Coconut Rice

This recipe is prepared at home usually the day after the festival as we break the coconut on the festival day which is handy for the following day. I follow the quick tip to extract the coconut from the shell.  keep the coconut in the freezer for at least 8 to 10 hours or until you use it. I know, many times I have noticed the fungus developing inside the kernel even if we keep it in fridge or sun dry them. I feel this is the best practice to store the coconut and keep it fresh. To use it, remove from the freezer an hour before and place it in  the water. Remove the shell and chop the coconut into thin slices and slightly pulse them in mixer or food processor with out adding any water. Make sure it should resemble the grated coconut rather than paste.

Coconut rice with brinjal curry / Guthi vankaya koora

Ingredients:
Rice – 2 cups
Fresh coconut grated – 1 cup
Green chilli – 4 - 5
Onion – 1 chopped into thin slices
Curry leaves
Coriander
Mustard + Cumin – 1 tsp
Chana daal – 1 tsp
Urad daal – 1 tsp
Cashews - 10
Dry chilli - 2
Oil – 4 tbsp
Salt
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash and soak rice in 3 ½ cups of water for 30 minutes. Cook the rice and spread in a wide plate.
Heat a pan with oil. Add the seasoning ingredients like Urad daal, Chana daal, Dry chilli, Mustard, cumin cashews and curry leaves. Add chopped onion and chilli and fry them until they become transparent. Add coconut along with salt and fry for few minutes (about 5-6) until the moisture evaporates from coconut. Finally sprinkle some chopped coriander and lemon juice. Stir once, cover the lid and turn off the heat. Add this mixture to the rice and mix every thing gently.

Guthi Vankaya Koora, Stuffed Brinjal

Guthi vankaya Kura or stuffed eggplant/brinjal curry is an authentic Andhra recipe which is cooked in loads of spices along with the tamarind juice which enhances the taste of the spices. The dish can be made with either the small purple brinjals or the small round green eggplants. But you need to bear in mind that the brinjals are absolutely fresh and tender otherwise you will loose the tender taste of the curry. Simple way of checking this the brinjals will be shiny if they are fresh. I have used purple variety today.

Ingredients:

Small Brinjals - 6
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Sesame seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Dry coconut grated - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 3-4 large cloves
Cloves - 5-6
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Salt
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Jaggery Grated - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind Pulp - 2 tbsp

Oil - 5 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 string

 

Method:

Dry roast sesame seeds, cinnamon + cloves, fenugreek seeds and peanuts seperately till they begin to change colour and leaves a nice aroma. .

Wash brinjals and make slits along the length taking care that the brinjal is held together at the stem.

Heat a tawa with 1/2 tsp of oil. Roast onions till they turn lightly brown and soften. Keep them aside. Fry tomato in the same pan by adding another 1/2 tsp of oil, until it become mushy.

Grind together roasted onion, tomato, roasted sesame seeds,  fenugreek, peanuts, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder,  Corriander powder, cumin powder, and jaggery to a very fine paste.

Stuff this masala into the slit brinjals and reserve the remaining. Heat olive oil in a kadai (wok), add curry leaves and sauté for a minute. Add the stuffed brinjals and sauté for about ten minutes. Add the reserved masala, salt and mix gently. Add tamarind pulp along with two cups of water, cover and cook over low heat till the brinjals are fully cooked and oil comes to the surface.

ఘుమ ఘుమ లాడే గుత్తి వంకాయ కూర.....

Spicy egg plant curry

Few corners at my home

Thought to share few corners of my home with you all. I always wants to decorate each and every place artistically with simple efforts. The outcome is as below.

At the entrance. The top one is the mask made up of paper and plaster of paris which I bought in kerala during our South India tour in December 2010. Middle one is the Rajasthan painting bought during North India tour in December 2009. The bottom one is face of Lorg Ganesh, again bought in Kerala. The Side hangings are made up of bronze purchased at Puttaparthi.

A wooden puppet sticked to one of the bedrooms door

Outside of the hall door. The hanging bells on both sides are from Rajasthan and the top one is from Kerala. An integration of North and South.

The other side of the door, the elephant head made up of rosewood.

In the hall. My favourite picture Yashodha with Chinni Krishna presented by lovely sister. My little one always points at this picture and says, amma that's me...

This is the fire place in the hall, which I have covered it because of the little ones. A nice red and black combination decorated with the hanging bells on the sides.

A closure look. Tajmahal gaurded by the elephants. Tajmahal and the 2 white elephants are made up of marble. Guess what, one elephant I have purchased at road side for 50 Rupees and the other one for 500 Rupees in the emporium run by the government. What a huge difference in price but not the look. The other 2 brown elephants are made up of clay. I have decorated them using some fabric paints with a touch of copper and silver colours.

Will post some other corners at some other time......enjoy

Munagaaku Thalimpu / Drumstick leaves stir fry

This recipe is enriched with the unique taste of drumstick leaves with added flavour of spicy coconut powder  and toor daal.

Ingredients:

Drumstick leaves - 1 cup

Toor daal - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1 chopped into small pieces

Mustard + Cumin - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 1 or 2

Oil

Salt

For Spicy Coconut Powder

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Garlic pods - 2

Grind them into powder and keep it ready.

Wash and drain the drumstick leaves. Cook the leaves until they are tender. As the leaves are bit harder than the usual greens, you can also pressure cook the drumstick leaves using just enough water. Drain the excess water and keep the boiled leaves aside.

Drumstick leaves

Seperately cook toor dall until they are just done. Drain the excess water.

 

Cooked Toor Daal

Heat a sauce pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Add the seasoning ingredients, stir for few seconds and add chopped onion. When the onion turns transparent, add salt, boiled toor daal and drumstick leaves and stir for few minutes until all the moisture evaporates. At the end sprinkle the coconut powder, mix every thing and remove from the fire.

 

Roti with Drumstick leaves stir fry 

Note: You don't need to throw the excess water, instead use it in mixing the roti dough or add it in curries.

Plain Chapathi

 Chapathi with Mushroom and Soya curry

Though this is a simple recipe for most of the Asians, I felt to publish this recipe as I have encountered with many ameture cooks / newly married people who asks about techniques to make soft chapathi / roti. I have used whole wheat flour in preparing this. Though few people do like the colour of  bleached / refined wheat floor, I vote for whole flour only, as the chapathis / pulkas won’t be soggy even when they are cold unlike refined floor . Not only that, lots of fiber in the whole grains which plays a vital role.

Few tips to get soft chapathis

- Do not mix the dough too hard.

- Always add sufficient amount of water in the begining itself as it is difficult to mix the dough with water in the later stage.

- Knead the dough thoroughly finishing wtih few good punches.

- Always leave the dough covered completely for atleast 15-30 minutes.

- To get rid of the sticky dough from your hands, just after kneading the dough add 1tbsp of oil to your palm and knead the dough again, so that your hand becomes dough free.

- Always heat the griddle properly before placing the chapathi.

- Do not over cook the chapathi as it becomes hard if you do so.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup

Water – 1/2 cup (Again this depends on the type of flour you use)

Salt for taste

2 tbsp flour mixed with 1 tbsp oil

 

Method:

Mix the flour and salt with water and knead it thoroughly and at the end pour 1 tbsp of oil into your palm and knead again for a minute and rest it for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Though few people add oil in the first place itself, I prefer to add it at the end so that the dough comes off from your hands with out any hassle and also less oil is required

Now divide the dough into 4 equal parts. The easy way to do is roll the whole dough into one long roll and cut into 4 parts using knife. Quicky one…

Roll the ball into round disc and sprinkle the flour mix and fold all corners and make it a triangle as shown.

Roll it again into medium thick triangle so that we don’t press the layers too much.

Heat a griddle and place the chapatti and cook for a minute.

Bubbles are appearing

When the bubbles appear, turn the chapathi to other side and apply oil. Turn it back and apply oil again, slowly press the chapathi until it pluffs from all sides and cook until you see brown spots.

 Chapathi fluffing like poori

Serve hot with any curry.

Chapathi with spicy mushroom and soya chunks , onion and lemon

Spring Blossoms

I have arranged few spring blossoms such as Eastern Redbud, Golden bells, Heath etc.,

Carrot Halwa

 Carrot halwa topped with chopped nuts and silver leaf

This is a rich traditional sweet made with carrots and whole milk. I made it more richer by adding ricotta cheese and silver leaf.  By adding ricotta cheese the halwa tastes more creamier.

Ingredients:

Grated Carrot - 4 cups

Sugar -3/4th cup or more according to taste.

Whole Milk - 2 cups

Ricotta cheese  -100 gms

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts, almonds, pistachio - 4-5 each, chopped fine

Method:

Heat a deep thick bottomed pan. Add ghee and carrots. Fry the grated carrots for about 5 minutes until the raw smell disappears.Add milk. Stir and cook on low fire till the mixture thickens. It may take about 15-20 minutes. 

Add sugar. Mix well and cook for some more time till sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens again.Add ricotta cheese and mix well until it gets melted.

Cook until it gets into halwa consistency by stirring occasionally.

 Remove from the fire and spread the halwa on a buttered tray. Sprinkle chopped nuts or just spread the silver leaf and cut them into squares.

 Carrot halwa topping with silver leaf

·Tip:  You can roast the ricotta cheese separately before adding to the carrot mixture. 
         Also you can substitute ricotta cheese with khoya. 

 Carrot halwa