Crispy rice balls

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

It is so easy to prepare food, when some one is guiding you!! That's why I enjoy very much when ever I follow other blog and cook any dish. And I post it in 'Food Remake' label, as it is very common in Indian film industry to remake the movies from one language to the other. So even my food here is the remake one!!!

One more food remake from Suma of Veggie Platter She calls it as "paalakaayalu". I have named it as "Crispy rice balls", as they really turned crispy and very tasty!!! Thanks Suma.

We had cooking competition in our area for Ganesha Chaturthi activities. And the theme was to prepare food from rice. When I was browsing the blogs for a recipe, I came through this one, and here is the result. And the competition result was I got second prize!!!

And my second daughter who is not even 2 years, went on stage for fancy dress competition with her sister. They were dressed up as Chinese girls( last month, my mother bought dresses from China,)in the evening!!! She was not ready to come down from the stage!! She wanted mike in her hand and wanted to sing and dance. Posting the photo of them on the stage!

Keep smiling,

Veg. Juice Pulao

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

My last minute entry to Chaitra's event! The reason is, as I stay little far from the city, it is difficult to get all the vegetables when I need. We depend on weekly markets, which are small and will have very little options to buy varieties. Even though I wanted to make this rice before only, I did not get spinach all these days. But today when I went to market I saw fresh Spinach and thought of making the rice and send this entry to Chaitra's event.

As I told before, I am trying new rice preparations, this is one of them. One month before, I watched this recipe in the TV, but could not write down. So depending on my memory, I tried the pulao, it came out good. But for sure, it is very healthy for kids, as they do not eat palak and beetroot directly.

Here is the recipe,

Long grain rice - 2 cups

Beet root - 1 small

Palak(Spinach) - 1 bunch small

Carrot - 1 big

Onion - 1 small, chopped into long pieces

Cauliflower - cut in to 12 to 15 pieces

Paneer - 8 to 10 cubes(optional, but tastes good)

Soya nuggets - 8 to 10(Soaked in the water for sometime)

Tomato -1 medium

Tej patta - 1

Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch

Clove - 3

Cardamom - 1

Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp(optional)

Salt to taste

Chilly powder - 2 tbsp

Soak the rice in water for 2 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

Clean and wash palak leaves. Boil for few minutes. Peel the beet root, carrot. Cut into pieces. Boil and keep it to cool.

Prepare palak, carrot and beetroot juice separately.(you can mix all together and make the paste at a time also.)

Wash, cut the tomato and prepare the paste.

Squeeze the water from nuggets.

Heat oil and butter in a cooker. When hot, add all dry masalas(crush it once or they will pop out). Add onion. saute for a minute. Add soya nuggets, paneer. Saute for 2 minutes, keep on stirring.

Now goes palak,carrot and beetroot juice and tomato paste. Let it boil for 3 minutes. Now add rice, salt, chilly powder and cauliflower. Mix properly. Add hot water till the rice is covered. Give 2 whistles. Wait till the cooker is cool.

The pulao is ready to serve.

Sending this recipe to

Rice Feast @ Aathidhyamfrom Chaitra

Keep smiling,

Green Corn Rice

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I am not so good, when it comes to rice preparations. But, now after coming to India, I am trying to do new experiments with rice.

One more reason is, I need to send lunch box to my daughter to the school, as she stays in the school for 6 hours. So rice is the best food to eat faster than chapati. And fast food or junk food is not allowed in her school. Even bread, noodles is not allowed. So in these two months I have

tried almost more than 10 rice varieties and surprised that even I can do it!!!!

Here is the recipe for Green corn rice,

Long grain rice(or normal rice) - 1 cup

Onion - 1 big chopped lengthwise

Ginger & garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Green chilly - 2 or 3 finely chopped

Methi leaves - 1/4 bunch cleaned and washed(optional)

Tomato - 1 big chopped

Fresh coriander - 1/2 bunch, cleaned and washed

Pudina - 1/4 bunch, cleaned and washed

Fresh, frozen or canned corn - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Wash and soak the rice for 2 minutes. Remove the water and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add onion and fry till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, green chilly and tomato. Saute for 2 minutes. Now add chopped green leaves mix properly. Now goes the corn and rice. Fry it for two minutes. Add salt and hot water till the rice is covered. Do not add more water.

Close the lid of the cooker and wait for one whistle. Open the lid, when cooker is ready(When it allows to open!!)

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with raita or papad.

Sending this recipe to

Rice Feast @ Aathidhyam from Chaitra

Keep smiling,

Bhindi(okra) in green masala

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A very easy and tasty Sindhi vegetable preparation, which goes will both with chapati and rice. My husband loves to eat it any time. But, however I try hard to make it tasty, I can never compete with his sister's taste. He always says, my sister makes it better!!!

Coming to the recipe,

Lady finger or bhindi - 12 to 15

Potato -2 cleaned peeled and cut into thick round pieces.

Tomato - 2 big

Green chilly - 3 to 4

Fresh coriander - 1/2 bunch washed and cleaned

Ginger - 1/2 inch cleaned

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp and 1 tsp

Wash, clean and pat dry the bhindi. Cut the ends, fry them in 1 tsp oil. Keep it aside.

Grind tomato, green chilly, fresh coriander and ginger into smooth paste.

Heat oil. Add potato and for for 2 minutes. Now add ready paste and let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Now add bhindi, salt, haldi and coriander powder. Cover it with lid till the bhindi is cooked.

Serve hot with chapati or brown rice.

This traditional recipe of North Karnataka is going to

Shanti's

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: STATE SPECIALS

Keep smiling

Mix Veg Poha

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A very easy, simple and healthy breakfast for a family. I will not go into the detail about this recipe, as it is very common all over India. Only difference is the way we prepare it and using ingredients according to our taste.

But I would like to say about poha or beaten rice or flattened rice. It is very healthy food and can be prepared in many ways. It is used in many other food preparations also. It is famous for Lord Krishna and Sudama's friendship also. It turned Sudama from beggar to the richest person, with Lord Krishna's blessings.(In Bhagvat Purana).

Poha is available in 3 sizes usually. One is Thin poha which is used to make chewda or ghee poha or curd poha. Other is Medium Poha,which is used to make soaked poha like the one I have given or again one can make with curds or cucumber. And the last one is very Thick Poha, which is deep fried in oil to make chewda.

Here is the recipe for Mix veg poha,

Poha (medium) - 2 big cups or 200 gms

Oil - 3 to 5 tbsp

Onion- 1 big, chopped

Green chilly - 4 to 6 according to the taste and how strong the chillies are.

Curry leaves - few

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Peanut - 2 tbsp

Ginger - 1 tbsp chopped finely

Potato - 1 big (peeled and cubed)

Tomato - 1 medium chopped

Capsicum - 1 small chopped

Carrot - 1 medium chopped

Green peas - 1/4 cup(boiled or frozen)

(I did not put as I did not had when I prepared this)

Lime juice - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Haldi -1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Fresh coriander to garnish

Soak poha in water only for 30 seconds. Be careful to remove it immediately from water, or else the poha will turn into paste. Keep it aside till all the water goes.

Heat oil in kadai, add jeera, curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal and peanut. Let the dals turn into little golden colour. Go on adding, ginger, green chilly, onion, potato and carrot. Saute for 2 minutes. Now add green peas, capsicum. Again saute for 2 minutes. Now goes, tomato and salt.

Mix the masala properly and cook it till the potato is cooked properly. Keep on low flame. Add lime juice, haldi and sugar. Off the heat. Mix the soaked poha in the masala and garnish with fresh coriander. The mix veg poha is ready to serve with papad.

OR

another way is, after you take the soaked poha from water, mix it with salt, sugar and lime juice. Keep it aside for some time. And while preparing masala, drop these ingredients. Then while mixing the poha garnish it with fresh coriander and mix the masala. This is the way I like to do. The taste also is little different.

Try either way!!!

Keep smiling,