Plum Pickle

When I went to a farm, accidentally I found few raw Czar plums. Just by looking at the texture itself, I have decided to prepare plum pickle. But, just to double check, I gave a small piece of raw plum to my husband and asked him to taste it and tell me whether it is sour or not. The answer is YES.

As this is my experiment, I have decided to make small quantity. The plums are of 1 ½ inch size, more or less gooseberry size. I chose 10 plums. After removing the seed and cutting them into small pieces, the quantity came about 1 cup.

Note: It is always good to prepare the pickle powders at home. As it is difficult to prepare the small amounts, best thing is prepare them in medium or large amounts depending on the usage. Allow them to cool completely and preserve them in air tight bottles and store in refrigerator. This way we can save lot of time and effort and we can use them as and when required.

If you want to use raw powders always dry the ingredients thoroughly under hot sun or if you don't have sun pre heat oven,turn off and place the ingredients in the hot oven for few minutes. You don't need to fry the chilli. Just make sure the chillies or dry and grind them to fine powder or can use ready made pickle chilli powder.
Alternatively roast mustard / Fenugreek seeds seperately under low flame by constantly stirring until they change the colour and leaves nice aroma.

Ingredients:

Raw plums – 10

Mustard powder – 1 tsp

Salt – 1 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder (Pickle chilli powder) – 1 tsp

Fenugreek powder – 1/2 tsp

Sesame oil – 3 tbsp

First prepare the pickle mixture first and then cut the plums.

Mix salt, chilli powder, fenugreek powder and mustard powder and keep it aside.

Raw Plums

De-seed the plums and chop them into small pieces. I cut each plum into 6 pieces.

Add the pickle mixture to plum pieces along with sesame oil.

Mix every thing gently and store it in a dry container.

You can use it from second day itself.

Sorgham /Jowar / Jonna Idly

As many of you know that idlies are integral part of South Indian cuisine and Rice is the main ingredient to prepare this. Most of us use the polished rice which has got no / less fibre in it. Not only that, rice has a tendency to increase the blood sugar levels very quickly which is not so good for diabetes. I thought to give a go using protein and fibre rich jowar instead of rice.

Benefits of Jowar:

Though the caloric value of rice is almost same as jowar, compared to rice, jowar is richer in protein. Jowar is enveloped with covering of bran that is rich in B complex vitamins, cellulose and a large quantity of Phytates. The excess of phytates interfere with the absorption of calcium and iron from other foods.

You can find more details here.

Jonna Idly

Ingredients:

Jowar – 3 cups

Urad daal / Black gram – 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Boiled Rice - Handfull (Optional)
Rice Rava - 1/2 cup

Method:

Soak jowar separately and urad daal + Fenugreek seeds + Boiled rice separately for atleast 6 hours.

Grind the Urad daal mixture into fine paste and jowar bit coarsely.

Add salt and combine both the batters and allow to ferment for at least 8 hours.

When it is fully fermented , scoop the batter into idli moulds and steam for 15 – 20 minutes.

Jowar idly ready to melt with hint of ghee

Cut Mirchi / Cut chilli fritters

This is a very famous Rayalaseema taste. The chilli bhajis are chopped into small pieces and fry them again until crispy and served with spicy powder, lemon and raw onion.

Cut Mirchi with onion and spicy powder

Unlike the stuffed chilli bhaji, for the cut mirchi recipe you can even choose thin chilli varieties as long as it is long enough.

Prepare the basin batter using salt and pinch of soda. Dip the chilli in the batter and deep fry them.

See Chilli bhaji for the full procedure.

Cut the bhaji into bite size.

Mirchi bhaji chopped into small pieces

Deep fry them until the chilli turns crispy.

Drain and serve them with chopped onion, Pappula podi (Roasted chickpea powder) and lemon juice sprinkled on top.
For spicy powder - Take handfull of roasted chickpea (Pappulu). Grind them along with salt and 1/2 tsp of Cumin / Jeera.

 

Idly roast

There were few left over mini idlies not eaten by my little one, during morning rush. When I asked him to eat them in the evening, he said Naaaa…So, I have implemented modification.com

Roasted Mini idly

Ingredients:
Mini idly
Grated carrot - 2 tbsp
Chopped capsicum - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Salt

I have used this special pan (Ponganala penam)

Method:
Smear the moulds with little oil
When it is hot, place the mini idllies into each mould and fry them until golden colour. Turn them and allow frying the other side.

Take a deep frying pan and add 1 tsp of oil.
When it is hot add mustard, curry leaves, grated carrot, capsicum and a pinch of salt. Stir for a minute, still capsicum and carrot should retain their crunchiness
Finally add the roasted idly to the mixture, toss it and serve warm.

Roasted idly - crunchy outside and soft inside

Green Apple pickle / Apple aava kaya

I have picked some firm green apples from farm to prepare green apple pickle. They are really firm, fresh and tangy.

 Green Apple

Green Apple – 2 large size
Mustard – 3 tsp
Salt – 3 tsp
Red Chilli Powder (Pickle chilli powder) – 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Sesame oil – 4 -5 tbsp

Dry roast fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds and allow them to cool completely. Grind them separately into fine powder.

Chop the apple into 1 inch pieces 

Chopped Apple

Immediately mix them with salt, chilli, mustard and fenugreek powders.

Heat sesame oil and allow it to cool completely. Pour the oil into the pickle mixture and slowly stir the mixture, so that all the apple pieces get coated with the spices.

Hmmmm…. You will feel the nice aroma of mustard and sesame oil combination.

Leave the mixture to settle for a while and then transfer it into a ceramic jar or any glass jar. No plastics please.

Again preserving the pickle is also a talent. The life of the pickle depends on the way you preserve the pickle. I found this tip from my mother. Heat the jar and the spoon / laddle gently on stove top, so that any hidden moisture will get evaporated. With complete dry hands scoop the pickle into jars using the dry spoon.

You can use this from day 1 or can wait for 3-4 days

Apple pickle with hot steamed rice and ghee

Egg fried Rice

This rice variety is so simple to prepare though the list of ingredients is big. You can prepare this either with left over rice or freshly cooked.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 &1/2 cup
Eggs – 3
Carrot – 1 chopped like match sticks
Shredded Cabbage – 1 cup
Onion - 1 large sliced
Capsicum - 1 medium sliced into thin strips
Ajinomoto – ½ tsp
Soya sauce – 2 tbsp
Vinegar – 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Chop the carrot as shown above

Cabbage, Carrot, Capsicum, Onion

Method:

Firstly wash and soak rice with 2 &1/2 cups water for 30 minutes. Cook the rice with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of oil and separate the grains without any lumps and keep it ready.

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Break the eggs into the hot oil and stir every now and then until the eggs get half- cooked.

Scrambled eggs

Now add the carrot and cabbage along with salt and ajinomoto.

Fry them for a minute or two until just done. Make sure the veggies should retain their crunchiness. Now add the cooked rice and sprinkle soya sauce and vinegar and stir every thing.

Serve hot with any sauce.

Egg fried rice

Peanut chutney

This is the most common chutney variety in South Indian kitchen. Can be served with idly, dosa, upma or even rice or roti.

Ingredients:
Peanuts – 1 cup

Green chillis – 8
Tomato – 1 – Cut into big chunks (optional)
Tamarind – half of the lemon size
Onion – 1 cut into big chunks.

Method:

Roast the peanuts either in a pan or in Microwave or oven. If you roast them in pan you can see black dots. But if you do it in oven or microwave, you won’t see the black spots. Only way is to remember the timing to roast 1 cup. I normally microwave (mine is 900 watts) for 3 min. Stirring them in between, so that the centre ones move to the corners and vice versa and will get roasted evenly.

Heat a pan with one spoon of oil and when it is hot, add onion, green chilies, tomato pieces, tamarind and salt. Sprinkle some water and cover it with lid for 5 minutes. Stir in between and remove from fire when every thing looks translucent. Allow it to cool.

When every thing is cool, grind every thing together except onion. Add onion at the end and just pulse it for few seconds.

Peanuts – you can grind them with skin or with out skin. For me it doesn’t matter in the daily rush. Those who have enough time and patience can remove the skin and grind.

Season the chutney with mustard, Urad daal, Red chilli and curry leaves
 

Seasoning for Peanut chutney

 

Peanut chutney

Sajja Idly / Sorgham / Bajra / Pearl Millet idly

Among Millets Bajra is the predominant crop in India. It is also called as Pearl Millet in Western Countries, it is a wholesome grain which has high nutritive value. It is usually very popular in the States of Maharashtra and Rajasthan in India. Generally people eat in winter season. It has the same quantity of protein as wheat. Bajra is rich in Iron, B vitamins, Thiamine, Riboflavin and niacin.

Generally roties made from the fine flour are eaten with various vegetables as main dish. It has some medicinal properties when bread is eaten with honey in the morning.

 

I just want to try some thing different from the normal rotis. I have succeeded in making idlis. I have used urad daal with skin.

Ingredients:

Bajra / Pearl millet – 3 1/2 cups
Urad daal / Black gram – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – ½ tsp (Optional)
Salt - 1 tsp

Bajra / Millet & Urad daal with skin

Method:

Soak bajra and urad daal + Fenugreek seeds separately for atleast 6 hours.
Grind the Urad daal into fine paste and bajra bit coarsely.
Combine both the batters and allow it to ferment for at least 8 hours.

A fully fermented idly batter

Just before making idly, stir the batter thoroughly by adding salt,baking soda (optional) and pour 1 ladle of batter into each mould and steam.

Steamed Bajra idly

Bajra idly with Coconut & Corriander chutney

If you don’t have idli steamer, you can still steam them in any big container with lid, even a deep pan will do. If you do not have idli moulds you can use any small cup like containers.

Rava Idly

Idly plays a dominant role in Indian kitchen. There are lots of variations in idlis. Rava idli is the easiest variety.

Click here for more useful tips.

Ingredients:

Urad daal - 1 cup
Ground Rice / Idly Rava - 2 1/2 cups
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Method:
Soak urad daal for 6 hours and grind it into fine paste.
Wash and drain the excess water from idly rava and mix it with the urad daal batter.
Mix well and allow it to fermant.
Just before making idly, stir the batter thoroughly by adding salt and baking soda, and pour 1 ladle of batter into each mould and steam.

 

I have used the below idly mould to prepare mini idly or button idly

Mini idly mould

Rava idly

Rava idly served in sambar

Note: If you don’t have idli steamer, you can still steam them in any big container with lid, even a deep pan will do. If you do not have idli moulds you can use any small cup like containers.

Methi Carrot (Fenugreek leaves with Carrot)

Orange carrots…. and Green methi….. isn’t it a beautiful combination ?

Carrots adds sweetness and methi / Fenugreek leaves adds the mild bitterness and the combination of both with some hot chilli and a dash of tangy lemon is awesome.

The colours have inspired me to arrange the ingredients like Indian Flag

Ingredients:

Chopped carrot – 1 cup
Methi / Fenugreek leaves – ½ cup
Chilli paste – 1 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Fresh coconut grated – 2 tbsp
Salt
Dry chilli - 1 or 2
Chana daal / Split Chick pea - 1 tsp
Mustard + Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - Handfull

Method:

Heat a deep pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Add Red chilli, channa daal, mustard + cumin seeds and curry leaves one after the other.
Fry them until the channa daal changes the colour.
Add chilli paste and fry for a minute
Now add chopped carrot and methi and fry for a minute and cover with lid.
Stir in between until the carrot is just cooked and not too soft.
Sprinkle the lemon juice and grated coconut and turn off the heat.

Methi carrot

You can serve this with roti or with steamed rice as a side dish