Brown rice,green veg curry and brinjal fry!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Brown rice and green veg curry is nothing but Bhooga Chaawar aur Sai bhaji. A traditional Sindhi dish. A wonderful combo for a hungry stomach.

Brown Rice(Bhooga chawar) :

Long grain rice : 200 gm

Onion - 2 big, long, thin slices

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Cloves - 3

Bay leaf - 1

Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp

Warm water to cook the rice.

Wash the rice and keep aside to remove all the water from it.

Heat oil in a cooker, add bay leaf, cumin seeds and cloves. Then put onions and fry for a minute. Add sugar and keep on frying till the onions turn dark brown but not burnt. Now add Chilly powder and salt with rice. Fry for a minute so that all gets mixed well. Now add warm water till the rice is just covered. Close the lid and give 2 whistles.

Brown rice is ready. Garnish with Fried onions(optional).

Coming to Sai bhaji, click here for old post., Still giving the details again as this post is going for an event.

Green Veg Curry(Sai Bhaji)  :

Palak(Spinach) - 1 bunch
Methi leaves(Fenugreek leaves) - 1/2 bunchSabbasgi (Dill leaves) - 1/4 bunch(Optional)

(While making for this post, I did not had dill leaves and brinjal, so you can not see in the photo)
Brinjal - 1 medium (cut into cubes), its optional.
Potato - 1 medium(cut into cubes)
Tomato - 2 big(cut in to cubes)
Carrot - 1 medium(cut into cubes)
Channa dal - 1/2 cup (Soaked in water at least for an hour)
Salt to taste
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Haldi - 1/2 tsp
For tempering,
Oil - 1 tbsp(Ghee will taste better)
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Ginger Crushed - 1tsp
Mix all the ingredients for bhaji in a cooker and make 4 whistles. When cooker is cool, remove the lid, churn it with churner or with blender. Adjust the taste for salt.Give bhagar with mustard seeds and crushed ginger in a oil.Sai Bhaji is ready to serve.
(You will enjoy the same in  Alka's  Sindhi Traditional Food also. (Being Sindhi, our preparations are almost the same!) This is just for your information. I am not in to any copy cat thing!! I am a regular follower of her blog, as I love to learn more of Sindhi Cuisine. She got a lovely blog about All Sindhi Recipes.)
Next is
Brinjal fry :
Brinjal - 1 big, cut in to round, medium thin slices.
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Curry powder - 1 tsp
Oil to shallow fry
Mix the powders with salt. Rub this powder to all the brinjal slices. Keep it for 5 minutes.
Heat tawa or frying pan. Put the slices on the pan and shallow fry by turning the slices often for 10 minutes. 
Brinjal fry is also ready to serve.
Arrange every thing in the plate and enjoy with your family on Sunday afternoon.

Sending this to Pari's  THE COMBO EVENT 

Keep Smiling,

A queen of blood meets rice and white milk!! accidentally!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Are you thinking that I have started writing novel on ghosts and devils!! I always find this subject very funny and scary movies makes me laugh.( Do not tell me to watch "The Exorcist" or something like that!!!)

Yesterday, I was in a fix to fix a lunch box for my daughter. As you all know she loves to take rice, I have to plan variety of rice for a week and keep it ready in menu .

So, I checked the fridge for vegetables. I did not find anything, as I bring vegetables only in the afternoon of every Tuesday.

I checked the onion basket, thinking that I will make onion rice and send her. Then I saw these red queens sitting and talking to onions! First I hesitated to use these for rice, as I felt may be Rajul will not like the raw smell of beetroot. Then I thought of giving it a try as she likes boiled beet.

I will give you the recipe before I will tell the result!!

Here they come in line:

Rice - 1 cup or 200 gm

Beet - 1 big or 2 medium

Jeera or cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 big, cut into slices

Ginger & Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Whole garam masala - 1 tbsp crushed.

(1 cardamom, 2 cloves, few shajeera, a small piece of cinammon)

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp or more if cooking for elders

Tomato - 1 medium, chopped

Then comes the sweet heart of this rice, do not skip this!

Fresh coconut - either grated or small cut pieces to make coarse milk

(I am not getting proper word here, so let me explain you, take few small pieces or grated coconut, put little water and put in a blender to get coconut milk with coarse coconut. I mean, no need to make it full milk. I hope you got me!!!)

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure to make:

Wash the rice and keep it to dry.

Wash, peel and grate the beets.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add jeera and onion. Fry till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and garam masala. Fry for a minute and add the beet and tomato. Its time to keep on frying the beet till it becomes dry or looks dry. Like this I thought the raw smell will go! and to check whether the smell vanished or not,  read full story.

Now add salt and chilly powder with coconut milk. Fry for half a minute.

Add the rice immediately and fry for a minute so that the red masala will get mix with the rice. 

Here is the place where the queen of blood meets the rice and white milk. So the suspense is over.

Add hot water till the rice is covered. 

Cover the lid and give 2 whistles.

The red beet rice is ready to eat!

Yes! There was no raw smell of beet anywhere! Actually no one will make out that it is prepared with beet.

This was my real invention in a hurry!!! 

Why I am calling these beet as queen of bloods?? All of us know that beet is the house of  highest contain of iron, and regenerates the red blood shells. And doctors suggests to have it more if you want increase your hemoglobin. So what will be the best way to give this to kids, without making them cry! or running and shouting behind them?

The result was, the full day,my daughter was on this rice it self. And in the school her friends took half of the rice from the box. Seeing the color of the rice, even her teacher asked her what is it made of???

Do I need more appreciation?

YES! I want the sweet comments from all my friends here. 

Sending this to silpa of Anita' s Kitchen  APS- Rice Event.

AND

Sending it again to

Priya's Healing Foods - Beetroot Event Guest Hosting
( Linking it to Siri's Healing foods home page)

Keep Smiling,

Simple Veg. Biryani

Tried and tasted by Nivedita,

Hi All,

A very simple and easy rice for lunch box. 

Without much introduction or back ground, I am coming to the recipe,

Long grain rice - 200 gm

All vegetables of your choice - 200gm, wash and cut into cubes

(I used Potato, beans, carrot and peas)

Onion - 1 small thinly sliced

Green chilly - 1cut into long slit (if making for kids or 2 for elders)

Tomato - 1 medium, chopped

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Tej Patta or bay leaf - 1

Fresh cream - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

For Biryani dry masala,

Fennel seeds -1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds / Jeera -1/2 tsp

Shahjeera/Caraway seeds – 1/2 tsp

Cloves - 4

Cardamom -1

Cinnamon (1” inch length) - 1

Grated nutmeg -1/4 tsp (optional)

Grind everything into fine powder.

Taken from this and originally from this.

Wash the rice. Remove water and keep it to dry for half an hour or at least for 15 minutes.

Heat oil and ghee in a kadai. Add Onion and bay leaf. Fry till golden brown. Add tomato, green chilly and 1/2 tsp of ground masala.

Add all the vegetables and fry for a minute. Now goes the rice. Mix the rice with all the vegetables. Add salt, a table spoon of ready masala powder. Mix and add cream. Fry for a minute

Add hot water till the rice is covered. Close the lid and give just one whistle.

When done, serve hot with curd and onion raita or send it to lunch box for kids.(It is in my daughter's menu) 

This is flying to silpa of Anita' s Kitchen  APS- Rice Event.

Keep smiling,

Curd Rice Balls(ಮೊಸರು ಬುತ್ತಿ ಉಂಡಿ), reposted

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

This food was and is common for picnics in our house. During child hood, once in 2 months, my mother and her sisters and cousins always arranged for short picnics. There used to be so many relatives.

And we were about 15 cousins. We always had great fun. There were variety of dishes prepared by our grannys, packed nicely and systematical. We visited fields, farm houses or temples. If nothing, we used to meet in some one's house at least. Those were the days!!!, I never wish to forget! This "curd rice ball" was common, as it was easy to keep in our hand. We used to run and play while holding it in the hand and eating.

Click here  for old link of the same recipe.

Here is the recipe,

Rice - 2 cups(cooked with more water)

Fresh curds - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1 medium (chopped)

Garlic - 3 to 4 flakes

(Optional, skip it if you do not like the garlic taste!!, but tastes great with garlic.)

Green chilly - 1

Fresh coriander - 1 hand full

Curry leaves - few

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Mix ready rice, curds, milk, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Crush garlic, green chilly, fresh coriander and curry leaves together. Mix it with rice.

Adjust the quantity of curds and milk. After mixing, the rice should not be very watery, as we need to make balls. Keep aside for half an hour. Make balls and serve in the hands.

Great refresher for the summer!!

These curd rice balls are rolling to silpa of Anita' s Kitchen  APS- Rice Event.

Keep smiling,

Rice flour Poori and Chilli Gojju(Food Remake)

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!!!

Laxmi of Taste of Mysore has a wonderful blog, and I follow her recipes regularly. 

This recipe  was a hit in my house with the children and my friends. So I thought of sharing my click with all of you! 

Click here  for the detailed recipe with photos. 

Gojju is very tasty and if I make this, it will get over within half an hour. I love to have it with chapati, bread, rice, roti, dosa.......!!!!!

Keep Smiling,

Plain green biryani rice

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

When I prepared this rice few weeks back, my daughter was like "wow mamma, only chicken pieces are missing in this" She was happy to have this rice after many months.

After coming to India, as I stopped preparing non veg, I totally forgot about this rice. As I have told before, my daughter loves to take rice for her lunch box, I am learning to make varieties. And suddenly this rice came in my mind. When in UAE, I used to make this rice  with  chicken or meat curry.

Now a days,  once a week, this rice is in her lunch box.

Here, I prepared plain with one small potato. If you want you can add Soya nuggets in this.

Coming to the recipe,

Any long grain rice - 1 cup, washed and kept aside.

Onion - 1 cut into long thin slices

Bay leaf - 1

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water to cook the rice

For grinding,

Fresh coriander - 1 small bunch or 1 cup

Green chilly - 2 to 3 as per your taste or depending upon chilly

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic - 1 small bulb, peeled

Jeera - 1tsp

Cinnamon - 1/2" piece

Cloves - 3

Cardamom - 1

Put all these in a grinder and make it into fine paste.

Heat oil in a cooker or kadai (I prefer cooker). When hot, add onion and cook till brown. Now add bay leaf and the ready paste and fry for 5 minutes. When you start getting aroma add rice and salt. Fry for a minute. Add water till the rice level. Close the lid and give two whistles.

You open the lid and the aroma will take you  in another world!!!

Keep smiling,

Fresh chana green rice(ಕಡಲೆ ಕಾಳು ಅನ್ನ )

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

One more interesting and very tasty rice which I love the most and the whole year I wait for this, as I have to prepare this only during November till January end.

We get this only from November till January. I love to eat this just like that. (We call it Kadli geeda in Kannada). Great time pass when chatting with your friends! But I take care not to spread all the skin and leaves on the ground and my environment dirty.

When I was browsing the net for this, I got these links, which explains in detail about this. (http://mathildasanthropologyblog.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/the-turkish-domestication-of-the-chickpea/)

and (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cicer_arietinum_HabitusFruits_BotGardBln0906a.jpg)

And the rice prepared using these chana really has different taste! NO other dry chana can replace this taste as each chana has its own taste. After Avare kalu I love this one very much. But we make lot of dishes with Avare kalu, and this girly chana (What!???!? Now a days, without my knowledge,  I am getting funny words for my kitchen things, girly because of its beautiful fresh curves on its body!!!) is used to make very few dishes.

Here is the recipe,

Long grain or normal rice - 1 cup(soak in a water for a minute and keep it to dry at least for 15 minutes.

Fresh chana(ಕಡಲೆ ಕಾಳು) - 1 cup

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Fry and paste the below ingradients:

(Go on adding one by one after each minute in a tbsp oil and fry till nice aroma comes)

Onion - 1 big, (this needs 2 minutes to fry). After the onion is fried go on adding others.

Fresh coconut -1/4 cup

Ginger - 1/2"

Green chilly - 2 to 3

Cardamom - 1

Cinnamon - 1"

Tomato - 1 small

Pudina (Mint leaves) - 1 bunch

When cool, make into a fine paste and keep aside

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a cooker. Add the ready paste and fry till it starts leaving oil on the side. Now add fresh chana and salt. Cook it for a minute and add rice. Mix properly and fry for a minute or so. Add hot or warm water, according to how much the rice needs water. (usually what I do is, I do not measure the water for rice, but pour the water till the rice is just covered, but each rice has its own quality. So be sure about the water intake of the rice or else it will turn into kichadi!!)

Cover the cooker with lid and give two whistle. When done, add lime juice before transferring into serving bowl.

Fresh chana green rice is ready to serve. Enjoy each bite of chana!

Keep smiling,

Sweet Coconut Rice

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

As I have told before also, I llllllovve sweets! 

When ever I go to my aunt's house(Father's sister), every time I get something new to eat!!Last month, when I went to her house, she gave me this sweet! As usual,  it was very delicious. Even though it was not new to me, but I had it after long time. She makes very tasty and variety of food. 

This sweet is very common in South canara, and I think even in Maharashtra, they call it as Naaral bhaath.

I wanted to try this sweet, and Today I got the time to make. I called her, and asked her in the phone about the recipe.(  usually, we both share the recipes). I noted down the ingredients and prepared in the evening. 

         Here it is in front of you all, with my little creative decoration.

It is very easy recipe, if you have some unexpected guests and you want to serve them some sweet!! As the ghee is must in this, I thought of sending this to Sanghi 's  FIL - Ghee for this season and Spicy delights!!.

Coming to the recipe,

Rice(any variety which stays firm after cooking,) - 1 bowl (cooked)

Sugar - 3/4th bowl

Fresh coconut - 1 bowl(grated)

Ghee - 3/4th bowl

Cashew nuts and raisins - 6 each cut into pieces

Salt - a pinch

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in thick bottomed pan. Fry the nuts and keep aside. In the same pan, add coconut. Fry for a minute. Add sugar. Mix well and let it cook till the sugar is dissolved with coconut. Add half of the ghee.Do not let it boil. Once, both are mixed properly, add the cooked rice immediately. You should be  always with the dish, stirring it always on medium flame. Now add some more ghee, salt and cardamom powder. Cook it only for one minute. Remove it from the fire. Add fried nuts. Mix it nicely and transfer in to serving bowl. If you delay, then it will become hard.

The sweet coconut rice is ready to serve.

The sweet is going to take part in 

Sanghi 's  FIL - Ghee for this season and Spicy delights!!.

AND

Festive rice event by  Torview

Keep smiling,

Malt for toddlers(Reposted)

Tried and tasted by Nivedtia
Hi All,

I thought of starting my recipe entries with baby food. I am giving this food to my second daughter since she is 3 months old.(Now she is 18 months old.) Thanks to my neighbour who shared this with me. Before I share the recipe I want to say something about this. I went back to India for my second delivery after 9 years staying in UAE. It was nice and I really enjoyed my stay there for 11 months. When Phalguni, my second daughter was 3 months old, my neighbour Shaila, who also had 5 months baby, gave me this malt powder and told me to start feeding Phalguni. And I started giving it, the baby enjoyed the first sip!!!!! So I decided I will make it in more quantity and will start giving her everyday.

So I prepared the ingredients and took it to Flour mill ( in Kannada we call it "Girani"). I told the old man to make it powder and give it. And after he finished I went to give him money for the same. But!!!!! he refused. He said he will not take the money for baby's food. I forced him to take but he refused. Even though its only Rs.5, for him it was big as per me. But he told me let any amount of quantity comes for baby food, he never charges for it. He said, babies are like God, and I feel happy to do this!!!!!!!!! Its like blessings for him.This is what India is!!! Now when ever I make this malt at home( as there are no flour mills available near my house in UAE) I always remember him and smile!!

Now coming to the recipe:

Rice - 2 cups

Toor Dal, yellow moong Dal - 1 cup

Channa Dal, 

split green moong Dal -1/2 cup(after 9 months)

Almonds - 6 to 8

Wash rice and all dals together. put it to dry inside the house for a day or two. Once they are dry, roast with crushed almonds. Keep it to cool. Then put it into mixi and make fine powder. Store it in a jar. You can keep it for a month in refrigerator.

Now to make malt:

Rice and Dal powder - 3 tbsp

raagi (Nachni) Powder - 1 tbsp(I get ready powder packet here in UAE, in Indian stores) (Or if you have an access to flour mill, you can take raagi seeds, wash and put it to dry. Roast seperately and add with rice and dal mix )

salt to taste

Oats - 2 tbsp

Keep water in a vessel to boil. Till it starts boiling, mix all the above ingredients in a bowl with enough water. Then put in the boiling water, Stir continuously for a minute as there is a chance of getting burnt. Add salt.(If baby is less than 9 months, add very little salt).Let it cook for 15 min. Keep on stirring in between. Off the gas. Feed your child for breakfast. Its very healthy and my daughter loves it. For a change, only alternative days I put raagi powder so that she will feel change,eating white color malt.

When Phalguni turned 9 months and I started giving her vegetables, I started adding grated carrot, beans, potato and cabbage to make it more healthy. And all the vegetables goes into her stomach without any fuss.

I am sending this recipe to PJ's event : Tasty Bites For Toddlers

Till today(she is 2 years old),  I am giving it as one of main meals.

This is going to participate in "Event Announcement: Food for 7 Stages of Life - Cooking for Infants and toddlers ( 0-3 yrs)' organized by Radhika  and of Sudeshna’s Cook like a bong.

Keep smiling,

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,