Add sesame seeds, ginger-green chilli pasyte and sauté for a minute.Add carrot, vbottle gourd, sweet corn, coconut, all dry masala powders, salt and sauté for 3-4 minutes.Add chaas (buttermilk), mix and bring to a boil.Add coarse ragi flour, little by little and keep stirring continuously to avoid any lumps.Add coriander leaves and cook stirring till thick and leaves the pan. Remove from heat.To serve, grease a bowl with oil, spread some coconut flakes, coriander, roasted sesame seeds and fill the bowl with hot`Khichyu`, press lightly.Invert in a serving plate, drizzle til oil on top and serve hot immediately.

Good Old Tomato Soup

Preparation :10 mins
Cook :null
Total TIme :10 mins
Servings :

Ingredents :

500 gms ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 bayleaf (tejpatta)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (dalchini) - cloves (laung / lavang) powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
1 tsp butter
1/2 tbsp plain flour (maida)
1 clove of garlic (lehsun)

Method :

Pressure cook the tomatoes (about 2 whistles suffice). Blend till smooth. strain to remove seeds and peels.Heat butter in a pan, add the bayleaf, garlic (whole) and fry for a few seconds.Add tomato puree. stir. dissolve the flour in a little water till smooth.Add the flour paste, stirring continuously, bring to a boil.Add the seasoning, salt and sugar.Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot with bread croutons, a swirl of fresh cream, and pepper.

Gajar ka Dosa

Preparation:15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: Makes 12 dosas

Ingredients

1 cup soaked rice (chawal)
1/4 cup soaked par-boiled rice (ukda chawal)
3/4 cup grated carrot
5 fresh red chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 1/2 tsp salt
a leon sized ball of tamarind (imli)
oil for cooking

Method

Combine both the rice and blend in a mixer to a smooth batter.Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.Add some water, if required, to make a batter of pouring consistency.Divide the batter into 12 equal portions.Heat a tava and spread a portion to make a thin dosa.Cook using little oil till the dosas turn golden brown and crisp.Serve immediately with chutney of your choice.

Ragi juice

Preparation :null
Cook :0 mins
Total TIme :0 mins
Servings :

Ingredents :

Ragi grains 1 cup
Jaggery as per taste
water 4 cups
Salt a pinch
Cardamom powder 1 pinch

Method :

Soak ragi grains for 3-4 hours.Grind in a mixer with little water and strain. this gives a nice milk. again add the strained grains to mixer with little more water, grind again and strain again.Do this for 3-4 times, till all the milk is recovered.Add jaggery, salt and cardamom powder.Stirr till jaggery melts in this milk.Add remaining 3 cups of water and ice cubes.Garnish with mint leaves and serve in a glass.