Green Peas and Potato Pulao

This is a simple yet quick to make one pot meal which is a milder version suits for kids lunch box doesn't need of much masala.
My boy doesn't like rice varieties much for his lunch box so weekly once only takes either this rice or carrot rice along with some potato chips and veggie chips.Here is my version of delicious rice.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Basmathi rice/Ponni raw rice	1cup
Onion(finely chopped)	1no.(medium size)
Potato(small cubes)	1no.(medium size)
Green peas(frozen/fresh)	1/2cup
Green chilly	2nos.
Red chilly powder	1/2tsp
Garam masala powder	1/4tsp
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2tbs
Cashews	5-6nos.(optional)
Salt	to taste
Oil	1tbs

For Tempering 

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/Lavangam	4nos.
Cinnamom/pattai	1 inch piece
Cardamom/ellakai	1no.
Bay leaf	1no.
Star anise	1no.
Cumin seeds	1/2tsp

Method
Wash the rice and cook it in a pressure cooker or electric cooker with a pinch of salt and a tsp of oil.Once it is done separate the grains and keep it aside.
Heat a pan with oil and splutter the cumin seeds and add the whole garam masala.Then add the green chillies and cashews,fry it for a minute,saute the onion till transparent.

Now add the cubed potato,green peas and give it a mix.Add the powders,salt and sprinkle some water and cook it for 2-3 minutes or till the potato is cooked.

Finally add the coriander leaves and stir it,turn off the flame.To this mixture add the cooked rice and mix it well gently till everything gets blend well.

Rice is ready.
Serve it with a vegetable fry and chips or onion raita.

Enjoy........................................

• The rice can be cooked separately or it can be add to the masal and cook it in the pressure cooker for a whistle.
• As I ran out of frozen peas I used the soaked dried peas and cook it in the pressure cooker for a whistle.

Click here to check my blogger buddies participating in Blogging Marathon #24.
Linking this to Kid's Delight-Lunch box recipes hosted by PJ of Seduce your Taste Buds,started by Srivalli.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Spinach and Paneer/Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha-Easy Kid's Lunch box Recipe

Today is the first day of Blogging Marathon #24 for week 4 and the theme I chose is Kids Lunch Box recipe.Being a mom of 7 years old picky eater,packing a nutritious lunch box which suits for his taste buds is really challenging for me.He always wants his lunch box to be mess free and it should be a fusion recipe.
Recently found out he has a liking towards paneer and spinach stuffed samosas,so wanted to try this combo.One such thing he loves to take for lunch box is stuffed paratha smeared with tomato ketchup.So I experimented the stuffing with his favorite paratha and the end result was a super hit.He surprised me with an empty lunch box and said that it was so delicious.Here goes the recipe...............  

Ingredients

For the outer covering

Ingredient	Quantity
Wheat flour	2cups
Oil	1tbs
Salt	3/4tsp
Water	to knead
Oil or ghee	for brushing the parathas

For the stuffing

Ingredient	Quantity
Spinach/palak(finely chopped)	2cups (tightly packed)
Paneer(grated/crumbled)	1/2cup
Ginger(grated)	1tsp
Red chilly powder	1/2tsp
Garam masala powder	1/4tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp
Aamchur powder	1tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/2tsp
Coriander leaves/cilantro	2tbs(finely chopped)
Salt	to taste
Oil	2tsp

Method

• Mix in wheat flour,salt and oil in a bowl,slowly add the water and knead into a stiff dough.Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare the stuffing,heat a skillet with oil and crackle the cumin seeds,add the grated ginger and add the finely chopped spinach and saute it for a minute.Drain the excess water in the cooking process. Now add the powders,salt and mix it well so that everything gets blend and cook it for a minute or two.
• Finally add the paneer and coriander leaves and put off the flame.Set it aside,let it cool completely.
• After cooling divide into equal portions and also divide the dough into equal portions.
• Flatten the dough into 3' disc and keep the stuffing and seal it.On a floured surface roll it into 6-7 inch paratha of desired thickness.
• Cook it on a hot griddle both sides till golden color and spots appear,brush it with oil or butter or ghee according to your preference.
• Serve it raitha,pickle,ketchup or curry of your choice.

Enjoy.....................................................

• Do not cook the stuffing for a long time after adding the paneer.
• It is necessary to drain the water while cooking the spinach otherwise the stuffing would be watery.
• If the stuffing is watery add a tbs of thin poha(rice flakes) to absorb the moisture.
• Try to use the fresh spinach as the frozen spinach tends to leave lot of water.
• As I made it for my kid,didn't use green chillies if you want you can add finley chopped chilly along with ginger.

Check out fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon#24.


Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Tomato Chutney-Side Dish For Idly and Dosa

Today's recipe is a simple spicy and tangy chutney,a good accompaniment for idly and dosa which is one of my favorite.The juicy tomatoes are sauteed along with green chillies for spicy and flavored with garlic makes the chutney delicious.
As the weather is cold day by day here,especially since monday it is terrible cold(14 F) not feeling to cook anything special,but the taste buds wanted something spicy and hot.
To satisfy the cravings I made this chutney and enjoyed along with the idly for breakfast.Here goes the recipe....  

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Tomato	3nos.(medium size)
Green Chilly	6-7nos.
Garlic/poondu	3 clove
Tamarind(optional)	blueberry size
Salt	11/2tsp
Oil	1tbs

For the Tempering

Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Urad dhal/Uluttham Paruppu	1tsp
Curry leaves(chopped)	few leaves
Oil	1tbs

Method 

                Finely chop the tomatoes and garlic,slit the green chillies.Start by heating the pan with oil and saute the green chillies and garlic.Then add the tomatoes.

Cook it till the tomatoes get mushy.Once it turned mushy and cooked well turn off the flame and add the tamarind if you are using.Let it cool down completely. Blend it well in blender along with salt to a fine paste.Heat a pan with oil and do the tempering and add the ground chutney to it.No need to cook.

Spicy and tangy tomato chutney is ready.

Serve it with fluffy idly or dosa.

Enjoy.............................................

• The chutney will be in the spicy side as we like to have it spicy with idly.
• Use of green chillies and garlic makes the chutney more flavorful,do not use the red chilly.
• Adding the tamarind is purely optional if the tomatoes are sour enough then no need of it.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Gulab Jamun - My 200th Post

This is my 200th post and want to share our family's favorite sweet Gulab jamun.Before getting into the recipe I would like to thank ally readers and friends for the constant support and encouragement.
Originally gulab jamun is made with fresh khoya by condensing the milk to a solid consistency.After that a considerable amount of all purpose flour is mixed to form a soft dough.The dough is made into cute ball and deep fried in the ghee then dunked into cardamom or rose flavored sugar syrup.After soaking an hour or two delicious juicy gulab jamuns will be ready to dig in.It can be eaten as such or served it along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make it more tasty.
But these days so many ready made mix for gulab jamun is available in the market to make the job easier.I also used to buy the readily available mix till I met a friend 3years back.She made this yummy sweet in a scratch with the milk powder.When I asked for the recipe she humbly shared this recipe. Today I made this exotic sweet with the dry non fat milk powder and it came out very delicious and spongy.As I had to take the picture in the natural light I couldn't wait till the balls get soaked.After soaking for two hours the jamuns were almost double in size.Now on to the recipe.........................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Milk Powder	1cup
All purpose flour/maida	2tbs
Ghee/clarified butter/nei	2tbs
Cooking Soda	a generous pinch
Milk(to knead)	as needed
Sugar	13/4-2cups
Cardamom/ellaki powder	1/2tsp
Water	11/2cups
Oil/ghee	for frying

Method
                    Heat the sugar in a pan with 11/2 cups of water and stir it,keep in a medium flame till it becomes thick(no need of string consistency).Add the cardamom powder and keep it aside.

Take the milk powder,all purpose flour,ghee,cooking soda and mix it till crumbly.

Now slowly add the milk and knead it gently to a soft dough,keep it aside for 5 minutes.If it is too thick then add little more milk and knead it well.Pinch a small gooseberry size ball and roll into a smooth ball without giving too much of pressure.

Heat the pan with oil and gheein a medium flame and drop 6-7 and rotate the pan so that all sides of the ball gets cooked evenly.

Once it is cooked to golden brown color drain it  from the oil and drop it in the  sugar syrup.

Soak it in the sugar syrup frt atleast two hours.

Enjoy........................ 

• If the dough is too thick the jamuns will be hard. 
• While making the balls do not give too much of pressure to get the smooth finish. 
• The oil should be in a low to medium flame otherwise the jamuns turn brown without cooking. 
• Grease the palms to make the balls smooth without cracks.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Almond/Badam Milk Powder

I used the store bought badam milk powder to make warm or cold badam milk instantly until I saw this in cookery show in T.V.As almond has lots of health benefits,I try to incorporate in my son's diet either in the morning or for his snack.Sometimes I make this warm badam milk,especially in the winter time to keep the body warm.Whenever we wanted to take a break from caffeinated drinks our first choice would be this flavored warm beverage.This powder is not only used to make badam milk ,it can be used in the payasam or kheer to give a rich and creamy taste.Now on to the recipe.................

 Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Almonds/badam	1/4cup
Cashews	10nos.
Pistachios	10nos.
Cardamom/ellakai	5-6nos.
Saffron/kungumapoo	10-12 threads
Sugar	1/2cup
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	a pinch(optional)

Method

• In a microwave safe bowl put all the nuts and roast it for 3-4 minutes,then add the saffron threads and keep it in the microwave for one more minute.
• Let it cool down completely.
• Put the roasted nuts,saffron,cardamom in a nixie jar and pulse it to a fine powder.
• Now add the sugar and grind it for a minute.
• Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate it.

Badam milk

Method
              Boil a cup of milk and simmer it for 5 minutes,add 1tbs of badam milk and mix it well.
Serve it warm or cold.

Enjoy..........................................

• Don't grind the mixie or blender continuously while grinding the nuts,as the oil content in the nuts tend to make it like a paste.
• Store it in the refrigerator to prevent the nutty smell.
• Adding turmeric powder is purely optional,it is for extra color. 
• To make masala milk,add a clove and small piece of cinnamon in the milk and add the required amount of powder.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Vegetable Fried Rice

For the day 3 of blogging marathon#24 is vegetable fried rice which doesn't need an introduction.If you ask most of us for the favorite Chinese dish,the answer would be Fried rice and Manchurian.I am not exceptional,Vegetable fried is my all time favorite and whenever we go to restaurant my order would be the simple and delicious fried rice.This rice can be made with left over rice also now on to the recipe..................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Basmathi rice/long grain rice	3/4cup
Carrot(thinly sliced)	1/4cup
Beans(thinly sliced)	4-5nos.
Capsicum/bell pepper(thinly sliced)	1/4cup
Cabbage(shredded)	1/4cup
Garlic/poondu(finely chopped)	2nos.
Spring onion(finely chopped)	2tbs
Soya sauce	1tsp
Black/white pepper powder	1tsp
Onion(finely chopped)	1/2no.(optional)
Salt	to taste
Olive Oil	2tbs

Method 

1. Cook the rice in a boiling water with a tsp of oil and salt and drain the excess water.
2. Separate the grains and cool it completely and keep it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
3. Heat a wok with the oil,saute the garlic,onion and spring onion.
4. Now add the veggies one by one and give it a mix,add the salt,keep it for a minute.
5. Add the soya sauce and stir it well,then add the pepper powder.
6. Finally add the cooked rice to it and toss it gently till everything gets blend well.
7. Keep it in a low flame for 2-3 minutes and put off the flame.
8. Vegetable Fried Rice is ready.

Enjoy...........................................

• Do not add too much of soya sauce otherwise end up in bitter taste.
• Keep the veggies crunchy and not over cooked.
• Chilly sauce can also be added for extra spicy taste,as I wanted milder version I didn't add.
• If you want to add egg to this rice make the scrambled egg with an egg and add it finally,toss it.

Check out the other marathoners who participate in Blogging marathon#24.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com